Viki was completely surprised but pleased to have Joey home. He told his parents he either had to totally commit to the project he was working on for six months or stop right then, so he'd decided to return and finish his degree. Clint was skeptical because Joey had already missed more than a month of the semester. Joey had arranged it so he could write a paper about his work in Italy for credit. If he took a light course load the rest of the semester and really worked hard in the spring semester, he should be able to graduate with his class in June.
Joey knew most of the news in town from his mother's recent visit, but he did ask how Kelly was doing. Viki was very vague, not mentioning Ian's name at all. Joey left for home to get some rest. In the elevator, he ran into Dorothy. He said that she resembled a Madonna in an Italian painting. They exchanged some small talk, but she got off the elevator and walked away before he could get her name.
At the gatehouse, Joey was walking around in a towel after taking a shower. While he was in the kitchen, making coffee, Cassie arrived home. Joey startled Cassie, who'd had no idea he was there. Cassie offered him his old room back, but Joey said he would prefer to get his own place. As Joey was heading up the stairs to get dressed, Dorian barged in and demanded to know where Kelly had gone with Ian. "Hello, Dorian," Joey said. Dorian turned and stared at him.
Dorothy went to the Banner to thank Viki for helping her get the job. Viki said she was more than happy to do it. Dorothy ran into Joey in the elevator then headed to the park, where she sat on a bench and looked at apartment listings in the paper. Viki later ran into her there and suggested that she take a look at Patrick's former apartment. She gave Nora's phone number to Dorothy, since Nora was handling Marty and Patrick's affairs, and told her to call in the morning.
Dorothy thanked Viki again. She wished she could do something for Viki. She could, Viki told her. She could attend a dinner that Viki was having the next evening to welcome Joey home. Viki said Mel and Mary would be there too. Dorothy accepted.
Kelly and Ian were on their way to California. In flight, Kelly fell asleep and had a horrible nightmare about meeting her mother. She was in a long hall with a door at the end and light shone from the door. She opened the door, and it was foggy inside. The fog cleared a bit, and she saw what she thought was her mother. When it turned around, it was actually Kelly's doll with the eyes gouged out. Kelly screamed and woke up suddenly, shaken by the dream. Ian put his arms around her and comforted her.
Ian and Kelly discussed Kelly's fears about going mad like her relatives. Ian didn't think Kelly had anything to worry about. He suggested that maybe the fact that Melinda had been a child prodigy had made her closer to the edge. Kelly had never been so glad to be ordinary. They arrived at the hospital, and Kelly walked up to her mother's room. She knocked but got no answer. She slowly opened the door and looked inside, but it resembled her earlier dream.
Cassie and Mel discussed whether or not Mel should tell Dorian the truth about where Kelly had gone. Mel did not want to lie because it could destroy Dorian's trust in him forever, but Cassie insisted that it was very important that Dorian not find out what Kelly was doing. Mel went to Dorian's house to see her. She was sitting listening to one of Melinda's tapes. Melinda had had a wonderful talent, but after the accident, she had never been able to play as well again.
Mel tried to avoid the topic of Kelly, but Dorian decided they should have a party to celebrate Dorothy's new job. She was not happy to hear that Viki had helped get Dorothy the job and ranted for a while about that. Mel was forced to say that Kelly had left town for the weekend with Ian. Even after searching, Dorian couldn't find the note that Kelly had left her. Dorian was very suspicious, and since she couldn't find out from Mel where Kelly had gone, she decided she'd just ask Cassie instead.
Kelly was a little worried when she walked into her mother's room and found Melinda meditating with lit candles all over the room, but their visit went well. Melinda was doing much better with the new medication she was on. She did ask Kelly, though, if she was okay living with Dorian and if she was safe there. Of course she was safe, Kelly said. Dorian had always loved her and taken care of her. Melinda seemed to suggest that Dorian had taken care of Kelly out of guilt but offered no details of what might have happened in the past. Kelly noticed the piano in Melinda's room, and Melinda got slightly upset when Kelly asked her to play something. Kelly left, promising to return the next day and take Ian with her.
After Dorian got over her surprise at seeing Joey, the two exchanged a few words before Joey headed upstairs to get dressed. Dorian asked Cassie if Joey's return to Llanview was the reason that Kelly had left town with Ian. Cassie didn't offer any information at all. Dorian asked again where Ian had taken Kelly. Joey overheard them and asked who Ian was. Dorian took pleasure in explaining that Kelly had found herself a rich admirer. She also bragged about her own relationship with Mel.
Joey insisted he was happy for the both of them. After Dorian left, Cassie offered to take Joey out for dinner. Joey talked about moving out the next day, but Cassie wanted to be the one to move out. She thought it was time she and Kevin stopped living on his mother's property and found a place of their own.
Blair and Max were at Club Indigo, discussing the best way for Blair to get Ian back. Blair was not very hopeful that it would work but agreed with Max that she would have to cut all ties to Todd. After Blair left, Max talked to Jacara about leasing studio space in his new waterfront development and singing in Rodi's. She said she'd think about the studio space, but R.J. was not too thrilled with the idea of dealing with Max. As for the singing, she had no intention of performing again. She liked her job behind the scenes.
Frustrated after getting no answers about Kelly's whereabouts from Cassie, Dorian called the Palace Hotel and tried to find out where Ian had gone. They refused to give her the information. Blair returned home from Club Indigo and had a better idea. She called the offices of Armitage International in New York, pretending to be Maggie Carpenter. They told her that Ian had gone to Arcadia, California.
Dorian immediately realized that was where Melinda was and called Melinda's doctor. She learned that she was too late. Kelly had already been there to see Melinda. She asked the doctor to tell Kelly to call Dorian as soon as possible. She needed to speak to her urgently. The doctor informed Dorian that Melinda was much better and could be released from the institution as soon as she was ready to go. After hanging up, Dorian declared that she'd figured out how to take control of the situation.
At Club Indigo, R.J. got a call from Gabe. He had the mob "investor" outside in his car, and the man was impatient to get down to business. R.J. needed to get rid of Jacara first, so Gabe and the investor would have to wait. R.J. flattered Jacara about her singing and his disappointment that she had not honored his request to perform the night before. He said that when she sang, she let her guard down. She replied that was all the more reason for her not to do it. She had chosen business and a partnership with him, and she asked if there was anything wrong with that. She was off to her meeting in Philadelphia and rushed out, kiddingly promising R.J. to return with a cheese steak.
R.J. speed-dialed Gabe. The investor, Tommy Philips, told R.J. his associates knew R.J. from when he'd worked under Carlo. They were impressed with his success with the club and the growing presence of Blue Jay's artists on the charts. He had made his mark, and his associates knew a good thing when they saw it.
Gabe encouraged R.J. to welcome Tommy, offer him a seat, and show him hospitality. R.J. offered a drink but decided he would prefer to do business while standing. Tommy said the powers that be liked to acquire new things, like R.J.'s business. R.J. replied he had no need for other investors. Tommy told him that "no" was not the answer, and he asked if it was possible R.J. had misunderstood. R.J. defiantly said that he had not misunderstood, declaring, "I just won't sing someone else's tune." Furthermore, Mr. Phillips and associates would be sorry if he refused to take no for an answer.
Gabe could see his negotiating skills were needed. He told them to keep calm. Tommy said the deal was that R.J. would get 30%, Jacara would get 30%, and Phillip's associates would get the rest. R.J. got in his face as he explained that it would be a bad mistake to take what belonged to him. He called Tommy and his associates "jamooks" and promised them that all they would get was scorched earth. Tommy reminded R.J. that he was no longer under Carlo's protection. However, R.J. said he was no easy mark. He ordered Philips out of his club.
Gabe deftly pulled Tommy aside for a moment and explained that R.J. was ambitious and not going to just roll over. It would be in both their best interests to reach an agreement. R.J. said there was no percentage in confrontation. Lots of heat and lots of uniforms were what Phillips and his cohort would be faced with because he would protect what was his at all costs. Tommy decided a softer approach was needed. After all, they were both Darwinists, and they traveled in the same sphere. They had to either evolve or die. R.J. replied, "Then let's evolve." They needed to find out what was mutually beneficial without costing either of them more than it was worth.
Philips had an artist named Charlie Patterson who could be the next Harry Connick Jr. He needed a good launch. R.J. was a little dubious about the guy and whether he sang only standards. Philips said he could do anything. He just needed to be handled right. That was where R.J. factored in. Patterson would need a recording contract with Blue Jay, two CDs guaranteed, and then lots of promotion. He handed R.J. the demo tapes and told him to give them a listen. Philips would be faxing R.J. a deal memo before he left town, one he expected R.J. to sign.
After Philips left, R.J. chuckled. He was smug and certain he had gotten off very easy. He would do as little as he could get away with on the deal. He expected it to be easy. He thanked Gabe for giving him peace with honor and for allowing neither of them to lose face. Gabe thought he was taking it too lightly. He wondered how he was going to sell Jacara on it. Jacara overheard and wanted to know just what R.J. was going to sell her on.
Nora was at home, totally disorganized and totally exhausted. She had been both running the office and doing her own legal work for too long. Bo said she couldn't go on that way. The bell rang, and Rachel was greeted by her mother as a savior. Surely, after all the pain Nora had gone through to give birth to her, her daughter would reciprocate and help her out until she could find an assistant. Rachel reminded Nora that she had a job, and things were hectic. She had to book three months of acts for Club Indigo.
Nora whined that Rachel didn't love her, and Mudd made a beeline to the couch next to Nora. That was too much for her. She suggested that Bo give Mudd to Max because he was lonely. Bo reminded her that she'd said Max needed a girlfriend, not a dog. Bo said not to worry;, he had a diabolical plan. "Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind," Nora replied.
Bo left, and Rachel said that she thought she had the answer to Nora's problems at the office. She had an old friend from law school named Georgie Phillips who was in her last year, had a light course load, and was working for peanuts at the library. She needed more of a challenge and more money. She was well organized and a big fan of Nora's, having seen her lecture. Nora pleaded, no, ordered Rachel to track her friend down immediately, and if she was interested, to take her down to the office.
At Llanfair, Clint tried to discuss what had or rather what hadn't happened at the cabin the day before. He wondered if Viki would take his suggestion and see Dr. Maude. She replied that she was anxious to resolve her conflict about sex. She had been working with her regular therapist and thought it might not be wise to branch out with a specialist. Clint asked her to address it with her therapist.
Viki did not feel it was a priority. After all, life was steady in almost every other area; she was happy, stable, and for the first time in her life, not in agony. She couldn't ever recall being that well. Clint reminded her that it was she who had opened the subject and also she who'd fired the first volley when she'd thrown tomatoes at him. Maybe she was angry with him. Viki said more like she was mad at herself for starting it in the first place. He didn't mean to push it. Viki said that he was doing just that. Clint said he wanted her to do what was best for her. She replied that she hoped she could do that.
Joey bounded down the steps and interrupted. Viki went off to get some work done. Joey told his dad it felt like he had been away nine years instead of nine months. Clint replied that things changed. Joey teased, "Tell me about it!" Clint didn't want him to misunderstand. Viki and Clint were forever joined as parents and business partners. They had issues and didn't want added pressure from their kids. Joey promised to stay out of their business then teasingly added that he would like some advance notice before the wedding so he could pick up the tuxedo for the event.
Bo showed up with Mudd and tried to palm it off on Clint then Joey. Clint was not interested, and Joey said it aggravated his asthma. Clint left, and they talked about Drew. Joey said he'd thought something had been going on with Bo's son, but he had not known how to tell Bo about it. Bo replied that he'd never gotten to know Drew either. Jessica arrived and was happy to see her brother and Mudd, who she called the cutest thing she had ever seen. Joey asked why he was so eager to get rid of that perfect pet. Bo reminded him that he and Nora worked like dogs. They were not the right owners for the dog.
Viki showed up and told Bo he had sunk too low. Bo said it was the end of his marriage because Viki wouldn't allow Jessica to keep Mudd. Viki replied that she would see him out before he left something behind. Jessica told Joey she was just blowing smoke. She didn't have enough free time to spend with the dog either. Joey saw the perfect chance to segue from dogs to Ian Armitage, revealing his opinion of Kelly's latest conquest.
Jessica gave Joey a lot of information on Ian and made him admit that he did miss Kelly but was afraid to pursue her after breaking things off. Jessica reminded him he had blown Kelly off like the jerk he was, and she laughed. He said he'd thought he'd missed his sister, but he'd been wrong. Viki returned to the living room and told her youngest son that she was giving a welcome home party for him. She had invited Mel's daughter, Dorothy, and thought he would enjoy meeting her. Joey laughed at the transparent attempt at matchmaking, and mother and son hugged.
In Nora's office, Rachel introduced Georgie to her mom and asked her to go over and visit her later on at Club Indigo. Georgie told Nora she would be finished with law school in the spring. She only had a few more credits to finish off. She knew all the office procedure and all the computer software. Nora wanted to know where she had been all Nora's life. Georgie allowed that there was nothing complicated about the law. All it required was common sense and clean fingernails. Nora knew the quote -- Doris Lessing, her favorite author -- and also Georgie's favorite.
Georgie filled Nora in on her personal history. Her father had died during her freshman year of college. It had taken five years for her to finish and another five years to finish law school. In fact, it was Nora who had inspired her to stick with it and not to quit. She'd attended Nora's lecture at the university and had observed her in the courtroom. Nora welcomed her to the firm and asked her to start right away. She was due in court. Geogie had the job and all the benefits, but the only one she was interested in was occasionally going to court with Nora.
Nora said that was part of the job, and she was hired. After she left, Georgie took a look at the pictures on Nora's desk and the degrees on the wall. Bo walked in, and she introduced herself. He told her she was the answer to his prayers, and he hoped she loved working for his wife.
After struggling down the stairs, desperately holding on to the handrails, Téa shouted at Bird, telling him to shut up. She staggered over to the couch and started crying when Todd entered. Téa told him to go away and not look at her. Todd could tell she was upset and that she'd been crying. Stubbornly, Téa denied that she was crying when Todd offered the rare sleeve to cry on. Téa explained that she was in a lot of pain and that it was probably a side effect of the painkillers. Todd said he was sure it had nothing to do with the fact that she had been pushed out of a second story window, nor that she'd dragged herself out of a hospital bed in order to "nail down" his custody case.
Téa relented and admitted that it had been traumatic. She explained that when she had been in law school, she'd go for three days without sleep, yet all she wanted to do was sleep, and she couldn't. Todd told her to "think loose." Bird reiterated that and kept repeating, "Loose as a moose." Todd and Téa enjoyed a good laugh and thought that "Moose" was either Bird's name, or he thought he was a moose. There was a knock on the door, and it was Blair. After some choice bantering between Téa and Blair, Blair handed over her keys to the front door and her office at the Sun and told Todd that any dealings with her should go through her attorney.
Blair then asked to see Starr, but since she hadn't been through the court-ordered psychoanalysis, Todd told her to "go through my lawyer." Blair then asked Téa -- very, very nicely, without sarcasm -- if she could see Starr. Téa told her to go ahead. After Blair left, Todd threw the keys at the door that she had just closed. He claimed that he was angry because his assistant editor had just quit.
Téa called Todd on it and told him that that was not true and that he was angry because of the feelings he still had for Blair. He denied it, but Téa knew better. She told him that Blair quitting was the best thing for them. He asked how, and she explained that Blair was distancing herself from Todd, that she was moving on with her life, and that he should do the same -- get over her. Todd stormed out of the loft, slamming the door behind him, leaving a deflated Téa sitting on the couch.
Trying to quickly cover his meeting that had taken place with Tommy Gregory, R.J. told Jacara that they were going to sign a friend of a friend of a friend to Blue Jay Records. Jacara explained that she'd listened to thousands of tapes from thousands of wannabes, but if R.J. thought it was good, she'd take a listen. Gabriel informed R.J. that Jacara was not a good person to lie to. R.J. told him everything was "going to be all right; it's going to be all right."
R.J. asked Jacara out to a movie. Jacara reluctantly agreed. While R.J. was checking out movie times. Jacara received a package from a courier, who delivered a "Deal Memo" for Charlie Patterson. When R.J. entered the room, she asked what was going on. R.J. said he really felt Charlie had talent, and R.J. had taken matters into his own hands. Jacara was rather upset that he'd signed someone without consulting with her. She told him that she'd like to trust him, but that wasn't the way to go about it. She also told him that it wasn't the way she did business, and if that was his way of doing it, then he either didn't know her or didn't care, in which case it might be time to rethink the partnership.
R.J. professed that he knew how much Blue Jay Records meant to Jacara. He then asked Jacara if she knew who Tommy Gregory was, and she couldn't deny that she did. He told her the whole story, nothing candy-coated, about how Tommy wanted a piece of the action, but instead of that, R.J. had offered to sign Charlie Patterson to a deal. He felt that signing Charlie was the lesser of the two evils.
R.J. also told Jacara that he knew how hard she'd tried to keep Blue Jay Records on the up-and-up and that he felt that that was one of the reasons she had gone to him. He felt the least he could do was protect her from having to deal with lowlifes like Tommy Gregory. She thanked him for telling her the truth. R.J. told Gabriel that he'd told Jacara everything. Then, out of nowhere, Jacara stated that she wanted out. She was exercising the "out clause" in their contract and was taking Blue Jay Records back.
Melinda's doctor, Dr. Angell gave the message to Kelly that her Aunt Dorian was looking for her and for her to call as soon as possible. Kelly freaked out, trying to figure out how in the heck Dorian had figured out where she was. The doctor told Kelly to calm down and that Dorian had specifically said that she was not upset. Kelly sucked it up and called Dorian. She apologized for not telling her aunt where she was going but explained that it had been a last-minute decision.
Dorian initially was upset but turned it around to where she actually apologized, hollowly, to Kelly for being "smothering." Dorian gave the word to Kelly that Melinda's doctor believed that Melinda was well enough to leave the hospital. Kelly, to say the least, was caught totally off guard when Dorian asked her to ask Melinda to live with them in Llanview and then get back with her with Melinda's answer.
When Dorian hung up the phone, Blair asked Dorian if that was what she'd meant earlier when she'd said she was going to take control of the situation. Dorian feigned innocence and told Blair that she was doing what she thought was best for Melinda. Besides, with Kelly having unlimited and unsupervised visits with her mother in California, nobody knew what effect it would have on Melinda's state of mind. Blair stated her admiration of Dorian to survive even when the "cards" were stacked against her. Blair decided that she was going to start taking control of her life again, starting that very day.
Kelly informed Melinda's doctor of what Dorian had said, and he thought it was a good idea. Dr. Angell explained that as long as she took her medicine, Melinda was fine. Kelly was fearful of another incident and was loaded with doubts. Ian reassured her that he felt Melinda really wanted to be well. Kelly and Ian entered Melinda's room and found Melinda standing at the piano in a semi-trance-like state. When Kelly said, "Mother," Melinda nearly jumped out of her skin. Melinda apologized, stating that was not her normal reaction.
Kelly introduced Ian, and Melinda and Ian exchanged pleasantries. Ian only stayed for a moment, stating he had business to take care of. Melinda and Kelly had an emotional talk about their relationship -- or lack thereof. Melinda began to express how she could never make up to Kelly all the things that she'd done and missed out on. Melinda stated that nothing Kelly could ever do could be as bad as what she had done to Kelly when she had been a little girl.
Kelly corrected Melinda and told her of taking the life of Blair's unborn child then said, "See, I've taken a life. You haven't killed anyone, and I survived. So can you." Kelly then popped the question to Melinda about going to Llanview. Melinda was not sure it was such a good idea or if she could handle it. Kelly said that if Melinda wouldn't do it for herself, then she should do it for Kelly. Melinda asked if Kelly thought she was strong enough, and Kelly in turn asked Melinda if she felt she was. Melinda said she thought so.
Jacara stormed back into R.J.'s office to pick up some files and her briefcase. R.J. tried to talk her out of leaving, but Jacara was firm. She didn't work with the mob or with liars, so their partnership was over. R.J. defended himself by explaining that Tommy Gregory could have put Blue Jay Records out of business, and R.J. thought the deal he'd made, signing a singer, was a pretty good compromise. R.J. thought she wanted to be protected from those sorts of things. Jacara didn't like his reasoning. "So that makes this all my fault?" she asked.
Jacara had heard enough. She told Gabe to start doing the paperwork to dissolve the partnership and walked out. Rachel arrived at Club Indigo just in time to catch Jacara storming out. Jacara told Rachel how wonderful it had been to work with her, but she was leaving. As Jacara was walking out the door, R.J. went after her. Rachel stopped him to ask what was going on, but he didn't have time to talk. He needed to catch up to Jacara.
Jacara arrived at Rodi's, sat down at the bar, and started talking to Max. R.J. walked in right after her. "Get lost," Jacara told him. Jacara tried to leave, but R.J. took hold of her arm. He was not going to let her walk away. Jacara had said all she had to say to R.J. If she couldn't trust him, they had nothing together. R.J. thought that she could see the truth about him, that he was not "bad to the bone" like Hank and everyone else thought. If that was the way she felt, maybe she was right -- they should end their partnership right away. R.J. walked out. Max asked if she was all right and poured them both a drink.
Jacara had a drink with Max while he told her about his previous run-in with R.J. R.J. had been a loan shark going by the name of Jimmy Glover. Max had had a gambling problem at the time and had borrowed a large sum of money from "Jimmy." "Jimmy" had threatened to kill him if he hadn't paid on time. "Do you think R.J. really would have carried through on his threat?" Jacara asked. "Maybe he was just bluffing," Max allowed, but he'd had Max running scared. Max thought that Jacara was a lot better off without R.J. Max offered her a place with him at Rodi's.
Dorian was at home, all dressed up to go out, in a black dress with rhinestone straps and buttons. The phone rang; it was Melinda calling. Melinda was very happy to finally see Kelly again. Kelly told her of Dorian's invitation to visit Llanview, but Melinda wasn't sure that she was really welcome. Dorian assured her that she had missed Melinda and wanted to see her. Melinda said her doctor felt she was still holding something back, like they'd been putting a puzzle together and were still missing a few pieces. Both the doctor and Melinda hoped her trip to Dorian's would help fill in the blanks about the past.
Without directly saying no, Dorian tried to persuade Melinda not to dig into the past, claiming that Kelly was fragile, and they shouldn't discuss the past until they got back to Llanview. Then they could all explore the past together. Melinda hadn't made up her mind yet whether she would be going to Llanview, but she promised to tell Dorian as soon as possible. They hung up, and Mel arrived. Dorian wanted to take Mel out to dinner, but he had a prior engagement -- at Viki's.
Dorian was not happy to hear that he'd been invited to Viki's and she hadn't been invited along as his date. She was even less happy at the thought of Mel and Joey sitting down to dinner together. Dorian, as usual, made it all about her, that Viki had planned everything that way on purpose just to exclude her. Mel suggested that maybe it was just a welcome home party for Joey and had nothing to do with Dorian, but Dorian didn't believe that. Mel offered to call Viki to see if he could take Dorian along.
Dorian was certainly not going to beg for an invitation. It would be demeaning, she told Mel. Mel couldn't get out of going to the dinner even if he wanted to, which he didn't. He did ask what Dorian's plans were later on. She was hoping that he'd head straight back and tell her what had happened. Mel asked what Dorian's good news was. Dorian said she had spoken to Melinda and had invited her to Llanview for a visit. Kelly had gone to California to visit Melinda, she told him. Mel pretended he didn't know that already. Melinda's doctor had said she was ready to leave the institution, and Dorian wanted to offer her a sort of halfway house, a "safe haven," when she got out.
Mel was delighted, both for Melinda and Dorian's sakes. Dorian had decided she wanted to prove to Mel, Kelly, and Cassie that she was not afraid of anything in her past, at least not anything she could remember. If there was anything there in the past, Dorian promised to work hard to recover it, so there wouldn't be any dark places. Dorian thought Melinda could help her with that.
Blair arrived home with the good news that she'd quit her job at the Sun. She asked Dorian what had happened because Dorian was supposed to be having dinner with Mel. Dorian explained that Mel had other plans with "Queen Victoria" in honor of "Prince Joey's" homecoming. Dorian told Blair about her conversation with Melinda, but she was beginning to question the wisdom of having asked Melinda to stay with them. Blair didn't understand; she thought having Melinda there with them would be the best way to control what Kelly asked her. Dorian explained that Melinda had questions of her own and had asked Dorian for help in remembering the past.
Blair didn't understand why everyone was so obsessed with history when there were more important things to worry about, like Todd having custody of Starr. Blair thought that Dorian should make it clear to Cassie, Mel, and Kelly that the past should remain in the past, otherwise Melinda was going to end up like Addie. Blair promised to help Dorian however she could. Dorian didn't know what she would ever do without Mel. She was afraid that Viki, Kevin, and Joey were filling his head with "lurid stories" about her at that very moment. "Then why are you sitting here?" Blair asked.
Dorothy and Mary were getting ready to go to Viki's party. Mary promised to behave herself and not turn the night into a group therapy session. Mary swore to Dorothy that they were not trying to set her up with Joey; Viki had just thought that Joey could introduce her to some people her age. Mary asked Dorothy if she'd dated at all since the miscarriage. Dorothy said no, she'd been very hesitant. Even when she met someone she liked, like the "amazing guy" she'd met in the elevator, she froze up.
At Llanfair, Joey was on his way out the door to visit some friends when Viki caught him and reminded him that he was the guest of honor at the party that night. He didn't want to stay for the party, especially since Viki seemed to be trying to set him up with Dorothy. Viki assured him that Dorothy was not terrible like he obviously thought. She was a wonderful girl. Joey reluctantly gave in. He said he'd go tell his friends what was going on and return for one drink.
As Joey left, Jessica walked down the stairs. Viki commented that she looked lovely and wished that Cristian were there to see her. Jessica wanted Cristian to be there, too, until she saw Dr. Maude's name on the guest list. Jessica was worried that the topic of conversation would end up being "sex and your teenager." Clint entered and overheard the last part of the conversation. "Who's having sex?" he asked. "Nobody," Jessica insisted, mortified. Clint tried to be understanding, fumbling for words, if she wanted to tell them something. "There's nothing to tell," Jessica insisted again, and she asked if they could please just drop the subject.
Mary, Dorothy, and Mel arrived. They briefly discussed Dorothy's job; it began the next week. They all went into the library. Viki explained that Kevin couldn't join them. He was in Texas, visiting his son, and Cassie had a deadline she had to make. Dorothy was disappointed. She had been looking forward to seeing Cassie again. Viki heard Joey enter, but he was up the stairs before she could catch him.
Dorothy thought she'd left her purse in the car and headed to the door to get it. She ran into Joey, who was heading down the stairs, and they recognized each other from their meeting in the elevator. Viki went out into the hall and found them getting along well. She apologized to Dorothy that Joey could only stay for a little while he had a drink with them. His plans had changed, Joey quickly corrected his mother. Joey told Dorothy to stay right there and not disappear again; he had something he wanted to show her. He ran up the stairs. When Viki returned to the library, Mary was complimenting the Banner about their series of articles on teenage pregnancy.
Mary, encouraged by Viki, went on to tell a story about a party at a free clinic for teenage pregnancy that she'd started in the Bronx. There had been a going-away party for Mary, who had been moving on to a new project, and the place had been decorated with "balloons" that were not balloons, and the cake had been decorated with birth control devices. Viki enjoyed the story, but Clint and Jessica looked like they wanted to sink through the floor. "So, what do you think about the Eagles' chances next week?" Jessica asked, desperately trying to change the subject.
Joey and Dorothy were sitting on the staircase. Joey had a book of paintings and was showing her the picture he thought she resembled. Dorothy was flattered but still didn't see the resemblance. They discussed painting a little more then Joey had something he wanted to show her in the kitchen.
Back in the library, Mary was commenting about Clint and Viki's relationship and how amazing it was that they could work so well together after the divorce, with no past sexual issues getting in the way. Mary said she would love to interview them for her next book. Viki was literally saved by the bell from having to answer when the doorbell rang. She rushed to answer it and found Dorian on her doorstep. "I hope I'm not intruding," Dorian said with a big smile.
