Against Sharon's wishes, Nicholas confronted Nikki about the way she was treating Sharon. This, of course, infuriated Nikki, who pointed out that even young Cassie understood Sharon was a liar and a cheater. She begged him not to let Sharon worm her way back into their home, but he was not having any of it. He told her Sharon was sorry and that she was doing her best to rebuild her relationship with Cassie and Noah—they needed her. He went on to tell her in no uncertain terms that if she and Victor wanted any kind of relationship with him, they were not to interfere in his marriage. She reluctantly agreed before he slammed out the door.
Sharon was doing her best to bond with the children at home, but Cassie had a sour attitude. Once Noah was out of earshot, she told her mother she really had Noah fooled. Sharon took exception to that comment and told Cassie she wasn't trying to fool anyone. She sat her down and asked what she was doing that so upset Cassie, and she told her she didn't like the way Sharon was trying to act like everything was back to normal. She also added that she would never forgive Sharon for leaving, no matter what. Sharon tried to reassure her by telling her she would never leave again, but Cassie was not open to hearing it.
She asked Sharon if she could spend the night in the tack room with Vicki, and Sharon told her she didn't think it was such a good idea. She told her she couldn't keep avoiding her if she wanted the situation to get better. She offered a compromise: she could stay at Vicki's if afterward they could focus on rebuilding their relationship. Cassie told her "no thanks" and that she would just go ahead and sleep at home before walking out the door.
She went up to see Nikki and told her she really wanted to get out of the house to get away from Sharon. Nikki was sympathetic and told Cassie everything was just going to take some time for things to smooth out. She also suggested to try to keep a little bit of distance, and Cassie took that opportunity to tell her about wanting to sleep at Vicki's. She conveniently forgot to tell Nikki that Sharon had actually agreed to it with the condition. She only told her Sharon wouldn't let her. She pleaded with Nikki to step in and help her, and Nikki agreed. Soon afterward, Nikki barged in to Sharon's, which made Sharon very angry. She demanded that Nikki go back outside and knock on the door like the guest she was. Nikki angrily complied, and then started in on her about Cassie. She told her exactly what she thought about Cassie not being able to stay with Vicki, but Sharon stopped her short. She told her Cassie was her daughter, she would decide how to raise her, and that Nikki should "keep her stuck up nose" out of it.
After a brief visit with Mary to try to get some answers, Chris headed back over to the hospital to find out the test results. Olivia told her the CAT scan was normal, but she wanted to admit her to run more tests to be as thorough as possible. Wes came in, interrupting their conversation, and before introductions were finished, Olivia's beeper went off and she had to leave. He stayed and once Chris found out he was a psychiatrist, she opened up to him about her blackout situation. She told him she was afraid of what might have happened in light of how violent she felt toward Isabella. She asked if he had any explanation of what may have happened to her, and he told her of a disorder he knew of where the mind could block out certain segments of a person's life and cause them not to remember. The explanation was both comforting and frightening to her, especially knowing it was possible for her to become violent toward Isabella.
Meanwhile, Paul was annoyed to find Detective Weber at his door, demanding to wait inside for Chris to return. Almost immediately, Michael called looking for Chris and Weber answered the phone. He asked to speak with Paul and because of Weber's presence there, they had a very vague conversation. Michael asked if Chris mentioned being near Lake Michigan and Paul answered in the affirmative. Michael wouldn't tell him anything else, other than he would be there soon. Weber asked about the conversation, but Paul was vague with him, as well. Getting annoyed with Paul's resistance, Weber told him he seemed far more interested in protecting Chris than he did in finding out what happened to his own wife. This angered Paul and he told him he shared everything he knew and that he wasn't covering anything. Weber ended up getting a phone call and having to leave, much to Paul's relief.
Michael met up with Otis (the man with Chris's cell phone) who continued to complain about the mess in his boat. He showed the bloody mess to Michael who was shocked to see the extent of the mess. Michael offered the man several hundred dollars to have the boat cleaned, which he gladly took, but kept on complaining. After he left, Michael just looked at the bloody boat, perplexed.
Victor's Office:
Victor and Nick discuss strategies in regards to Satine. Nick is of the K.I.S.S school where Vic thinks throwing money at it and keeping the enemy off guard is key. Vic wants them to think outside the box in order to blow away Jabot. Nick asks what Victor plans to do against them. He promises that something is afoot but won't go into more detail. Nick isn't pleased with Vic's secrecy and Victor's lack of ethics. For Victor the ends justify the means but Nick doesn't buy into it. While Vic goes on Nick fantasizes about Sharon at the BBQ and then making love to her. Vic reschedules the meeting for a time Nick can focus. He then mentions that a local charity is looking for an organizer and eh thinks Sharon would be good for it. Nick agrees that it would be good for her and will mention it.
Nick & Sharon's:
Sharon and Nikki argue over Cassie more. Sharon tells Nikki that she never forbade Cassie from spending the night at Victoria's but just didn't want it to become habit. Nikki accuses Sharon of calling Cassie a liar. Sharon resents Nikki's interference but that only pleases Nikki. Nikki claims Sharon is purposely splitting the family apart and it disgusts her. Sharon feels Nikki is being a paranoid shrew. Sharon asks if Nikki would like to see her cry or beg to be forgiven etc. She no longer will be a victim. Nikki gloats that Sharon and Nick aren't sleeping together and it won't change. Nick let her stay only for the kids but it won't last, not with the way Cassie feels. Sharon says to wait and see. Later Nick returns home with lust in his eyes.
Olivia's Office:
Christine and Wesley discuss her possible fugue state and what she could have done then. Chris fills Wes in on the whole story behind Isabella. She's worried that the stress of the whole thing has finally caused her to crack. She mentions once being raped as a teen and how her first marriage feel apart because of an interfering woman. Wes plans to read up on fugue states and will work to help her out. He prescribes a sedative to help control her anxieties. She thanks him.
Paul's Apt:
Michael interrogates Paul abut Chris' whereabouts especially in regards to her being at Lake Michigan. Paul doesn't understand the problem. He mentions her being at Olivia's but refuses to let Mike go until he tells Paul what the deal is. They argue until Chris comes home. Paul tries to keep Michael quiet but he tells her about the boat and the blood inside. They wonder what could have possibly done. Paul is and at Michael for upsetting her right before she has to talk to Detective Webber. She wants to get it over with. She leaves a message for him that she is back. Michael tells her he'll act as her lawyer. Privately he tells Paul there were things he knows that are much worse for Chris. The blood was definitely not fish blood. He had to pay off the fisherman to keep it quiet and destroy the evidence. It's best Chris not know this when being questioned. Michael has risked his entire career because he believes in Christine.
Jill's Office:
Larry walks in to see Jill obviously troubled. She begs him to tell her that it is all a dream and that Kay is not her mother. She hates that while Kay is off in la-la land Jill has to deal with the bombshell. She tells Larry not to bother trying to get her to make peace with Kay as it will NEVER happen.
Chancellor House:
Esther is trying to feed Kay but she doesn't want any food. Esther keeps trying to feed her until Kay spits it out and lets out a yell which startles Esther. Slowly Kay tells Esther that she can talk and that Jill is her daughter. She swears Esther to secrecy about her ability to speak. Esther pieces the Brock/Jill/Mac/Billy connection. Esther just can't bring herself to be nice to Jill. Jill walks in and tells Esther that she will or she'll kick her out. Esther will stay in line or else. Kay later tells Esther that it will be worth the wait.
Sharon explained the heat in the house by telling Nick the air conditioner was out and couldn't be fixed before the next day. She urged him to take off his business clothes and cool off. Later, they shared a beer on the front porch. When Sharon went inside to catch a phone call that was a wrong number, Nick followed her in. He told her Victor's idea about her hosting the Arts Council gala. Sharon was touched that he thought she could do it and agreed to take on the project. She then asked him some questions about how his mentoring program was going with his father, and Nick said Victor had been teaching him the "screw unto others" method of ethics. He then asked where the kids were. When Sharon explained that they were swimming with Miguel at his parents', Nick, overcome by Sharon's scanty clothing and his desire for her, swept her into his arms and took her upstairs.
Nikki was glad when Victor came home, especially when he said he had some good news for her. She was relieved to know that he'd put Agnes Sorenson off and she wouldn't have to host the Arts Council gala. But as soon as she heard that Sharon would be doing it instead, she bristled. Victor couldn't understand her reaction, and Nikki began her "Sharon is trying to drive a wedge between all of us and destroy our family" speech. Victor was sick of hearing it and suggested that Nikki butt out of Nick's life before she pushed him away for good. Sharon was part of their family. It was time for them to reward her for the things she was doing right, not punish her for the mistakes she'd made in the past. When he left the room, Nikki took a desperate call from Esther, who wanted her to come over for Mrs. Chancellor at once.
Jill came home and tried to fire Esther, who refused to leave. She did agree to go upstairs and let Jill try to feed Katherine. As soon as Jill sat down, jokingly trying to feed Katherine as she would a child, Katherine finally took a spoonful of food into her mouth and spit it on an outraged Jill. Esther returned as Jill was about to stomp out, swearing she couldn't do it; she was not taking care of Katherine. When she went to her office and tried to clean up, Jack came in. He'd heard the news about her birth mother. When Jill reminded him how much bad blood there was between her and Katherine, Jack suggested that she remember something. Not only was she entitled to share the entire Chancellor dynasty with Brock, but she was part of a family now. She should accept that legacy and learn to live among people who would support her as a family does. Not only might she learn something about Katherine, but she might learn something about herself. After he left, Jill obviously had heard only part of what he said. She called Chantal and made an appointment to see Michael Baldwin the next day to discuss her situation.
All of the unhappiness Nikki was feeling at home was put aside as she talked to her dear friend Katherine. She wasn't sure why Katherine had asked Esther to conceal from Jill the strides Katherine was making toward better health. When Katherine tried to express the shame she felt about the secret she'd kept all those years, Nikki reminded her it had all happened long ago. She now had not one, but two, children, and perhaps it was time for her to take Jill into her heart. They'd been a part of each other's lives for so many years, and even though Jill was not the daughter Katherine would have chosen, she was the one she got. Nikki's advice to Katherine echoed the kind of wisdom Victor had been giving her about Sharon. She urged Katherine to try to forgive the mistakes of the past and start over with this woman who'd been a part of her life for so long. Katherine tearfully expressed to Nikki that it was she, not Jill, who was like a daughter to her, and the two women hugged each other.
Michael and Paul argued some more about the best way to handle Christine's situation. Paul wanted to go to the Lake Michigan area and do some more investigating, and Michael discouraged him from drawing Detective Weber's attention to them. Both agreed that they need to persuade Chris to be careful what she told Weber. While they were talking, Christine joined them and demanded to know what they were saying. Michael spoke to her as an attorney, warning her not to give the police too much incriminating information. Their discussion was interrupted when Weber arrived. When he questioned Christine, she was honest but evasive, saying that after she'd looked for Mary that night, she'd been so drained that she pulled off the road and slept. She was unsure where she'd awakened, and had come home to sleep some more. Then she'd spent the day at her doctor's office having some tests run. Whenever Weber's questions got too probing, Paul or Michael jumped in, annoying the detective. He noticed the scratch on Christine's arm and asked how it happened. Paul had earlier scratched himself on a cactus and tried to cover for her with that story, but Christine admitted to Weber that she had not brushed against the cactus and didn't know how she'd gotten scratched. He decided it was time to move the questioning to the police station. Michael walked out with him, asking him to take it easy on her, and Paul and Christine followed, hand in hand, with Paul promising to stay by her side.
Jill met with Michael Baldwin to see if there was any way that she could inherit half of Katherine's estate. He was pretty negative from the start about her chances, but then came up with an idea. It was a possibility that the original will was written before she was born and that it provided for any unborn children. Jill knew that it would be impossible to get a copy from Mitchell Sherman, but maybe there was one somewhere in the house. . .
Kay and Esther were talking at the house while Jill was gone. Esther was sure that Kay shouldn't trust Jill and that any attempt at being nice was fake. Kay acted like she wanted to give Jill a chance to prove herself, and that was why she didn't want Jill to know that she could talk. Jill arrived home and showed remorse for her reaction to the problem with feeding Katherine. She wanted to try again, but Esther had already taken care of the meal. Jill found a book, then, and wanted to sit down and read it to her mother. . .
Dru wondered what Lily was chatting about on the laptop and told her daughter that she needed to find something constructive to do with her summer. Lily wanted to do what she liked and she was finding plenty of nice friends in the chat rooms. Dru mentioned their upcoming marriage and wondered why Lily was being so quiet with both of her parents. She didn't want them to tell them how she really felt, did she? She knew that they were destined for disaster. Dru tried to reassure her, then Lily left for the coffeehouse.
Neil was talking to Wes about his daughter. He was angry that Wes knew about the tattoo and nosering, but hadn't called him right away. Wes warned Neil that his daughter was a candidate for therapy, due to the trauma she was experiencing over her parents' relationship. Neil told him to stay out of it and left.
Sharon and Nick sent Noah up to the main house to go swimming with Miguel. They mentioned the night before -- it was wonderful for Sharon, but she didn't want to push Nick any faster than he wanted to go. She said that she could be patient. He had to go to work.
Noah came back with Nikki's wedding scrapbook. He couldn't' go swimming yet, and thought that it looked neat. Sharon looked at it with him and they saw the stripper picture of Nikki. Sharon told him not to look at it -- it was a bad picture. She sent him back up to the house to put the book away.
Victor and Nikki had been talking about their argument the night before and Nikki wanted to make up with him. She told him that she had changed her mind about the Art Gala -- she wanted to be in charge. He wouldn't hear of it because Sharon had already accepted. She wanted to do it anyway and told Victor that she just couldn't keep out of the kids' business.
When Noah came back with the book, Nikki wondered what he was doing with it. She showed him pictures of her kids and talked about how he looked like his father when he was born. Noah pointed out the "bad" picture and Nikki was appalled to find out that Sharon had said that. She told Noah that it was a wonderful picture and was part of their lives together. She sent him to get ready for swimming and she headed for Sharon's house.
Nikki stormed in the door without knocking -- Sharon wondered if she had forgotten the rules. Nikki wasn't about to follow anyone else's rules but her own -- she ruled the roost!!
Neil ranted about Wes's influence over Lily to Dru, citing the fact that Wes didn't see fit to inform him about Lily's tattoo and nose piercing. Dru said that was her responsibility, not Wes's. If Wes told on Lily, their daughter would stop feeling like she could count on him as a friend. Neil said maybe that would be best. Lily needed to stop running to Wes and turn to her parents instead. Dru thought this was very unlikely for a teenager. Furthermore, she knew how much Lily dreaded the thought of her parents remarrying. Maybe they should wait a while, and let Lily adjust to the idea. She was obviously having problems, because all she wanted to do was stay inside and chat with strangers on the Internet. Dru preferred that Lily spend time with her friends and be a little boy-crazy, if they were real life boys instead of online contacts. Neil disagreed with Dru, saying that they should get married as quickly as possible, so that Lily would start to see again that they were a family. In fact, he suggested one month from then as a wedding date.
At Crimson Lights, Colleen and Sierra were a little concerned to see that Lily was once again IMing with her online friend. Colleen suggested that Lily meet him in person. At first, Lily was reluctant. What if he was a loser? Or what if he thought she was a loser? She'd rather keep their online friendship than risk it on a bad in-real-life meeting. Colleen said that no one could ever think Lily was a loser. But she had a plan. Lily should tell "Fisherman" to put on a Hawaiian shirt and meet her at Crimson Lights. If he came, Lily could check him out before she introduced herself to him. Lily finally caved to Colleen and Sierra and IM'd that idea to him. He agreed to come right away to the coffee shop in the attire she requested. As the three girls sat in a booth, Lily began to worry that he wasn't going to show up. Then Colleen spotted a guy wearing a Hawaiian print shirt.
Phyllis was concerned to find out from Michael that Victor was thinking of hiring him to do some legal work. Since Victor had made no secret that he hated Michael's guts, it obviously had to be dirty work. She reminded Michael of how long and hard he'd struggled to rebuild his reputation and his practice. Did he really want to risk all that for Victor, who was the biggest snake of them all? Michael reminded her that he didn't need Victor. If he didn't like the offer, he could go right back to his practice without missing a beat. However, he'd been on the straight and narrow for Christine, and that had gotten him nowhere. He might enjoy whatever it was that Victor had in mind for him. He and Phyllis agreed that it might be Michael who tainted Victor. But meanwhile, Phyllis hoped he would be careful.
Victoria was not entirely happy in her meeting with her father. She obviously was still feeling resentful about all the decisions Victor was secretly making about Satine, not to mention her brother's new place as his father's fair-haired boy. Once Nick joined their meeting, apologizing for being late because of his slow start that morning, Victoria had even less reason to be happy. It was Nick's contention that the best thing they could do about Satine was scrap the name and start over with a new name and new packaging. Satine had been a struggling line, so customers were obviously seeing the product as inferior. They needed to do something dramatic to turn things around. Victoria was furious, saying she'd already done her research about a name change. They needed to hold on to the loyal Satine market but develop new products to get more customers.
Nick got a call from Sharon which prompted him to say that he needed to leave. Victoria said they'd try to muddle through without him. After her brother left, she was horrified when Connie told Victor that Michael was on his way up to see him. Once again, not only was she being left out of the loop, but Victor was doing business with someone like Michael Baldwin. Michael overheard her insulting him when he walked into the office. Victoria said that if Michael was involved in Victor's secret dealings, she wanted no part of them and strode out of the office. Michael asked Victor what this meeting was all about. Obviously he and Victoria would not make a good team. Victor pointed out that Michael was obviously intrigued, however, or he wouldn't be there.
Sharon couldn't believe it when Nikki stormed into her house once again without knocking. She reminded her of the rules and asked her to go back outside and knock, but Nikki dismissed Sharon's demands. She was in charge now, and Sharon needed to back off. She was there to discuss Sharon's comment to Noah about how some of the pictures in her scrapbook weren't nice and Noah shouldn't look at them. Sharon laughed and said that Noah was too young to know his grandmother used to be a stripper. The pictures were inappropriate for him. Nikki said she had nothing to be ashamed of, and it was obvious that Sharon was once again trying to drive a wedge between the Newmans. Furthermore, Nikki fully intended to take over the Arts Council gala. Sharon told her she couldn't; she'd already called Agnes Sorenson, who seemed relieved not to have to deal with Nikki this year. Nikki was appalled that Agnes had badmouthed her to Sharon. When Sharon said she'd be the Newman who handled the job this year, Nikki reminded her that she wasn't a Newman. She was only there because Nick thought it would be good for the kids. Sick of her mother-in-law, Sharon said that might have been true once, but she and Nick had begun to share a bed again. Appalled, Nikki slapped Sharon, who grabbed her cell phone off the table and walked out of the house without another word.
Nikki looked at the hand she'd slapped Sharon with, as if checking for broken nails, then fixed herself a cup of coffee and sat down, propping her feet on the desk as if she owned the place. When Sharon returned, she asked Nikki to leave. Nikki said she wasn't going anywhere. This time, when she began her round of complaints and name-calling, Nick arrived in time to hear her. Nikki couldn't believe Sharon had called him home from work. Sharon said she felt she'd had no choice. Not only had Nikki barged into her home insisting that Sharon give up the Arts Council gala chairmanship, but she'd even slapped her.
Nick wasn't entirely happy to find out that Sharon had told his mother they'd had sex, but he stuck up for his wife nonetheless. He suggested that if Nikki indeed thought Sharon wasn't up to the chairmanship, she help Sharon. After all, Nikki had always hated doing that job. Nikki said that she couldn't leave it in incapable hands. If Sharon wanted to, she could come along and watch Nikki. She might learn something. Nick said no; Nikki needed to back off. And he could see that it wasn't Sharon who was causing trouble, it was Nikki. Even after he'd asked her to respect his privacy and his decisions, she couldn't keep out of their business. Thus she had forced him to declare that she was no longer welcome in his home. Nikki gave him a hurt look, then turned to leave, making sure Sharon could see how furious she was. After Nikki left, Sharon couldn't help but smile that Nick had chosen her over his mother. Nick was too unhappily lost in his own thoughts to see Sharon's happy expression.
