Gina's/The Ranch:
Brad is phoning Nikki on his cell phone. She answers and he tells her that they need to talk. She tells him that it's not a good time right now. He tells her that he understands that she needs more time to think about things, but she should get away from the ranch even if it's not to be with him. She says she can't do that right now because Victor is back ... the camera pans to the front entrance of the ranch and Victors walks in just as she is hanging up the phone. Victor asks who she was talking with, Brad Carlton?
Diane Newman's Penthouse:
Diane comes down the staircase and asks Marissa if Michael Baldwin left. Marissa says she thinks so because he wasn't here when she came out of the kitchen. Diane goes out. Marissa is staring at the door to the room where the freezer is kept. She tries the door and it's open ... she opens the door and looks into the room and then closes the door.
Malcolm's Photo Studio:
Victoria is getting made up for the photo shoot. She's still fussing because Gary was taken off the account. Ross comes over and asks if she's all set for the shoot. She asks him where Gary is and he tells her that he called him to come over. He tries to tell Victoria to give the new guy Andrew a shot at the job. Victoria reminds him that she is the client and is that clear to him?
Jabot:
Jack and Ashley are talking about the great success that Jabot is seeing with their teen line and how the Brash N' Sassy numbers have fallen lately. Jack asks Ashley if she has heard about Brad quitting his cushy job at Newman Enterprises. He tells her that he asked Brad to come and work for them, but that he said no. He says that Brad looked as though he had just won the lottery or something. Ashley tells him that she saw Brad that day too and wonders why his is looking so smug. Jack can't understand why Brad quit Newman. He figures there must be a woman involved, but who could it be. He thinks Ashley knows more than she is telling and tries to get her to tell him what she knows. Ashley says she wouldn't tell him even if she knew anything. She tells him that his questions will probably all soon be answered because Victor is back in town.
Olivia's Office:
Olivia is taking her medication. Rose comes in with some paperwork for her to do. She looks at Tony's Death Certificate. She phones Neil to see if he is going to Tony's funeral, and would he stop by her office on the way. Her doctor comes in and sees the Certificate and asks her if she knew Tony Viscardi.
Gina's
Brad is still there, drinking coffee. Diane comes up and sits down at his table. She asks him what's wrong and tells her that Victor is back in town. He says all his plans have gone up in smoke. He tells her about talking to Nikki and that she hardly even speaks to him any more. Diane says, with a certain amount of confidence, that things will be just fine. She reminds him about when he had told Nikki about the sperm sample and that she didn't run to have Victor's baby and also when Victor was in New Mexico that Nikki spent a wonder few days in Italy with him. He thanks her for reminding him about the sperm sample. He says that Victor's ego won't let him destroy it, so there's still a chance that Nikki might have his baby. Diane tells him to never underestimate her resourcefulness. Brad wants to know what's going on and asks her if she got the sperm sample. She tries to say no, but he threatens that he will call the lab to find out what happened to it. She says that they wouldn't tell him anything because he's a stranger. He says that they would tell her, because her name is Newman. She's looking a little guilty, so he figures that she does have it. He tells her that he hopes she will destroy it. She says she has to go but she says she SURE that things will work out with him and Nikki.
The Studio:
Victoria apologizes to Ross about snapping at him earlier. He says he understands. The bodyguard tells her that Gary is here. Nick is wandering around the room and then asks Malcolm if he thinks that the room is a little crowded. Malcolm says it is a little tight. Ross suggests that Andrew go back to the office, but Nick tells Ross that he should go too. Ross is none too pleased with that prospect, but they both leave.
Crimson Lights:
Nick's old "pal" Warton wonders in and is looking all over the café for Nick. Ross and Andrew come in and sit down for coffee.
Olivia's Office:
Olivia's doctor asks her if she's been taking her medication and also when some "tests" are scheduled. She answers yes to the first question and says the tests are scheduled for this afternoon. She says that she wants to get answers to her health problems too. He asks her if she was a friend of Tony's. She says no, but that she was friends with people he knew. He asks her if she is feeling guilty that Tony died and she says that she has nothing to feel guilty about.
The Studio:
Victoria says she doesn't know how to portray this new business-like image that they are shooting. They all tell her to just try it and see how it works out. Malcolm starts clicking shots and the camera shows a bunch of still shots of Victoria in a suit and with glasses, etc. that look like they were shot in the 50's. She's really not comfortable about this whole session. The shoot ends and Nick is not pleased that Victoria didn't do that well with it. He leaves. Victoria asks Gary to tag along with her back to the office. Of course he says he will.
Crimson Lights:
Ross is on the phone for a minute and then hangs up. He tells Andrew that the boss says that the client is always right. Andrew tells him that even he can't figure out why Gary was taken off the account, given all of the excellent work that he had done. Ross is obviously not liking what he is hearing. The camera pans through the café and stops on our friend Warton (the weasel) again.
The Ranch:
Nikki asks Victor why he is there. He says it's evident. She says it's time to assess all that has been going on. He asks what there is to assess. She says that he had asked her if there was any hope for their relationship and that she is willing to meet him half way. He says, "how good of you." He's obviously goading her, because he knows that she and Brad Carlton were out of town at the same time and has a pretty good idea that they were together.
Olivia's Office:
Neil comes in and Olivia asks him if he's having a bad day. He tells her any day that he goes to a funeral is a bad day. She asks him how Megan is doing. He starts to tell her about the wedding in the hospital and she tells him she knows because she was there. She asks him if it would be all right with the family if she attended the funeral. He asks her why she would want to go, not having been a friend of Tony's. She says that she does know Ryan and she wants to go. He tells her it will be ok.
Diane's Penthouse:
Knock on the door ... Marissa answers it ... it's Brad. She tells him that Diane is not there and he comes in anyway and tells her he will wait.
The Ranch:
It is obvious that good old Vic is upset. Nikki tells him that when he left to go to New Mexico without a word to her and she her only link to him was Ryan, that he couldn't know bad that made her feel. He tells her not to dare to blame any of this on him (yeah like you did nothing wrong, VicO!) She tells him that she's changed and she won't be like she used to be and just sit there and wait for him. She says, "we, no I, don't have the same expectations any more." He tells her she was right the first time, "WE don't have the same expectations any more."
Victoria's Office:
She tells Gary that the photo shoot was a fiasco. He says that she was a little uptight, but it wasn't a disaster. She thanks him for being so supportive through all of this. The bodyguard comes in with a bouquet of flowers and tells her they are ok, he's checked them over. She sets them down on a table and looks at the card ... her jaw drops ... she drops the card and covers her face with her hands. Meanwhile Gary is standing there looking on.
Crimson Lights:
Nick comes into the café and talks to Cody for a minute. Then he's looking around and Warton comes up behind him. Warton tells him to stop making trouble for him with his Parole Officer. Nick tells him that he'll do anything it takes to protect his family.
The Ranch:
Nikki tells Victor that she is sure that his relationship with Ramona is more than just business. He doesn't respond to that remark, but says he asked her a question when he came in and she hasn't answered it yet. He asks again if she was talking to Carlton when he came in. She says what if she was talking to Brad. She says what if Brad is the only person she can talk to about all of this -- so what? They stare daggers at each other ...
Brad warns Diane that she won't be able to handle Victor and Nikki if they find out that she has Victor's sperm sample. Diane isn't scared. She tells Brad that this is no time to give up on Nikki. Out at the ranch, Victor accuses Nikki of having an affair with Brad. She defends her actions by telling him that Brad offered her a future filled with love and romance -- something she no longer has with Victor. He asks why she would humiliate herself like this and leaves. Nick and Ross are at the coffeehouse ready to get into a fight with Warton when Gary calls Nick telling him to come to Victoria's office. She is extremely upset about the flowers she received. Warton is angry that Nick keeps hassling him and wants some legal advice. He ends up in Chris' legal aid office. Megan, Tricia and Ryan are at the funeral home preparing for Tony's burial. Nina mentions to Ryan that she is surprised how well Tricia is doing considering she was the one driving the car that hit Tony. Megan passes by and hears what Nina has said.
In Victor's office we see him pick up the phone and tell Connie to find Brad Carlton. He wants her to try all of his favorite haunts, his cell phone, his home, everywhere ... just find him and tell him that he wants to talk to him immediately.
At the funeral parlor, we see Meg looking at Tricia as if she'd been slapped in the face. Meg tells her sister that she just heard that she was driving the car that hit Tony. Tricia wants to know who told her and Meg says it doesn't matter ... is it true?
Paul enters a florist shop and asks the proprietor about the delivery of flowers to Victoria Newman. The man checks his records and asks if there was a problem with the delivery. Paul asks if he knows who ordered them and the guy says he remembers that one for sure!
The Wart Man Warton comes into Christine's office looking for an attorney. She tells him that she is an attorney and he says that he needs someone with "a little more experience." Christine calls her secretary and asks if there is someone with more experience that is available and her secretary says everyone is tied up today.
Victoria and Nick are getting ready to go to the funeral. Victoria is telling Nick that she can't believe that they haven't seen their father yet. Nick tells her he hopes no news is good news. Just then Victor comes in and says to them that he's glad they are all here.
At Diane's, Brad is upset because he thinks that Diane wants him to keep wooing Nikki, so that she (Diane) can get her hooks back into Victor. His cell phone rings, and it is Ashley saying she needs to see him. He tells her he will be right over.
Back at the florist, the man behind the counter is telling Paul that the person who ordered the florist was obviously a homeless person. Paul thinks that someone hired her. Duh, do you really think so Paul? The guy tells Paul that she was in her fifties, about 5'2" tall. Paul asks if there was anything that stood out about her and the guy tells him about an orange baseball cap. Paul gives the guy his business card and tells him to call if he remembers anything else.
At Victoria's office, Victoria greets her father nicely, but Nick is very abrupt. Victoria asks Victor why they haven't seen him sooner, when they knew he was back in town. He says he's been busy, but he's received all of the reports on Brash N' Sassy. Nick throws in "through Ryan." Victor wants them to give him a write-up on everything that has been going on. They tell him that they will do it later, as they have a funeral to go to. Nick walks to the door and asks Victoria if she's coming and she says for him to go ahead and she'll meet him there. Nick walks out with a curt nod to his father.
At Diane's, Marissa asks Diane if Brad has gone. Diane is obviously worried about who her allies are. She's concerned about what she has told and to whom about the sperm sample ... considering that she has now angered both Brad and Michael Baldwin. She's worried that one of them will tell her secret. She tells Marissa that she has to go somewhere and leaves.
Brad walks into Ashley's lab. She immediately tells him that Victor is back in town. He tells he knows that. Nikki told him. He tells Ashley that Nikki was about to move in with him until Victor got back. Ashley tells him that Victor and Nikki have gone through many splits, but they always end up back together. She tells him that she's worried about what will happen between him and Victor, if Vic finds out for sure about him and Nikki.
At the funeral, Meg demands to know if Tricia was the one who hit Tony. Tricia admits that it was. Tricia tells Meg just how it all happened and said that she didn't see Tony. She didn't even know it was him until she got out of the car. She tells her about Ryan driving up and calling 911 and that she was so scared. Meg wants to know why her sister didn't tell her the truth. Tricia says because she didn't want Meg to hate her. Meg tells her that she could never hate her. (silly girl)
Over at Legal Aide, Warton is agreeing to use Chris as his lawyer. He tells her right off that he's on parole. She asks him if he is in contact with his parole officer and he says yes, like clockwork. He tells her that being a convict he knows that there are certain rights that he doesn't have, like carrying a gun, etc. He asks her if he has the right to hang out where he wants to. She asks him to be more specific.
Diane knocks on Michael Baldwin's door and slithers in. Mike is not pleased to see her. She says she wants to apologize for her earlier behavior and he tells her to go ahead. She gushes on about how she shouldn't have said the things she said and will he please forgive her. He tells her to keep trying.
Back at Victoria's office, Vic is asking Victoria why Nick is being so rude to him. Victoria changes the subject by telling him that it's good to see him. She asks him why he was away for so long. He tells her to make a property acquisition. She asks if she will learn all about it in an inter-office memo (is she taking lessons from Nick here? ...snide!) She asks him what's happening between him and Nikki and of course he says he doesn't want to talk about it. She says she can always ask her mom. He asks her if she knew that Brad Carlton resigned. She says yes and he asks her if she knows what his plans for the future are. She tells him that Brad didn't say.
Paul comes into Legal Aide and sees through the window that Warton is in Chris's office. He charges in and demands to know why he is there. Warton then finds out that Chris is Paul's wife. Christine, realizing who Warton is, tells him that she cannot represent him, that it would be a conflict of interest. Warton says that he's outta there. Chris tells him to come back tomorrow to see one of the other lawyers. He says no thanks and leaves. Paul asks why Chris told him to see another lawyer. She tells him that the lawyers at Legal Aide aren't in it for the money and that if Warton goes to anyone else and they find out it concerns the Newtons ....??
Nick arrives at the funeral parlor and sits down beside Cassie. She says, "you didn't expect to see me here did you"? She tells Nick that Tony was the first man who treated her special and that he was almost like a dad to her. Nick tells her that everyone will miss Tony. The camera pans to the entrance where Neil is bringing in a huge bouquet of flowers that were just delivered. Meg looks at the card and hands it to Sharon. The card is from Grace. Immediately Tricia tells Neil to get the flowers out of there, but Meg says no. Cassie asks Meg to please accept the flowers. She says that Grace and Tony were very good friends and she loved him too. Meg tells her that she will keep the flowers and Neil asks Cassie where she would like him to put the flowers. Cassie takes him up to the casket. The Reverend comes in to start the service.
Ashley has her arm around Brad saying that she hates to see him in such pain. She again tries to tell him that he'll never break up Victor and Nikki. He rants on about Nikki being under Victor's spell. He's a controller. He almost broke the spell, but the bastard came home.
Diane is still trying to hornswaggle Michael Baldwin, but he's having none of it (no moss on this stone hmmm Mikey?) He tells Diane to "cut to the chase." He says she's only doing damage control because he knows about the sperm sample and he can be a danger to her. She tells him she knows he wouldn't breach the client/lawyer confidentiality. He reminds her that she said that they were good friends and that good friends aren't covered under the confidentiality rule. His phone rings and it's his boss. He tells Diane to get lost ... she leaves pauses outside the door ... a mighty worried little chicky is she! Meanwhile, Michael's boss is telling him that the Law Society just sent them a client and he is sending him to his office right away. There's a knock on the door and we see good old Wart Man saunter in.
At the funeral, Sharon is giving the eulogy. She tells how some people would give you the shirt of their backs -- but Tony gave his heart to everyone he knew. She says that Tony gave her a special gift ... her daughter Cassie. She says that Tony touched the lives of everyone in the room. She says that the biggest portion of his love was for Meg. She tells them that Tony was at her house the night of the wedding and that he was so excited to be marrying Meg. She says that no force could have torn them apart. They had a special love that will go on forever. The camera pans everyone in the room and all eyes are tearful.
The service is over and Nick asks Victoria what their dad said to her. He asks if Victor knows about Brad and Nikki. Victoria doesn't know for sure. Across the room, Nina questions Ryan why Olivia came to the funeral. Ryan tells her she was with him in the ER. Meg is thanking Olivia for being there and Olivia tells her that it was important for her to be there. Ryan says he will drive Meg over to the reception ... Sharon tells Nick to take Cassie and she will be along in a few minutes. Then she corners Tricia and tells her that she knows everything about what she did to try to break of Tony and Meg. She says she knows about the kiss and everything and with the information she has, she could destroy the relationship that Tricia has with Meg. She tells Tricia that she is wondering what really happened that night when she hit Tony.
Ashley is telling Brad that she talked to Victor and that she thinks that he has put two and two together. Brad says that he doesn't care, he can handle Victor. She suggests that he get out of town and he said he's not afraid of Victor. The phone rings and it's Victor. He says he needs to speak to her at once and he's on his way over. Ashley tells Brad the he should leave and Brad, looking oh so macho, says, "I'm not going anywhere!" ... and the credits roll.
It's a close call, but Ashley manages to get Brad to leave before Victor arrives. Confiding in his ex-wife about Nikki and her affair with Brad, Victor questions their marriage. He doesn't know if what made them so good together is still there..so much has changed for both of them. At the same time, Jack learns from Gina that Brad is getting married. An curious Jack decides to right to the source and ask Brad if he is in fact getting married and, more specifically, if he is marrying Nikki. Tension continues to rise between Sharon and Tricia. Sharon lets on that she knows Tricia tried to break up Tony and Megan and that she even came on to him on New Year's Eve. Nina hears the conversation and tells Sharon that bringing up past events may not be the best thing for everyone involved. Paul informs Christine that he knows where the flowers that Vicki received came from. He tells his wife that they were purchased by a homeless woman...more evidence that the stalker is very good at covering his tracks. Later, Michael meets with Christine and tells her about his conversation with Warton. Michael tells Christine she better make sure Nick is kept under control.
John meets with Gina and tells her that he will look over the plans she's put together for remodeling the restaurant. Later, Billy tells his John about Brittany's offer to have him spend Winter Break in Aspen with her family. Assuming it won't be a problem, he asks his father if it would be o.k. to go..assuming the answer would be yes. Back at the Chancellor's, Brock is upset to realize that he missed Mac's 16th birthday on December 30. He and Katherine decide to organize a Sweet Sixteen bash for the young lady. She is reluctant, but agrees to it as long as it is held over the school break when everyone will be away. In the meantime, Jill consults her private investigator in St. Louis. She gives him the name of Mac's mother, Amanda Browning. He calls Amanda, claiming he is working for the Census Bureau. A concerned Neil overhears that Olivia is having bone marrow tests performed. Later, concern grows as she gets a bloody nose. Nikki finally comes clean with Brad and tells him that she does love him, but that she isn't sure what or who she wants. Her life is headed somewhere...she just doesn't know where. At the same time, Vicki encourages Victor to give Nikki another chance. She reminds her father how much he loves his wife and how much they need each other. At Gina's, Diane worries about her decision to confide in Michael and Brad about her plans to win Victor back...will they turn on her? Her thoughts are interrupted when Victor calls and asks if he can stay with her.
