At the Abbott estate, the detective asked Phyllis if the gloves they'd found as evidence belonged to her. She hesitated and said they certainly looked like hers, and they were obviously the same brand. He asked her where she kept hers, and she told them in the shed. He went on to say that so far, the best lead in the case was the paint thinner. Because it was a local brand, they could likely determine where and when it had been purchased.
Diane asked the detective if she could go into the pool house to see if any of her belongings were salvageable, but the detective told her he couldn't allow it, as it was a crime scene that couldn't be disturbed. Jack left the room, saying he was off to make Diane's hotel reservation, and after he was out of earshot, Phyllis and Diane had a few brief unpleasant words with each other. The detective, even though across the room, was paying attention.
Later on, the detective asked Jack about the relationship between Diane and the family. Jack explained Diane was the mother of his child, but Phyllis was his wife. As Jack was leaving, Diane walked through the living room on her way to the doctor's office. The detective asked Diane if she could spend a few more moments talking with him, and she agreed. He mentioned that the other day when he'd asked her if she knew anyone that would be interested in doing her harm, she had glanced at Phyllis. He went on to say that he had noticed there was no love lost between them.
Diane agreed that was true, but when the detective asked if it went beyond normal tension she asked him if she had to answer. When he probed deeper, she admitted there was hostility between her and Phyllis but said there was a baby involved, so they were all doing the best they could under the circumstances. He asked if she was suggesting Phyllis had set the fire. She told him she was becoming uncomfortable and asked him to talk with Jack instead.
As Diane left, Phyllis went downstairs, and the detective asked for a few minutes with her as well. Even though she looked uncomfortable, she told him she didn't have any further information. He then asked her a pointed question: where she had been the night of the fire. She told him she had been at the wedding but conceded when asked that she had left for a while. She told him that during the reception she'd had to go to work and then had gone home because she'd spilled something on her dress and had needed to change. After her litany, she asked what Diane had told him, and he did not answer. After she left, he repeated what she had said into his tape recorder.
As Michael's visit to Isabella went on, she began to get very agitated. She yelled at Michael to just get on with seducing Christine, and he told her he was not going to rush her. She told him all she wanted was Christine involved with somebody -- anybody -- just so Paul could find out. Meanwhile, at the firm, Christine and Paul were talking things out. When she questioned him about his situation, he told her Ricky was a big part of why he'd gotten married.
When Christine asked Paul if he loved Isabella, he wouldn't answer directly. He said he thought she was a decent person and a good mother but pointedly did not use the word "love" in regard to his wife. Obviously becoming annoyed at the turn of the conversation to his feelings for his wife, he angrily started berating her, telling her he felt like she wanted him back, but he had no plans to break up his family for her or anyone else. After telling her it was completely over between them, he stormed out, leaving her in tears.
Once Michael returned to the office, he tried to comfort an obviously distraught Christine. He told her he knew Paul had just been there and asked if she wanted to talk about it. She declined, and he began to walk away. After pausing a moment, she ran up to him and began kissing him passionately.
Victoria and Nick agreed they both were glad they'd avoided Victor and Nikki that morning but felt it would look strange if they didn't say goodbye at all. After talking more about their respective issues with Sharon and Diego, Nick decided to return to the ranch to bid his parents goodbye, while Victoria stayed behind for a meeting. At the ranch, Nikki had asked Diego to go to the main house to talk. She asked him about his black eye, but he shrugged it off as no big deal. They talked about Raul's condition and how pleased she was that Victoria seemed so happy. As Diego was leaving, Nick was walking in.
As Nikki and Victor were planning to take off on their honeymoon, Nikki decided she wanted to know where they were going after all. Victor told her they were off to Australia and going right outside the Great Barrier Reef. He described an exciting trip on a yacht, swimming with dolphins and camping in the Outback. Nikki asked if he was certain he wanted to be in such a remote location and unable to be reached, and he told her he planned to devote his time strictly to his bride, which clearly made her happy.
Ashley arrived downstairs and saw Olivia with the "16th birthday" videotape in her hand. She asked what Olivia was doing with it. Olivia explained that it had fallen out of Ashley's bag and went on to express concern about her making the tapes. She also told Ashley it was obvious that something other than her illness was weighing on her and asked her to open up.
Ashley relented and told Olivia that she was the only person Ashley would consider telling what was on her mind. She explained she was making the tapes to tell her daughter some very personal things and was grateful she had the opportunity to do so. She handed the tape to Olivia and told her if something happened to her, only then should Olivia watch the tape. At that point, she was giving Olivia the opportunity to decide how to handle it. Olivia accepted the tape, looking stunned.
Lauren visited Paul and Isabella to assist them in planning Ricky's baptism. Lauren asked if they'd attended the Newman wedding, and instead of answering, Paul abruptly made an excuse to leave the apartment. Isabella told her Christine had been at the wedding with Michael, and she told of Paul's reaction to seeing the two of them together. She said she had just been starting to feel secure in her marriage, but since Paul and Christine had been meeting clandestinely, she was feeling insecure again.
Lauren surmised out loud that it would be good for Christine to meet someone and get swept off her feet. She went on to tell Isabella to stop worrying about Christine and to start worrying only about things she could control -- like her marriage. At that point, Paul returned, and Isabella quickly made up an excuse to leave the apartment. Paul looked perplexed and asked why Isabella was in such a rush to leave. She didn't answer his question and instead asked one of her own -- she wanted to know what was going on between him and Christine.
Sharon went to Newman Enterprises, looking for Nick, but found Victoria instead. They began arguing about the situation, and Victoria asked if Sharon was having a hard time letting Diego go. Horrified, Sharon demanded to know if that was what Nick thought. Victoria continued to question her about Diego and also about Sharon's change in attitude toward her.
Sharon continued with her story that she felt terrible about the whole thing, and her behavior had been a result of her guilty conscience. Victoria said she didn't believe her, and that something in Sharon's story was not adding up. She insisted that Sharon's attitude stemmed from the fact that she was jealous of Victoria and Diego's growing closeness. Frustrated, Sharon begged Victoria not to make any more trouble for her and Nick.
Nick confronted Diego, fired him from both jobs, and told him to leave immediately. Diego agreed to go but not until he got a chance to say something. Diego tried to explain to Nick that Sharon had felt their marriage was over, and that was how the whole thing between them had begun. He said Sharon had been vulnerable and that he'd tried to resist but hadn't. When Nick confronted him about taking advantage of Sharon, Diego denied it and told him "it takes two."
Diego also said he'd discouraged Sharon from telling Nick the truth so they could salvage their marriage. Nick became infuriated and began yelling at Diego and started getting in his face again. Victoria ran in, jumped between them, and told Diego he should leave. Nick told her he'd fired Diego, and after he saw the look on her face, he asked if she had a problem with the decision. She didn't answer.
Down in the tack room, Diego began packing his belongings while thinking about the good times he'd had with Victoria there. Sharon burst in the room and demanded that he stop packing. She told him she wanted him to leave, but he needed to make sure that, before he did, he talked to Nick again. She demanded he tell Nick that he had been the aggressor and to take full responsibility for what had happened between them.
Michael and Christine lay around half-dressed in Christine's office after making love. He went out into the outer office to get coffee and returned to find a smiling Christine. Noticing he was a bit uncomfortable, Christine asked if he wanted to talk about what had happened between them. He didn't really want to talk, but he did tell her he thought she was wonderful.
While Christine and Michael were talking, Chantal walked into the office, saw them on the couch and was terribly embarrassed. Once they got dressed, they began working again. Christine had to take a call, and as Michael was leaving the room, she stopped him. She put her call on hold and told Michael that what had happened between them had meant a lot to her, too.
Serena went to visit Neil and was pleasantly surprised to see he had shaved and gotten a haircut. He told her he was doing well; the shakiness in his hands had subsided, and when he had cravings, he prayed. She told him she hadn't been drinking, either. He said he felt his program was working, and he was going to be released soon. Happy to hear that, she commented they would be able to spend more time together.
Stopping Serena before she got too far, Neil told her that getting well was his priority and that he didn't know what it meant for the two of them. Growing more and more angry, Serena told him she thought he still had a "thing" for Dru, which he denied. He told her his main concern was making amends with Lily, but she didn't believe him and stormed out. He protested but did not stop her.
At Olivia's apartment, Lily called Wesley and left him a voicemail, asking him what his plans were. She took a bus over to the hospital to talk to Neil. Neil was extremely excited to see her and poured his heart out to her. He told her he owed her a lot, and she'd made him realize how out of control he had gotten.
Neil apologized to Lily and told her that he really wanted to spend some quality time together. Lily looked at him and replied that he was misunderstanding her. If he really wanted to do something for her, she said, he should talk to Dru about going back to Paris. Neil looked heartbroken.
Dru went to visit Olivia in her office at the hospital. Olivia asked if she had gone back to see Neil and if she planned on sticking around after he got out of rehab to be part of his support system. They discussed Neil's downhill spiral, and after getting fed up with Dru's attitude, Olivia asked why she was still in Genoa City. She went on to advise Dru that she didn't feel Dru's presence was going to help Neil get better. Dru replied that Neil had asked her to stay and that he wanted to make amends with Lily.
Olivia pressed Dru about Wesley -- his involvement in Lily's life and his take on the situation, but Dru didn't want to answer. When Dru went back to the apartment, she had a surprise waiting for her -- Wesley was at the door with his luggage.
Christine seemed amused as she remembered her liaison with Michael in her office. Then she began thinking about the kiss she'd given Paul at Victor and Nikki's wedding and decided she needed to get out of there for a while. She went to Yves for lunch and ran into Lynne. The two of them talked cordially for a bit, then Lynne admitted that she had never felt things were right since Christine and Paul had broken up. She felt like they belonged together and believed Paul was unhappy with Isabella.
Christine finally told Lynne that she was moving on with Michael. Lynne was horrified to hear that, reminding Christine of the man Michael had been in the past. Christine said he had led an exemplary life since being readmitted to the bar. Lynne said that was fine, as long as they were law partners, but there was no reason for Christine to be personally involved with him. Christine said she didn't know where it was all going to lead, but she intended to enjoy every minute of it.
Lauren continued to question why Paul was letting Christine get to him so badly. She said it was feeding Isabella's insecurities, and Paul needed to focus on his marriage and family. Lauren believed he was too overprotective of Christine, whose life, with or without Michael, was none of his business. Paul finally told her that it was Christine, not him, who was perpetuating it. Lauren was startled to hear about Christine's kiss at the wedding.
Lauren began to question Paul further about how everything had gone wrong with them in the first place. Paul blamed Christine's work in Hong Kong, and later Australia. When Lauren questioned why Paul hadn't gone after her, he admitted that he'd had plans to do so, but a case had stopped him. Lauren was intrigued to hear that it was Isabella's case, commenting on the timing. Paul said he supposed it was just destiny. Lauren looked as if she wasn't quite ready to buy that theory.
Isabella showed up at Christine's office with the intention of telling her to stay away from Paul. When Chantal told her that Christine wasn't there, Isabella tried to pump her for information on Christine's relationship with Michael. Chantal refused to tell her anything, especially after Isabella found Michael's tie under the sofa and made suggestive remarks. At that point, Michael walked in, and Chantal left for the day.
Once Michael closed the door, Isabella delighted in teasing him for answers about Christine. Michael insisted that he was practicing discretion. Isabella told him that things had not been going well for her since "her highness" had returned to town, and she warned Michael to keep Christine busy and away from Paul. She reminded him that since they both had what they wanted, it was even more important for the two of them to keep their secrets.
Lily tried to persuade Neil to talk Dru into taking her back to Paris. Neil reminded her that Genoa City was her home -- the place where her family and the people who loved her lived. Lily told him that she barely had memories of her childhood there. She had friends and a life in Paris and wanted to return to them.
When Neil tried to get closer to Lily, to find out more about her life, she didn't want to talk to him. Neil tried to get her to remember the good times they'd had. Lily assured him that it would take more than a shave and haircut for him to erase the memory of his drunken behavior and make them feel like father and daughter again. Neil told her that he at least wanted Dru and her to stay until he got out of rehab, so they could spend some quality time together.
Dru was startled to find Wesley waiting for her outside Olivia's apartment. He admitted that Lily had called him and that her daughter hadn't seemed too happy. Dru rebuffed his attempts to have an affectionate reunion with her, saying there was a lot going on to keep her busy in Genoa City. Wesley then revealed that Lily had told him about Neil's drinking.
Dru was annoyed and again evaded Wesley's questions about what was going on and what her feelings were. She told him not to psychoanalyze her. As Wesley pressed her for details about her involvement in Neil's recovery and her inability to let another man get close to her, Lily entered. She was thrilled to see Wesley, but her face fell when she saw the anger in her mother's eyes.
At the ranch house, Victoria talked about Sharon and Diego with Nick. When Nick seemed inclined to hold Sharon blameless, saying that Diego had betrayed them all by seducing and then chasing Sharon, Victoria could no longer keep silent. She told him that it took two people to have sex, and Nick needed to take Sharon off her pedestal. Victoria said Diego hadn't had time to chase Sharon; he'd been too busy with her. Nick was disgusted to think of Diego and Victoria in bed together and asked her to drop it.
Victoria was persistent, saying she thought Sharon was out of her mind. She believed that Nick needed to get his wife to open up to him and tell him the truth, instead of using Diego as a scapegoat. Even though Victoria, too, felt betrayed, she still believed that Diego had not been as interested in Sharon as Sharon was in him. She reminded Nick that Sharon had treated her with jealousy and resentment when she'd thought Diego was interested in her. She said that until Nick had the whole truth, he wouldn't know what decisions to make about his future and his family.
Sharon finally got Diego's agreement to tell Nick that he was the aggressor on the day they'd had sex. He wasn't happy with her and just wanted her to leave. However, Sharon continued to press him, insisting that he also tell Nick that he'd been pursuing her, since. Diego flatly refused. He told her that what had happened between them had happened because she'd turned to him in desperation and loneliness as a friend, and he wished it had never gotten that far. Sharon blamed him for not having more self-control and said that taking the blame for the vibes Victoria and Nick had picked up was the least Diego could do.
Diego was furious with Sharon. He said that she needed to be honest with her husband if she had any hope of saving her marriage, and he was not going to lie to Nick. He said if everything that had happened had been caused by her stress and guilt, she should have kept her mouth shut. No matter what, he had no intention of lying for her. Sharon left the tack house in tears. When she went home, Nick was waiting for her and angrily said he wanted to talk to her.
Lily acted liked a spoiled brat and begged Wesley to take her back to Paris with him. He stood behind her mother's decision and refused. After she left them, Dru and Wesley talked about his plans. He had offered to leave, but wanted to make sure that she knew where he stood. He understood that things were complicated for her and offered his help in getting through it. She accepted his offer.
Olivia paid Neil a visit the day before he was to be released from the hospital. He was humble and anxious to make a go of it back in the real world. After he heard about the real reason why Dru was in town, he went from "one day at a time" to "I'm going to make sure that I make amends to my daughter as soon as possible." She warned him that teenagers were hard on their parents, and it could be dangerous to push himself on Lily. He was determined and couldn't wait to see her again.
Colleen saw a couple kissing at the coffeehouse and thought back to her kiss with J.T. Her friend, Caitlyn, saw her daydreaming and called her back to earth. Colleen shared what had happened with J.T., but they both decided that he wasn't really interested in her, since she hadn't heard from him since he'd left for college. Caitlyn left then J.T. arrived with a gift. It was a college sweatshirt, given as a token of thanks for helping him get an A on the summer reading class. She almost acted ungrateful -- and questioned why it was only a thank you for her help. She changed her tune when he said that he could find someone else who wanted it then went on to say how long it had taken him to find a color that would look best with her eyes.
Diego told Raul about his relationship with Victoria and wouldn't tell any details -- just that he had messed up big time and wasn't going to give up on her. Raul wanted him to admit that he was a hypocrite -- giving Raul the business about Brittany the way he had. Diego just admitted that he was in love and set forth from the hospital to find Victoria.
Back at the coffeehouse, Brad visited with Victoria over coffee. They commiserated with each other about problems in their love lives -- Ashley and Brad not communicating during her time of illness and Victoria being hurt by yet another man that she had fallen for too quickly. Brad was upbeat, though, and encouraged her not to give up on love -- it was the only thing that made all the craziness worth it. She knew he was right but still had a wall up around her heart.
After Brad left, Diego found Victoria. She snubbed him at first, asking, "What the hell are you doing here? I thought that you were banned from this place." He had gone there to pick up his last paycheck and wasn't planning on leaving town like she thought. She begrudgingly let him sit down and started listening to him, whether she wanted to or not.
Diego was done apologizing, and the feelings he had for her were strong and true. He understood that he had betrayed her trust and wondered whether or not he could ever get it back. She didn't deny that she wished she could erase it all from her memory, but she didn't see how it would be possible. He vowed to keep trying until he made it up to her.
At Nick and Sharon's house, Nick confronted her about what he knew was really going on since she'd slept with Diego. He described a woman who couldn't quit thinking of another man, who might have just as well been sleeping with him more than once. She denied it, saying that her behavior had been driven by guilt and the fear that Nick would find out.
No, Nick insisted. It was Sharon's jealousy of when Victoria and Diego had been together that had caused her crazy behavior. If she hadn't been so obsessed with Diego, she could have found the strength to keep her dirty little secret. Instead, she'd spilled her guts because their family didn't mean anything to her, and she knew that telling the truth would ruin her relationship with him. Nick told her that she could have him if she wanted him so much, and slammed the door on the way out. She was left in tears on the sofa.
Back at the office, Nick could not erase the images in his mind of Sharon undressing for Diego, kissing him, his hand on her thigh, slipping her underwear off her leg. He slammed his folder down on the desk and picked up his address book. He made a phone call to New York City. Grace Turner answered the phone. It took a few seconds then he said, "It's me." She asked, "Nick?" with surprise in her voice. He nodded on the other end of the line.
Ashley was distressed to hear about the fire at the pool house, but John told her there was something else on his mind. He confided his worries about Colleen and J.T. to her. Ashley reminded him that unless there was a problem, it was better if he wasn't too hard on Colleen and didn't get Traci involved. John admitted that he had to walk a fine line between watching over Colleen and interfering in her life. But he still felt J.T. was not entirely trustworthy. Ashley told him that if J.T. were the babe magnet everyone said he was, his college experiences would probably create a natural end to his relationship with Colleen.
J.T. gave Colleen a GCU sweatshirt to thank her for helping him make an A on his summer reading test. When Colleen said she didn't want to be repaid because she'd done what she had just because she liked him, J.T. insisted that he was giving her the sweatshirt because he liked her. He said it had been fun to pick it out and imagine her wearing it because he thought she'd be cute in it. Colleen said in that case, she would accept it. As J.T. talked about how much fun college was and how much there was to do, especially without anyone breathing down his neck, he noticed that Colleen looked a little wistful.
J.T. asked Colleen if she'd like to go to a poetry reading at Crimson Lights with him later, and Colleen happily agreed. She got a call on her cell phone from her grandfather but decided to go by Jabot to see him rather than pick it up. After she left, J.T. was thinking about the kiss they'd shared when one of his friends sat down to talk to him. When she asked where his "sidekick" was, J.T. got defensive and said his relationship with Colleen was none of her business.
When Colleen went to see John at the office, he told her that he'd been missing her since she was back in school. He noticed the GCU sweatshirt she was wearing and remarked that he didn't remember seeing it before. When Colleen avoided his eyes by going to get some fruit to eat, John asked her point-blank where she'd gotten the sweatshirt.
Jill went to see Raul at the hospital. When she said she was sure Billy had been calling him, Raul told her that he and Mac had decided not to worry Billy with news about the wreck and his condition until he was feeling better. He went on to tell her that he didn't want to hear any more lectures about what a mistake he'd made to get involved with Brittany. Jill listened to him as he talked about how disappointed he was that Brittany had turned out to be as shallow as she seemed. He said that Frederick and Anita were snobs who'd made Brittany the person she was.
Jill told Raul that Frederick was a self-made man, and though she didn't want to talk about Anita, she said that sometimes those who started with nothing could be the worst snobs. She seemed to be having some insight into herself then she promised Raul that there would be other loves in his life. This experience would make him stronger, and one day he'd find the right person. Raul was touched by her kindness to him and agreed to let her call Billy and tell him what was going on.
Frederick and Anita waited for Brittany at Crimson Lights. Frederick was relieved to find out from the hospital that Raul was showing improvement, including having movement in his toes. When Anita shared his relief, Frederick reminded her they weren't out of the woods yet. Anita said they were paying Raul's medical bills, so she didn't know what else his family could expect of them. Frederick said he'd be glad when Brittany's relationship with Raul ended, which Anita assured him would happen as soon as Brittany went away to college and was around more appropriate people.
When Brittany joined Frederick and Anita, she told them that she was not going to college. In fact, it had started a week before, and she'd already missed orientation and sorority rush. However, she refused to leave Genoa City until Raul was a hundred percent. When her parents told her that was unacceptable, Brittany rebelliously said she was making the decisions then she walked away. Frederick took Anita's arm and said there was someone they needed to talk to. As they left Crimson Lights, Brittany told J.T. her parents had finally decided to be parents after eighteen years.
The arson detective returned to the Abbott house to ask Phyllis more questions about her whereabouts the night of the fire. There had been no prints on the can that had held the accelerant, but it was not the same brand that the painters had been using. The police were trying to locate anyone who had recently purchased that brand. He said they'd traced Phyllis' cell phone call to a pay phone. Phyllis admitted that she didn't know the man who had called her, but once she'd gotten to Newman and found out there was nothing wrong with the web site, she'd assumed it was a fellow computer "geek" playing a joke on her. She said she'd sat on a tube of lipstick in her car and had gone home to change, apparently shortly before the fire had started.
When the detective continued to question her, Phyllis asked why he was honing in on her. Jack said he was equally curious. At that point, Diane hobbled down the stairs with some luggage. She'd decided to go ahead to her hotel suite that night instead of waiting until the next day. Phyllis watched in disbelief as Diane played the victim role to the hilt in front of Jack and the detective. After Diane went to get Kyle from Mrs. Martinez, Jack and Phyllis insisted that Phyllis had answered enough questions for the night.
When they were alone, Phyllis told Jack that Diane was deliberately pointing the investigation her way, while pretending she was not so calculating in front of Jack to score points with him. Phyllis reminded him that she could turn the tables and make accusations against Diane, saying she'd set the fire herself to make Phyllis look guilty. Jack told her to just let things be; since Phyllis was innocent, she had nothing to fear from the police. Phyllis should just let the detective do his job and keep her cool, and soon their lives would be back to normal.
Diane was surprised to receive a visit from the arson detective at her hotel suite. After he asked more questions about the time she'd fallen asleep that night, Diane remembered that she hadn't told him everything. Her friend Isabella had been concerned and had stopped in to check on her, but had only stayed about five minutes because Diane had already taken a sleeping pill and hadn't been up to talking.
The detective then went to see Isabella, who corroborated Diane's story. She remembered looking at her watch when she'd left that night, noticing that it had been 10:15. The detective said the fire had started about 10:25. He asked Isabella if she'd seen anyone else, and she said not at the pool house, and she hadn't gone to the main house. She then told him that as she'd been leaving, Phyllis Abbott had pulled up in her car.
