At Al's Diner, Jennifer asks Will to attend Rose's funeral with her, but Barbara overhears and interrupts, objecting vehemently. When Jennifer reminds Barbara of the restraining order, Barbara tells her, "Hal and his watchdogs are all at the funeral." When Barbara sends Will off to get her a cup of coffee, Jennifer tells Barbara that the police found a vial of presumed poison in Dusty's hotel room. Barbara, relieved, says that she hopes that now the police will no longer suspect Paul. Will walks up just in time to hear and asks, "Is Paul in trouble?" Barbara smiles her fake smile and lies, "No, honey, your brother is in the clear." Suddenly, Barbara jumps up and leaves. Poor Will looks confused and distressed, as usual.
At the police station, Hal discusses finding the vial of poison in Dusty's room with Jessica and Dusty. Jessica demands that Hal either change Dusty or release him, so Hal leaves the station with Jessica and Dusty, warning Dusty not to leave town. James Stenbeck is escorted into the station by two prison guards, who are immediately dismissed. Jack frees James' hands and, right in the middle of the police station, Jack questions James about his talk with Paul before Rose's murder. James tells Jack that he advised Paul to act like an man and kill Rose, and that Paul agreed. When Jack asks James if he himself had arranged for Rose's murder, James tells Jack, "Poison's not my style....My son finally came through." James further tells Jack that Paul intended to ask Rose about the night before the wedding, to see if she would tell him the truth, which she obviously did not. When Jack asks James if he will take a polygraph test, James smiles and answers, "Absolutely." The polygraph shows that James was telling the truth when he said that he believed that Paul killed Rose. Barbara arrives at the police station, to find James alone in the main room, with one officer in the background reading a file. She begs James not to accuse their son, but James says, "I told the truth - and I think that Paul will be gone for a long, long time."
Curtis meets Ben at Al's Diner before their appointment with the headmaster of Oakdale Latin. Curtis is not dressed appropriately and insists to Ben that he doesn't want to attend Oakdale Latin because it is full of "stuck-up trust fund babies." Ben finally understands that Curtis was smoking pot in the quad of his last school because he wanted to be expelled. Curtis tells Ben that the school was all Ben's idea, and that Curtis was miserable there and didn't fit in. Curtis asks Ben that from now on he would like for them to make decisions about Curtis' future together. Curtis leaves and Jessica arrives. Jessica advises Ben to listen to Curtis, and that all Curtis wants is to be at home and to be included. They get ready to leave the diner when Troy rushes up to them and frantically tells them that Sarah has run away from the Center.
Holden, Aaron, and Luke are ready to leave for Rose's funeral when Lily walks in wearing her bathrobe and announces that she is not going to the funeral. Lucinda arrives and convinces Holden that they should go without Lily. At home, Lily picks up a picture of herself and Rose, then walks over and opens a box of Rose's belongings.
The first to arrive at the church for the funeral are Iva and Joe. Next Bob and Kim arrive with Nancy and Emma, followed by Dr. Walker Daniels. Then Paul walks in, whereupon Joe runs up to him and demands, "You get out!" Bob, supporting Joe, also asks Paul to leave. When Joe explodes, "You're a lyin' murderer just like your old man!" Paul responds in a dead voice, "I loved her," then he leaves, passing Craig and a distressed Rosanna.
Hal arrives a the church and finds Emily and Carly, who asks where Jack is. Hal will not give them a direct answer, but both women agree that Hal does not seem to be following up on their suspicions about Mitzi. Emily asks Lucinda if she has the financial books on Rose's Roller Palace, and she and Carly tell Lucinda that they suspect Mitzi of poisoning Rose to keep Rose from pressing charges. Lucinda tells them that she has the books and agrees to show the books to Emily and Carly after the funeral.
Lucinda, Holden, and Luke arrive and try to explain Lily's absence to everyone.
Aaron sees Lucy and starts toward her as Craig looms up behind her. Just then Alison and Susan come up behind Aaron, and immediately Susan leaves to pay her respects to Iva and Joe. Alison asks Aaron, "Does everyone still hate us?" Aaron glances around at Lucy, who looks down at the floor, and answers, "Oh, yeah. But I have a lead on a new apartment." They agree to tell everyone that they are moving in together after the service.
Katie and Mike come into the funeral, and Katie is overwhelmed by her emotions, telling Mike that her earliest memory was the funeral of her father, Casey.
The mourners, one by one, place roses on the rose-covered casket, as "A Hymn to Love" plays in the background and each person remembers his or her special time with Rose. The minister walks up to the lectern and begins the service when Lily arrives, dressed as Rose. Lily is wearing a long red sequined dress, a red feather boa, a sequined turban crowned by massive red plumes, and is carrying a boom box which is playing loud jazz. Lily announces, "None of you knew my sister at all if you think this is what she wants!" With a huge smile on her face, she looks around the assemblage. Lucinda tries to hustle Lily out, but Lily insists that Rose loved life. She starts the music again and tries, ineffectively, to get everyone to get up and dance. Dusty, fresh from the police station, walks into the back of the church and tells Lily, "I'll dance with you." After a moment's hesitation, Lily attacks Dusty, screaming, "You put her in that box! You did it!" When Hal intervenes, Dusty protests that Paul was the one who poisoned Rose, then leaves the church. Holden picks Lily up in his arms and carries her outside, leaving the congregation dazed.
Paul goes to Rose's Roller Palace and places a briefcase on the counter. He takes out a picture of Rose, a red rose, and makes a circle of red candles, which he lights, effectively building an altar to Rose. He recalls loving moments and tells Rose, "It's just you and me," musing that it is appropriate that he mourn her alone, since the two of them had always been alone, with so many people objecting to their union. He apologizes for losing faith in her and promises her that he didn't kill her. Jack and another officer arrive at the Roller Palace to find the shrine Paul has constructed to Rose, and they take Paul to the station. The officer symbolically blows out the candles that surround Rose's picture.
Alison and Aaron meet with the landlord of an apartment and get uncomfortable standing over a bed. Alison has a fantasy of Chris as her baby's dad at Christmas. Holden reassures Luke about Lily's frightening behavior. Lily spits her tranquilizer out and takes off with the kids. Susan arrives at Holden's and requests they give Alison and Aaron a celebration. Holden doesn't know they've been married. Susan apologizes for breaking the news so abruptly. Holden realizes that Lily and the kids are gone and asks Susan to stay with Natalie. At Cal's, a manic Lily frightens the children by insisting they all celebrate like Rose would have. Holden finds them and encourages Lily to leave the past behind for the kids' sake. Later, a deliveryman mistakes Lily for Rose, and she doesn't correct him. Aaron and Holden argue about Aaron's elopement. The landlord reappears and Alison declares that she can't go through with it. Craig secretly calls the police to help put Paul in jail. Jennifer takes a depressed Will to Hal to ask permission for Will to see Barbara at Christmas. She is able to convince a reluctant Hal. Barbara lambastes James for selling Paul out. Paul is upset when he sees Barbara and James. James taunts Craig and Will, who freaks when he hears Paul is being questioned. Paul tries to reassure Will. Jack and Hal continue to question Paul, and Paul tries to explain his actions. Paul confronts James and finds out someone gave the cops a tip about their meeting. He asks Jack if Craig is the one who informed him about his visit with James. Clark asks Lucy out for New Year's Eve, and Craig accepts for her. Craig lies to Rosanna about his earlier whereabouts.
Carly gives Jack her case against Mitzi as Rose's killer. Jack agrees to call Mitzi in for questioning, but he wants Carly to stay out of police business. Later, Jack shows up as Santa and makes up with Carly. Dusty gives Molly the cold shoulder. She tries to give him a gift but he rejects it. Joe accuses Dusty of killing Rose for the insurance money. Dusty is ready to sign the policy over to Joe. They toast Rose together. Lily brings Rose's presents in to her family and hides her delicate state from Holden. Aaron and Holden clash over his marriage to Alison. Aaron takes Alison to the apartment, which he has made livable. Alison admits the baby is not his and he leaves. Joe tells Lily he is taking Rose's remains home to New Jersey and Lily can't handle it. She finds comfort in Rose's things. After, alone at Cal's, Lily hears some carolers. They bang on the door for Rose to come out and play. Paul arrives at Hal's and demands to know what Barbara is doing there. Jennifer explains she wanted it for Will. Paul agrees to be civil. Barbara wants to give a gift to Paul but he refuses. He notes that she got what she wanted: her family without Rose. Crater tells Molly he knows she smashed Rose's car and demands $100,000 or he'll go to the police. Soon after, he crashes his car and dies. Jack finds the bat and gloves used to smash Rose's car. At the hospital, Alison hears Chris condemning the mother of an infant and remarking that some women shouldn't be mothers. Bob asks Alison to comfort the baby. Chris observes and is moved but walks away.
Due to the Christmas holiday, today's episode was preempted for special programming. There will be no lost episodes as a result of this schedule change; Friday's show will pick up where Wednesday's show concluded.
On behalf of everyone at Soap Opera Central, have a safe and Merry Christmas.
Holden surveys the wreckage at Rose's place and thinks the worst has happened to Lily. Jack suspects foul play and shows an ambiguous Polaroid of Lily with three other people. Later, a farmer tells Jack he saw four people out by the old riverbank last night. The duo rush away to check out the new lead. At the riverbank, the farmer says he thought he heard a scream. Jack dredges the river, but nothing turns up. An officer found a hotel room key in the parking lot. They rush to the hotel and find three partygoers with hangovers. They say they are friends of Rose and are surprised to hear about Lily. Lily partied hard with Rose's friends. Holden wants to know where his wife is, but Lily is no where to be found.
Later, Lily parties at a club at the head of a conga line.
Alison begs Aaron not to tell Chris that he is the real father of her baby. Before he leaves, Aaron wants to know why she played him. Alison says, "I didn't want to trap him." Aaron says, "So, it's OK to do this to me? You make me sick." He vows to tell Chris. Alison pleads with him to keep her crime secret, or she might go back to jail. Aaron thinks that maybe Chris should take the baby away from Alison. Later, Chris walks in during their argument, and Aaron says, "There's something I gotta tell you."
Barbara waltzes into the station and starts toward Hal's upstairs offices, but an officer stops her. She admits she is Hal's wife, "Oh...sorry...ex-wife. We were married for a hundred years." The officer doesn't care about her status and asks her to leave a message. She makes like she's writing Hal something important, and when no one is looking, she slips into the interrogation room then shuts the blinds. She is stunned to find she is included on Hal's list of suspects in Rose's murder. Her brain starts churning when she also sees Molly's name on the list. Babs isn't the only one looking for inside information. When Craig slithers into the room, she asks why he's sneaking around. He says, "I hadn't been arrested in awhile, and I missed the place."
Molly grabs her passport, keys, checkbook, and purse, then opens her suite door to find Hal waiting for her. He says, "Your trip's been canceled...permanently." Molly says she's on her way to see Brigit and Michelle, but he doesn't buy her story after he spies her passport sticking out of her bag. Hal tells Molly that Crater is dead, and they found the bat and gloves used to damage Rose's car. He pins the crime on Molly when he tells her they found a broken nail matching her DNA inside one of the gloves. Hal tells Molly he also found the clerk who sold her the paint and bat. He places her under arrest.
Rosanna consoles Paul at Al's. He lets it slip that he thinks Craig is trying to frame him for Rose's murder. Ro doesn't believe him and says Craig would never do such a thing because it would upset her.
Hal brings Molly into the interrogation room and is surprised to see Craig and Barbar having a picnic. He tries to throw them both out, but only Barbara leaves. Craig sidles up to Hal, and asks to speak with him outside. They leave Molly alone in the room with much of the evidence. Outside, Craig tries to put a new spin on his earlier conversation implicating Molly. He says she really wasn't so malicious after all, and tries to redirect the suspicion at Paul. Hal throws him out in fifteen seconds flat. Back inside the interrogation room, Molly demands to be booked so she can post bail and get out. She admits to wrecking the car, but Hal presses her to admit to murder. Hal tells her he knows she planted the poison in Dusty's room. She denies being in the room before Dusty arrived. Hal pulls the maid Molly paid off into the interrogation room. The maid admits taking Molly's money and finding her in the room alone. Hal sends the maid away, then tells Molly he also has a receipt showing she purchased the poison. Molly breaks down and confesses to setting Dusty up, but still denies killing Rose. "I saw a way to make him squirm. I saw a way to make him suffer, and I took it." Hal doesn't buy her story and wants to know where she put the goblet Rose used at her wedding.
At the cemetery, Barbara retrieves the goblet she placed inside Paul's premature tomb, laces it with methanol, and holds it up to a light so it can dry. She grins as she thinks her troubles are over, "It's all working out...so perfectly." Later, Babs brings the bag of glasses to Molly's suite. She pinches a maid's cleaning key and enters Molly's room. Craig spies her movements in the background. Once inside, Babs puts the bag inside Molly's closet, and says, "It's all over Molly."
