Before Thomas' debut, Thomas wouldn't tell Brooke what he had up his sleeve to make the show memorable; however, he promised that it would be good, if she just followed his lead. He went backstage, where Marcus expressed his nervousness about his own debut as a runway model. Thomas reassured Marcus, but still worried that Hope's line had upstaged his that day.

Rick reminded Thomas of why they'd changed the lineup. Though Thomas understood, he said he'd wanted the day to be about him for a change. Rick's eyebrows rose as if he'd taken exception to the comment, but Marcus interrupted to bolster Thomas' confidence.

In the audience with Katie, Bill was miffed that the Forresters hadn't consulted him, a part owner of the business, on their decisions. He asked Jake why the show had been changed, but Jake had no idea why Hope's line had debuted early.

Sitting nearby with his worried wife, Whip hoped that Thomas would take his advice. "That's exactly what I'm worried about," Taylor replied. She said Thomas had to be careful about the impression he made, because he didn't work at Jackie M. Whip insisted that Thomas needed to make the press forget that they'd even seen "Hope for the Future" that day.

Brooke changed into an ivory formfitting gown and greeted Whip and Taylor. Whip said he hadn't known what Amber had been up to, and Taylor asserted her displeasure about Brooke and Thomas working together. Taylor was sure that Brooke was due for another scandal at any moment, and Taylor didn't want Thomas involved in it. Brooke asked what could possibly happen. "With you-anything goes, and that's the problem," Taylor retorted.

Brooke returned backstage and prompted Thomas to give a short speech before the show started. Ridge expressed his pride in his son, and he encouraged Thomas to "knock 'em dead." Rick scowled as Thomas took the stage.

Thomas kicked off the show by complimenting "Hope for the Future" and assuring everyone that his line had been worth the wait. He said that Forrester wanted men to look hot, and they would look hot if they wore Thomas' twist on Brooke's classic line. Rock music played, and Thomas looked nervous as the first designs hit the runway.

Though the designs looked good, the crowd was unenthusiastic and tired after the long wait. Some people stifled yawns, and Bill punched away on his cell phone. Katie encouraged him to look at the line, but he said that no one cared about it-including him. Taylor anxiously asked Whip if the line was good. Whip felt that it was, but as he looked at a woman next to him texting on her cell phone, he wished that Thomas hadn't had to follow "Hope for the Future." Whip felt that Thomas needed to get the audience's attention immediately.

Backstage, Thomas ordered Rick to find some pants for a model. Rick unenthusiastically complied, and Brooke tried to calm Thomas' nerves. She wished she knew his plan, but he didn't divulge the details. He asked her to promise to go along with it, and she affirmed that she would.

For the showstopper, Thomas strutted across the stage in a dark men's suit and received mild applause. Whip murmured that Thomas had to do better than that. Thomas motioned for Brooke, and the applause rose when she joined him on stage. As Brooke smiled at the crowd, Thomas suddenly dipped her over his arm and planted a lingering kiss on her lips.

The audience gasped, cell phones fell to the floor, and camera flashes flickered from all directions. Ridge's smile faded, and Taylor looked appalled. Bill gave a standing ovation, though Katie pulled at him to sit down. Whip nodded, saying that was what he was talking about. Though Brooke seemed disconcerted by the kiss, she hid it behind her camera-ready smile.

In Oliver's studio, Hope expressed her concern about Oliver's job. Oliver announced that he still worked for Forrester, and she ecstatically threw her arms around him. She was glad that she and Liam had foiled Amber's scheme. Oliver asked when she planned to dump Liam and return to whom she belonged. "You're my Hope, and I'm not giving up," Oliver said.

Hope noted that it was good to see Oliver smile. He said that he couldn't help but smile around her, even though he'd made epic mistakes. He stated that she'd forgiven him because she had the biggest heart that he'd ever seen. He thanked her for getting him the job at Forrester, and she said she didn't regret it. She noted that they'd done phenomenal work on her line, and she wondered if they could be the next dynamic duo in the company.

Oliver neared Hope and said that she had no idea what she did to him. She moved away because she didn't want to send him mixed signals. Seeming confused, Hope admitted that she couldn't just turn her feelings for him off. After everything they'd accomplished together, she couldn't imagine her life without him, and she didn't want to. Oliver felt that their lives would always be intertwined, and since she'd forgiven him, they could look forward to the future.

Hope shook her head, but Oliver insisted that their future would be "so great." He said he'd love her like no other guy ever had before. Oliver kissed her softly and said it wasn't over for them. He kissed her again, and as she responded, she slipped her arms around his neck. "It's never going to be over for us," he uttered as they gazed into each other's eyes.

At the fashion show, after Thomas planted a kiss on Brooke, jaws dropped and Brooke looked surprised as well. Cameras flashed, and Brooke and Thomas parted. They faced the stunned crowd and Thomas thanked everyone for attending. Eric quickly took the stage and stood in front of Thomas and Brooke. Eric curtly told Brooke and Thomas to head backstage.

Jarrett questioned what was going on, and Eric refused to take questions. Another reporter asked for a statement, but Thorne entered and thanked the crowd. He said the show had ended, and they would make no statements.

In the audience, Whip, Taylor, and Ridge were speechless. Whip said that he felt he was to blame for Thomas' stunt. Whip admitted that he had told Thomas to create an event. Whip added that he had no idea that Thomas would do something so rash. Taylor and Ridge headed backstage to find Thomas.

Backstage, Thomas met welcome rounds of applause from Forrester employees, and Marcus said, "You are just full of surprised, aren't you?" Brooke interrupted and said that she needed to talk to Thomas. Brooke said that what he had done was wrong and was going to anger his father. Thomas stood up for himself and reminded Brooke that Forrester would be on the cover of every magazine and Internet site. He said that everyone would be talking about the Men's Line. Brooke worried that it was the wrong message.

Ridge and Taylor entered and cleared the room of employees. They demanded an explanation. Thomas said that the reporters had been leaving and he had needed them to stay. Thomas added that they had been falling asleep in their seats, so he'd done something to perk them up. Taylor was mortified and accused Brooke of setting the whole thing up. Taylor vented that Brooke had kissed Thomas right in front of everyone. Then Taylor launched into "I told you so" mode regarding Brooke and her scandals. Thomas stopped Taylor and said that the kiss was all his idea. He added that it wasn't even real.

Ridge warned that Thomas had created another scandal that had embarrassed the company. Ridge softened and said the he understood why Thomas did what he had done, but it was wrong. Thomas said that it was a simple marketing ploy. Ridge said that it drew attention away from the Men's Line and onto a kiss that never should have happened. Brooke and Ridge left, and Taylor laid into Thomas, but Thomas lashed out at Taylor and said that he was trying to make a name for himself. He had to do something because the "Hope for the Future" line was going to overshadow his line.

Taylor insisted that what he had done would negatively affect the company and embarrass his father and grandfather. Thomas blurted out that Taylor had been wrong when she gave all of her shares to Steffy. Taylor softened and wondered if Thomas had kissed Brooke just to make Taylor squirm, but Thomas said that Taylor and Ridge were making too much of the stunt. He reminded Taylor that it was all to gain attention for the line.

Onstage in the showroom, Eric and Thorne encouraged reporters to exit. Whip, Eric, Pam, and Thorne remained. Bill and Katie entered and asked what Thomas was thinking. Bill smirked that Thomas had "grown a pair." Whip admitted that he had told Thomas to try some type of stunt because the reporters had been bored with the intermission. Whip apologized to Eric and said that he had no idea that Thomas would try something so scandalous. Pam said that Stephanie was going to be upset. Eric and Thorne encouraged Bill, Katie, and Whip to leave so that they could deal with it as a family.

At the Forrester mansion, Stephanie relaxed in her room. She served tea to Dayzee, who talked about meeting Marcus at Forrester. Stephanie encouraged Dayzee to take a job at Forrester. Dayzee said that she enjoyed her role at the shelter. Dayzee said that Stephanie would be working at the shelter as soon as she was up to it. She reminded Stephanie that people who stayed at the shelter were called "guests" to maintain their dignity. She added that the term also implied that it was a temporary situation.

Dayzee said that Stephanie would begin as an apprentice in the kitchen at the shelter, and Stephanie said that she was ready for work, but Dayzee refused. She told Stephanie that she had to be strong and healthy before she started working. Stephanie handed Dayzee a check for a substantial donation for the shelter.

Dayzee thanked Stephanie and left. Eric entered and spilled the news that the fashion show had been quite an event. He said that the "Hope for the Future" line had been well received, but reporters had been bored waiting for Thomas' line. In order to perk up the crowd, Thomas had decided to create a stunt that would get their attention. Eric blurted out that Thomas had kissed Brooke. Stephanie echoed Taylor's words about Brooke and a scandal, and Brooke's ability to pull Thomas into a scandal.

At Forrester, Ridge received a call from a reporter, and said that he had no comment. Ridge called Madison, and irritably told her to hold all of his calls. Brooke entered, and Ridge was clearly unhappy with her. Brooke calmly told Ridge that Thomas had shown poor judgment, but he was a risk taker just like his father.

Ridge angrily said that Brooke should not have gone along with Thomas. Ridge bitterly said that Brooke disappointed him repeatedly with scandalous incidents, and she had caused a scandal with his son. Brooke was surprised at Ridge's reaction. She put her hands on Ridge's shoulders and reminded him that she would never hurt him. She said that she had gone along with Thomas' stunt because he had asked her to support him even though she didn't know what the stunt was. Ridge was unimpressed.

At Forrester, Brooke and Ridge argued about Thomas kissing Brooke at the fashion show. Ridge said that he couldn't believe Brooke was willing to go along with some random scheme Thomas dreamed up without getting more details. He added that it resulted in another scandal.

Brooke angrily told Ridge that he was taking Taylor's stance on the issue. Ridge acknowledged that Taylor had warned that if Thomas worked with Brooke, scandal would be waiting around the corner, and Taylor had been correct. Brooke reminded Ridge that Thomas was desperate to be a success at his debut. Brooke reiterated that she would never have encouraged Thomas if she had known what he had planned.

Ridge said that a few short months before, Brooke had promised to avoid scandals after her indiscretion with Oliver. Ridge admitted that he was tired of Brooke's scandals. Brooke repeated that Ridge was seeing Brooke through Taylor's eyes as some kind of evil seductress. "That frightens me, Ridge," Brooke said.

Backstage at Forrester, Thomas was on his phone, chatting about bloggers who had called the event, "The kiss felt around the world." Taylor grabbed the phone.

She told Thomas that they had not finished their discussion. Thomas reiterated that he had kissed Brooke as a gimmick to get media attention for his new line, and it had worked. He wanted his mother to stop making a big deal out of it.

Taylor grilled Thomas about Brooke's involvement, and Thomas angrily told his mother that Brooke had been unaware of his plan. Thomas said that Taylor had forced him to work to make a name for himself when she had handed her shares over to Steffy. She left him with nothing. Taylor apologized for giving her shares to Steffy. Thomas accepted her apology, but refused to apologize for kissing Brooke.

Thomas told his mother that he had been worried his new line would go down in flames and be overshadowed by Hope's line if he didn't act fast. Thomas said that he had seen a chance to steal the spotlight with a kiss that was a stunt. Taylor reiterated that it was a lack of judgment. Thomas said that he didn't care what his mother thought. He refused to allow her issues with Brooke to affect him. Thomas reminded Taylor that fashion was all a game about going bold and getting noticed. "I will go the mat for Brooke," he said.

At the Forrester mansion, Stephanie told Eric that she was disappointed in Brooke. "She is who she is," Stephanie said. But Stephanie added that she never dreamed that Brooke would make such a foolish decision after all that they had been through. Stephanie told Eric that Ridge should have listened to Taylor. Stephanie wanted to see the Internet version of the kiss on her laptop. Eric warned that blaming Brooke was misplacing the blame. Eric said that Thomas had said that it was all his idea. Eric left to retrieve her laptop.

After Eric left, Stephanie called Ridge, and Ridge promised to visit his mother. Brooke wanted to accompany Ridge, but he refused. After Ridge left, Taylor entered Ridge's office, and Brooke told her to get out. Taylor said that she was looking for Ridge, but Brooke said that he was already gone. Taylor took that to mean that Ridge had walked out on Brooke.

Brooke set Taylor straight that Ridge had gone to see Stephanie. Taylor laid into Brooke for letting the kiss happen. Taylor said that Brooke didn't know right from wrong. Taylor wondered how any adult could allow something so embarrassing to occur with a live audience.

Taylor called Brooke "sick and destructive." Brooke turned the tables and said that although Taylor wanted to paint Brooke as an evil seductress, Taylor was to blame for Thomas' decision. Brooke reminded Taylor that Thomas had been working day and night to make a name for himself because Taylor had given all her stock to Steffy. Taylor didn't let up. She insulted Brooke for all the time she had spent with all the Forrester men.

Brooke reminded Taylor that Taylor's husband, Whip, had given Thomas the idea to do something shocking to garner attention. Brooke added that Thomas was very bitter that Taylor had given her shares to Steffy. Taylor changed the subject to what the public would think of the kiss. Brooke agreed that Thomas had made a poor decision as a publicity gimmick, but she added that she had nothing to do with it.

At the Forrester mansion, Stephanie watched the Internet version of Thomas kissing Brooke, and she was clearly disgusted. Ridge entered and kissed his mom. He said that Thomas saw it only as a publicity stunt. Stephanie said that she was concerned about Thomas. She added that Thomas probably thought that "any publicity is great publicity as long as you kiss the right girl," she said.

Brooke called and insisted that she had to see Ridge and Stephanie. Ridge discouraged it, but Brooke had hung up. Ridge watched the video on the laptop at Stephanie's urging. In it, Thomas clearly dipped Brooke over and kissed her, and it certainly looked like Brooke was kissing him back.

Stephanie said that she wanted to believe Brooke, but Stephanie doubted Brooke's innocence. Stephanie felt that Brooke should not have allowed Thomas to kiss her, but Ridge said that Thomas would have been humiliated if she had left him standing there.

Later, Brooke showed up at the Forrester mansion. Eric welcomed her, but advised her not to see Stephanie. Brooke wanted assurance that the latest scandal wouldn't ruin her relationship with Stephanie. Eric tried to get Brooke to calm down, but she was hellbent on talking to Stephanie and Ridge. Brooke raced up the steps and knocked on the door to Stephanie's room.

Stephanie locked the door, and Brooke begged Stephanie to forgive her. Brooke reminded Stephanie of Stephanie's words that Brooke was like a daughter to her. Stephanie admitted that she had embraced Brooke as a daughter. Stephanie talked through the door, and Ridge stared at the still frame of the photo of Brooke and Thomas kissing. Brooke again begged Stephanie and Ridge to forgive her.

In Ridge's office, Hope asked Thomas if she were a terrible person for pushing her line onto the runway ahead of his. She grumbled that she'd also kissed the wrong person. "There's a lot of that going on around here," Thomas replied. He explained what had happened during his show finale, and Hope was shocked that Brooke had just let him kiss her.

Thomas thought that if anyone would understand, it would be Hope. She didn't know why Thomas thought she'd understand. He said they'd both grown up surrounded by scandal, but it hadn't meant anything. He claimed his message was that the Forresters knew what people thought of them, but they were proud of who they were.

Hope wondered if Thomas had considered Brooke and Ridge's marriage, and Thomas replied that he hadn't. He asked if anyone had considered what preempting his line would do to his chances of success. Hope called him a brat, but he asserted that he wasn't like Steffy. He'd accepted his parents' divorce, and he was glad they'd found new people to make them happy.

Hope didn't believe Thomas hadn't considered that the stunt would rehash the "Pose" incident and make people think that Brooke had been with the father, the son, and possibly the grandson. Thomas understood that, but he said people wouldn't see their designs unless they got people's attention. Claiming that they had advertising for that, Hope said he could have taken his pants off for attention instead of throwing her mother under the bus.

Thomas thought Brooke was probably the only person who understood what he'd done and why. "It was the scandal that wasn't," he said. To him, it'd only be shocking to tabloid junkies, who were already thinking dirty things about them. He figured that everyone would know his name, but Hope stated that it would be for the wrong reasons. Thomas replied that people didn't want to know others for the "right" reasons.

Hope understood what he'd intended, but to her, he sounded like a play director who looked to wow the audience with no regard for the actors. Thomas said that it wasn't personal, but Hope claimed that kissing was very personal. She wryly stated that if the opinions of strangers meant more to him than his loved ones, then he'd done well.

Brooke banged on Stephanie's bedroom door, and once Stephanie opened it, Ridge said that he'd asked Brooke not to follow him there. Stephanie requested private time with her son. Eric arrived to mediate, and Ridge said he'd be right down. Brooke reminded Ridge that nothing mattered, except what was said between husband and wife.

Brooke and Eric went downstairs, and Ridge and Stephanie reviewed the Internet kiss footage. Stephanie concluded that Brooke had looked surprised by the kiss, but she'd allowed it. Stephanie asked if he'd ever think of kissing Hope, and he scowled. He insisted that it had been just a stunt, but Stephanie wasn't so sure. She said there seemed to be a tacit invitation involved. In her view, men saw it, boys saw it, and Thomas saw it. She believed that Ridge saw it, too.

In the living room, Brooke asked if she'd been expected to humiliate Thomas on the runway. Eric conveyed that she'd had to humiliate either her stepson or her husband. Brooke said it had been a mistake, but Eric advised her to retire the word "mistake" from her vocabulary. Eric was frustrated that a woman who knew her beauty could totally disregard the importance of appearances. Brooke stated that she cared about the truth, not appearances.

Eric asked what Brooke would do if a stranger planned to kiss her. She said she'd tell him that they needed to have a private chat. Eric corrected that she should first think of how it would embarrass her husband. Brooke didn't get it because they were talking about Thomas, not a stranger. She couldn't believe that Ridge would see it as significant. "How is it possible that, over the years, you just get younger?" Eric asked a puzzled Brooke.

Stephanie and Ridge entered, and Stephanie insisted upon knowing why Brooke had allowed the kiss. Brooke guessed that she hadn't thought fast enough. Stephanie couldn't fathom why Thomas thought he could approach Brooke that way, and Brooke asked if Stephanie were insinuating that Brooke had encouraged it. "It isn't in the realm of possibility?" Stephanie asked.

Brooke insisted that she'd had nothing to do with what had happened. Stephanie said that she just wanted a straight answer, but with Brooke, everything was always "accidental." Stephanie stated that she felt betrayed all over again.

Eric took Stephanie upstairs, and Brooke expressed to Ridge that she should be more patient with Stephanie, because it was probably the medication talking. Brooke started to say that if she'd done something wrong; however, Ridge interrupted, saying, "If?"

Brooke said that everything had just happened too fast. Ridge asked if she'd thought about him in that moment, and she said that she really hadn't thought about him. She also said she didn't about her heart, limbs, or brain, either, but they were the engines that kept her going. "And so are you," she insisted. She stated that she always put him first. Ridge decided to check on Stephanie, and Brooke asked if he'd go home after that. "Later," he elusively replied.

Upstairs, Stephanie offered Ridge the guesthouse for the night, but he said he had a lot to deal with at home. Stephanie felt that Brooke had no sense of right and wrong, because Brooke always found a way to explain herself out of things. Stephanie hoped that Ridge understood why Taylor hadn't wanted Thomas and Brooke working together. Ridge said it wasn't something a father wanted to consider. Stephanie said a grandmother didn't want to, either.

At home alone, Brooke sighed and turned off the lights. The front door opened, and she called Ridge's name. Almost nose-to-nose with the visitor, she heard Thomas say, "No, it's me."

In her darkened living room, Brooke was surprised when Thomas' shadowy figure entered her house. Thomas had figured that she'd be alone after what had happened. As Brooke turned on the lights, Thomas said that his father shouldn't be angry with her for the staged act. She called it a controversial act, and he reasoned that fashion was about creating a spectacle. "And nobody does that better than you, Brooke," Thomas asserted.

Though Brooke understood what Thomas had set out to do, she said that he couldn't ignore Ridge's concerns. Thomas claimed that his parents' concerns didn't make sense. Brooke said she'd understand if Thomas had acted out because he'd felt overshadowed by Hope's collection. He insisted that it had been a business maneuver; it had been the same kind of stunt that Brooke and Ridge had pulled for decades to garner media attention.

Brooke exclaimed that Thomas had kissed his father's wife in front of a room full of reporters. Thomas got excited just thinking about what a rush the attention had given him. Hearing a car pull up, Brooke said Ridge was home. Thomas persuaded her to let him talk to Ridge first, but before going upstairs, Brooke warned that she'd return if she heard any arguing.

Ridge entered and asked where his wife was. Thomas said she was upstairs, waiting for Ridge. Ridge started up the stairs, but Thomas stated that Ridge wanted to talk to him first. "No, son, I don't," Ridge replied. Thomas insisted that he would talk, and Ridge would listen.

Ridge said he'd hear Thomas out in the morning, but Thomas insisted that he didn't want to fight. Ridge thought he deserved an apology, but he cited that Thomas didn't see a reason for one. Thomas agreed, adding that Brooke didn't, either. Thomas said he'd fix things, but he thought Ridge should focus on Brooke. "You left her hanging, and that's not right," Thomas reasoned.

Thomas asserted that Brooke hadn't known his plan. She'd been supporting him, and she shouldn't be punished for it. She hadn't been corrupting him; instead, she'd been ensuring that his line would succeed. Thomas suggested that Ridge forgive her as he'd always done. "Then ask her to forgive you for treating one stupid kiss like the end of the world," Thomas stated.

Brooke paced around her bedroom until Ridge entered. "I'm going to take a shower," he murmured. As she asked him to wait, he headed into the bathroom. After his shower, Ridge was still grumpy. He suggested that they go to bed, but Brooke noted that they didn't go to bed angry. She lived to make him proud of her, and letting him down had broken her heart. She said they didn't let things get between them in their bedroom, and she hated the distance between them.

Ridge said she knew how much he loved her, but, "This? Another scandal?" Brooke swore that it was the last one. "This cannot happen again," he declared, and she promised that it wouldn't. She plied him with kisses, but he grabbed her head and stared angrily at her. His anger seemed to melt, and he returned her kiss. Ridge pushed her onto the bed, and they made love.

After a swim on the beach, Oliver sat at home, recalling his kisses with Hope. Hope arrived to set Oliver straight about the kisses. She'd thought they could be friends, but he had to understand that she had a boyfriend. Oliver said she could have slapped him away, but she reasoned that she hadn't wanted to make him feel worse after what Amber had done.

Hope expressed that she'd tried to reach out to Oliver as a friend, but she'd worsened matters by giving him mixed signals. She insisted that she was with Liam, but Oliver refused to give up hope that she'd be his again. He leaned in to kiss her, but she turned her head. He paused and kissed her cheek. In the awkward moment, Hope strode out.

Oliver heard a knock at his door and assumed that Hope had returned. He readily opened the door, but tried to slam it shut when he saw Amber on his doorstep. Amber claimed that she had nowhere else to go. She apologized for using him, and Oliver said he was sorry that he'd trusted her.

Amber implored him to let her explain why she'd done what she'd done. Oliver said that she'd made him look like a fool, because he'd thought that she liked him. Amber felt like a fool, too, for thinking that Nick had wanted her to steal designs. She'd seen her dreams right before her, and she'd told herself that the path to them wouldn't matter. However, she'd realized that it really had mattered because she'd lost her job, her credibility, and her friendship with Oliver.

Amber had figured that unscrupulous maneuvers were just part of the game, and she cited that Thomas kissing Brooke on the runway had been genius. Her stunt, however, had been a bad move, and she feared that she couldn't stay in Los Angeles, where she'd met such great new friends. Oliver assumed that she was playing an angle, as usual. She stated that she had to, because she didn't get things handed to her like the Forresters and the Spencers.

Oliver doubted that she'd stolen the designs to level the playing field. Amber said she'd actually thought Nick had wanted her to steal them, but she should have made Nick spell out what "hot designs for his 'hotline'" meant. Oliver said he understood the pressure she'd been under. Touching his face, Amber said she regretted being a jerk to someone as sweet as he was.

Amber kissed Oliver, and he asked what she was doing. "Apologizing?" she said. She asked to spend the night. She reasoned that she didn't want to be alone, and he didn't, either. "Let me make it all up to you and prove that it wasn't all an act. We'll just be friends. Couldn't we, hmm? Be my friend, Oliver, and I'll be anything you want me to be," Amber coaxed.