While Victor and Nicholas were engaged in their latest argument, they were interrupted by a shriek "NO!" coming from inside. When they ran in, they immediately smelled gas and Nicholas ran and turned it off. The nurse came running down and she and Victor grabbed Cassie to get her some fresh air. The entire family gathered in the room and they all gently told Noah he must never touch the gas again. Nikki commented that it was a good thing he yelled, as it got everyone's attention. Noah told her it wasn't him that yelled, it was Cassie. They all looked at each other quizzically, and Nicholas sat him down and told him it was very important that he tell the truth. Noah insisted it was Cassie, and Nicholas commented that it did, indeed, sound like her. He asked Victor what he thought, and Victor told him that he, too, thought it sounded like her. Noah again insisted he was telling the truth, and that he wanted to start the fire feeding her ice cream. When they all looked shocked by what he said, he went and got the ice cream bowl and showed everyone. With that, Nicholas gathered Cassie in his arms and told him that if she did scream, then she saved Noah's life. He told her how much they all missed her and hoped that her screaming was a sign. Nikki was the first to notice the tear come down from Cassie's eyes, and the entire family started to cry.
Jill and Esther were exchanging a few nasty words when Brock walked in. They began to talk, and Brock told her she should probably lighten up on Billy. Jill went on and on about how they shouldn't be so involved with each other at such a young age, and while Brock agreed, he told her he didn't agree with her method of expression. He told her if she forced Billy to make a choice, he would most assuredly choose Mac and not her. All her behavior was doing, he said, was making them become even more close.
Mac was very surprised by Billy's proposal and kept asking him if he was serious. She asked him if he had asked her to marry him so they could have sex, and he admitted that it was some of it, but it was more because of his feelings. She then asked if it had anything to do with getting back at Jill, and he convinced her it wasn't. He professed his love to her and said some very lovely things to her before she realized he was being serious. Just as he felt she was about to say "yes," he got down on his knees and formally asked her. She happily agreed and he swung her around in his arms. Interrupting their moment, there was a knock on the door—it was Jill.
Ashley chatted with her doctor about how her pregnancy was going, and Ashley expressed some concern about the chemotherapy drugs having an effect on the baby. The doctor told her she had stopped chemo long before conception, and that she wasn't worried about it. She did tell her that her blood pressure was a bit elevated and encouraged her to stay away from stressful situations and people as much as she could. She agreed she would be careful and told the doctor giving this child to Brad was the most important thing in her life right now.
Meanwhile over at Jabot, Dru was spilling her guts in the boardroom about what she saw in the lab. Given her haughty attitude and tattle-tale tone, Brad understandably got a bit defensive when he heard Victor was in the building. John added there was likely a good explanation for Victor being in the lab, and Dru just snorted. Jack told her John was probably right about that, and that she wasn't winning any brownie points by bashing Ashley to that group. Brad announced he felt there was too much bad blood between Dru and Ashley for the relationship to work, which made Dru very nervous. John excused himself to go to another meeting, and she backpedaled a bit, saying how much she wanted this job. Jack dismissed her, and Brad threw her marketing plan at her. After she left, Brad snapped about Victor's nerve in showing up there and how they needed to cut their losses where Dru was concerned. Jack urged him not to let Victor upset him, and further not to upset Ashley. He reminded him Victor almost caused them to divorce, and not to give him the power to hurt them. In a rare moment, the two of them agreed.
Brad went home and waited for Ashley to return from her doctor's appointment. After some gentle small talk, Brad asked her why she didn't tell him aboutVictor's visit. She told him she'd asked him by to warn him about messing with Jabot, but was afraid Brad would freak out if she mentioned it. He calmly told her they couldn't keep secrets from one another, and told her what happened in the board meeting. If she had told him, he said he would have been able to diffuse the situation, rather than letting Dru go off the way she did. They agreed to be open with one another, so nothing and no one could hurt their relationship again.
When Billy saw his mother at the door, he asked what she was doing there. Snobby as always, he had to direct her to speak to Mackenzie, since she didn't bother. She asked to speak with him alone, and he told her whatever she had to say could be done in front of Mackenzie. Jill went on to apologize for their argument and that she felt they both said things they regretted. Billy corrected her, saying he didn't say anything he regretted, and by the way, there's something she should know. And, perhaps she should sit down. She wasn't interested in sitting down, so he launched into what he had to say. He told her that Mackenzie was a huge part of his life, and that she was going to have to accept it. She told him she thought they were way too young to be in such an intense relationship, and that they had already made bad decisions regarding their educations because of each other. She told them they should be focusing on their education instead of making decisions they might later regret. Fed up, Billy blurted out that he had asked Mac to marry him and she had accepted. Hearing this, Jill snapped and started yelling that they were too young to know what they wanted. She also cruelly turned to Mackenzie and pointed out that he was being overly emotional because of their argument earlier. Billy told her to get out and held open the door for her. Before departing, she sneered that they would be married over her dead body.
J.T. and Raul were at Fenmore's and J.T. was upset that they were working long hours to pick up the slack for Brittany's absence. Actually getting along, they started to talk about the situation. Raul voiced that in hindsight, perhaps he and Brittany shouldn't have slept together so quickly. J.T. admitted that he and Colleen weren't sleeping together, and she was being somewhat pushy about it. He said with Colleen, he had changed his attitude about sex—he was willing to wait. Raul just laughed and said he had never heard anyone dying from waiting and they shared a laugh.
Paul and Isabella had another heart-to-heart and talked more about Kelly Simmons. She revealed she talked with Michael and he told her who Kelly really was. She went on to question Paul as to why he failed to tell her himself, but he really didn't have a good answer. She told him if he was suspicious about her, then he should come directly to her and not to other people. They decided to make an attempt to put it all behind them and to begin fresh again.
Chris went over to Baldwin Williams to talk to Michael. She told him right away that she had no intention of coming back to work, and that he shouldn't pressure her about it. He told her he wanted his partner back, and that the workload was extremely heavy. Just then, Chantal walked in, telling a sad tale of a potential client who was being taken advantage of. This sparked Chris's curiosity, and she began asking questions about the case. Michael told Chantal to call the client back and to tell her that unfortunately, he was too busy to take on her case. Suddenly, Chris looked suspicious, and said, "O.K., you win! Are you proud of yourselves?" and Chantal and Michael gave each other a high-five.
Marissa and Lynn were chatting about Chris and Michael when Lauren came over and sat down. Lauren started asking questions about Chris and saying she thought it was for the best if she and Michael got married. After all, Paul and Isabella have a baby together, so it would be best if they stayed together. They began to joke that Isabella and Michael should get together, and Lauren commented that they went way back. Lynn looked at her open-mouthed, and asked what she meant. Lauren mentioned overhearing a conversation at the christening between Ricardo and Michael, and that she knew he had represented her legally at some point in the past. After she got up and left, Lynn got very excited, dragging Marissa out the door with the intent to fly to California to find Isabella's father.
When Noah put a spoonful of ice cream into Cassie's mouth, no one could mistake that they saw her eat it. Vicki suggested they should put on music that Cassie likes, or do something to keep up the momentum. Nick only wanted to call the doctor, and was careful about not overwhelming her. Victor agreed, saying they didn't want to make any mistakes, and they got Dr. Walker on the phone. Nicholas asked her to give him a sign if she could hear him, and much to everyone's delight, she squeezed his hand. He held her and she said, "Daddy." After holding her more, she said, "Where's Mommy?"
Due to coverage of the war in Iraq, today's episode was pre-empted by war coverage. Broadcasting will resume tomorrow -- barring additional pre-emptions -- where Tuesday's show concluded.
Lauren grilled J.T. about Anita's involvement with him -- she had left a message for him to call her and Lauren was dying to know why. J.T. shrugged it off as something about Brittany, then Lauren had to go to a meeting and he offered to close up the boutique. He picked up the phone and called Anita. She was in Frederick's office hassling him about Jill and telling him that he wasn't the gift to women that he thought that he was. Saved by the bell, she arranged with J.T. to meet in the morning at the Lodge, then she left him behind.
Jill met up with Larry at the coffeehouse and nothing went right. First she told him about Billy and Mac and he replied that her son could do worse. Then he asked about Charlotte and wondered what was with her drinking so much. Jill left in disgust, telling him that nothing he said was music to her ears at all.
Jill then showed up at Frederick's office. He knew exactly what to say and how to listen to her woes. He asked about her mother and downplayed the drinking, telling her that they could still have a healthy relationship. Then she told him about Billy and Mac. He agreed that he would be disappointed if Brittany were to marry at 18 too. Jill blamed herself for abandoning Billy and being responsible for his need for stability and love. Frederick wouldn't listen to it. Jill was comforted by his words and told him that he was the only one who understood. She kissed him passionately. He asked her if she had plans for the evening and told her that she was staying with him -- he wasn't going home that night. . .
Lynne and Marissa sat Mr. Brana down in a cafe and started talking about Michael's past involvement with his daughter after they started off pretending that they were on vacation in California. He immediately became defensive and refused to talk further. He indicated that the case was shameful and embarrassing -- a youthful indiscretion that his daughter need no longer pay for. He left abruptly and Lynne was sure that the secret was something that would ruin Isabella and Paul's relationship. She had to dig further. . .
Michael paid Paul a visit and was lucky to get in the door. He started out sparring with Paul about what he had done to Christine, but stopped himself. He basically begged Paul to let go of Christine, he understood that loving her was like an addiction -- it hurt to not be able to be close to her. But it was best for his new wife and son, it was best for everyone involved if he would just let go.
Colleen shared with Lily that J.T.'s birthday was coming up and she wanted to do something special for him. Lily felt sorry for herself and her lovelife, then Colleen came up with an idea. She left and found J.T. at the boutique. She kissed him and told him that she had secret plans for his birthday. She wanted to be sure that they could be alone together the next evening and they kissed again. They had to tear themselves apart so that she could go home. Until the next night. . .
Colleen was having breakfast with Ashley, Brad, and John when Brad told her to explain their new arrangement to her grandfather. John was surprised to hear that Colleen was now allowed to openly see J.T.; he wondered if Traci was aware of this. Brad said they hadn't talked to her yet, because they weren't sure if she would understand. John said he was having a little trouble with it himself. Ash and Brad assured him that this was their effort to extend trust to Colleen, and she had to abide by their rules. After Colleen begged him to give J.T. a chance, John agreed to try to be fair-minded about him. Colleen asked if she could see J.T. that night, and Brad said no. She'd spent too much time with him already over the week. Colleen explained that it was J.T.'s birthday, and he only wanted to see her. She asked if she could invite him to dinner. While Brad and Ashley thought it over, John offered another solution. Why not have J.T. and a few friends over to his place, with he, Brad, and Ash there to chaperone. Colleen was ecstatic about the idea, saying she could turn it into a little surprise party for J.T. She hugged the adults, then ran to make calls, finally calling J.T. and leaving a message for him to pick her up at her grandfather's house after he got off of work.
At the Lodge, Jill and Frederick woke up in bed together. Jill was trying to remember if she'd only dreamed the night before. As the two smiled at each other and assured themselves that it was real, Jill threw back the covers to show that they were fully dressed and said it was the first time in a long time she'd spent all night just talking to a man. She felt bad that Frederick had listened to all her problems about Billy without having told her that Brittany was missing. Frederick assured her that he was always willing to listen, as her friend. Although they admitted they felt attracted to each other, they both felt right now, with their lives as complicated as they were, it was good to just be supportive friends. Jill said that she wanted him to be happy, and she wondered if he and Anita couldn't use this crisis with Brittany as a way to make their relationship stronger. They could work together to find and help their daughter rather than letting the distance between them continue.
Downstairs, Anita was grateful when J.T. met her for breakfast, even though he still hadn't heard from Brittany. She apologized for the way she'd thanked him a few days before. She knew that not only had her frankness about her unhappy marriage made him uncomfortable, but so had the kiss. J.T. assured her that he was okay. He felt bad for what she was going through and wondered how things were. Anita admitted that Frederick hadn't come home the night before, and she was tired of being a doormat. She'd moved into a room at the Lodge, hoping to get some time to think things over. While they were talking, she was stunned to see Jill and Frederick saying goodbye in the lobby. J.T. followed her eyes and made the same assumption she had; that Jill was the other woman in Frederick's bed. When Anita tried to maintain her composure in spite of the tears streaming down her cheeks, J.T. agreed to see her to her room. Once inside, he offered words of comfort to Anita. She ended up putting her arms around him and kissing him, and this time J.T. responded by kissing her back.
Lynne and Marisa were tired after taking the redeye flight back from L.A. Marisa wondered if they'd come on too strong with Isabella's father, or if they'd accomplished anything at all. Lynne said that at least they now knew that Isabella and Michael had known each other long before, and Isabella's case must have involved something pretty serious for it to have upset her family as it had. She wanted Marisa to get closer to Isabella, to see if she could get Paul's wife to confide in her. Marisa was reluctant at first, but after the two women talked some more, it finally dawned on them what they'd been missing. It was possible that Isabella's entire story about her fear of her ex-husband had been devised by Michael Baldwin as a scam to use Isabella to interfere in Paul's life, keeping him and Christine apart. Marisa said they should go straight to Paul and Christine with their suspicions, but Lynne said they still needed proof, and Marisa might be able to get it from Isabella.
Marisa went to see Isabella, complaining that Lynne was so obsessed with breaking up Paul's marriage and helping him reconcile with Christine that she'd made things totally unpleasant at the office. It was all she talked about. Isabella wondered what Marisa expected her to do, and Marisa asked if Isabella could talk Paul into firing Lynne. Isabella doubted that, saying they went too far back. Marisa then said maybe her only option was to find a job elsewhere. Would Isabella put in a good word for her with her friend Michael Baldwin? Isabella insisted that they were not friends. She'd just had Michael handle some legal work for her, but she'd broken off any association with him. When Marisa brought up Isabella's "friend" who had been sexually harassed, Isabella gave her a blank look, and Marisa asked if that hadn't been how Isabella explained that she knew Michael. Isabella tried to cover, saying she'd talked to her friend and that was all a misunderstanding. When Marisa asked if she, too, could talk to the friend, to find out if Michael was safe to work for, Isabella contradicted herself by saying that she hadn't talked to the friend in a long time and didn't even know how to get in touch with her. When Marisa questioned the obvious discrepancy, Isabella hurried her out of the apartment, saying she had things to take care of. After Marisa was gone, Isabella leaned against the door, looking flustered and confused.
Paul and Andy went to Crimson Lights to get coffee. Paul was dismayed to hear that Andy was seeing Diane again, but before he could lecture him, he glanced out on the patio and saw Christine at a table with Michael. He suggested they move to another table, and Andy checked out the patio and saw Paul's ex-wife. He asked how Paul was doing with all that. Paul told him that Michael had come to see him, drawing obvious parallels between the ugly incident on the night of Ricky's baptism and Michael's past mistreatment of Christine. Although Andy told Paul he shouldn't compare himself to Michael, Paul said there was some validity to what Michael said. Things could never be what they used to be, so he and Christine had said their goodbyes. But maybe that wasn't enough. Maybe the only way he could move on with Isabella and make a good home for Ricky was to leave Genoa City. He hadn't told Isabella his idea yet, but he thought relocating to L.A., where she had family, might be just the fresh start they needed. Andy wasn't entirely in agreement, but did admit that sometimes one needed to move on.
On the patio, Christine and Michael flirted a little over their coffee, then a package was delivered to her. She passed it to Michael, telling him it was her tax paperwork. Michael grumbled about having to do her taxes, but Christine reminded him that it was part of their deal, since she'd taken the pro bono case he'd been whining about. Michael started pulling out receipts and other papers, still pretending to be annoyed, but his feelings were hurt when he pulled out Christine's engagement ring. She pretended to be preoccupied by her work while he stared at it. Finally he said that he supposed he understood why she didn't want to marry him, but he hoped they could be friends. Chris looked up and told him she didn't want to be friends. Michael, hurt but trying to be fair, asked if she wanted to dissolve their law partnership. Chris finally smiled at him and said what she wanted was to be his wife. He needed to stop stalling and propose to her again. Transformed by happiness, Michael asked her to marry him. When a beaming Christine said yes, he slipped the engagement ring on her finger. He asked what she saw when she looked at him, and Chris said, "I see my future." As Michael tried to take it all in, Christine suggested that it might be time for him to kiss her, and Michael scooted next to her to do just that.
