Brooke planned a rendezvous with Thorne at the Forrester cabin in Big Bear. An unseen Stephanie overheard Brooke's plans and decided to stop her. As Stephanie drove to Big Bear, she remembered all the times Brooke had taken from her family. Stephanie was determined to stop Brooke from hurting her family again.
Taylor was shocked to learn the homeless man, George, had died of tuberculosis, and she feared she might have contracted the disease. Ridge rushed Taylor to the hospital, where the doctor explained the chances that Taylor had contracted the disease. Taylor feared for her unborn babies, while the doctor assured her that most people responded to the drugs given for TB. The ones who didn't respond, though, were at great risk for dying. Taylor would know if she had tuberculosis within 48 hours.
Megan informed Thorne that Brooke was waiting for him at Big Bear. Thorne called Brooke at the cabin and told her he couldn't make it that night. In fact, it was never going to work out between them. Thorne warned Brooke that Stephanie was on the warpath, and he warned her to stay up at Big Bear for a couple days until things cooled down. Brooke agreed to stay for a few days but hoped Thorne showed up.
The longer Stephanie drove, the more incensed she became. Stephanie remembered how Brooke had ruined Ridge's life with Caroline and nearly destroyed his marriage to Taylor, not to mention sleeping with Eric. Stephanie called Eric from her cell phone and admitted she had been thinking a lot lately about the time they had been married. Stephanie told Eric she loved him and had never stopped loving him. In the pouring rain, Stephanie arrived at the cabin. Brooke assumed it was Thorne when she heard a knock on the door but was shocked to find Stephanie.
Kimberly arrived at Brooke's house, surprised to see Rick, who said he'd stopped by to drop something off for "Budge" (Bridget). When Rick asked what Kimberly was doing there, she said she wanted to talk to Brooke. Rick reported that Brooke wasn't there but invited Kimberly in. Kimberly asked where Brooke was, prompting Rick to guess Brooke was on a date, as Brooke had been seeing someone.
Kimberly asked who the man was, but Rick said it was a mystery because Brooke didn't really talk about him. Kimberly asked if Rick found that strange. Rick surmised Brooke didn't want to risk disappointing Bridget by talking about a new man before things got serious. Answering Kimberly's query about whether Rick thought things could get serious, Rick said he hoped so, since his mother deserved to be happy. "Like you do," Kimberly replied, immediately apologizing for letting that slip out. Rick understood, pointedly telling Kimberly he'd also said some things he regretted. Kimberly hedged when Rick asked what she wanted to talk to Brooke about.
Kimberly picked up a framed photograph of Brooke and Thorne. Rick said they looked great together, calling his mother and half-brother best friends. Kimberly wanted to know if Thorne went over a lot; Rick said he was glad Thorne did, because Bridget needed a male influence. Rick wondered when Brooke had put the photo out.
Rick assumed Brooke had set out the picture of her and Thorne because Thorne was her best friend. Kimberly asked if Rick would put his best friend's picture on his mantel. Rick agreed he wouldn't, adding that he couldn't, because Kimberly was his best friend. Kimberly smiled and said it was amazing that Rick had turned out so well. Kimberly gave Rick a kiss on the cheek, bade him good night, and left. Rick seemed pensive.
Thorne worried when he couldn't reach his mother anywhere. Megan entered with contracts, wondering if Thorne was leaving soon. When Thorne said no, Megan said she'd thought Thorne was going up to Big Bear. Thorne reiterated that he wasn't, and he asked Megan if she knew where Stephanie was. Megan didn't, but was curious why finding Stephanie was so important. Thorne said it just was, concurring when Megan commented that Thorne seemed worried. Megan suggested that Thorne go to Big Bear, because Brooke seemed certain he was making the trip. Thorne realized Megan knew what was going on because Brooke had to have told her.
Thorne was upset when Megan confirmed that Brooke had told her about Brooke's involvement with Thorne. Megan promised it would go no further than her and confided that Brooke had been a different person the past few months. Thorne figured it was because Brooke was finally over Ridge, but Megan asserted it was because of Thorne, who was convinced things wouldn't work between him and Brooke. Megan felt Thorne had reason to be hopeful and positive. Thorne labeled Brooke's obsession with him bizarre and questioned how Brooke could have had the same feelings for his brother and his father that she did for him.
Megan argued they weren't the same feelings. She claimed that, with Ridge, Brooke had always been desperate and afraid Ridge would leave Brooke for Taylor. Megan recounted that Brooke had been pregnant and alone when Brooke had married Eric on the rebound, so it had been inevitable that relationship wouldn't work out. Megan had seen Brooke and Thorne together and deemed them a perfect pair -- they had friendship, which every woman needed to have with a man, in addition to passion. Megan knew she was out of line, but she was so certain of Thorne and Brooke that she'd had to say something.
At the Big Bear cabin, Stephanie stood outside the window in the rain, demanding that Brooke open the door. After Brooke refused and Stephanie threatened to break the door down, Brooke double-locked it. Stephanie pounded on the door; Brooke told Stephanie she'd have to calm down if she wanted Brooke to let her in. Then, Brooke no longer heard Stephanie outside the cabin and peered out the window to substantiate it, wondering where Stephanie had gone.
Brooke yelled that she knew Stephanie was outside the cabin somewhere, then mumbled to herself that she had never seen Stephanie look so insane before. Hearing glass breaking from the other room, Brooke became horrified and asked if Stephanie was there. Brooke grabbed her clothes and ran for the door, only to find the soaked Stephanie on the other side of it.
When Brooke shakily asked why Stephanie was there, Stephanie said Brooke knew why. Brooke ordered Stephanie to leave, but Stephanie scoffed that it was her family's cabin, which Brooke was defiling by going there to seduce Stephanie's baby. Brooke insisted that Thorne was a grown man; Stephanie added that Thorne was a Forrester, which was all that seemed to matter to Brooke. Stephanie found Brooke's interest in Thorne disgusting, vile, and almost incestuous.
Stephanie vehemently disagreed with Brooke's contention that the situation didn't involve Stephanie, yelling that her children had spent Christmases at the cabin Brooke was turning into her personal bordello. Stephanie declared that she was taking her home back, picked up a fire poker, and smashed the bottle of Champagne that Brooke had set out for Thorne. Stephanie brandished the poker and told Brooke it would end that night. "No more, Brooke," Stephanie swore.
Brooke told Stephanie she would just go home, but Stephanie blocked her path. Stephanie chided that Brooke would be going home to the bed she'd shared with both Ridge and Eric. Brooke wanted Stephanie to move, but Stephanie seethed that she had watched Brooke tear her family apart like a jackal ripping flesh from a wounded animal. Threatening Brooke with the poker, Stephanie said she should have done "this" when Ridge had been with Caroline, because it would have saved her trouble with Eric.
Stephanie stated she'd never thought Brooke would go after Thorne, but she should have, because Brooke would sleep with any man named Forrester. Brooke slept with them, Stephanie angrily deduced, because they were good and decent and had principles, which Brooke didn't. Stephanie vowed that Brooke would not get Thorne.
When Brooke retorted that Thorne wanted her, Stephanie punched Brooke and screamed that Thorne wanted Brooke like a two-dollar hooker -- she only appealed to Thorne's lust. Stephanie raged that Brooke had ruined Thorne's marriage to Macy by seducing him, but Stephanie was going to make sure Macy got Thorne back. Stephanie would have her justice, which to Brooke meant Stephanie was about to kill her. Stephanie insisted she would not let Brooke hurt Ridge, Eric, or Thorne again, and she invited Brooke to make a run for it. "Think of all the men out there you haven't slept with yet!" Stephanie jeered. Brooke begged for an advancing Stephanie not to do it.
Stephanie was sure Brooke thought Stephanie had no right to be angry, that Stephanie was only a meddling mother who also wanted to control her husband. Stephanie screeched for Brooke to admit it. Brooke lied that she had never thought that, but when she ran for the door, Stephanie chased her and slammed it as she got there, pinning Brooke against it. Stephanie menacingly whispered that she wasn't crazy; she knew exactly what she was doing. Brooke tried to talk Stephanie down, saying she understood Stephanie only wanted to protect her sons. Stephanie said it wasn't just about Ridge and Thorne anymore -- it was about Eric's other children, Rick and Bridget.
Brooke balked that Stephanie had no control over Bridget and Rick, either. Stephanie spat that Brooke was their only role model, a whore who ran around in her underwear, seduced every man she could get her hands on, and couldn't be expected to raise normal, healthy children. Stephanie fumed that, when Rick and Bridget looked at Brooke, they saw a mother in perpetual heat. Stephanie asked how Brooke thought the kids felt when they saw their mother in the newspaper half-naked with their half-brother. Stephanie wanted to know if Brooke thought Bridget and Rick found it okay that Brooke sold sex every day at work. Stephanie didn't. Screaming that she wouldn't let Brooke destroy Eric's children, the wild-eyed Stephanie rushed at Brooke and began choking her.
Brooke broke a vase over Stephanie's shoulder, but it didn't stop the attack, and Brooke started a slow slide down the wall.
Concerned about Stephanie's strange call, Eric stopped by her house. The maid said Stephanie wasn't there, and there had not been any word from her. Eric says Stephanie's call had been emotional and reflective, and he was not sure what to make of it. Eric looked over some family photos and realized there was nothing Stephanie wouldn't do for her children.
Stephanie stopped short of strangling Brooke to death but accused Brooke of pushing her to that point. Brooke lashed out by saying she and Thorne loved each other, and there was nothing Stephanie could do to stop them. Just as Stephanie lunged toward Brooke, Thorne stormed in and stopped Stephanie, who ordered Brooke to stay away from Thorne, or she wouldn't stop the next time.
Thorne asked Brooke to give him some time alone with his mother. Stephanie asked Thorne why he was willing to give up everything he and Macy had shared for a romp with Brooke. Thorne gave Stephanie some aspirin to help calm her down while Stephanie begged Thorne to not let Brooke sink her claws into him, too. After taking the aspirin, Stephanie got sleepy, and Thorne said the pill was not aspirin but a sleeping pill. Stephanie drifted off to sleep.
Thorne joined Brooke in the next room and said Stephanie should be out for the night. Brooke said she had feared for her life, while Stephanie's reaction was just the sort of thing Thorne had been hoping to avoid. Brooke said he couldn't let Stephanie control them being together. Thorne wanted to take Stephanie home that night, but Brooke asked him to stay. Brooke moved closer to Thorne while Stephanie drifted in and out of sleep.
Amber was concerned about Becky getting too close to Little Eric while Tawny reminded her daughter that Little Eric was her baby and no longer Becky's. Amber admitted that losing her own baby still haunted her, and if she were not so out of her mind, she never would have agreed to raise Becky's baby as her own. Amber had a plan to keep Becky as far away from Eric as possible. Forrester had an office in Paris, France, and that was where Amber was hoping she could get Becky a job. Tawny thought Becky would be eaten alive in Paris, but Amber reminded Tawny that Becky could not stay there. Amber had to get Becky another life, but at the same time not let her get too comfortable, or else Becky would never want to leave.
Becky returned home after her date with C.J., grinning from ear to ear. Becky informed Amber and Tawny that she and C.J. had hit it off, and she was looking forward to hanging out with him again. In fact, Becky's date had gone so well that she had decided she loved L.A. and didn't want to leave, much to Amber's chagrin.
As a storm raged outside, Stephanie drifted in and out of sleep. Thorne heard Stephanie call out for Thorne to stay away from Brooke. Stephanie had a nightmare that Brooke had finally beaten her. Brooke stole Stephanie's company, her husband, and Ridge from Caroline and Taylor. Finally, Brooke was going after Thorne, and that was something Stephanie could not stomach. In the other room, Thorne comforted Brooke, who feared Stephanie would have killed her had Thorne not shown up. Stephanie blamed Brooke for everything that had gone wrong in her life, and she wanted Brooke dead.
Thorne said his mother was not some wacko like Sheila Carter, but Brooke said that was no excuse for what Stephanie had done. Brooke would never hurt any of the Forresters. Stephanie's reaction was proof they couldn't make it as a couple, Thorne said. Thorne couldn't put his mother through that kind of trauma. Stephanie was still having nightmares and mumbled that she had to stop Brooke.
Brooke asked Thorne not to give up and said that if he and Macy really loved each other, they would be married already. Thorne said there were other considerations, like loyalty, commitment, and doing what was right. "What about love?" Brooke asked. Nothing was important without love, and that was what Brooke had for Thorne. Brooke asked Thorne to follow his heart. "Trust your feelings and listen to your heart," Brooke said. Thorne tried to fight it, but he couldn't help but be taken in. Thorne and Brooke began to make love as Stephanie stood in the doorway, drifting in and out of consciousness.
Becky was happy for the first time in her life and had Amber to thank for that. Amber reminded Becky that C.J. had a girlfriend, but Becky asked how serious C.J. and Kimberly could be if she and C.J. had spent the entire evening making out. Amber called C.J. and ordered him not to get too close to Becky. Amber didn't want Becky getting too comfortable in L.A., or she might never leave.
Becky realized Amber was angry that Becky and C.J. had hit it off, while Tawny tried to downplay it by saying Amber was just concerned about Becky. Amber said they still had a lot of work to do on Becky before she was ready to jump into her new life. Becky was okay with herself if a cool guy like C.J. liked her just the way she was. Amber and Tawny encouraged Becky to broaden her horizons. In fact, there was a job in Paris at Forrester International that Amber felt Becky would be just perfect at.
Amber informed Becky that Amber had found her a job in Paris as an office assistant at Forrester International. Becky liked it in L.A., especially since she was starting to make new friends. In fact, once she was settled, Becky might be able to get her son back. Tawny and Amber tried to convince Becky she needed the job in Paris, but Becky said she would find a job in L.A. Tawny reminded Becky that she had no marketable skills, but Becky planned to work on that with Amber's help.
Amber advised Becky to forget everything in her past and focus on her future. Becky was grateful for Amber's help, but she was not sure Paris was the right place for her. Tawny advised Becky to sleep on it, and after Becky left, Amber said they had to get Becky out of L.A. and get her to take that job in Paris.
Macy felt it was remarkable that Stephanie had kept her sanity "all these years," considering what Brooke had stolen from her. Although Macy didn't like Stephanie's attitude toward Spectra. Macy respected Stephanie's commitment to her family. There wasn't anything Stephanie wouldn't do to protect her family. Brooke was like a disease that had infected the Forrester family.
Macy respected Stephanie for not stooping to Brooke's level and never losing control. Stephanie had shown superhuman restraint, considering everything Brooke had put her through. Macy was not sure how much more Stephanie could take.
Brooke couldn't stop thinking about making love to Thorne, but Thorne said he couldn't. Stephanie was in the other room and could see Brooke and Thorne, although Stephanie was unfocused and semi-conscious. Stephanie got up and thought she had to be dreaming. It couldn't be happening, Stephanie said as she peeked into the other room and heard Brooke begging Thorne to make love to her.
Thorne told Brooke he couldn't betray Macy, while Brooke asked Thorne to live in the moment. Stephanie realized Brooke was going to use her body to bag Thorne. Stephanie asked herself how she would stop Brooke when she noticed a butcher knife. Stephanie vowed not to let Brooke take Thorne. She thought Brooke was to blame for everything that had gone wrong in her life. Stephanie grabbed the knife.
