Annie and Erin were at Ryan's condo. They were celebrating T's retreat to Ireland. Ryan walked in and saw the celebration. He announced that Annie and Lily were not safe yet. Then, Livia walked in. Annie and Erin were confused as to why Livia was needed. They did not believe T could sue for custody. Livia explained T would have a good case if he fought for custody. Erin said Lily and Jonathan's encounter with T was proof of his misconduct.
Livia believed their story would not hold up in court due to their disabilities. Ryan added that Lily was not capable of lying and would admit T had asked her permission before he did anything to her. Also, Livia reminded Annie that Annie was still a fugitive. Annie was appalled that T was the criminal, but she was forced to live like one. Livia advised Annie to live her life, but to keep a low profile. Livia did not believe Annie had to remain in hiding, since T had left the country.
Annie asked if Livia would be punished for helping her. Livia said she would not be in trouble for representing Annie because Annie's warrant was issued in New York. Then, Livia left. Ryan apologized for ruining their celebration. Erin and Annie were grateful for Ryan's help. Annie was excited for her and Erin to get their lives back. She told Erin to call Aidan. Erin avoided Annie's encouragement by leaving to go to ConFusion. A
nnie and Ryan began to talk. Annie had forgotten what her old life was like. Ryan urged her to start a new one. Annie wanted to stop being dependent on Ryan. She desired a new life and a career. Annie revealed that she had been good at her old job in corporate communications. Ryan told her she was hired at Cambias. Annie hesitated, but finally accepted the offer.
Annie declared she could not work and live with Ryan. Ryan advocated that Annie move back into his penthouse. Annie stated Ryan was too good to be true. Ryan said that when something seemed too good to be true, it usually was. They looked at each other and laughed.
Amanda and Jonathan were in the office at ConFusion. Amanda was on the phone with a vendor and was upset over a late delivery. Jonathan took the phone and assertively gave the vendor an ultimatum and hung up on them. Amanda was impressed. Meanwhile, Lily was outside the office, and Jack walked in. Jack told Lily he had bad news for her. Lily assumed he was upset because of Josh.
Jack said he had to talk to her about Jonathan. Lily began to tell Jack about how Jonathan had saved her in New York. She called Jonathan her hero. Just then, Jonathan walked up. Jack told Lily the Jonathan she loved did not exist. Jonathan looked worried. Lily asked if Jack's statement was a joke because she did not understand. Jack asserted he would never lie to Lily, and he had proof Jonathan was a bad person.
Jack gave Jonathan a chance to tell Lily the truth. Jonathan still spoke poorly and denied Jack's claims. So, Jack revealed that he had overheard Jonathan talking to Erin the night before. Jack said Jonathan had spoked perfectly and used big words like "concerted effort". Lily was upset and affirmed Jonathan did not talk like that. Amanda walked up and began to listen in, while Jack continuously demanded Jonathan was a fake. Then, Jack encouraged Jonathan to tell Lily the truth again. Jonathan stuttered and told Lily they were a perfect match.
Amanda joined the conversation and told Jack the couple was happy, and he should let them be that way. Next, Erin walked in as Jack called Jonathan dangerous. Jack told Erin he had overheard Jonathan speaking coherently with her. Erin denied the conversation. Jack said the Lavery family's loyalty was disgusting. He said shame on them for conning innocent Lily. Jack then left.
Lily stated her father never lied to her and wanted to know why he was lying about Jonathan. Jonathan said Jack had just made a mistake and loved Lily very much. Meanwhile, Jack went to the courthouse. While he sat on a bench, he reminisced about his relationship with Lily. He recalled when she hugged him and said she loved him. Then, Livia approached Jack. Jack explained he had to put an end to Lily's marriage and there was only one way to do it. Livia knew what he was thinking and pleaded with him not to do it. Jack looked distraught and stated Lily would hate him for the rest of her life.
Jamie and Julia were at the hospital. Jamie thanked Julia for the fun they'd had the night before. Then, Joe interrupted and asked if Jamie had anything to do with JR's plan to destroy Josh. Jamie denied the accusation. Also, Julia defended Jamie by saying they had been together and she had not seen Jamie near JR when the CD was played. Joe asked Jamie if he felt any compassion for his cousin, Josh.
Jamie believed Josh had trashed the Martin family by gloating over Kate's disappearance. He also reminded Joe that Josh had drugged Erica and blamed Julia for his own mistake. Joe explained that Josh had admitted his wrongdoing with Julia, apologized for it, and resigned. Jamie called Josh a slime ball. Joe declared Josh was a Martin. Jamie stated he was too. Jamie proceeded to explain that the police were building a case against JR, Dixie, and Tad, while Erica, Zach, and other guilty parties remained unscathed.
Joe asserted that it was not Josh's fault. Jamie did not understand why his grandfather chose Josh over the rest of his family. Joe said he was not choosing Josh, but had special consideration for him because a mad man had raised him. Jamie believed the Martin family standards were phony and started to leave. Joe told him they were not finished speaking. Jamie then announced he was quitting and left. Julia told Joe that Jamie was entitled to his own opinion.
Joe believed Jamie was upset and needed someone to talk to. He told Julia he would get another nurse to cover her shift and asked if she would go help Jamie. Julia followed Jamie, and they went to the beach. Jamie was pleasantly surprised that Julia did not demand he apologize to Joe. They kissed and turned to go swimming, but Julia saw something in the water. She asked a stranger to borrow his binoculars. She looked into the ocean and saw part of a plane. Jamie called for help, and Julia continued to look at the water. Then, Julia realized she knew the logo on the plane.
JR was at the airport, yelling at an employee to find out what Josh's flight plan was. Then, another employee approached JR and asked him to sit down. JR was annoyed and wanted the information immediately. The man gravely explained that Josh had sent out a distress call at 2:30 a.m. He also said Josh had been unable to land due to fog, and the plane had fallen off the radar soon after. JR believed Josh had missed the landing strip and would be found shortly. The employee declared the plane had gone down off the coast and into the ocean.
Meanwhile, Erica and Jeff were in Tad's office. Jeff called commercial airlines to look for Josh. Tad finally assumed Josh had taken Dr. Madden's private plane. Tad called the airport and received the same news JR had. Erica looked horrified, and Jeff refused to accept the news. All three rushed out the door. Back at the airport, Krystal and JR embraced. Krystal believed it was all her fault because she had advised JR to play the CD. JR admitted he would have played it with or without her approval.
Jeff, Tad, and Erica walked in. JR told Erica that her scum-sucking son had killed JR's wife. Erica condemned JR for attacking her when he had almost killed Kendall and Spike and ruined Josh's life. JR stated Erica had never wanted Josh in the first place and congratulated her on murdering Dr. Madden. Erica told JR it was not her fault Babe had left with Josh and acted like a slut. She also accused Krystal of being crazy.
Erica did not understand how Krystal could be nice to JR after he tried to kill Babe. Erica proclaimed Babe and Krystal were nothing but trouble, since they had arrived to town. Tad defended Krystal as a good human being. Krystal proceeded to tell Erica and Jeff that Babe cared for Josh more than they did. Krystal thought everything could have been avoided if they had told Josh the truth from the start. Erica was disgusted that Krystal was lecturing her on truth and honesty. Then, the employee returned with new information. He announced that pieces of plane wreckage had been found.
Jack told Livia that Jonathan was faking his whole "gumped" routine. Livia told him that dragging Lily into court to label her incompetent and annul her marriage would break her and that his relationship with her would be over forever. Livia went to see Lily at ConFusion and ran right into Jamal. She naturally wondered why he had been in town and hadn't told her. Jamal told Livia that Jonathan was harmless and that he hadn't seen any moments of clarity. Lily told Livia that she was really happy, and insisted that when she was with Jonathan she could do anything.
Jonathan told Amanda that he didn't care what Jack did to him, but he would not let Jack destroy Lily. Jonathan told Amanda the only way to protect Lily was to leave Pine Valley. When Lily returned to the office, Jonathan pitched the idea of moving to Boston, but she was resistant. Jonathan went to get a permanent occupancy certificate for ConFusion and ran into Jack. Jack said he was onto Jonathan, and Jonathan said if Jack couldn't see that Jonathan was good for Lily, it wasn't Jonathan's fault. At the courthouse, Jack told Livia that he was taking Lily to court to have her declared mentally incompetent.
As everyone waited for word on Josh and Babe, they were informed the wreckage had been found. They immediately went to the site. Erica told Jeff that he was right and that she should have told Josh the truth. Jeff, too, said that he could have told Josh at any time, but had chosen not to. He told Erica that he had failed her, their marriage, and their son. Jeff continued to try to comfort Erica and held her tight. Dixie arrived at the crash site and told J.R. and Jamie to hang in there. Adam got a call and said that the cockpit had been found, but nobody was in it. He also said that the seatbelts had been undone and that there still might be hope. Derek appeared on the scene and said he had no new information on the plane crash, but that there were new leads in the Madden murder case. He announced that he was there to make an arrest.
At the site, Dixie told Tad about the pictures she had found with Zach. She explained that there were hundreds of pictures of the children.
Colby and her new friend, Sydney, were sunning themselves, checking out the beefcake. They seemed to be having fun as they trashed everyone who walked by, but when the tab came and Sydney went to sign for it, Colby was quite perturbed. It seemed that her newfound friend, Sydney, was Winifred's niece visiting for the summer.
Winifred was excited to see Colby and Sydney at the yacht club together. She assumed they had already become friends. She was mistaken. Colby asked Winifred to make sure her private tennis lessons were set up. After Winifred left, Colby condemned Sydney for pretending to be a Chandler. Sydney told Colby she was cool and that they were alike. Colby was outraged and then saw that Sydney had her sunglasses. Colby called her a thief, but Sydney claimed she had found them near the garbage and thought someone had thrown them away. Colby told Sydney the glasses cost more than Sydney's weekly wages. Colby also declared that she hated liars. Sydney retorted that she hated "rich bitches."
Del walked up and asked Colby if Adam had found her the night before. Colby realized Del had told Adam she was at a beach party. Still, she propositioned Del and asked if he would wear a gladiator costume. She wanted him to carry her into her sweet sixteen party. Del immediately rejected her, so Colby tried to get him kicked out of the yacht club. Colby then returned to Sydney and threw her beach bag at Sydney. Colby said she was Sydney's boss and demanded Sydney take her bag to the car. Then, Winifred returned and told Sydney it was time for her uniform fitting. Colby laughed, so Sydney threw Colby's bag back at her and knocked water all over Colby.
Ryan walked into his office and startled Annie. She apologized for being so jumpy. Ryan reassured her Terry was gone and that he would continue protecting her. He then read a report she had written and was impressed by it. He was about to leave to see Spike, when Erin walked in with Emma. Ryan said hello to the little girl. Erin thanked Ryan for his support. Ryan left. Erin and Annie began to discuss Emma's education at the Miranda Center. Then, Aidan walked in. He said he knew why he had not been able to find Annie. Erin tried to explain why she had hidden Annie from him, but Aidan was not receptive. Aidan assumed Ryan and Jonathan knew about Annie as well.
Annie told Aidan it was her fault that Erin was involved; however, Erin stated she had made her own choice. Aidan explained he no longer worked for Terry and would not turn Annie in to the New York authorities. He proceeded to tell Annie that her old friend, Di Henry, wanted to see her. As the two spoke about Di, Erin pictured Aidan and Di having sex in the woods. Annie then took Emma to the Miranda Center. Once they were alone, Aidan asked Erin why she did not trust him with Annie's situation. He said Erin had thrown their relationship away. Erin asked him why he had slept with someone so quickly after they broke up.
Everyone on the beach was annoyed with Chief Frye. They believed he was being insensitive to their feelings over the plane crash. Chief Frye apologized, but said he had to make an arrest. He began to read Dixie her rights. JR was appalled. He said his mother had not done it, but Chief Frye continued with her arrest. JR then said he had killed Dr. Madden. Chief Frye did not take him seriously. Everyone, including Dixie, urged JR to let Chief Frye proceed. JR finally relaxed, and Dixie was taken away. Adam and Krystal comforted JR. Then, Julia and Jamie approached JR. Julia suggested they search for Babe themselves. JR agreed and said he would charter a boat. The three rushed off.
Kendall and Zach were at home with Spike. Zach realized Kendall was not speaking to him and figured it was because he had helped Dixie again. He decided to make her laugh by joking around with Spike. It worked, and Kendall wished she could stay mad at him. Zach then told her about the pictures he and Dixie had found. Kendall hoped Dixie would find Kate.
There was a knock at the door. Chief Frye entered and asked Zach where he had been the night Dr. Madden disappeared. Zach said he and Dixie had been looking for the doctor, but had never found him. Then, Chief Frye began to read Zach his rights. Kendall was upset, but Zach was not worried. Ryan walked in and saw what was happening. Ryan said he would call Livia immediately. After Zach was taken away, Kendall voiced her concern to Ryan. Ryan assured her that Zach had not done it. Kendall believed Dixie had had motive to bury the doctor and wondered if Zach had actually killed Dr. Madden.
Tad and Dixie were talking in an office at the police station. He began to interrogate Dixie about the night Dr. Madden had disappeared. Dixie refused to answer his questions. Tad was upset that she counted on Zach instead of him. He also blamed Zach for her predicament. Dixie said she did not rely on Tad because he always judged and attacked her. Then, Dixie was taken to her cell, and Adam walked into the police station. Tad assumed Adam was there to gloat, but Adam said he was on Dixie's side. Tad said it looked very bad for her. He asked Adam to call all of his contacts, so they could help Dixie. Meanwhile, Zach was put in a cell next to Dixie's. Dixie inquired, "What do we do?"
Babe and Josh were washed up on a beach and were motionless on the shore. Then, Josh felt water hit his face. He woke up and saw Babe standing over him. He was elated they had survived the crash; however, Babe was furious with him. She was upset he had kidnapped her and had flown his plane without a full gas tank. She then looked out into the water with hopes of discovering their location. Neither could remember how long they had floated on plane debris, since they both had blacked out. Babe started to retrieve firewood and asked Josh if he knew how to build a fire. He said he had never been a Boy Scout because his father had not permitted it. He also reminisced about how much his mother had loved him.
Babe believed Erica might love Josh, too, but he would not hear it. He said he did not want to be rescued because everyone in Pine Valley knew about his freakish life. He was happy to be with Babe, the only person who cared about him. Regardless, Babe desperately wanted to get back to her family. Josh attempted to make a fire, and Babe was contented. Finally, a flame arose, and they sat next to it. Josh apologized to Babe for causing their dilemma and stated she did not deserve it. Babe smiled and told him to think of ways to make it up to her. She then solemnly recalled their crash. Josh put his arm around her, and they remained close together.
Kendall railed against Ryan, insisting that Zach had to be guilty since the authorities had arrested both him and Dixie. Ryan tried once again to calm his former fiancée down, saying that the Pine Valley Police Department probably didn't have any proof. Before they could belabor the topic much further, Erica invited herself in. Erica said that Kendall was probably right, and that none of it mattered because Erica's son might be dead. Erica confirmed that they hadn't heard any additional information since they'd gotten word about the crash.
Kendall and Ryan did their best to try to comfort Erica. Kendall reminded her that the seatbelts hadn't been cut, which meant that there was a very real possibility that the duo had been able to release themselves from the cockpit before they were seriously injured. Kendall then looked beseechingly at Ryan, and he immediately jumped in and said that there was hope -- and that Josh and Babe would be found. Erica told them that Jeff was dealing with the Coast Guard and the FAA, and Ryan offered to call in some people from Cambias to help. Kendall suggested taking Erica home, but her mother refused, noting that being alone would be devastating. Ryan said that if Kendall wanted to stay with her mother, he could work on everything else. Kendall agreed, and Ryan took off, promising to also do what he could to help Livia free Zach.
Once mother and daughter were alone, Erica immediately tore into herself, saying that she couldn't forget the look on Josh's face when he had found out the truth. She wondered if that look would be the last thing that she had to remember him by. Kendall said that Erica needed to stop berating herself because Josh would be back. Erica asked how Kendall could be so sure, and Kendall replied that Erica's kids always did. Befuddled, Erica asked for an explanation.
Kendall reminded Erica that when Erica had put Kendall up for adoption, she had never expected to see her again -- but years later, there she was. In the same vein, Erica had never even known that Josh existed, but years later -- nobody could have imagined that her son would move to Pine Valley and ask her for a job. Erica admitted that she recognized herself in Josh a little bit more each day. Kendall said that the transition wouldn't be easy, but that they would deal with it as a family. They hugged, then Erica resumed pacing the floor.
On the island, Babe stared morosely out at the ocean. Josh told her that she didn't need to worry because he had every faith that despite the few bumps they had encountered, they would be found. Babe couldn't believe that he was regarding their journey thus far so lightly, but Josh backed up his claim with evidence. He noted that he had survived despite Erica's plans to throw him away in addition to surviving a plane crash mostly unscathed. Babe told him that his success in life had nothing to do with destiny and everything to do with his determination and hard work. She told him how sick she was of people acting like life hadn't hurt them to avoid being openly vulnerable.
Josh gave in and said that he would stop building walls with her. They talked briefly about his father, and when Josh started to backslide, Babe told him that she was aware that he was grieving. She reminded him that despite hating the things that his father had done, he should remember that he had done something right, since he had raised such a great son. She went on to say that she couldn't imagine what wa going on his head, after learning that he was a member of not one, but two families. He begged her to stop with her understanding routine and sad eyes, under threat of going with his original plan. She asked him what it was, and he told her that he was going to hit on her some more, despite the fact that she had just said she hated things like that.
Babe told Josh that she wasn't referring to him, but he called her bluff by giving her a look. Sheepishly, she admitted that perhaps he was included but only by virtue of being a man. She insisted that there was something inherent in the Y chromosome that caused men to drive her crazy -- in the not-so-good, make-you-want-to-scream way. Josh told her that she might feel better if she did just that, and offered to scream with her. After they yelled for a while, they collapsed side by side, laughing. Babe said that the only thing that would have made it better would be if there had been someone out there to yell back at them.
Babe then tested Josh's supposed super powers and told him to summon up someone to rescue them. Josh told her he could only do that with something that he wanted. She asked what that was, and he admitted that he wanted more time to convince her to stop wanting JR and start wanting him. Babe chuckled and noted that his relentless streak was definitely a family trait. He protested, saying that he didn't have a family, but Babe blew that comment off, telling him that he was a Kane through and through. She pointed out that he not only had a physical resemblance linking him to both his mother and sisters, he also shared character traits that firmly entangled him in the Kane clan.
Josh didn't think that the group together made him sound like a very good person, but Babe told him that it did. In addition, she told him that it couldn't hurt to have a family that will rush to his defense out of love. Josh didn't think that included him, but Babe retorted that he would be proven wrong. Josh then asked Babe to tell him more about Bianca -- he knew that she came across as real, but didn't have much of a chance to confirm that while she was in town. Babe extolled Bianca's virtues and said that Bianca made people want to be better versions of themselves. She also made note that Bianca believed in forgiveness, as living with anger was never good.
Josh chuckled softly and, when prompted, Josh said that he thought Babe had just described herself. He recalled the first time that he had met her, and how he had thought of her as fearless -- and still did. Babe remembered it clearly, but thought that comparing her to Bianca was too far-fetched, as she had a lot of growing and changing to do. He told her that she had gotten his attention back then and had held it ever since. He reminded her of how he had once thought that falling in love meant losing yourself, and how she had told him that it made you complete. She started to interrupt him, not knowing what would come next, but Josh plowed ahead. He told her that somewhere along the way, he had figured it out -- he had fallen in love with her.
As Adam scathingly insisted that someone from his lawyer's office put in an appearance at the police station so that Dixie could be set free, Tad inquired as to how Derek could think that Dixie had been involved in the murder of Greg Madden. Derek stood his ground, and Tad noted that perhaps Derek needed to think about turning in his badge. Amused, Derek said that he would take the suggestion into consideration. Tad fired back that his protests were spurred on by the belief that there was a gaping hole in Derek's theory: the person who had killed Greg had to be the same person that had recorded his last words, and had subsequently sneaked the CD version into JR's drawer. Tad demanded an explanation as to why Dixie would do something like that to her own son.
Derek theorized that the game had changed once Madden died, and that perhaps the co-conspirators had ceased to be able to agree on what to do. Tad was not buying it, but Derek believed that although Dixie and Zach might have initially agreed on everything, once the earthquake had hit, they had been at a loss. As Tad soaked the speculation in, Derek said that they were possibly at a dead end in their search for Kate, and they needed to get rid of some evidence. He said that Zach might have been set to destroy the disc -- but before it had happened, he might have realized that it would be the perfect way to get revenge on JR for putting Kendall in a coma.
With enough to ponder, Tad broke away and joined Adam in the general area. Just then, David made his entrance and pronounced that both Tad and Adam were the sorriest excuses for heroes he had ever seen. Bristling, Adam noted that perhaps David should be a bit more concerned about his daughter than the woman he had been pining for. Undeterred, David continued to slam them for their failings. At the outset, Tad appeared to agree with David. However, he quickly changed his course by announcing that a man suffering with unrequited love soon became desperate and would do anything in the name of the object of his affection.
Tad suggested that David go into Derek's office immediately and confess to the kidnapping and murder of Greg. David admitted that the idea was brilliant, because despite any and all evidence -- an admission of guilt would surely get Dixie out of jail. He said that he wanted to put the plan into motion immediately with one little tweak: the confession should come from the real killer -- Tad. Ryan arrived amidst the fighting and interrupted, saying that they needed to focus on the real problem at hand. Adam agreed, and asked again after the evidence, wondering if it was real.
Derek emerged from his office and, having overheard, noted that the evidence was real and solid. Livia arrived on the scene and said that she would be the judge. They asked again what the evidence was, and Derek told them that fibers from inside of Greg's coffin matched the fibers from the trunk of Dixie's rental car. They protested that, saying that Zach probably had the same make and model for his entire fleet of cars. Derek continued, saying that they had found a fingerprint on the inside of the coffin, and that it was a ten-point match for Zach. Everyone verbally exploded at once, all reaching the same conclusion: the police department's case was weak, and they needed to release both Dixie and Zach. Derek held his ground and said that more evidence was expected.
In the jail cells, Dixie apologized to Zach for his latest arrest. Zach asserted that he didn't do anything that he didn't want to do. Dixie still had regrets, but Zach reminded her that Greg had not only gone after his wife, but also her family -- and therefore he was already involved. Dixie then wondered aloud what the evidence could be that Derek claimed to have on them. Dixie started to say that she hadn't left anything behind, but Zach covered, saying that she couldn't have done so when they hadn't buried Greg. Reading his face, Dixie quietly asked if he thought they were being bugged. Zach told her he believed that there might be audio as well as video feeds so that the authorities could set them up.
A short time later, Zach told Dixie that he hoped they found Josh, for his wife's sake, and then he started to launch into a scathing summation of what JR deserved. Dixie broke in, saying that JR was dying inside because his wife was missing. Zach questioned that, as the very same wife was the person JR had tried to kill. Dixie told him that JR was making changes but that it was a long road and it would take some time. Zach noted that it seemed JR was not sticking to his objectives by ambushing Josh with the CD the way he had.
Dixie said that while she didn't agree with JR's methods, she understood why he had done it. Zach said that if JR's intent had been to get rid of Josh for good, he might have gotten his wish. He also noted that he thought JR was next on the hit list. Dixie begged Zach to let her deal with JR, but Zach told her that she had used their friendship to get JR a free pass, and that JR had used it to hurt Josh. He called their deal off, and said that JR would pay that time.
Erin asked why she was the one being attacked when Aidan was the one that had done wrong. She asked if he was really upset because she had lied to him, or because he had gotten busted hooking up with Di. Aidan denied her claims, saying that he was only guilty of reacting to what he had seen when she put on her performances and made out with Jamal. Erin said that she had done those things because she had been trying to protect Annie and Emma as well as Aidan. Aidan rejected her statement, saying that the only reason things had fallen apart was because she hadn't trusted him enough to have her back when it had really mattered.
Erin demanded that Aidan stop talking because she had trusted him a lot more before they broke up. Aidan noted that her spying on him with Di did not indicate a whole lot of trust. Erin then admitted that she hadn't been spying -- she had been worried. Aidan failed to get her meaning, so Erin told him that she had heard his car had been abandoned and had gone looking for him. He took that in, and then said that given everything, he still couldn't understand why she was so angry. She loudly insisted that she was not angry -- more like disillusioned, believing that he was still in love with her. He told her that he was, and taken aback, she flatly thanked him for clearing up his true feelings for her.
Aidan told Erin that he didn't know how he felt about her anymore -- she had lied to him and had pushed him away when he could have helped her. Aidan was unsure of how to act in the recipient role, as he was usually the one that pushed. She told him that they didn't need to dwell on things -- because having witnessed his scene on the beach with Di, all of her doubts were gone. He asked what doubts she'd had, and she told him that she had always believed that, sooner or later, he would break her heart. She told him that sooner was always better, and tearfully started to leave.
Aidan snagged Erin's arm and pleaded with her to stay. She told him that she didn't understand how he could love her one minute and be with someone else the next. He told her he didn't understand either -- perhaps he had just been trying to forget. She reminded him that he had been her first everything, and told him that she wanted him to know that she hadn't just thrown them away. Aidan replied that it didn't look or feel that way, and that she had ripped his heart out. He then said that she had never really known him, and might not get the chance again. He roughly brushed past her and walked out.
Unsure of what to do, Kendall offered a drink or perhaps a glimpse at her son to calm her mother's nerves. Erica considered both, but the phone rang before she reached a decision, and they both leaped to answer it. Kendall found Ryan on the other end and tried to get an update. Erica continually inserted herself into the conversation, trying to find out if anything new had been discovered about Josh. Unable to hear over Erica's persistent requests, Kendall put her hand over the mouthpiece and told Erica that there was no news on that front. She got back on the phone and tried to find out how close Ryan was to getting Zach released. Ryan told her that it was unclear, but that Livia was there and was trying to work it out.
Kendall wasn't satisfied with his answer but had little choice but to accept it. She hung up the phone, and Erica immediately asked if Zach was guilty. Kendall denied it, and Erica said that she hoped her daughter was right. Kendall said that they would all be fine. Erica then declared that she couldn't stay any longer, as sitting around wasn't helping her son. Kendall asked where Erica would go, but not knowing herself, Erica promised to call when she landed. She then blew out of the condo before Kendall could utter another coherent thought. Kendall called the nanny over, gave her the rundown of what she'd done for her son, and before leaving, asked the nanny to call if there were any problems.
Back at the station, the gang started to file into Derek's office, and Ryan caught Livia's arm before she made it in. He asked if Livia had been honest when she said the case was weak, or if she had been bluffing. She offered a question instead of an answer, asking what he thought. Reading her face clearly, Ryan figured that he was correct in assuming that she had been bluffing. They joined the rest of the crew, and Derek told them that there was new forensic evidence -- a small stain in the trunk of Dixie's car matching Greg Madden's blood. Kendall arrived at the station and heard Adam proclaim that while it was easy to see that Zach Slater could be guilty, it became more difficult when trying to pin the crime on Dixie. Kendall entered the room, called Dixie a pathological liar, and proclaimed that her husband was innocent.
Exasperated, David noted that perhaps Derek should bring Kendall up to speed. In doing so, they all started fighting again, with Kendall claiming that Dixie wasn't as defenseless as she might have once been and David blasting Zach for dragging his beloved down. Again, it was noted that David cared more about Dixie than his daughter, only this time it finally registered. As he demanded to know what was going on, Ryan pulled Kendall off to the side and told her that they should go home and be with their son. Kendall appreciated the sentiment, but told Ryan to go on without her -- as she wanted to stay with Zach. Back in the center of the room, Tad and Adam caught David up, and after angrily decrying that Krystal hadn't gotten in touch with him, David naturally said that if Babe turned up dead, he would personally make JR pay for it.
Erica arrived at the beach where the search had begun and saw Jeff. When he turned and spotted her, he admitted that there were many things that he had never gotten to say to Josh, as father to son. Erica insisted everything would be all right and that he would have another chance to connect with Josh. She then said that she would take that same chance -- saying that he had to hear from her that she wanted him in her life. Jack arrives just then, and silently took in the unsettling view of Jeff's comforting arm around his wife.
Dixie told Zach that JR had been trying to protect his family by playing the disc, but Zach didn't see it. She explained that by doing so, suspicion had been cast away from his family and on to others. She noted that he had to understand what it was like to do anything for the good of your loved ones. She then lamented ever returning to Pine Valley, knowing the destruction she had caused. She announced sadly that perhaps everyone had been better off with her dead. Caving in, Zach approached her and comforted her with a mock hug and a kiss on the top of the head. Just then, Kendall and Tad entered the area and saw the tender moment.
Jamie, JR, and Julia went on a boat to search for Babe and Josh. Jamie recommended JR take a break, but JR was worried every spare second was one Babe could be dead. JR said he owed it to Babe to find her, especially since he had wanted her dead at one time. JR said his murder plan had been sick, but because she might really be gone, it was more than he could swallow. JR said he wasn't sure how he would tell Little Adam that his mother might be dead.
Jamie told JR that Babe's accident was not his fault, but Julia decided to play devil's advocate and disagreed. Julia explained her runaway life with Noah, killing the Dragon, and getting lied to by Greg. She told JR the story to make him see that he had the power to make his own fate, like she had. JR finally sat down and ate a sandwich, but he saw something when he resumed his search.
Babe told Josh that his feelings were sweet, but she was still not going to choose him over JR. Josh started naming all of the things he loved about Babe, but she told him not to say any more. Instead, they talked about the most corny love lines each had said to others over the years. Josh told Babe he could stay with Babe forever on the island and be perfectly happy because she understood him. He took her hand, trying to persuade her to dance, but Babe said she would rather just talk.
Josh said that if he thought he could fly away from Pine Valley, it would make the pain stop, but it hadn't. He realized that he didn't want to run anymore because of his friendship with Babe. Babe admitted that she loved JR, but didn't understand why they couldn't talk honestly like she and Josh did. JR never talked about his feelings and wouldn't open up to her, Babe added. Josh apologized for what he had done to Babe, but explained that they did share a special connection. When Josh asked Babe if he could kiss her, she did not push him away.
Erica rushed into Jackson's arms when she saw him on the beach. Jeff went to the Coast Guard station to make some calls. Erica told Jackson she regretted not telling him the truth about Josh immediately. She reached out to him for advice on how to save Josh, but he reminded her many people were already trying to do that. She worried about how to make Josh's pain go away when and if he was found. She admitted that having kids had never been in her plans when she was younger. She had been more concerned with the glitz and glam, but having Bianca had changed her life.
Tad walked away from Dixie and Zach, but Kendall walked forward to tell Zach she doubted his innocence in Greg's murder. Kendall told them about the fingerprints, fibers, and blood that linked Greg's murder to them. Kendall let Dixie have it, but Zach told his wife to go easy on Dixie. It only angered Kendall more that Zach was protecting Dixie again. When Kendall asked Zach if he had killed Greg, Zach said no, he would never do anything to destroy their future. Kendall told her husband she believed him and promised to get him off the suspect list. After Kendall left, Dixie told Zach that all of the evidence would put them away for good.
Tad went to the Chandler mansion where he found Krystal sobbing outside over Babe's disappearance. Krystal asked Tad if he had found anything, but Tad told her he did not have any answers. Krystal asked Tad to just be her friend, like she had been for him when his world came crashing down so many times. Tad told Krystal about Dixie and Zach being arrested for Greg's murder. When Krystal seemed shocked, Tad realized she thought JR was the killer. Krystal said the thought had crossed her mind, but JR had used the CD to protect his family, although she was starting to believe it might have just been Dixie.
Kendall went to Aidan to get him to help set Zach free, but Aidan knew the evidence against Zach was strong. Tad walked in and told Kendall to let Olivia do her job as their attorney. Tad told Kendall he would not help them anymore because he thought Dixie and Zach had really killed Greg.
