The Stewart women, Susan, Emily, and Alison, were selecting a wedding dress for Alison at Fashions. Aaron showed up, but the women hustled him away so that he could not see any of the dresses they were considering. He brought a box of Alison's favorite chocolates as a pre-wedding present and suggested she bring it to the rehearsal dinner as dessert. Alison got a call from Chris telling her that he had been delayed at the hospital and asking her to go to the Lakeview to feed Morty, the puppy Chris was hiding in his room. Alison told her mother she had forgotten a pharmacology exam that afternoon and had to run. She asked her family to choose a dress and buy it. Emily was suspicious of Alison's story, but her sister dashed out.
Dani asked Casey to help her plan an "accidental meeting" with Chris Hughes, whom she had been pursuing since she got back in town. Her perceived rival was Alison Stewart, who was about to marry Aaron Snyder and therefore was out of the running for Chris. Dani asked Casey to set up a meeting between him and Chris so that she could just happen by and Chris would not be aware of a set-up. Casey asked Chris to have lunch with him, but Chris was reluctant until Casey suggested just a quick meeting in the Lakeview to clear the air about Emily and Alison.
Barbara came to Fairwinds to see Meg and told Paul that with about a week more time, she could have the money in hand to pay off the loan shark. She told Paul to send his father packing and to ask Derek Coburn for the extra time. She suggested that in return, Paul and Meg should name their baby, if it were a girl, Barbara, and she was only half joking. Paul went to the wine cellar and told James he should think about getting used to prison food again; Paul had a new source of income. James guessed that Barbara was the source, but Paul gave his father his marching orders. Instead, after Paul left, James went upstairs and told his ex-wife to stop protecting Paul and to let him grow up. Barbara told him cancer did not make her stupid, and the only thing she wanted was for him to be gone.
Vienna came to Metro, where Henry was working with Bonnie. Vienna distracted Henry, which irritated Bonnie, but then Derek Coburn arrived and took all of Bonnie's concentration. Derek sweet-talked Bonnie, but was interrupted by a call from Paul who asked to meet with him immediately. Derek and Bonnie made plans for the evening, and Derek left for his rendezvous. He met Paul, but refused his request for an extra week to get the money Paul owed. Derek put a final demand of 24 hours on the debt repayment and also issued an implied threat against Meg and the baby.
Paul phoned Henry to talk about Derek, and Henry agreed to meet him at Al's. Paul asked Henry how to handle Derek, whom Henry had observed around Bonnie. Henry said he would try to help, and the two went their separate ways; however, Derek was following Paul. Henry talked by phone to his contact to ask him to call off the loan shark, but the contact confused and said Henry had already cancelled that operation. Henry tried to get hold of Bonnie, but instead had to leave her a message.
Alison got to the Lakeview to feed the dog, and was surprised that Chris was there. In the confusion, she left the box of candy from Aaron on Chris's coffee table and went to Memorial. Aaron found her there and reminded her of the rehearsal gathering that night at Lily's, and mentioned that she should bring along the box of candy he had given her. Alison suddenly realized she had left the candy at the Lakeview with Chris.
As Henry was leaving Al's, he noticed Derek getting into his car. Henry followed him to Fairwinds where Derek went into the wine cellar. Henry snuck in, and from the conversation he overheard, he realized Derek was talking to James Stenbeck. Both men confronted Henry, who pretended not to know who James was. James forced Henry to call Paul and tell him that he had been hearing ugly stories about Derek and not to mess with him. James then reminded Henry that he had spent time in that wine cellar before, and Henry realized that James was going to confine him there. Derek locked Henry in the wine cellar and left him.
Casey and Chris began their quick lunch at the Lakeview when Dani appeared. Casey hastily excused himself, and Dani took his place. Chris recognized the setup with Dani and was not pleased. Casey found Emily decorating the wedding arbor at Lily's and asked if Emily had received their marriage annulment in the mail yet. Emily replied that yes, she had just received it. Casey wanted to continue their relationship as a married couple, but Emily was soured on marriage and wanted a no-strings arrangement.
Alison went back to Chris's room to retrieve the candy and was horrified to find that the puppy had eaten most of it. She called Chris in a panic at his setup lunch with Dani, and he promised to be right there. They both knew chocolate was dangerous for dogs and set about pumping the little dog's stomach. The two of them were able to save the dog and decided they made a pretty good team.
Paul went to his mother in the Lakeview, still desperate for the money. He had no choice but to accept his father's offer, and Barbara accused him of going with the devil he knew. Paul did not like it, but he had no other options.
Susan arrived at Lily's and offered to help. Dani came, uninvited, and told Casey that her lunch with Chris had flopped. Aaron arrived and asked for his absent bride. Someone else was absent in Oakdale, and Vienna was wondering where her Henry was. She became suspicious that Bonnie was somehow involved.
Janet brought lunch to Jack at the police station, but then she had to leave to go to the farm to make pies for Alison and Aaron's wedding. Dallas told Jack that there was some new evidence in the Leo Morrisey case that might lead them to discover who had almost drowned the boy.
At Lily's house, the Snyder/Stewart women gathered to help with the wedding preparations and to attend the rehearsal. Casey was short with Emily, reminding her that he knew quite well how she felt about marriage. Emily was still worried about Alison's odd behavior earlier that day. Aaron arrived and was surprised that Alison was not there yet. Holden helped Lily with an electrical problem at the house, but not without making a hurtful crack about Mike. Dani Andropoulos questioned Susan about Alison's continued absence and volunteered to go search for the missing bride. Aaron received a text message from Alison saying she was on her way, but Dani had already left.
In his room at the Lakeview, Chris told Alison to calm down and take a step back from the wedding plans. He felt Alison really did not want to marry Aaron, but she disagreed. Aaron called on Alison's cell phone, but she chose not to answer. Chris apologized for questioning her feelings and blurted out his own: he was in love with her himself. Alison denied that, but Chris protested that he had always loved her. He kissed her with great feeling, and the two of them fell on the bed and began to make love.
At WOAK, Brad and Katie finished taping a promo as Jack arrived with the news that Brad had better contact a lawyer because the Morrisey case was about to burst wide open. Jack explained that the investigators had found footprints at the lake and fingerprints on the pay phone Brad had used to call the EMTs. Brad argued that he had committed no crime, and had in fact tried to revive the boy, but Jack said his brother could be facing attempted murder charges. A frightened Brad asked Katie to tend to more WOAK business while he talked with Jack. Jack asked him to turn himself in, but Brad stalked out. Jack found him at the police station, however, waiting for Dallas, and offered to help if he could. Brad asked him to take the evidence against him and get rid of it. Jack refused to put his job on the line, but Brad begged him not to destroy the wonderful new life he, Katie, and Liberty were building. Jack caved in and shooed Brad out of the station.
Susan decided to begin the wedding rehearsal without Alison since the practice was primarily for the little girls' benefit. Faith kept the wedding participants on the right path, and Emily stood in for her sister.
Janet and Liberty were baking pies in Emma's kitchen, and Liberty mentioned how "normal" her mother was around Jack and how much more relaxed she was when she was with him. The two of them decided they had time to do a bit of shopping so that Janet could dazzle Jack at the wedding, and they left the last of the pie making until later.
Dani went to Memorial to see if she could locate the missing bride. A nurse told her that Alison had left quite a while ago. Then Dani asked for Dr. Chris Hughes and was told that he, too, had left earlier. Dani began wondering if those two occurrences were just a coincidence.
Alison and Chris finished making love and Alison was shocked to find out it was 5:00, an hour past the start of the rehearsal. Chris could not believe that Alison was going through with the wedding and urged her to tell Aaron what she and Chris had done. Alison dashed out, determined to get married, and Chris, wearing only a towel, followed her into the hallway outside his room. He did not see Dani hiding around the corner, watching.
Liberty stopped at the police station after finishing shopping and brought Jack a coffee and a bakery treat as a thank you for giving her mother another chance. Jack questioned her about how she was faring following the attempted rape, and she told her new uncle how much she loved having a dad who really cared about her. She left, and Jack picked up the Morrisey evidence folder and gave it a long look.
Alison went to Lily's to find the rehearsal over. Dani returned and made some leading remarks to the bride-to-be. Everyone left for the rehearsal dinner at the Lakeview, where Aaron made some loving remarks in his toast to Alison and their new life together. When he asked her about the chocolates for dessert, she lied that she had eaten them all because she was so nervous about the wedding. She also intercepted some meaningful looks from Dani at dinner. Alison excused herself and headed to the ladies' room but ran into Chris in the lobby. He asked her if she had told Aaron what they had done that afternoon, and she said no; she was not going to hurt him. The two of them argued about Alison's denying her feelings for Chris.
Jack found Janet finishing up her pies and told her Brad was in big trouble. He had with him the evidence reports that incriminated his brother. Janet asked if anyone else knew about them, and when Jack said no, she offered to take the reports and hide them so that guilt would not eat Jack alive. Jack handed the reports to her and walked outside.
Brad met Katie at home and told her that he thought Jack was going to make the evidence against him disappear. They waited impatiently for a phone call confirming this. They were still agonizing about what Jack would do when Brad got the phone call. Jack simply said Brad had nothing to worry about. Jack went back inside the farmhouse and Janet told him he had done the right thing. He replied, "No, I don't think I did."
Dani came up to Alison, who was still having a discussion with Chris in the lobby of the Lakeview, and told Alison that her mother was getting some tea for her to calm her nerves. Alison left to go back into the banquet room, and Dani remarked to Chris that Alison would make a beautiful bride. Aaron found Alison and gave her a big hug, but Alison could see Chris staring at her over Aaron's shoulder.
The day of Alison and Aaron's wedding arrived and the Snyders and Stewarts gathered to celebrate. Dani, knowing that Alison slept with Chris, told Casey, who suggested she keep it to herself. At the wedding, Chris wanted to talk to Dani-he pulled her inside and said he was in love with Alison and thought she was marrying Aaron for the wrong reasons. Though Dani thought it was time for Chris to let go, she promised not to share his secret. While the ceremony was going on, Paul dug for James's treasure. Mike came upon him with a backhoe and demanded to know what the hell he was doing. After the ceremony, Lily and Holden, and Jack and Carly, shared reflective moments. Lily and Holden agreed they were lucky to have all that they did, and shared a kiss. Meanwhile, Jack admitted to Carly how important she was to him, and they kissed, too. ??
James had Henry locked up in the wine cellar. James later offered to let Henry play gin rummy for his freedom, but as Henry was about to win, James refused to let him go. Derek came by and mentioned Vienna and Bonnie, prompting Henry to swear vengeance if they were hurt. James forced Henry to call them, saying he was playing blackjack and would be home soon. Vienna knew Henry didn't play blackjack, and sensed that something was up. ?
After the wedding, Mike followed the sounds of a backhoe to the Snyder construction site where he discovered Paul digging a gigantic hole. Mike yelled at Paul to stop, but Paul was frantic to find the hidden money. Mike finally dragged Paul from the cab and the two of them began fighting on the ground.
Emma was concerned that Meg had overdone it by coming to the wedding, and left her for a moment while she said goodbye to Lily. Meg was worried about why Paul had not returned, however, and she went looking for him. She, too, followed the noise of the earth-moving machinery and came upon the two men fighting. She separated them, but they continued to argue and yell. Paul protested that he was just trying to fix things. Meg refused to ride with Paul while he was so upset and asked Mike to take her home.
James praised Henry for saying the right things to Vienna and Bonnie so that they would not come looking for him. Vienna, however, picked up on Henry's comment that he was in a blackjack game because she knew he never played that. Derek Coburn arrived to pick up Bonnie for a football game, and Vienna asked him if he were a "thug." She was hoping he was because then he might know where the unsavory game that Henry had gotten involved in would be taking place. Derek offered to make a few calls to see if he could locate the action.
At the police station, Margo told Dallas to put a rush on the Leo Morrisey evidence, but neither of them could locate the file. Margo called Jack and asked him to come to the station even though it was his day off. Janet worried that the demand from Margo might involve the Morrisey case, but Jack assured her that he got calls like that from his boss all the time.
Carly and Sage arrived home after the wedding, and Carly flashed back on her kiss with Jack by the reservoir. She suddenly remembered that Sage needed Jack's signature along with hers on a permission slip that was due the next day. She sent Sage next door to the neighbor and went to the police department to find Jack.
Brad and Katie arrived home after a long shoot for WOAK, and Brad was relieved that Jack had saved him from possible jail time, and he wanted to celebrate. The couple took a shower and was contemplating a nice nap when Janet called and shared her concern about Jack's call from Margo. Brad refused to think it was serious.
James served Henry gourmet food he had made himself. His special delicacy was a sushi made with the Fugu fish which could be deadly poisonous if not all the toxic parts were removed. Henry survived the meal, and James left to find Paul, not noticing that Henry had kept his utensils. Henry tried to pick the lock on his jail cell with the knife but was not successful. His next attempt was to tap on the pipes to draw attention to his plight.
Jack arrived at the station and Margo questioned him about the missing evidence. She also talked with Dallas, and they all agreed that Jack had been the last person to see the file intact. Carly came in and overheard most of the conversation. Margo accused Jack of a lack of concern for a case he was determined to solve a few days earier. Carly asked Jack to sign Sage's permission slip and noticed that Jack was not acting like his usual self.
Mike drove Meg home, followed by Paul. Paul blamed Mike for being in his way when all he was trying to do was save the project. Meg calmed him down with talk about the baby, and they were excited to feel the baby move. Meg went upstairs to rest, and James appeared to Paul. He asked his son how he was going to get anywhere without James's help. James offered him a gold bar to buy some time from the loan shark. Meg interrupted their conversation by returning to tell Paul that her nap was being disturbed by strange banging on the pipes.
Derek told Vienna that his contact had found the game where Henry was and offered to take the women there because it was in a warehouse in the seedy part of town. Derek told the two of them to wait in the main warehouse area while he "checked things out." Derek did not return, and the creepy warehouse spooked the women, especially when they realized that they were locked in. Bonnie agreed her new beau really was a thug.
Carly next dropped in on Brad and Katie to talk about Jack. She told them how Jack had acted when Margo was questioning him about the missing evidence, but Brad stonewalled her by telling her Jack's moods were no longer her concern. Carly stormed out, and Katie was concerned that it had not been fair of them to ask for Jack's help. Brad, however, felt differently.
Jack went to the diner and told Janet about his discussion with Margo. He said it made him sick to his stomach to lie to her, his boss and his friend. Jack headed back to the farm, and Carly found Janet and tried to get her into a discussion about what was bothering Jack. Janet was reluctant to see any similarities between her relationship with Jack and the one Carly had shared with him.
Katie went to the farm and found Jack drinking beer. She apologized for asking him to destroy the evidence and put his job on the line. Jack asked her to never speak of the incident again. Meanwhile, Margo headed to Brad's to talk once more with Liberty, but Brad refused permission. He told Margo that he just wanted his daughter to forget about the whole event, and he closed the door in Margo's face.
Derek came to the cellar at Fairwinds to tell James what he had done with Bonnie and Vienna. Henry overheard the conversation and was horrified that the women were now under James's control. He tried to tell his captor that James didn't know what he had done.
Mike drove back to Fairwinds to talk with Meg. He told her the recent digging Paul had done had uncovered massive structural damage that meant the entire site would have to be shut down. That was upsetting to Meg, who was supposed to avoid all stress.
Paul headed back to his backhoe, determined to find the money. After digging a bit, he climbed out of the cab and walked to the edge of the giant crater. The ground gave way, and he tumbled in.
Carly went to the farm, looking for Jack, but found Holden instead. As they chatted, Lily approached, returning some of Emma's things that had been used at Aaron's wedding. When she saw Carly and Holden laughing together, Lily used her cell phone to call Mike and ask why he hadn't met her for their planned romantic rendezvous after the wedding. Mike apologized but said Emma's errand had turned into a nightmare. Lily told Mike he would have to make it up to her, and she suggested meeting in 30 minutes at the Lakeview. Mike agreed, and Lily hung up and went back home.
When Lily arrived back home, she saw Faith talking on her cell phone. Upset, Lily told Faith she was going to be late for school, but Faith informed her mother that it was teacher conference day, so the kids had the day off. Lily verified that on her school calendar and then asked Faith to watch Natalie and Ethan for a couple more hours so that she could run some errands. Faith protested that she had a big science project to work on, so Lily called Holden and left a message asking him to come over to watch the kids.
At Fairwinds, Meg called Barbara and told her she was worried because Paul had apparently been out all night. Paul walked in, and Meg asked if he was okay. Paul assured her that he was. He went to take a shower, and then Meg questioned him as to his whereabouts the night before. Paul admitted to having gone back to the work site. Mike burst into the room and demanded to know why Paul had continued digging at the site, saying they would have to have the whole site condemned as a result of the damage. Paul denied having done any more digging, but Mike shook his head and told Meg that obviously, Paul hadn't changed after all.
Mike stormed out, and Meg asked why Paul had lied to Mike. Paul was upset that Meg didn't believe him. She asked why he'd been covered in dirt; Paul said he'd fallen into a ditch. He told Meg he didn't want to disappoint her, but she told him saving the development project wasn't worth it if it made him crazy.
Barbara arrived at Fairwinds, and Meg apologized for not having called her back to tell her Paul was okay. Barbara asked Meg to let her have a few minutes alone with Paul. When she found out that Paul hadn't found the money James said was buried at the work site, Barbara told Paul she thought James had come back to Oakdale to drive Paul insane. Paul showed Barbara the bar of gold that James had given him and told Barbara he did believe there was gold buried at the farm. He said he needed Barbara to help him by giving him a cover story so he could find the gold, pay back Derek, and then pay James back with Barbara's other money when it became available, so that they could get James out of their lives. Barbara said she knew better than that, and so did Paul.
Paul told his mother that he wanted Meg to continue to believe he would be a good father. When Meg walked into the room and saw that Paul was preparing to leave again, she asked where he was going. Barbara looked at her son and then told Meg she had convinced Paul to go with her to meet with Dr. Michaels, the psychiatrist at the hospital, to discuss ways to alleviate the stress Paul was feeling. Meg was impressed that Barbara had gotten Paul to agree to that. Barbara and Paul left, and Meg received a call from Dr. Schiller's office, reminding her that she had an appointment that morning. Meg said she had forgotten about it but would leave right away to go to the hospital.
Mike went to the Lakeview to meet Lily. He told her about the magnitude of the problems at the farm, and she led him upstairs to help him forget his troubles. They made love. Meanwhile, back at home, Ethan wanted Faith or Natalie to play with him, but Faith had to do her schoolwork, and Natalie was mad because Ethan had torn the head off of one of her dolls. Faith gave Ethan a ball and told him to play with it.
Lily and Mike ran into Holden in the lobby at the Lakeview, and Lily asked where the kids were. Holden said he thought they were at school. Lily said they had the day off, and she had left Holden a message asking him to watch them for her because she had things to do. Holden said he'd left his cell phone at the farm and had never gotten her message. Lily told Mike she would have to go home, but Holden sarcastically told her to finish what she was doing, and he would go home to check on the kids.
Paul went to the construction site and found that Mike had boarded up the cavernous hole Paul had dug and put yellow tape around the area for safety reasons. Paul tore through the tape and began pulling the boards up, uncovering the hole once again. Paul received a call from Meg, who explained that she was at the hospital for an appointment. Meg asked if Paul was finished with his appointment with Dr. Michaels and could meet her for her appointment with Dr. Schiller. Paul told Meg to stay where she was, and he would meet her. He left the construction site, leaving the huge hole still uncovered.
Holden arrived at the house and found Faith and Natalie, but Ethan was nowhere in sight. When Holden asked where Ethan was, Faith said she'd just seen him. They began searching for Ethan but had no luck finding him.
Lily told Mike that even though she felt that she had covered the child-care situation by leaving Holden a message, she felt guilty for having left the kids unattended for so long. Mike assured her she hadn't done anything wrong, but Lily felt guilty anyway and left to go home to check on the children. Lily returned home, and Holden told her Ethan was missing. Meanwhile, Ethan played with his ball near the large hole at the construction site. He took off one sneaker and left it on the ground, then walked over by the deep hole.
Brad ran into Jack in Old Town and told him he had informed Margo that he wouldn't let Liberty press charges against Leo, so the case should be dropped. Jack told Brad to shut up. Brad thought Jack was being harsh, but Jack said he hadn't done what he'd done for Brad's benefit and that Brad should never talk to him about it again.
Margo went to the diner to talk to Janet, who worried that Margo knew something about the evidence she and Jack had hidden for Brad's benefit. However, Margo had come to ask Janet to let Liberty testify against Leo. Janet said she agreed with Brad that Liberty shouldn't be put through that. Margo tried to persuade Janet that they were making the wrong decision, and ultimately, after realizing Margo was speaking from personal experience, Janet told Margo she would try to convince Brad to let Liberty testify.
Janet went to WOAK and told Brad she thought Liberty should press charges against Leo, so that Liberty would learn to stand up for herself. Brad objected and said as Liberty's father, he had stood up for her. Brad convinced Janet that it was more important for Liberty to have her dad in her life than to go after Leo and risk having Brad locked up for assault, given that Leo had survived.
Brad told Janet to go home and forget the whole thing, but she said that wasn't easy for her to do, because Jack had given her the stolen evidence to hide, and it was killing Jack. Brad told Janet to give him the evidence so he could destroy it, and they could put the whole thing behind them. Janet told Brad how much Jack had done for her and said she didn't want to lose him. Brad assured her she wouldn't, and Janet told him the evidence was behind her mirror at the farm.
Carly went to the police station and told Jack they needed to talk. She took him to Yo's, where she knew they wouldn't be interrupted, and told Jack her suspicions about Brad, Leo, and the missing evidence. She told Jack to look her in the eye and tell her if she was wrong. When he couldn't, Carly asked why Jack would risk everything for his brother when he wouldn't do it for his own son.
Jack told Carly he hated that he hadn't done anything to help Parker's case. Carly said that as mad as she was at the time, she was also grateful that Jack had remained the one person she could count on to do what was right. Carly told Jack he could not keep up the deception, because it wasn't who he was.
Carly asked what he was going to do; Jack answered, "Don't you know?" Together, they went to the farm, where they found Brad and Janet, who had just burned the evidence implicating Brad. When Jack told Janet he needed the papers back, she said it was too late. When Jack protested, Brad said he didn't know why Jack was getting so bent out of shape, since he wasn't going to use the evidence. As he looked at Jack, Brad realized that Jack had indeed intended to use the evidence after all. Brad accused Jack of having been willing to leave Liberty without a father just so he could sleep at night. Carly told Brad to shut up.
Janet tried to tell Jack she thought she'd been doing him a favor by getting rid of the evidence. Irate, Jack shouted that he hadn't asked Janet to do him any favors. Jack left, telling Carly there was only one thing he could do. Janet cornered Carly on the porch and accused her of having orchestrated Jack's desire to retrieve the evidence, both because Jack had been willing to lie for Janet but not for Carly and to prove that Carly knew better than Janet what Jack needed.
Jack went to the police station, where he met with Margo in an interrogation room and told her he had stolen the missing evidence in the Leo Morrissey case. Jack said the evidence had been destroyed, and he took full responsibility for it.
