A SPECIAL VALENTINE'S DAY EPISODE FEATURING ALL THE CHARACTERS RELATED TO JOHNNY DONOVAN
Liberty met Parker in Old Town, and she spied a Classic Fairy Tale book in the window of the bookstore. She remembered how much she had enjoyed that book as a child, and she suggested they buy it for Johnny. They bought the book and went to the Lakeview to give it to the child. Johnny wanted a story immediately, so Liberty began with "Pinocchio," but Parker grabbed the book away from her. He reasoned that if he did the reading, he would stay awake.
The story started with the Italian woodcarver, Geppetto (Jack Snyder), who fashioned a life-size boy puppet (Parker Snyder). The craftsman was pleased with his work, but longed for a real boy who could walk and talk. He named his puppet Pinocchio, and suddenly the Blue Fairy (Carly Tenney), dressed all in denim, appeared in order to grant his wish. She blew fairy dust on the boy, whose first words to his father were, "Don't expect me to tell you anything about my personal life." Geppetto loved his new boy, but he was distracted by the Blue Fairy, whom he declared to be "hot." The fairy said she looked even better out of her work clothes, so Geppetto led her into his shack.
The Fairy remembered one more favor she had for Pinocchio, so she came back outside and blew more fairy dust. There appeared Liberty Cricket (Liberty Snyder), the boy's conscience. The Fairy also explained how Pinocchio's nose would grow if he told a lie, to which the boy replied, "Shut up!" Liberty told her "stick boy" that was a fact. The fairy handed over a backpack full of schoolbooks, and Geppetto wished his boy a good day.
The Blue Fairy appeared and asked what Pinocchio was doing, and he lied and made up a story. His nose promptly gained six inches in length, so the boy blurted out the truth. Geppetto stumbled in, choking on a piece of salami, and Pinocchio did a successful Heimlich maneuver on him. As a reward, the Blue Fairy put back the boy's original nose. Geppetto promised to always love and protect his son, and the real Parker finished the story by saying they all lived happily ever after.
Johnny asked for another story as Barbara came in with valentines for her grandson. Craig arrived, as well, and Barbara recognized the book as a favorite of her children. Barbara offered to read a story and began the one in which a down-on-his-luck merchant (Bob Hughes) got lost in a forest and sought refuge in a huge mansion. He could find no one at home, but the fire was warm and there were three red roses in a vase on the mantel. He picked up the vase but a thunderclap startled him, and he dropped it, and it shattered. In its place, lay a hairy ugly beast (Paul Ryan), who told the merchant that he would spare the man's life if he brought the beast his "sexy daughter, the one with the dark hair" as a substitute.
The merchant sent his beautiful daughter (Meg Ryan), who commented that she could see why they didn't call the beast "Hunk." The beast kissed Beauty's hand, and before long, he was deeply in love. The beast proposed, but Beauty turned him down. The beast howled and then collapsed, so Beauty came back, declared her love for him, and kissed him. He immediately turned into handsome Prince Paul, heir to the throne. Barbara finished the story and wished them all a happy Valentine's Day.
The kids went to the diner for lunch, but Johnny was more interested in another story than his food. Dusty came in and volunteered to read. He started a story about a handsome young king (Dusty Donovan) who was searching for a wife. He interviewed all the maidens in his kingdom, and one candidate was the miller's daughter (Meg Ryan). She handed him her resumé, written by her father, and the king was taken with the fact that she could turn paper into gold. This was news to the girl, but she bluffed her way through the rest of the interview. Finally, the king took her to a room filled with stacks of paper and urged her to turn it all into gold. If she could, he promised to marry her; otherwise, she would die. The king left, and the miller's daughter began weeping. She cried so hard she did not notice that a disgusting troll (Craig Montgomery) had entered the room. He told her he could change paper into gold in exchange for the king's firstborn child.
The girl agreed, and the troll began shredding the stacks of paper, which turned into thousands of gold credit cards. The next morning, the king was overjoyed, and married the girl right away. One year later, the queen was rocking her newborn daughter when the troll appeared to claim his prize. The queen begged to keep her baby, so the troll said if she could tell him his name, she could keep her baby. He agreed to come back for her answer the next day. That night at the local pub, the troll got loaded and blabbed his name to most of the patrons, including the piano player, who was the king in disguise. When the troll showed up the next day and the queen told him his name was "Rumplestiltskin," he got so angry he vaporized, and, said Dusty to Johnny, they all lived happily ever after.
Craig took the kids home and decided to read them a story himself. He began by saying that there once was a rich, arrogant old crone (Barbara Ryan) who lived in a grand mansion. Her most prized possession was a magic mirror who would tell her things. When she asked who was the most clever in the land, the mirror said, "Cinderfella," and that angered the woman so much that she smashed it. The woman had two wicked daughters (Margo Hughes and Katie Snyder) and a stepson, Cinderfella, who had to do all the chores in the mansion. The girls could only talk about an upcoming ball at the palace given by the King for his beautiful daughter, and poor Cinderfella had to scrub the floors from dawn to dusk.
The woman and her daughters left for the ball, and Cinderfella was working, when POOF!-a fairy godfather (Parker Snyder) appeared. He said Cinderfella could go to the ball and handed over his car keys and the usual warning about returning before the clock struck twelve at midnight. Cinderfella, dressed in a white dinner jacket, drove to the ball and was immediately smitten with the beautiful princess (Carly Tenney). No one recognized him, and the royal footman (Jack Snyder) snubbed him. The princess was taken with Cinderfella, and they two were about to kiss when the clock began striking midnight, and Cinderfella fled. The princess collapsed.
The next morning, the ugly sisters howled with laughter when Cinderfella was commanded to go to the palace to kiss the princess to see if he could wake her from the coma she had slipped into out of disappointment. He kissed her once, and the princess fluttered her eyelashes. Then she looked at him and said, "Plant another one on me, Tiger," and...they all lived happily ever after.
Parker and Liberty went home as Meg arrived with baby Eliza and volunteered to read a story about a girl in a red dress named Dorothy (Meg Ryan). She was walking in a park when a scarecrow (Dusty Donovan) called to her off the path. They discussed some things, but the scarecrow said he didn't understand much of what she said because he didn't have a brain. She invited him to join her as she went to the Emerald City to see the Wizard to ask him to send her home. The two of them walked on until they saw a man dressed in silver (Craig Montgomery), who asked if they were bound for the Emerald City. He said some cruel things, so Dorothy called him "heartless," and he told her that was exactly his problem. He joined the pack after making a move on Dorothy.
Out from behind a tree jumped a lion-haired creature (Paul Ryan), who was frightened of being in the woods alone, and so he joined the others. Meg stopped reading and wanted to skip the part about the Wicked Witch, but Craig declared that his favorite chapter, and he took the book and continued. The Wicked Witch (Barbara Ryan) appeared before them, but the Tin Man told her to buzz off. The Wizard (Bob Hughes) showed up in top hat and tails, and he dumped magic snow from his hat on the witch, who dramatically melted into the underbrush. Dorothy asked to go home, so the Wizard asked if she wanted to take the "three losers" with her. She opted to go alone, but the three declared they were all in love with her. The Wizard could see Dorothy's problem, so he called upon Glinda, (Margo Hughes) who told Dorothy about the click-your-heels-three-times-and-go-home trick. Dorothy tried it, and returned home, never to leave again.
Johnny was asleep, leaning on Craig, so Meg left with her baby. Craig whispered to his little boy that they all lived happily ever after.
Carly told Henry that her business venture with Craig was kaput. She explained they had suffered a major parting of the ways. Henry wanted details, but Carly said Craig told her that designers like her were a dime a dozen, and he didn't need her. Henry inquired if Carly had been crunching something besides numbers, but Carly strongly denied that there was any hanky-panky between her and Craig. She reminded Henry how Craig had the talent of destroying everything he touched.
Lily talked with Craig, and he said he knew she had turned down a chance to partner with Carly. He told her that was a wise decision on her part, because Carly had lied to Lily again. Lily pursued that and asked for more details. Craig said Midnight Sun was his idea, not Carly's, and he had been the one who suggested they market a designer vodka and had asked Carly to create the label. The distributor, Mr. Siegler, had also been Craig's contact. He told Lily to consider herself lucky not to go into business with Carly.
Dusty visited Meg and told her Paul had pled guilty to all charges against him and was about to be sentenced. He said Meg had to appear in court that afternoon and tell the judge that Paul had to be punished for what he did. Meg was reluctant, but she admitted that she did not want Paul to go free. Dusty reminded her that she needed to protect her daughter, even though she wanted to put the bad times behind her.
Barbara saw Paul in jail and was horrified that he had pled guilty. She could not believe that Meg really wanted her baby's father behind bars. She refused to lose Paul, so she threatened to get Meg to support her. Paul said he would never forgive his mother if she talked to anyone about his situation. Barbara went outside and ran into Josie, who was there offering to testify for Paul. Barbara explained there would be no trial because Paul had pled guilty. Josie asked about Meg, but Barbara said her son had forbidden her to contact his ex-wife.
Lily came into Metro and chewed out Carly for lying to her again. Carly figured out Lily had spoken with Craig, and she protested that Lily's friendship meant the world to her. Carly defended her position by saying Craig had come up with the designer vodka idea, but he had violated their agreement by kissing her. Lily agreed that Carly was right to back out. Carly assured her friend that she had no feelings beyond contempt and disgust for Craig. She felt threatened by him but did not want to give up the business opportunity. Lily worried that she could not trust Carly again, but Carly offered to prove it to her.
Craig went to the Lakeview bar and offered to buy Henry a martini. Henry declined, and Craig told him he was meeting a gorgeous designer named Edie who would be working on the Midnight Sun project with him. He also mentioned that the two of them were meeting with Mr. Siegler, the distributor, later in the day. The designer arrived and was a beautiful redhead.
Henry called Carly and tipped her off that Craig was at that moment meeting with her potential replacement. He went back to Metro and gave Carly and Lily more details, including that a rendezvous with Mr. Siegler was also on the agenda. Carly was furious and put in a call to Siegler. She could not reach him, but she learned that he was on his way to meet Craig at the Lakeview. Carly was despondent until Lily suggested that Carly fight back. Her friend told her to get clever and "out-Craig Craig."
A police officer escorted Paul to a courtroom, and he was upset that Josie was there. He accused Barbara of calling her, but his mother denied it. Meg arrived, and Barbara was relieved until her former daughter-in-law said she was there to protest freeing Paul. Barbara begged Meg not to send Paul away and destroy what was left of her family. Dusty joined Meg, and Barbara lit into him, as well.
Paul spoke to the judge and said that he had fired his lawyer and entered a plea of guilty. The judge asked the courtroom if anyone would be speaking on behalf of Paul, and finally Josie stood. She said she was the only one who was with Paul when he had possession of Eliza, and how afraid he had been of losing his daughter. Dusty made snide comments as Josie continued her support for Paul.
At the Lakeview, Carly watched Craig with his new designer and then called Lily to ask if she was ready. Lily called Craig and, faking a British accent, she asked him to pop up and check on Johnny who was "running a bit of a fever." Craig excused himself from the meeting and headed to the elevator. As soon as Craig was gone, Henry appeared wearing a Russian fur coat and hat. He approached Edie, the new designer, and introduced himself as Alexander Siegler. Edie responded in fluent Russian, which momentarily stymied Henry. He soon recovered and invited Edie to accompany him to see "the farm what is growing the potatoes" for their vodka. Edie fell for the ruse, and she left with Henry.
Carly entered and intercepted the real Mr. Siegler who was surprised to see her and not Craig. Carly explained that there had been a misunderstanding. She offered to take him to her club so she could explain. The two of them left just before Craig returned to the lobby.
The judge decreed that Paul should have supervised visitations with his daughter and suspended Paul's sentence. Paul was free to go, and Meg ran out of the courtroom. Dusty followed her and swore he would not let Paul near the baby. Paul came to Meg and promised he would play by the rules. Barbara was pleased with the outcome and tried to be supportive, but Paul was afraid that Meg would continue to hate him and influence Eliza.
At Metro, Carly introduced Mr. Siegler to Lily, and said she wanted to work with him without Craig. Siegler knew that Craig was the moneyman, and Siegler was worried about where the funds would come from. Lily asked how much money was involved, so Carly took her aside to find out what her friend was doing. Lily said she was willing to put up the money for the company to get Carly out from under Craig's thumb.
Craig returned to the lobby to find his designer gone. He called Siegler's office and learned his distributor was meeting with Carly at Metro. "Nicely played, Carly," muttered Craig, as he dashed out the door, headed for Metro. He walked in during the meeting just as Carly was telling Siegler that Lily was the new money person. Craig complimented Carly on almost pulling off a coup, and strongly advised Siegler to reconsider any deal with her. Siegler argued back that Carly could raise the money any way she chose, and if Craig wanted to continue with the project, he had to find a way to work with her. Siegler left, and Craig said they needed a strategy session the next day, but Carly exerted control and insisted it take place at Metro.
Josie arrived at the Snyder farm to speak with Meg, but Dusty told her that she had some nerve showing up there. Josie said she wanted to explain some things and reminded Dusty that Paul could only see Eliza under supervised conditions, and that was a terrible form of punishment. She also pointed out that Dusty was back in superhero mode, rescuing damsels in distress, so Dusty shut the door on her.
Barbara hovered over Paul at Fairwinds until he screamed at her that she was making things worse, as she always did. Josie came in, and Barbara stomped out. Paul asked Josie why she had defended him in court.
Brad awoke late to find Katie not in bed. She came in completely dressed and looking glum. She told Brad she had just gotten her period, and it made her realize she had to wait even longer to achieve her dream of motherhood. Brad reminded her that Dr. Bob had asked them to wait before getting pregnant, and Katie perked up somewhat. He offered to go to Al's and get lunch, including apple pie a la mode, her favorite. As Brad was leaving, Margo was about to knock on the door, so he asked her to stay with her sister until he returned, because Katie was depressed.
Dusty came to the farm and offered Meg and her baby financial help, but she turned him down, saying she wanted to make it her own way. She reminded him that Emma had raised six kids by herself, plus she ran the farm, so Meg came from strong stock. Dusty asked what Meg would do if Paul offered help, but she gave him the same response. She was determined to be the kind of person her daughter could respect. She went upstairs to get Eliza, and a messenger arrived with papers for her, which Dusty signed for. The envelope came open, so Dusty read the contents and was disgusted that they were legal papers giving Eliza most of Paul's worldly possessions, including Fairwinds. Meg returned to get a bottle for the baby, but did not notice the envelope on the counter. Dusty left, but at the last minute, he grabbed the papers and took them with him.
Margo found Katie on her cell phone making a doctor's appointment for that day. The nurse told her the doctor could see her immediately if she came right over, so Katie agreed. She told Margo she was seeing a fertility specialist at the hospital. She wrote a note to Brad and left with Margo, who offered to go with her
Henry returned to the diner, but could not reach Vienna by phone. He emptied a drugstore bag full of home pregnancy tests onto a table and began sorting through them. Brad arrived and ordered his take-out, which Henry could recite from memory from his days with Katie. Brad was interested in why Henry was shuffling pregnancy tests, because he thought Henry and Vienna had agreed on a "no kids" policy. Henry said he caught Vienna poking holes in his condoms, which sent Brad into huge guffaws until he figured out Katie might be pulling a similar stunt. He said that lately Katie had not been taking her "thingy" into the bathroom with her before they made love. He dashed out without his take-out, with Henry right on his heels.
They went back to Brad and Katie's house and found Katie's note. The doctor's appointment seemed odd to Brad, and he mentioned to Henry that Katie had seemed shocked when she realized that morning that she was not pregnant. He could not figure out why, because they were using birth control. He went into the bedroom and found Katie's diaphragm container, but it was empty. The two men looked all over the house, but could not find the device. Brad could not believe that Katie was being untrustworthy about something so important. Henry was still concerned about Vienna, and he said he had been toying with the idea of having a vasectomy. Brad thought about that - very briefly - for himself, and then shouted, "Hell, no!" Henry asked Brad to go with him to get information on the procedure, and Brad agreed. Henry mentioned a two-for-one special, but Brad didn't even want to think about that.
Margo sat with Katie as she waited for her doctor's appointment. Margo was concerned that her little sister was trying desperate measures way too soon. Katie was afraid something awful would happen before she and Brad could produce a baby. The nurse arrived and got Katie for her appointment, and Margo stayed at the coffee bar to wait, and that is where Brad found her. He began asking questions about Katie just as his wife returned from the appointment. Both of them lied about their reasons for being in the hospital, and they agreed to meet in a few minutes in the parking lot to go home. Brad left to tell Henry he was leaving, so Margo told Katie she was uncomfortable lying for her sister. She said Brad should be the one person Katie should be confiding in, but Katie didn't want to hear it, and she left.
Josie walked in on Paul at Fairwinds, and he was furious with her for speaking for him in court. Josie said he was nuts to want to spend his life in prison so his ex-wife and baby would love him. He should be figuring out how to offer his talents to his daughter so that Meg would trust him again. Paul declared he was not going to change, and suddenly grabbed Josie and kissed her hard. He apologized, but a tearful Josie wondered why she just couldn't seem to leave Oakdale. She only wanted Dusty, and he wasn't interested.
Dusty walked in on Paul and Josie and asked to speak with Paul. He returned the legal papers Paul had drawn up and sent to Meg, and told Paul that Meg wanted nothing to do with him or his assets. Paul slyly figured out that Dusty must have offered financial help, as well, and Meg had turned him down. Dusty attempted to leave, but Josie stopped him to make sure he realized there was nothing between her and Paul. Paul was upset that Meg had sent Dusty to turn down his offer instead of telling him herself, so he prepared to go see her.
Paul showed up at the farm and lit into Meg for using Dusty as a messenger. Meg had no idea what he was talking about and claimed never to have seen any paperwork. Both of them calmed down, and Paul produced the papers that gave their daughter everything she would need. Meg suggested he set up a trust fund instead, but until Eliza turned age 21, she was Meg's responsibility. She agreed that Dusty was wrong to snitch the papers, but she was not taking anything from either him or Paul. They woke the baby with their loud voices, and Meg allowed Paul to hold Eliza. He offered to give her a bottle, but Meg said it was time for him to go. She also gave him notice that from that time on, he would only have supervised visits on neutral turf with his child. Paul was crushed.
Josie saw Dusty in the Lakeview bar as she was leaving town, and he said he was angry with himself for trusting her. Josie was not sorry she had met him, but she was leaving Oakdale forever. She refused to tell him where she was going, so she could pretend that he still cared but just couldn't find her. They shared a poignant kiss, and Josie walked out.
At home, Brad remarked that Katie had been unusually quiet on the ride home from the hospital. Katie went to change her clothes, and she noticed that a drawer had been rearranged. She called to Brad and asked if he had been looking for something in there, and at first, he denied it. Then he came into the bedroom and confessed he had been looking for her diaphragm. He apologized and explained how Henry had caught Vienna in the act of puncturing his condoms, but he also asked where her "thingy" was. Katie declared it was time to eat, but Brad asked his question again. Katie said she had thrown it out, and Brad was shocked, but Katie quickly lied by saying she had pitched it because she had gotten fitted for a new one that very afternoon at the doctor's office. Brad relaxed and felt guilty for not trusting his wife.
Luke and Noah attended Reg's memorial service, and as they were leaving, Kevin caught up with them. Luke was upset that life was not fair, and Kevin's presence further put him off. Kevin took off as Luke and Noah dropped into Java for a coffee, and they ran into Elwood. Luke grabbed him by his lapels and accused him of killing Reg. Both Luke and Noah claimed Elwood had sold bad drugs to their friend, but Elwood again denied any involvement. He told them to back off, but Luke shouted that he would prove Elwood's guilt. Kevin came in and questioned Luke about why he thought Elwood was guilty, so Luke explained that he and Noah had gone to the police with their theory, but they had no proof. Kevin told them Elwood had just returned to the university; in fact, he was living in a dorm room just across from Kevin's. No one could figure out why the school would let an ex-con back into school. Kevin offered to keep an eye on Elwood and paid for their coffees before he returned to campus.
Luke mocked Kevin's offers of help and said he did not trust him. He told Noah they had to take their investigation to the next level and prove Elwood's guilt themselves by breaking into his dorm room. Noah warned his friend that they couldn't do that, but Luke was adamant. Noah pleaded with him to let it go and left for class, after telling Luke he loved him. Luke suddenly got an idea and took off.
Jade picked out a dress at Fashions that Lily declared made a definite statement. Jade said she was trying to impress her new boyfriend, so Lily asked who the "lucky guy" was. She was surprised when Jade named Casey Hughes. Lily also noticed the price of the dress Jade had chosen and said it was pricey, but Jade told her aunt she could pay for it herself. Lily remarked that Jade wasn't working, but Jade said she could always figure out how to get what she wanted. Emily, who was Jade's secret employer, walked in, so Jade grabbed a dress for Lily and urged her to try it on.
Lily took the dress into a changing room, as Jade approached Emily and told her she wanted Emily to buy her a dress. Emily was not about to put out money for a dress for Jade, so the girl told her she had accomplished her mission, and Alison and Casey were done for good. Emily then agreed to pay for the dress, but Jade pushed her further by asking for money for the weekend, as well. Emily asked if Jade was out of her mind, a statement Lily overheard as she exited the dressing room. Emily further told Jade not to push her luck, and she walked out.
Casey and Margo had a chat, and Margo told her son that it was likely Reg died from bad drugs, and Luke was accusing Elwood. Casey also voiced his opinion that Elwood was the culprit, so his mother asked if he had ever seen Elwood hanging out with druggies during their time in the dorm. Casey did not respond because he was distracted when he saw Alison and Matt enter the diner. Margo noticed them, too, and she asked Casey what was going on with Alison. Casey said Alison was no longer an issue and proceeded to dump ketchup on his coleslaw. Margo asked Casey to concentrate on anything that might lead her to Reg's drug dealer, and she particularly wanted to know if anyone not in their usual crowd had attended Casey's birthday party. Casey said Elwood was the only one, but then Margo asked about Matt. She inquired about Matt's source of income since his return to Oakdale, and Casey explained about Matt's bartending job. Margo then upset Casey when she asked if Matt might be supplementing his salary by selling drugs, and he walked out.
Alison was in a fog after seeing Casey in the diner, so Matt suggested they go elsewhere. He knew Casey was the cause of Alison's confusion, and as they left the diner, he suggested she was not over her feelings for him yet. Alison admitted that seeing Casey made her uncomfortable, so Matt told her she needed to explore that. He walked her back to the hospital.
On campus, Luke found Elwood's room and knocked. When no one answered, he used a credit card to pick the lock and went inside. He began looking for Elwood's stash of drugs, but instead he found a printed card that read, "GOT YOU COVERED. M." Luke puzzled over what that meant and continued looking. Suddenly the door burst open and Elwood, Kevin, and a burly security guard entered. Elwood demanded that the guard arrest Luke for breaking and entering. The guard escorted out Luke, who muttered, "Thanks a lot, Kev."
At Fashions, Jade suggested that Lily call Holden and tell him they were going out to dinner and to wear her new dress. Lily was not dissuaded, however, and she continued to ask what was going on between Jade and Emily. Jade said nothing was going on, so Lily guessed that Emily was jealous that Jade was dating Casey. Jade jumped on that and agreed. Lily advised her niece that Emily seldom played by any rules, so to beware. Jade countered by saying there was no telling what she might do, either.
Matt and Alison got to her floor at Memorial, and she prepared to go back to work. Matt said he would get a sandwich from the cafeteria and stay in the hospital and check on her in a while. After Matt left, Emily found Alison, who gave her sister a cold reception. Emily apologized for reading Alison the riot act about Casey, but Alison said Emily had been right. She told Emily she had seen Casey having sex with Jade Taylor, so Emily hustled her into an exam room and wanted to know all the details. Alison was curious as to why her sister was so concerned with Casey's women friends.
Noah went to the police station to see Luke. Luke told him Kevin had called campus security and gotten him arrested while he was searching Elwood's room. Margo came in and told Luke he had committed a felony and could be facing some serious jail time. She asked why Luke was in Elwood's room, so Luke told the truth and said he was looking for drug evidence. He pleaded with Margo not to call his parents, but she told him she had to. When she went out to make the call, Luke begged Noah to continue the investigation and find out who had killed their friend. He slipped the note he had found to Noah as Lily arrived. Noah went back to school, and Lily demanded an explanation for her son's behavior. He told her why he had broken into Elwood's room, and Lily scolded him for his vigilante methods. She promised to do what she could to get him out, but she reminded him that when he took risks, he hurt other people.
Lily begged Margo to cut Luke some slack, just as Elwood arrived to give his statement. Lily asked him to forgive her son, who was upset because of his friend's memorial service. Elwood replied he would give Luke the benefit of the doubt if Luke apologized to him. Luke came out and told Elwood to forget it. He called Elwood a liar and a drug dealer, as Lily urged her son to apologize. Noah arrived and added his pleas, so Luke gave a feeble apology, but added he was sure it was Elwood who had killed Reg. Elwood took the high road and said he would not press charges, so Margo released Luke.
Emily surprised Jade at Lily's and called her a "snake." She reminded the girl she had paid her to keep Alison and Casey apart, but not to sleep with Casey herself. She said Jade didn't belong with someone like Casey, and refused to give her another dime. Jade threatened to tell Alison that Emily had hired her to mess with her love life, so Emily forked out more cash as Casey showed up.
Jade thought fast and told Casey that Emily owed her for one day's work. She said Emily had hired and fired her the same day, but she was still owed compensation. Emily agreed and warned Casey to stay away from Jade. Casey told Emily to leave, but he continued to question Jade. Jade advised him to sue Emily for sexual harassment, but Casey laughed and declined. Then he told her he had to break their date for that night because he was busy. He said he was sorry and walked out.
Noah found Alison at the hospital and asked for Casey. Casey came up, so Noah told him about Luke's arrest. Noah asked for a favor; he produced the "GOT YOU COVERED. M" card and asked Casey if he had any idea who "M" was. Casey did not know, but promised to check it out. He went into an exam room to clean and found Matt in there. Casey told him the room was off limits, but Matt claimed he was looking for Alison. Casey suggested he check the nurses' station, which Matt did, and Casey watched him find Alison and walk off, hand in hand, with her. He mused about the letter "M" and wondered if it meant Matt.
Noah and Luke went back to Java and Noah told him Casey was working on the mysterious note. Luke still felt Elwood was definitely guilty, as Kevin approached and offered to help. Noah thought Kevin was sincere, but Luke remained suspicious.
Lily returned home and told Jade about Luke. She asked the girl to talk to her cousin, and then she noticed Jade was wearing her new dress. Jade said Casey had cancelled their date, but suddenly she got an idea and dashed out. She went to Memorial and found Casey in the exam room. She pulled the blinds, locked the door, and gave Casey an inviting kiss. Casey pushed her away and made a break for the hall.
Matt and Alison drank sodas at Yo's at her break time. They flirted a bit, and then Matt kissed her. They kissed again as Casey walked in and saw them. He took the note from his pocket, looked at it, and walked out.
Katie called her fertility doctor and told him she would be there in ten minutes for her shot. Brad walked out and told Katie he wanted to take her out to lunch. Katie lied and said she had to go to WOAK to shoot some promotional spots.
At the doctor's office, Katie asked the doctor if she was going to be queasy every time she got a shot. He told her it was possible the negative side effects would continue. The doctor then suggested that Katie tell her husband what she was doing, but Katie said she didn't want to get Brad's hopes up yet.
Brad went to WOAK looking for Katie, but the studio was almost entirely dark. The costume designer, Maggie, walked by, and Brad asked where Katie was. Maggie told him she hadn't seen Katie. Brad asked where they were shooting the promos, but Maggie said no one was there, and the only reason she was there was to pick up some of the dry cleaning.
Brad went to Metro, where a joyful Henry informed him that Vienna wasn't pregnant. Henry asked Brad if he had found out what had happened to Katie's diaphragm. Brad said Katie had told him she needed to be fitted for another one, but he sounded doubtful. Henry asked why, and Brad told him Katie had lied to him about going to work at the studio that morning.
Brad called Katie, and when she answered, he asked where she was. She said she was at the studio. Brad told her he had just been at the studio, but hadn't seen her. Katie said she must have been with Maggie. Brad told Katie to stay where she was, because he was headed to the studio. Katie left quickly to try to beat Brad there. When Brad arrived, Katie told him she had been working on something for Kim. Brad made it clear that he didn't believe her, so Katie said the cameraman had called in sick, but Katie had stuck around for a costume fitting with Maggie. Brad explained that Maggie had told him she hadn't seen Katie. Katie then admitted she hadn't been at the studio, but she lied again and said she had gone to see Henry. Brad informed Katie that he himself had just come from seeing Henry.
Brad told Katie that if she was going to lie to him, she could at least try not to insult him. Brad said he hoped there wasn't a deep, dark secret that Katie was keeping from him. When Katie wouldn't tell him, Brad said if it was that bad, then he didn't want to know. Katie told him it was a good secret, and once he did know, he would be thrilled. Brad said, "Don't tell me this is about some surprise bash for my birthday or something." Katie gave him a coy look, so Brad asked if that was the big secret. Katie said she wasn't going to say another word. Brad said he felt like a jerk, because Katie had been planning something nice for him, and he had jumped to a bad conclusion. He kissed her, but as they pulled apart, Katie doubled over in pain.
Brad took Katie to the hospital, where her doctor told her that it was another side effect of the treatment she was undergoing. The doctor again urged her to let her husband know what she was doing, and Katie promised she would. Katie then lied to Brad about her pain, saying she had just had bad cramps because she'd forgotten to take something to prevent them. Brad took her home and told her he didn't want anything bad to happen to her.
Craig and Johnny showed up at Carly's unexpectedly. Craig explained that Johnny had the day off from school, but the sitter was sick. Craig was letting Johnny "help" him at work, which included bringing over a box of flavored vodka samples for Carly to try later. Carly said she couldn't stay because she and Jack had to meet Sage's teacher at school for a conference. She told Craig to put the samples in the refrigerator, and she would deal with them later. The samples were in unmarked cans. Carly rushed everyone out the door so she could keep her appointment.
Parker and Liberty arrived at Carly's, and Liberty asked Parker for something to drink. They went to the kitchen. Parker looked in the fridge but didn't see his usual sodas. He took out one of the unlabeled vodka cans and handed it to Liberty, then took one for himself. They tasted the beverages and decided they didn't taste like any punch or soda they'd ever had before, but they liked them, so they had another ... and another ... and another.
Jack sat with Janet at the diner and told her he was worried Carly would be late for their meeting with the teacher, or perhaps not even show up at all. Janet cautioned Jack to go easy on Carly. Janet told Jack that if he couldn't change a situation, he could change the way he reacted to it; for instance, Janet said Jack could try counting to ten.
Jack met Carly outside the school building. Although Jack was impatient, he assured Carly she was on time, and they entered the building together. As they sat waiting for the teacher, Jack made a sarcastic remark about Carly missing the school play because of her vodka taste test. Carly said she was tense enough without Jack making remarks like that, and Jack apologized, saying she was right. Jack said they were there to help their daughter, and they should focus on that.
After the meeting with the teacher, Jack and Carly discussed what the teacher had told them about Sage not turning in her homework on time. Jack felt that it might be his fault, for having rushed into marriage with Janet despite Sage's objections and concerns. Carly told Jack he couldn't put his life on hold because Sage had wanted something that could never happen. Jack still felt he could have waited until Sage had become more used to the idea that things between him and Carly were over for good. Carly said it was still weird to hear Jack say that out loud, but she said Sage didn't have the right to decide her father's fate. Jack said the same applied to Carly, that Sage couldn't expect to have her mom on call 24 hours a day, because Carly's work was important to her. Carly said she hadn't know that Jack realized how important her work was, but he said when he had lost his job, he had realized how much a part of him it was, and he thought it was the same for Carly.
Craig took Johnny to the diner for a milkshake. While Johnny drank his shake, Craig talked with Janet and told her he needed her help to save his business. Craig said he thought Jack might derail his business arrangement with Carly and could get Craig off track with Johnny. Janet disagreed, saying that Jack had nothing to do with Craig and Johnny, and less to do with Craig's business with Carly. Craig said Jack seemed to feel compelled to pass judgment on every decision Carly made, and he asked Janet to try to get Jack to back off.
Janet told Craig she had already had a conversation with Jack that morning and had told him to go easy on Carly. Craig was glad to hear they were on the same page. Johnny came up to the counter and asked for another milkshake, but Janet realized the diner was out of milk. Craig offered to go get some for her, if she would keep an eye on Johnny.
Parker and Liberty ended up at Old Town, where they tried to throw their empty vodka cans into a trashcan. They both missed, and they sat down on a bench, giggling and kissing. Craig walked up and asked them what was wrong. They said everything was great. Craig picked up one of the empty cans and asked where they'd gotten the drinks. Liberty said Carly had a whole refrigerator full of them. Craig asked how many they had drunk, and they finally decided it had been four each. Craig said they were drunk, and he took them into the diner.
When Janet saw Parker and Liberty, she asked what was wrong with them. Craig explained to Janet about the vodka he had dropped off at Carly's house. Janet was shocked that Craig and Carly had thought it was acceptable to bring that kind of booze into a house full of children. Craig said he hadn't intended to corrupt anyone, but Janet said Craig never intended any harm, whether he was loaning his car or giving the kids money for concert tickets or stocking the fridge with booze. Janet said Jack was right about Craig, that Craig didn't have a right to be around children, even his own.
Craig became angry with Janet and said she was beginning to sound just like her husband. When Craig said Janet was sounding hypercritical, like Jack, she said she thought she had a right to be in light of what had just happened. Craig said perhaps Janet had never made a mistake with her child, never left out something Liberty wasn't supposed to try, or exposed Liberty to something she wasn't supposed to see. Janet didn't respond. Craig told Johnny to get his coat so they could take Parker home. Meanwhile, Janet called Henry and asked him to cover for her while she dealt with a family problem.
Craig got Parker safely home. Craig turned on the TV for Johnny and then took Parker upstairs to put him to bed. Meanwhile, Jack and Carly arrived. Carly invited him in, and they both saw Johnny sitting on the sofa. Craig came downstairs, and Carly asked how he had gotten into her house. Craig said he had used Parker's key, and he told them that he and Johnny had run into Parker, and Parker had invited them to come over. Craig said Parker had been wiped out, because he'd been up all night studying for a trigonometry test, so Craig had told Parker to go lie down. Jack wanted to go up to see how Parker was, but Craig said he had just checked on Parker, and Parker was fine. Jack decided to leave, and he told Carly he would call Parker later to find out how he'd done on his test.
Carly took Craig aside, and he told her what had happened with the vodka drinks. When Carly found out Craig had left Liberty at the diner with Janet, she panicked, saying Janet could ruin everything. Carly hurried off to the diner, leaving Craig with Parker and Johnny.
Janet returned to the diner, just before Jack arrived. Jack was happy because of how well things had gone with him and Carly at the school. Henry left, saying he had to get back to Metro. Jack asked why Henry had been covering for Janet, and she had just started to tell him when Carly walked in. Jack asked if Parker was okay, and Janet asked if Jack had seen Parker. Jack said no, that Craig had said Parker was wiped out from pulling an all-nighter. Carly said she had come to find out whether Jack might have one of Sage's school books in his car. He said he didn't think so, but he went out to check.
Carly asked Janet if she had told Jack about the teens and the drinking. Janet said she was about to tell him, but Carly begged her not to do that. Carly said she and Jack had finally had a good parenting moment, and Janet said Jack had just told her about it. Carly said that if Janet told Jack about the drinking incident, Jack would blame Carly and start ranting about what a horrible mother she was. Jack walked back in and told Carly he hadn't found any of Sage's books in his car. Carly thanked him for checking and then ordered some ice cream for her kids. Jack asked Janet what situation she'd been about to tell him about, but Janet said it was nothing, that she and Liberty had just gotten their signals crossed. Carly tried to pay for the ice cream for Parker and Sage, but Janet refused, saying, "It's my gift."
Carly went home and found Parker in the kitchen with Craig. Parker said he knew he had screwed up, and he promised never to do anything like that again. He asked if he could go back upstairs, and Carly hugged him and sent him on his way. Craig told Carly he would take the samples back to Metro. Carly said maybe she shouldn't be in the liquor business at all, because she had given Parker access to liquor. Craig said no one had gotten hurt and that one slip shouldn't derail the whole project. Carly explained that it wasn't just Parker she was thinking about. She told Craig she had spent her childhood terrorized by her father, who was an alcoholic, and she didn't want to see Parker making those mistakes. Craig said it was one lapse in judgment, not a lifetime of addiction, but Carly said that was how it started, with one lapse of judgment. Craig told Carly that if it was what she wanted, they would shelve the Midnight Sun project, but Carly said she didn't want that, and they were still partners.
