In the aftermath of the robbery, Dorian and Clint returned to La Boulaie, where she prepared some "after-dinner" drinks. Meanwhile, Viki recounted to Nora how their grand plan went awry and Dorian ended up going home with Clint. Marty thanked Miles for risking his life for her, so he asked her to have a drink with him to show her gratitude. Having just learned about Blair and Cristian's night of passion, Todd insulted Blair in front of Vega and Evangeline, so Cris hauled him out to the hallway for a pounding. Still at the Palace, Natalie excitedly babbled to John about how happy she was that they wanted the same thing. He asked her to listen to what he has to say and she anxiously looked on.
Nora told Viki that no man in his right mind would choose Dorian over her. Viki described how humiliating it was to be rejected by her ex in front of Dorian. Nora apologized for giving Viki some bad advice, but stood firm that there's nothing wrong with putting oneself out there.
Meanwhile, Dorian complained to Clint that Viki's behavior at the Palace was pathetic, while Clint argued that it took guts for Viki to do what she did. Clint became upset with Dorian for getting on one of her "anti-Viki tirades." She started to get defensive, but apologized. Clint admitted that Viki did what she did because he's been pressing her to let him know how she feels, and that he was thankful for what she said. Dorian asked him to choose which woman he wants to be with. He claimed the incident at the Palace made him realize how short life can be and he ran off, saying he would make a choice that night. She asked if it would be too presumptuous of her to expect him back that evening, and he responded yes, giving her a kiss on the forehead before running off.
Marty agreed to a club soda at Miles's suite, saying alcohol didn't really sit well with her in stressful situations. They talked about how horrible it was to be held at gunpoint. Miles admitted that he wanted Marty to stay so that they could finish their conversation from the Palace, and made it clear that he wanted to pursue something romantic with her. Feeling the pressure of being the first woman to spend quality time with Miles in the "outside world," Marty declined, also saying she wasn't ready to start dating again. When she got up to leave, he pulled her in for a kiss, to which Marty reacted strongly and slapped him. Shaken, she told him to never do that again. When she left, Miles became upset and saw himself as horribly disfigured in the mirror.
At the hospital, Evangeline scolded Cristian for roughing up Todd, and Michael broke up the scuffle. Blair blabbed about how great the sex was to rile up Todd and Evangeline a little more. Mission accomplished: Vange said Blair not only looked like a whore, she talked like one, too. Todd got in a few verbal jabs at Blair before walking off with his tail between his legs. Blair admitted to Cristian that she wanted Todd out of her life and it looks like she got her wish.
John tried to get Natalie to listen to him, but he faltered and couldn't get a word in edgewise. She said she didn't want their engagement to be part of some holdup and that they could wait. Before he could stop her, she ran off to tell her mom the good news. At Llanfair, Viki was thrilled. Natalie told her that while John planned to propose, she took a rain check because of the Palace robbery. Although Viki was happy for Natalie, she couldn't help but show her sadness over Clint, who suddenly showed up. He congratulated Natalie on her news, and she excused herself from the room. Clint accused Viki of saying what she said at the Palace for Dorian's benefit and not his. Both seemed equally conflicted. When Clint left, Viki decided she needed to find a new direction for herself.
Meanwhile, Dorian fantasized about Clint returning to her kitchen before making it to the end of the driveway. Fantasy Clint informed Dorian that his tie to Viki is strong despite their stormy past, but that his "storms" with Dorian are very much in the present. He compared Viki to Mother Earth and Dorian to the wild wind. A drunk Dorian clutched her heart as she imagined Clint telling her that he's made his choice.
John showed up at the hospital to tell his brother that Natalie thinks they're getting engaged. John explained that he was taking the ring to the office to lock it up in his safe, and that's why he had it with him at dinner. Michael advised John to rectify the situation — stat — or everyone in Llanview will think John and Natalie are planning a wedding.
Todd showed up at Dorian's, asking a disappointed Starr if she was expecting Cole. Starr informed him that Cole is on his way to military school and she'll never see him again. Meanwhile, Cole tried to get out of going to military school, but a furious Marty said she was sending him away so that she wouldn't lose him like she lost his father. At the diner, Jessica dropped Bree off for a visit with Nash, who insisted she stay. At the Palace, Adriana looked at photos of Tate, which he interpreted as flattery. Bo called Rex to the police station and offered him a wad of cash. Antonio and Talia informed Nora and Evangeline that they may have a lead on the arsonist.
Bo explained to Rex that the money was Roxy's, from the salon robbery. Rex told Bo about the crazy underwear photo shoot and how Tate is starting to get in his way with Adriana. Bo advised him to express his concern to Adriana. Rex thanked him and took off to deliver Roxy's money. Meanwhile, Antonio and Talia presented Nora with the photo of the medallion that Talia spotted at the site. Nora was not impressed with the blurry photo. Bo pulled her into his office to let her vent. He calmed her down and she apologized to Talia for blowing up at her. Later, Antonio suggested that Talia get hypnotized to jog her memory.
Bo visited Matthew, who was home sick and complained about staying at Asa's. Bo invited Matthew to stay with him, but Matthew admitted to being worried about his mom and said he wanted to keep her company. Bo promised to keep an eye on her, too. Matthew told Bo he'd been spending a lot of time with Asa and Clint but missed his friends. Bo offered to handle Matthew's "social calendar" so that he could have some friends over to Asa's.
Tate and Adriana talked about their embarrassing incident at the lodge and he assured her that he'd never make a move on another guy's girl. Tate ran into some lusty female fans who invited him upstairs, and he planted a kiss on Adriana to make them think he was already taken. Afterward, Tate apologized, but made it clear that he'd pursue Adriana if she wasn't with Rex.
Cole argued that his mom was sending him away to control him, not protect him. Marty explained that she's doing the best she can without her husband. Meanwhile, Todd tried to convince Starr that there would be other loves in her life and that Cole wasn't worthy of Starr's love. He reminded her that she once thought Travis was the only guy she'd ever love, but Starr said this was nothing like that, that she'd never get over Cole. When Cole called Starr, Todd picked up the phone instead and told the teen that he would slap him with a restraining order if he tried to contact Starr again. Todd then threatened to keep Starr's phone and told her that he just wanted to keep her safe and she wouldn't return to school until Cole was out of town.
Jessica tried to drop off Bree and run, but Nash pleaded with her to stay. Nash created an awkward moment when he noted that Tess used to wake up smiling just like Bree. He apologized and Jessica told him to call Antonio when he was ready to return Bree. After he left, Jessica thought back to Marty asking her to write down who she wants to be with. She opened the piece of paper privately, revealing that the name she wrote down was Nash.
Evangeline dropped off a case file for Marty, who was being summoned to testify on behalf of a defendant. Evangeline picked on her for going soft on "perps." Their conversation quickly turned to Todd, and Marty got Evangeline to open up about her feelings, admitting that she's not over Cristian. Vange complimented Marty on how she handled the situation with Starr and Cole, and Marty said she was truly sorry about Vange's breakup. The ladies parted on a good note.
Rex returned the cash to Roxy, who could tell that something was bothering him. He admitted that Tate might be giving him a run for his money. Roxy wondered if Rex was being "two-timed," but he assured her that he wasn't — Tate just takes his shirt off a lot for Adriana's job. Roxy tried to convince Rex that his pecs are just as good as this guy's, then put her foot in her mouth when she learned that he was talking about Tate Harmon the baseball player and implied that Rex might not be in the same league. She offered him a "fancy-schmancy" lunch at the Palace to apologize.
Tate continued to butter up Adriana, telling her how unbelievable gorgeous she is just as Roxy and Rex walked in. Rex walked over to their table and asked if he was interrupting something. Evangeline went to The Sun office to see Todd and looked like she was preparing to say something important. Meanwhile, Starr ran over to Cole's house, and he told her he had a plan: They would run away together.
Antonio and Talia wait for Dr. Crosby to arrive at the police department to hypnotize Talia. She's nervous about this, and doesn't want to screw up again. Antonio reassures her that everything will be fine. Crosby arrives and begins to hypnotize Talia. She relives the memory of finding the medallion in Nora's basement, and starts to describe it when she remembers realizing someone else was in the basement with her. Talia remembers trying to apprehend the arsonist, and Crosby asks her if she can describe anything about the guy. She can't, so Crosby takes her back to describing the medallion. She's able to remember details about most of it, including a dove in the middle and some letters around the edge. Crosby brings Talia out of hypnosis, and Antonio asks her if the sketch that was drawn triggers any memories for Talia. Neither she nor Antonio can figure out the significance of the medallion. Crosby suggests that the dove might be symbolic of something. Talia is convinced that the key to figuring out the arsonist's identity is in the text on the medallion.
As Jessica looks at the slip of paper she wrote Nash's name on, Natalie enters the diner. Natalie tells Jess about the almost-engagement. They hug. Jessica then turns serious and asks Natalie if everything between Nat and John has been worked out. Natalie tells her that everything is great. Jessica warns her to be sure, because if there are any problems still lingering, getting married won't solve them. This prompts Nat to ask about Jessica and Antonio's relationship. Jess tells Nat that she and Nash are having issues with relating to each other. Natalie goes off on Nash, but Jess tells her that it's not only Nash's problem. Nat suggests that Jessica just give it time, because men need that. She brings up her relationship with John as an example. Natalie is certain that everything will work out. After Natalie leaves to go see John, Jessica takes out the slip of paper with Nash's name on it and burns it.
Later, Antonio brings Jamie to the diner to see Jessica. Jamie tells Jessica about the field trip she's going on for school. Antonio thinks about going along with them as a parent chaperone. Jamie asks if Jessica will go with them, too, and then calls Jessica Mommy.
Cole is packing and preparing to leave Llanview with Starr. Starr stops him. Cole thinks that Starr is having second thoughts about running away. He then says that he's out of plans and doesn't know what to do next. Starr tells him that they need to do this, but they can't worry about packing a lot of stuff. Starr tells Cole about the last time she ran away, and how it didn't turn out like she thought it would. Cole asks her if she still wants to go through with their plan. She does, but wants to make sure they play it correctly. Starr tells him that they can't run away forever. After some period of time, they'll contact their parents to tell them what they've done. After settling on this plan, they tell each other, "I love you." Starr calls Langston, who agrees to cover for the two of them. Cole worries about Marty's reaction to being alone, and wants to leave a note for her. Starr tells him that they should wait until after they've run away, and drop a note in the mailbox. This way they'll be farther away when Marty gets the note. Cole agrees and they prepare to leave.
Blair goes to Capricorn to rehearse for her set that night, and is surprised to find Cristian there. They chat for a bit, dancing around the subject of their tryst on Llantano Mountain. Blair wonders how long they can keep the conversation going before they act on their feelings. They then playfully accuse each other of sexual harassment. After that, they agree that they had fun on the mountain, and Blair wonders if it will ever happen again. Then they commiserate over how they blew it with Todd and Evangeline by using sex as a distraction from their feelings. Blair apologizes for messing up Cris's chances with Evangeline, and Cris apologizes for screwing up things between Blair and Todd. Cris ponders what to do with his life now, especially since boxing and painting are out of the question. He considers asking Antonio if he can run Capricorn full time. This way, he'll be Blair's boss and they'll technically be off limits to each other.
Meanwhile, Evangeline stops by to see Todd. Todd realizes that she's not just there to see him, and he wants her to tell him that reason. Vangie challenges Todd to tell her why she's there. He tries to tease the answer out of her, and realizes that it must be something big because her sense of humor is gone. Todd asks her if Cris is taking her back, to which she says no. Todd still doesn't understand what's wrong, though. He starts to rant about Cristian, which gets Evangeline upset. He asks her what has her so hot and bothered, but she tries to brush him off. He insists that she should talk about it. Vangie sets a ground rule that she doesn't want to hear any more negative comments from Todd about Cris. She then says that she hates the way she's feeling and blames Todd for messing up her relationship with Cristian. Todd is silent for a while. Evangeline tells him to say something. Todd tries to act like a supportive friend, but has a hard time pulling it off. Vangie asks him if she can just hang out as his office for a while. Being with Todd is the only time that Evangeline feels happy because he doesn't remind her of Cristian. Todd hears her stomach rumble and offers to go get some snacks from the vending machine.
Blair starts to practice her song for her set at Capricorn. It's a song about the difference between loneliness and being alone. As she's singing, several things take place. Blair looks longingly at Cristian. Cris ponders something. Starr and Cole kiss and prepare to leave Marty's apartment. Cole looks back wistfully and grabs his bag, but doesn't notice that the letter he wrote for Marty fell out as he picked up the bag. Evangeline stares out of a window in Todd's office. Todd returns with some chocolate for her and comforts her.
Bo goes into John's office and offers him congratulations. John is confused about what he's being congratulated for. Bo clarifies that it's for John stopping the robbery at the Palace. He then wonders what John thought he was talking about. Bo realizes John is distracted, and tells John to work it out. Before Bo can leave, John tells Bo that Natalie thinks that John was going to propose to her, but says that he hadn't planned on that at all. John explains that he was going to put the ring in the safe at work, but forgot about it. Unfortunately, Natalie saw the ring when the robbers were trying to loot the Palace. Bo asks John how he plans on fixing this. John tells Bo that he can't come up with a good solution. Bo wonders if there is any way that John and Natalie could make things work. John insists that despite Natalie's protests, they both aren't ready for marriage. Bo simply tells John to be straight with Natalie, and John thanks Bo for his advice.
Bo runs into Natalie outside of John's office and notices how happy she is. He gives her a hug and tells her that if she needs anything, he'll be in his office.
Natalie enters John's office and gives him a big hug. Before John can tell her anything, she asks him how her fiancé to be is doing. They kiss. John stops her from doing anything else so he can tell her something. He tells Natalie that he loves her, but he wasn't going to propose to her.
Bo, Paige and Matthew spend a rare school night out together. Matthew shares that his mom thinks he's been cooped up at Asa's, while at the same time he's worried that she'll get sick again from her stress. Bo explains how it's normal to have worries about the people you love. He stresses that to Paige as well and that he doesn't want to lose her. Matthew spots Todd and goes over to say hello and to ask Starr to call him.
Cole and Starr wait for Langston on the docks and wonder how their parents will react to their running away together. He's wondering if she can leave her family for him. She'd choose him over them anytime, she calmly says. Langston arrives with money and a bracelet to return. Starr wants her to keep it until they meet again. Cole asks her to mail his letter but is unable to find it. He hopes someone else will find it and stick it in the mail. The girls exchange jackets, with Starr leaving some belongings in the pockets and Langston promises to deny that she knows anything. She gives Starr a gift of a "pay as you go" phone. They hug goodbye and shed some tears.
A big surprise to Jess when Jamie calls her "Mommy" is not surprising to Antonio at all. It's only natural, he says. Jess doesn't want her to forget Kerry plus R.J. will have a problem with it, she thinks. When Antonio asks his daughter if she knows the difference between her real mommy and Jess, Jamie is sure that she does. Jess runs out of excuses and agrees with Antonio that it will bond them all closer as a family. Especially if Bree calls him daddy. They realize that they will have to think about Nash too but Antonio is only too happy to make a statement. He wants to take it one step further and suggests that Jess think about adopting Jamie. She's taken aback but he thinks it fitting, considering that she and her brothers were adopted by Clint. She will be proud to be called mommy but gives no answer on the adoption. When she takes an emergency call from Miles, the subject is ended for the time being. Jamie tells her daddy that she hopes her new mommy doesn't leave like her first one did.
Thinking that she heard incorrectly, Nat hears from John that she didn't. He had no intentions of proposing to her at the Palace and is uncomfortable when she asks if he means just that night or at all. Flustered, he explains that he is just not seeing marriage in the cards with the way things have been between them. He does love her, he says. She can live without the paper then, she quickly states. He still looks ill at ease which prompts her to ask if he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Still no answer from John. She asks, what about tomorrow? When John still doesn't reply, Natalie realizes that he was going to break up with her. He had plenty of time to think in the hospital and wanted to explain who he is and who he'll always be, he tries to tell her. He wants to go somewhere else to talk. She feels like an ass for telling everyone but he takes the blame and says it ‘s him who's the ass by leading her on. Again Natalie asks if he's breaking up with her. Vincent is called down to the station by Talia, to look over the drawing of the coin she saw at Nora's. Putis is Latin for pure, he surprisingly tells her. The dove represents peace. A strange combination for an arsonist but no, Vincent does not recognize the coin itself and it does not belong to him. She knows he's not the arsonist, he tells her. She admits later that the man in the mask was not an Afro-American. A frantic Marty, finding Cole's letter dashes into the police station for help. Getting no satisfaction, she bursts into John's office, interrupting the conversation between him and Natalie. Natalie is not happy at all, but Marty quickly fills John in, telling him that they have to find the kids before Todd finds out. He asks Natalie if they can talk later. Marty feels that she made a mistake by wanting to send Cole to military school and she's embarrassed when she's unable to answer questions about Cole's daily habits and things that he likes to do. John sends out an alert, for all patrols to keep their eyes open. He learns that Starr's jacket was found at the train station but that no young kids have bought any tickets. On a hunch, he sends a patrol to the bus station. The kids are spotted but the cops are busy with another problem. He decides to go himself, with Marty insisting on riding along. She apologizes for interrupting his obviously serious conversation with Nat. Natalie makes a phone call and tells someone she needs to meet. She then locates Todd and informs him on the actions of Starr and Cole. He has his own way to deal with it, he says, jumping up and leaving.
The young couple end up at the bus station, where Cole purchases tickets to Cleveland. It's not romantic, he admits, but it has the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is far away. Starr believes that Todd will eventually be so happy to see her return that he'll welcome Cole into the family with open arms. Their bus is boarding and they are happy to be on their way. Suddenly, their path is blocked. It's Todd.
Nash showed up at Antonio's loft with baby Bree and inquired about Jessica, who was off responding to Mile's urgent call. When Miles opened the door to his suite, it was clear that he'd been drinking as he wrapped Jessica up in a big, long hug. She saw the trashed room and immediately asked if he'd been robbed; he thought back to his earlier outburst. Evangeline asked Talia for an update on the arson case. Vincent found Natalie crying on the pier. John and Marty drove off in search of Starr and Cole before Todd could get to them, unaware that Todd was strangling Cole at that very moment.
Natalie admitted to Vincent that she was beginning to trust him, despite his "gangsta-cool" façade. As he pried into what was bothering her, she held her gaze elsewhere until she finally cried out that it was over between her and John, recalling the disappointing moment when John admitted the truth to her about his intentions. Vincent asked what kind of game John was playing and said he would never do something like that to a woman. She revealed that she dropped the bomb about Starr and Cole to Todd so that he'd go nuts and upset Marty, who had just taken John away from her in a crucial moment. She assured Vincent that she was fine so that he would leave her alone.
A lot of screaming ensued as Marty caught Todd strangling her son and John pulled Todd off of Cole, who looked understandably shaken. A security guard showed up and John tried to quiet down the warring families. Todd admitted to planning a GPS tracking device in Starr's purse, to her great disbelief, and told Starr that she was grounded until her teeth fall out.
Evangeline pushed Talia for details on the case, saying it had become personal for Nora. Talia snapped back that she'd been attacked twice by the perp, so it's personal for her, too. Vange asked to see the sketch and was stunned that it was a familiar symbol. She recalled seeing it when she was growing up; a white supremacist group had painted it on her family's house to scare them out of the neighborhood. Vange suggested they involve the feds. Talia took off for Antonio's.
Meanwhile, Antonio and Nash sat down for a beer and discussed Antonio's job, the arsonist, anything but the obvious. Nash pointed out that the arsonist's targets were random, but Antonio argued that they weren't and the cops are getting closer to finding out why. Antonio changed the topic and told Nash that Jess was thinking about adopting Jamie. Nash sarcastically commented that they would be one big, happy family. Talia interrupted at just the right time.
Miles confessed to Jessica that he trashed his own room because he was angry and that he'd had a really rough night, starting at with the Palace robbery. He recounted telling Marty that he was attracted to her and planting a kiss on her only to receive a slap in the face. Jessica advised him on the importance of a woman's consent. What she was getting at was that Marty has a painful past, so she asked him to make a strong pot of coffee and clear his head to hear the story. Jessica stunned Miles with the truth that Marty was gang-raped in college. When he said he hoped the rapists would rot in prison, Jess revealed that they had all done their time and that one had even turned his life around: Todd Manning. Miles was upset, but became calm. As Jessica left, Miles told her she was a wonderful niece and asked her permission to kiss her on the cheek.
A bellhop delivered a letter to Miles. When he left, Miles was chilled to see the sender's name: Spencer Truman. He began to read the letter, which said that Spencer had something of utmost importance to confide in Miles. Talia informed Antonio of the supremacist group's motto: Unus Putus Populus, or "One Pure People." When Talia said she didn't see Nora's connection to the arson targets, Antonio informed her that Nora's Jewish, and they concluded that it is a group of white supremacists causing the fires. John dragged the Manning/Thornhart gang back to the station and chaos broke out as soon as he left the room. Starr made a deal with her dad: She'd break up with Cole if Todd left him alone. Meanwhile, Natalie sobbed on the pier and came face to face with John.
