Miles opened a letter from Spencer, and Spencer appeared next to an understandably startled Miles. The late doctor gave Miles a pep talk about going after Marty, adding that Marty's rejection was only "a minor setback." Spencer reminded him that he had encouraged Miles to lead an "extraordinary life." Miles thanked Spencer for "everything you've done for me" but wasn't sure he wanted to get involved with something that had anything to do with Todd. Spencer asked Miles to read the letter he'd left for Todd and vanished.
Nash and Jessica ran into each other yet again. They squabbled. Nash made it clear he didn't think Jessica adopting Jamie was such a good idea. Jessica said her only mistake was letting herself feel anything for Nash.
Antonio and Talia discovered the arsonist was involved with a white supremacist group. Antonio asked her if she'd been the victim of a hate crime. "My family has had some problems, yeah," she said, "especially after 9/11." Antonio looked out the window and saw Nash and Jessica in a rather heated discussion. Jessica arrived home, and Talia left.
Antonio asked about Nash, saying he had seen Nash and Jessica outside. Jessica explained that Nash was upset about the news about Jamie's adoption. Jessica tried to explain things as best she could, but she wasn't making much sense because she had to lie. "He makes problems where there are none," she said, clearly flustered. Antonio went to bed. Jessica looked out the window and saw Nash sitting there.
At the police station, Starr said she'd avoid Cole if Todd promised to leave him alone and Marty wouldn't send him to military school. Todd didn't think that would work. Starr told Cole that he'd have to lose her, or others would be hurt. Marty thought Starr was doing the right thing. Todd wasn't sure he could trust Starr. "Look into my eyes," Starr begged her dad.
Cole agreed to go along with Starr's suggestion but wasn't happy about it. Todd told his daughter he was proud of her. "Someone has to be grown-up around here," she growled. Cole wanted a moment alone with Starr to say goodbye. Once alone, Cole told Starr "that was genius," but Starr reiterated it was really goodbye.
Starr said she was doing it for Cole, "for me," for Langston, for Jack. "Anything else is impossible," she said. Starr said they couldn't even text each other; their relationship was over. Starr and Cole kissed goodbye. Todd and Marty went back into the squad room and took their respective kids home.
John found a teary Natalie by the docks. John yelled at her for giving Todd the heads-up about Starr and Cole. "Getting married is not going to solve any of our problems," he yelled. "Is this relationship dead in the water?" Natalie countered. John said he didn't like the fact that Natalie always seemed to know what was best for him and, worse, acted on it.
Both John and Natalie agreed that though they loved each other, "that isn't enough," sobbed Natalie. "Maybe we're too much alike," she added. John said they had been friends before. "My best friend," Natalie wept. Natalie went home, packed her bags, and started to leave, but John stopped her, and they began to have breakup sex.
Tate flirted with Adriana, much to Rex's irritation. Tate bragged that he was sure she was interested in him. Adriana made it clear that she was in love with Rex. "Nothing is going to happen with you," she stated. "A guy can dream, can't he?" he countered. Tate drew quite a crowd at his first appearance as the spokesmodel for Exposed. Rex was jealous.
Rex asked if Adriana would hire a hot celebrity babe to model the bras. No way, Adriana replied. Despite her claims to the contrary, Adriana appeared to be jealous herself when she saw Tate and Layla kiss. The kiss was just an act to make it appear that Tate was taken; the women in the crowd kept flirting with him anyway. Adriana was also relieved to learn it was an act.
Sex or no sex, John and Natalie broke up anyway. Roxy interrupted the bittersweet parting and immediately sucker-punched John when she realized they had broken up. John and Natalie explained the reasons for the split. Natalie went home and told Viki, "John and I are over," and broke down in her mother's arms.
Todd visited his big sister, and she told him about her conversation/recent humiliation with Clint. Todd said that Clint and Dorian deserved each other. Viki said she wasn't going to throw herself at someone who didn't want her. Then she wondered why Todd was so happy. Todd gleefully shared that Cristian and Blair had "kept each other warm at Llantano Mountain."
Todd and Viki headed to their board meeting. Douglas Kline was introduced as the new board chairman, replacing Spencer Truman. Moments later, he asked Viki out to dinner. Todd replied on Viki's behalf. "She'd love to," he said. Todd pointed out to Viki that Douglas was "ruggedly handsome" and wasn't wearing a wedding ring.
Bo filled Nora in on what they had learned about the arsonist and his beliefs. Nora was, again, rude to Talia. Nora told Bo the police weren't working hard enough. "I want this bastard caught," she snarled and stormed out. Evangeline tried to calm Nora down. Todd showed up and asked Evangeline out.
Clint told Dorian he chose her. Dorian asked Clint if he was sure. Clint showered Dorian with compliments -- and some criticisms. "We have a lot in common," Dorian said. Clint asked Dorian for a second chance, and Dorian said, "No," but said she'd love to give them a fresh start.
Evangeline declined Todd's offer to go to dinner with him, so he suggested that he cook something for her. She accepted. Todd wanted to know what she'd like him to cook. Evangeline told him that anything would be fine because it meant more when someone cooked a meal than when someone just bought a meal. Todd asked her what her fantasy meal would be.
Evangeline remembered the first time she had gone to a Creole restaurant and explained how much that meal had meant to her. Todd was inspired to cook that for her, even though she told him he didn't have to. She gave him a small peck on the cheek then left.
Langston and Starr walked around the high school. Langston was chatting with Starr, but Starr was hardly paying attention to her. To get Starr's attention, Langston pretended to see Cole. Starr got mad that Langston had tricked her, and they had a fight. Langston thought Starr was being ungrateful for all the help Langston had provided when Starr and Cole had planned to run away together.
Langston took off, and Cole walked by. He wanted to talk to Starr, but she didn't want to. He wanted them to resume their relationship, but she was adamant about staying apart. Cole didn't believe that Starr's feeling for him had changed, and he told her he'd walk away from her if she told him she didn't love him.
Starr meekly said that she didn't love Cole, which proved to him that she was lying. He told her that he was going to fight for her because he didn't want to lie about his feelings. He walked away. Langston returned to comfort Starr.
Langston gave Starr a tissue to wipe her eyes. Starr wondered if she was always going to have that much trouble with her parents whenever she had a boyfriend. She also wondered if she had done the right thing where Cole was concerned. Langston reassured her that it would all turn out okay if Cole kept his distance. Starr really wanted to see Cole, so Langston asked if Starr was going to break her promise to her parents. Starr said that she couldn't but was still worried about how Cole would handle their breakup.
Miles took Marty a bunch of white roses as a way to make peace after forcing her to kiss him. She told him that wouldn't work with her. However, she still invited Miles into her office. He apologized again and told her that he knew what had happened to her in college. Marty was surprised that he knew something but didn't want to talk about the rape.
Miles compared his years in the sanitarium with Marty's rape, in that they were both trying to work out their feelings about them. He worried about losing Marty as a friend, but she assured him that wouldn't happen. Miles then told Marty that he understood why Spencer hated Todd so much, which confused Marty.
Marty then explained that Spencer had hated Todd because Blair had loved Todd, not because Todd had raped Marty. She went on to give Miles a brief history of Todd to help explain why Todd had become the man he was and how Todd needed to control women. Miles said that explanation made sense with what Spencer had told him.
Marty thought Spencer had talked to Miles about Todd while Spencer had been treating Miles, but Miles explained that Spencer had sent him a letter posthumously. Marty told Miles that he could tell her what the letter had said if he wanted to. He decided not to but needed to take some time to work out what to do with the information Spencer had given him.
Adriana was shocked that Rex thought she was jealous of Tate and Layla. They had a little quarrel because she thought he thought she was shallow. He disagreed, but he thought she liked the looks of him. She insisted that she was only exploiting Tate's look for Exposed, but Rex wasn't convinced. Rex asked her if she liked Tate. She responded that the only reason she liked Tate was because he was making money for their company.
Rex then asked Adriana if his jealousy was a turn-off. Actually, she thought it was a turn-on because it showed that he cared about her. Rex told her that he knew Tate had a thing for her. She mentioned that Tate had said he'd ask her out if she weren't taken, but she insisted that the Tate situation had been handled. Rex then mentioned that if another girl were interested in him, he'd feel a bit of a rush, and he thought Adriana might be feeling the same way.
Adriana was shocked, but Rex calmed her by telling her that he definitely wouldn't go out with the other girl. Adriana prematurely accepted Rex's apology for accusing her of wanting Tate.
Meanwhile, Layla asked Tate if he was going to leave Adriana alone. Tate cryptically told Layla that he planned to fight for Adriana. Layla was convinced that Adriana and Rex would have a long-term relationship. Tate begged to differ. She warned him not to touch Adriana.
Evangeline stopped by, and Layla reintroduced her to Tate. Tate greeted Evangeline and assured Layla that he wouldn't do anything to jeopardize Exposed. He then jealously looked on as Adriana and Rex made out, and he excused himself from Evangeline and Layla. Evangeline thought Tate was full of hot air, but Layla didn't think Tate was bluffing about his interest in Adriana.
John was punching a bag at the gym as a guy walked by, reminding him that there were others that wanted to use it. John turned to yell at the guy but found Michael standing behind him instead. He told Michael that he and Natalie had broken up, and Natalie had initiated it. Michael was curious if their breakup would result in them remaining friendly. John didn't think that would happen.
John asked Michael if Michael thought their parents would still be together if their dad hadn't died. Michael was sure they would but warned John not to compare their parents to his relationship with Natalie. Michael remembered their mom telling him that she and their dad would talk all the time, even if they'd only been apart for a short time. John asked Michael if that was what his relationship with Marcie was like. Michael said that was exactly what their relationship was like and that Tommy completed their circle.
Michael started to say something about the truth about Tommy but stopped. John wanted to know more. Michael covered by saying he was worried that Tommy's biological parents would want him back in the future. John assured Michael that wouldn't happen.
Cole walked into the gym, prompting John to tell Michael about what had happened at the bus station. Michael was impressed that John had been able to stop Todd from killing Cole. John was amazed that Todd and Marty hadn't had a major blowup at the bus station. Michael explained that parents could set aside anger to do whatever it took to protect their children.
Michael said that Cole reminded him of John and told John to not overextend himself, even if he thought he was keeping his cool. He then asked John if John was sure he had done the right thing with Natalie. John was convinced that he had done the right thing because he and Natalie had been fighting so much. John compared his situation with Cole and Starr's, and he thought Cole had done the wrong thing for the right reasons. Michael understood, and they headed off to the locker room.
The manager tried to give Cole a hand, but Cole said he didn't need any help. Cole then challenged the manager to a fight.
Meanwhile, at Llanfair, Viki comforted Natalie over her breakup with John after Natalie told Viki that she had initiated the breakup. Viki said it would take time for Natalie to get over their breakup. She told Natalie that she and Clint wouldn't be getting back together. They comforted each other.
Natalie told Viki that she'd thought everything would be okay between her and John because John had told her he loved her. She then explained how she'd jumped to the wrong conclusion about the ring John had been carrying. Natalie wondered aloud if she and John would be married already if he had never been in the accident. Viki said Natalie couldn't change the past and that she should just be concerned with taking care of herself. Viki said Natalie could stay at Llanfair as long as she needed, and they could keep each other occupied. Natalie asked that they not get too busy because she enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Todd barged into Llanfair, looking for pots, pans, cookbooks, and Viki's help. Viki helped him find the recipes he needed to cook for Evangeline, but she refused to help him cook because she needed to take care of Natalie. Natalie then returned from upstairs and wondered what Todd was planning. He told her he was trying to recreate Evangeline's favorite childhood memory. Natalie thought that was sweet and offered to help him with his preparations. Todd was ecstatic about getting her help.
As Todd grabbed some ingredients from Viki's refrigerator, Miles called Todd to give him information about his missing son.
Jessica paid her dad a visit and wanted to know how he was going to make things up to Viki. She was totally not acting herself. Clint wanted to prevent Viki from making a mistake and believed her actions mostly revolved around stopping him from being with Dorian, not pursuing him herself. She had spoken out in public about a private matter, and in fact, since it was private, he didn't want to discuss it.
Jessica just remembered how wonderful things had been when she'd been a kid, though it hadn't lasted. She and Antonio would have to make it last, Clint told her. She mentioned the adoption of Jamie, who finally had a stable life, but she felt like she was fighting it. She asked what was wrong with her for having serious doubts.
Clint reassured Jessica and advised that it was a major decision, but everyone screwed up their kids. He suggested she talk to Antonio if she was afraid of failing. Jessica changed her mind about her parents. She agreed that Viki had been wrong in what she had done.
Antonio had the adoption papers ready for Jessica's signature but seemed preoccupied as he and Talia waited for Vincent at the station. He confided that his blended family would be a little more complicated than most. Vincent learned that he was no longer a suspect in the arsons, and it turned out that Sean was familiar with the group attached to the medallion. He remembered his grandfather talking of them back in Chicago. The cops would call him.
Vincent vowed to find the white trash if Antonio didn't. He also wanted Sean's involvement kept quiet, which Antonio promised to do. Jessica arrived to pick Antonio up for their date, but since he'd be delayed, she agreed to meet with him at Capricorn. She couldn't sign the papers, she confessed, quickly noting that they needed to have a celebration to go along with it. She could sign them at the club later then, Antonio agreed.
At the coffee shop, Marty tried to chat with Starr, who really wanted no part of her since she and Cole had broken up. Marty assured her that she was not happy that they were miserable, and she was sorry things had turned out as they had. Cole had been more alive with Starr, and she was very grateful, but they had no future. Starr told her to shove it because she and Cole were not like Todd and Marty. In fact, she continued, if she were Cole, she'd wire Marty's jaws shut.
Natalie sauntered over and thought there was a problem, telling Marty to leave Starr alone because Starr loved Marty's son and was trying to do the right thing. Evangeline was there, too, and stood up for Todd. He was only sorry he'd gotten caught, Marty retorted -- Todd was too protective of his children. Evangeline felt that both Todd and Marty were responsible for what had happened.
Marty felt it was necessary to share some of the details of her rape. Evangeline insisted that Todd was a changed man, but Marty saw him as someone who always hurt the people who cared about him. She warned Evangeline that she'd find out herself.
Starr learned that Natalie and John had broken up, as well, and that sometimes the problems were too big even if a couple was in love. She and Cole got along fine, Starr insisted. It was her father who was the problem. Vincent and Sean entered the shop. Jones expressed sadness over Natalie's breakup.
Curiosity had Todd showing up at Miles's suite for news of his son. Miles insisted his letter from Spencer was real and that the boy was alive. The death certificate Todd had could have been easily forged as well. He could provide Todd with a clue as to the child's whereabouts, but he had to make sure that Todd was deserving. He didn't want to see an innocent child hurt.
Todd maintained that he was a good father and loved his children. Miles was trying to accept the fact that Spencer had not been the person he'd thought. After some back-and-forth over whether Todd was a good father or not, Miles finally handed over the part of the letter that he'd copied for Todd. The contents turned out to be disappointing, but it might be enough.
Just as Cole was about to take a beating from his sparring partner, John stepped in and broke them apart. It appeared that Cole might have a concussion, but he didn't want his mother to know because she was already freaking out over everything else, the boy confided. "Do you have a death wish?" John asked. He was at the boxing ring to prove he could handle Todd, Cole explained. "Sometimes you can't do enough," John countered, agreeing to keep the incident a secret from Marty.
John and Cole had a nice conversation. Cole explained that he couldn't do sports and would need several recommendations to play again. He also played baseball. He only had school and his feelings, as he needed to speak to a therapist as well. John offered to write one of the recommendations and suggested that Cole stop by the station to talk.
Nash drank alone at Capricorn as Cristian tended bar. He suggested that Nash go elsewhere, since Jessica wasn't around. He was there for a paycheck, Nash replied. Cristian was pretty rude and said he didn't want Nash around. He got the check and warned Nash to watch his step. As Blair got ready to perform, a drunk harassed her, and things got rather loud.
Cristian stepped in to help, but Blair was already retrieving a glass to crack on the man's head. Unfortunately, the timing was off, and Cristian was the one to get clunked instead. Nash went behind the bar to get some ice and towels, and Jessica was there. She accidentally knocked a drink over onto the adoption papers. Nash looked it over and wondered why her signature wasn't there.
Evangeline arrived at Todd's, but there was no answer to her knock on the door. She remembered Marty's earlier words of advice and figured she should have listened. She turned around and left.
Dorian and Clint, and Viki and Douglas played dueling daters at the Palace. Dorian was convinced that Douglas was a slimeball and was after one thing -- sex with Viki. Clint wanted Dorian to keep the focus on their date. Clint interrupted Viki's kissing session with Douglas and accused her of having had too much Champagne. Viki was annoyed at everyone and went home.
Antonio, Talia, and Nora heard about another house fire in Llanview, at 4910 King Street. "Our arsonist struck again," Antonio said. Fortunately, the fire was put out before anyone was killed. Moments later, they learned that Sean's grandparents' house had burned to the ground. Vincent offered to help pay their doctor's bills and find them a place to live. A grateful Sean gave Vincent a big hug.
Evangeline walked in on Blair tending to Cristian's bruised head. Bickering followed. Todd arrived with news that Todd Jr. might be alive. Blair thought Todd shouldn't believe what Spencer's letter to Miles said. Todd and Evangeline figured out that the baby might be in Chicago. Todd refused to take the letter to the police. Evangeline offered to accompany Todd to Chicago for the baby hunt. Blair watched wistfully as the two left Capricorn.
Jessica told Nash that whether or not she adopted Jamie had nothing to do with him. "But it has everything to do with us," Nash replied. Nash declared his love for Jessica again, but she wouldn't budge. She was staying with Antonio. Cristian demanded that Nash leave. Jessica told Cristian to calm down and butt out.
"I'm watching you," Cristian said. Jessica and Nash went on to argue and argue. Jessica ended the argument by signing the adoption papers right in front of Nash. "There," she said, "that should prove I'm with Antonio."
While talking with Bo, Rex put Tate's photo up on a dartboard and took aim, letting out his frustrations about the situation of Tate being after Adriana. Bo found a photo of Rex modeling Exposed underwear. "Something you'd like to tell me, Balsom?" he asked.
