Paul's Office:
Paul reveals to Isabella that he has a grown daughter who is now in college. He admits that he abandoned mother and daughter at first, and then later married her mother. It didn't work out, and it was never revealed to girl that Paul was her father. Isabella encourages Paul that it is never too late to form a relationship with his daughter. Paul admits that he has never gotten over the decisions he made where his daughter was concerned.
Computer Lab / Hall:
Escorted by security, Larry Warton makes his way to see Amanda who is in the computer lab. He stops by to check on details concerning dinner at Katherine's and to make sure that everything is okay since last they talked. Amanda tells him that it's cool of him to stop by like that. Amanda tells Larry that she is slowly getting over the whole Ralph thing, but she is reassured that Mac does not seem to be worried about him. Larry admonishes Amanda not to use Ralph's name, since it only gives him more power over her. As Amanda is about to leave, she spies Billy and Danielle sharing a kiss in the hall. Larry remarks that Billy isn't letting any grass grow under his feet. Amanda worries that Mac will be hurt if Billy's new relationship is thrown in her face. Moments later, with Billy at his locker, Larry approaches with something on his mind.
Backstage:
There is confusion about the set. Billy avoids talking to Mackenzie about it. Danielle tells Billy she doesn't blame him for avoiding her. Billy and Danielle are still planning to go out to the movies tonight and her place afterwards. Danielle admits to Billy that she has had a thing for him for a couple years, and that she noticed him "looking" at her despite his involvement with Brittany and Mac. Billy leaves to turn in a paper. Danielle approaches Mac and asks if she is going to have trouble with Billy's interest in her. Mackenzie tells Danielle once again that she will have no trouble from her, and then tells Danielle to get out of her face. Later, Amanda comes in to see Mac. Amanda inquires about whether Mac will be coming to Katherine's dinner. Mac says she will welcome the diversion. Amanda offers for her to bring a friend, perhaps a guy. Mac declines and confides that she feels like she is being watched when she is alone on stage. Amanda gives a look of concern.
Victor's Office:
Victor receives an unexpected call from Julia, thanking him again for all that he did. She also tells him that she sensed that there was something more to his visit, and that she is there if he ever wants to talk. As thanks her and hangs up, and in walks Nikki. Somewhat startled, Victor tells her that it was a business call. Nikki tells him that it didn't sound like a business call. She also tells him that ever since his business trip (to Julia's) he has been more reserved, but that it's okay since she is determined to enjoy the relationship as it goes without trying to rush anything. Victor tells her that she shouldn't worry about his seemingly reserved behavior, and then asks her to accompany him to The Chapel for Malcolm's memorial service.
Neil's Office:
Victoria and Neil attempt to piece together the events leading up to Malcolm's fateful trip. She points out that Isaac's observation of the bruised knuckles is puzzling since they weren't like that when she saw him last. She suspects that they have the order of events wrong. Neil wonders if they will ever know what happened. Olivia and Nate arrive. Victoria tells Nate how much his father loved him, and how sorry she is for his loss. After hugging Olivia, Victoria leaves. Olivia tells Neil that Nate wants to know why his father isn't coming back. Neil tells Olivia that he will talk to Nate alone and meet her at the service. Olivia leaves. Neil explains to Nate that since 9/11, we all look at the world differently. Malcolm had the heart of a hero, and he had to try to save those people, so Nate shouldn't be mad at his dad. When Nate realizes that his dad died a hero, he hugs Neil tightly.
Malcolm's Studio:
Phyllis continues to accuse Alex of hiding the truth about Malcolm's death, and suggests that she should have told Malcolm about her suspicions concerning Alex and Neil -- if she had, perhaps he'd still be alive. Alex tells Phyllis as much as she knows of the events that led up to Malcolm's leaving the hotel, but Phyllis continues her antagonism. Victoria walks in and tells Phyllis that it has to stop. Alex storms out. Victoria questions Phyllis about what was going on and Phyllis responds that the whole story doesn't make any sense, and that she will get to the bottom of things. When Victoria asks her how, Phyllis runs out in tears.
The Chapel:
Olivia and Aunt Mimi have gathered in the lobby. Alex comes in with and sets up her collage. Neil and Nate come in, and Nate tells his mom, Aunt Mimi, and Alex that his daddy was a hero. Olivia is relieved that Neil has been able to reach Nate. Phyllis walks in, and she and Alex exchange stares.
Jabot:
Brad and Ashley talk about the memorial service for Malcolm. Brad wishes Ashley didn't also have to worry about her biopsy too. After the service they will go to the doctor. She doesn't want to tell the family yet. Jack interrupts, not knowing what he's walking in on. Brad covers by saying they were thinking of Mal. They feel bad especially for Nate who has a father again. Brad gets Ash's coat prompting Ash to ask how things are with her brother. He will fill in the family at a later date.
Crimson Lights:
Sharon talks with Doris. She thinks spending a week with Nick is too much too soon. She thinks a night alone would be a good start. Nick arrives and Sharon is about to pitch the idea to him when he tells her he has another late meeting that night. Sharon tells Doris that she isn't giving up though.
Later, Larry tells Amanda about his talk with Billy. She had the same suspicions. She's also worried that Ralph is on her mind. Larry shares some inspirational stuff that he learned from prison. Amanda thanks him for being so open about his life. He attributes it to her.
Walnut Grove:
Mac tells Amanda that she feels like she's being watched. Amanda wonders if it's a student or someone who works there. She details the odd little occurrences recently. Mac thinks it might be stress from the break-up. They will meet up for dinner later.
Larry asks Billy about him and Mac. Billy tells him to stay out of it. Larry tells him not to rub anything in anyone's face. Danielle wants Billy to have his dad speak to Larry. Mac asks what's going on. Larry is a friend of her mom's. Danielle laughs at Mac's bizarre family life. Danielle has bad news, her parents will be home. Billy decides to use Ashley and Traci's old playhouse (his and Mac's special place) to spend time with Danielle later.
Paul & Isabella's:
Paul asks Isabella if she's going to the memorial with him. She doesn't think it's appropriate to reveal in public their relationship at the service.
Church:
Mamie compliments Alex on her collage of Malcolm. Neil appreciates it too. Victoria begs Phyllis not to tell anyone, especially in church, about her suspicions of what drove Mal to his death. The minister goes over last minute details with Alex and Neil. Phyllis finds it hypocritical of them. Mamie reads a condolence card from Drucilla. Nate asks if he can say something at the service. He needs to. Liv agrees and helps him jot a few ideas down. Other guests arrive as Victoria continues to try to rein Phyllis in. No one wants to hear her accusations. Phyllis is sure he found out what was going on between Neil and Alex. Victoria assures her that all she saw was Alex very much in love with Malcolm. If she makes a scene she will regret it. An emergency calls Victor away. The Abbotts and Carltons arrive. Ash hugs Olivia. Jack finds a lone Phyllis who wonders why he's there. He's there for her. Mal was very important to her. Jill reminisces about the first job she hired Malcolm for. The service begins. Victoria flashes back to Ryan's funeral. The minister gives a wonderful service. Nate goes up and speaks about the hero that his daddy was. Liv is so proud of him. Whatever happened that night, he was thinking about how much he loved Nate. Sometimes heroes don't come home and Nate should be very proud of his father. She tearfully says a goodbye to Malcolm, thanking him for showing them all what a hero truly is.
Following Malcolm's memorial service, Victoria was overwhelmed by the emotion of being there and remembering Ryan's death. When Nikki went to get their coats, Victoria again cautioned Phyllis against reading anything into Neil and Alex's closeness. Nikki then took Victoria to Victor's penthouse and explained to Victor how upset Victoria was. Victoria changed the subject to her parents' relationship. Victor went upstairs after Nikki was interrupted by a phone call from Brad. She sensed something wrong in Brad's tone, but when she mentioned it to Victoria, Victoria told her that her job at Jabot was coming between Nikki and Victor. Nikki disagreed, telling Victoria they were back on track and having dinner together that night. Victoria offered Nikki a job at Brash and Sassy, which Nikki turned down. When Nikki went to make tea, Victoria decided to leave. As she moved Victor's coat, the ring box with the diamond fell out of his coat pocket.
Following the memorial service, Paul asked Katherine how Lauren was doing and said he would call her soon. He also asked if Lauren had mentioned talking to his mother recently. Lynn overheard and asked Paul if everything was okay with Mary. Paul reminded a hurt Lynn that she was right, and he should never have put Lynn in the middle of their problems. He then went home, where Isabella had planned a romantic evening for the two of them. After exchanging massages and talking about their growing closeness, they made love.
Brad and Ashley also decided not to go to Gina's following the memorial service, instead going to Jabot to wait until it was time for Ashley's doctor's appointment. After Brad talked to Nikki on the phone about rescheduling their meeting on the anti-aging cream, he and Ashley went to Dr. Thompson's office. Dr. Thompson told them that Ashley's biopsy hadn't provided the results they'd hoped for.
At the reception at Gina's following the memorial service, Jack expressed concern to John and Phyllis about Ashley's mood. John said that Ashley was very sensitive and probably had needed some time alone. When Gina joined them, Phyllis walked away. Jack explained that Phyllis was under a lot of strain and that he planned to explain everything in a family meeting soon. He then went to Phyllis and asked if Gina's presence was a reminder of everything that had happened with Daniel. Phyllis said it was painful to remember being in court and hearing that she was an unfit mother. She asked Jack if he was still reconsidering fighting for custody of Kyle.
Alex thanked everyone for coming to the memorial service and to Gina's. She talked about how special Malcolm was and how much he had meant to all of them. When Neil went to stand beside her, Phyllis glared at them. Neil picked up on her attitude and questioned her about it afterward. Phyllis walked away from him. When Neil asked Alex what was wrong with Phyllis, Alex explained that Phyllis had confronted her in Malcolm's studio about what had happened in Kenya. Neil wanted to go after Phyllis, but Alex asked him not to. He thought over the conversation he and Victoria had about the sequence of events in Kenya. He wanted to discuss it with Victoria again, but Nick told him that Victoria had gotten too emotional at the memorial service and decided not to join them at Gina's.
Phyllis talked to Nate about how Malcolm had been her best friend and what that meant to her. She also shared with him that Malcolm had once told her that Nate was the most important person in the world to him. Later, as Gina sang "Amazing Grace," Alex, Neil, and Nate were all lost in their separate memories of happier times with Malcolm.
Jill talked to Sean, Marisa, Lynn, and Katherine about her memories of Malcolm's astounding talent and how much he had meant to her. Katherine admitted that she hadn't known Malcolm well, but did know that he was important to Jill and she was sorry. After she walked away, Sean said if he hadn't seen that himself he wouldn't have believed it. Jill confessed that there were moments when she and Katherine stopped fighting, and though it would be nice if there were more of them, it wouldn't happen. Their feud was "in the blood."
As Sharon and Nick shared their concern about what Nate was going through, Sharon finally got the courage to ask Nick if they could have dinner together soon. When Nick asked if she meant with the kids, she said that would be fine, too, but she had thought perhaps Doris could keep Cassie and Noah so the two of them could be alone. Nick seemed hopeful until he clarified that Sharon wanted to have dinner so they could talk. Having hoped for more closeness between them, he was disappointed and said he'd get back to her. Their conversation was interrupted by a business call, so Sharon went back to Crimson Lights alone. When she told Doris how noncommittal Nick had seemed, Doris urged her to be more optimistic. Meanwhile Nick, still at Gina's, recalled his chance meeting with Carrie and how she had flirted with him.
Victoria looked at the diamond ring that she found in her father's pocket. Nikki approached as she put it back, acting smug about how things would end up between her parents. She had Nikki totally stumped by the time she was ready to go. Upstairs, Victor tied his tie and looked in the mirror, thinking of Ashley's words, "I am not blinded by my love for you anymore. You are a vindictive ruthless manipulative man. I never want anything to do with you ever again." He came downstairs to meet the ladies. He was a little mysterious about his plans for the evening with Nikki. He didn't have any food in the cupboard when she offered to cook. He looked at his watch, making her wonder. Victoria watched as gentlemen from the Colonnade Room came off the elevator with a large bouquet of flowers, dinner, and champagne. Then she knew that he father had big plans for the evening. Victor called them inside when they knocked and Nikki was quite surprised. As they sipped their drinks and Victoria left the corridor, she thought to herself, "I hear wedding bells!"
At the doctor's office, Ashley and Brad received the news that her tumor was malignant. After the initial shock, Ashley asked her doctor and the cancer specialist about what they should do next. She decided to proceed with a lumpectomy and radiation, then hope that it hadn't spread. The procedure would happen within the next few days. Ashley was frightened and had trouble staying positive. Brad hugged and comforted her. He asked if she was ready to tell her family. She couldn't do it yet. It was hard enough for her to accept the rest right now.
Jill, Sean, Kay and Esther returned to the mansion after the service. Sean offered to cook for them all and Kay accepted. Soon the doorbell rang -- it was Amanda and Larry. They had come for dinner, one that Kay had planned to help cheer up Mackenzie. Kay had forgotten about it. She insisted that they stay and Jill was even cordial about eating upstairs so that they could have the dining room. Kay thanked Jill and Sean for the effect that he was having on Jill. That ended the cordiality.
Cody asked Mac to take his place at Crimson Lights for a few minutes while he went to the dentist. Her first task involved serving Danielle and Billy -- she shoved the food in front of Danielle and riled her up. Billy told her to chill out and for a minute there, it looked like the date was off. Danielle moved quickly, though, and encouraged him to skip the show and go directly to his house. Her touch did the trick and he was out the door to pull the car around. She made sure that Mac knew where they were going and that they weren't wasting any time before she left. When Cody came back to take over, Mac was out the door in no time.
Upstairs at the Chancellor Estate, Jill insisted that Kay was using Larry Warton in a plan against her and told Sean that she would use her God-given guile to get it out of him. Downstairs, Mackenzie came in the door. She quickly announced that she appreciated what they were trying to do, but didn't want to see anyone tonight. They encouraged her to just give it a try but she rudely ran upstairs.
Out on the patio, Raul and Brittany talked about college plans. Raul had run into Mac inside and was concerned about her. Brittany realized that she would now have to be nice to Mac. He asked why it was different than when she was going out with Billy. She admitted that she had been into playing games and stressing out over where she stood. He was interested in her words. She shook her head and asked what in the world she had gotten herself into this time. . .
Billy and Danielle entered the playhouse with a chill in the air and dust everywhere. Billy acted like he was thinking a little about other times that he's been there with Mac, but when Danielle asked if they could hide out in the main house, he grabbed her and kissed her passionately. She shut up in no time, saying, "Wow! When you put it that way. "
At Gina's, Alex talked to Neil about her speech. He assured her that she did a good job and they were both glad that they were there for each other. Phyllis watched them talking and ambushed Neil as soon as he was alone. She started up again about Malcolm's death. He asked her to leave it alone and told her that if she were a man, he would have decked her already. She confronted Neil with her convictions that Malcolm must have run off because he found out about their feelings for each other. She finally gave up and asked Jack to take her home. Jack asked about her conversation with Neil and she admitted about her suspicions. He told her to drop it. She didn't them to get away with it if she was right, but Jack reminded her that his conscience would take care of that for the rest of his life.
Olivia asked Neil if something else was bothering him. He talked about the questions that were entering his mind concerning the events surrounding Malcolm's death. He thought that he'd better talk to Alex more about it, but this was not the time to do that.
Katherine persuaded Amanda and Larry to stay for dinner after an upset Mac left the house. After dinner, while Amanda was preoccupied by her concern for Mac, Larry talked to Katherine about what he'd learned from the mistakes of his youth and his time in prison. He said that his life had been turned around by the help of Nick and the Newman family, as well as some other good people. When Amanda excused herself to help Esther in the kitchen, Larry told Katherine that Amanda confused him. Sometimes they seemed close, then she would become distant.
Jill and Sean had been exercising in their bedroom, where Jill moved a treadmill so they could continue their training for the marathon. She told Sean the exercise kept her mentally fit, which would help her figure out what Katherine was up to with Larry Warton. She was convinced that since she'd never get any information out of Katherine, she needed to get it from Larry. When she went downstairs to get their dinner, she overheard Larry talking about Amanda with Katherine. When Katherine went to the kitchen, Jill told Larry what she'd overheard. She told him she could help him with his problem.
After Victor surprised Nikki with a catered dinner at his penthouse, Nikki reminisced about one of their first meetings, when she mistook him for a butler. She said Victor had always been a romantic and suggested that he send the staff home so they could be alone. They then talked about their interlude in Hawaii a couple of years earlier, just before everything began to go wrong between them. Nikki said it often seemed their most romantic memories were from the times they weren't married. As they danced to their song, "Looking Through the Eyes of Love," they both remembered their wedding and began to kiss.
When Nick's business meeting ended, Victoria asked why he was so eager to keep meeting at night. He told her that business was the only thing keeping him going. Victoria told him she knew something that would cheer him up. At first she was reluctant to tell him, but finally she admitted that she'd seen the engagement ring in Victor's coat pocket as Victor and Nikki were preparing to have dinner together. She began to cry as she hugged Nick and told him that a reconciliation between their parents would be proof for the whole family that sometimes things did work out the way they were supposed to.
Diego joined Raul and Brittany at Crimson Lights to bring Raul a letter from a college in Boston. When Raul refused to open it, Diego demanded to know what was going on with him. Raul said he was tired of living up to everyone else's expectations, and he asked Diego to leave. After Diego was gone, Brittany dodged getting her head bitten off by ignoring the letter. She asked Raul if he wanted to go hear a band at GCU. Raul said they needed student IDs, and Brittany reminded him that she could talk her way into anything. As they started to leave, Raul hesitated and finally opened the letter while Brittany silently watched him.
Billy and Danielle went to his and Mac's special place to be alone. As Danielle set up a seduction scene, Billy kept remembering being there with Mac. After Danielle made several remarks about Billy having been there before with someone else, Billy urged her to stop talking about the past. When they began to kiss, he lost his nerve and told her he was going to the house to get something for them to drink. When he came back, he found Danielle wearing only her sexy black underwear. Even as they kissed again, he couldn't stop thinking about Mac.
After Mac ran out of the Chancellor house, she went to Crimson Lights, desperate for someone to talk to. She was disappointed to see that Raul was with Brittany. When J.T. walked in, she grabbed his arm and talked him into going backstage at Walnut Grove's theater so they could be alone to talk. She asked J.T. not to give her any advice, then she told him how much Billy was hurting her. She felt like there was a hole in her heart that got bigger every time she thought about Billy. Finally she began to kiss J.T. At first he held back, unsure what it meant, and she told him she didn't want to think anymore. Suddenly she looked past him and became paralyzed with fear. When J.T. asked her what was wrong, she told him that she was sure she'd just seen someone watching them. J.T. turned around to look, but no one was standing there.
