Friday, October 21, 2005
With Brooke and Eric's marriage making the front page of the Fashion section of the paper, Stephanie turned to Taylor for support — aka a full-fledged therapy session. Taylor urged her to stay away from Brooke until her vengeful and murderous feelings were under control and then Stephanie's memories treated us to a montage of highlights from Brooke's affairs with both Eric and Ridge.

Meanwhile, Kristin and Zende caught up with the family, filling them in on all the fundraising they've been doing for AIDS treatment/prevention in Africa and thanking them for the contributions from Forrester, Spectra and Marone. With help from Thorne, Ridge, Massimo and Darla, they offered up tons of facts on the AIDS and orphan problem there. Things got a bit weird when Zende brought "Grandma" up and once he was excused, Kristin admitted they were really in town to get the scoop on Brooke and Eric, which she did. The family worried together over Stephanie's next move, not to mention her mental stability. Ridge feared for Brooke's safety and noted he was hoping she'd go to Genoa City for Lauren and Michael's wedding.

At the beach house, Eric assured Brooke that he'd wait patiently to consummate their marriage. Then he suggested she make breakfast in her sexy lingerie to make up for not wanting to do it yet. The flirtatious meal ended in a kiss and Eric seemed to be making progress with his newest round of seduction, but alas, thanks to (thoughts of) Nick, the ever-understanding new hubby was left hanging again.

Suddenly, Stephanie arrived for a classic Brooke/Stephanie tête-à-tête, but this time Stephanie admitted her obsession with Brooke as her own flaw. "I'm spiraling out of control," she cried and moved in to strangle Brooke. That's when Taylor interrupted the fantasy. A defeated Stephanie begged for her help. "I'm afraid I might lose control of myself," she sighed, clearly exhausted by the years of trying to fight Brooke. "She's ruined me."

Thursday, October 20, 2005
Brooke and Eric continued to smooch while Stephanie looked on. Brooke finally halted their petting and ordered the old bag to vacate the premises. After Steph made some more disparaging remarks at Brooke, Eric kicked her out. The newlyweds then got down to business on the couch with kissing and cooing but Brooke couldn't get in the mood (gee, wonder who she was thinking of? Nick? Maybe. Ridge? Maybe. Stephanie. Eewww.) She then tried on the sexy negligée that Eric brought her and suggested they go outside to enjoy their champagne but he wanted to stay indoors. Brooke wanted to call Bridget but Eric said that could wait until morning. With her stall tactics exhausted, Brooke finally confessed to an overheated Eric, "I not ready. I'm sorry." He was very understanding when Brooke admitted she was still in love with Nick. "I want to make this work Eric," she assured and went outside to think.

Taylor was still peeved over how Stephanie got shafted by Eric. "It's going to kill her," Tay predicted and Ridge agreed. Still looking for a fight, Taylor wondered if Ridge was bugged that Brooke was no longer available. Not surprisingly, he was put off by his wife's tact. "I am through with Brooke," Ridge insisted. Taylor teared up and they started to roll on the bed with passionate abandon.

Stephanie went to her very lonely house where Nick was waiting. "It all happened because of you," he growled. "I asked you to keep your mouth shut and you just couldn't do it." Steph pointed out that her actions were for Bridget's welfare but Nick scoffed at that defense. "Are you going to make me walk the plank, Captain?" Stephanie jeered, then pointed out that only Nick could rectify the situation by putting an end to Brooke and Eric's sham of a marriage. He then charged over to the beach house to find Brooke by herself on the front deck. He asked if she made love to Eric yet and Brooke told him no. "I'm moving on," Brooke sobbed and they embraced before she rushed back to join her husband.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Ridge feared a diminished role in Brooke and R.J.'s life now that she married his dad. She assured him that he will always matter and, after they commiserated about their current personal woes, they shared a tender embrace.

Stephanie was aghast by Eric's news that he married Brooke. She accused him of being duped by a tramp in need but Eric insisted Brooke had changed her reckless ways. "This is a new and approved Brooke?" Stephanie questioned. "I thought she was new and approved after Thorne and after Deacon and after Ridge, Round One." Eric continued to defend his new wife but Steph pointed out that Brooke would only break his heart. "But you know that, don't you?" Stephanie groused, then predicted that Brooke would be gone by his first anniversary. "Then I'd be a fool to say no to the happiest year of my life," Eric smiled. Brooke arrived and Stephanie warned that she would let the smirking bride use Eric "over my dead body." When the bitter ex-wife wouldn't leave at their urging, Brooke and Eric started to make out in front of her. Convinced they were faking, a masochistic Stephanie watched the newlyweds paw at each other.

"I'm looking at everything I ever wanted," Hector dreamily murmured to Taylor just before they melted into a passionate kiss. He swept her into his big, fireman arms and carried her upstairs. Then he woke up! Hec was only fantasizing about the passionate encounter. Taking a cue, he then confessed his true feelings to a surprised Taylor. He suggested that whenever she grew weary of being treated "like sawdust" that she can hightail it to him so he could make her the center of his world. Knowing he said enough, Hector wisely made his exit. As Taylor got ready for bed, Ridge showed up and announced that Brooke married Eric. "Your poor mother," Taylor lamented, then blasted Ridge's dad for his shabby treatment of Stephanie.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Back home from therapy, Taylor suggested Ridge move back into the manse, since they were moving toward solid ground in therapy, but Ridge was upset over her kiss with Hector. "We made a vow," he started. "I turned my life upside down. You asked me to leave the house. I did. You kissed another man. Nothing troubling in that." Taylor pointed to her vulnerability as the cause, adding that she'd already told Hector it would never happen again. Then, she said that at least this showed Ridge what "this constant pull you have for Brooke" does to her. "It is tearing me apart." Just as he again swore that Brooke wasn't a threat to their marriage, the phone rang. It was Bridget calling with news of Brooke's marriage, but she didn't tell him who she'd married. Anxious to get the whole story, Ridge walked out the door without hesitation, leaving his wife standing there. Conveniently, Hector showed up on the doorstep soon after. When he asked how therapy went, she sighed, "Rome wasn't built in a day." She told him Ridge was upset over their kiss, which made Hector mention the double standard. She was more concerned with Ridge's running off to find out about Brooke's new hubby. "Who knows?" she guffawed. "With Brooke, it could be anybody." Ridge had only proved her point by running out the door for Brooke in the middle of their conversation about her. "I feel like I'm sitting on a time bomb," she complained. "It's like any day, they could run into each other, lock eyes and all of a sudden: Bam! it happens." Hector tried to comfort her, but he wasn't sure she was wrong to worry. He also got in a few pick up lines, like, "Only a fool would lose you, Taylor."

On hearing that Brooke's new hubby was Eric, a frustrated Nick asked for an explanation, especially as his mom thought Eric was going to propose to her. Brooke reconfirmed her big news and Nick called her plan "a load of crap." Brooke, as always, said she was doing this for her daughter, but added that she was also doing it for herself. "I am not going to be a disgrace and a dishonor any more," she announced, telling Nick he had to be a good hubby to Bridget. He refused to let it go, but she insisted she wasn't available. When she told him her marriage was about more than love, Nick asked what it was about. "I'll tell you exactly what it's about: It's about passion!" he said, grabbing her and pushing her onto the couch. He insisted that she only felt that passion for him and she acquiesced. The two started making out on the couch — until Brooke cried out "No!" and pushed him away. "I've made my choice and there's no going back," she said. He looked committed to doing whatever it took to convince her otherwise, but instead, he walked out. Her next visitor was Ridge, who quickly spied the ring on her finger. Brooke's tack was very much that it wasn't his business whom she married and she turned the conversation over to Bridget. Ridge tried to guess "who put that ring on your finger." Brooke calmly explained, for the millionth time, that she was "a woman that is focused on her family." He asked her again who she married and she dropped the bomb, from Eric and Stephanie's divorce to their marriage. "Does my mother know about this?" he gasped. Then he said he felt like he was going to be sick. He started rationalizing that Brooke was only doing this for Bridget, but he still thought it was a mistake. "Tell me you're joking about this," he begged. When he scolded that "marriage is a commitment," she shot back, "I know. I made a commitment to you, remember." That made him see that the "truth" was that all her recent jumping around from man to man just proved that "there's only been on man" in her life. "Is it you, Ridge?" she asked. "Is that what you're trying to say?"

At the beach house, Eric tried to break the news to Jackie, who was still cooing and fretting over their upcoming nuptials. When he said there was no other ring, she said she'd seen the receipt and begged him to put it on. She started stuttering to make sense of things after he said there'd been a misunderstanding. "Tell me we're going to get married," she begged, but he further confused her by saying that he already was. When Eric said he didn't want to hurt her, the mortification began to set in. "I'm standing here in lingerie…that I found gift wrapped. I mean, there are candles. And you're telling me that you've married another woman?" She wouldn't let him talk about how much he'd enjoyed their time together and was beside herself when he said it was Brooke. She burst into tears, grabbed her coat and purse and left in Brooke's negligée. Eric quickly got over his guilt when a knock at the door came. He assumed it was Brooke, but it was his ex, Stephanie. She was relieved to hear he wasn't asking Jackie to marry him, but upset that he sent "Jonathan to some banana republic to gut a knee-jerk divorce." He responded that it was "born from years of hell with you." She insisted she loved him and begged him to put everything behind them, but he said it was too late. Then, he told that he'd gotten married in Vegas and, at her shocked expression, shot out, "You expected an invitation?" When she asked who he'd married, he only said, "You're not going to like this."

Monday, October 17, 2005
Bridget struggled to grasp the news that her mother and father had remarried, which they said fulfilled her lifelong dream. (Doesn't every kid dream of that!) She assumed Brooke had "roped" her Eric into another "reassure Bridget dance," but Eric swore that wasn't the case. He outlined all the recent events Brooke had survived, from losing Ridge, to Hope's near drowning and then everything with Bridget, and said those things made her realize he was the one for her. Brooke explained her desire for Eric was about family, not passion. Disbelief and accusation still heavy in her voice, Bridget asked Brooke to tell Eric that she loved him more than Nick, because she'd missed their vows. Brooke did as requested, telling Eric, "I love you Eric, completely and, more than a life with Nick or with anyone else, I want a life with you. And together, we can do amazing things — rebuild our family, take our company to new heights, partners to the end." Bridget noted she'd never described love as "partnership" in the past, but Eric again referred the recent event and how they'd shown her — and him — the "deeper meaning in life." He insisted their love was real and that they were the loves of each other's lives. Bridget remained suspicious, but Brooke told her that her own vision was more important to her than Bridget believing her. Part of that vision was Nick back with Bridget for their baby. Before Eric left the girls to talk, Brooke cooed, "You are the kindest man ever and now you're mine, again." Once alone with her mom, Bridget exploded. She was sure Brooke was using Eric and swore she wouldn't go back to Nick because Brooke still loved him, adding, "I don't give a damn who you go and marry!" Brooke begged her not to blame Nick and then said that she woke up and realized that what she wanted out of life "is a family and is a husband who can be there and who can support me completely, through everything. And that man is your father." Bridget wished that were true, but couldn't believe the marriage was a symbol of anything other than guilt and believed it would only succeed in hurting Eric. Then, she asked Brooke how she suddenly realized all this now and said she was sure Brooke wasn't over Nick. With tears in her eyes, Brooke proved her point by not denying it, so Bridget walked out.

Shortly thereafter, Nick, who'd been having more flashbacks at work, showed up and let himself in. He asked after Bridget and Brooke said, "She's going to be all right now." The love in her eyes was palpable as they walked toward each other. He professed his love and said he wanted to marry to her. He insisted they couldn't find happiness with anyone but each other. Brooke tried to drop the bombshell, but Nick misunderstood. "I want to put a rig on this finger," he said, only to find another ring was already there. Brooke then told him about the Vegas wedding, which she had to do for Bridget. "Who's ring is this?" he insisted and she told him.

Meanwhile, the tables were turned on a snide Stephanie when lawyer Jonathan informed her that Jackie was correct about Eric's quickie divorce. A flash of empathy passed over Jackie's face, but she was in for her own shock. She arrived at Eric's to be called "Mrs. Forrester," which only solidified her misunderstanding that the romantic setting was for her. She promised Eric's caterer she'd pretend to be surprised and unwrapped the box he'd left for Brooke. As she unfurled the sexy black lingerie, she growled, "If it's a surprise you want this evening, darling, you're going to get one. Just not what you expected." You can say that again! When her leg popped out from behind the door, Eric was excited. Then he saw it was Jackie, but he couldn't explain for all her gushing. She promised to love him for the rest of their lives. "Eric, you sweet man. You couldn't wait to wear the wedding band," she cried. "I love you!" Poor woman.