Friday, July 13, 2007
Brooke flipped out on social worker Dorothy about her kids being taken from her. Stephanie scolded Brooke for being so erratic and expressed worry that she was headed for a breakdown. Brooke accused Stephanie for twisting the situation to punish her. She warned Dorothy that Stephanie was exploiting the social worker's authority to get at her. Dorothy defended her ethics and insisted she was acting out of her professional duty. She announced that there would be a hearing concerning her kids the next morning, and stormed out. Nick arrived to check on the kids and was shocked to learn what happened, and even more shocked to learn that Stephanie got Child Protective Services (CPS) involved. Nick and Dorothy argued. Stephanie chimed in and said that Brooke needs professional help. Nick told Steph she's already getting it with Taylor. Nick demanded that Stephanie look the social worker in the eye and tell her that she's only doing this for her grandchildren's sake.

Ridge brought Hope and R.J. to see Ashley. Ashley comforted Ridge as he expressed his concern over what happened that night. A defiant Brooke showed up on Ridge's doorstep and vowed to fight Child Protective Services. Ashley stepped out to give them some privacy, and Brooke lamented how she's been falling apart because of the double rejection she's gotten from Nick and Ridge. Brooke explained her side of the story, and then asked to wake up the kids to bring them home. Ridge informed her that the kids are staying with him for the night. Brooke insisted that what's happened to her is a conspiracy directed by Ridge's mother. When Brooke pressed to take her kids, Ridge informed her that CPS gave him temporary custody, and conceded that in her state he wouldn't let her have the kids now "even if he could." Brooke flipped out and accused him of betrayal. "I would expect this from your mother, but not you!" declared Brooke, before calling Ridge a son of a bitch.

Thursday, July 12, 2007
Dorothy, Stephanie's pal from child protective services, told her she'd tried to track Deacon down, which led Stephanie to reveal, "Brooke got pregnant while he was still married to Bridget...I think you can understand now why I'm really concerned about my grandchildren." She started to tell her about Brooke's breakdown a few years ago when she got a call about the 911 situation at Brooke's.

While Nick looked for his missing lighter, Brooke told the kids to hold each other tight and stay away from the fire they'd started. She was lamely trying to tamp it out with a blanket when Ridge walked in. He saved the day, grabbing the kids and putting the fire out with an extinguisher. Then he questioned Brooke, which put her on the defensive. "It's just that last night you left them alone here, and now today the house almost burns down," he worried. Then the firemen came, responding to the alarm. They were followed by Dorothy and Stephanie, who went on the attack. Brooke told her to get off her private property. That's when the firemen found Nick's lighter, which pissed off Ridge. Hope explained Nick hadn't smoked his cigars in front of them and that they'd been making pirate maps. She guessed it fell out of Nick's pocket and apologized for starting the fire. (Cue the fire extinguisher PSA.) Ridge pointed up the fact that it was Nick's lighter. Based on that and her recent chat with Stephanie, Dorothy announced she had to remove the kids from Brooke's home and was placing them with Ridge. Of course, Steph agreed. Ridge worried the move was "drastic" but when the kids came out to see the fire truck, Stephanie convinced him to go take them home and leave Stephanie and Dorothy to tell Brooke about it. The firemen assured Brooke she shouldn't feel guilty and that it was a harmless accident, but that didn't change Dorothy's mind. "On the heels of what happened — you leaving the children alone, how traumatizing that must have been for them. And yet, you turn around and leave them with the same man. Yes, your judgment is being questioned," she informed her. That's when Brooke realized her kids were gone. She demanded to know where they were, getting so emotional the fireman had to pull her back from Dorothy.

When Felicia picked up Alexandra for a sleepover, she teased Thorne about his "big plans," but he didn't respond. Once alone, he sat on the floor and cried to a picture of Darla. "Ally doesn't even want to celebrate her birthday. I tell myself every morning that I have to be strong for our little girl. She needs her daddy. But it's just too damn hard! Why were you taken away from us?" he demanded and then downed some prescription pills with what looked like alcohol.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Ridge and Ashley continued to get "steamy" and smoochy in the sauna. Meanwhile, Brooke continued to berate herself and asked Taylor what's wrong with her. Taylor complimented Brooke on her new level of self-awareness, and suggested that Brooke is addicted to love and relationships. Brooke asked how she can overcome this, and expressed concern over how her behavior might be affecting her children.

Stephanie and Nick traded barbs and threats over Brooke and what happened with the kids. While Nick continued to watch the kids, Stephanie ran off and complained to the Dorothy, the social worker, about how Brooke dumped her kids on the guy who almost let Hope drown last summer. Ridge questioned Stephanie's motives for doing so, but Stephanie insisted she only had the kids' best interest at heart. Brooke returned home and told Nick about her impromptu therapy session with Taylor. Nick told Brooke that Stephanie popped by and encouraged Brooke to keep her guard up with Stephanie and never let her ex-in-law get her down. Nick kissed the kids goodbye while Brooke complimented Nick on what a great parent he is/will be. When Brooke left the kids alone for a minute, they grabbed Nick's lighter which he had left behind, lit a candle and dropped it on the rug, which started to burn. The kids screamed for help as Brooke realized they were trapped by the fire.

Nick went to see Taylor and she thanked him for lending a hand with Brooke. Taylor told Nick that Brooke admitted to her that she's still in love with him. Taylor asked Nick to smoke outside when he pulled out a cigar, but then he realized his lighter was missing.

Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Stephanie kvetched to Eric and Ridge about Brooke and what happened the night before. Steph was annoyed when Ridge wanted to pay Brooke a visit out of concern. Eric admonished Stephanie for meddling and warned her to stay away from Brooke. However, Stephanie remained undaunted and insisted that Brooke isn't capable of sound parenting. Nick visited Brooke to spend time with Hope and R.J. Nick offered his support to Brooke after finding out that Ridge rejected her. Brooke admitted to Nick that she still loves him. Brooke explained to Nick that she realized she's lost sight of what's most important, her children, so she made an appointment to see Taylor ASAP. Nick agreed to watch the kids while Brooke saw Taylor. Nick presented the kids with a treasure map, dressed up as a pirate and had the kids dress as pirates too. Nick burned the edges of the treasure map with highlighter and told them this was to prevent others from discovering the treasure. As he played with the kids the doorbell rang and Stephanie showed herself in. Stephanie told Nick to leave and she'd watch the kids. Nick insisted he can handle things. Nick defended Brooke to Stephanie when Stephanie bashed Brooke for what happened last night. Nick warned Stephanie to not try kicking Brooke when she's down: "That's not gonna happen — not on my watch."

Taylor was perturbed when she found out that Brooke was the patient who scheduled an appointment with her. She insisted she could get Brooke an appointment with another therapist ASAP, but Brooke said it would take too long to explain everything to a complete stranger. When Brooke insisted she was in crisis and put her kids in danger last night, Taylor reluctantly agreed to speak to her unofficially, as a friend and not as her therapist. Brooke admitted she's in love with both Ridge and Nick, and told her how alone and powerless she's feeling now that both men have rejected her. Brooke berated herself for her poor impulse control and the poor choices she's made in her life. She suggested that maybe her kids would be better off without her. Taylor reassured Brooke that she's a competent mother, and "feelings and emotions are not facts." Brooke insisted that "every rotten thing about me is true," and declared that she needs to change before something terrible happens.

In Ridge's office, Abby gave Ridge a gift, then left to go to the movies. Ashley and Ridge bonded over their kids. Ridge told Ashley he's going to spend more time with R.J. while Brooke is pulling herself together. Then he surprised Ashley by taking her inside the sauna. Once seated inside Ridge and Ashley began to chat flirtatiously amid the steam. The two locked lips.

Monday, July 9, 2007
A horrified Brooke discovered she spent the night in her car by the side of the road. At the house, meanwhile, Hope and RJ woke up alone and frightened. The little girl dialed 911 and reported: "My mommy is lost. Can you find her?" Her revelation that she hadn't seen Brooke since the day before got cops on the case, and Lt. Baker went to the Forrester office to alert Stephanie. Shocked, Stephanie raced over to comfort her grandkids, praising them for taking care of each other. Moments later, a Child Protective Services official showed up, but Stephanie realized she knew the social worker and told her she couldn't believe Brooke would leave the kids alone. Just then, Brooke ran in, breathless and confused about why everyone was there and what had happened. She explained how she'd pulled off the road after a near-accident. However, Stephanie claimed she smelled alcohol, and also spotted a cocktail napkin with a phone number on it.

When Brooke asked Hope where her aunt had gone, the little girl told her "she had to go away," and an angry Brooke gasped, "She couldn't even wait...I called to check in and I have no idea why she would leave them alone." She explained the smell of alcohol was from a spilled drink, and that a man's phone number on the cocktail napkin did not mean she slept with him. Oddly, Stephanie backed her on her alibi, and the authorities left. Brooke tearfully promised the incident would never happen again, but Stephanie warned: "If you break this promise....I'll do whatever it takes to protect" the children.

At Forrester, Stephanie told Ashley she didn't like the way Hope and RJ were being raised, and that she didn't want them to be raised how Rick and Bridget were. After the home-alone incident, Stephanie confessed to Ashley that she feared Brooke was about to go on "one of her sexual rampages." She also related a tawdry piece of Brooke's romantic history, recalling Hope was conceived after Brooke slept with her own daughter's husband. "I'm not crazy about Brooke's parenting style," she told Ash, pointing out it was good Child Protective Services had the home-alone incident on file. "If Brooke doesn't get control and take care of the children, somebody else is going to have to," she said.

Meanwhile, Constantine pressed Felicia for what she knew about another woman in Rick's life, but Felicia balked. Constantine got the impression that it might have been one of Phoebe's friends, but Felicia told him he was "barking up the wrong tree." He pressed her later: "What wrong tree?" but Felicia said she wouldn't help him break up Rick and Phoebe.

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