"Emotional highs and lows swept through Pine Valley like a crisp autumn breeze. In the backyard of his home, Stuart and Marian enjoying a nighttime gaze into the heavens. Marian sat on a swing with Stuart providing her with an occasion push. Marian commented that she wanted their relationship to "stay like this forever." Stuart lowered his head slightly and asked Marian what would happen if their relationship changed. Marian's mouth gaped slightly. Her mind raced with unpleasant visions of a breakup. Stuart became very nervous and told Marian not to look at him while he said what he had to say. Stuart went back to pushing Marian and seemingly out of nowhere told her that he wanted to marry her. In mid swing, Marian was caught off guard---and went flying off of the swing. The mid-air flight ended abruptly as Marian thudded into a pile of leaves. Stuart raced to her side and asked her if she was okay. Marian shook the cobwebs off and broke into laughter. Marian told Stuart that she must have drifted off because she'd thought he asked he to marry him. Stuart grinned broadly and told his love that she'd heard him correctly. Tears began to stream down Marian's face. No one had ever proposed to Marian---not even her husband, Larry. Marian remarked that Larry was a bit of a "waffler" and had to be told to marry her. Other proposals had popped up from time to time from, but none had been from anyone worthy. Still, there was no response to Stuart's proposal; Marian must have forgotten that she hadn't given a reply. Stuart asked again, this time through clenched teeth. "I will be your wife forever and always," Marian replied softly. Stuart produced an engagement ring with a sizeable diamond and placed it on Marian's finger.
Jake arrived at an abandoned house to meet with his realtor. He knocked on the door, but there was no sign of Mrs. Altwind. Jack looked around for the woman, but after awhile he decided to let himself inside. Jack sat down at a card table and waited for the realtor to show up. While he waited, the pitter-patter of footsteps made their way through the house. Jack groaned slightly when he looked up and saw Erica standing a yard or so away from him. Erica was surprised to see Jack and asked him why he was there. Jack explained that he had an appointment with Mrs. Altwind and pointedly asked Erica why she was there. Erica, somewhat hesitantly, stated that she, too, had an appointment with the realtor. Erica beamed as she spoke of how fateful it was for them both to be at the same place at the same time. Kismet, she smiled, had brought them together. Jack had another one-word explanation for what had brought them together: Erica. Jack accused Erica of bribing the realtor so that she could spend some time alone with him. Erica vehemently denied Jack's charges and actually appeared hurt by the claims. Erica said that she had grown tired of playing games to catch Jack's attention. She explained that she loved Jack and that she wanted to be a part of his life. Why else, she asked, would she have showed up in court earlier in the day? Erica stated that it pained her to see the way Kit was twisting the knife into Jack's heart. Jack asked Erica not to use Kit as a tool to wheedle her way into his life. Jack tried to leave, but Erica grabbed his arms. Jack looked down into Erica's eyes and told her that he wants her to be "deliriously happy" and to focus her life on more important things like her career or ailing daughter. Erica shook her head and announced that the only thing she wanted right now was to get back together with Jack. Erica lifted up her hand and flashed the engagement ring Jack had given her. "All I have to offer [you] is love," Erica said softly. She looked Jack square in the eyes and asked him what she could do to convince him that they should start their relationship anew.
Edmund pulled his car into a parking lot near the bar where he'd last seen Kit. He didn't immediately see any signs of her. Edmund looked around and looked ready to return to the warmth of his car. Something caught his eye and he walked over to a dark corner of the lot for a closer look. There he found Kit sitting in the ground. Kit shook violently, her arms wrapped around her body. Edmund asked Kit if she was okay, perhaps wondering if Kit's inebriated state caused her to fall down. Kit said nothing. Edmund rummaged through Kit's purse and found nothing missing---so her knew she had not been mugged. Kit's mouth opened, but no words came out. A very quiet squeal was the only noise that the woman could produce. Edmund lifted Kit and carried her back to his car.
In New York, Dixie remained motionless on the floor. Her mind was still active as it conjured up a vision if Tad coming to her rescue and taking her to a hospital. In reality, however, Tad was nowhere to be found. Kicked out of Cortlandt Manor, Braden returned to his apartment. He did not see Dixie's lifeless form lying behind his dining room table. He poured himself a drink and went about his business---oblivious to the medical emergency just beyond his reach.
Ryan returned to Wildwind and found Gillian waiting for him in the parlor. The princess breathed a sigh of relief as her husband returned home safely. Ryan rolled his eyes at what he believed was false concern on Gillian's part and ordered her to go back to her lover. "I know the truth," Gillian said softly. Ryan's face crinkled up as he listened to his wife. "Grandmama told me that you're in love with me," she continued. Ryan cracked a smirk and told Gillian to "keep dreaming" because there was no way that he was in love with her. He also implied that Eugenia was "wigged out" and that she misinterpreted the conversation they'd had. Gillian didn't believe Ryan's denial and professed her undying love for her husband. Ryan couldn't understand why Gillian had slept with David if she was supposedly so in love with him. "I hate that I hurt you," Gillian replied. She claimed that she was only using David to make her feel like "a desirable woman." She rationalized her decision to have an affair by explaining that she'd thought that Ryan had had no feelings for her. Gillian wanted to be clear: she did not love David. She begged Ryan to give her a chance to make amends, but Ryan showed no interest in easing Gillian's feeling of guilt. He told her that there were no hard feelings between them because Gillian had not hurt him. In order to be hurt by her, Ryan explained, he would have to care about her---and that wasn't the case. Ryan denied having any feelings whatsoever for Gillian. In fact, he said that he was looking forward to going back to the old days where he could see whoever he wanted. Gillian said that she was sickened by the thought of Ryan having slept with another woman. Ryan grinned as he boasted of his latest sexual conquest, a "hungry blonde" he met at a roadside bar.
At Pine Valley Hospital, Tad showed up with a battered finger he said he'd hurt while trying to hammer a nail into the wall. Jake checked out Tad's finger (and gave his older brother a good ribbing about the injury.) Jake told Tad that he'd have to get his hand x-rayed, but the x-ray was delayed because a group of trick-or-treaters was having their candy x-rayed. As Tad lingered around the emergency room, Edmund rushed inside with Kit in his arms. Tad mused that he was used to seeing Kit in a semi-unconscious and drunken state. Jake asked Edmund to carry Kit into an examining room. Meanwhile, Tad got an urgent phone call from an unknown party. Tad took the call and assured the person on the other end that he'd be at their house shortly. Inside the examining room, Jake tried to check Kit's pupils, but Kit lashed out at him and refused to let him anywhere near her. Jake motioned to Edmund and asked him to step outside for a few minutes. There, Jake told Edmund that he feared that Kit might have been the victim of a sexual assault. As can be expected, Edmund was stunned by the thought of Kit having been raped. He asked Jake if he was certain that Kit was raped or if it was just a suspicion. It turned out to be somewhere in between the two. Jake placed a call to a female colleague and asked that she examine Kit for signs of a sexual assault. Edmund asked Jake if he could talk to Kit before she was forced to endure a stranger's probing examination. Jake nodded and Edmund returned to the examining room. There, Edmund sat on the edge of Kit's bed. Kit swayed back and forth gently, her arms still wrapped around her torso. Edmund told Kit that he was there to help her and assured her that he was still her friend. Kit's head turned slightly in Edmund's direction, although her eyes showed no sign of a "connection" with him. Edmund carefully asked Kit to tell him what had happened to her... and if someone had raped her."
- Soap Central