"Resting comfortably in her livingroom, Liza was disturbed by a surprise knock on her door. She opened the door and found a beaming David standing in the hallway. Sassily, Liza asked David if he'd ever heard of a telephone. David grinned and told Liza that what he had to say could not be said over the phone. David told Liza that he had told Adam "a whopper" of a lie at the hospital earlier in the day. That intrigued Liza enough to allow David into her home. Liza worried that David's lie might somehow tie into her baby's health. David shook his head and said that what he and Adam had talked about what strictly man to man. David said that Adam had ordered him to stay away from her because they were on the verge getting back together. He also noted that Adam had told him that Liza does not need "a nursemaid." Liza wrinkled her forehead and sighed. She was disappointed in the way that Adam was treating her like "personal property," but it was not enough to make her angry. Adam had, after all, sat with her while she decided whether or not to undergo amniocentesis. David feigned surprised and asked Liza why she had decided to go through with the procedure when she had been so opposed to it before. Liza explained that one of her test results was elevated and that she had been advised to have the test done. David revisited his disapproval with Adam's overbearing attitude. He told Liza that he would never treat her like property. He praised Liza has a "strong, fiercely independent" woman who could take care of herself. Liza knew where David was headed. She told him that while she thinks he's a very attractive man, she wants to maintain their friendship and not move to another level. She admitted that some of what Adam had said about their getting closer was true. She drifted off slightly as she thought about her former husband, but she came quickly down to Earth. David claimed that he could accept Liza's decision to keep their "close working relationship" and that he would not ever bring up talk of romance again. "I want you to be happy," David said. "If Adam makes you happy than so be it." David smiled and left Liza's condo.
Judge Charles returned to the courtroom and announced that he had reached a decision. "I considered all options," the judge began. The judge went on to say that he had carefully considered what had happened in and out of the courtroom as well as what would be in the best interest of Max. What came next stunned everyone in the courtroom. "I decided to grant temporary custody to the child's father," Judge Thomas announced. Hayley grabbed Mateo's arm as Mateo's face fell. Trevor covered his face. Across the room, Raquel nearly burst into tears. She rose from her chair and blasted the judge's decision. She asked him how he could render such a decision. "He's all I have," Raquel said of her son. Raquel's attorney, Lynette Neal, tried to quite her, but it did no good. Lynette told the judge that his decision as "highly irregular" and asked him to reconsider. He would do no such thing. He told Raquel that he expected Max to be handed over to Mateo by the end of the night. "You don't understand," Raquel called out. "No, you don't understand," snapped Judge Thomas. He told Raquel that if she went against his ruling, he would have her jailed for contempt. He did, however, leave open a slight glimmer of hope for Raquel. He explained that his ruling would last only until Mateo and Raquel's divorce was final. At that time, the judge in their case could come up with an alternate custody arrangement. The judge left the room and thongs continued to fall apart. Lynette told her client that the judge was "a freak" and that she would file an appeal immediately. Mateo asked Trevor if their was a way to have the judge change his verdict. Trevor shook his head and confessed that he never expected the judge to give him sole custody. Trevor was called away and Lynette headed off to file an appeal. Raquel wandered over to Matt and begged him not to follow the judge's orders. "I'll take good care of him," Mateo said coldly. "You can visit him whenever you want." Mateo was referring to the judge's decision that Raquel had to have supervised visits with Max for fear that she would once again try to leave town. Raquel was still composed---until Mateo asked her what time he should drop by to pick up Max. Raquel raced from the courtroom in tears.
Jack let it be known that Ryan was not being arrested for Kit's rape, but rather for "assault and battery" on Edmund. Gillian pleaded with Edmund not to let Ryan get arrested, but Edmund said nothing. Jack look towards Edmund and asked him if he wanted to press charges. There was really no room for Edmund to back out because Jack stated that he would find some other charge should Edmund not want to press charges. Ryan argued that Jack was simply looking for a way to punish him for a crime he did not commit. Again, Gillian turned to begging and pleaded with Edmund to help Ryan. "Arrest him," growled Edmund. Gillian's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Gillian claimed that she should be the one to be carted off to jail because she wanted to hit Kit. Ryan "belongs in jail," Edmund sneered coldly. "I'm sorry you don't want to hear that." Edmund went on to say that Ryan deserved to be locked up for what he had done to Kit. Derek and Jack hauled Ryan away while Gillian still voiced her protest. "I hate you, Edmund," she screamed. "I hate all of you." Gillian scurried out of the restaurant and Edmund and Kit sat back down to eat. The other diners stared at the pair, perhaps trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Kit turned to the table behind her and told two women that they were welcome to join them at their table if they wanted a chance to eavesdrop a little better. Edmund was amazed at the way Kit was able to handle herself and proposed a toast to "freedom."
In night court, Trevor argued that his client, Ryan, was innocent. Jack, however, said that he had seen Ryan assault Edmund with his own eyes. Plus, he noted, Ryan was a suspect in an ongoing rape investigation. "I am not on trial for rape," snapped Ryan. While he was right on in his observation, his outburst might have cost him---literally. The judge ordered that Ryan be held on half a million dollars bail. Gillian, who had been observing the case from the sidelines, scolded the judge for what she saw as a bad decision. All of Gillian's carrying on failed to move the judge and the verdict stuck. Ryan was carted off to a jail cell. Gillian threw her arms in the air and asked how she was supposed to raise such a large chunk of money. Trevor explained that Gillian only had to come up with ten percent of the bail, but even fifty thousand dollars was too much money for Gillian. Still, the princess vowed that she would do whatever she had to do in order to free her husband from jail.
At Chandler Mansion, Dixie feared that Braden was going to tell Adam about her hospitalization. Braden was a bit more savvy than that and told Adam that it was true that Dixie had not been in Paris. He claimed that Dixie had been with him in New York enjoying the clubs, poetry readings, and carriage rides through Central Park. "Your taste in men is as good as always," Adam remarked impudently. He asked Dixie not to flaunt her "cradlerobbing" in front of Junior. Dixie assured Adam that she would never do anything to upset her son. Adam claimed to be happy for Dixie and explained that if Braden was her "current cup of pleasure" she should "drink up." Dixie pursed her lips together and smiled slyly. Braden was asked to leave the room while Adam and Dixie talked about some private issues. Adam told Dixie that he was thankful that she had decided to stay in Pine Valley for the holiday. But what Adam really wanted was to spend all of Christmas Day with his son. Dixie nodded her head and granted Adam time with his son. Adam offered to let Dixie and Junior spend the night at the mansion, but Dixie said that she'd have to think about it. Adam scurried out of the room and Braden returned. He knew that Dixie was going to kill him for hinting that they were lovers. Dixie, surprisingly, was not angry in the least. She told Braden that only Adam would turn poetry readings into a "torrid love affair." She explained that she wanted Adam and Junior to spend as much time together as possible just in case something happened to her. Dixie was convinced that this would be her last Christmas and she wanted to make sure that everything would be in order if the worst were to happen. Braden put his hand on Dixie's shoulder to comfort her. As he did, Adam returned to the room and smiled devilishly. He was obviously enjoying every minute of the chance to tease Dixie about her younger lover. "Not one word!" Dixie chirped with a smile. Braden headed back to Cortlandt Manor after Dixie decided that she would spend the night at Chandler Mansion. Dixie decided to step out briefly. When she did, Adam was conducting a "business meeting" in the main living room area. Adam spoke to the man briefly about the hell his daughter and her husband had been going through, He went on to thank the man for helping them all out. The man raised a glass of brandy. As the camera panned around, the man sitting before Adam was none other than Judge Thomas! "It's the least I could do," the judge grinned.
At the Pine Cone Motel, Angela and Max tossed a football around as Raquel packed up some of her son's belongings. Raquel was dying inside, but she did an absolutely incredible job of hiding her pain in front of her son. She did her best to force a smile and told Max that he would be spending time with his daddy. She talked up the opportunity to play baseball, catch, and even some sledding when the weather permitted. Max was very excited by the news and blissfully unaware of why he was going to be spending time with Mateo. Mateo arrived a short time later and Angela took Max into the other room while he and Raquel talked. Raquel told Mateo that she'd packed all of Max's belongings and made a list of the boy's favorite books and foods. Mac returned to the room and told his father that he was ready to go. He grabbed his coat and took his father's hand. As the father and son headed towards the door, Max turned around and asked his mother why she wasn't going with them.
A frantic Gillian showed up at David's room and begged him to help her. David reminded Gillian that when they'd spoken earlier in the day, Gillian had asked him never to speak to her again. Gillian told David to be quiet while she explained her situation. David started to laugh when Gillian asked him to loan her fifty thousand dollars. David told Gillian that she had hurt him deeply when she called off their affair and that he was not willing to part with such a sizeable amount of money to free a rapist from jail. Gillian proclaimed her husband's innocence, but David wasn't listening. Suddenly, David came up with an idea. He told Gillian that he would give her the money if he could have her "naked in [his] bed now.""
- Soap Central