"Still a bit dazed from his interrupted sleep, Mateo staggered into Max's room to make sure that his son was okay. Max hugged his father closely and again called out for his mother. Hayley entered the room to see what was going on, but she knew that there was little she could do. In her motel room, Raquel reflected on the judge's decision to give sole custody of Max to Mateo. When the phone rang, she literally lunged onto the bed to reach it. "Max?" she said answering the phone. Matt told Raquel that while everything was okay, Max missed her. Raquel didn't wait to hear another word. "I'll be right there!" she exclaimed. Within a split second, Raquel had her coat on and Max's teddy bear in her hands and was headed out the door.
"Drop that needle!" Gillian shrieked. Gillian feared that Jack was trying to introduce some type of truth serum or other drug into Ryan's bloodstream. Ryan couldn't help but smile at his wife's frenzied reaction. Jack assured the Hungarian princess that the American judicial system did not drug those accused of crimes. All the while he appeared mildly amused by Gillian's actions. Gillian recalled the many movies she'd seen and then feared that Jack might be preparing to give Ryan a lethal injection. Gillian warned Jack that he'd "have to get through" her before he could do harm to Ryan. Jack asked Gillian to step outside the cell area and wait until he was done. "Of course," Gillian gasped. She thought that Jack wanted to get rid her of so that she could not witness what was about to happen. Jack tried to convince Gillian that no harm would come to Ryan, but Gillian did not believe a word the attorney said. Ryan finally spoke up and told his wife that she had no reason to worry. He explained that he had made a deal to get out of jail by agreeing to give a blood sample. Gillian's face suddenly dropped. She reminded Ryan that Trevor had advised him not to give a blood sample. Then it hit her: If Ryan was getting out of jail, she had slept with David for nothing. Gillian held Ryan's hand while a lab technician drew the blood. Jack asked the technician to put a rush order on the analysis. The man explained that even a rush order might take a week or so. The reason was that the semen sample taken from Kit's clothing was relatively small and would result in a slower than normal testing process. Jack lived up to his promise and told Ryan that he would work on his release papers immediately. He did, however, warn Ryan not to even think about leaving town. Ryan looked at Gillian and smiled. He then turned back towards the District Attorney and said that he would not flee town because Pine Valley was his home. Ryan thanked Gillian for her help and offered to take her back to Wildwind. Gillian told Ryan that she did not want to go back to Wildwind because she would have to do so without him. Ryan was stunned that his wife would give up her "palatial" digs at Wildwind for something far more modest.
Edmund walked Kit back to her hotel room and found himself invited into the room for a nightcap. Over a glass of cognac, Edmund invited Kit to the upcoming Crystal Ball. He explained that the Crystal Ball was a New Year's Eve charity event he had started in Maria's memory. Kit was flattered by the invitation, but she told Edmund that she did not want to mire the celebration with scandal. Edmund gave Kit a funny little glance and told her that he wanted her in attendance---and did not care what anyone else thought. Kit asked Edmund to tell her about Maria. Edmund was reluctant to talk about his late wife, but he eventually summed her up in a few appropriate words. He called Maria "one of the kindest people" he knew and noted that she was "a wonderful mother." From the difficulty Edmund had in speaking about Maria, she knew that he was still very much in love with her. Edmund confirmed her suspicions and admitted that he missed Maria very much. A knock sounded on the door. Kit answered the door and found her big brother waiting to deliver the news of Ryan's decision to undergo a DNA profile. The news was welcomed, but neither Kit nor Edmund seemed particularly jubilant. Jack told Edmund that he had agreed to drop the assault charges in order to entice Ryan into the test. Edmund nodded and told Jack that he'd done the right thing. The sooner they obtained evidence, the sooner Ryan could be put on trial, Edmund said. Edmund decided to call it a night. After he left, Jack told Kit that he felt the need to play big brother. He asked Kit what was "going on" between her and Edmund. Kit smiled slightly and told her brother that she and Edmund were just friends. Jack told Kit that if she decided to become more than friends with Edmund, he wanted her to know that Edmund was still very much in love with his wife. "So he told me," Kit said disappointedly. Jack gave his sister a big, comforting hug.
Mateo tried to comfort Max with the latest video game gadget, but it didn't help much. Raquel burst into the room and handed Bosco, Max's teddy bear, to her son along with a big hug. Max told his mother that he did not mean to "be a baby," but said that he missed her. Max found little to like about his new bed and room at Wildwind leaving Raquel to do the best she could to "talk up" the new surroundings. She told her son that he wasn't being "very nice" to his daddy by wanting to leave so soon. Max refused to spend the night in the castle unless his mother could stay with him. Matt stepped into assure his son that there was no reason to be afraid. Seeing that his words had little affect on Max, Mateo agreed to let Raquel spend the night. Hayley sighed slightly, but did nothing to voice her opinion on the matter. Raquel looked to the other Mrs. Santos and asked her if it would be okay if she spent the night. "Yeah, it's great," said Hayley unenthusiastically. Max begged his mother to play "hippopotamus" with him. Finally, the much hyped game was revealed. In the game, Raquel started off by asking Max if it was "time to feed [his] pet hippopotamus." Max, in turn, replied, "No." Raquel then went on to something else bizarre---asking if it was time for Max to put his shoes on his hands and walk around on his hands. Again, the answer was negative. Max looked to his dad and told him that it was his turn to play the game. Mateo thought for a few seconds and asked Max if it was time to jump into the pool with his clothes on. Max veered off the game's path and shouted, "Yes!" I believe that the game was supposed to go on until someone asked Max if it was time to go to bed. Nevertheless, Raquel tickled Max when he gave his answer and Mateo soon joined the pair on the bed. Matt, Max, and Raquel all giggled happily. Meanwhile, Hayley stood at the foot of the bed feeling like an outcast. She quietly returned to her bedroom and crawled into bed. She pulled a pillow over her head so she would not have to hear Raquel singing her son a lullaby.
Having no place to call home, Ryan and Gillian headed for the boathouse. They bundled up in a few spare blankets and prepared to spend the night sleeping outdoors. They huddled together to keep warm. Ryan again thanked Gillian for helping him out at the station, but he wondered how she'd gotten her hands on fifty thousand dollars. Gillian swallowed hard and claimed that she'd hawked some of her grandmother's jewelry. Ryan happily noted that since the bail money had not been needed, Gillian could go back to the pawnbroker and buy back the jewelry. Gillian forced a smile and said that that was wonderful news.
Dixie strolled aimlessly around the park watching young couples pass by hand-in-hand. She sat down on a bench and recalled a happier time when she and Tad sat in the park as lovers. By an ironic twist of fate, Dixie would soon find Tad falling at her feet. After purchasing a Christmas tree from a vendor on the other side of the park, Tad decided to lug the tree back to his car. The cumbersome tree proved too bulky for Tad and he tumbled to the ground right in front of Dixie. The two former lovers stared silently at each other, the awkward silence continuing for quite some time. Dixie finally broke the silence by jokingly asking Tad if he'd taken on a new job as town lumberjack. Tad asked Dixie if she'd mind some company and, after Dixie slid down on the bench, sat down beside her. Tad teased Dixie by telling her that he had considered buying "a plastic tree" this year. The tree, he said, had a hidden face that popped out every so often and sang Christmas carols. Dixie looked at the gigantic tree and asked Tad if he needed some help decorating it. Tad shook his head and told Dixie that he believed that he and Jamie could do a decent job on their own. "What if I make a date and you don't show?" Tad quipped. Dixie bowed her head. Tad apologized for the uncalled for comment. Seemingly out of nowhere, Tad asked Dixie if she'd spoken to Del lately. A few years back, Dixie had donated one of her kidneys to Del Henry, her half-brother. Dixie worried that Tad had somehow found out about her recent health crisis. He later explained that he thinks about Del every year around Christmas because that was about the time that the transplant had taken place. Dixie quietly noted that she doesn't speak to her brother on a regular basis---if at all. Tad mumbled that it was rather rude of Del to leave town with "an internal organ and Kendall." Del left Pine Valley to move to Florida with Kendall Hart, Erica's daughter. Tad told Dixie about the charges pending against Ryan. Dixie was concerned by the news, but became infuriated when she learned that Kit was the same woman who had falsely accused Tad of rape. Tad disappeared momentarily and returned later with a special surprise for Dixie---a bucket of chicken fingers. As the first snow of the season began to fall, Tad and Dixie sat on the park bench munching on "their" snack."
- Soap Central