"With the Crystal Ball just a few hours away, final preparations were being made around Pine Valley. At Cortlandt Manor, Tad searched high and low for Opal, but he couldn't find her anywhere. Dixie slowly approached him and informed him that Opal had left for the party earlier with Stuart and Marian. Seeing that Tad was struggling to tie his bow tie, Dixie stepped in to assist Tad. Tad knew that it must have been awkward for Dixie to have asked him to move in to Cortlandt Manor. Instead of a reply, Dixie noted that it must have been equally awkward for Tad to have accepted her request. Tad admired Dixie's gown, saying that she looked like "two dinners on one plate." Dixie grinned and told Tad that he didn't look bad himself. Things warmed slightly and Tad eventually offered to give Dixie a lift to Wildwind. Braden stormed the room and bellowed that he was going to be Dixie's escort for the evening. Braden handed Dixie a gardenia corsage and offered to pin in on her---but Dixie coldly stated that she'd pin it on her purse. Tad wasn't without a date for the fete. A few minutes later, Paige Turner, an actress that Tad had reportedly met on the set of The Cutting Edge, waltzed into the mansion. Dixie was irked by the beautiful blonde who instantly took her place on Tad's arm, the same way Tad had been irritated when Braden bragged that he was Dixie's date for the Crystal Ball. Tad and Paige headed off to the ball. Dixie was furious with herself for letting Tad drive her crazy. Dixie scurried upstairs to kiss Junior goodnight. Meanwhile, Palmer snuck into the parlor and told Braden that he was doing a poor job of making Dixie forget about Tad. Braden insisted that he was doing the best he could. Dixie returned downstairs and, unaware of what the two men were actually arguing about, ordered her uncle and her escort for the evening to stop bickering and enjoy their evening.
David arrived at Liza's loft and gushed over how beautiful she looked in her dress. Liza rolled her eyes and told David that he'd better not say that she was glowing because, in her words, she was not "a radioactive isotope." Liza allowed David into her home and listened as he delicately hinted that he should be the one to escort Liza to the ball. It came as no surprise that Adam had already filled that role, but David still tried to wheedle his way into Liza's heart. David warned Liza that Adam would "shatter" her trust, but said that he would be waiting in the wings to pick up the pieces. Liza chuckled slightly and assured David that she could handle Adam. "I can send him to hell all by myself," said Liza. "And I look forward to the trip," Adam laughed from the doorway. Adam rushed David out the door. Liza, however, was a bit nicer and hinted that she might save David a dance. "We'll see you at the ball," Liza smiled. David nodded and smiled sinisterly.
At the boarding house, Myrtle made her way to her newest tenants' room and announced that she'd heard "the most disturbing news" about Ryan. Ryan and Gillian knew instantly what Myrtle was about to say. Ryan vehemently denied that he had raped Kit Fisher. Myrtle explained that she would not usually listen to idle gossip, but this gossip had come from a very reliable source---Brooke English. Ryan was careful not to attack Brooke's character, saying simply that Brooke had received unreliable information. Ryan also informed Myrtle that he had agreed to take a DNA test and that he was certain the results would prove him innocent. Myrtle said that she believed that Ryan was on the up and up. "You're no more of a rapist than the man in the moon," she said confidently. Meanwhile downtown, a police officer delivered the results of Ryan's DNA test to Derek's desk.
While getting ready for the ball, Hayley had flashbacks of catching Raquel sizing up her dress and of Raquel and Matt's little hand-holding session in the parlor. A beaming Mateo returned to the bedroom with the intention of escorting Hayley to the party, but he was in for a rude awakening. Mateo said that he wanted to take his wife to the ball. "Which one?" Hayley snapped coldly. Matt knew that something was wrong and asked Hayley to talk to him. After a few minutes of hesitation, Hayley blurted out that she caught Mateo "playing paddycake" with Raquel the night before. Mateo immediately knew what Hayley was referring to, but he claimed that she'd misinterpreted what she'd seen. Mateo first insisted that Raquel had taken his hand---and went on to say that they had been discussing Max. Mateo then asked why he would move Raquel to Wildwind if he was carrying on an affair with her. Leaving her at the Pine Cone, he snapped, would make much more sense. "I'm sorry," Hayley mumbled. "I'm an idiot." She bowed her head and was unable to look at her lover's face for several minutes. Mateo apologized for putting himself in a position he should not have been in and assured Hayley that he never wanted to hurt her. The two then shared a kiss and prepared to head downstairs to the ball. Elsewhere in the castle Wildwind, Eugenia loaned Raquel a gown she'd worn to her very first gala. "Your dance card will be full," Eugenia beamed when Raquel worried that she might not look nice in the gown.
With her hair up, Kit looked quite different. She entered the party early and thanked Edmund for her invitation. Edmund smiled proudly and said that he wanted all of his friends to be present. He also said that he was sorry that Jack was unable to see her "debut" into Pine Valley society. Kit said that she wished her big brother could be there to hold her hand. Edmund reached out and took Kit by the hand. "Let me play big brother for the night," he smiled. Janet and Trevor were the next to arrive. They were introduced to Kit and, as expected, there was a bit of friction. "It's nice to put a face to the reputation," Trevor muttered. Janet smiled civilly, but said nothing. Next to arrive were Stuart and Marian. Marian thanked Edmund for allowing her to attend the ball, saying that it was much better than her night in front of the television last New Year's Ever. Stuart had to step in and inform Edmund that Marian was his fiancé when he introduced them to Kit as Stuart and "his friend" Marian. Wearing a black sequin dress with a scallop-cut neckline, Brooke waltzed into the party solo. She told Kit that she was pleased to see her in attendance and gave Edmund a quick smile. Brooke looked around the party, but saw no sign of Dimitri. Edmund hadn't either and couldn't begin to figure out where his brother had scurried off to. As if on cue, Dimitri appeared in the doorway with Erica by his side. Dimitri and Erica walked directly to Edmund, Kit, and Brooke. Surprisingly, there were no fireworks. Erica smiled at Edmund and asked him how his Christmas was. Edmund told Erica that Santa had been good to him. Erica then told Kit that she was sorry that Jack could not be there with her. She and Dimitri then walked to the other side of the room. Dimitri appeared to be slightly stunned at the way Erica had acted. He called her behavior "very generous." Erica claimed that she would not ruin an evening dedicated to Maria's memory simply because she did not like Kit Fisher. Erica smiled happily and she explained why she'd accepted Dimitri's invitation to be her escort. "Because you are the most fascinating man I know," praised Erica, sounding like an advertisement for People magazine. Dimitri saw one additional reason that Erica might have overlooked. Being his date allowed her the chance to "stick it to Brooke one more time." Dimitri looked across the room at Brooke and commented that Brooke looked radiant. Erica blinked her eyes several times and made a funny face before she and Dimitri both erupted into laughter.
Mateo and Hayley finally made it to the party even though they lived the closest to the ball! Hayley again apologized to Mateo for acting like a fool earlier in the evening. Suddenly, Eugenia appeared in the doorway and asked for everyone's attention. "One thousand years ago," she began coyly, "I made my debut at a ball." She announced that a young lady would be making her debut at the Crystal Ball, much the way she'd done many years earlier. Suitably, the gown the young woman would be wearing was also the same dress she'd worn to her coming out. With that, Raquel materialized next to Eugenia wearing a beautiful charcoal colored satin dress. There was no applause or fanfare, but there were several warm smiles. Hayley wasn't one of them. She rolled her eyes and grimaced. Raquel walked towards Edmund and assured him that her grand entrance was all Eugenia's idea. She said that she felt very special to be a part of an evening dedicated to Maria---and seguéed into a story about Maria. Edmund listened intently to Raquel's tale. He then took her by the arm and said that he'd like to hear more about her memories of Maria. He then led her outside to the terrace.
Brooke noticed that Kit was standing by herself. She walked over to her new friend and told her not to be nervous because she was "among friends." Ironically, Tad and Paige walked through the front door at that moment. Brooke and Kit both glanced in Tad's direction and sighed.
Opal smiled proudly at Adrian and Belinda, calling them a "picture perfect couple." Adrian brought up his impending departure yet again. Belinda told Adrian that she'd miss him when he was gone. Opal, however, was silent.
Trevor and Janet shared a private toast. Trevor recalled that it was one year ago that he first popped the question to Janet. Janet's lips wrinkled as she reminded Trevor that she'd turned down his marriage proposal. Trevor laughed as he said that he "chased [Janet] down and wore [her] out."
Edmund returned to Kit's side and tried to cheer her up. He told her not to have "stage fright" because midnight would usher in a brand new era for her. The New Year, he said, would be about building a new life and forgetting the mistakes she'd made in the past. Tonight, he added, was about celebrating the return of Christine Montgomery.
Tad tracked down Erica and told her that he'd had the misfortune of bumping into Kit. "Don't let her ruin your night," Erica stated. She told Tad that Gillian had been kicked out of Wildwind as a result of Kit's allegations. She stated that she and Bianca both liked Gillian very much and that Gillian's only mistake was "falling in love with a wrongly accused man." Tad decided to forget about Kit and turned the topic to more pleasant things. He asked Erica how she was doing. Erica claimed that she "couldn't be better." Tad looked into Erica's eyes and told her that if Peggy were present, she'd probably say, "God love you for a liar."
The partygoers all gathered in the ballroom for Edmund's formal speech. He promised them that there would be no magic tricks or disappearing women like there'd been at last year's Crystal Ball. He thanked everyone for coming out to honor Maria's memory, saying that the presence of his friends "does good for her memory." Edmund stopped mid-sentence and gazed towards the back of the room. One by one, the crowd turned to see what Edmund was looking at. A silence fell over the party as Ryan and Gillian strolled into the room."
- Soap Central