"Inside one of the many rooms at Wildwind, Edmund and Dimitri took turns thanking Ryan, Gillian and Dixie for stepping up the plate and making sure that the Crystal Ball would take place. The two women expressed their unhappiness that neither Maria nor Alex could attend the festivities. Gillian realized that she'd forgotten the notes for her speech. Dixie offered to go to the turret and find them for her. After everyone but Dixie filed out of the room, David appeared in the doorway. Dixie became unusually nervous and tried to hurry out of the room. David ordered Dixie to "stop running" and accused her of being afraid of what might happen between them. Mateo wandered into the room and asked the pair if they'd seen Hayley. Dixie, though concerned, seized the opportunity to bolt from the room. David shook his head and politely told Mateo to get himself a new watch. "Your timing stinks," he grumbled. Seconds after David walked away, Liza and Adam appeared. They told Mateo that Hayley's car wasn't in the parking lot and that no one had seen her.
Brooke and Laura escorted Rain and two other homeless girls from the shelter to the party. Thanks to donations from Myrtle and Dimitri, the three girls had gotten a chance to "see how the other half lives." Rain was awed by the Wildwind castle and questioned how much money it costs to keep the place heated in the wintertime. Brooke told Rain that she wanted to introduce her to Count Andrassy. Again, Rain was in awe. She asked Laura if she had to curtsy upon seeing Dimitri. Laura shook her head and said that curtsying wasn't necessary, but noted that she would have to kiss Dimitri's ring. Rain believed her for a few moments, but ultimately Laura started chuckling and confessed that she was just joking.
Upon seeing Ryan and Gillian stroll into the ballroom together, Jake decided that he didn't exactly feel like partying. He tried to come up with a series of bogus reasons for why he needed to leave. Tad knew the real reason why Jake wanted out and didn't stand in her way.
Erica entered the party and immediately walked over to Dimitri. After cooing about how she always thought he looked regal in a tuxedo, Erica admitted that she'd come to the party dateless. When asked about Bianca, Erica explained that Bianca wasn't one for parties and probably was off at the movies or eating pizza with friends. Dimitri looked over Erica's shoulder and noticed that Bianca had entered the room on Jack's arm. As Ryan and Gillian took to the center of the room for the ceremonial "first dance," Erica raced over to Bianca and told her how beautiful she looked in her dress. Bianca became unnerved and quickly scampered off. Jack, meanwhile, pointedly asked Erica if she had tried to keep Bianca away from the ball. Erica chattered her usual explanation about Bianca's dislike of public gatherings, but added that she was trying to "save her some undo embarrassment." Erica told Jack about Greenlee's involvement in pushing Laura overboard on the yacht. Jack was shocked and agreed that Bianca should keep clear of Greenlee. However, he was also noticeably irked by what he saw as Erica trying to hide Bianca from the rest of the world. He warned Erica that she would push Bianca out of her life if she continued along the same path.
Bianca raced over to Rain and complimented her on how nice she looked. Rain smiled broadly and admitted that she cleans up nicely. Bianca repeatedly asked her friend if she looked "different." Rain commented on Bianca's hairdo and dress, but soon realized that this wasn't what Bianca had in mind. Then it hit her: Bianca must have come out to her mother. The two young women sat down in a quiet part of the room and Bianca recounted how Erica had taken the news. Though Bianca was convinced that things couldn't have been any worse, Rain reminded Bianca that at least Erica hadn't booted her out of the house.
Leo tracked down Laura and apologized profusely for what Greenlee had done to her. He insisted that he hadn't known the truth and vowed that Greenlee would never be a part of his life again. Laura absolved Leo of all of his guilt. In fact, she seemed quite happy to have Leo around as a pal again. Her mood soured when she spotted Greenlee strolling into the party on her grandfather's arm. Leo turned and caught sight of the spectacle and quickly whirled Laura off to the dance floor.
Brooke took some gentle jabs at "the feuding Marick brothers" and told them that she was happy that they were on good terms again. Ryan, meanwhile, took to center stage, so to speak, with Gillian by his side. The pair both held candles, the symbol for this year's Crystal Ball. "This candle represents a light in the darkness," said Gillian. "May it illuminate our hopes and dreams for the year to come." One by one, each partygoer was asked to light the candle of the person next to them.
Erica used the break in the action to storm over to Greenlee. Erica warned Greenlee to keep quiet on whatever it is she thinks she knows about Bianca. After being scolded, Greenlee ventured over to Bianca to vent her frustration. Greenlee blamed Bianca, whom she labeled "a twisted little lesbo," for destroying her life. Bianca shook her head and told Greenlee that Leo would have figured out what type of person she was sooner of later. Greenlee warned Bianca that she would pay her back.
Vanessa and Palmer approached Ryan and teased him mercilessly about his decision to oversee the Crystal Ball. Palmer remarked that he was glad there were no punchbowls at the party. Ryan assured Palmer that he was cooperating with the police and his insurance agents to make sure that the missing necklace was properly paid for. Vanessa thanked Ryan for trying, but told him that she'd rather have her jewels than an apology. Seeing that all of the candles had been lit, Ryan called for a moment of silence.
Hayley stood motionless on the deck of The Fidelity, a bouquet of flowers clutched tightly in her hand. Speaking aloud, she grumbled about how everyone else is carrying on as if Arlene is living it up in Amsterdam. She realized that Arlene really had been wrong when she said that they were alike. Hayley announced that she was worse than Arlene because she had killed her mother. Hayley tossed her flowers into the ocean. When she looked up, Mateo was standing just a few feet away. Mateo tried to convince Hayley that she had done the right thing by not telling the police what had happened to Arlene. Hayley said that she felt lost because she had always been able to turn to AA to talk about the things that were troubling her. Now, that had been taken away from her.
Back at the Wildwind gala, Erica and Dimitri shared a dance. Meanwhile, Marcus, the resident Pine Valley High jock, approached Bianca and asked her if she'd care to dance with him. Bianca seemed genuinely touched by Marcus sweet approach, but she froze when she noticed that Erica was watching her like a hawk. Erica smiled as broadly as humanly possible and tried to will her daughter to accept the dance invitation from across the room. Bianca, however, politely declined and a dejected Marcus was forced to dance with one of the cheerleaders.
Edmund approached tabloid writer Donald Steele and questioned him about how he'd gotten into the party. Edmund allowed Donald to stay, but asked that he try to be good. Greenlee also spotted the writer and quickly pulled him aside with the promise of giving him "the scoop of the season." Later, Greenlee approached Leo and told him that she wanted to say goodbye to him. "I'm sorry it had to end like this," she said softly.
Tad milled about the party trying to find Dixie. No one had seen her. Gillian did, however, tell him that Dixie might still be in the turret. Tad was amused that the princess lived in a turret, but declined directions on how to get there. He mused that he'd probably find it near the moat.
Hayley and Mateo finally showed at the party and were promptly introduced by Adam to Judge Ellwood Mayhew, one of Adam's friends. Seeing as the marriage license was already prepared, Adam decided to "walk into the next century" with Liza by his side.
Down at the turret, Dixie had barely a few seconds to look for Gillian's notes before David entered. Without warning, David grabbed Dixie and kissed her passionately. Initially, Dixie had no reaction, but after a few seconds she kissed him back. Dixie, however, had a change of heart and pulled away. She told David that they could not "do this." David countered, saying that they were "going to meet in each other's dreams and make love until daylight." Dixie proclaimed her love for her husband, but that didn't squash David's hopes of getting together with the woman he loves. "I have never needed another woman the way that I need you," he whispered passionately. Dixie told David that he could not have what he wants. David smiled slightly and told Dixie that he doesn't believe that --- and that he's sure she doesn't believe that either.
Greenlee showed up at The Fidelity and paced back and forth on the main deck. She placed a call to Leo's cellular phone. Before Leo could hang up on her, Greenlee asked that he tell her grandfather how much she loves him. She also asked that Leo go to the loft and take care of her dog, Lucky. As Greenlee was making a remark that she should have (almost) drowned instead of Laura, a foghorn blared in the background and Leo was unable to hear what Greenlee was saying. Thinking that Leo would understand that she was delivering a suicide message, Greenlee hung up the phone. She continued pacing the deck and told herself that she had thirty minutes to stage a near-drowning so that Leo could save her.
Back at the ball, Adam and Liza ventured off to someplace more private so that they could exchange their vows. Hayley lagged behind for just a moment, but it was long enough for Vanessa to spot her. Vanessa demanded to know where Arlene was hiding because she felt sure that she'd stolen her $500,000 necklace. Hayley tried to pull away, but Vanessa reached out and grabbed onto her arm. Hayley insisted that she had not idea where Arlene had gone, but Vanessa didn't buy it. She vowed to continue searching until she tracked down Arlene and the missing necklace. Hayley turned and angrily announced that Vanessa would never find Arlene no matter how hard she tried. "She's dead," Hayley snapped.
As the countdown to the New Year reached ten seconds, Donald Steele wandered over to Erica and Bianca. "So," Donald asked Erica as the countdown neared zero. "How do you feel about your darling daughter being gay?""
- Soap Central