"Tossing and turning in bed, and remembering what Anna said about Aidan being wanted for murder, Maria woke with a start to see Aidan sitting at the foot of her bed. He told her that he knew she was sleeping in this wing, and he had to seek her out. She warned him that she would scream, and Edmund would hear her. Aidan was surprised that she was afraid of him, but she told him that he killed someone so she has a right to be frightened of him. He wanted to explain his actions and told her that she would just have to scream, because he wasn't leaving. Maria relented and told him that she wasn't going to scream, and she wasn't going to call the cops. She knew he wouldn't hurt her, but she did insist on knowing the full story of Fiona. Aidan told her that Fiona was his reason for leaving, and she has to believe he didn't kill her. She repeated to him that if he didn't tell her the full story, she would call Anna. Finally, Aidan began telling her the story. He recalled waking up with Fiona in his bed, and how she tried to seduce him into staying home from work. He said that he had to go, but he would bring up her favorite food. Her last words were, "You always know what I like". Instead of going to work, however, Aidan returned early with a surprise for her. When he entered the room, he saw her lifeless body laying across the bed. Over the bed was written the words, "You're Next". Maria questioned why he didn't call the police. She said that her husband would have been a natural suspect to them, not Aidan. Aidan refused to answer her questions, and Maria assumed that her husband might have been somebody in power. She began asking Aidan if the murderer was the person who shot him. Aidan continued to stay quiet, and told her to drop it for her own good. She said that she'll decide when to drop it, but then they heard Edmund knock on the door. He yelled, "Maria? Are you still in bed?" She quickly hid Aidan before opening the door. Edmund, standing in the hallway, asked her to a romantic dinner with him to bring in the New Year. She said it would be great, and he left, promising that he had more to say later. When Aidan came out from hiding, he told her that he has to leave Wildwind, because he's putting her in too much danger. She told him that he can't leave until he's well enough, and she assured him that she believed he didn't kill Fiona. He told her he had to get back the stables, and he asked for her to look out for him as he climbed out the window.
Simone and Kendall arrived for work at Fusion, excited about the ideas they came up with. Kendall expressed her worry about Greenlee, however, and that she wasn't much help in developing ideas. Simone defended her by saying that she's still getting over losing Leo. Kendall sympathised with that, but told Simone they'll get a lot more done today if Greenlee didn't show up. They looked up to see Greenlee standing in the doorway, and she told them that if this is just going to be smash and trash, "I'm taking my glass box home." Simone apologized and said that it wouldn't happen again. Greenlee accepted it, and showed the two women that she had been working all night and finished the incorporation papers. Kendall then asked them who would be responsible for the expense account, because she needs to buy new clothes for a business trip to New York. Greenlee and Simone informed her that there is no expense account until they have income, and this started a boicterous argument between Kendall and Greenlee about money. Liza and Mia entered the office at this point, and Liza screamed at them to stop. She said that if this fighting continues, they will both be replaced. After Kendall, Simone, and Greenlee assured her that they would be professional, Liza told them that she uncovered a goldmine. She said that a company went bankrupt due to poor marketing, so they will be able to get the entire warehouse of product that they were selling. The women were excited at the prospect that they now have a product to sell. Greenlee gave everyone a job to do, including herself. Liza told Greenlee she should take a break for a few minutes. Greenlee knew what Liza was trying to do, and said that she doesn't want her to tell her how to grieve for Leo. Later, the women all met back when the tasks were completed. They felt like they were on their way, and Liza suggested they all meet at the Domino Club to celebrate. The women left to get ready, but Greenlee stayed behind, saying she she would meet them there. When they were all gone, she sat down in a chair and began sobbing. Liza reentered the room and walked up to her. Greenlee continued crying and she put her arms around Liza. Greenlee quickly got up, drying her eyes, and said that she's just had a lot on her mind. Liza knew what she was going through, and asked her if she's thought about seeing a therapist. Greenlee allowed Liza to give her the name of her therapist, but when Liza had left, Greenlee crumpled it into a ball.
J.R. showed up at Tad's asking if Laurie left any messages for him. When Tad told him that she hadn't, and asked him what was wrong, J.R. filled him in on what her dad had been doing to her. He told Tad that her father gets drunk and takes it out on her. When J.R. said that somebody needs to stop him, Tad responded, "Good idea." He told him that he'll grab his coat and they can both go stop him. When he had his coat, and was standing at the door, J.R. recognized that Tad was trying reverse psychology. Tad backed down and asked for more details. J.R. told him that Laurie's dad doesn't let her have a life, and hates him because his last name is Chandler. Tad told him that he would be acting just like Adam if he barged into their home uninvited, and told Laurie's dad everything that was wrong with him.
Laurie arrived home to see her dad bent over the sink. He said he was trying to surprise her, but she assumed that he had been drinking "today of all days." He turned around with a bowl of pancake mix, and said he was trying to keep up with New Year's tradition by making the same buttermilk pancakes her mom made. "Guess I should have known better," he said. She apologized for jumping to conclusions, and he said she only expected one thing from him, and it wasn't a home-cooked meal. She reminded him how he acted when she was with J.R., by pulling her out of his house like she was a prisoner. He apologized for his actions, but told her that he's a Chandler, and he's not like them. He said he's made some mistakes, but he is trying to get better. Doug went on to say that he doesn't know how to be a parent to her, because he always let her mother handle her problems. He said that he wished he knew how to fix things up like she did. He apologized for how he treated her, and she agreed to make the pancakes. After finding her mother's recipe, she asked him if they had enough buttermilk. He said there was another quart in the fridge, but when she opened it up, all she could see was the alcohol her father bought. He tried to justify it by telling her it was New Year's, but she grabbed her coat to leave. He asked her where she was going, and she said, "What do you care? You'll be drunk in a couple hours anyway." He looked after her as Laurie slammed the door on the way out.
J.R. continued to try to convince Tad that there was something seriously wrong with Laurie's father, but Tad said that losing the person closest to you can have a strange effect on a person. He volunteered to talk to Doug and tell him what kind of person J.R. is. There was a knock at the door, as J.R. told Tad that he'll take care of it himself. He opened the door to see Laurie standing there. Tad left them alone to talk, and Laurie filled in J.R. on what happened. Surprisingly, J.R. told her to give her dad some slack. He said that Tad's worse off about Dixie dying then he realized, and he said that losing a wife is different then losing a mom. She understood this, and said that she should probably get back then. J.R. wanted to come over at midnight to ring in the New Year, but she said it wouldn't be a good idea. Instead, J.R. dimmed the lights, put on a cassette of "Auld Lang Syne", and reset the clock to midnight. He told her they could celebrate midnight right now. After counting down from ten to one, J.R. and Laurie kissed, ringing in the New Year in their own way.
Edmund and Maria met in her bedroom, where they were each dressed formally. She said that she felt ritzy having her own escort to the dining room. He told her that he got a little creative, and they weren't heading to the dining room. Edmund walked Maria out to the barn, where a table and lights were set up for their celebration. He told her that this place has special signifigance because it was the first place they made love, as well as the place where they first saw each other when Maria returned. Above them, Aidan sat in the loft, listening. Edmund presented Maria with a gift of a pendant. He told her that it was the keepsake he had made for this year's Crystal Ball. She thanked him for it, and said that she couldn't believe he had a ball in her memory all these years. He leaned over to her and said that that was all in the past. "Here's to the future," he said as he kissed her. Aidan looked down and watched them as they kissed and wished each other a Happy New Year.
When Laurie arrived home, she saw a dozen crushed beer cans lying next to the sink. At first she was worried, until her father walked out from the bedroom with a cup of coffee in his hand. He said that he poored the beer down the sink, and he's going to ring in the New Year with a cup of decaf. He went on to tell her that he's starting over this year, and he even circled some job prospects in the paper. She was happy and told him that he wouldn't be alone on New Year's. He said that their mother was looking down on them.
Tad called J.R. over to his computer, where he was looking at pictures of Dixie. J.R. gave him a funny look, but he said that he's fine. They actually helped cheer him up. He asked J.R. how his talk with Laurie went, and he said that she loves her father and that's all the matters. He then decided to take Tad up on his offer to visit with Doug. Tad said that he hopes things work out between him and Laurie. As they continued looking at pictures of Dixie, J.R. commented that she and Tad were good together. Tad replied, "Yeah, we sure were."
Laurie called J.R. up and gave him an update on her father. She told him what he did and that he's trying to improve. Her father called her out to watch the ball drop, and Laurie told J.R. she had to go. J.R. wanted to talk to her a little longer, but she had already hung up."
- Soap Central