"Jack looks depressed. Reggie tells Lily that the only thing that will make his frown turn upside down is Erica walking through the door and telling him that she loves him off the hook (loves him a lot). Just then, there is a knock at the door and Erica and Bianca are on the other side.
Lily thinks that Reggie is magic and proceeds to explain why to the newly arrived family members. Erica agrees that it is indeed a happy, magical coincidence. She tells them about the breakthrough they both had at therapy. Acknowledging how difficult the journey ahead will be, they announce that they are committed to helping each other take their lives back.
Jack is absolutely ecstatic, and Lily notes that it's a shame Kendall wasn't there because now Erica needs to do her speech twice. Reggie disagrees and says that it's much better than Kendall was not in attendance.
They decide to try to have the picnic again, but this time in the apartment. They have a minor setback when Bianca mistakenly brings out the ketchup and the color bothers Lily. Not missing a beat, Reggie breaks out the ketchup made for kids in different colors. He puts some of the green on a plate for Lily to taste - and she agrees that it's much better than the regular kind.
After eating, cleaning up and a rousing rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game," Reggie herds Bianca and Lily into the other room so that Jack and Erica can be alone. After a moment, Jack says that he could call them back if being alone with him makes her uncomfortable or is too stressful. Erica tells him that she has never felt better - and that she is grateful to Jack and "their" family. Slightly stunned, Jack confirms that she indeed referred to him, the kids and herself collectively as a family. Erica asks if there is a problem with that but of course Jack finds no fault at all. He seals his expression of joy with a kiss.
At Fusion, while Simone continues to flirt, Kendall voices her belief in and support of Ethan - and everyone thinks she feels that way because she set up Ethan's arrival. Ryan and Greenlee especially think that Kendall is behind this as the latest in her schemes to "stick it to" Ryan. The board admits that Ethan's arrival brings up more questions than it answers.
In the face of Ryan's scrutiny, Ethan says that he can provide cold, hard truth that no one can deny - his DNA. Forensics has come a long way, and Ethan believes that with a simple DNA analysis, all the questions will be cleared up. The only problem, as Ryan gleefully fills him in, is that Alexander Sr. was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Nevada desert; Alexander Jr.'s body was burned to ashes in the car crash; and Michael's body can't be recovered. Apparently, Ethan is out of luck.
Instead of taking it lying down, Ethan launches into a speech about how he had never felt like he belonged with the family that raised him, and that he was just trying to claim his spot in a family that he always knew was out there waiting for him. Kendall listens, hearing herself in Ethan's words. Ethan declares that the issue is not over. He leaves, Kendall follows him and Greenlee goes after her.
Greenlee tries to stop Kendall from running away but fails to do so when Kendall informs her that Ethan has something Greenlee will never have - class. Greenlee watches her go and then rejoins the group. She wants to know what the next order of business is, but Ryan informs her that they are done for the night. Ryan confirms to the Board that should Ethan turn out to be authentic, he will concede defeat quietly. With that, the Board takes its leave, and Simone quickly follows suit.
Jonathan doesn't want to wait for the Board to do their investigation - he wants to start right now. Ryan tells him to wait on it, because there is something that Alexander told Ryan on his deathbed that it is now starting to make sense. He flashes back to standing at Alexander's hospital bed. Ryan remembers promising to keep Alexander's dying wish. He thinks that it is possible he knew that another Cambias heir would pop up. Ryan thinks it is possible that Ethan is the real deal. Greenlee remembers the codicil in the will (regarding the transfer of everything Cambias should there be a grandchild) and agrees to the possibility. Jonathan, angry that they could even consider it, storms out.
Once Jonathan is gone, Ryan wants to know Greenlee's secret to staying cool under pressure. She says that they have survived floods, a dive down the rabbit hole, "wedding interruptus" and Kendall 24/7. A surprise heir isn't enough to shake her. She thinks that together, they can survive anything.
On the cliffs, Maria is upset that Zach is attempting to distract her instead of being honest with her. Zach confesses that Edmund came to see him, and as a wild-eyed Maria stares at him in abject horror, he goes on to tell her that Edmund showed up in his office shortly after she stormed out. Maria wants to know what they discussed, and Zach tells her Edmund insisted it was purely business - Edmund wanted to do a bio on him for Tempo.
Maria, coming unraveled at the seams, tells him that he can't agree to it because a profile will mean research, and Edmund will surely uncover their relationship. Not knowing any other way to calm her down, Zach kisses her. The kiss lasts a few moments before Maria breaks it off. Zach tells her that the feelings they once shared are still there and he can't just forget about them. Maria says that he has to because she is with Edmund now. She is not with him out of pity - but because through the plane crash (where Edmund watched her die) and the 5 years of her memory loss, their love survived. She refuses to hurt Edmund because Zach can't accept that what they once had is over.
He calls her on the fact that she hasn't shared an intensity like what they had with their latest kiss with Edmund in a long time. He tells her that if she disproved his theory and said that she did have that feeling with Edmund this morning...yesterday...he would walk away. However, Zach knows that if she says anything of the kind, she would be lying.
Maria wants him to let her go for good - but Zach knows what he wants. She is shocked that in her memories of him, he was so tender, but now everything's changed. She tells him that she would gladly choose spend the rest of her life with a man that she adores, but may never make love to again over wasting another kiss on Zach.
As he waits in the park, Edmund flashes back to overhearing the conversation between Zach and Maria from the hall outside Zach's office. Aidan interrupts the reverie by joining him and telling him that he hit a few dead ends and big gaps of time while searching for information on Zach. He does have a possible lead - a name that Zach may have used before he "became Zach Slater", but it is mostly unconfirmed. Edmund tells Aidan that he can fill him in on one of the gaps - the one where Zach lived in the desert for six months, making love to Maria. Whereas Aidan bowed out like a gentleman when he realized that Maria had regained her memory and chose to go back to her life at Wildwind, Zach isn't as civil. Edmund says that Slater wants Maria back, but Aidan assures Edmund that won't happen because she loves him.
Aidan asks how Maria acted when she found out that Edmund knew about her past, and Edmund admitted that he didn't tell her. Aidan thinks it's a mistake, but Edmund has his reasons. He informs Aidan that he has no one to blame but David for Maria's memory loss, and that he knows she would just try to downplay the her time with Zach to protect him. Edmund believes the only reason Maria hasn't told him is because he is in a wheelchair and therefore can't take Zach on.
They agree that they need to figure out if Zach is in Pine Valley to hide from someone, or to find someone and do damage. They need to find out before he makes his next move. Edmund tells Aidan that if Zach was indeed on the phone call that he intercepted, he is certain that Zach's ordered hit is on Edmund.
Aidan ponders the possibility that Ryan was wrong - and that Zach is only in Pine Valley for Maria, not for Edmund, Erica or Bianca. Maria hears the last part and wants to know what Ryan could've been wrong about. Edmund thinks for a moment, and then decides to tell her that he and Aidan were trying to figure out the real reason that Zach is in town.
Maria offers to help again, and says that this time she is not taking no for an answer. She wants to help bring Zach down. Surprised by her forcefulness, Aidan asks where it came from. Maria admits having been with Zach that night and tells them that he said something to her that made her feel strongly about this cause. She says that the reasons he has for being here are known only to Zach, but she feels it is much more than the casino. Edmund asks if Zach's attraction to her is part of the reason.
Maria concedes it as a possibility, but says that it's merely a sideline to the issue and a one-way attraction at that. She wants to do all she can to help Edmund. Edmund, clearly relieved, poses a question: What if, in the intercepted phone call, the voice on the other end wasn't Zach's?
Kendall visits Ethan at the Pine Cone. He's staying in the same room that she did when she lived there with Ryan. She tells him that she is only there to help but Ethan wants none of it and slams the door in her face. Not one to give up, Kendall knocks again and continues to do so until he opens the door. She tries to explain to him that she knows where he is coming from - knows what it is like to be "nobody's kid." Unimpressed, Ethan tells her does not need her help and slams the door again. Kendall notes that with an attitude like that, he may not be a lost cause after all.
Back at his office, Zach gets lost in the picture of the casita and flashes back to the kiss on the cliffs. A knock interrupts his thoughts, and after permitting entry - one of the board members comes into the office. He tells him that the meeting with Ryan just ended and he knew Zach would want a report. Zach is upset that the Board didn't vote Ryan out, but the Board member tells him there was a good reason: the appearance of Ethan."
- Soap Central