"Erica showed up at the Chandler estate to find Colby seemingly oblivious to the blaring music around her as she read. When she was finally able to get the teenager's attention, Colby informed her that the loud music was an attempt to get her father to come out of his self-imposed seclusion. She then told Erica about the sudden move that Babe and JR made to San Diego.
Kendall and Zach took Emma to the courthouse for the custody hearing. They saw Annie in the hall, and the little girl immediately ran to her mother, elated. She asked if they were allowed to go home yet, and Zach explained to her again that they needed to talk to the judge first. Then, as Annie tried to squeeze in as many hugs as she could, Kendall pulled her husband aside and expressed her dismay that Ryan wasn't there yet. A few moments later, a children's services representative arrived to escort Emma to a playroom for the duration of the trial, but Emma wanted to stay with her mother. Kendall intervened and suggested that since she had to go, they should find crayons and draw a picture as a present. Annie agreed that she would love that and then encouraged Emma when she asked if she could draw one for her father as well. The three ladies went off to the playroom and Annie immediately lamented what had happened, when she and Ryan were once in love and happy. She added that Emma needed to be with her mother, and Zach replied that Emma needed stability. Slightly taken aback, Annie inquired as to why he thought that she couldn't provide that for her daughter. Zach confessed that he had been in the psychiatrist's office and knew that she had killed her brother.
Annie was outraged that Zach spied on her, but he was unaffected by her ire. He told her that he would have done the same thing if he had gotten to Richie first and then asked if she'd told anyone what she had done. She informed him that the only person to whom she'd confessed was the psychiatrist. Zach told her that she'd made a bad decision because Dr. Price would testify at the hearing. She was horrified at the intended breach of confidentiality, but Zach told her it would be viewed favorably, as it would be in the best interest of the child. Annie frantically scrambled for a way to stop the inevitable, and remembered that the doctor owed Zach a favor. He told her that he couldn't fix it, but that she could if she agreed to tell the judge that Emma belonged with her father.
While Aidan listened in via the bug he placed in his wife's earrings, Ryan explained to Greenlee that he believed that the instances that had continued to draw them together should be proof that they were fated to be together. Unsettled, Greenlee asked Ryan to leave, but he refused and said he wouldn't until she looked him in the eye and told him that she no longer loved him. At that, Aidan was done listening, took his earpiece out, and threw it across the floor. He stormed out, which caused him to miss Greenlee telling Ryan that she was in love with her husband. Ryan rejected her claim and said that she would never be able to love another man the way she loved him. He then told her that he'd tried to play by other people's rules but realized that they had been fighting a losing battle. Greenlee pleaded with him to stop, as she truly wanted her marriage to work, but Ryan retorted that if that were true, she wouldn't have kissed him.
Greenlee angrily reminded him that he had kissed her and that she pushed him away but he pointed out that she only did so after she gave in to the kiss. He told her that the intense connection and passion they once openly shared was still there, and asked why it was that she couldn't admit to still being in love with him. Before she could deal with that, Aidan sprang out of the recently opened elevator doors and demanded an answer to that question as well. He didn't give her time to answer before he accused her of an extended period of fooling around with her ex-husband.
Both Greenlee and Ryan seemed floored by the accusations until Aidan said that the earrings he gifted to his wife were a way to prove that their marriage could work. Both were shocked that he had bugged her, but Greenlee calmly told Ryan that he needed to leave so that she and Aidan could get some things straight. Aidan interrupted and asked if she wanted to clarify which vows she had planned to keep, and Ryan urged his ex to leave with him. She kept her cool and told him to think of his daughter, as she would be devastated if he lost Emma because he'd shown up late to the proceedings. Ryan knew she was right and took his leave, as Greenlee slowly turned back to face the man she loved.
Greenlee demanded to know how their marriage had come to spying, and Aidan blasted her and said that she had spent all of her free time with Ryan in an effort to help him out of one bind or another. She announced that she was being a friend, and Aidan reminded her that she had claimed to Ryan's face, in front of her husband, that she could no longer do that. In addition, she had said that she could still have Ryan's babies while they were on their honeymoon. Greenlee harshly reminded him that she had been delirious when she said that - and that there was no way she would willingly subject herself again to the pain she felt when Ryan drove off of a cliff to get away from her. Aidan was still disbelieving and said that he heard Greenlee and Ryan kissing and moaning. Greenlee told him that he'd heard Amanda and Jake making out next to the earring she had taken off - and then told him that he had to be wary of those kinds of mistakes when he made the choice to bug his wife.
Aidan tried to justify his actions and said that he needed proof that she hadn't just given him lip service when she said that all of her connections to Ryan were in the past. He also blasted her because he had to find out from Annie that she had bailed Ryan out of jail. Greenlee told him that Annie was being a troublemaker and he fired back that it could all have been avoided if she had trusted him. Irate, she told him that she trusted him until he slept with her best friend. She reminded him that she was the only one allowed to have trust issues but she had managed to forgive him and move on, then lamented that he wasn't able to do the same. He told her that he gave her every possible out before they got married but when she assured him that she was ready to spend the rest of her life with him, he gave in. However, he told her, he felt tortured when he listened to her talking to Ryan about fate and the things they shared. She said that he had just as much choice about listening to those conversations as he did about planting the bugs. He insisted that he needed to hear the truth so she offered to give it to him. When she told him that she was not sleeping with Ryan, he told her that she might as well be. Frustrated, she decided the conversation was pointless. He asked if her decision was because what he said was true, and she told him it was because he was determined to believe whatever he wanted.
Adam sat on the floor of his grandson's room and played with a toy train that had been left behind. When a knock came at the door, he bellowed that he'd asked not to be disturbed. Never one to follow orders, Erica invited herself in for a chat. Adam tried to disguise how heartbroken he was that his son had moved his grandson out of the house, but Erica knew better. She offered to help him pack Little Adam's things and said that when they were done, they should get on with their lives. She attempted to help him pack but he hovered over her, concerned that she would break something. He told her to take her time as he wasn't in any hurry, and Erica then took the opportunity to suggest that they have dinner right away, and pack up later. Unwilling to leave, Adam suggested that she enjoy dinner on her own. Erica insisted that he abandon the project, as she refused to let him stay in the room and wallow in his sorrow. He fired back that of the two of them, she was the one who wallowed, and cited her actions since Jack chose to be with Carmen as proof. Infuriated, Erica claimed that she no longer cared about whom Jack chose to spend time with, since she had moved on. She stormed out of the room.
Angie and Jesse had a brief make out session at their house before Angie reminded him that she needed to be at the hospital soon, but hadn't found her keys. After he remarked that things would be easier to find if their son's things weren't still cluttering the house, he asked her to go call the elevator while he looked for her keys. She did just that, and when she reached the elevator, she found the young woman that she'd met a few days prior. Amazed that the young woman would continue to wait for a man that didn't value her time, Angie encouraged her to move on. She then introduced herself by name, but before the woman could say anything, Jesse joined them in the hall. Angie introduced Jesse and without a missed beat, the woman acted as if she didn't know Jesse, and introduced herself as Natalia. The elevator finally showed up and Jesse quickly ushered his wife into the waiting car so that she wouldn't be late. Apologetic for their abrupt departure, Angie clasped the woman's hand, expressed her hope that she wouldn't have to wait much longer, and then stepped into the elevator and waved briefly as the doors closed.
Frankie exited the elevator a short time later with boxes in hand, ready to pack some more of his things. He almost ran into Natalia, apologized, and continued on his way. She followed him in short order and asked if she could use his bathroom, as she had locked herself out of her place and had been waiting a long time for the locksmith. Frankie agreed easily and let her in. After she'd used the facilities, Natalia formally introduced herself and asked why Frankie had decided to move. He told her that it was time to get out from under his parents-just as she spied a picture of Angie and Jesse in an open box. She examined it closely and after Frankie told her that it had been taken on their wedding day, she told him that they looked happy. Her cell phone rang and interrupted them, and though she claimed it was the locksmith, no surprise registered on her face when she answered the call and found Jesse on the other end of the line. He chastised her and said that it was not safe to be around his place, but she insisted that she needed to see him.
Pete approached Colby on the Chandler patio and asked if she had told her father what he'd confessed to her. She dodged the question and instead berated him for working with Adam on the Fusion takeover attempt. Pete plainly confessed that he would do anything for Colby; Adam knew it, and used that knowledge to extract what he wanted out of the young man. He then noted that women generally were drawn to men that had that kind of power, but Colby told him that she wasn't attracted to people who would easily destroy others to save themselves. She confessed that Adam had planned to do just that to Pete, but that she had made a deal with her father so that wouldn't happen. Pete was encouraged, but Colby shot him down and said that if he really wanted to impress her, he needed to stop trying to be someone that he could never be.
Adam followed Erica down the stairs and tried to apologize for what he'd done, but the effort was cut short when they ran into Jack and Carmen. Adam demanded to know where they had been, and when Carmen reminded him that she'd informed him of her plans, he pointed out that she was only supposed to be gone for a day. Carmen told him that things took longer than expected, so they stayed overnight. Strong arm firmly in place, Adam noted that he would dock her pay as appropriate, and then told Erica that he needed to change if they planned to make the dinner reservation. After he dashed upstairs, Carmen asked what had gotten into Adam. Erica informed them of JR and Babe's abrupt departure, and when Jack questioned the move, Erica simply chalked it up to the spontaneous things people do when they were in love. Carmen vacated the foyer briefly, so Jack took a moment to ask why Erica had been spending so much time with Adam. She told him that it was really none of his business, but said that she enjoyed spending time with the tycoon. Adam piped up, and alerted the two of them to his presence, when he agreed that time spent with Erica was a treasure.
Jack left them alone, and Erica told Adam that no one would think less of him if he showed how he really felt about JR leaving. Adam dismissed the thought and said what he felt didn't matter because JR would crawl back like he always had. He then told her that he pulled himself up to his current status by the sheer force of his will and that it was awful to see the weakness around him. He thought that it wasn't too much to ask that their children display the same kind of fortitude that their parents did. Erica believed that Kendall had done just that, but Adam tagged her as an emotional wreck and said that Kendall would never be able to measure up to her mother.
Annie didn't feel that giving up her daughter was the best option, but Zach said if she didn't, Dr. Price would testify to her confession and she would lose her daughter for good. Annie said she could confess to the killing, chalk it up to self-defense, get a good lawyer, and get acquitted. Zach told her it would be a risky move, but Annie said she had nothing left to lose. Zach told her that the exact opposite was true and after a beat, she asked how she could be sure that he wouldn't use the information against her. He told her there was no way, but she either had to trust him or take the biggest gamble of her life. Just then, Dr. Price walked past them and directly into the courtroom, and the bailiff called the case to order. He asked if all parties were present and Ryan rounded the corner with Kendall at the last moment, which made it impossible for Annie to have any more time to figure out an alternate plan.
The hearing began and the judge noted that both parties needed to think about the best interests of their daughter. He also stated that Child Protective Services had submitted their recommendation for placement, but that he wanted to hear some additional information before the final decision was submitted. Annie popped up out of her chair then and announced that she had something to say. Slowly, painfully, Annie admitted to the court that she had some things going on in her life that prevented her from giving Emma the safe and stable home environment the little girl desperately needed, and asked that custody be granted to Ryan. A short time later, Annie stormed out of the courtroom, followed closely by Dr. Price. He recognized how difficult her decision had been but told her that she'd made the right one. Ryan, Kendall, and Zach emerged from the courtroom and though they stayed away from Annie, Ryan said that if the man was the one responsible for Annie temporarily surrendering her parental rights, he wanted to thank him. Kendall was in awe that Annie had given up so easily, but Zach told both of them that it couldn't have been easy for Annie at all.
Emma ran out into the hall and was reunited with her father. As Zach and Kendall looked on, Kendall realized that Zach hadn't been helping Annie - he had been working her over for information. Zach told her that the only thing that mattered was Emma's safety. Just then, Annie walked up behind her little girl and wrapped her in a hug. Together, she and Ryan explained that although Annie couldn't go home with them, they would all see each other very soon. While Aidan looked at a picture of himself with his wife and then threw it across the offices at Fusion, Greenlee arrived at the courthouse. As Annie walked off, Emma delivered the news that she would be living with her father. Glad that it worked out for the best, she had no words when Ryan asked if she'd been able to work her issues out. They shared some more small talk as Annie watched from the doorway of the courtroom, and then Ryan took his daughter home. She walked back into the hall and Kendall approached her and assured her that Ryan would take good care of Emma. Distraught, Annie believed that he would do so with Greenlee and yelled at the woman in question for stealing her life. She then collapsed in tears while Kendall held her up.
Angie returned home from the hospital and found her son hauling out a load of his belongings. They briefly touched base on the new "neighbor," Natalia, but Angie quickly moved on. She told him that she had plans for a special dinner with Jesse and ushered him out the door as quickly as they had said hello. Meanwhile, Jesse paced at the boathouse until Natalia arrived. When she did, she was somewhat apologetic for her careless traipsing about Pine Valley. Natalia told him that although she understood that he left because her mother had asked him to, it hadn't been the right move. She told him that her mother had not been doing so well and that she sometimes didn't get out of bed for days at a time. Then, she called him "Dad," and said that she had dealt with losing him, but didn't want to lose her mother as well. Natalia painted a bleak picture and felt it could be rectified if her father would just visit. Jesse admitted that if he could keep her with him all the time, he would, but she told him that her request was not about herself. Jesse told her that he couldn't sneak out behind Angie's back, so his daughter gave him an alternative - she said that he should tell Angie the truth, and that if she really loved him, Angie would understand. At the same time across town, Angie put the final touches on her romantic setup for her husband."
- Soap Central