Standing by the side of the busy, foggy, PCH, Hector demands that Shane tell him what he wants. Phoebe assures him that Shane has told her the entire story and he means no harm, he won't tell Taylor's secret. Eric comments on Stephanie's happy mood about her sons, but he doesn't share her hopeful pairing of Thorne and Taylor. She is curt when Lt. Baker comes by and dismisses him for continuing with the case. Taylor and Thorne continue their almost love making until she puts the halt to it, he thinks because of guilt over Darla. He assures her there is no hurry and he's not upset, he's willing to wait. They say good-bye when Phoebe tells her she needs to talk to her about something important. Hector and Shane join in and Shane keeps explaining his actions to Taylor and that he will keep her secret. Hector isn't buying it and has his own scenario of a big blackmail. Stephanie defends her position with supporting Thorne and Taylor. He comes home and explains further how great the night went and goes up and tells his sleeping angel the same thing. They can expect good things in the future. Taylor announces that if Thorne is going to be told, she is going to be the one to do it. What does Shane want? He affirms only to have a good place to stay, the opportunity to work for her, her trust and friendship and in return he will offer his loyalty and his silence. She can trust him.
Phoebe: Harry, come on! Stop! Harry stop it. Hector: Phoebe, listen! Listen to me! McGrath isn't who he claims to be. Phoebe: He already told me, Hector. He told me everything. Shane: Hey -- hey, call off your and your guard dog, I'll tell you everything. Hector: Let him go, Harry. Harry: You sure? Shane: Let me go! Harry: Phoebe, Hector told me you were in trouble. Shane: She's no man. Hector: Harry. Why don't you take off? I'll look after Phoebe. Harry: Look, man, no, offense. But you can't see. And if this guy is up to no good, there ain't gonna be much you can do about it. Hector: Look, there are things I need to discuss with him, alone. Harry: Well then at least let me take Phoebe home. Phoebe: I'm not leaving Shane. Hector: It's okay, Harry. I really appreciate your help. [Cars honking] Shane: Phoebe, come on. Let's get out of here. Hector: You're not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell is it that you want. [SCENE_BREAK] Eric: So what is it? What's on your mind? Stephanie: I'm happy. I'm happy at least one of our sons is moving in the right direction. Eric: Oh, and now you're worried about Ridge? Stephanie: Well, I just wish he wasn't involved with Donna. Although, I guess I'm to blame for that. Eric: Why? Stephanie: Oh, with everything I pulled. I drove Brooke away. Although I'll never quite understand what it is that you see in her. Eric: That's not what you're worried about, Ridge and Donna -- [Knocking at door] Stephanie: Saved by the knock. Lt. Baker? Lt. Baker: Good evening. Stephanie: Well, this is a surprise. Eric: Come in, Lieutenant. You have news about Darla's case? Lt. Baker: No, I'm afraid not. Stephanie: No leads? Lt. Baker: Nothing new. Stephanie: Well, then why are you here? Lt. Baker: Well, I haven't heard from you and your family for a while. Normally, when a case is unsolved, I like to touch base. Stephanie: I thought Thorne made it very clear he doesn't want to pursue this case. He wants to put the whole incident behind him. Lt. Baker: That doesn't mean we stop investigating. Eric: Of course not. Stephanie: Lieutenant, look -- Darla's death was a terrible tragedy for all of us. But I don't appreciate you coming here like this, unannounced, and opening up wounds that we're all trying to heal. So if you'll excuse us -- goodnight, Lieutenant. Goodnight. [SCENE_BREAK] Taylor: Oh, Thorne -- Thorne: Taylor -- Taylor: I can't. Thorne: What is it? What's wrong? Taylor: Nothing. It's nothing you're doing. Thorne: But it's something. It's Darla, isn't it? You're thinking of her, huh? Or you're afraid I am. Taylor: It's just -- I want to be with you, but I just -- you're not upset, are you? Thorne: No, I'm not upset. Taylor: I want to explain. Thorne: You don't have to, okay? I understand. Taylor: It's complicated. Thorne: Well, it doesn't have to be complicated, okay? I'm in no hurry. Taylor: You're not upset? You're not disappointed? Thorne: I could never be disappointed in you. [SCENE_BREAK] Hector: Phoebe, there's more going on here than you know. Phoebe: You're the one who doesn't understand, Hector. Hector: I checked his record, okay? He was caught stealing sandwich at the big rock market right down the road, the same night, and about the same time as Darla's accident. Phoebe: I know. He's the homeless guy who scared me. I know. Hector: You know? Phoebe: Yes, he told me everything. He was there. He saw it all. [Cars honking] Hector: What did you say to him? Phoebe: It's okay. He's not going to tell anyone, Hector. Shane: She only reconfirmed what I already knew, Hector. I knew that Taylor was driving the car that killed her sister-in-law. Hector: Oh, Phoebe. Phoebe -- Phoebe: He needed to talk to someone, Hector. Shane: And so did she. You left this poor girl with a secret that could potentially destroy her entire family. Don't worry, Hector. Your secret's safe with me, man. Phoebe: Hey, look, I trust him. I trust him. You should, too. Shane: Yeah, Hector, we're all in this together now. What do you say we leave right now? All right? Discuss this someplace else instead of standing right here in the middle of the crime scene having a little pow-pow? What if the Lieutenant drives by and sees the whole thing? Phoebe, help Hector get in the car, all right? We're going home. [Cars honking] [SCENE_BREAK] Taylor: I wish you didn't have to go. Thorne: Me, too. But I need to pick Ally up from Mom and Dad's. If I'm not there when she gets up, she gets scared. Taylor: Is she still having nightmares? Thorne: No, not as often. Thanks to you, neither am I. [Thorne chuckles] Phoebe: Mom? Mom. Hey. Oh, hi Uncle Thorne. Thorne: Hi, sweetheart. Phoebe: I'm sorry I really need to talk to you, it's important. Thorne: I need to get going anyway. Taylor: Thank you so much. Thank you for a wonderful evening. Thorne: I had a nice one, too. Bye, Phoebe. [SCENE_BREAK] Eric: Stephanie, do you mind explaining that to me? Stephanie: What? Eric: Why you just slammed that door in Lt. Baker's face? Stephanie: Look, I just don't want him here stirring up things, that's all. Eric: He wasn't stirring things up, he was just touching base. Stephanie: Thorne made it very clear to him he does not want to pursue the case. He wants to put it behind him. Thank god he came to talk to us and didn't bother Thorne. Eric: Are you upset because he didn't have any leads? Stephanie: I'm not upset. Thorne: Yes, you are. Stephanie: No, I'm annoyed. Eric: You're annoyed because the police are still looking for Darla's killer? That doesn't make any sense. [SCENE_BREAK] Hector: I told Taylor that you were hiding something and I was right. Shane: Oh and now you want to lecture me about keeping secrets? Phoebe: Hector he wanted to say something but he couldn't. Hector: Because he didn't want to give himself away. What were you planning? Blackmail? Taylor: Blackmail? Hector: Taylor? Taylor: Hector, what's going on? Phoebe: It's about the night of Darla's accident. Taylor: Phoebe, that is a private family matter. We'll talk about that later. Phoebe: Shane was there. Taylor: Where? Phoebe: Big Rock. That night. Shane: Mrs. Forrester, please I -- Hector: Hey -- keep your mouth shut! Phoebe: Hector, leave him alone! Okay -- the guy I told you approached me and really freaked me out -- that was Shane. Taylor: Shane? Shane: Yeah, I meant your daughter no harm. I was only trying to help out, that's it. Taylor: No. Phoebe, the man you told me approached the car was a homeless man -- it was somebody you were afraid of. Phoebe: Yeah well I told you Shane has run into some bad luck recently. [Hector chuckles] Hector: Nothing like a little extortion to turn his luck around. Phoebe: I thought he left. But he didn't. He stuck around to make sure that I would be okay. And he saw everything. He saw Darla fall onto the road. And he saw you coming around the corner -- Taylor: He saw me? Shane: That's right -- I saw the whole thing Mrs. Forrester. I saw you hit Darla with your car. And I know you're the one who killed her. [SCENE_BREAK] Stephanie: Thorne's moving on with his life. I just don't want anyone or anything to interfere with that. Eric: Finding Darla's killer would give Thorne some closure. Stephanie: Well, that process has already begun for him. It began the day that he decided not to pursue the case. Eric: That doesn't mean the police need to stop looking. Stephanie: Well, of course not. They have to by law. I just -- I don't want them bothering him. Eric: Or is it that you just don't want Thorne reminded of Darla while he's getting so close to Taylor? Stephanie: He'll never forget Darla. Eric: Of course, he won't. What I meant -- Thorne: Hey, guys. Stephanie: Well honey, I didn't expect you back so soon. Eric: How was this dinner with Taylor? Thorne: Dinner was, was great. No, it was better than great, actually. It was amazing. If it hadn't been for you, mother, it probably would've never happened. So, thank you, okay? For encouraging me to give up the search for Darla's killer and to get on with my life. Because if not, I would still be filled with this -- this rage and this anger. But I'm not, I mean, I'm here. And I got to say, I'm excited about the future. Stephanie: I'm very happy for you. [SCENE_BREAK] Hector: Don't say anything. Don't confirm anything. Shane: Listen, Mrs. Forrester, you don't have to say anything horrible anyway, I already know. You were coming around the bend. It was dark out, you were looking for Phoebe and her car. It was foggy. You couldn't see Darla. You had no choice. I mean, it all happened in a split second. She was out in the middle of the road -- Hector: All right, that's enough! Phoebe: Hector, let him finish! Shane: You pulled up. I saw you get out. You ran over to the scene of the accident. And you and Phoebe started crying. And you started calling out her name. It was so -- it was heartbreaking. It was a very tragic, tragic accident. Hey, it wasn't your fault. Phoebe: Mom, see. He understands. He knows. Shane: Yeah, I'm not going to come back here and cause you more pain. You've already been through enough. Hector: Then why did you come here? Shane: Listen, there's a lot going on here. It's more involved than you know. I got this accident going off in my head all the time. It just keeps going over and over and over inside. I had to talk to somebody. Phoebe: He could have gone to the police, but he didn't. Taylor: So, it isn't a coincidence that you were working for my landscaper? Shane: No, it's not. Taylor: You said that you wanted to talk to me about a proposal -- Hector: He was going to blackmail you, Taylor. I'm sure of it. Phoebe: No, he wasn't. Taylor: It doesn't matter anyway. You know what? It doesn't matter! The question isn't what is he going to do. It's what I'm going to do. Okay, great. I don't know how I thought I could keep this hidden. The truth is out. And now, Thorne is going to be told. [SCENE_BREAK] Thorne: You know, I wasn't sure though that I would find happiness again. Especially so soon after Darla's death. Eric: Thorne, Taylor has been very supportive of you and Alexandria through this whole ordeal. Thorne: Dad, I know what you're thinking, okay? My connection with Taylor is just gratitude. Well, that's what I thought at first, too. Eric: It's not? Thorne: No, it's not. And after what we shared tonight, I know it's not. I'm falling in love with Taylor. And I want her in my life. I want her in my daughter's life. Stephanie: I'm sure she probably wants the same thing, too. Your father and I will support this. Thorne: Thank you. Thank you both. And thank you for watching Alexandria tonight, too, okay? You know, for the first time in a long time, I'm just -- I'm feeling positive about things. Stephanie: Good, honey. Good. Thorne: All right. I'm going to grab my little angel and I'll get out of your hair. Eric: You have encouraged Thorne to pursue this relationship with Taylor? Stephanie: Well, I want him to be happy. I think he's going to be okay. I think everything's going to be okay. Thorne: Hey, kiddo. Daddy's back. Time to go home. Well, I see we had a good time with grandma and grandpa. I had a good time, too. I told you I was having dinner with Taylor. Well, I planned something very special for her. And it turned out pretty special for me, too. [Thorne remembering] Thorne: I don't care what this looks like or what people think. I want you in my life. Part of my family. Part of my future. I need you Taylor. I feel like I'm falling in love with you. Taylor: I feel like I'm falling in love with you, too. Thorne: Life can be full of things that we don't expect. And some of them hurt, like losing your mommy. But not all surprises are bad, Alexandria. Some of them can be wonderful. Like what I'm feeling tonight. It can make you happy. It can feel you with a hope that you never thought you'd feel again. That's what Taylor's done for me. And I think if we give this a chance to see where it goes, we are going to have the opportunity to look forward to a lot more great surprises. I love you, baby. [SCENE_BREAK] Taylor: If Thorne is going to find out that I was the one driving the car that killed his wife, he's going to hear it from me. Phoebe: Mom, nobody's going to find out anything. Shane's not telling. Hector: So he says. Taylor: I'm not going to be extorted, Phoebe. Phoebe: Who said anything about extortion, Mom? Just listen to him. Shane: Mrs. Forrester, you don't have to worry about me. I'm not a threat to you, or your family, or your relationship with Thorne. Phoebe's already told me how much you mean to Thorne and his daughter. Listen, I know how much you care about them. I've been caught up sometimes in a really bad spot, too. I've had my whole world come crumbling down around me. And life just didn't turn out the way I thought it would. Sometimes things get really messed up in a hurry. And you don't even know how to turn them around and that's exactly how I felt when I showed up here and I met you and you. Hector: Then you realized that their tragedy could be the answer to all of your problems. Shane: And I'll tell you something. I'll tell you what I realized. There's some really good people in this world. And not everybody is so callous that they try to have someone arrested just for trying to eat. What you did for me, when you came there at the hospital and you picked me up and you brought me back to your house, let me stay here, you paid for my bills -- that blew me away. Hector: Well, that's not going to happen again. Shane: You really think that I would show up here and repay you on your generosity by trying to cause you more problems? Hector: Taylor, please don't listen to him. Shane: Then listen to your daughter. Because she's right. I could have easily have gone to the police, but I didn't. That reward, that's a lot of money. That could have been more than enough to put me back on my feet. Hector: You saw an opportunity for an even bigger payday. Taylor, do you realize -- do you realize how much leverage and power this guy has over us right now. This secret is the ultimate. Shane: It's not a game anymore, man. You understand? If someone finds out, we all go to jail here. Do you know what's that going to do to Thorne? It's going to shatter that poor guy. It will rip your family apart. I know you don't want that and neither do I? Taylor: What do you want, Shane? Shane: Nothing more than you've already given me. A place to stay. To continue working for you. I want your friendship, I want your trust. And in return, I'll give you my loyalty and my silence. Okay? I will not let you down, Mrs. Forrester. You can trust me.