Donna is ecstatic that the Forrester place looks great for her wedding. Eric welcomes Stephen and gives his condolences about Storm. Stephen hopes this wedding will be a positive thing for both families. Ridge tells Brooke the last time he saw his dad he was having a serious attack of second thoughts. She doesn't want her family to be subjected to another disaster today. Stephanie tells Pam she doesn't know what she wants to do right now, but it isn't going to be to Chicago with her mother. She asks Pam not to pull any of her tricks today. Brooke and Eric have a heartfelt talk. He wishes that little voice in his head would quit saying he's making a fatal mistake. After overhearing Brooke's conversation with Eric, Stephanie steps forward and tells Brooke that some relationships never change. Brooke is the same home-wrecker she was the first time she stepped into this house. Brooke accuses her of eavesdropping. And today her family will be the new Forrester's and Stephanie will be on the outside looking in. There will be a wedding and, thank God, Eric will finally be through with her forever.
Donna: Oh. (Laughs) Sorry. (Sighs) oh, it's--it's so beautiful. Thank you. Stephen: Honey, remember, from now on, they all work for you. Brooke: That's right. And if you want anything moved or changed, now would be the time to say so. Donna: Oh, I just wish Mom was well enough to come. Stephen: Well, I think your mother probably has other issues with daughter number two marrying her former prince charming. Donna: Dad! Brooke: Honey, being the lady of the house-- it'll come to you. Don't worry. Donna: Well, I don't know. I mean, I-I think it looks-- it looks pretty good. Brooke: Yeah. Donna: Oh, do you have the camera, or do I? Brooke: Oh, yes, I do. I do. Stephen: Come on. Let's take a picture. We need plenty of pictures. This is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion unless, of course, you're a Logan. Donna: Oh, Dad! God! Stephen: It was a joke, honey. Donna: You know, E-Eric is gonna have a photographer anyway, so we're gonna have plenty. Brooke: It doesn't matter. I want a picture of you and Dad, so okay, say, "goat cheese and basil and sun-dried tomatoes." Stephen: (Laughs) Brooke: Come on! Donna: (Giggles) Brooke: (Laughing) perfect. I love it! Donna: You just-- you gotta stop with your jokes. [SCENE_BREAK] Stephanie: So how does it look over there for the wedding? Ridge: Like doomsday. Why are you hiding out here in the guesthouse? Stephanie: Oh, I'm just here for the day. I-I couldn't have movers traipsing through the house, not today. Ridge: Have you even called them yet? Stephanie: No. Well, because I-- Ridge: You don't think he's going through with it, do you? Stephanie: I saw him last night. Ridge: I saw him yesterday, too. And... Stephanie: Well, he doesn't-- he didn't look like a fellow who was really excited about getting married today. [SCENE_BREAK] Stephen: Ah, sorry. I was just looking for a place to get out of the way. Eric: They, uh, forced me out of my own kitchen, too. Come on in. There's no, uh, no rule against the father of the bride seeing the groom. Poisoning the groom, however, is frowned upon. Stephen: (Chuckles) Well, as hard as this may seem to believe, I think there's been enough of that between us, especially when I see where that's all led. Eric: You've lost a son, Stephen. I'm sorry. I wish, uh, I wish I knew what to say. Stephen: Well, it's weighed heavily on all of us. Eric: Most heavily on you, I'm sure. Stephen: I hope this wedding, which is a positive thing for the family, will be a good thing. I'm told Stephanie is gonna be here. Eric: Her choice. I respect that. Stephen: How much of all of this is for her benefit? Eric: Oh, I'm far too selfish to marry for anyone's benefit but my own. Stephen: Donna will most likely outlive you, Eric. You're aware of that. Eric: I would hope so, yes. Stephen: Which will then make her head of your family. Eric: You don't think she can handle that? Stephen: I think between now and then you had better make her happy, because your money and your bratty children won't. Eric: They're gonna be here today, Stephen. Don't insult my family. Stephen: I guess some of us just were never meant to be fathers, were we? Eric: You and I are nothing alike, Stephen. Stephen: Yeah, I suppose not. When I ended my marriage, women old enough to be my daughter were still in grammar school. [SCENE_BREAK] Brooke: Rick, hi, this is your mother. I need to remind you don't forget the rings. You're the best man, and you're supposed to have them. Ridge: Wedding bands are not gonna be the problem. Brooke: (Scoffs) Ridge: Probably find half a dozen of 'em underneath the furniture. Brooke: Ha-ha-ha. There is not going to be a problem. Ridge: Well, as long as we don't, uh, wind up without a groom. Brooke: That would be wishful thinking on your mother's part. Ridge: Don't be so sure of that. Last time I saw Dad, he was having a serious attack of second thoughts. Brooke: What? Brooke: This is all Stephanie's doing-- this martyr act of hers. Ridge: Oh, Logan, can Mother do anything right by you? Would you rather have her in full battle gear? Brooke: Eric cannot do this. We've all gone through too much. We've given up too much. Ridge: Not as much as Mother has. Brooke: My family will not be subjected to another disaster, not today. [SCENE_BREAK] Pam: I hate what I'm wearing. I have nothing appropriate... Stephanie: (Sighs heavily) Pam: For this event. Stephanie: Look, we can get you something, you know, some other pretty things tomorrow, all right? Pam: I don't even want to be here tomorrow if that woman marries Eric. Will you come with me to Chicago? Stephanie: You and me and Mother? Oh, please, one of us would end up dead. Now don't worry about me, okay? I don't know what I want or what I want to do, but just don't worry about me. Pam: (Chuckles) Even with Donna Logan right now in your bedroom putting on a white gown to marry your husband, you're still thinking that some lightning bolt's gonna strike and stop this wedding, aren't you? You are fiddling while Rome burns. Stephanie: White's so inappropriate for her to wear. Pam: Oh, Stephanie. Stephanie: Oh, honey, you look lovely. You do. Pam: I don't want to look lovely. I want to march over there right now and hold that empty little head underwater. Stephanie: I do, too, but don't do it. Promise me, no more dirty tricks, please. Don't you see what it does when you do something like that? And I know you do it because you love me. Pam: I do. Stephanie: It just makes-- it just makes Eric all the more aware that he's better off without me, all right? So don't do anything, ease. Will you just-- I just can't believe that he'll go through with it. [SCENE_BREAK] (Knock on door) Stephen: Decent? Donna: Yeah, just don't ask for a show of hands downstairs. Stephen: Well, that doesn't sound like a bride on her wedding day. Donna: Nervous people make bad jokes. Woman: She's all yours. Congratulations Donna: Thanks, I think. Woman: (Laughs) Stephen: And why are you nervous, my dear? Donna: Oh, I don't know, maybe because I'm having a wedding that nobody wants, including me. Stephen: Sweetheart, if you don't want to marry Eric, you don't-- Donna: Oh, Dad, of course I do. I do. I mean, he's the only thing that's right. I mean, half the wedding guests down there hate me, and the other half are--are shell-shocked that I'm doing this. Stephen: Well, if you don't want to do this today, then we won't. It's that simple. Donna: I don't know, Dad. I mean, I do. I do. But I-I don't. Stephen: If you're worried about that crew downstairs, I can handle them, and I will if that's what you want. Donna: No. Stephen: Well, you're not allowed to be upset on your wedding day. Donna: (Laughs) (sniffles) yeah. It's just a day, right? I mean--and with any luck, I'll have my back to all of 'em for most of it, right? I'd rather a rotten wedding day and a fairy-tale marriage than the other way around. And that's what we're gonna have, Dad. I mean, I love him so much. (Exhales deeply) Stephen: And I love you. Donna: (Laughs) Oh, Daddy. [SCENE_BREAK] Brooke: You look so handsome. Eric: Well, you do this bridegroom thing often enough, you start to get the hang of it. Thank you. Brooke: (Giggles) Well, it's not going to be like those other times. You and I were just trying to escape reality. But marriage shouldn't be that. Eric: Maybe we asked too much of marriage. Maybe that's why it keeps disappointing us. Brooke: Well, it won't this time. Donna loves you. She's never really loved anybody but you. No competition, no doubts. Eric: I would love to have lived a doubt-free life, just a doubt-free day. Brooke: Eric, today can be that day. Eric: If that little voice in my head would just stop saying I'm making a fatal mistake. [SCENE_BREAK] Ridge: Well, Aunt Pam, this is a first-- an occasion you didn't bake for. Pam: Your mother wouldn't approve of exploding hors d'oeuvres. Ridge: (Smirks) Pam: Of all the times, Ridge, for her to keep a stiff upper lip, really. Ridge: Yeah, well, maybe Mother knows something you don't. Pam: Do tell. Ridge: There's still time. The fat lady hasn't sung yet. Pam: (Scoffs) Fat ladies aren't allowed in Beverly hills. [SCENE_BREAK] Donna: Oh, God, I hate my hair. Donna: Storm was supposed to give me away, Dad. Stephen: I know. But it is a traditional thing for fathers to do, although I understand why you asked Storm. Donna: (Chuckles) Dad, I-I didn't want you and Eric getting into a boxing match up at the altar. Stephen: Everything is fine with Eric and me. Donna: You know, maybe--maybe I should just say the hell with it. I mean, it's my wedding, right? I mean, it's the only one I'm gonna get. And I don't care if they hate me or--or half of 'em want me dead. It's gonna be perfect, right? Stephen: That's the spirit. And when you show up downstairs, everyone in that room is gonna look at you and think what a perfect bride. Donna: Oh, Daddy. [SCENE_BREAK] Brooke: We're all afraid of change, Eric. It takes guts to do what you're doing. Eric: (Sighs) Well, maybe it takes more guts to stay and be the man I promised Stephanie that I would be the day I married her. Brooke: And what about your happiness? You can't deny that you see a difference in yourself. I mean, you laugh all the time now. You're looking forward to your future. Your career is better than it's ever been. Eric: True enough. All those things are true. Donna has been very good to me. She's very good for me. You're right. Brooke: Eric, you love Donna. I know that you do. Eric: I do. Of course I love her, but marriage doesn't stretch to fit every kind of love. I mean, you and I proved that. You don't just choose a person. You choose a life. Brooke: So is the life that you had with Stephanie a life that you would choose today-- full of humiliation and lies and power struggles, constant criticism? Eric: Brooke, my family. Brooke: I know. Eric: Stephanie's a part of my family, too, just--just like Storm was a part of yours. You don't have to have a good reason to love them. You just do. Brooke: People change. Relationships change. You love Ridge and Felicia, but that doesn't mean that you're going to tuck them in at night. And you can feel the way you do about Stephanie, but that doesn't mean you have to take her manipulation. I know that you're thinking back about your wedding, but Eric, Stephanie lied to you that day. She was pregnant, not with your child. She gets her way all the time. To keep me away from Ridge, she has to fake her own heart attack. To get my kids away from me, she accidentally sends a rapist after me. If you want to get nostalgic, you have to-- you have to remember these things. Eric: I remember. Brooke: You have a woman now who adores you and isn't going to try to improve you or control you, not because she's not smart enough to fake her own heart attack, but because all she really wants is to be close to you. Eric: (Sighs) Brooke: (Exhales deeply) [SCENE_BREAK] Stephanie: Some relationships change, but not ours. You're still the same little home wrecker you were the first day you walked into this house. . Pam: Anybody want coffee? Ridge: Oh, no, thank you. Felicia: (Exhales deeply) This feels like the part right before the funeral where you're trying to figure out what to say that won't make anyone cry. Thorne: Yeah. Alexandria wanted to know why she couldn't come. Ridge: What'd you tell her? Thorne: (Sighs heavily) What parents always say-- she's too young. Felicia: It's your job as her parent to protect her from pornography. Thorne: (Laughs) Ridge: Pornography? Felicia: What? That's what this is, the kind with all the lace and Vaseline on the lens. [SCENE_BREAK] Donna: (Sighs) Hi. Eric: Hi. Donna: Okay. Eric: Okay? Okay what? Donna: We can call off the wedding. I mean, everything is just-- it's just awful. It's awful. Eric: No, not--not everything, not, uh, not us. Donna: I-I-I can change my hair. I can-- Eric: No, I don't want you to change anything. Donna: Oh, Eric. Is your mind just running away with you, too? I mean-- Eric: No, my mind never runs. It hops freight trains like an old hobo. Donna: (Laughs) Eric: I cancelled our reservations. Donna: Thank you. I-I-I promise I will make it up to you as soon as-- as soon as Katie gets better. Eric: I do not need scenery. There are many, many scenic things that you and I can do in this very, very room. Donna: (Laughs) Donna: You know, I-I was actually thinking about doing a few things. I mean, not--not right now, but--but soon. I-I mean, the room is just like, um, I mean, it's wonderful, of course, but it--it-- I'm not talking about tearing down walls. Eric: Yeah. No, you want to, uh, redecorate instead of, uh, have a honeymoon. Donna: Instead? No. Just, you know, just to make it seem a little more like, um-- Eric: Like ours, instead of Stephanie's and mine. Donna: Yeah. (Scoffs) God, never mind. We shouldn't be talking about that. Eric: No, we shouldn't. Was it a mistake for me to just, uh--just assume that we were gonna stay on here in this house? Donna: No. Eric: Can you feel at home here? Donna: If you can. Wait, isn't it bad to talk about real estate before the wedding or something like that? Eric: (Laughs) yes, yes, it is. Donna: Okay, so go--go, 'cause I have to get changed. Eric: Yes. All right, all right, all right. Donna: Hurry. Eric: You look beautiful. You look beautiful. Mmm. Donna: You know, next time we kiss, we're gonna be husband and wife. Eric: (Chuckles) Donna: (Sighs) [SCENE_BREAK] Brooke: I'm sorry you had to hear that. Of course, you didn't have to. But eavesdropping is just one of those bad habits you can't seem to break. And you wonder why Eric turned to somebody he can trust. Stephanie: You know, I am not the one that's doing any manipulating today. If you really love Eric, why don't you just step back and let him make his own decision? Brooke: He already has, Stephanie. That's what seems hard for you to accept. And, of course, you had to have him get married here so you could guilt-trip him every step of the way. And you're gonna line yourself up and the kids up so it's like he's walking into a firing squad. Stephanie: (Chuckles) Oh, better they would have snuck off to Las Vegas to a chapel with no witnesses, no family? Marriage in our family is not an undercover job. But then you've never had a clue, have you, as to what really makes this family tick? Brooke: How could I not? A common enemy is the glue that you use to hold your near and dear together. First it was me. Then it was Donna. And when my father's in town, he's the target. But not anymore, Stephanie, because today Donna, Katie, myself and my father-- we are the new Forresters. And you are going to be the troublemaker that better be on her best behavior, or you're gonna be on the outside looking in. Stephanie: The wedding hasn't taken place yet. Brooke: It's about to. Stephanie: You think you know Eric because you were married to him for five minutes. All you know are his flights of fancy, you know, when he wants to be someone else for a month or a year. But you know what always happens? Just as he starts to fly too high, just as he's staring at that point of no return, he comes back to me. Now I grant you, he's infatuated with Donna. And I think in his own way, he loves her. But love comes easily to Eric. I don't think he's going to marry her. Brooke: (Laughs) The wedding is going to happen. Eric and Donna are going to get married. And God bless Eric, 'cause he's finally, finally going to be through with you forever.