Previously…
– After Natalie worked out an immunity deal with the police, she provided anonymous testimony that resulted in Loretta’s arrest for the kidnapping of Rosie and Gabrielle.
– The custody battle reached fever pitch when Molly and Brent called a witness to testify about Rosie’s culpability in her own father’s murder.
– The stress of the custody suit caused Paula to have a heart attack, which she thankfully survived.

On the television, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade plays. Gigantic floats featuring well known cartoon characters travel through the streets of Manhattan, with crowds outfitted in heavy coats and warm gloves to take in the festive excitement. In the living room of her home in King’s Bay, Washington, Paula Fisher sits on the sofa, viewing the parade with a cup of hot tea in her hand.

“How you doing? Can I get you anything?” Matt Gray asks his mother-in-law as he steps into the room, clad in a plain white t-shirt and sporting a dishtowel slung over his left shoulder.

“It’s sweet of you to keep checking on me, but I’m fine,” Paula tells him. “I have my tea and I’m watching the parade.”

“We all just wanna be sure that you’re okay.”

“I’m home with my family. That’s plenty.” Paula sighs, knowing that she should be grateful simply to be here at all, given her recent heart attack and bypass surgery. “I only wish I could be of some help with the meal…”

“Between me and Tori, we’ve got things under control. It’s good practice for her now that she’s working at the restaurant, anyway.”

Touched, Paula smiles. “It would make Bill so happy to know that two of his grandchildren are working at the restaurant that we named after him.”

“I bet it would.”

Paula gazes off into the distance, her eyes not focused on the TV or on anything in particular. Matt watches her with concern.

“I know it’s tough for you, not having everyone coming over today,” he says.

“It is. Yes.” She turns her face toward him again. “I really hoped the holidays would bring an end to all this.”

“It’s gonna take time.”

She nods despondently. Then she forces a smile across her face. “I do appreciate you handling dinner, Matt.”

“We’re gonna have a great meal. And we’re making sure there’s some healthier stuff so your doctor doesn’t get mad at you,” he says with a wink. “Shout if you need anything, okay?”

“Thank you, dear,” Paula says, and she takes a long sip of her tea as he exits through the dining room to return to the kitchen. She feels a terrible restlessness creeping through her body, which is only exacerbated by her doctor’s orders to take it easy and not put any undue strain on herself.

Please, God, she thinks, let this holiday be a time for my family to begin healing.

—–

“What’s all this?” Natalie Bishop asks as she steps into the sizable, white kitchen of the home that she shares with her husband and their son.

Spencer Ragan, standing at the open refrigerator, turns over his shoulder at the sound of her voice. “I picked up a few pies for later.”

Natalie comes over to the expansive island and peers through the cellophane windows atop the pie boxes. “Pumpkin and pecan? Nice. I’ll make sure I save room for a little of each.”

As he stashes the pies on an open shelf in the refrigerator, Spencer says, “They’re for later. I don’t want to show up empty-handed.”

“Show up where?”

“My grandmother‘s. She’s home from the hospital, and I know she’d love to see Peter. And then I’d feel bad not stopping by my father‘s, too, so we’ll go there.”

“Gee, thanks for all the advance notice,” Natalie says. “I’ll find something to wear.”

“That wasn’t an invitation,” he tells her as he closes the fridge.

She recoils. “Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.”

“It’s just — there’s a lot going on, okay? You don’t have plans?”

“Bree gave me the most halfhearted invite to go over to Marcus‘s parents’ house with them, but she had that ‘I’m going to die of embarrassment if you actually come’ look in her eyes, so I decided to pass. I figured it would be a nice day to order some Chinese food and lay low.”

“Probably a good idea,” Spencer says.

But then a thought strikes Natalie. “Hey, wait. You aren’t sneaking Peter off to visit your mother in jail, are you?”

“No. I’m not subjecting him to that. I’m still telling him that she’s on one of her trips. Why would you even ask that?”

“Because she’s your mother, and they denied her bail, didn’t they? She’s spending Thanksgiving behind bars.”

“I’ve been to see her,” Spencer says wearily. “But that does bring up something I haven’t been able to figure out.”

“What’s that?” Natalie asks, lifting one eyebrow.

“How did they have enough to make an arrest now? A whole year later?” he questions. “The fact that you’ve been so quiet is telling, Natalie.”

“Telling? How?”

“Drop the act,” Spencer says. “What did you do? How did you wind up getting my mother arrested?”

—–

Claire Fisher sets several large, white, paper bags on the island in Tim Fisher‘s kitchen.

“That’s a lot of food,” Tim comments.

“Maybe I over-ordered,” Claire agrees. “I was worried we wouldn’t have enough.”

Tim comes up behind her and places his hands on her waist, pulling her close. “There are worse things than leftovers.”

“I just want this to be a good holiday. All of us could use that.”

“You’re telling me.” Tim rests his chin on the top of her shoulder. “At least my mom is back at home.”

“I’m sorry we aren’t having dinner there later,” Claire says. “But with everything going on…”

Tim nods his head. “It would’ve been asking for World War III. It makes sense for us to have the kids come here. And it’ll shield my mom from at least some of the stress.”

“It will. And who knows? Maybe this is the beginning of things turning around,” Claire says.

“I don’t know about that,” Tim says, taking a step back. “It would be nice, yeah. But I’m worried that isn’t going to happen until Molly and Brent get what they want — and if they do, it could destroy Travis and Rosie.”

—–

Inside Juanita Jimenez‘s humble green house, Travis Fisher sits cross-legged on the living room floor while Gabrielle shows him how she seats her stuffed animals atop a plaid blanket for their Thanksgiving picnic.

“And what do they eat for their picnic?” Travis asks his daughter.

Gabrielle touches a tiny finger to her lips, as if she hasn’t yet considered this. “Pizza.”

“Pizza on Thanksgiving? That does sound pretty good.” He gives his stomach an exaggerated rub in a circular motion.

“We’re having pizza?” his wife asks as she comes in from the kitchen.

“Gabrielle’s animal friends are,” Travis explains. “What is your mom doing in there? It already smells amazing.”

“She’s making her famous tres leches cake,” Rosie says. “I told her that your dad said we shouldn’t bring anything…”

Travis smiles. “She’s a mom. It’s what she does. And I don’t think any of us will mind an extra dessert.”

The sharp ding of the doorbell interrupts the conversation. Before Rosie can move, Travis leaps to his feet.

“I’ll get it,” he says, moving past her and toward the front door, which is located just off the small but tidy living area. When he opens it, however, a chill goes over him — and it isn’t just because of the November weather coming in from outside.

“What are you doing here?” he asks his aunt and uncle.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” Molly Taylor says. “Your uncle and I think it’s time that we all talk — and put an end to this misery once and for all.”

—–

Her face glistening with sweat and her breathing labored, Diane Bishop rolls onto her back in the king-sized bed. Isaac Banks is right beside her, nude, sweaty, and catching his breath himself.

“Now that’s something to be thankful for,” he says, with a grin that Diane can hear in his voice even before she lets her head roll to the side so that she can look at him.

“You have no idea.” Diane winks at him and then goes back to gazing up at the ceiling of her condo’s primary bedroom. “Getting to spend a morning like this instead of talking about radio station giveaways at the crack of dawn… that’s what I call a holiday.”

Isaac throws out his right arm, and Diane lifts her head so that he can place it under her neck. She scoots nearer to him in the bed.

“Maybe it’s the holiday, or maybe it’s the mind-blowing sex,” she says, “but I hope you know how lucky I feel to have you in my life.”

He kisses the top of her dark hair. “The feeling is mutual. Very mutual.”

Diane savors the serenity of their situation for a few more seconds, then sits up in the bed, holding the white sheet over herself. “I guess we should get showered and dressed.”

“Guess so.” Isaac lets out an exaggerated groan. “You’re sure you don’t mind making the rounds with me today?”

“Of course not. I love Alex and Trevor. The fact that you get to see your little brother at their place is a nice bonus. And I can definitely endure an afternoon with Claire if it means spending the holiday with my daughter, too.”

“Good. Just checking.”

“But maybe I spoke too soon,” she says, touching a finger to his bare chest.

“Why’s that?”

“Because I kind of promised Brian that I’d go visit him, Kelsey, and the baby,” Diane explains. “And I’d love for you to come.”

He smiles. “That means a lot.”

“Yeah, I think a trip for us would be great. Plus seeing that I’m in a relationship might chill Kelsey out a bit.”

“Ah. So I’m just a prop…”

“That’s not what I meant.” She leans in and gives him a quick kiss. “No prop could do the things you just did to me.”

“Hmm. I think you’re gonna have to make it up to me.”

“How’s that?”

“How about you join me in the shower and show me?” he asks with a suggestive twinkle in his eyes.

“That sounds like a miserable sacrifice,” Diane says. “But for you? Anything. Come on.” Together they scurry out of the bed and toward the en suite bathroom, hands still all over one another.

—–

Natalie stares back at Spencer across their high-end kitchen island.

“What kind of powers do you think I have?” she asks. “I can’t make the KBPD arrest anyone.”

“You came in here, guns blazing, swearing that you’d seen her at the old Moriani house that night it blew up,” Spencer reminds her. “And then you backtracked and changed your story.”

Natalie feels her throat closing up. “I was only– talking out of my ass, really. I didn’t know for sure.”

“Something isn’t right here.”

“Are you upset that she’s back in jail?” Natalie asks in an effort to divert the conversation. “You haven’t wanted her in this house, either.”

“I know. But it’s… it’s all weird.”

“If Loretta really did make Molly think her baby had died and then kidnapped Rosie and Gabrielle… well… she deserves to be in prison.”

“I don’t disagree with you,” Spencer says, quickly glancing toward the hallway to be sure that Peter is not within earshot. “But don’t forget that you’re the one who was all gung-ho about having her move in here when she first showed up in King’s Bay. What was that all about?”

“Ever heard that thing about keeping your enemies closer? I knew that turning her away would just put a giant target on my back.”

Spencer scowls back at her but then shrugs. Natalie hates the jumpy feeling that she has with his gaze fixed upon her.

“How about we take today and be grateful that the police put their three remaining brain cells together and were able to make enough of a case to arrest her?” she says “I only wish I’d been able to do that a year ago. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go take a Pilates class to earn that Chinese takeout.”

Without waiting for him to respond, she saunters out of the kitchen. Spencer leans against the refrigerator, the gears in his head still turning.

“What are you hiding from me?” he asks under his breath.

—–

Molly and Brent stand on the brick porch at the front of the Jimenez house, her in a double-breasted, aubergine winter coat and him in a leather jacket with a sherpa lining.

“How do you suggest we do that?” Travis challenges them.

From inside the house, Rosie sees who is on the porch. She hurries to join Travis.

“Mama? Could you keep an eye on Gabrielle for a minute?” she calls toward the kitchen, and then she steps outside and shuts the door behind herself.

“I’m not sure if you heard, but Loretta was denied bail,” Brent tells the younger couple.

Rosie grits her teeth. “What does that have to do with us?”

“The judge feels she’s a flight risk, given her history,” Brent explains. “They’re going to push ahead with the kidnapping charges quickly.”

“So you came over to give my wife an update on a case where she and our daughter were the victims?” Travis questions.

“Loretta is going to be punished for what she did to you and Gabrielle,” Molly says, forcing eye contact with Rosie. “That should be a relief.”

Rosie’s sole response is a stony stare.

“When that happens, it’s also going to shift the dynamic of our case,” Brent says. “Loretta can be connected to Eric Westin and the kidnapping. It isn’t a leap to connect her to Dr. Longo, too. Once that happens–“

Travis cuts him off: “Did you seriously come here on a holiday to bully us into, what, dropping our case?”

Bracing her arms against the cold, Rosie quickly adds, “This is sick. You’re the ones suing us for custody.”

“And we are her biological parents,” Molly says. “We’re sorry that we aired out your family’s pain in court, but after your lawyer tried to accuse me of engineering the kidnapping–“

“Which is off the table now,” Brent jumps in. “We thought you two might be open to settling this among us. We have to stop putting Paula — and everyone else — through this agony.”

“Then let us have a holiday with our daughter!” Rosie snaps. “Goodbye.”

She throws the door back open and goes inside. Travis lingers on the porch, folding his arms to brace against the autumn cold.

“You know we have a point, Travis,” Molly says pleadingly.

He regards them for another moment, then shakes his head.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” he says before disappearing back into the house and closing the door with a decisive slam.

Outside the house, Molly and Brent remain unmoving, focused on the door that has just been closed in their faces.

“We had to try,” he says.

“We’ll keep trying,” Molly vows. “This is the last Thanksgiving that I’m going to spend without my daughter in my arms.”

END OF EPISODE 1203

Will Molly and Brent resort to drastic action?
Has Natalie made a mistake by turning Loretta in?
What could be coming for Diane and Isaac?
Talk about all this and more in the comments below!

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