Previously…
– Spencer and Natalie made a deal to get married in order to both have custody of Peter, sending shockwaves through the Fisher family.
– Diane and Natalie’s father, Henry, confessed to Diane that he was he is suffering from Stage 4 pancreatic cancer but doesn’t want the rest of the family to know so that he can avoid a prolonged period of mourning. Diane reluctantly agreed to keep his secret.
– Tori finally revealed to Zane that she is pregnant with his baby but made it clear that he does not get to dictate what she decides to do about the baby.

Courtesy of the brand-new Sonos sound system, Mariah Carey’s Christmas music fills the house with festive cheer. When the doorbell rings, temporarily puncturing the facade of holiday cheer, Spencer Ragan steps into the foyer of his new home.

“They’re here!” he calls up the stairs.

“Let them in!” his new wife shouts back.

Spencer groans. “What are you even doing up there?”

“Getting ready and making an entrance,” Natalie snaps. “Now let them in!”

He takes a deep breath, straightens the collar of his shirt beneath his open blazer, and then steps up to the front door.

“Here goes nothing,” he says under his breath before opening the door.

He plasters a smile on his face. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas, Spencer,” Claudia Bishop says as she bustles right into the house.

“Merry Christmas,” her husband repeats. He shuffles behind Claudia, seeming quite weary; Spencer hopes it isn’t an irritation that will persist through this so-called celebration.

“This is quite the house!” Claudia says, not even trying to hide her thorough evaluation of the space. She runs her hand over the carved white banister. “Very lovely, I must say.”

“Thank you,” Spencer says. “Can I take your coats?”

They work their way out of the rain-flecked winter coats and pass them to Spencer, who hangs them in the nearby hall closet.

“Bree’s out in the garage helping Peter with his new train set,” he says as he shuts the closet. “I’ll get them.”

“She’s so good with him,” Henry says, steadying himself on the nearby credenza. Spencer watches him, surprised by how frail his father-in-law seems. He only met the Bishops in passing last year, but he doesn’t remember Henry as being so, well, old.

“I must say, we were quite surprised when we heard you and Natalie had gotten married,” Claudia tells Spencer. “We had no idea what to expect.”

“Well,” Spencer replies a bit uneasily, “Natalie and I have…”

“We’ve discovered that we have quite a lot in common.”

All three heads in the foyer swing upward at the sound of the voice. Natalie stands at the top of the stairs in an impeccably cut red dress and gold heels.

“Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad,” she says as she descends the staircase.

“That’s a stunning dress,” Claudia says. “A little short, perhaps, but…”

“Thank you. Spencer bought it for me.”

He cocks his head. “I did?”

“Well, your credit card did.”

“What about all that other crap you bought and put under the tree for yourself?”

“Those were Christmas presents,” Natalie says, tossing her chestnut hair. “This was just because.”

Spencer rolls his eyes. “Obviously.”

Natalie ignores him and motions for her parents to follow her. “Come on, let’s get everyone a drink and find the kids.”

Before they can go, however, the doorbell rings again.

“I’ve got it,” Spencer announces. He hopes that at least one of the newly arrived guests will offer him a little salvation from this farce.

“Merry Christmas!” Diane Bishop says once the door is opened. She and Samantha move inside quickly.

“Thank you for coming. I’ve never been so happy to see you,” Spencer whispers as he greets his half-sister with a hug.

“Diane,” Claudia says as they all exchange greetings. “I thought you might surprise us by finally changing your hairstyle.”

Samantha leans back toward Spencer and says quietly, “Don’t thank me yet.”

—–

Sophie Fisher presses her face against the front window of her grandmother’s house.

“Daddy! Come look!” she shouts.

Jason Fisher, who is standing in the living room talking to his sister, Molly Taylor, excuses himself and moves into the small entryway of the house in which he grew up.

“It’s snowing!” Sophie exclaims. “Can I go play in it?”

His daughter’s joy brings a smile to Jason’s face, even as he squints to get a better look at the window. The raindrops falling from the sky do seem to have turned to fat, white clusters, but as soon as they hit the ground, they dissolve.

“I think it’s still more rain than snow,” he says, “but let’s cross our fingers for a white Christmas.”

Sophie turns toward him and scrunches up her face. “Are Natalie and Bree coming?”

Jason hesitates, his breath catching in his chest.

“Why would you ask that?” he says.

“I don’t know. They always come here for Christmas.”

“Well, Bree spent Christmas Eve with her dad, so she has to be with Natalie today. And… you know that Natalie and I decided not to get married. So things are a little different now.”

The little girl folds her arms in a pout. “You always take fun things away from me.”

“No one has been taken away from you. You’ll get to see Bree soon. They’re just having their own celebration with Natalie’s family today.”

“And Spencer?”

“And Spencer,” Jason says flatly. “One big, happy family.”

“Why did Spencer marry Natalie? She’s, like, old like you!”

“Spencer’s a grown-up, too,” Molly says as she slides up to them. “He and Natalie decided to get married so they can take care of Peter together.”

“How can Spencer really be Peter’s dad?” Sophie asks.

“Why don’t we go see if Travis and Uncle Matt need any help in the kitchen?” Molly suggests. “I bet they’d really appreciate it.”

Jason mouths a silent thanks to Molly as Sophie follows her aunt through the living room toward the kitchen. He lingers in the entry, watching the faint snowfall outside, but stiffens when he sees Don and Helen Chase getting out of their car and walking up the front steps toward the house. He considers bolting, but as they arrive on the front porch, Helen makes eye contact with him through the window.

He moves over to open the door before they can ring the bell.

“Merry Christmas, Jason,” Don says genially. He holds a bottle of wine in one hand and uses the other to shake hands with his former son-in-law.

“Merry Christmas,” Jason replies.

Helen, who holds a pie dish covered in aluminum foil, stares at him uncertainly.

“It’s good to see you, Jason,” she finally says. “Merry Christmas.”

“You, too.” He holds his jaw tight. “Sophie just went into the kitchen with Molly.”

“Did she like her presents?” Helen asks.

He nods tersely. “She loves the easel you guys got her. And that sweatshirt is very nice. Thanks.”

“That’s great to hear,” Don says.

“I’m so glad!” Helen exclaims. “I couldn’t decide between the pink or the purple for the sweatshirt.”

Jason pauses for a long beat.

“Listen,” he says, “I’m not especially in the mood to chit-chat. You’re here because of Sophie — she’s had enough upheaval in the past few months. She should be with her grandparents for Christmas. But if you think I’m ready to go back to normal after what you pulled at my wedding…”

“I was only looking out for you and for Sophie!” Helen says.

“I’m not getting into this with you again, but you were like a kid on Christmas morning when you got to take Natalie down the way you did. Don’t even try to deny it.”

“I saved you from being bound to that wretched woman–”

“Helen,” Don interjects, placing a hand on his wife’s arm. “Let’s not do this today.”

Helen harrumphs. “I was only helping.”

“Whatever,” Jason says, and he turns to rejoin the gathering.

“Well, bah humbug to you, too,” Helen mutters.

—–

In the living room, Paula Fisher stands before the elegantly lit Christmas tree. She holds a chipped snowglobe ornament in one hand.

“Your grandfather gave this to me for the first Christmas after we started dating,” she says.

“That’s so sweet,” Tori Gray, who is standing just behind Paula, responds.

Paula chuckles. “He told me later that he wanted to give me a keepsake, but he thought that if he got me one of those ornaments that said ‘Our First Christmas,’ he would jinx the whole thing.”

“Maybe he was right. He didn’t wind up jinxing it.”

“That’s true.” Paula runs her index finger over the ornament and then lets it go; it swings softly as it nestles back between two of the tree’s branches.

She finally turns back toward her granddaughter. “What made you ask about these old things?”

“I don’t know,” Tori says, as her hand strays down to her ever-expanding stomach. “I guess I was just thinking…” After telling her parents — and Zane — about her pregnancy, she opened up to the rest of the family about it, as well. She has heard about pregnancy hormones and how they can make a woman emotional, but she had no idea it could be this overwhelming, especially at such seemingly random times.

“About family, and history, and all that.” Paula nods knowingly. She gazes around the living and dining rooms, and she sees Tim chatting with Conrad while Helen and Don enter the gathering. “What you’re doing is very brave, Tori.”

“Either brave or stupid.”

“You can’t go back and change the past. You cared about Zane, and now that you’re this far along… well, this is happening.”

“It still seems so, I don’t know, abstract in a way,” Tori says. “Like how is this–” She rubs her stomach. “–going to turn into an actual baby?”

Paula chuckles. “It will. Believe me.”

Tori frowns. “How did you do it? With Ryan, I mean. To have this baby and then just… send it out into the world…”

“It wasn’t easy,” Paula says. “I won’t lie about that. But when I had Ryan, my life was not in a place that would have allowed me to raise him correctly. Your grandfather and I were trying to start our lives together, and I wanted nothing to do with Stan. Rather than struggle and resent my son, I decided to put him up for adoption so that he could have a better life.”

“And then Nick Moriani adopted him.”

Paula’s face falls.

“Sorry, Grandma. I didn’t mean to sound like such a bitch.” Tori sees her grandmother cringe at her choice of vocabulary. “And sorry–”

“I won’t lie to you that everything is guaranteed to be perfect,” Paula says, emotion welling in her eyes and throat. “I’ve lived with a lot of guilt over how Ryan was brought up. But there are options. There are private adoptions. Look at how things worked out for Danielle and Elly — or for Alex and Trevor, raising that beautiful little boy.”

Tori hesitates for a long moment. “I’m just scared.”

“That’s why you have all of us.” Paula wraps an arm around her granddaughter’s shoulders. “That baby is my great-grandchild–”

“That makes me feel even worse!” Tori laments. “You just found out that Peter is your great-grandkid, and everything is fu– screwed up, and now I’m talking about giving this baby away.”

“And if that is what’s best for you and this child, then that’s what we will do. We’ll all work to find the best possible home for that baby so that you can both have the fullest lives possible.”

Tori leans her head against Paula. “Thanks, Grandma.”

The two of them stare at the twinkling lights upon the tree, lost in thought together.

—–

“Yes, Mom. People really do listen to my radio show,” Diane says before slugging what’s left of her wine. She pushes the glass across the island toward Spencer. “More, please.”

“Coming right up,” Spencer says as he takes a big gulp of his own drink.

“I’ll be right back,” Diane tells everyone gathered in the kitchen. She ducks into the back hallway in search of the restroom. Just as she is searching for the correct door, one of the ones in question opens, and Henry steps out.

“Hi, Diane,” he says, forcing a bit of a smile.

She glances around and then asks, her voice quiet, “Everything okay?”

“I’m fine. Absolutely fine. Thanks.”

He tries to shuffle past her.

“Dad, you look…” She studies him up and down. “Mom really doesn’t know?”

“She suspects, I’m sure,” he says. Even this simple statement sounds strained coming from his increasingly emaciated body. “But she hasn’t pushed, and– Diane, the end is near. I’m sure of it. I’m surprised I could even fly, to be honest.”

Diane suddenly feels her throat tighten. She and her father have never been close, but his utter frankness about the end of his life still hits her hard.

“You really think so?”

“I know,” Henry says with resignation. “I’ve made my peace with it. I just want to enjoy this Christmas with all of you.”

He starts to move out of the way, but Diane grasps his arm as gently as she can. It feels alarmingly thin beneath his sweater and shirt.

“I don’t want you going through this alone,” she says. “Are you sure that you don’t want to tell everyone?”

“Tell everyone what?”

Both Diane and Henry turn, shocked to see Samantha standing there.

—–

After finding Sophie in the kitchen and going over each and every one of the presents that the little girl received this morning, Helen gets a glass of red wine and returns to the living room. She finds Tori texting on her iPhone.

“Victoria, dear,” she says softly. “How are you?”

Tori looks up. “I guess you’ve heard. Or seen.”

Helen takes in the sight of the young woman’s rounded stomach. “How are you feeling?”

“I don’t know. Fine? Weird?” Tori shrugs. “I can’t believe I let this happen.”

“You thought you and that beau of yours would be together forever. You had no way of knowing he was such a lying, scheming bastard.”

Her choice of words elicits a tiny laugh from Tori.

“Anyway, I’ve been talking to Mom and Dad and Grandma,” Tori explains, “and I think I’m going to put the baby up for adoption.”

“If that’s what’s best for both of you, then so be it,” Helen says. “When I was pregnant with my Courtney–”

The doorbell rings, momentarily yanking them from their conversation. Tori looks around.

“I wonder who that could be,” she says. “Everyone who was invited is here.”

“I haven’t seen Claire, or that Tempest,” Helen offers.

“They went to California with Brent. Lauren didn’t want to fly up here with a newborn.”

“Oh, that’s right! I’ll get the door.”

Helen goes swiftly through the living room and into the entryway. Tori follows her.

“Oh, how beautiful!” Helen exclaims when she whips open the door and sees the colossal arrangement of red and white flowers. “I wonder who could have…”

But the flowers are lowered, and the delivery person turns out not to be a delivery person at all.

“Is Tori here?” Zane Tanaka asks. “These are for her.”

Helen turns back over her shoulder, awaiting Tori’s reaction.

END OF EPISODE 956

How will the Fishers react to Zane’s arrival?
Did Paula offer Tori helpful advice?
Will Henry finally reveal the truth to his family?
Discuss it all in the comments below!

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