Previously…
– After an enraged Jason punched Spencer, the judge threw out his appeal in the custody hearing, effectively ending his chances of securing custody of Peter.
– Tempest was upset when she spied Samantha and Jaq on a date.
– Following the loss of her unborn child, Tori moved back in with Zane and resumed her relationship with him.

In the foyer of Spencer Ragan and Natalie Bishop’s home, Tempest Banks steps up to greet her host for Thanksgiving dinner. “Happy Thanksgiving, Spencer. Nice of you to–”

Before she can finish the statement, however, Tempest sees Samantha Fisher appear in the living room. Samantha, too, freezes as she spots her ex-girlfriend arriving.

“Hi,” Samantha says after a hearty gulp. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

All too aware of the awkwardness, Claire Fisher hands Spencer her coat and hurries toward Samantha, whom she greets with a loving embrace.

“Happy Thanksgiving,” Claire says. “It’s so nice to see you. You look great.”

“Thanks,” Samantha says somewhat tensely, even as she pushes a smile over her face. “Hi, Uncle Brent.”

“Hey, Sam,” Brent Taylor responds, waving with his free hand as he holds a wrapped pie plate in the other.

As Spencer busies himself hanging the coats, Samantha again turns toward Tempest.

“It’s good to see you,” she says to her former girlfriend.

“You, too,” Tempest says, relaxing ever-so-slightly. “How are you?”

“Um, I’m good. Work has been busy.”

“That’s good, right?” Tempest asks.

Claire and Brent exchange relieved looks as the young women chat pleasantly.

Samantha lets out a small laugh. “Mostly good. They’re giving me a lot of responsibility, which is great — I just wish more of it were second-nature so I had a few more hours a day to myself.”

“You’ll get there soon,” Tempest says. “You always kill it when you have work to do.”

“How about you?” Samantha asks.

With a shrug, Tempest answers, “I started taking a business class one night a week at KBU. Trying to get my learn on. Jason says it’ll help me out down the road.”

“It will.”

“Samantha,” Jaq Pearson says as she enters from the kitchen, “did you want a–”

But they also stop as soon as they recognize Tempest.

Spencer closes the closet door and turns to Claire and Brent. He flashes them a worried look.

“Hi, I’m Jaq,” the short-haired young person says, raising a hand in greeting. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

Tempest glares at them for a long moment, then breaks toward the kitchen.

“I’m gonna need a drink,” she declares as she disappears.

Spencer’s gaze darts from Samantha and Jaq over to Brent and Claire.

“I think I’m going to need one myself,” he says. “Anyone else?”

—–

Jason Fisher steps tentatively into the dining room of his mother’s home. Family members and friends fill the space, talking and laughing. Simple but lovely place settings line the perimeter of the table, and drinks and appetizers cover the sideboard against the wall. Normally, this would be one of the happiest sights in the world to him, but today, he feels strangely removed from all the holiday cheer. Though he is physically in the midst of it, he feels immune to whatever power it usually holds.

“Hey,” Tim Fisher says as he approaches his younger brother. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

Jason sets his jaw as he regards Tim. “Happy Thanksgiving,” he says tightly.

“How are you doing?”

“I’ve been better, to put it lightly.”

Tim looks down into his glass of club soda for a few seconds. “Can we go in the other room and talk?”

Jason manages a nod and follows Tim into the living room, which is currently empty except for Billy attempting to read Chase a book on the sofa. Jason and Tim move to stand by the staircase, on the opposite side of the room.

“I’m sorry you’re having to deal with all this,” Tim says quietly. “I wish I could go back in time and make it so that Natalie never had the chance to mislead you.”

“Yeah, well,” Jason replies, “what’s done is done, isn’t it?”

“That doesn’t make any of it fair. You’re a great father.”

“Tell that to the judge, then.”

Tim falls silent again. He takes a quick sip of his drink in order to regroup.

“I’ve never wanted to give the impression that I’m taking sides,” he continues at last. “You’re my brother. I love you. And Peter is my grandson–”

“I know that. But he could still be your grandson and be my son — as bizarre as that sounds when I say it out loud — instead of in that house of horrors with those two lunatics.”

“You have every reason to be angry at Natalie. But Spencer has been a good father to Peter.”

Jason’s face screws up with disdain. “Yeah, he hasn’t managed to kill or maim him in the past year. Huge accomplishment. And I guess having Alex and me drugged doesn’t detract from what an amazing dad he is, huh?”

“I didn’t say that,” Tim tells him, “and I really, truly do not think that Spencer had you guys drugged. He wouldn’t stoop to that.”

“I know he’s your son and you have all that lost time to make up for and blah blah,” Jason says, “but there’s very little that I’d put past him and Natalie. And now I’ve lost my chance of raising Peter as a result.”

“You could’ve appealed–”

“I did appeal!”

“And then you punched out Spencer before you could even get the case in front of a judge,” Tim snaps, gritting his teeth in an effort to keep his voice down. “That was on you, Jason.”

“I lost control for a second.”

“Can you really blame Spencer and Natalie for bringing that information to a judge, though? They’re scared to lose their son, too.”

Jason stares at his brother and then shakes his head in disgust.

“I thought you were one of the few people who’d always have my back,” he says. “I guess I was wrong.”

Tim watches in despair as Jason walks off, disappearing into the crowd in the dining room.

—–

“Look at how handsome you are in your sweater!” Claire proclaims when Peter comes running into the kitchen in a knitted navy blue cardigan with toggle buttons. “Can I have a hug?”

The toddler thinks about it for a moment, and then he thrusts his arms open. Claire kneels down to wrap him in her own arms.

“He gets bigger every time I see him,” she says to Natalie, who stands nearby in a black satin shift dress.

“It blows me away almost every single day,” Natalie agrees as she watches her son hugging his grandmother.

“I want cheese!” Peter declares.

“Why don’t you go over to Daddy and ask him for some? There’s cheddar on that board over there,” Natalie tells the boy. Without waiting, he races to the other end of the island.

A moment of stiff uncertainty hangs between the two women as Claire stands up again.

“Thanks for having us,” Claire says.

“Of course. It means a lot to have Spencer’s mother and Peter’s grandmother here for Thanksgiving dinner. I know none of this has exactly been traditional…”

“To say the least. But as long as you’re all happy, then I’m happy.”

“Thanks.” Natalie pushes a few strands of her auburn hair back off her shoulder. “Things are good between you and Brent, it looks like.”

A smile crosses Claire’s lips. “Things are great.”

“That’s good to hear. It must’ve been terrifying, what happened to him and Molly…”

“You have no idea. The thought of losing him…” Claire allows the thought to take her for only a moment before forcing it away. “But he’s okay. They’re both okay. And everything is great.”

“I’m really happy to hear that. Do you think…” Natalie raises one eyebrow. “Could wedding bells be ringing for you two?”

Claire recalls the diamond ring that she found among Brent’s belongings when he was hospitalized. She suspects that he had planned to propose that night, before he and Molly were kidnapped, and although she has wondered why he hasn’t done so yet, she is sure that he must be waiting for the right time again.

“I think it’s possible,” she answers. “We’ve discussed it.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed,” Natalie says before moving off.

—–

Matt Gray uses pot holders to carry the serving dish full of scalloped potatoes from the kitchen to the dining room. Various platters and dishes have begun to fill the center of the table, signaling that the Thanksgiving feast is nearly ready to begin.

“This all looks so good,” his wife says as she sidles up to him.

Matt places the potatoes on the table and turns as Sarah wraps her hands around his firm bicep.

“It does. But I feel bad that your mom and Travis did so much of the cooking,” he says.

“They knew you had a ton to take care of with the restaurant. You deserve a day off now and then, you know?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know about that.”

“Come on. Of course you do.”

He glances around the dining room, at their loved ones enjoying drinks and appetizers before the meal.

“Feels weird not to have Tori here,” he says quietly.

“I know. Part of me keeps hoping she’ll walk through the door to surprise us.”

“Which would mean bringing Zane along with her, probably.” Matt sighs. “You know what? I’d even take him if it meant getting our daughter back.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, I might, too,” Sarah says. “Though I wouldn’t be responsible for anything I did once he walked into this house.”

Matt’s gaze falls to the floor. “I miss her.”

“I do, too.” Sarah squeezes his arm lovingly. “It’s good that she went over to Spencer’s today. At least she isn’t shutting herself away from the entire family. Maybe with some time…”

“I don’t know if there’s enough time in the world to fix what happened. Between her and Jake…”

“Honestly?” Sarah says. “Your brother is being a jerk, the way he’s lashing out. Marcus is all right. Mia says his recovery is coming along great.”

“But Jake won’t even return a text.”

“You guys have a lot of messy history. You can’t control how he reacts to things. Believe me — I’ve learned that the hard way.”

“It’s so hard having it be a holiday and I can’t even see my daughter or my brother.”

“We’re going to find a way to fix all of this,” Sarah tells him. “There’s a new year coming up. Fresh starts, new opportunities. We’ll find a way to repair things with Tori. I know we will. And as for Jake… he isn’t going to hold this against you forever.”

Matt hesitates before saying, “I don’t even know if I can forgive myself.”

“You can. And you will. Because you’re an incredible man. Tori, Billy, and I — we’re so lucky to have you, no matter how rough things might’ve gotten. Your brother is, too.”

“You’re so optimistic. I don’t know if it’s impressive or…”

“Insane?” She grins at him. “Let’s go with impressive for today.”

“You’re pretty damn impressive,” he says before embracing her hard. “This year, that’s the thing I’m most thankful for.”

—–

Diane Bishop watches her sister and Claire exchanging pleasantries across the kitchen. Irked by the very sight, she fetches a wine glass from the sprawling marble island and pours herself a glass of cabernet sauvignon.

“Happy Thanksgiving, Tori,” she says, making her way over to her best friend’s daughter. It has been some time since she saw Tori in the flesh, despite discussing her with Sarah all the time. “Zane.”

“Happy Thanksgiving,” Tori responds. She stands very close to Zane, her shoulder nestled right up into his chest.

“It’s good to see you,” Diane tells them. “How have things been?”

A bright — and forced, Diane thinks — smile appears on Tori’s face. “Things are great. We’re just, you know, trying to stay focused on moving forward.”

“I know you’ve had a rough year,” Diane says, “so I’m very glad to hear that things are better now.”

“We’re really happy,” Zane chimes in.

“Are you working?” Diane asks.

Tori looks up at Zane, who then takes the baton and answers, “I’m doing a lot of freelance work. Coding and programming, mostly. I can barely keep up with it, it’s coming in so fast. And Tori is deciding what she wants to do.”

“That’s great.” Diane clinks her long fingernails against her wine glass. “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know.”

Tori narrows her eyes suspiciously. “Really?”

“Of course. If there’s a job at KBAY you might be interested in, I’m sure I could help.”

“That would be awesome,” Tori says, “but… are you sure there are no strings attached?”

“What kind of strings?”

“Like forcing you to talk to your mom and dad,” Zane answers. “If that’s the case, thanks but no thanks.”

Diane maintains her cool. “I didn’t mention any strings.”

“But it would be just like Tori’s parents to send you to do their dirty work,” Zane says.

“It’s only an offer,” Diane says. “And you should know me well enough to know that I don’t take orders from anyone. If you’re interested, great. If not, no skin off my back. Happy Thanksgiving.”

She turns and heads to the living room, leaving them to consider her offer.

—–

Samantha turns the corner off the kitchen and sees the door to the powder room closed. A light shining from beneath indicates that someone is in there. She leans against the wall to wait, and soon enough, she hears the faucet running. The light switches off, and the door is pulled open.

Tempest emerges from the bathroom and stares right at Samantha.

“All yours,” Tempest says gruffly.

“Thanks.” Samantha starts to move for the bathroom but then stops. “Tempest. Wait. Can we talk?”

With a loud sigh, Tempest turns back. She folds her arms and screws up her lips.

“What about?” she asks.

Samantha swallows the sudden lump in her throat. “Just… happy Thanksgiving. It was nice when we were catching up earlier, and then…”

“Then your girlfriend walked in,” Tempest says. “Look, I don’t care. I’m happy you’re happy and all of that. But it’s not my job to act like it makes me happy, too.” 

“Tempest–”

“Happy Thanksgiving, Sam,” she says before walking off. Samantha feels her heart sinking into her stomach as the reality of how bad things are between them hits her.

—–

“It’s time for dinner!” Rosie Jimenez announces, sweeping into the living room. “I’ve been sent by the chefs to tell you that.”

“Thanks, Rosie,” Alex Marshall says. He looks to his husband. “Do you want to try and wrangle Chase?”

Trevor Brooks observes their son, playing on the floor with an assortment of toy vehicles and stuffed animals.

“I’ll give it a shot,” he says. Before he crouches down to try and negotiate with the boy, he gives Alex a quick kiss on the cheek. “Happy Thanksgiving. I’m so sorry that I doubted you.”

“I’m sorry if I ever gave you a reason to doubt how committed to you I am. Happy Thanksgiving,” Alex says, beaming back at him.

Rosie winds her way back through the dining room and finds Travis Fisher setting the platter of carved turkey on the table.

“Everything looks amazing,” she says.

Travis turns to her and takes her hand. “You know what I’m thankful for this year?”

“Being finished cooking?” Rosie guesses with a little laugh.

“That, and having you here.” He plants a kiss on her lips and breathes in her sweet scent.

“I’m thankful to be here,” Rosie says, “and to be with you.”

At the doorway that joins the dining room and kitchen, Paula Fisher stands back and watches her family members and friends swirling around the table as they find their seats.

“Please watch over us all, Bill,” she says quietly, “and help me find the strength to put this family back together in the coming year.”

—–

“You made it!” Diane exclaims as Tim enters the house just as everyone is migrating into the dining room. A cheer goes up from around the table.

“Just in time,” he says as he greets Samantha, then Claire, and begins to make his way around the table.

Natalie finishes lighting one of the white taper candles standing tall on the tabletop.

“Could someone go into the kitchen and get another bottle of red and another white?” she asks.

“I’ll do it,” Diane says, and she ducks back into the kitchen.

In there, she finds Jaq using the corkscrew to open another bottle of white wine.

“Excellent timing,” Diane says. “My sister just sent me in to get that.”

Jaq pops the cork out as Diane glances around to be sure that they are alone.

“Things seem great between you and Sam,” she says in a hushed tone. “And I think Tempest is getting the message.”

“She was not happy to see me,” Jaq responds, watching the doorway over Diane’s shoulder as they speak. 

“Good. After what she did to Sam and me, she deserves to have to watch Sam happy with someone else.”

“And I’m thrilled that person is me,” Jaq says before picking up the bottle and returning to the dining room.

—–

Later that night, after the dishes have been cleared and goodbyes have been exchanged, Jason loads Sophie into the car and returns home. He gives her permission to stay up watching TV — something she wouldn’t be allowed to do on a non-holiday — and then goes upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes.

Once he is in sweatpants and a t-shirt, he finds himself returning to the nursery that was once Peter’s room. Simply being in here is painful, and yet he cannot resist it. With every day that goes by, the first two years of Peter’s life seem more like a strange dream — a figment of Jason’s imagination that becomes blurrier and more difficult to capture as time plows onward.

He goes over to the crib and peers over the side. It is as empty as it’s been for months. Jason feels something break open inside himself, and he turns his back to the crib. His body slides downward until he is sitting on the floor, knees pulled up to his chest.

“How?” he says aloud, knowing there is no one to answer him. “How did everything wind up like this?”

He feels a sob overtake his body, and he pulls his knees even closer, wanting nothing more than to close in on himself until he doesn’t have to cope with this pain any longer.

END OF EPISODE 997

Will Jason be able to move forward with his life?
Is Tempest being petty about Samantha and Jaq?
Should Tori take up Diane on her offer?
Discuss it all in the comments below!

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