Episodes 722 – 754
Though she was elated by her brand-new engagement to Philip Ragan, Molly Taylor was also nervous about telling her ex-husband the news. Brent took the announcement graciously but was privately hurt by the reality that Molly was moving on. Molly and Philip began planning their wedding, but tensions arose when Philip suggested that his younger brother, Spencer, could live with them. Molly was concerned about loose-cannon Spencer living under the same roof as her sons.
When Spencer went into the Student Affairs office at King’s Bay University to file for a 
leave of absence, he encountered his half-sister, Samantha Fisher, working there and was less-than-receptive to her attempts at being friendly. After realizing he’d left his wallet behind, though, Spencer returned, only to overhear Samantha telling Travis Fisher that his girlfriend Elly’s study-abroad application had never been received by the school — as well as Travis defensively swearing that he had mailed it, as Elly asked him to. Later, when Travis tried to talk to his father, Tim, about the situation, they were interrupted by Spencer, who was now working with Tim at Vision Publishing. The two young men once again got into it.
Spencer returned to the office, apologized to Samantha, and asked her to go to happy hour with him. They got tipsy together, and Samantha confided in Spencer about the study-abroad application. Spencer “accidentally” revealed this news to Elly, who was irate and confronted Samantha about having kept this from her. Spencer pretended it had all been an accident and apologized to Samantha, who wanted to believe him although others weren’t so sure. Elly asked Travis point-blank if he had mailed the application, and he insisted he had, but she later overheard him and Samantha having a heated confrontation in which the truth came out. Hurt and betrayed, Elly broke up with Travis. Despite his efforts, she would not take him back. When Travis told his Aunt Molly about what Spencer had done to him and Elly, she took it as confirmation that her instincts were correct and dug in her heels with Philip.
After meeting on a mutually lonely Christmas night, Claire Fisher and Jimmy Trask began a relationship but decided to keep things casual and not share too much about their personal lives too quickly. When Paula Fisher came by to thank Claire for the Christmas gift she’d left on the doorstep, Jimmy emerged from the shower, and Paula was scandalized. She reported back to her son, Claire’s ex-husband Tim, about what she’d encountered. Tim made it clear to Claire that he wasn’t judging her for having a personal life, but Paula admitted that she was resentful toward Claire for having made such a mess of the situation with Travis and Spencer. She couldn’t help but blame her for the fact that Spencer wanted nothing to do with his biological family.
Sarah Fisher’s therapist tasked her with writing a letter to Matt Gray, one that she would never send, just to get her complicated feelings for him out. She was interrupted while trying to write, and her daughter, Tori, found one of the drafts in the trashcan.
After Diane Bishop quit her job at the bookstore, her former boss, Keith Huff, delivered her a bag full of unmarked bills in exchange for her silence. Diane realized that he was hiding whatever shady activity was going on at the store from his business partner, Jimmy. Diane kept Keith’s payoff a secret from everyone but later made a comment to Jimmy about how Keith was running a scam on him.
One day, Diane received a series of texts from Jimmy, asking him to meet her at the bookstore. Sarah noticed who was texting her friend and wondered why Diane was still in touch with Jimmy after quitting her job. When Diane arrived at the store, Jimmy demanded to know the truth about what she’d insinuated about Keith. Diane tried to insist that she didn’t know anything concrete. Keith arrived and, realizing he’d been set up and that Jimmy was wearing a wire, pulled a gun. Meanwhile, Sarah saw Diane’s car outside the bookstore and feared for her friend. She rushed inside just as the two men fought over the gun, and Sarah was shot in the fray. While Sarah was rushed to the hospital, police commander Brent arrived on the scene; he and Jimmy had set up the sting to catch Keith and Diane at whatever they were up to. Keith was arrested.
Meanwhile, everyone held vigil at the hospital. Danielle Taylor overheard her boyfriend, Matt, praying in the chapel for Sarah to be okay and admitting that he loved her. Upset, Danielle nevertheless kept this to herself. When Sarah woke up after surgery, Matt was incredibly moved, but the reminder that Danielle was nearby caused him to contain his emotions. Tori picked up on Matt’s feelings and decided to show him the letter she’d found in the trash. Matt realized what he had to do and broke up with Danielle. He then went to Sarah and admitted that he was still in love with her. After guiltily suppressing her feelings for so long, Sarah admitted that she felt the same way.
Also at the hospital, Claire and Jimmy were shocked to realize that they shared several connections — chief among them that their children had been dating and had just broken up. Shortly thereafter, Claire broke up with Jimmy, not feeling comfortable pursuing something so complicated. However, Claire and Brent were finally able to address the awkwardness between them, and they renewed their friendship.
At King’s Bay University’s graduation, Elly told Travis that, while she forgave him, she had been accepted to Stanford Law and would be leaving town to attend. Elly said her goodbyes to Travis and Samantha. She also summoned Spencer to Molly’s house before she left for the airport, and she warned him to leave Travis and Samantha alone. Elly said farewell to Danielle and to King’s Bay, looking forward to her future.
Spencer was rattled by the way Elly told him off before leaving town. He went back to let her have it, but she and Danielle had already left for the airport. Philip arrived to make dinner for Molly and the boys. An agitated Spencer accidentally put his car in reverse and crashed it through the living room. Philip told him to leave in his car and took the blame for the accident, fearing that the truth would poison Molly even further against Spencer. While her house was being repaired, Philip and Molly looked forward to their wedding. Spencer got nervous when he thought Danielle was asking questions about the accident.
Following Elly’s departure, Travis fell into a depression. Tim told Travis not to blame Spencer for his own bad choices, but he also warned Spencer not to make him regret giving him a chance. Travis was rattled when he learned that Claire had been dating Jimmy. Claire calmly explained the situation but told him that she wasn’t going to let him take out his aggression on her. Travis responded rationally. Later, Travis explained to Ryan that how the constant sense of displacement upset him. Ryan urged him to see the other side of things — just like he had to, when he found out Paula was his mother and he discovered a whole second family. Travis told Claire that he wanted to meet his biological mother. Claire gave him the contact info but warned him that Kathleen Bundy, whom she and Brent had briefly met during their investigation years before, might not be receptive to meeting him. Travis traveled to Tacoma and showed up at her house. She was at first skeptical and then, though she believed him, didn’t know how to proceed. She did offer to trade e-mail addresses with him.
After Keith’s arrest, Brent made it clear to Diane that he would find out what her role had been in the criminal activity at the bookstore, though she maintained she’d done nothing illegal. (She had spent the cash on gift cards and prepaid credit cards, so there was nothing to trace.) He brought her in for questioning. A nervous Diane then went to see Ryan Moriani and asked him not to tell anyone that she had consulted him for help about the bookstore situation, since it might make it appear that she knew something was amiss. Ryan gave her the idea to call a radio advice show and make it sound as though the KBPD was harassing an innocent, out-of-work, single mother. It worked. Brent told Diane he was dropping the investigation but warned her to stay in line.
The radio station asked Diane to come to the studio for a follow-up appearance on the advice program. Diane was careful not to bash the KBPD but couldn’t resist giving a caller her own advice — which caused her to clash with the host. The station’s Head of Programming asked Diane to appear on their morning show to audition as cohost, since her appearance on the advice show had been so entertaining. Diane went on the air for her audition with the longtime host, Luke Berman, but failed to notice when he was doing a product placement spot and bashed the sponsor. She was sure she’d ruined the opportunity, but the station head came in to tell them that the sponsor found the “act” amusing. Diane got the job.
Alex and Cameron’s burgeoning relationship became strained when Cameron grew jealous of Alex’s commitment to Jason and Sophie. Alex worried that he had overstayed his welcome in Jason’s home, but Jason was insistent that he not only wanted Alex there, but needed him.
Trevor ran into Alex and told him he’d bought him a small present while in New York for work. Alex came by the Brooks house to pick it up, and while he was there, a newly returned Liam showed up. Alex made it clear they were just having a friendly visit and left. Liam told Trevor that he understood why he called off the wedding and had forgiven him for the way it went down. As Alex and Liam continued to work on their screenplay, Alex felt guilty about what had happened between him and Trevor.
Tempest was devastated when Annie broke up with her. This led her to admit to Claire that she is a lesbian. Claire was fully accepting.
Natalie made Jason promise that he would accompany her and Bree to Spokane for the Regional competition. When Jason got locked out of his room in his towel, he went into Natalie’s room to try and get in through the adjoining door. The moment was charged, and Natalie made a pass at him, but Jason rejected her and ran off.
Back at home, Natalie confronted him about it, and when she asked if he had been with anyone since Courtney, Jason grew defensive and Natalie got nasty. Following their argument, Natalie went out for a drink and got drunk, where she met a younger guy who was also having a bad day: Spencer. Unaware of their mutual connection, they had a one-night stand. Ryan asked Jason about the vibe between him and Natalie and reminded him that it wouldn’t be an offense against Courtney if he did want to be with Natalie.
Jason apologized to Natalie and asked her on a date. Jason was nervous for the date. Instead of a black car, the overbooked company sent a stretch Hummer with a stripper pole in it, and the restaurant lost the reservation. But Natalie found it all entertaining, and they went through a drive-through and actually had a fun night together. He later asked her to be his date for the arena’s New Year’s Eve fundraiser gala.
When Philip went to pick up the kids from Brent’s to help Molly out, Brent expressed concern about his sons being in a car driven by Philip. Philip also became nervous when Danielle questioned the logistics of what had happened the day of the accident, based on what Elly had told her. Danielle revealed to Travis, in hopes of boosting his spirits, that Elly had summoned Spencer to the house to tell him off right before leaving town.
Paula visited Spencer at work to invite him to the Fishers’ on Thanksgiving. Tim worried that she would push Spencer away, but Spencer accepted (since Philip felt it would solidify him as a member of the family in Molly’s eyes). After inviting Spencer to Thanksgiving, Paula also invited Claire (at Tim’s request). Claire was pleased by the gesture, and she and Tempest attended. It seemed like the beginning of a thaw between her and Paula.
Spencer was uncomfortable, but the family tried to make the best of it. But he got nervous when Sarah asked him about the accident. Travis overheard him telling Philip about it and later confronted him. Molly walked in on them and made Spencer admit the truth. Travis and Spencer came to blows. Molly made Philip tell her the truth about the accident and asked him to leave. Spencer followed him, leaving before dinner was served.
Philip later tried to plead his case with Molly. She said she still loved him but could not forget the way that she had loved and trusted Brent but ultimately had to choose her children’s safety over that. Philip had planted the same fears in her, and she could not enter into a marriage like that. Devastated, Philip decided to take some time away from King’s Bay. Before leaving, he asked Claire to check on Spencer so he wouldn’t spend Christmas alone. Spencer declined the Fishers’ invitation to spend Christmas at their house, but after dinner, Claire brought him a plate of food for dinner. She found him trying to cook and, while he ate the food she’d brought, she cleaned up. It felt like the beginning of a cease-fire between them.
Sarah and Matt reunited but decided to keep it to themselves for the time being, until they were ready to share it with Tori. They were nearly caught several times but finally told Tori. Sarah was briefly upset when she realized that Matt had read her letter, but she decided to let it go in light of what they had found again. They excitedly began to share the news with their family and friends. When Matt proposed selling the house, Sarah refused to discuss it; she felt like it would be profiting off Graham’s death (and her role in it). Matt came up with a solution and, on Christmas morning, gave little Billy a document signifying that Matt had opened a bank account for him. He explained to Sarah that they could sell the house, put the money in savings for Billy’s college fund, and move on with their lives. Sarah was elated but also disappointed that he did not propose that morning, but he surprised her with a proposal later that day. Sarah was elated and couldn’t wait to tell her family — but when they arrived at her parents’ and saw how upset Molly was about her own broken engagement, Sarah told Matt that they should keep the good news to themselves for the time being, out of respect for Molly. Matt was surprised but loved her even more for it.
Danielle struggled with the breakup but also felt it was inevitable. She was surprised when she ran into Ryan and he thanked her for inspiring him to stop drinking — in fact, he hadn’t had a drink in months. Ryan found himself thinking about Danielle more, and Paula encouraged him to pursue her. But Danielle and Jimmy had been reconnecting since her breakup with Matt and his split from Claire. Ryan saw them kissing and decided to back off. Danielle invited Jimmy to join her family for Christmas dinner, and he entertained everyone by telling stories of their wild youth. But when Brent’s twins delivered a thoughtful gift from Ryan–a special edition of a book she had inspired him to read–Danielle was moved. She raced to see Ryan and told him that she wanted to be with him again.