Recap
Lauren reading Cameron's erotic magazine article and then pulling out of her date with him.
Lou telling Jim that he's going to make some changes to his life.
Helen being mugged - and Cameron then being hit round the head with a wooden plank by the mugger.

No. 28
Beth is sitting with Brad, trying to sort out wedding stationery, but Brad doesn't look interested. Doug asks his son if he's chosen his best man yet, but Brad just shrugs that he hasn't. He then suggests to Beth that they go and see if Cameron remembered to bring home that video. The two of them head out. Left alone with Doug, Pam asks how everything was with Bert today. He tells her:

DOUG: We had a pretty decent time. Still a bit awkward - a lot of history to deal with; but I'm hanging in there.

Pam smiles that she's proud of him. Doug tells her that it means everything to him to hear her say that. There's suddenly a knock on the front door and Lou comes in, holding a garden spiker and reminding Doug that he borrowed it. Doug comments coolly that that was six months ago - and he's bought another one since then. Lou then admits that he didn't forget to return it - he hung onto it deliberately and he's sorry. Doug grudgingly accepts his apology, before commenting that sudden attacks of honesty aren't usually Lou's style. Lou smiles that he wants a clear conscience and a new and better life. Doug offers him a beer, but to his astonishment, Lou asks for something non- alcoholic!

No. 24
Lauren is treating the wound on Cameron's head with an ice pack when Beth and Brad come in. Beth asks in concern what happened. Cameron replies:

CAMERON: A minor disagreement with a lump of four- by- two.

Lauren adds that he got mugged trying to protect Mrs. Daniels. Beth asks if she's all right. Cameron replies that she's bruised and shaken, but otherwise OK. Lauren cries at him that he could have got killed; stupid, macho heroics. Cameron says he might go and have a lie down. Lauren helps him to his room.

No. 26
Helen is sitting on the couch and Jim hands her a cup of tea and asks her how she's feeling now. She replies shakily:

HELEN: Absolutely vile.
JIM: Why? What hurts?
HELEN: My pride.
JIM: That'll heal.
HELEN (mutters): I'm just a stupid old woman.
JIM: Don't give me that.
HELEN: I should have known better than to flash an amount of money about like that in public. And poor Cameron... it's my fault he's hurt.
JIM: Not you; the thug. They prey on people who look the least bit vulnerable; they're animals, the lot of them. The sooner he's behind bars, the better.

He then asks what the police said. Helen replies that they wanted to talk to her but she didn't feel up to it tonight. Jim warns her that she'd better talk to them while it's still fresh in her mind.

No. 24
It's the next morning and Pam is at No. 24, checking the injury to Cameron's head. She smiles at him that he's lucky he's inherited the thick Willis skull! Beth emerges from her room and asks Pam if she can spend her lunch break with Brad, as he's not on shift at the Waterhole until this afternoon. Pam smiles that she might even make her a sandwich if she's very nice to her future mother- in- law! With that, she heads off to work and Beth heads out with her. Meanwhile, Lauren sits down at the table with Cameron, who asks her why she changed her mind all of a sudden about going on that moonlight picnic. Lauren replies hesitantly that she just didn't feel comfortable about it; she thought he might get... carried away. Cameron asks in surprise:

CAMERON: Why?
LAUREN: Er... I read that letter you wrote. [She indicates the typewriter.]
CAMERON: *That*? That's my new job: writing erotic letters for a men's magazine. It's pure fantasy.
LAUREN: Yeah, well, I just don't like being fantasized about.
CAMERON: It wasn't *me*! Um... I wasn't supposed to tell anyone this, but Helen Daniels came up with lots of the juicy bits!

Lou bursts out of his room suddenly, saying a cheery good morning. He announces that he's going to do twenty laps of the pool in 15 minutes. He heads outside, leaving Cameron to ask Lauren what's got into him. Lauren heads outside to find out.

Back yard of No. 24
Out by the pool, Lauren says to her father that she knows he used to be a hotshot sportsman, but what's the sudden urge to get fit again? Lou assures her that it isn't sudden; it comes over him every so often. Lauren goes on that he's been down in the dumps ever since she got here and now he's back on top; what's changed? Lou tells her that he's been doing a bit of soul- searching and he's going for nothing but complete, unadulterated honesty. He invites her to join him in the pool, but she declines!

No. 26
Pam is sitting at the kitchen table with Helen, asking her if she has any headaches or sick turns. Helen snaps:

HELEN: I'll be all right, Pam.

She then apologises, saying it'll take her a while to bounce back. Pam says she'd better whip off and do some shopping. Helen asks her quickly if she'd pick up a few things for *her*, as she's not up for the market scramble.

No. 24
Lauren emerges from her bedroom and Cameron asks her if she feels like going out tonight with a man with a bump on his head. Lauren, however, tells him that she has to be up early tomorrow. Cameron asks her if she's still stressing about that letter. Lauren, though, tells him that she does like him, but she doesn't want to get into something. Cameron asks her if there's someone else in her life; someone in Queensland? Lauren says quickly:

LAUREN: No - just someone I met.
CAMERON: But the feeling's pretty strong, huh?
LAUREN (shrugs): But nothing's gonna happen.
CAMERON: If you give me the chance, I could help you forget it. I mean, I'm here and he's not.

Lauren stares at him.

No. 28
Beth has turned up for lunch. Pam asks Brad where his grey jeans are and Beth smiles that they're over at her place; he left them there after swimming yesterday. Pam smiles that she doesn't know why they don't just move in together! With that, she heads off back to work, leaving Beth to beam at Brad that living together's a *great* idea; he could move into *their* place. Brad comments:

BRAD: What - me move in with Lou, Cameron and Lauren?
BETH: They won't mind.
BRAD (hesitantly): Yeah, well, I'll give it some thought...

No. 26
Jim is trying to open the front door from outside, but Helen has locked it. She calls out nervously to ask who's there and Jim calls back that it's him. Helen walks towards the door hesitantly and opens it. Jim comes in with Cameron. Helen asks him how his head is and he replies that it got him the sympathy vote from Lauren! He then asks if the police have been in touch and Helen replies that they're sending an officer around to take a statement - but it all happened so quickly, she doesn't remember very much, and she'd rather not think about it. Jim comments that she wants them caught, surely? Cameron adds that Erinsborough used to be a safe place to live; now it's not, thanks to creeps like that.

Waterhole
Doug is sitting with Lou at the bar, commenting that he admires a man who can stick by his principles. Lou smiles:

LOU: I can do that, no worries. When Lou Carpenter says he'll do something, that's it.

As he says this, a woman gets up from a table and stops next to him. She introduces herself as Carmen Costello and reminds him that she bought a car from him three weeks ago. She adds that it's a terrific little car and she invites him 'knowingly' to come out and have a look at it. Lou, however, declines. Carmen goes and Doug comments to Lou that that was being handed to him on a plate. Lou, however, shrugs that he's on a diet: no wine, no women!

No. 26
Two female police officers are sitting on one of the couches while Helen and Jim sit on the other. One of the officers asks how tall the attacker was, but Helen murmurs that she doesn't remember. The officer goes on that Helen said he had fair hair. Helen nods that it was sort of lightish. The officer asks if it was straight or curly, but Helen says she doesn't remember. The officer asks if there was anything distinctive - a moustache or a tattoo - but Helen says again that she doesn't remember. She murmurs that she's sorry she can't be more precise. Jim asks the officer if they're getting a good description. The officer, however, says it's curious, but from what Mr. Hudson told them, she'd swear they're talking about two different assailants.

Waterhole
Cameron has joined Doug at the bar and he tells Brad - who's behind the counter - that he's going to need some expert advice from him about Lauren. Brad looks taken aback. Cameron says:

CAMERON: She likes me - I know that - but I'm not making what you'd call huge progress; and you've got to admit: she's something really special, right?

Doug laughs that Cameron can't ask *Brad*: he's an engaged man! Cameron asks Brad if Lauren has said anything to Beth - about this other bloke she likes, for instance. Brad frowns:

BRAD: *What* other bloke she likes?

Cameron says it's some guy she left in Queensland, he reckons. He then asks Brad if he can keep his ears open and let him know if he hears anything; he wants to know who his competition is.

No. 26
Lou has turned up with a big bunch of flowers for 'Erinsborough's favourite lady'. He tells Helen that he thought they might put a smile on her face. Jim takes them and says he'll put them in water. Lou sighs that there was a time when decent people could walk down the street without this sort of thing happening. He then tells Helen that with Madge gone, he's realised she's got no one to go to church with - so he thought they could go together next Sunday. Jim exclaims:

JIM: Church?! You?!

Helen, however, says she won't be *going* to church next Sunday; she doesn't know *when* she'll be going.

No. 24
A while later, Lou is back home and Lauren is telling him that she got the tip straight from the trainer's mouth. Lou, however, says he's given up all that sort of thing. Beth and Brad come in through the back door and Lauren asks them if they want some Greek salad. Lou says he's going to go for a stroll and he heads out. Lauren suddenly drops the knife she's holding. She goes to pick it up - as does Brad - and there's a brief moment between them, but no one else notices. Cameron comes in at that moment, holding a piece of paper and saying it's the way to stop stuff like the muggings happening round there for good. Brad looks at the sheet of paper and mocks:

BRAD: Ha! Join the Peace Patrol?!

No. 26
Pam has turned up with Helen's shopping and he asks Jim how she is. Jim replies that he can't get her moving on *anything* today; she went to lie down about half an hour ago. Pam asks if she's got any symptoms, like headaches. Jim says there's nothing specific, apart from the bruising - but there's *something* wrong: she's vague and nervy. Pam suggests that it's probably delayed shock; it's not unusual.

Ramsay Street
Lou is raking up leaves from the grassy area of the pavement outside No. 24 and Doug calls over that he can come and do *his* when he's finished. Jim and Pam walk toward him and Pam takes more shopping out of her car. She tells Jim that she'll pop in and see Helen later. As Jim goes to head back home, Doug asks him what he thinks of the new Lou Carpenter! Lou just calls across that he can mock all he likes, but he's turning the other cheek! Jim tells Doug quietly that he's afraid this could be *his* fault. Doug comments that he never thought he'd see the day that he'd ignore a good- looking woman, and Lauren told Beth that he turned down a hot racing tip, too. Jim smiles that *he* can do *better* than that: guess who wants to go to church on Sunday! Looking astonished, Doug offers Jim a bet that Lou can't keep this up for any longer than another 24 hours; the loser mows the winner's lawns for a month. Jim shakes his hand and tells him:

JIM: You're on!

No. 26
Helen is lying back on the couch and she lets out a brief gasp of horror as the front door opens and Jim comes in. He asks her if she's feeling better for her sleep, but she tells him she isn't. Jim asks if there's anything he can do to make her feel more comfortable, but she says there isn't. He asks her if she's thought of anything that might help the police, but Helen snaps:

HELEN: No. It all happened so quickly - I *told* you that.

No. 24
Cameron hangs up the 'phone and Beth asks him what the Peace Patrol had to say. Cameron replies that they invited him down to see what they're about. Lauren mutters that they're a bunch of vigilantes. Brad asks if that means they have guns and stuff. Cameron, however, explains that they're *anti*- violence: they go around the streets on a voluntary basis and keep an eye out for street crime and that sort of thing. Beth asks him if he's thinking of joining. Cameron smiles that he is! Beth says she thinks it's a great idea - she's going with him. The two of them head out, leaving Brad and Lauren alone. Lauren says she guesses she's got time to duck down and get Mrs. Daniels' dry- cleaning. She heads to the front door. Brad, however, stops her and asks if they can talk. Lauren asks nervously:

LAUREN: What about?
BRAD: Cam was saying you guys were having a few problems.
LAUREN (shrugs): No problems; just no relationship.
BRAD: You said something about there being someone else.
LAUREN (smiles): Well, he's got *that* part right.
BRAD: It's because of *me*, isn't it.

Lauren stares at him.