Number 26
Bridget is on the laptop webcam to Mickey - much more hi-tech than the usual Nokia phones we see - when Steve comes home to tell Miranda that Nicola's moved in across the road. She's none too happy about it, either, obviously, and neither is Didge when she comes into the kitchen and hears the news.

Bridget wonders if her parents are okay - because they don't have to pretend around her, and they've a right to be really angry with Nic. Miranda and Steve put on a united front - with a little bit of affection involved - until Didge leaves and the facade drops. Steve wonders if they should stop pretending about their marriage, but Miranda reminds her husband that they've already had one child walk out on them.

The General Store
Toadie and Callum are drinking shakes when Miranda comes in. Toadie begins to approach her. Callum follows.

TOADIE: What are you doing?
CALLUM: I wanna watch this.
TOADIE: Sit down.

Randa sarcastically thanks Toadie for his understanding, and suggests that Sienna never serve him food again. Sienna comments that Toad keeps them in business. Miranda makes her annoyance known, and leaves.

CALLUM: That went well.
TOADIE: Shut up.

In another part of the store (like, the next table), Susan comes in and drops a paper in front of Elle and Paul. She says that they'll be dropping their subscription, and Paul assumes it's because he didn't run her story, but Susan corrects him: it's because people shouldn't be paying money for rubbish stories like the one he printed this morning. Paul offers her another writing job which she declines. Sienna comes over and tells Paul he should be ashamed of himself when all he does is make people unhappy.

ELLE: Well, you're doing exceptionally well this morning.

Susan wanders to the counter and Paul follows her, albeit reluctantly.

PAUL: Susan, wait. The reason your article didn't run was because there wasn't enough space. But I was impressed with your writing style. Your article actually hit home. You see, because I too know what it's like to be protective of a daughter. Is she okay?
SUSAN: Who are you and what have you done with Paul Robinson?
PAUL: Look, maybe Rachel would like to do an exclusive on her assault on Ty Harper.
SUSAN: There he is!

Paul tells Susie he has a story on a high rise development if she's interested; she says she'll think about it. And she walks out straight into...

Number 28
...the next scene with Karl and Rebecca where neither of them can believe she'd consider writing for him again.

SUSAN: I reckon I might have struck a chord.
KARL: The man's got no chords to strike.

Bec is surprised that she didn't just turn him down on the spot, and Karl is, too - especially since Helen Carr's job is becoming available. Susan retorts that she's not necessarily going to apply for it, but Rebecca's already thrilled, as is Ringo as he walks in on the end of the conversation.

Karl suggests that Susan wouldn't waste her time writing when she has a career that really counts, which Susan objects to. Bec and Ringo sense an argument coming on, so Bec follows Ringo out the house.

KARL: Teaching is in your blood. You're not going to throw away a twenty five year career on a whim, are you?
SUSAN: (shocked) THIS! THIS! From a man who chucked in medicine so he could grow...cabbages!
KARL: Yes! And look how that turned out! Oh, come on. You're a shoe-in for this job.

Susan points out that Paul hasn't offered her an editorship, just an article.

KARL: All I'm saying is: don't rush the decision.
SUSAN: And all I'm saying is: go away.

She threatens him with a cabbage and he walks away.

Number 26
Meanwhile, next door, Steve is ready to go cleaning, but Miranda's not in the mood today. Despite his repeated attempts to point out they need the money, she lethargically responds and collapses on the sofa with the paper, saying that the pretending is wearing her down. Steve goes out to work just as Susie comes over.

Randa and Suse sit down on the sofa and Miranda tells her friend that she's looking at a book-keeping course because she needs a kick start. She suggests that Susan do the same and look at the teaching job. Miranda goes to get coffees in the kitchen when Didge comes in the back door looking for safety pins as one of her slave duties.

Cue Donna, who wonders where her slave has gotten to. She sees Jake and strokes him, and Didge declares she has the pins.

DIDGE: What do you want them for?
DONNA: To pin things.
DIDGE: So, shall we go to your place?
DONNA: Oh. Can we maybe, just, hang here instead?

Miranda takes coffees back to Susan, who very distractedly tells her friend she has to be somewhere and legs it.

Erinsborough News Office
And that somewhere turns out to be Paul's office, and he's on the phone when Elle lets Susan in.

PAUL: Oh, I'm going to have to call you back, Dave. Mother Superior's just walked in.

Susan says she's accepting the high rise story, but Paul's given it to Elle because Susie wasn't quick enough.

PAUL: I am surprised, though, because you normally can't wait to break the big stories, can you?
SUSAN: Ah. I see. This is all about you punishing me for losing Rebecca.

Paul denies it and offers her another story, a follow up to the bush fire...a grieving widow struggling to keep her dream alive.

SUSAN: Carmella?
PAUL: Hmm. Well, she's very photogenic.

I bet that's the sort of conversation that goes on between TPTB and TV Week.

Suse throws the story file back.

SUSAN: And this is in the public interest because...?
PAUL: It's got nothing to do with public interest. It's about readership.
SUSAN: It's possible to sell newspapers without reverting to tabloid sensationalism.
PAUL: Really? Prove it.

Number 26
Donna has made up Didge's face, and dressed her in new clothes.

DONNA: You look like a supermodel.
DIDGE: I feel like a supermoron.

Declan comes in and thinks his girlfriend looks amazing. Donna is pleased with her work, and Dec moves in for a smooch.

DIDGE: My mum's in the kitchen.
DEC: These lips don't stop for nobody.

Miranda walks through the house and out the door, saying goodbye to Didge and completely missing Declan kissing her daughter.

DONNA: Your mum is SO cool. My dad would go nuts.

Declan leaves, paying Bridget more compliments on the way out.

Donna thinks they're a cute couple, and thinks Bridget was lucky to spend so much time with him "on the camp bed." Didge retorts that Dec took the camp bed. Donna thinks it must suck being back home - unless her parents are okay with Declan staying over?

Awkward, Didge tells her friend that they didn't sleep together.

Actually, she doesn't say that, because they won't actually use the words in a pre-watershed soap (although drug addiction and a relationship with a teacher are okay). But the gist was there.

DONNA: Oh. Oh! Oh, he really did sleep on the camp bed. Oh, that's cute. I wish I'd waited for someone special.
DIDGE: Well, when did you first...
DONNA: (completely unattentive) With a guy or a girl?
DIDGE: ...
DONNA: Don't worry. You're hot. But you're not my type.

Donna tells Didge that the physical stuff can just wait; she and Declan are doing just fine.

Number 30
Callum is doing homework at a table when he sees Nic coming in with some washing - including underwear.

TOADIE: Close your mouth, Romeo.

Nic asks to do the laundry, and Cal snatches the clothes from her to help out, delighted. There's a knock at the door, and it's Miranda for Nic.

Nicola tells Miranda that she won't leave the street - she refuses to, until she has her sister back. Miranda tells her to get comfy because she'll be waiting a long time.

The General Store
Ringo is washing the store floor as part of his slave duties. Susan is staring over at Carmella, and Ringo thinks she' s behaving like a stalker! Susan admits that Paul's asked her to write an article, and she can't do it. She packs her stuff and leaves, walking into Josh on the way out, who has hurt his arm playing wheelchair basketball outside. Susan wants to know more.

There is a wheelchair match in the road between Grease Monkeys and the garage. Susan takes some happy snaps. She also gets a picture of one of the guys falling hard in his wheelchair to the ground.

Erinsborough News Offices
Elle and Paul are looking at the pictures.

PAUL: Explain to me what a bunch of guys playing wheelchair basketball has to do with a grieving widow.
SUSAN: This is one of the roughest full contact sports in the world.
PAUL: Does Carmella play?

Susan thinks the story is newsworthy - the guys are banned by the sports centre so they're playing in dangerous areas after hours. Paul asks Elle to excuse them and takes an exasperated Susan to his office.

He asks for a good reason why he should run the article. She tells him topical and well written. Paul thinks it's desperation - she can't go back to teaching with a criminal record, and she knows that. So he offers her a job - a proper one.

SUSAN: I don't know if I'm cut out for this.
PAUL: Of course you are. Come on. You're smart, you're tough, you're opinionated, you're dogmatic...
SUSAN: Yeah. Enough, thank you...
PAUL: I'll run your article tomorrow.
SUSAN: Really?
PAUL: Mmmm. When you see your name in print, come and give me your answer then.

The General Store
Ringo's cleaning, and Carm wonders if he's eating properly; she presents him with a shake that he takes. Donna comes in, and Josh sits next to her, even though she's not interested in speaking to him. She warns him off Didge - she's in love with Declan, even though they haven't slept together...

Which is news to Josh. And clearly something he's going to use to get her back.

Number 26
In her bedroom, Miranda looks forlornly at a photo of her and Steve. Bridget sees her mum, and Steve walks in, after. Didge clicks that everything is not okay with her parents and demands to know what's going on.

Cut to later and she's furious with her mum and dad, and is angry they lied to her. She wants things to be okay because it's scary when it's not. She expects nothing less than the truth, and Randa and Steve promise they won't lie from now on.

Number 28
Karl's admiring Susan's front page article, and kisses her. She's quite pleased with herself, too.

SUSAN: (very seriously) You should know I'm leaving you for Paul Robinson.

Karl nods, also very seriously, and they both turn back to the paper.

The General Store
Paul and Elle are also looking at the paper, and agree that Susan's good. Elle compliments her dad on getting Susan on board, and tells him she loves him. She asks him to move back home. Paul nods, touched.

The Gym
Dec and Ringo are working out when Josh comes in. Declan decides to show off his weight lifting in front of Josh, who comments that it must be down to his pent up frustration. Josh lets on that he knows Declan didn't make a move on Didge when she stayed over.

Annoyed, Dec tells Josh that his relationship with Didge is none of his business, but the taunting is too much, and he lies: he and Bridget did get it on.

Josh leaves, and Nicola tells Declan that talking about Didge like that is really disrespectful; he needs to grow up.

The General Store
Josh is showing the paper to Bridget, who looks like she's wearing an old granddad jumper. She's not that interested, knowing that he likes her, and tries to act indifferently. Until Josh brings up the subject of Declan.

Josh tells her that Dec has been bragging about his relationship with her, and the personal stuff that's gone on between them in the bedroom.

DIDGE: You're lying.
JOSH: It was pretty off. You deserve better.
DIDGE: But Declan wouldn't do that.

Ramsay Street
Bridget sits on the wall outside her house when Declan jogs back to the street. He tells her he misses her in his room.

Didge gets straight to the point - has he been bragging to Josh about her sleeping in his room? Declan can't really deny it, and tries to explain, but Didge wonders why he's even with her if all he wants is sex. She decides that he must be with her because he feels sorry for her, in that case, and despite his telling her it's not true, an angry Didge walks off.

Preview
FVO: He's been terrorising her family (that guy from Steve's prison, and a reference to Nicola's family).
MVO: Monday, you won't believe what Nicola does next.
NIC: You're lying flat on your back so I can do whatever I like.

That guy grabs Nic.
Nic walking down Ramsay Street crying.

FVO: And she's not the only one with a plan.
DONNA: GENIUS plan!
FVO: Donna's determined to save Rachel's love life.
RACH: NO!
DONNA: Yes!
FVO: And only Hamish and Andy can help.
Donna and Rach almost running into the boys.

DONNA: I... I...
HAMISH: Try words...maybe, or...?
MVO: A big week of Neighbours starts six thirty, Monday, on Ten.