Harold's Café
Haz and Mackenzie are both working, and Mack is about to clock off. She can't believe it's her last shift, and says she'll miss the place.

HAZ: Yeah, well, your apron will always be here, if you want to empty the coffee bin or take out the dishwasher muck (...) I wouldn't have a business to come back to if it wasn't for you. Look, I know things still aren't right between us...
MACKENZIE: But we're getting there, slow and steady. Just like with your parents.
HAZ: (...) I was speaking to Mum the other night, and she said I should come to Margaret River to visit as soon as I'm up to it. And I was thinking that maybe you might want to come with me? To meet the family? It's totally fine to say no, I get it, if it's too soon, or -
MACKENZIE: I would love to.

They kiss.

The Bush™
Byron and Nicolette have tracked down Jane, who managed to get herself a bit lost.

JANE: I must've got a bit flustered when I lost my hat. And then I stepped in an ants' nest.

This has Byron and Nic laughing. Nic mentions how worried Vic was about Jane - but at that moment, they see Vic up ahead, lying across the path, next to Jane's lost hat. They rush towards him. He's conscious but weak.

NICOLETTE: Hey, Dad, talk to me! Where does it hurt?
VIC: Everywhere.
BYRON: Vic, can you get up?
VIC: Uh... I dunno.

Byron tries his phone, but he doesn't have any reception. Nic says they'll need to get him into the car, as he needs to go to hospital. Jane retrieves her hat, and looks worried.

No 32
Mackenzie is making cocktails out of leftover cold brew from the café for herself, Holly and Sadie. They toast to the official handover of the café back to Haz, and to Mack's invitation to Margaret River to meet his family.

MACKENZIE: It feels like everything is finally clicking back into place.

Famous last words. Conversation moves on to the topic of Leo's business woes.

HOLLY: I'm sure things will get better for him. I mean, look at Dad. One minute he's the pooping pariah and the next, he's been exonerated.
MACKENZIE: I still feel bad about him losing his bike.
HOLLY: No, don't feel bad. He loved that bike because it was free.

Mackenzie suggests they have a backyard party to celebrate the upswing in their fortunes. But at that point, Sadie gets a text from Byron, saying Vic's collapsed and that they're en route to the hospital.

Erinsborough Hospital
Vic is in a hospital bed, on a saline drip - it seems he collapsed due to dehydration. Nicolette is rather violently rearranging Vic's pillows underneath his head!

VIC: Yeah, I think the feathers are already dead, Nickel.
NICOLETTE (irate): I am making sure that you are comfortable!

She moves on to attacking the blankets, while Jane and Byron watch.

VIC: Can you make her stop, please?
JANE: This is what she does when she's flustered.
NICOLETTE: No, I am not flustered. I am annoyed. Because I told you to stay put, and you did not. And now you're in a hospital!
VIC: (...) The doctor isn't worried.
BYRON: They're keeping you in overnight, Dad, okay? They're not doing it for kicks.
VIC: It's just for observation.
NICOLETTE (irate): And why did you leave anyway? Hmm?
VIC: Well, your mum thinks she's an orienteering expert, but back in the day she used to get lost in shopping centres. I found her hat on the pathway, panicked, and that's when I lost my breath and my legs gave out (...) Look, I'm sorry that I scared you all, alright? I'm okay. I promise.

But Nic still looks concerned.

No 32
Mackenzie, Haz, Holly and Sadie are all sitting around worrying about Vic and Byron - but at that point, Byron and Nicolette come in. Byron explains that Vic just overdid things a bit, but will be okay. Nicolette moans that it was supposed to be a relaxing hike but that she's aged five years!

Mackenzie tells the fresh arrivals her idea about having a party. Holly and Sadie aren't sure it's the right thing to do while Vic's in hospital, but Byron and Nic think he would want them to have the party. They agree to have it tomorrow, but Nic says she'll stay at No 24 with Vic and look after him.

No 22
Jane and Terese are having a cuppa and debriefing about the stink bomb incident at Eirini Rising, which Terese is still a bit peeved about. Jane admits she may have left the master key in the connecting door, leading the unruly students to spot it and take the opportunity to cause some trouble. Terese remarks that that's really unlike Jane, but she admits she was distracted by Nicolette's visit.

JANE: I'm sorry. I have been very careless.
TERESE: Oh, look, we all make mistakes. Most don't smell as bad as this one did, but no one was hurt, and we cleaned it up.
JANE: Well, thank you for being so understanding.
TERESE: Yeah, well, I admit, I was pretty fired up at the time. But Susan reminded me that this cohabitation would come with a few teething issues, so I guess it could have been worse.

But Jane seems a little forlorn, and Terese asks what's wrong. Jane explains about Vic being in hospital.

JANE: It's just... seeing him like that, and... I mean, of course I care for him, but I... I feel like maybe my feelings have changed since he got here. And it kind of terrifies me.

The Waterhole
Holly and Sadie are having a drink, while Sadie concocts a 90s boyband playlist to torment Haz and Byron with tomorrow at the party. Sadie looks over at Leo who looks stressed as he works late at a table.

SADIE: That tool who posted on the Crimesborough fan forum really has a lot to answer for.
HOLLY (guilty): ... That tool was me. I'm Illegally_Blonde_07.
SADIE: You?! Leo literally accused my entire family of leaking that information!
HOLLY: I know, Sadie. I'm so sorry.
SADIE: How'd you even know about it?
HOLLY: I overheard Krista and Leo at work.
SADIE: And you shared it without thinking it could blow up Leo's entire life?
HOLLY: Well, Liv Bellen only heart- emojied it! I had no idea that it would get this big.
SADIE: So you did it for clout?
HOLLY: No! Okay, maybe. I don't know (...) I've been trying to pretend like it didn't happen. Classic Mum avoidance technique - obviously it's not working. Do you hate me?
SADIE: ... I mean, I helped burn down a school. I can't really judge.
HOLLY: If I could fix it, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I've just got no idea what to do.

No 32
The next day, Haz is cooking brunch on the barbecue for the party, while Sadie and Holly sit by the pool chatting. Mackenzie and Byron assess the scene with satisfaction from the patio.

MACKENZIE: I love our house.
BYRON: Best back yard in Erinsborough.

Mackenzie tells Byron that if he wants to spend the day with Vic now he's out of hospital, they'll understand. But Byron says Vic ordered him to stay away and have some fun. Byron asks if Mack has seen Krista today, but she replies that Krista's not in this episode (AKA at work). Haz brings out some cocktails; he's not drinking, but asks Byron to taste one of them to make sure there's enough vodka.

BYRON: Enough? You could tranquilise a small rhino with this!

Holly and Sadie join the others on the patio and Mack hands drinks round. Mack raises a toast.

MACKENZIE: To waking up, and feeling for the first time in a long time that everything is gonna be okay.
ALL: Cheers!

No 24
Nicolette brings Vic in from the hospital and sets him up on the couch; it's established that he's been brought here for peace and quiet as the party at No 32 might be quite loud. Vic's about to go back to the car to retrieve his phone, which he's left in there, but Nic sits him back down!

NICOLETTE: What part of 'rest' do you not understand?

While Nic goes to get his phone, Vic thanks Jane for letting him stay here today.

JANE: Least I could do after you risked your life to save my hat! You know, you apologised to the kids last night for giving them a scare, but... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry too, for scaring you.
VIC: I'm just glad you're okay.
JANE: I'm glad that you're okay, too. Seeing you on the ground like that really wasn't very pleasant.

Nic comes back in and catches Vic trying to rearrange the cushions on the couch, complaining that Jane always had too many!

JANE: No, I have exactly the right amount... You know, I changed my sheets this morning; they're all crisp and fresh. Why don't you lay down in my room for the day? It'd much more comfortable.
VIC: Are you sure?
JANE: Yeah. As long as you don't have a go at me over the amount of cushions that I have in there, too.

Vic takes her up on the offer, and Nic takes him into Jane's bedroom. Jane looks conflicted.

No 22
Leo has come round to see Terese, who gives him a hug, seeing how stressed he is. He explains that the whole poisoning debacle has caused his income to dry up and put him into debt, with the vineyard struggling to absorb it. Terese offers to help by paying for the wine he delivered for the Eirini Rising opening, but Leo won't hear of it, reminding her how it ruined her launch.

TERESE: But it wasn't your fault!
LEO: It wasn't yours either (...) If things don't improve, I do have a plan - but my head's so messed up at the moment, I need someone to sense- check it. Someone I trust who knows business.
TERESE: What about Paul?
LEO: Well, he doesn't know yet. And the minute he found out, he'd get on the plane home, and I don't want that. He deserves to spend time with the rest of the family.
TERESE: ... Okay. I'm here. Talk to me.

No 32
In the kitchen, Sadie catches Holly preparing to leave.

HOLLY: I know how I'm gonna fix it. I'm gonna go talk to Liv.
SADIE: The podcaster?
HOLLY: Mm- hm. I messaged her, and she responded straight away. She's happy to talk.
SADIE: Do you know what you're gonna talk about?
HOLLY: Duh! And what's the worst that could happen when the worst has already happened? I've got this.

Out in the garden, Sadie has rejoined Byron, Mackenzie and Haz for a game of boules. At this point, Leo turns up; Mackenzie assumes he's looking for Krista, but in fact, he needs to speak to them all about the house. Explaining he's in financial strife due to the poisoning incident, Leo says he needs to liquidate some assets to stay afloat - which includes selling the sharehouse.

He says it's not definite yet, but he needs to be prepared, so he's arranged a valuation tomorrow. Byron promises that they'll tidy the place up first.

LEO: I'm so sorry, guys. It's the last thing I want to do, but I, err... I might not have a choice.

Leo leaves, and everyone looks forlorn that they might lose their home.

Harold's Café
Holly meets up with Liv Bellen from the Crimesborough podcast, and proceeds to butter her up, telling her what a fan she is.

LIV: The feeling's mutual. You helped double my subscribership with your Leo Tanaka revelations. I owe you.
HOLLY: ... Actually, that's the reason that I asked you to meet me. I need to clarify Leo's involvement in the poisoning - your theory is wrong. He only held onto the bottle to make sure that nothing went wrong in the bottling process. He wasn't trying to hide anything from the police.
LIV: That's exactly what he was doing. He was trying to control the narrative, cover his tracks.
HOLLY: No, he was being responsible. As somebody with industry knowledge, he could've helped identify the cause quickly and helped Dex Varga- Murphy.
LIV: But he didn't.
HOLLY: Yeah, cos the bottle was poisoned. As soon as he realised that it had been tampered with, he handed it straight in.
LIV: So now you're backtracking cos he's a friend?
HOLLY: No. he's innocent. You should be looking into Shannon Rutherford.
LIV: The bottom- rung dealer? She's not smart enough to know her poisons from her perfume.
HOLLY: Okay, but she was at the vineyard the day of the poisoning.
LIV: Which is why the police charged her with trespass, but they haven't got anything else. My money is still on Leo.
HOLLY: Well, it's gonna be pretty embarrassing for you when you're wrong.
LIV: We will see!

Liv prepares to leave, and Holly gets desperate.

HOLLY: Wait, umm... I work at Lassiter's (...) I could get you anything you want. Accommodation, treatments at the day spa... obviously not for free, but the staff discount is massive.
LIV: It's been an age since I had a decent massage.
HOLLY: Well, the massages are amazing.
LIV: Shannon Rutherford, you said?
HOLLY: I'm sure it was her. Leo's not your guy.
LIV: Thanks. I'll look into it.

Holly looks pleased, thinking her intervention has worked...

No 24
Jane is in the kitchen when Sam and Nicolette come in from the bedrooms. Jane offers Sam some of the banana bread she's just baked, but Sam replies simply with a 'no', and sits on the couch, looking unhappy. Nicolette explains to Jane that Sam saw Vic sleeping in Jane's bed when she went in there to return a phone charger.

NICOLETTE: I think it freaked her out a bit.
JANE: Well, she knows that there's nothing between us.
NICOLETTE: Yeah, but... it's a man in the bed that her dad usually sleeps in.

Jane goes over to chat to Sam.

JANE: I'm sorry that you got a shock about Vic. I should've warned you that he was resting in my room.

But Sam doesn't seem reassured.

SAM: Have you spoken to Dad?
JANE: Well, no, we... we keep missing each other.
SAM: Try again.

Jane looks worried.

No 32
Holly has rejoined the party to find everyone looking glum at the prospect of the house possibly being sold, though there's still some hope that Leo will decide not to sell after the valuation. But they're worried they could either face a difficult new landlord and skyrocketing rents, or eviction if the new owners want to live here. Mackenzie and Haz go to walk Trevor, while Byron heads in to do the washing up.

Once they're gone, Sadie expresses surprise that Holly is looking so pleased with herself.

SADIE: What part of 'we might get kicked out of the house' put you in such a good mood?
HOLLY: The part where it's not gonna happen.
SADIE: You fixed things with Liv Bellen?
HOLLY: Yeah. I got her to shift her focus entirely off of Leo.
SADIE: How?
HOLLY: I don't give away trade secrets! But I'm telling you, Leo won't have to sell. Things are about to get a whole lot better for him. I know it.

No 24
In the kitchen, Sam asks Jane if she's spoken to Mike yet.

JANE: Well, I tried, but he didn't answer. Look, it's just the time difference. He'll get back to me, don't worry.

Sam looks somewhat reassured, and helps Jane put things out on the dinner table, where Nicolette and Vic are sat chatting.

VIC: Do you remember when your mum made those mini quiches for Christmas? And you and your brother decided to hide them around the house for the elves, and we got none.
NICOLETTE: I have no recollection of this.
JANE: That was the year that your father almost burned the house down!
NICOLETTE: Oh, was that because we didn't want you to light the fire so Santa could get down?
JANE: Yeah! He lit candles, and then forgot to blow them out.
NICOLETTE: I definitely remember wondering why the rug was missing in the lounge.
VIC: Hey, I danced on that rug like I've never danced before!

Sam seems to be looking a little despondent again, perhaps feeling left out of the family chat. As the reminiscing continues, Jane's phone is vibrating on the kitchentop - it's Mike calling back, but it goes unnoticed by everybody at the table...

The Waterhole
Holly is ordering at the bar when Leo comes in and approaches her. She says she's sorry for everything that's been happening at Yorokobi, and hopes things will improve for him soon.

LEO (angry): Yeah, no, I doubt it. You know, Liv Bellen just released her latest episode.
HOLLY: Oh, really? I haven't heard it... It's not good news?
LEO: Well, no. Apparently, the poster who's been stitching me up actually works at the hotel, and was bribing Liv with free hotel rooms and spa treatments.
HOLLY: Oh, that's, uh...
LEO: You know, it's interesting, because there's only one person I can think of who knows me and the situation well enough to get involved.
HOLLY: Leo...
LEO: No, it's you, isn't it? You're Illegally_Blonde_07.
HOLLY: I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I am so sorry.
LEO: Sorry?! Do you have any idea what you've done?
HOLLY: I was just trying to fix it. I thought that I had.
LEO: You've just made things worse! You know, my business will never recover from this. You've ruined my life!

Holly looks upset as Leo walks out.

Coming up on Neighbours
- Mackenzie has a plan - to find a rich person who will buy No 32 and let the gang stay living there
- Cut to Krista asking Mackenzie what's going on!
- Dr Bowman tells Remi and Cara it's a shame - they could've all been friends, 'maybe good friends'; he winks
- Dr Stevie Hart tells Remi she's in two minds whether to tell her something, but thinks she'd want to know