Mary's house
Kerry tells Joe that the pills haven't even been prescribed for Mary: they've got *Darryl's* name on them. Joe says the cops will know how to handle this, but Kerry points out that it's their word against Mary's. Joe insists that Mary will back them up, but Kerry cries:

KERRY: In *her* state?

Toby rushes in and asks what's wrong with Mary. He sees her lying there and starts shaking the bed, crying at her to wake up. Mary comes to, slightly, and Toby smiles at her and tells her that they're going to take her home with them. Joe, however, tells Toby cautiously:

JOE: Oh no, mate, we can't just take her out of here.
TOBY: Why not?
JOE: Because that's kidnapping.

Joe looks at Kerry for support, but Kerry tells him that they can't *leave* her. Joe sighs and accepts that she's right. He tells Toby to go and get the rug out the ute. Turning back to Mary, he tries to lift her out of bed, but she starts murmuring:

MARY: No... no... don't take me. ... Don't take my home... it's all I've got. No don't - *please*...

Kerry realises that Darryl's selling the house. Joe, however, retorts:

JOE: Not if *I* can help it.

Kerry starts to get a few of Mary's things together.

No. 26
Todd, Matt, Sharon and Nick arrive home from school, Matt muttering that Mike has got it in for him for touching his motorbike. Nick asks Todd how Mike was with *him* today, but Todd is sitting at the kitchen table, staring into space, and Nick smiles that he must be dreaming.

MATT: Hmm... let's see: Melissa?!
TODD (mutters): Cut it out!

Sharon teases Todd that she bets he can't wait until Melissa finishes her piano lesson at Hilary's! Todd, however, snaps angrily:

TODD: Why don't you rack off? I know why Mike gives you such a hard time: you're a pack of *morons* - all of you.

With that, he storms off to his room, leaving Nick, Matt and Sharon looking surprised.

No. 28
Mike is sitting at the table, working, while Des sits at the counter and Jane puts some flowers in a vase. Mike, looking at an essay, mutters suddenly that these kids are unbelievable! Jane is telling Des that her nan and John Worthington are coming over for the wedding. Mike mutters again that the kids he's teaching are as thick as planks: how's he supposed to teach them? Des goes and puts his arms around Jane and smiles:

DES: While the kids are still quiet, why don't we pretend we're lying on a beach somewhere?
JANE: Like Bali, huh?
DES: You'd look great in a sarong!
JANE: Even better in a ski suit!

The two of them go and sit down and Des sighs that he'd probably break his leg - and skiing's expensive. Jane picks up a brochure and tells him that it's no more expensive than going to Bali! Des muses:

DES: What a pair of nongs! You reckon Kerry and Joe are carrying on like this?!
JANE: No... they've probably got *better* things to do!

Mary's house
Joe has managed to lift Mary out of bed and onto a chair and is trying to put her cardigan on her. Darryl marches in suddenly, though, and demands:

DARRYL: What's going on? What the hell do you think you're doing? Leave her alone.
JOE (warns): Just back off, mate, we're taking her out of here.
DARRYL: Who do you think you are? This is *my* house.
KERRY: *Mary's* house.
DARRYL: I'll have you charged.
JOE: Oh yeah?
DARRYL: Yeah - break and enter: I saw the door.
KERRY: Well, speaking of charges, what about *this*? [She picks up the bottle of pills]
DARRYL: They're legally prescribed.
KERRY: Who for? It's *your* name on here. How many have you given her? *Look* at her.
DARRYL: Look, it's for her own good. I can't be here all the time. She's a danger to herself.
KERRY (hisses): You're pathetic. Come on, Joe.

Joe goes to lift Mary up, but Darryl lunges at him and tries to pull him away. Joe immediately spins round and pushes Darryl against the wall, pinning his arm behind his back. He snarls:

JOE: She's coming with *us*. Now, you try and stop us, mate, and I'll knock your block off.

With that, Kerry helps Mary outside. Joe spins Darryl round to face him and growls:

JOE: You don't even treat *dogs* like that, 'mate'.

He then turns to Mary and tells her gently that they'll take her home.

No. 26
Todd is sitting on the couch. Matt and Sharon head to the front door - just as the bell rings. Todd leaps up and says:

TODD: If that's Melissa, tell her I'm not here.

With that, he dashes off to his room. Matt opens the door - to Melissa. She asks if Todd's around, but Matt, Nick and Sharon all say they haven't seen him. Melissa, looking disappointed, says he normally waits for her to finish her piano lesson. Nick suggests that maybe he got held up. Matt and Sharon head out and Melissa follows them, looking disappointed. Nick closes the door behind her and Todd emerges from his room and asks if she's gone. Nick mutters that he felt like a real creep. Todd says he's thirsty and he heads through to the kitchen. Nick follows him and says:

NICK: If you need a few clues about what to do, I-
TODD (snaps): I *know* what to do.

He then explains more calmly:

TODD: Melissa had an epileptic fit today.

He goes on that it really threw him; he just doesn't know how to handle it.

No. 26
A few moments later, Todd tells Nick that it was just lucky there was a teacher there. Nick asks Todd if he *knew* Melissa had epilepsy, but Todd replies:

TODD: Not until today. I freaked - that's why I didn't want to see her. You reckon she guessed?
NICK: I don't think she's stupid.

Nick points out to Todd that he's going to have to front up to her sometime. Todd, however, says he can't keep going out with her.

NICK: So you're going to drop Melissa just because she has epilepsy? She can't *help* that.
TODD: Well, how do you think *I* feel?
NICK: How do you think *she* feels, more importantly? You said you *liked* her.
TODD: I *do* like her.
NICK: Funny way to show it.
TODD: Yeah, well, I'm scared. You didn't see it. What if she has another fit and I'm the only one around?

Todd sighs heavily and asks what he's going to do.

No. 28
Des and Jane are still arguing the merits of sunbathing and skiing while Mike reads another essay at the table. Jane decides to get some tea. Des joins Mike and asks him if he's still hard at it.

MIKE (sourly): Yep - Matt Robinson's homework. You know, even with special coaching I don't think it's going to do much good. He's going to have to try much harder.
DES: Maybe he *has* been?
MIKE: Des, he's *slack*. In fact, I'm going to have to go over to Hilary and get her to crack the whip, I think.

Changing the subject, Mike then asks Des if they've decided on a honeymoon yet. Des smiles that they'll take it to arbitration. Jane suggests that they let *Jamie* decide, as he'll be coming with them. Looking surprised, Des says Jamie will be staying with Mrs. Kirkwood. Jane, however, points out that if they're going to be a family they may as well start being one straight away. Des smiles that that's fantastic! They then start arguing again about whether Jamie will prefer the sun or the snow!

No. 32
Mary is sitting on the couch with Kerry. Joe comes in and tells her that her room's ready. Toby smiles at Mary that he hope she's going to stay forever this time, and make lots of cakes and biscuits! Kerry, however, warns him that it might be a while before Mary's up to cooking: she needs lots of rest and good food. Mary tells him that she's been eating all right: Darryl saw to that. Joe asks if they should get Dr. Bev over, and Kerry nods that they should. Joe murmurs:

JOE: Poor old chook.

He then curses himself for raising the subject of chooks and he explains to Mary about how they had to get rid of the ones she bought. Mary listens but then murmurs:

MARY: *What* chooks?

Joe and Kerry look at each other in concern.

No. 30
Nick, Sharon and Matt are doing their homework with loud music playing in the background when they're interrupted by a knock on the front door. Matt goes and opens it to find Mike on the step. He asks if Hilary's home, but Matt explains that she's out. Mike comes in and, noticing the loud music, asks in astonishment if they're trying to study with all that noise. Sharon tells him that it helps them concentrate. Nick mutters that the work's going to take them half the night. Matt adds:

MATT: And if you think *they're* going to have trouble, what about *me*?
MIKE (mutters): Matt, don't make excuses, all right?
MATT: I'm *not*.
MIKE: Look, I know you've got a problem - that's what I came to see your mother about - but basically you don't try hard enough. You sit back and you expect special treatment. You're not going to get anywhere like that - so wake up to yourself, all right? Turn the noise down.

With that, Mike walks out, leaving Nick to exclaim that he's *so* rude. Sharon tells Matt not to worry about him. Matt, however, mutters that he wonders how Mike would like to be like him.

No. 28
Kerry and Joe are telling Des and Jane about Mary. Joe says she'll be right as rain once the pills wear off, according to the doc. Toby is playing with his remote-controlled cars on the floor. Mike comes in and Des asks how Hilary was. Mike shrugs that she was out. Des then tells him that there was another call from Jan today, but Mike just mutters disinterestedly:

MIKE: Fabulous.

He heads off to his room and Des, Jane, Joe and Kerry go and sit down on the couch, Kerry and Joe pick up the holiday brochures and Des explains that Jane wants the snow and he wants the sun. Kerry takes Des's side and Joe takes Jane's side! Des suggests that he and Kerry should go to the sun and Joe and Jane can freeze! Des then asks Joe and Kerry where *they're* going.

JOE: Um, well, I'm a bit broke since I went to Pommieland, so we're gonna go, um--
KERRY: ...next year.

Joe then suggests that Des and Jane toss a coin to decide where they go. Toby chips in that they could have a race with the toy cars and see who wins. Jane shrugs that one idea's as silly as another! Des tells Toby to set them up!

No. 28
A short time later, Toby has set out two cars next to each other on the carpet, with Des and Jane at the controls. The race starts, but neither Jane nor Des appears to have a clue what they're doing, as the cars spin race round and round the carpet in all directions and eventually disappear under the couch! After a good minute of racing, Joe declares Des - and Bali - the winner! Joe picks up the vase of flowers that Jane set out earlier and presents it to Des as a prize! Jane doesn't look so impressed at the idea of going to Bali!

No. 26
The next morning, Todd is packing his and Nick's school lunch. The doorbell rings and Todd says to Nick in concern that that'll be Melissa: she'll want to walk to school with him. He asks Nick to tell her that she's gone, but Nick refuses, telling him that he's got to talk to her *sometime*. With that, he goes to the door and opens it. Melissa steps inside and tells Todd that she didn't see him after her piano lesson yesterday. Todd shrugs that he wasn't there. Melissa asks him if he wants to walk to school with her and he nods that he'll get his stuff. He heads through to the kitchen. Melissa follows him and says awkwardly:

MELISSA: You know, I thought maybe you might be trying to *avoid* me.
TODD: Why?
MELISSA: Some people get funny about, you know, epilepsy. I thought maybe you might want to drop me because of it.
TODD: Don't be dumb! Why would I do a stupid thing like that?
MELISSA (smiles): I should've *known* you'd understand.

Todd smiles nervously.

No. 32
Joe is helping Mary into the lounge room, but she's protesting that she'll make him a fried breakfast. Joe, however, insists that he doesn't want to get used to her cooking as he'll miss it when she goes.

MARY: Oh, don't send me back - not to Darryl and his wife.

Kerry and Toby come in and Kerry assures Mary that they won't. Mary goes on that Darryl's not bad really; it's just that person he got himself married to: she worships money and they're in debt and going bankrupt, with only *her* place left to sell. Kerry points out that that's still no excuse for how Darryl treated her. Mary murmurs that it's terrible to be scared of your own son - but Joe and Kerry are good to her and she likes looking after *them*: they're like a real family. She adds that she's still good for a few racing tips if anybody wants them! Toby puts his arm round Mary and smiles that he likes her being there.

MARY: Me too, love, but it's not up to us, is it?

Mary looks pointedly at Joe. Kerry and Toby stare at him appealingly as well and he sighs heavily and says:

JOE: Oh... all right... you can stay for as long as you want. Go on: start cooking your biscuits!

Ramsay Street
Nick, Sharon and Matt are walking down the street. They pass No. 28, where Mike is wheeling his bike onto the street, and Mike asks them if they got all their homework done.

MATT (mutters): Yeah, it was a snap.
MIKE: Good - then you shouldn't have any trouble with the Maths test I've got for you this afternoon.

Mike heads back into the house, leaving Nick to mutter that the way Mike goes on, he seems to reckon he's Dirty Harry. He climbs suddenly onto Mike's bike and says in a Dirty Harry impression:

NICK: Make my day, you scum! Fail this Maths test, come on - see how tough I am. ... Fail and I'll mow ya down!

All of a sudden, the bike starts rolling backwards, taking Nick with it. Matt quickly chases after it and tells Nick to apply the brake with his right hand. Nick manages to bring the bike to a stop. Nick climbs off and Matt climbs on, saying he'll bring it back up the hill before Mike comes back out. He starts the engine and drives the bike forward a few yards - but it's too late: Mike emerges from the house again and, marching towards them, demands to know what the hell's going on. Nick starts to explain that it was *his* fault, but Mike ignores this and rants at Matt:

MIKE: I have *warned* you, Matt: no one touches this bike except *me*, all right? Especially not an idiot like *you*.
MATT (snarls): I'm *not* an idiot, Mike.
MIKE: You're gonna have a hard time proving it. Now get off.

Matt ignores him, though, and instead kicks off and rides the bike down the street. Mike stands there watching him angrily.