As the titles go up there has been a change to them - Libby has been removed. Sonya is in a shot by herself at her nursery.

Previously on Neighbours
- Michael being discharged from hospital and Emilia coming to help him convalesce.
- Susan discovering not only is Mal having an affair but Karl knew of it.
- Paul caught in the middle of the warring Ramsay sisters.

Number 22
Paul is trying his hardest to get Sophie's help in getting a character reference from her for Kate but she refuses to help her big sister - her stance is Kate has to pay even if it costs her her teaching career.

PAUL: You can be mad at her for Noah for as long as you like but that's between you two as sisters, it's got nothing to do with her professional life.
SOPHIE: ...
PAUL: Alright, if it wasn't Noah, would you still be so angry at her?
SOPHIE: ...
PAUL: Yes. This hearing will affect the rest of Kate's life, so please don't let whatever is happening personally between you two get in the way. Alright?

Paul thinks he's got through to her so moves off the sofa but then Sophie finally speaks.

SOPHIE: No, she lied, so she deserves whatever she gets.

Number 24
Paul is round to take Kate in for her hearing and shows her the references he got from Lyn, Michael and some of her Uni lecturers. She notes too that he has written one as well. Paul tries to quiz her about the kiss and if something happened to prompt it but despite a couple of flashbacks (to the kiss and to Supt. Hayes telling Kate that Mark was dead) she shakes her head.

KATE: There is no excuse.
PAUL: There's always an excuse, we just need to find out what it is. Now come on, look we all make mistakes but this is your future that's on the line here.
KATE: There's no excuse.

Paul really doesn't believe her but doesn't push it, instead tells her its time to go.

Number 28
Mal arrives home from his run and Susan immediately confronts him that she knows about the affair. He reassures her that it's over and the earrings were just to say sorry. Susan takes offence at his use of 'sorry' and asks where the apology to his wife is!

MAL: I know alright. I know. It was a stupid thing to do and I wish it didn't happen but it's not going to happen again.
SUSAN: That doesn't make it okay.
MAL: I know, it's done. Alright. I just want to move on.
SUSAN: So you're not planning on telling Catherine?
MAL: Why, what's the point?
SUSAN: The point is that she deserves to know and if you go and buy earrings for Jade the least you can do is tell Catherine.
MAL: Why? So our marriage can fall apart like yours and dads?

Susan just glowers at her son after hearing that.

MAL: I love her mum.
SUSAN: Well you should have thought of that before you had an affair.
MAL: Yes I know. I just don't want to hurt her.
SUSAN: You already have hurt her Malcolm; she just doesn't know it yet.
MAL: ...
SUSAN: If you truly love her then show her the respect that she deserves and tell her the truth.
MAL: ...

Ramsay Street (Number 32 front yard)
Tash isn't impressed her dad has escaped from the house despite his protestation that he needs some exercise! They run into Emilia and she reassures her niece that she is coping well.

School
Paul sends a group of kids away as he sits waiting with Kate to go into see Priya. He gives her some last minute coaching and reassurance and doesn't take 'no' to Priya trying to prevent him from sitting in on the interview (she cites conflict of interest with him being on the school board) reassuring her he is simply present as Kate's uncle, nothing else.

Priya is impressed at the references Kate has given her but it isn't changing anything, even when Paul points out that Noah was 18 therefore a consenting adult. "I'm so sorry," Kate pleads but it falls on deaf ears - Priya is going to report Kate to the Victoria Institute of Teaching (VIT) and her recommendation is for Kate to not teach again.

Kate looks absolutely shell- shocked as we head into the first commercial break.

Paul leads Kate out of Priya's office and asks her to wait while he heads back inside to have a word. He accuses Priya of doing this to Kate because he's had a go at her husband in the paper. Priya rejects his accusation and tells him to go home!

PAUL: (to Kate) This is not over.
KATE: She's going to give her recommendation to the VIT and I'll never teach again.

Paul tries to reassure her that she will but Kate already fears the worst.

PAUL: You need to fight this.
KATE: I'm sick of fighting.

Ramsay Street (Number 32 front yard)
Emilia is trying to get Tash to do some sort of grounding ritual but she isn't concentrating as Michael has come out to the front yard to watch (his excuse is he needs some Vitamin D!). Just as Emilia thinks she's got Tash in the zone, she bursts out laughing!

Number 28
Mal comes out of his room but perhaps wishes he'd stayed there given he's getting the silent treatment from his parents!

Ramsay Street
Michael leaves the ritual when he sees Paul's car pull up into his driveway. He approaches Paul just after a despondent Kate heads inside to see how it went. "The woman's an idiot," Paul tells Michael and he correctly guesses that its VIT related, which Paul confirms. Paul wants Michael to overrule Priya since she's only covering but Michael refuses since Kate did do wrong and she has to face that.

PAUL: You know, after all the second chances your daughter's been given I'd have thought you'd have been a little bit more generous.

Number 28
Mal gets Susan's attention when he announces that he's booked a flight home... and he's going to tell Catherine.

MAL: I'm so scared I'm going to lose her mum.
SUSAN: You've got to give her that choice.

She asks him why he let it happen and if he and Catherine are having problems again? "No," Mal replies, things are great between them - he didn't plan for the affair to happen and admits he should have listened to his dad because he saw it coming.

MAL: He warned me I'd be flattered, a younger woman and all. I told him I didn't have his ego. I guess I'm more like him than I thought I was. He told me to end it when he found out, I told him to rack off, so he went and had a word with Jade. I've been such an idiot.

Number 28
Commercial break later and Karl is back with more properties to look at - he's now planning on renting rather than buying. Susan apologies to him for being harsh on him and not just about how long its taking him to move out of the house.

KARL: I would have told you earlier. I just didn't want you to look at Malcolm and feel the same disappointment you felt in me. You've never really got past it haven't you? Sarah and Izzy?
SUSAN: I tried to. I want to, I really did, I thought I had. I think I always kept part of me back to protect myself, I didn't want to risk ever being hurt like that again. But I could give that part of myself to the kids or to our friends, to Jim.

Karl takes her hands and holds them in his own.

KARL: I'm sorry I've hurt you so badly.
SUSAN: (nodding) I know you are.

The two of them share a tender look between each other as the scene ends.

Harold's Store
Michael has managed to escape to the store but Tash and Emilia are in tow because it's Michael's shout! He leaves Emilia to pursue the menu while he goes to have a word with Paul - he tells Paul that he will be a character witness for Kate at the VIT board. Tash (who followed her dad) adds her tuppenceworth in too - she'd have never have picked Kate to do something like that and remarks that Noah isn't a normal teenage boy either! Michael tries to shush her but she isn't being silenced.

TASH: It's true, he's the weirdo in the corner who does his own thing and Kate is nice and boring.

Michael tries to pull her away but Paul wants her to expand on what she's said.

TASH: So they're not each other's type. (making a face) The two of them hooking up.

Michael and Tash head back to Emilia and Paul contemplates what Tash has just said.

Charlie's
Paul gets Noah to the bar on false pretences. He starts by telling Paul that he didn't mean for Kate to get into trouble and Paul tells him about Kate having to go up in front of the VIT. "What else can I do," Noah pleads after he reminds Paul that he did try to take back what he said.

PAUL: You know what; you strike me as the kind of guy who wouldn't try to impress his mates by kissing a teacher.
NOAH: I'm not.
PAUL: And Kate's certainly not the sort of girl who would take advantage of a position of power.
NOAH: I know that.
PAUL: Mmm. So what happened?

"I can't tell you," Noah says but is told that isn't good enough! He then mentions that he promised and that every time he says something, it results in Kate getting into trouble.

PAUL: If you really, really care about her you'll help me now.

Noah finally gives in and tells Paul that Kate was crying because she'd found out Mark had died and its Paul's turn to look shell- shocked as we head into the final break.

Number 24
Paul enters the house and gets straight to the point - he wants to know why she didn't tell him about Mark. He seems more annoyed that he wasn't able to support her and Kate explains that she didn't want to tell anyone because it isn't going to bring Mark back. Paul thinks this news may help her case at the VIT but she doesn't want to use that as an excuse to get herself out of trouble.

PAUL: This is no time for romantic notions about what is right or wrong.
KATE: You don't get it, do you? I used it as an excuse for stuffing up my Uni presentation and I felt disgusting. I'm not about to do that again.
PAUL: But they will understand and so will Sophie.
KATE: She can't know.
PAUL: Oh come on, she'll get over herself once she knows the truth.
KATE: She has been through so much already Paul. If she found out about Mark...
PAUL: I'm sure she will cope.
KATE: No, I'm not risking that.
PAUL: Oh Kate please.
KATE: She can't find out. I'm not telling Priya, the VIT or anyone else and neither are you.

Tomorrow on Neighbours
- Noah wanting a word with Paul.
- Paul pleading with Priya to hear Noah out.
- Chris and Andrew having fun at schoolies!
- Kate pleading for Sophie not to know.
- Sophie finding out about Mark