Lassiter's Complex
Amy and Yashvi are on their way to The Flamingo Bar, but Yashvi's really apprehensive about seeing Ned following their break-up.

AMY: I know it's hard now, but just think about it like a bikini wax - you know, the build-up's worse than the reality.
YASHVI: No. Waxing is torture.

They look across the courtyard to where Roxy and Ned are serving outside the bar. Amy tells Yashvi that she and Ned can become friends, but Yashvi's not ready, and rushes in the opposite direction.

No 24
Chloe and Pierce are still looking at the wedding photo album - and remembering the day they each proposed to the other, with help from celebrity magician Cosentino (Episode 8227). Aaron turns up, and is a little surprised to find Chloe and Pierce together. Pierce says he was just about to leave for a tour of The Flamingo Bar with Terese, and thanks Chloe for her advice.

Once Pierce has gone, Aaron queries whether it wasn't awkward for Chloe, reminiscing with Pierce.

CHLOE: No, it was actually weirdly nice. As much as the ending sucked, there is a lot of sweet history between us.
AARON: Listen, Chlo, you wouldn't be hoping to spend more time with Pierce while he's here, are you?
CHLOE: I don't know, why?
AARON: Okay, look, I came to speak about Nic. I don't think she's as cool as she's letting on about the whole Pierce thing.
CHLOE: There's a Pierce thing?
AARON: Yes, there - you know what I mean. Like him being here. I think she might feel a little threatened.
CHLOE: Whatever Nic is, threatened ain't it! I know she isn't jumping for joy - they hate each other. But she knows that we're rock-solid.
AARON: Yeah, still - when an ex shows up, Chlo, logic goes out the window. It makes you start to question everything. You know that. Can you maybe just focus on her a little more? Make her a priority?

The Flamingo Bar
Ned makes Amy a drink, and mentions that he saw her with Yashvi earlier. Amy claims they were coming for a drink, but that Yashvi remembered she had something else on.

NED: Is she doing okay?
AMY: I mean, what do you think? She's hot and young and single - so, yeah, she's fabulous.
NED: Really?
AMY: No. She's miserable.
NED: Maybe I should call her.
AMY: Mm. Do it.
NED: Are you sure, though? Is that a good idea? I mean, we just broke up. Could be a bit soon.
AMY: (...) Do it! Call her. It'll help you guys move on. It'll be the best thing.

Terese comes in with Pierce, to show him the new bar. He seems very impressed, and Terese introduces him to Amy as the manager. Amy sings Ned's praises as a 'natural-born cocktail artiste', and encourages him to demonstrate his skills. But Ned goes way overboard pouring the tequila, leaving Terese and Amy looking embarrassed.

PIERCE: That's generous! To hell with the liquor licence, eh?
AMY: He's still on his L-plates, so...

Ned apologises, saying he never had to free-pour at The Waterhole, and that he isn't quite as good at judging measures as Roxy.

PIERCE: Roxy free-pours too, does she?
AMY: No. They live together, so, umm, who knows what they do at home? I have taught them all appropriately!

But a fuming Terese drags Amy outside for a private word.

TERESE: Free-pouring shots?! You're lucky it was Pierce in there, and not an inspector!
AMY: I don't know what to say. I trusted Roxy to train Ned in the way we work here.
TERESE: You can't simply pass the buck! And after last week, I thought it was clear who was in charge, and it stops with you! I need you to be more diligent, Amy (...) I'm watching you.

As Terese goes back inside, Amy heads straight over to Roxy, who is cleaning tables, and tears strips off her for encouraging Ned to free-pour.

ROXY: The people like a show! I thought that was the point of this kind of bar.
AMY: The point is to stay open! Not get shut down because we've served five times the legal amount of alcohol.
ROXY: I would never! I've been pouring drinks forever. I can pour a shot with my eyes shut, and half the time, I do.
AMY: And Ned?
ROXY: He just needs practice!
AMY: Do your job, Roxy.
ROXY: I *am* doing my job.
AMY: Do it *better*!
ROXY: Unlike you, I know how to run a bar. You have no experience, or clue, and I think that's why you always lay into me.
AMY: I lay into you because you are as unprofessional as the shots you pour! Now get in there, and train Ned the way you should have in the first place. Now!

A fuming Roxy obeys.

Harold's Café
Nicolette is over-vigorously cleaning the counter, which Jane remarks upon. Sensing stress, she offers Nic a coffee and a chat, but Nic says she's way too busy. Jane sits down and orders a coffee anyway.

NICOLETTE: You know, Pierce is such a snake. He practically said that I was a rebound. Like, what a loser!
JANE: He has really upset you, hasn't he?
NICOLETTE: No, no, no - he makes me laugh.
JANE: Well, you're not laughing, darling - clearly (...)
NICOLETTE: What if what he said was true? I mean, Chloe *was* grieving when we got together. Maybe we're not as strong as I think.
JANE: I really don't think you need to worry about that. You and Chloe have a very mature and considered relationship. You work together as a team; it takes strength.
NICOLETTE: But what if it's not strength, Mum? What if it's... desperation? We want it to work so badly that we're forcing it?

Chloe comes in, and Nicolette is suddenly all smiles.

NICOLETTE: What can I get you, favourite patron?

Chloe asks if Nicolette can spare an hour to hang out together, and Nic is pleasantly surprised. She quickly takes her apron off.

JANE: I thought you were incredibly busy cleaning?
NICOLETTE (to Chloe): Give me five seconds and I'm all yours.

Lassiter's Complex
Amy is moaning to Toadie about Roxy's poor work ethic; Amy's now wishing she hadn't been so quick to take responsibility for the collapsed stage.

AMY: Between her and Jesse...
TOADIE: What's wrong with Jesse?
AMY: He's sweet as a box of chocolates, but he's dumb as a box of rocks, if you know what I mean. I just thought that Roxy was cut because I got the job that she wanted. Now I know she's just plain incompetent.
TOADIE: You reckon? Sheila always thought that she was a star employee. And then there was that bar that she ran on her own.
AMY: Oh, yeah? The one that went bust, you mean? See? More proof of her uselessness. Uselessness - is that a word?
TOADIE: Yeah, yeah it is. Although I don't know that it's fair.
AMY: You know what's not fair? Nepotism. I mean, she's Terese's niece. It's not like I can fire her.
TOADIE: Oh, no, that's not true. I mean, if you do actually have grounds to fire her, there's not much else that Terese can do.

This has given Amy ideas, and Toadie looks mildly regretful as he keeps walking!

The Flamingo Bar
Roxy is whining to Kyle about Amy. Kyle plays devil's advocate, suggesting that Roxy might just be mad because she got caught training Ned wrongly. But Roxy says she was training Ned 'my way', and says Amy's obsessed with pinning every problem on her to stay in Paul and Terese's good books.

At this point, she sees Amy in the distance, chatting to Prafulla (Praf), the head of HR. Amy thanks Praf, and asks if they can keep this matter between them. He confirms that everything they've discussed will remain confidential.

Roxy is convinced that Amy talking to Praf can only be bad news.

The Waterhole / Lassiter's
Chloe and Nicolette are about to order lunch, when Chloe gets a phone call from Pierce. Chloe decides to ignore it, but Nicolette says it could be about Hendrix.

Pierce is in his hotel room, and tells Chloe he's just about to go to the vineyard to meet the prospective buyer. He asks if she wants to come along, and 'say goodbye'. Chloe looks awkward, and tells him she can't, as she's out with Nicolette. Pierce accepts this, but tells Chloe to let him know if she changes her mind. Chloe hangs up.

CHLOE (to Nicolette): No more distractions.

Lassiter's
Terese and Paul are at reception, when Roxy comes in, and tells them she's just seen Amy talking to Praf the HR manager. Roxy thinks it can only mean that Amy is planning to fire her.

TERESE: I'm sure that's not the case. Amy doesn't have any grounds to fire you.
PAUL: No, but she might have if you don't stop harassing us when you should be working.

Terese tells Roxy to get back to work, and she leaves; but Terese admits to Paul that she thinks things might be escalating between Amy and Roxy.

Jane comes in, and asks Paul for a favour...

We see what it is straight away, as Jane knocks on Pierce's hotel room door; she explains Paul gave her the room number, and asks if they can chat.

JANE: I want you to leave my daughter alone.
PIERCE: ... Will she be returning the favour?
JANE: You're not the injured party here, Pierce. And you had no right to speak to Nicolette the way that you did.
PIERCE: I disagree.
JANE: Given your past behaviour, one might've expected you to act with some humility. Or at the very least, have the decency to stay out of Chloe's life.
PIERCE: Chloe's agreed to remain friends.
JANE: Because you returned and forced the issue. Remaining friends is the best way to maintain the peace - well, of course she chose that. Pierce, those girls, they're happy together.
PIERCE: Yeah, for now.
JANE: Don't interfere with things that you don't understand. You're here to cause trouble, but you need to realise that by hurting Nicolette, you're hurting Chloe. And I would suggest that you've done enough of that.
PIERCE: ... Message received, Jane. Loud and clear.

He shows her out.

The Waterhole
Terese tells Paul that Praf won't tell her anything about his conversation with Amy, saying it's highly confidential. She admits she's really worried about Amy and Roxy.

As Paul and Terese leave, David and Aaron come in - they are talking about how Yashvi is feeling under pressure from Amy. David warns Aaron that Amy will be cracking the whip in the Longest Workout too, so he'll have to bring his 'A game'.

The boys join Chloe and Nicolette, who are finishing lunch, and flirtatiously arguing over who will pay the bill. Nic goes to do the honours, and David remarks that it looks like they're having a nice time. Chloe agrees, and thanks Aaron for the heads-up - saying some 'us time' was just what she and Nic needed.

The Flamingo Bar
Ned is at a table when Roxy and Kyle come in. Ned tells them he's been thinking about calling Yashvi, as Amy's been going on about how they need to get their 'first contact' post-breakup out of the way. Roxy doesn't think Ned should listen to Amy, given how quickly she left town after breaking up with Shane. But Ned says he actually wants to keep Yashvi in his life.

NED: I'm gonna go see her.
ROXY: It's your funeral.
KYLE: Good luck.

Once Ned's gone, Roxy moans to Kyle about how Amy is becoming an 'oracle' to Ned.

ROXY: I just don't get what everyone sees in her.

Roxy decides she needs to 'strike first' against Amy rather than twiddling her thumbs waiting for the result of Amy's meeting with Praf.

KYLE: If you go after your boss, you're definitely gonna get fired. Stop letting Amy get to you.

Roxy grudgingly agrees not to cause any trouble.

No 30
Yashvi is lying the sofa, when Toadie comes in with Ned.

YASHVI: Hi...
NED: Hey.

Toadie leaves them to it.

NED: Just thought we should get this out of the way, you know? Bite the bullet.
YASHVI: Amy's been schooling you too?
NED: Yeah. I dunno if she's right or not. I just... I don't want us to be weird every time we bump into each other, you know? You're too important to me for that. I want you in my life. As a mate.

But when he suggests they grab a coffee or something, Yashvi is unconvinced.

YASHVI: I'm sorry, Ned. I'm not ready for that.

Ned is disappointed, but says that's cool, and leaves. Toadie comes back in and asks if Yashvi's alright.

YASHVI: No. But I will be, and I'm not forcing a friendship until I am.

The Waterhole
Chloe is working at the bar, when Pierce comes in. She asks how his winery trip went; he says he was a bit distracted.

PIERCE: I care about you, Chloe. I can't just stand back and watch you make another mistake.
CHLOE: What do you mean?
PIERCE: Nicolette.
CHLOE: This conversation is officially over.
PIERCE: Just hear me out, okay? You got together with her right after your mother died. That rings bells for me (...) Remember when we were ending things, and you said you regretted rushing into our marriage? That's because you were still grieving the loss of your relationship with Elly. You were desperate for something good in your life. And so you ignored the things about us that didn't work.
CHLOE: Things are different with Nicolette.
PIERCE: But you're doing exactly the same thing. You're headed for exactly the same heartbreak. Do you want to learn from history, or repeat it?

No 24
Nicolette and Jane are cooking dinner. Jane brings up the topic of their earlier conversation, where Nic said she was worried about her and Chloe forcing things.

NICOLETTE: That was just meltdown mouth, Mum - pregnancy hormones. Chlo and I are great. Perfect, in fact.

Chloe comes in, looking troubled. Nicolette asks Jane if she's heard from Clive, but she says he's still giving her the silent treatment. Nicolette says Clive will eventually kick himself for giving Jane such a hard time, and when prompted, Chloe distractedly agrees. But it's clear that Chloe is being consumed by what Pierce said to her in the pub...

The Flamingo Bar
The next day, Roxy arrives at work and finds Amy already there, counting last night's takings.

AMY: Where's the cash that's supposed to be here?
ROXY: What are you talking about?
AMY: I cross-checked this against yesterday's takings, and we're $300 short. And you closed last night, so you were the last one to handle the money. So where is it?
ROXY: I don't like your tone.
AMY: Did you take it, Roxy?
ROXY: Seriously, how could you think that?
AMY: Because every day, you prove yourself to be more and more incompetent, so I wouldn't be surprised.
ROXY: This is a set-up, right?
AMY: No, this is you slipping up and getting caught for it.

Terese comes in, and asks what's going on.

AMY (to Terese): I've had enough of her, actually, and I have been advised that one more slip-up and I can terminate her employment.
ROXY: You -
AMY: No! You stole from the till. And I am calling HR, and you are fired!

Roxy looks incredulous.

Coming up on Neighbours
- Yashvi tells Ned they should talk so things can be normal; he says he still wants to be friends
- Toadie tells Susan and Karl he didn't know what else to do; Susan asks should they call the police?
- Levi looking shifty at work
- Kyle accuses Levi of planning to break the law, and asks what he's up to
- An angry Paul tells Roxy and Amy, 'Stop! What the hell do you think you're doing?'