No 24
Nicolette can't believe what she's just heard from Chloe.

NICOLETTE: You slept with Leo?
CHLOE: I'm... I'm not sure, I can't - we had a lot to drink, and I can't really -
NICOLETTE: How could you not be sure?!
CHLOE: I don't know. I've been trying to speak to Leo.
NICOLETTE: How long has this been going on?
CHLOE: Nothing's going on (...) All this time I've been spending with Leo - it's easy to talk to him about how I'm feeling.
NICOLETTE: About what? Him?
CHLOE: About you and me. I was worried about how quickly things were moving with us.
NICOLETTE: What? Chloe, why didn't you say something?
CHLOE: Because I didn't want to hurt you. You've been so caught up with everything - our engagement, the future -
NICOLETTE: Yeah, and I thought you were right there with me!
CHLOE: I know. I tried.
NICOLETTE: You shouldn't have to try when you're in love with someone. I proposed to you, and you said yes. I've never been happier. And then you go and spend the night with someone else. Is that what you want?
CHLOE: I want us to be together. I just wanted you to slow down.
NICOLETTE: Why didn't you say something? ... I am such an idiot.
CHLOE: No, you're not, I'm so sorry.
NICOLETTE: I mean, we had our engagement party. Our entire families were there. The boys told me you were spending the night with them last night... Do they know what's been going on with you?
CHLOE: ...
NICOLETTE: Unbelievable.

Nicolette walks out of the house.

No 32
David and Aaron are on the patio when Nicolette storms in, closely followed by Chloe.

NICOLETTE: What the actual hell?! (...) You should've told me! You knew Chloe slept with Leo!
AARON: No, we weren't sure. We still need to speak to him.
NICOLETTE: But you knew she was having doubts about me!
CHLOE: Please, Nic, calm down.
NICOLETTE: Shut up! (to Aaron and David) How long have you known?
DAVID: We found out at the baby shower. But we thought everything was all good when you got engaged. But then, at the party, Chloe got a little stressed. And we tried to talk her down.
NICOLETTE: From breaking up with me at my own engagement party. Well, I should thank you (!)
AARON: Hold on, Nic, we were trying to protect you.
NICOLETTE: What, by lying to me?!
AARON: No, you were stressed! It's not good for the baby.
NICOLETTE: There it is. It's about the baby, you don't actually care about me.
AARON: That's not true.
NICOLETTE (shouts): No - Chloe, Leo, the baby, that's all that matters to you!
AARON: Nic, please -
NICOLETTE (shouts): No, don't! I have spent months trying to convince you that you can trust me! And every time I've stuffed up, I have grovelled back for your forgiveness because I thought we were a family! (tearful) But all you care about is the baby. You don't give a toss about the mother!

Nicolette storms out again, despite David's protests. Chloe follows Nic out.

Later, Aaron and David are indoors, trying to call Nicolette, but she's not picking up. Chloe comes in, and tells them Nicolette has flagged down a taxi and taken off, but didn't say where.

DAVID (to Aaron): I knew this was gonna happen (...) You forced me to lie!
AARON: I did? No, we agreed we weren't gonna say anything.
DAVID: We should've been honest with her from the beginning! And now it's blown up because of you!
AARON: Because of me?!
CHLOE: Hey, it's not Aaron's fault.
AARON: No, no - it's not my fault! (to Chloe) It's *your* fault! You did exactly what you do every single time. When everything's going fine, you decide to freak out.
CHLOE: Are you for real?
DAVID: Well, he's got a point!
CHLOE: So now you're gonna lay into me too?
DAVID: You're the one who spent the night with Leo!
CHLOE: He was the only person I could talk to. (to Aaron) You were the one who told me not to stress Nic out! You didn't want me to speak to my own girlfriend!
DAVID: Fiancée.
CHLOE: I didn't want to get engaged. But I couldn't say anything to Nic because you two didn't want me to upset her! I was just trying to keep everyone happy. I went through this for you - for you and your baby! So don't lay all of this on me... I need to speak to Leo, because if we didn't actually sleep together, maybe we can sort out this mess.

But Aaron's more concerned about Nicolette being out and about on her own, and says they need to find her.

Lassiter's Complex
Outside the hotel, Jane is telling Paul and Terese about her decision to take the leading role in the short film she's making. Terese is evidently still frosty with Paul since last week's events, despite Paul's attempts to suck up to her - and Jane notices something seems awry between them.

But at this point, Terese spots Nicolette walking through the car park crying. Jane hurries off to tend to Nicolette, and Terese power-walks off in the other direction, leaving Paul trailing behind.

Nicolette takes a seat on a bench, still sobbing, and Jane sits down next to her, asking what's wrong. But Nic's too distraught to talk, and simply collapses into Jane's arms.

Harold's Café
Jane and Nicolette are chatting over a tea.

NICOLETTE: I feel so stupid.
JANE: None of this is your fault.
NICOLETTE: After all these years, I thought I'd finally found a family who wanted me. Who accepted me for who I was.

Jane looks a little uncomfortable.

NICOLETTE: I had it all planned out. Except for the part where they all knew it was a massive lie.
JANE: You will always have me, Nicolette. Always.
NICOLETTE: Thanks, Mum. It's not the same. The life I was building with Chloe is all I've ever wanted.

Jane is baffled by Chloe's actions, saying it was 'so cruel' of her go through with the engagement without saying anything about her doubts.

NICOLETTE: She said she didn't want to hurt me. She was just protecting herself.

Toadie and Hendrix come in; Toadie is trying to rope Hendrix into becoming his footy-watching buddy, with promises of beer and snacks. Hendrix says he's in.

TOADIE: Thank you! Mackenzie's gonna be so happy that she's off the hook.

Spotting Hendrix, Nicolette walks over. She asks him what it was that he saw between Chloe and Leo. Hendrix plays it down, but Nic isn't having it.

NICOLETTE: Tell me, Hendrix. Because they slept together last night, and I want to know how long it's been going on.
HENDRIX: Jeez, Nic. I'm sorry. Umm, I guess I first noticed there was something when I cooked them that long lunch at the vineyard.
NICOLETTE (upset): That was weeks ago.
HENDRIX: Yeah. And after that, I couldn't stop seeing how much Leo was into her.

Nicolette can't bear what she's hearing.

Lassiter's Complex
Chloe is out looking for Nicolette, and sees her leaving Harold's with Jane. Jane tells Chloe to leave it for now, but Chloe insists they need to talk.

NICOLETTE: It's too late.
CHLOE: I'm sorry.
NICOLETTE: Sorry you got caught out?!
CHLOE: No, that's not true. Please, if you'd just listen to me -
NICOLETTE: No, you had your chance!
CHLOE: Nicolette, I love you.
NICOLETTE: You don't know what love is! You threw yourself at me the night your mum died, trying to screw away your pain with the one person who couldn't say no!
CHLOE: That's not what happened.
NICOLETTE: Yes, it is! You used me! And I hope one day someone does the exact same thing to you.

Chloe looks upset as Nicolette walks away with Jane.

No 22
David and Aaron are chatting to Paul and Terese about the Leo/Chloe/Nicolette drama; they're still not a hundred percent sure whether Leo and Chloe slept together, and want to track down Leo, but Paul hasn't heard from him. David says it's pretty clear Leo has a thing for Chloe, and is unimpressed when Paul reveals Leo had spoken to him about it, saying Leo was never going to act on it.

DAVID: I asked him to respect their relationship, but instead he ruins it because all he can think about is himself.
PAUL: Oh, David, before you go jumping to conclusions, just wait till you've spoken to Leo first.
DAVID: What, and have him spin some story?

Paul says Chloe's just as much to blame as Leo, but Aaron steps in to defend her, saying Paul has no idea what Chloe was going through. Paul then switches the blame to Nicolette, saying she probably drove Chloe towards Leo.

TERESE: Paul, nobody deserves betrayal like that.
PAUL: Alright. Just give him a chance to explain exactly what happened.
DAVID: I don't care what he has to say for himself! There's no excuse for what he's done.

No 24
Nicolette is resting up on the sofa, while Jane looks after her. David and Aaron arrive, and David starts going into overbearing mode when he sees Nicolette taking some painkillers, which he presumes are for a headache. Nicolette is still cold with him, and tells him not to fuss. He suggests they take her to the hospital to get checked out.

NICOLETTE: For the baby?
DAVID: No, for both of you. I know it may seem like we only care about the baby, but we really care about you too.

Nicolette looks sceptical. Aaron says they were wrong to lie about Chloe's whereabouts last night, but says they thought her doubts would blow over, which is why they didn't say anything.

NICOLETTE (coldly): Look, whatever helps you sleep at night.

Chloe then comes in. She wants to grab a few belongings, saying she'll give Nicolette and Jane some space tonight.

NICOLETTE: So you can go for round two with Leo?
CHLOE: ... I'm staying at the hotel.
AARON: Look, no-one knows where Leo is. No-one's heard from him.

Chloe goes to her room to pack a bag, and Jane suggests David and Aaron leave. As Jane encourages her to drink more tea, Nicolette gets tearful again.

No 22
Paul is moaning to Terese about Nicolette not taking responsibility for her own life imploding, saying David and Aaron are collateral damage once again - as is David and Leo's relationship. Terese tells him to stop whining.

TERESE: I know you're worried about Leo and David. But don't forget that Nicolette is the victim in this situation.
PAUL: Oh, she's never been a victim in her life!
TERESE: Okay, regardless of how you feel about her, you can't ignore the fact that maybe she is this time.
PAUL: Yeah, well, I still believe that she started all this.
TERESE: No, it started with Leo and David lying and betraying her. Which is a trait that clearly runs strong within the Robinson family.
PAUL: Oh, so we're gonna turn this into a point-scoring exercise now because of Jesse, are we?
TERESE: You know what? I've got better things to do than list all the things that are wrong with your family. Perhaps you should look closely at where it stems from - you.

Paul looks frustrated as Terese walks out.

No 32
David and Aaron come in. David is starting to despair, and Aaron comforts him, saying they need to stick together.

AARON: You were right about not lying. I should've listened to you. I'm sorry. But, listen, can you please not shut me out?
DAVID: It's not all your fault. I'm just as much to blame.
AARON: Okay, so what do we do?
DAVID: Nicolette will always be part of our family. But it's gonna take time for her to forgive us. We just have to hope that one day we'll be back to where we were.
AARON: Yeah. And in the meantime, we'll be here for whatever she needs. That's when she decides to reach out.

At this point, Leo walks in, looking contrite.

DAVID (furious): Where the hell have you been?

Lassiter's Complex
But first, it's time for a montage of misery. Chloe looks glum outside the hotel...

No 24
Nicolette continues to cry on the sofa.

Lassiter's Complex
Back to Chloe looking glum. She glances across the courtyard, where her gaze meets Hendrix's. He stares at her, unsmiling, then walks on his way.

No 24
Nicolette looks sadly at the framed picture of her and Chloe from the engagement party.

Lassiter's Complex
Outside the hotel, Terese joins Chloe, and asks if she's okay.

CHLOE: I'm not the person you should be asking that.
TERESE: But I am.
CHLOE: Nic was there for me when I found out Pierce was cheating. She saw what I went through. And now I've done the same thing to her. How could I?

Terese reminds Chloe that she doesn't yet know whether she slept with Leo. But Chloe says that she's hurt Nicolette 'so much', even if she didn't.

TERESE: I know how it feels. I've been through it on both sides, and no matter where you stand... it's awful. But I'm here for you, if you need somebody.

No 24
Nicolette answers a knock at the door. It's Paul.

PAUL: I just want to know one thing. Are you going to honour your agreement with David and Aaron?
NICOLETTE: Did the boys tell you to come over here and ask me that?
PAUL: Well, you made it quite clear that you weren't interested in talking to them.
NICOLETTE: Because they lied to me for weeks.
PAUL (laughs): Oh, that is rich, coming from you. You haven't stopped lying since you moved into the street.
NICOLETTE: I don't need this, Paul.
PAUL: You know, somebody has to tell you what's really going on here. The reason the boys lied to you, is because they don't trust you.
NICOLETTE: That's just not true.
PAUL: Yeah. See, they knew that eventually you would stuff up. And this close to the baby being born, they had to keep quiet for fear of pushing you over the edge. They were simply protecting their child.
NICOLETTE: You just can't stand the fact that I'm a part of this family.
PAUL (smirking): But you're *not* part of this family. You're carrying my grandchild. That's it. And you'll never be anything more to any of us. And you know, after everything you did to the boys, I couldn't be happier that you're finally getting what you deserve.

Visibly rattled, Nicolette tells Paul to leave. But he's not finished yet.

PAUL: When the baby's born, you're gonna hand her over. And then you're gonna get the hell out of our lives, you understand?

Once Paul's out of the door, Nicolette starts gasping for breath, perhaps having a panic attack. She continues to pant, becoming tearful again.

No 32
David asks Leo if he's 'finally together enough to face up to' what he did.

LEO: I know I overstepped the line with Chloe. I don't need you tell me, 'I told you so.'
DAVID: Yeah. I agree. It's not like she listened the first time.
LEO: Where is she? I need to talk to her.
DAVID: You should've talked to her hours ago! If you'd been bothered to check your phone, you'd know that everything's blown up because of you!
LEO: Well, I needed space, not a lecture, okay?
DAVID (furious): No, it's *not* okay, Leo! Nicolette's not talking to us. Chloe's a wreck, and guilty as hell because she thinks she slept with you!

This seems to surprise Leo, and he asks again where Chloe is. Aaron, who has been observing from the sofa, says Chloe's at the hotel. Leo walks out.

Community Centre
Nicolette is walking towards the centre, looking very dazed and confused. She has some weird POV flashbacks to the events of recent days.

DAVID: We found out at the baby shower...
CHLOE: Yes, I'll marry you...
PAUL: But you're not part of this family. You're carrying my grandchild. That's it. And you will never, ever be anything more to us.

Nicolette begins to cry again, as the flashbacks continue.

CHLOE: And I love you too...

Then...

CHLOE: I think I slept with Leo.

Nicolette looks distraught. Toadie emerges from the centre and asks if she's okay. He then offers to call Jane, but Nicolette says she's fine, and keeps walking. Toadie looks worried.

Lassiter's Complex
Later that night, Leo comes to Lassiter's to see Chloe. Spying him through the window, she exits the hotel to talk to him.

LEO: We didn't sleep together.
CHLOE: We didn't? Why didn't you reply to any of my messages?
LEO: I was embarrassed! And I didn't know that's what you were thinking.
CHLOE: Okay. Are you sure? Because I can't remember much of anything.
LEO: I told you how I felt, that's all. You were pretty drunk, and things got pretty messy.
CHLOE: I woke up wearing nothing but your coat. What happened?
LEO: We went for a walk through the vineyard to sober up, and you fell in a puddle. You got soaked, so you took off your clothes to dry, and I gave you my jacket. I couldn't face you in the morning, so I got out of there. I'm so, so sorry for the misunderstanding.
CHLOE: ... I have to talk to Nic. What if she doesn't believe me? You should've seen her Leo, she was devastated. Can you come with me?
LEO: Oh, it's probably not such a good idea.
CHLOE: If you explain, she might listen. We have to try. Come on, Leo - you owe me.

He agrees, and follows her back to Ramsay Street.

No 24
Chloe and Leo arrive back to talk to Nicolette, and a worried Jane answers the door. But Nicolette's not home; she was gone when Jane came back from the shops.

JANE: I checked the bedroom. She has taken her hospital bag. She's gone.

Coming up on Neighbours
- Aaron tells David that Nicolette has run off with their baby
- Chloe tells Aaron she didn't mean for any of this to happen
- Paul tells David that Leo's still his brother; David retorts that Leo no longer matters to him
- Chloe tells Leo there's a reason she believed something happened between them
- Leo tells Paul, 'We make so much sense, Dad'
- Terese asks Chloe, 'So, are you attracted to him?
- Leo asks Chloe, 'Where does that leave us now?'