Previously
- Paul confirming to David that he's lined up a meeting with the lawyer.
- Nicolette wanting to do down the route of mediation to sort out custody of Isla.
- Nicolette bemoaning that everyone in Erinsborough is against her...again!
- Aaron pulling David back to let Nicolette attend to the crying Isla.
- Terese telling Harlow that Paul has to realise how much he's hurt her.
- Harlow then passing the information onto Paul so he knows what to say to Terese.
- Terese seeing straight through Paul's words.
- Terese furious at Harlow betraying her and kicking the lass out of the house!
Number 32
Jane is at least diplomatic and attributing the fact Isla is in bed for the house being very quiet when she pops over. After the boys head off to their room, on the pretence of an early night, Jane then comments properly on the tension to her daughter.
NICOLETTE: Welcome to my new normal!
Jane is full of sympathy towards her knowing how long custody battles can last. Nicolette admits she doesn't have "the answers" or "the headspace" to deal with it, instead focusing to simply get through each day.
Number 22
Having packed her bags, Harlow comes downstairs to announce she is going "unless there's anything you want to say?" The only thing Terese wants is her apology and Harlow isn't giving one since she told "the truth!" Her parting shot is for Terese to "sort it out" as the split [with Paul] makes "zero sense."
Penthouse suite
After wheeling herself (and her belongings) into the penthouse, Harlow casually asks Paul if she can move in! He can't believe Terese would have kicked her out, but when Harlow explains Terese (having seen straight through his apology to her) figured she was behind it, Paul then twigs why they are fighting. Paul isn't too pleased when she then adds in about telling Terese "to stop being a martyr" and that she was to blame for them being apart!
HARLOW: If she can't handle the truth, that's not my problem.
PAUL: Terese says things in the heat of the moment. She will calm down.
Harlow is fine with moving out, calling staying at #22 "draining" and goes to claim one of the empty rooms.
Number 32 (next day)
Aaron shows Juliana and Pia out into the garden for their custody meeting and introduces them both to David. The pair already know Paul and he thanks them both for taking on the case before leaving.
Paul has already filled Juliana in on Nicolette and Pia plans to use those (honesty issues and controlling tendencies) to "highlight her shortcomings as a parent." Juliana (who will look into Nicolette's background) wants the boys to document "every inappropriate word or action." "So you want us to spy on her?" a concerned Aaron asks but is told that it is to "monitor" Nicolette. David wants to know how "dirty" things could get but the reply is does he want to "win custody of your daughter?!"
DAVID: Absolute, but we just wanted to defend our rights. We're not out to hurt Nicolette.
PIA: I understand but this is how these things get done.
Number 22
Chloe is back from Adelaide... and is already trying to secure another flight to the conference until Terese tells her no! Remembering what's happened since she's been away, Chloe asks Terese how she is and hears about the fight with Harlow and that the lassie was asked to leave too. Terese is regretting kicking Harlow out, but can't see an easy resolution given they are both "stubborn."
TERESE: The things Harlow said, it was almost as if they come straight out of Paul's mouth.
"And now she's living with him," Chloe comments, which Terese thinks isn't "the time to be living under his influence!" Both agree that Harlow has been "in a weird space lately" and Terese knows the solution, "stability," which Paul won't be able to give to her.
TERESE: The sooner we put this behind us the better.
Harold's café
Clive looks like he is enjoying some cuddle time with Isla as he sits with Nicolette and Jane in the café. Talk gets round to him asking if Nicolette has a lawyer yet (no) then finds himself being tasked with coming up with a name since he is "the COO of the hospital!"
NICOLETTE: Surely you know someone who can take on Paul's sharks?!
Jane knows that being a colleague of David's things could be tricky for Clive, but that fact isn't washing with Nicolette!
NICOLETTE: I'm up against some pretty serious lawyers here and I need to fight back if I'm to have any chance of keeping my daughter. They're going to trawl through every mistake I've ever made and make them public.
JANE: We all know that you're not a bad person.
CLIVE: Everyone makes mistakes.
NICOLETTE: Except the perfect Dr David!
Clive looks like he is about to go against her theory but quickly stops himself and refuses to say more despite the pressure from Nicolette.
Number 32
With the lawyers now away, David and Aaron are digesting what was said during the meeting. David reassures his husband that the lawyers know that they are doing. That is the thing worrying Aaron - he doesn't want to be the one telling Isla over how they got custody of her by making Nicolette "look like the mother from hell." After reminding Aaron that they "both agreed to go down this path," David doesn't want to lose "and wonder if there was anything else we could have done."
AARON: We are literally writing our families history here. You know when we look back on these, is this something we're going to be proud of? We haven't even talked about how this might affect Isla.
DAVID: We've worked too hard to make a home for her here to give up.
"I'm not saying we have to give up," Aaron replies but David wants clarification on what he is saying, fearful that if they "go easy" they risk losing Isla.
DAVID: Tell me Nicolette hasn't forced us into this.
AARON: (eventually) Okay.
DAVID: We win custody and then we deal with Nicolette's feelings.
Their chat is interrupted when Chloe enters the kitchen to tell them that she is home. Given Nicolette is out, she can stay so asks the dreaded question "how's it been going?" which is met by pained looks on the boys faces!
Harold's café
Clive has found a lawyer for Nicolette and thankfully for her, she is making a call to them when Chloe enters the Café.
On the pretence of chatting about #24, Chloe pulls Jane aside for a private chat on how things are. Jane comments that everyone "is under strain" with what is going on and admits her request for Chloe to leave "achieved nothing." Chloe wants to work with Jane to ensure if Nicolette visits #24, she gets a "stress free visit" by making sure she's out of the house. While Jane thinks "that's an option", it is "hardly ideal" and everyone will still be "on edge."
NICOLETTE: I have myself a lawyer.
Nicolette thanks Clive for his help in finding her a lawyer. Even though Clive stopped himself from fully blabbing, Nicolette has managed to get some dirt on David (him being kicked out of the surgical programme) thanks to a friend at the hospital. She is after more, but Clive's keeping his lips shut, so Nicolette goes to text her friend for more info.
Penthouse suite
Paul and Harlow are chatting about the custody battle when they receive a visitor - Terese. She is there to see Harlow, concerned that the lass wasn't returning any of the texts she'd sent.
Paul tries to take the opportunity to talk to Terese about what he said (to make it clear he meant all that he said to her) but is stopped from saying more.
When they are finally alone, Terese admits things "got out of hand" last night because she was "angry" and thus "overreacted," before then going on to ask Harlow to come home.
HARLOW: Was that your apology?!
TERESE: I'm still upset by what you said, but I'm not going to let a petty argument ruin our relationship.
Harlow isn't making things easy for Terese, her 'deal' for moving home is for them to reunite with Paul. Even Terese saying she is "worried" doesn't have steely-faced Harlow changing her mind. Harlow also objects to Terese calling her "family."
HARLOW: I'm related to grandad, and if you insist on breaking up your marriage, then you and I aren't family any more... are we?!
Harold's café
Clive and Jane are talking about the custody case (and Clive's worries that Nicolette is playing dirty) when the boys walk into the café. Jane explains that Nicolette is away walking Isla, before giving them her totally sympathy on the current situation.
JANE: You're not vindictive people, you're just doing what you think is best and well I understand that it can't be easy.
The boys appreciate her words and get that she has to take Nicolette's side in things. "It doesn't mean that I can't see the grief on both sides," she replies back before excusing herself from the table.
Just at that, David gets a heads up text from work colleague Sandra, telling him about Nicolette trying to dig the dirt on his dismal from the surgical programme. "How did she even know about that?!" Aaron asks and Clive reveals that Nicolette was looking for dirt earlier. "What did you tell her?" David asks him and Clive quickly replies "nothing" and confirms that he wasn't the one to tell her about David's dismissal from the surgical programme.
DAVID: She knows our lawyers are going to play hardball with her.
AARON: So she's doing the same thing.
DAVID: Everything's going to come out now... isn't it?
Terese's office
Terese interrupts chatting to Chloe about the conference to confirm that she did go to see Harlow, but things "didn't go well."
The meeting is interrupted when Paul arrives to inform Terese he's emailed Lucy to confirm he won't be going to the conference and to suggest Chloe takes his place. He also hands over a list of people Lucy wants her to meet at the conference.
Before he leaves, Terese reveals she won't object if Harlow wants to continue living with him... but there is a proviso - he's not to ignore what she is going through and to keep an eye out for her needs. "Of course," he replies before leaving the office.
CHLOE: Him being around really shakes you up, doesn't it?
"Yes," Terese replies before quickly gathering her stuff up, having suddenly decided to work from home so Paul can't drop in on her.
Harold's café
Toadie is updating Clive (and Jane) how Melanie is going with her arm in plaster. When he hears that Melanie is ignoring David's recommendation to undergo a bone density scan, Clive offers to say something to her... subtly of course! When Clive tries to get the plan in motion (lunch as a foursome) Jane naturally has other things on her mind and suddenly announces that she wants to go see the boys, thus departs from the café in a hurry.
CLIVE: She can see both sides. She's trying to help everyone. I'm trying to stay neutral.
TOADIE: Tough being Switzerland eh?!
CLIVE: It is when your main player is your partners granddaughter.
Number 32
David is ranting to Aaron over how they "agonised" over digging up dirt on Nicolette, while she seemingly has no clams about digging dirt up on him "without even blinking." "That's not why you're angry," Aaron replies, pointing out too that she's doing exactly the same as they are.
AARON: How she got there makes no difference.
DAVID: This makes a massive difference!
Aaron thinks he knows why David is angry - because he is scared. "You aren't?!" a confused David replies and Aaron admits that he is but adds that they knew what the risk of digging dirt up could be.
The chat is interrupted when Nicolette comes out into he garden to pick up a mug she left lying and David immediately has a go at Nicolette for going behind his back "to find out more information about my suspension."
DAVID: I'm right here, you can ask me!!
And Nicolette does just that. David admits to stealing medication, once whilst under pressure, to help a patient who was in hiding.
DAVID: I was trying to save his life and I paid the price. All you're doing is dragging more and more people into something that's none of their business.
NICOLETTE: So its okay for you to stick your lawyers onto me though?
DAVID: Anything our lawyers use, will be relevant to the custody hearing.
NICOLETTE: I think your lack of judgement is extremely relevant!
Aaron interrupts the pair and calls for them to stop... reminding them both that they shouldn't be talking about it either.
Penthouse suite
Harlow interrupts Paul staring into space to admit that she's worried about Terese too. She goes onto say Terese admitted it was mistake to kick her out of #22.
HARLOW: Grandad, you two should get back together.
PAUL: Yes, except she doesn't want to.
The lassie doesn't believe that and thinks he should use the conference to get close to Terese again. "Except I'm not going to the conference," he explains, which she is aghast to hear because "it's the only place that she can't avoid you."
PAUL: I'm sick of pushing myself with Terese, its doing her more harm than good.
HARLOW: But she needs you!
PAUL: No, she needs you.
Harlow is refusing to move back, citing that she's already settled into the penthouse... plus its "the fastest commute to work I'll ever have!"
HARLOW: This isn't permanent, I can guarantee you and Terese won't be apart forever.
PAUL: Yes, the only guarantee that I want right now, is to know that she's going to be alright.
Number 32
Jane has called the warring parties together (Chloe is there too) to tell them that they "all share the same wish to give Isla as happy and stable a home as possible." With those words in mind, Jane reveals her idea - that she moves back into #32.
JANE: I have everyone's interests at heart and well that might work as a balancing influence. Any differences that might flare up, I would act as a referee and an arbiter, if you like.
"So long as this doesn't leave you high and dry," Jane adds while turning to look specifically at Chloe. Chloe is all for her proposal and Aaron (on behalf of David too) is too. Nicolette is also happy ... on condition that there is "no talking stick!"
JANE: Well... no promises!
Number 22
Terese is trying to work from home but is interrupted by flashbacks to Paul's ex-wives (Lyn, Gail and Rebecca) warning her over what Paul is like. Eventually she gets up and leaves her computer to go get a glass of water... however when she opens the fridge, she spots a bottle of white wine there and contemplates grabbing it instead.
Coming up on Neighbours
- Felicity messaging Levi when he is with Amy.
- Ned fed up with Amy.
- Levi about to tell felicity something.
- Harlow ranting at Chloe.
- Toadie pushing Kyle for answers.
