Previously on Neighbours
- Slade bullies JJ and he hides a cake knife in his locker for defence
- Curtis tells JJ that the school is going into lockdown
- Terese is told that if the key gave someone access to her site, that would be a serious security breach.
- Nicolette gets a note from Aaron, "Don't know when I'll be back"
- Nicolette is upset at being left with a grieving Isla
- Krista is surprised that Paul has made Chelsea acting manager.
- Chelsea is going through Paul's will when Krista comes into the office
Paul's Penthouse
Chelsea gets a message from some debt collectors and promptly deletes it.
Paul comes out in a suit and tells Chelsea that he's going into the office.
CHELSEA: Tell me honestly, do you feel ready?
PAUL: ...
CHELSEA: There's your answer. There's no rush, babe. Everything's running smoothly.
Paul agrees, and Chelsea takes him off for a walk instead.
Waterhole
Wendy is excited about Felix potentially coming home, but Andrew is worried that it might cause them grief.
Remi and Cara come in and chat with Wendy a bit. Andrew gets a call and tells them he has to go to the school because it's in lockdown. A weapon has been found at the school.
School
Jane shows Andrew the "weapon" which is a kitchen knife.
In a classroom, Nell is feeling a bit claustrophobic at the lockdown. She chats with Dex a bit about Slade, but JJ is distracted and very stressed.
No.24
Krista, Leo and Nicolette are chatting about Krista. Krista is wondering whether she's a gold digger, or genuinely obsessed with Paul.
Just then, the door opens and Aaron slinks in.
NICOLETTE:(controlled) Hey.
LEO: Welcome home! How are you?
AARON: Yeah, good, good.
Leo hugs Aaron.
KRISTA: Where have you been?
AARON: Wow, straight to the inquisition.
NICOLETTE: Can you blame them? We literally know nothing.
LEO: Apart from that you weren't in Adelaide. I've been talking with Mark and Tyler, they've been worried.
NICOLETTE: Well? Some answers would be nice.
AARON: I was just driving. I just went down the Great Ocean Road and kept going. When I'm focused on the road, the rest of my mind goes quiet. Is Isla here? I could do with a cuddle.
NICOLETTE: I just put her down for a nap.
AARON: I'll go and see if she's still up.
NICOLETTE: Please don't. She's been up and down every night this week, and if by some miracle she *is* asleep, I don't want you waking her.
There is a pause.
NICOLETTE: Do you have anything else to say?!
There is a silence.
NICOLETTE: Great(!)
She stalks off to the laundry room.
LEO: You've got some bridges to mend, mate, I mean Nicolette's had it pretty tough since you've been gone.
AARON: I know, and I'm going to make things right, I just need to take things one step at a time.
He goes off to his room.
School
Terese, Jane and Lana from the department are lifting the lockdown. Lana tells them she'll be in touch - and will be checking in on the school more often.
When she's gone, Jane tells Terese that they're supposed to be a team, and she didn't support her when she needed it.
Hotel
Terese is looking at Josh's plaque when Paul comes along.
PAUL:(gently) Hard day?
TERESE: Hard enough to need to be with my boy.
PAUL: This place always gives you comfort. Still don't know where that is for me and David yet.
TERESE: You'll find it.
PAUL: Feel like a catchup?
TERESE: Sure.
They head off to the lift up to the Penthouse. As they do, Chelsea is at the desk telling Krista that she's bringing back her "signature scent". Krista rolls her eyes and says it's too expensive.
Chelsea sees Paul and Terese going into the lift and quickly follows.
Penthouse
Paul and Terese are looking out from the balcony.
PAUL: I know that look. You're dealing with more than just a hard day, aren't you?
TERESE: It's not something I want to get into right now.
She goes on to ask why Paul didn't reply to her text last week but he says he didn't see it.
TERESE: How are you?
PAUL: Honestly? Every minute feels like an eternity in hell, doesn't matter what I try, I just can't escape it... Terese, do you think my family will ever forgive me?
TERESE: Well...I've forgiven you many times. But I think where there's love, there can be forgiveness.
Just then, Chelsea exits the lift and greets Terese. She hustles Paul on to the sofa for a rest and shows Terese out.
Harold's Cafe
Andrew comes in and asks Haz if he's lost any kitchen equipment. Haz says his favourite knife has gone and confirms that the photo Andrew has is the same one.
School
Andrew reports to Jane and Cara that the knife was from Harold's Cafe. He wants to talk to JJ, Dex and Nell.
Waterhole
Remi, Krista and Terese are chatting about the day's events. Terese thinks that Paul made Chelsea the manager while grief- stricken and will come to his senses about his decision soon.
Aaron and Leo come in and Remi and Terese greet Aaron. He's come to tell Wendy that he's ready to start work again.
TERESE:(sympathetically) So, how was your time away?
AARON: It was OK I guess. It helped me deal with the anger, but the grief is still there.
They move on to talk about Chelsea's signature scent order. Terese says it should be cancelled, but Aaron and Leo say it's what Paul deserves(!)
School
Andrew is grilling JJ, Dex and Nell about the knife - do they know who brought it to the school? JJ says it must have been Slade, but apparently Slade has an alibi.
Andrew leaves, and Nell shortly afterwards.
DEX:(to JJ) It was you, wasn't it?
JJ: ...
DEX: I know Slade freaks you out, but this? This is full on.
Hotel
Chelsea and Paul are having another little walk. She tells him that she's gone with the signature scent idea and he OKs it.
When he's gone, Krista is supervising the decorators. Chelsea tells her to get the mess cleared up.
Terese comes over to tackle Chelsea.
TERESE: I know about your perfume order. You're taking advantage of a grieving man!
CHELSEA: Paul knows it makes sense.
TERESE: Paul's not in the right head- space to make decisions! You really are a vulture!
CHELSEA: And *you're* no longer his wife, or part of this hotel. Why do you care so much? This has nothing to do with you.
No.26
Wendy and Andrew are having a glass of wine. Wendy tells Andrew that she wants to study to be an art teacher at Uni and has sent off her application this afternoon.
JJ knocks at the door and Andrew answers it.
ANDREW: JJ! What's up, mate?
WENDY: JJ, is everything alright?
JJ:(upset) It was me. I stole the knife.
No.24
Aaron and Jane hug.
JANE: Well, at least one good thing has happened today. (To Nicolette) You didn't tell me Aaron was home.
NICOLETTE:(acidly) I didn't know if he'd stick around. I didn't want to get your hopes up.
Aaron asks Jane to give them some space.
AARON: Nic, I'm sorry I took off.
NICOLETTE: A simple sorry isn't going to cut it.
AARON: I've lost people that I love before, but the past few weeks have just...it's been something else.
NICOLETTE: I understand that you needed space. It's the radio silence. You shut us out. Me and Isla.
AARON: Well, we all do selfish things to cope sometimes, don't we, like when you ran away to Canberra.
She just looks at him.
AARON: All I've wanted to do is escape the pain but I can't. It feels like nothing matters, and if nothing matters, then what's the point of anything?
NICOLETTE: If that's how you feel, why *did* you come home?
AARON: I don't know. I just...I realised the only way to stop feeling like that is to be constantly reminded of what *does* matter. And that's Isla, Leo and Abby and...you. I know I have a lot of making up to do. Can you please just let me make things right?
No.22
Nell goes off to eat in her room because she's fed up of Toadie banging on about the knife at the school.
When she's gone, Toadie asks Terese if she wants to talk about their relationship tonight. She doesn't.
No.30
JJ is trying to explain that he was so afraid of Slade hurting him again that he acted rashly. Jane says that JJ won't be expelled, but he will be suspended for two weeks.
Unfortunately though, Slade is still out there.
Penthouse
Paul is looking at a photo of David and family. Chelsea asks him why he's up so early. Paul says he can't sleep for thinking about the times Leo and David had told him he was a terrible father.
CHELSEA: Don't do it to yourself. You're an amazing dad!
PAUL: You haven't been around long enough to know.
CHELSEA: I know enough. People keep trying to paint you as the villain of the piece, but I don't believe it.
She gets up and says it's OK to have a moment, but he has to let that feeling go. Also, he should get rid of the wedding photo of himself and Terese(!)
Hotel Foyer
Krista is telling the decorators to be very careful with Josh and Doug's memorial plaque. Chelsea overhears this.
When they've gone, Chelsea goes over to the plaque and puts it in a black bag in a box of rubbish. Then she smiles evilly to herself.
Coming up on Neighbours
- Paul is worried that he'll never have a relationship with his granddaughters again.
- Aaron tells Remi that she needs to get Chelsea away from Paul.
- Aaron warns Chelsea off Paul
- Toadie tells Melanie that Terese only seems to care about Paul. They have a bit of a moment.