The Bold & The Beautiful Update Friday 12/23/05

Written By Wanda
Pictures by Boo

Festive, festive, festive at Stephanie’s house. Huge Christmas tree, garland, flowers, candles, lights everywhere.

Everyone donned in their finest, Eric is handling the drinks, Stephanie brings in more flowers and asks Janet to put the hors d’oeuvres right next to the plates.

Felicia gives her holiday greetings to Taylor and ladles her a cup of eggnog. They clink cups and look timidly at each other; who’s going to be the first guinea pig? Taylor screws up her face and chuckles that all you can taste is bourbon. Felicia says she knows, but that’s the desired effect of her dad’s eggnog. She then asks if Thomas and the girls are coming by? Taylor answers yes, after their choir practice. And Felicia comments it’s too bad her big brother isn’t coming. This couldn’t have been the Christmas that Taylor was expecting. Taylor replies not for her either. Touché!

A knock at the door and Taylor flies to get it. Surprise – it’s Hector. He’s surprised to see Taylor there. She tells him to come on in; this is where the party is. He says he just wanted to drop these gifts off with Stephanie. She’s recognized his voice and comes excitedly to the door. She gives him a big hug and asks can he stay and have dinner with them? He gives his apologizes, that he didn’t even realize……..She remarks that she bets Caitlin is in New York with her mother, and he’d be doing her a very BIG favor. Ridge had got caught in a snowstorm and she was a gentleman short at the dinner table, so please say yes! It didn’t take much twisting of the arm, he says sure.

Sally enters, being pushed in her wheelchair by Thorne followed closely by Darla holding Alexandria. Sally hollers as if she is mushing the reindeer, “on Donner, on Dasher, on Comet and Vixen.” They all say Merry Christmas to Sally. She thanks the Highness for the invite and shows her she is wearing the locket she gave her. Stephanie remarks she wouldn’t have it any other way and bends to give and receive an air kiss. She invites Sally to come on in for champagne and hors d’oeuvres. Stephanie comments no champagne for Alexandria.

Eric greets Sally and then in walks Dante and Massimo laden with shopping bags of gifts. Stephanie greets both Dante and Mass with a big hug and Dante hands her a wrapped bottle of wine. Almost in unison, everyone says hello, Merry Christmas, how nice to see you, etc.

Felicia picks up Dominick and holds him up and brings him to Mass who has a look of wonderment on his face. She pulls the little blanket around him and lays him in Mass’s arms. Almost speechless, he manages to say to Stephanie, “my grandson……I never got to hold Dominick like this.”

Stephanie whispers to Eric to see if he can’t get Felicia to take a rest before dinner. She just won’t listen to her. He replies that Felicia knows what she can do. But, Stephanie is worried about her since she’s been up since the crack of dawn setting the table, wrapping gifts. She doesn’t want her to get sick. He takes her squarely by the shoulders and says this whole day is for her. Just let her soak it all up. He tells Stephanie she’d made a beautiful Christmas. It’s been perfect. Now why don’t they sing a little bit?

He goes to the piano and jokes with Dante about ‘Jingle Bells’ not being Italian and he starts the tune as everyone gathers around and joins in.

Nick and Bridget linger outside the door a minute as she feels the baby kick. She thinks she’s just registering a protest against her grandfather’s piano playing. Nick retorts maybe she just prefers her daddy’s singing better. Hope runs up to him and he picks her up, then little R.J. Then Brooke walks up and speaks to Bridget. Everyone seems to be greeting each other except Nick and Brooke. Bridget asks if they aren’t speaking to each other? So, of course, they have to make a showing of saying a special Merry Christmas.

Taylor gets Hector a glass of champagne and they toast each other and he asks if Ridge is coming in later? She explains that since he’s been gone a couple of days and missed Christmas, he’d just stay a couple more. Hector seems shocked. This is her first Christmas home. He’d think Ridge would make a special effort to be there with her.

Thorne opens the door for Nick, Brooke and the group. Dante heads toward them as well but stops behind Felicia as Mass approaches with Dominick and Dante asks if it’s hers? She says with a smile that she hasn’t been dancing on many bars lately. He inquires if Dominick is Nick Marone’s? She doesn’t answer, but asks does he know Nick? She glances over and he’s holding another little boy, R.J. She remarks she thought marriage might have mellowed him a little. Then she asks if he knows his wife? He sidesteps that one and says he is going to get some champagne.

Bridget pulls Thorne aside and asks how is he with a video camera? Proudly, he proclaims there is no one better in the room. Does she need pictures of her and Nick? She replies yes, but everybody as well; everything. Then she can show them to Dominick when he’s old enough. Thorne tells her he can do that for her and gives her a big kiss. She thanks him.

Another knock at the door and Bridget gets it. It’s the Reverend. Seems to be some confusion. He thinks he is probably there for her and Nick to get married….or at least try again. She assures him not so, she is already Mrs. Nick Marone. He has no idea why he is there.

Bridget joins the group and asks if someone is getting married? Stephanie quips to Brooke, “who is it this time, Brooke?”

Felicia quickly steps forward and tells them she is the one who called and unless anyone objects to a christening on Christmas…….

Jackie enters and Eric leaves the group to greet her. Stephanie takes this opportunity to whisper to Felicia why didn’t she tell her about this? Felicia asks why should her son be the only one not baptized? She addresses the Reverend that her mother would have told her a nice little fairy tale about who she was and who her child is. “When the truth is, I haven’t been a very virtuous person.” And she hadn’t lived a very good life. She hadn’t ever had much use for the church or believed in God….until she got pregnant which they told her she shouldn’t have been. Then she had a beautiful baby boy who they also told her shouldn’t have lived. And she guesses that is when it hit here that God was answering prayers and she didn’t even know she was praying. “And then I found out I was dying. I don’t hold that against him, but he did it again.” She continues that he brought her this wonderful woman who offered to be the mother of her baby when she is gone. “The truth of it is, Dominick already belongs to God. God’s made that pretty clear.” And she really wants this for Dominick so he knows she is not totally ignorant. She gets it! She asks the Reverend will he or won’t he baptize her son today? The Reverend comes forward and touches her and says that the call to baptism comes from God. “Who am I, or anyone else, to stand in the way of it?”

At this exact moment, Eric and Jackie walk in and Felicia points out these are the Godparents, one grandparent from each side. Both look very, very pleased. The baby fusses as Nick brings him to the Reverend.

Darla can’t help but overhear as Taylor tells Hector that she tells Ridge absolutely everything. And he knows how close she and Hector came to……She stops when she sees Darla approaching.

Everyone takes their places and the Reverend stands before the implements of the christening and offers the sacrament of the wonder of life. Jackie is holding Dominick. And what name do they give this child? He asks his blessing on Dominick and may he know God’s loving kindness all his days. “May the spirit move upon this water, and bring Dominick, who we now baptize, to new birth in your sight, and new life in your kingdom.” They all echo Amen.

Later upstairs, Felicia tells Nick she got him something. He seems shocked and she tells him not to worry, it’s NOT a Christmas present. She brings out a huge guitar tied with a big red bow. She tells him she’d actually had it in her car when she came to see him on The Marlin. And when she found out he was married, she thought about breaking it over his head. He whispers thank you, and gives her a kiss. She offers it’s a good thing they never got together. What a disaster that would have turned out to have been. He replies he doesn’t know about that. She remarks that if it didn’t start out that way, it sure would be now. A gruesome tragedy, losing the mother of his child. He puts the guitar down and says, “but, I am…..and it is.”

He holds her hands and gazes into her eyes and says, “I really don’t think it’s because I didn’t care enough. I just don’t think you cared enough about you.” She tells him well she fixed that. Or at least Dominick did. And isn’t it strange? “The most important thing that ever happened to me. The answer to everything that was haywire in me. And it came to me from you. And now I’m giving him back.” She seems to want to kiss him, but she settles for a tearful hug.

They rejoin the rest of the group and Hope asks Uncle Nick if he’s going to sing them a song? He remarks that since he has a special new guitar, perhaps a Christmas song? He sits on the hearth and strums the guitar; looking at Hope he sings for her “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”. The camera pans the room with Bridget on the second floor balcony looking down; Hope sandwiched in between Jackie and Eric eating her Christmas tree cookie; Thorne taking video pictures; Brooke smiling at Nick’s singing; Felicia with a look of sadness on her face. Stephanie can’t take it any longer and heads out the door for fresh air; Felicia fast behind her.

She calls to her mother and Stephanie just breaks down. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry I’ve been such a terrible, horrible mother to you.” She flails her arms and says she has been, she’s sorry. Felicia tells her not to. And don’t she dare stop being a terrible mother. She’d have to stop being a horrible daughter, and then what would become of them? Stephanie chuckles and cries at the same time as she grabs and hugs Felicia. They cling to each other. She calls her baby and tells her she loves her. Felicia returns the sentiment.

Eric has followed Felicia out and he interrupts this tender moment. Felicia walks back inside, leaving Eric and Stephanie alone. She sighs that okay, she needs this. She has a whole house full of people and she looks a fright! She wipes her eyes as Eric jokes that she is a fright! And, he steers her back inside after a loving kiss on the forehead.

Nick is still singing with Hope and the group. Felicia joins Bridget on the second floor overlooking the living room. She joins hands and tells her she believes it has been the perfect day. And Bridget answers that Dominick will have it too. Felicia narrates, “who are all these beautiful people? How little I know about the characters in the story of my life. Where does all the time go? Did I waste it? Did it waste me?” She says they will miss her for a little while when she is gone. She won’t mind. It’s not so much the dying part. It’s just not knowing how the story turns out. It’s the missing them. “They say you can choose your friends, but not your family. But you do. Every morning you put them on, like a worn shirt. Loving them, hating them. It doesn’t matter….I chose them long ago. Before I knew anything….before I was anything.”

The Forrester clan sit around a huge table, festive with crystal and china, mountains of food, carols in the background, all laughing and mugging for Thorne’s camera. Eric carves the turkey and gives the first bite to Stephanie. She gives the okay sign to the camera. Then she and Taylor clink their eggnog cups and again mug Merry Christmas for the camera.

Thorne manages to rush in and get in the last shot with the group.

From the landing above, Felicia fights back the tears and says, “and now I chose you. Thank you for being my story. The only one I’ve ever had. Thank you for being my heart. When I go to sleep, I’ll be listening for you.” The tears now flow.

John McCook, amongst the lineup of all the stars, says “from our family here at The Bold and The Beautiful to yours, happy holidays!”

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