Spencer reminds Blair that he has developed real feelings for her. Irked to find Nash consoling Jessica, Viki lashes out at the young man for taking advantage of her vulnerable daughter. Kevin reluctantly explains to a stunned Kelly how the virus has left him permanently sterile. Asa's private investigator reports that the woman in the photo died some time ago. Antonio plans a romantic evening for himself and Jessica. Roxy assures Rex he has a clear path to Adriana now that the former convent girl has dumped Duke at last. Determined to get her mind off of Todd for good, Blair happily agrees to accompany Spencer out for a night on the town at Capricorn. A suspicious Renee quizzes Asa about what transpired on New Year's Eve. Viki grows angrier after Clint again defends Nash. Kelly assures Kevin that his revelation hasn't diminished her love for him. David icily congratulates his sneering brother on wreaking havoc all through the Buchanan clan. While quarreling with Clint, Viki gives way to Niki. Renee finds the photo in Asa's desk. Clint and Dorian drown their sorrows together at the hotel bar. Meanwhile, Niki heads to Capricorn and corners a shuddering Jessica, then coaxes Tess out to play.
An overwrought Michael confides to Evangeline his fears about his brother going over the edge. Kevin hears Duke consoling Kelly as she worries that her fiancé's pride will stand in the way of their happiness. Dorian and Clint reminisce about one certain summer twenty years ago when they indulged in a fling. Niki taunts Tess by claiming that Nash has fallen for Jessica. Meanwhile, Layla coldly advises Nash not to rain on Antonio's parade. Cristian encounters John at the gym and realizes that the suspended officer is struggling with some personal demons. A drunken Kevin accuses Kelly of emasculating him by blabbing their problems to his son. An angry Tess orders Niki to stop trying to play her but the older woman gleefully continues to harp on Nash's "obvious" infatuation with Jessica. Duke apologizes to his dad, who later asks Kelly if she meant what she said about their future together. Antonio and Nash exchange another verbal barrage on the subject of the women they love. A dejected Tess agrees to leave town with Niki. Michael explains to Evangeline how his recent brush with death has forced him to reassess his priorities. David is alarmed to realize that his brother deliberately caused Kevin's sterility. Finally fed up with Niki, Tess grabs the steering wheel and sends the stolen car spinning off the road.
Rex pays a bruised and battered Todd a visit. He can't stand being without Blair. Rex has been unable to locate Denton who seems to be staying just one step ahead of him, always on the move.
Adriana stops by Blair's place looking for Dorian but is disappointed to learn she's not there. She fills Blair in on working at Craze, which she loves, and the "bad boy" she can't stop thinking about who is really good on the inside. Her talk reminds Blair of Todd. When Blair receives a call that Rex has come to visit, Adriana freaks out and manages to run upstairs. Blair realizes that Rex is the "bad boy" and she's surprised when he's there regarding Todd and not Adriana. He fills her in on Todd's state and the fact that he can relate to screwing up with someone he cares about. Blair asks Adriana to wait around for the kids, she's got to go somewhere. She shows up at the prison but changes her mind about seeing Todd after he's brought out. He's pretty sure she's there and she cries as he calls her name in vain.
At Capricorn, John is annoyed when he overhears his name in a conversation between Evangeline and Cristian. Evangeline expresses her concern to John because she knows something is bothering him. Cris heads over to Natalie while John defends his actions. Evangeline thinks he should talk to Dr. Crosby. Natalie offers her own advice to John and it's the same but for a different reason. She thinks he should play the game in order to get his badge back and is surprised when John agrees. Furthermore, he'll do it to make everyone else happy, he says, though he doubts it will help any. Nat is lucky he's not her responsibility. Nat appears to be jealous when Evangeline and Cris begin to dance (Cris persuades Evangeline and tells her it's not to make Nat jealous) and she asks to cut in. She can't believe Cris' choice of a dance partner. Cris informs her that Evangeline is a good friend. He states that he's glad that he's not John as he seems pretty sorry trying to hide his pain behind his macho tattoos. He's started a new calendar and where Nat was penciled in on his previous page, it's Evangeline who is there now. David yells at Spencer on the phone and promises to break into his room. Nash and Antonio are frantic when the phone conversation with Niki and Tess is cut off and Nash is sure he heard the screech of tires. They are unable to get them back on the phone. They begin to wonder who exactly was on the phone. Was it Niki or Viki? Tess or Jess?
Clint and a tipsy Dorian get a room at the Palace though Clint makes it too painfully clear that he's not interested in having an affair. As Bo waits for Paige he learns that Viki and Jess are missing and that Clint has checked into a suite. As David bangs on his brother's door, he's lured to Clint's room much to Dorian's chagrin, where a confused Bo has shown up as well. David wonders if Dorian realizes she's with a Buchanan. Bo updates Clint on the fact that Viki and Jess are missing and they take off for Capricorn to meet up with Antonio and Nash. Nash takes off on his own.
Niki and Tess wind up in a cabin in the middle of nowhere after the car runs off the road. They bicker as they find no electricity or phone to use. While they argue, Jess fights to come out; she does briefly but Tess takes control. Niki explains that Tess must have detachment, no ties, which is why she was created in the first place. Tess blames Niki for her being there. Niki can't seem to recall what she did.
David and Dorian bicker about Clint. As their argument reaches its crescendo, Dorian claims that Clint's economic position alleviates strains that were issues for her when she was with David. David fires back, angrily saying getting together with a Buchanan was like throwing away all their chances of being together. Dorian is stung, and demands David tell her whose fault it is that they lost what they had. She puts the fire of his anger out in true Dorian-fashion, throwing her drink in his face. They continue to argue over their demise, but David is unable to convince her that not being able to marry her didn't change the way he felt. Dorian tells him that he abandoned her, and therefore has no right to comment on her life.
Nash searches for Tess where he found her last time, but to no avail. Antonio finds him and brings him back to Llanfair, where he demands to know why Nash was looking for Tess in a shack. Nash responds that it was simply, "wishful thinking."
Tess tries to make Niki admit that she knows how she came to being, and blames her for what happened that night at the bar. Niki denies knowing the source of Tess' origins, and taunts her with thoughts that Nash has fallen in love with Jessica. Tess doesn't want to believe it, but can't help wondering aloud what Jessica has that she doesn't. Niki tries to convince her that since coming to Llanview, Nash has taken on attributes of the Buchanans, and sees alters not as people, but as intruders trying to take Jessica and Viki away. Tess is shaken, but wants to call Nash. She is devastated when he can't tell the difference between her and Jessica, especially when he says, "Honey, can you hear me?" to who he assumes is Jessica. Tess then accuses Nash of having feelings for Jessica, and hangs up on him. Antonio is alarmed when he hears about Tess' concerns.
Evangeline and Cristian have a friendly conversation, but he backs away when she mentions John. Changing the subject, Evangeline asks Cristian to talk to her about art. As he explains the creative process to her, the two seem to grow closer as friends.
Marcie is upset that she had to find out about the church shooting on the news, and unleashes her anger on Michael. The two reach common ground once Marcie confesses she only got angry because she can't bear the thought of losing him. Michael is afraid that he and John will never be able to repair their relationship.
John returns to the scene of the crime, and is confronted by Natalie. Although he maintains that he would not change his actions, he confesses to Nat that he is worried about his relationship with his brother. He then confides that saving Michael the way he did was also in effort to keep a promise he made to his father. John asks Natalie why she won't just walk away-Natalie reaches out to him, saying she can't, and that despite everything, he still matters to her, and she wants to help him. John claims that Natalie is better off without him. She relents, looking hurt. After she is gone, John remembers (flashback) his father telling him to always take care of Michael.
Clint runs into David, and they fight about Dorian. Clint leaves, and heads to Dorian's. She is delighted to see him, but disappointed when he wants to talk about Niki Smith, rather than what "almost happened" between them. After she convinces him that she knows nothing helpful about Niki, he thanks her for the other night, saying it was, "fun" and leans in to kiss her...on the cheek. Still, Dorian seems touched.
John apologizes to Michael, and is forgiven. The two McBain brothers find peace with the situation.
Clint, Antonio, Nash, Natalie, and Bo begin the search for Viki and Jessica, who are actually hiding out as Niki Smith and Tess. Nash and Antonio nearly come to blows when the former reveals that Viki walked in on him with his arms around Jessica. Clint breaks them up, and Nash makes it clear that he is in love with Tess, not Jessica. Dorian arrives at Llanfair to offer her assistance to Clint, but needs to leave for Todd's sentencing. Bo also has to head to the courthouse for Manning's sentencing, but Antonio takes a phone call from a police officer who has located Viki's car. Antonio and Nash head up into the mountains, where the car has been abandoned. The officer on the scene reports that there is no sign of foul play, so it becomes apparent to the men that Jessica and Viki took off on their own. Antonio calls in a favor from one of his buddies in order to get a map of the cabins that are located in this part of the mountain. Nash cries out Tess's name into the storm.
Clint and Natalie bond, and she discusses her feelings of conflict over Cristian and John. Clint reminds her that life is too short not to be with the one you love. Natalie makes a phone call, telling the person on the other end of the line that she's been doing a lot of thinking and would like to meet up for a chat.
Meanwhile, in the abandoned cabin, Tess dreams that Nash confesses that he is in love with Jessica. She wakens and Niki immediately tries to play on her fears. Niki and Tess continue to spar, but Niki has a plan for them to both leave Llanview behind forever. She wants to go back to town, posing as Viki and Jessica, in order to get their hands on Viki's money. Tess likes the sound of the plan at first, because she wants to leave Nash forever now that she's convinced he is in love with her host. However, Niki says there is one thing she needs, and that is for Tess to tell her her secret. Niki claims that the secret makes Tess strong, and that Niki wants to have some leverage in case Tess decides to turn her over to Clint. Tess insists that Niki already knows her secret, but Niki can only remember up to the point where the sleazy man in the bar was talking to little Jessica. Tess storms off into another room, refusing to discuss the secret any further with Niki. Niki is convinced that the secret must be explosive, and that Viki "won't know what hit her" when she learns the truth.
Before heading to Llanfair to offer her assistance to Clint, Dorian drops by Blair's and discovers that Spencer passed the night on the couch. She is furious and warns her niece to be careful; Spencer listens in from the other room as Dorian insults him to Blair. After Dorian leaves, Blair admits to Spencer that she's come to view him as more than a friend. She thinks of him as her anchor. Evangeline calls Blair after meeting with Todd, urging her to come to Todd's sentencing. Blair says she'll be there.
Evangeline insists that Todd needs to start believing there is something to live for, especially the daughter who believes he's innocent. As the sentencing is about to get underway, Bo arrives at the courtroom and shakes Hugh's hand as if to congratulate him. Blair and Spencer show up, but Spencer answers a mysterious phone call and tells Blair he needs to leave. Dorian is glad to see that Blair has arrived, and she goes in to save them some seats. Hugh calls Margaret's sister to the stand, and she pleads with the jury to give Todd the death sentence. Then, Evangeline makes an impassioned plea to the jury, reminding them that an eye for an eye only puts them on the same level as the condemned. The judge offers Todd a chance to speak to the jury, but he chooses simply to look Blair in the eye and profess his innocence. The jury passes the sentence almost immediately; as the judge prepares to read it aloud, Blair frantically wonders why Spencer hasn't returned. The judge reads the verdict: Todd is to be killed by lethal injection. Blair, Evangeline, Todd, and even Dorian look stunned, and Blair closes her eyes in abject pain.
Meanwhile, Spencer arrives at a secluded building and lets himself in. A rocking chair is glimpsed, and in the chair sits a woman. It's a very alive and pregnant Margaret Cochran, and she says to Spencer ... "It's time."
