Susan is sitting in the lounge room at Dural, reading a book. The 'phone starts ringing suddenly and she gets up to answer it at the bar. She looks tired and drawn and she says wearily, "Hello?" When the caller's spoken, she replies more cheerily, "Hi!" At the other end of the 'phone, Caroline says, "I can't believe I actually got through to you. Is Wayne there?... Good - he's been guarding the 'phone like a watchdog. How are you coping?" She listens to Susan's response. She then points out, "Susan, it's me, remember. You can be honest." At Dural, Susan cries, "I hate it. He's breathing down my neck every minute of the day; I can't sleep, I can't eat... You don't understand: there's no way I could leave." She listens to Caroline speak before retorting, "Because it would be hopeless. Wayne's capable of carrying out every threat he's made. I've got no choice." At that moment, she hears a noise at the front door. She says down the 'phone quickly, "He's home. I'd better go." At the other end, Caroline tells her, "I'm here if you need my help, alright?... Make sure you do." With that, she hangs up, looking concerned. At Dural, Wayne wanders into the lounge room. He's wearing a tuxedo. He asks Susan coolly, "Who was on the 'phone?" Susan just retorts, "Some friend of yours. He didn't leave his name; said he'd ring back. It was business." She walks back over to the couch and sits down. Wayne says coldly, "I hope that's right. I'd hate to think you were calling your old friends - especially when you were supposed to be with me at dinner." He walks round behind the bar and pours himself a scotch as he adds, "You've got to pull yourself together, Susan. Business functions are important; I'm getting tired of saying, 'Mrs. Hamilton is home with a headache.' As of tomorrow, we start making appearances together. Understood?" Susan doesn't respond. Wayne glares at her and snarls, "Is that understood?" Susan looks at him and nods meekly.

Caroline is sitting in the lounge room at her house, holding a drink. Doug walks in suddenly, wearing his dressing gown, and says, "Cazza, you ready for bed?" Caroline, however, murmurs, "Not yet. I just talked to Susan." Doug asks, "How is she?" Caroline sighs, "Terrible. Wayne's been making her life an absolute misery. The poor girl's on the verge of a breakdown." Doug points out, "You told her not to move in with him, but she wouldn't listen." Caroline retorts, "She didn't feel she had any choice." She then sighs, "I don't know... if I was in her place I might have done the same thing." She then declares, "One thing's for sure, though: every sordid little game that Wayne has been playing lately is going to go into my sequel; I'm going to drag his name through the mud." Doug stares at her and asks in surprise, "What are you talking about? I thought this book was meant to be fiction." Caroline just shrugs, "I've changed my mind. The book's going to be based on fact - all of it." Doug mutters, "I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Caroline, however, tells him, "It's already written." Doug snaps angrily, "Damn it, Caroline; I would've thought you learnt your lesson; the first book caused enough embarrassment. Everybody does things they regret; they don't deserve to have half the country reading about it." Caroline mutters, "Wayne does." Doug, however, retorts, "No. I'm sorry. It's just not on - apart from which, you promised. Your new book was supposed to be total invention." Caroline stands up and says curtly, "Well it isn't, is it, so that's all there is to it. Wayne has to be stopped." With that, she stands up and goes to head out of the room. Doug calls, "Caroline..." Caroline just turns back to him and says, "I'm not arguing, Doug. I've made my decision - and if you don't like it, too bad."

Craig is sitting at the kitchen table at Beryl's, music playing on a radio as he studies. Debbie appears at the doorway, suddenly, wearing her nightclothes, and she says irritably, "Could you turn the music down a bit, please?" Craig turns the radio down and says, "Sorry. Was it keeping you awake?" Debbie nods at him. She then says, "It wouldn't bother me normally, but I need my sleep nowadays. Getting up at five in the morning and travelling twenty miles to work isn't my idea of fun - especially by the bus. You're lucky Tech College is only five miles away." She adds, "Michelle's picking you up, too, tomorrow, isn't she?" Craig, however, replies, "She was; we're going separately now." Debbie asks in surprise, "Why?" Craig explains, "I want to find out who's been doing those sketches of her. When people see us together, they'll get suspicious." Debbie sighs, "Is that cretin still giving her a hard time?" Craig hands Debbie a sheet of paper and replies, "She copped another one today." Debbie looks at it and cries, "I don't know how people can be so cruel." Craig growls, "Neither do I. Makes you want to punch their heads in." Debbie asks, "Do you think you'll be able to stop them?" Craig shrugs, "I'll give it a good shot." Debbie comments in surprise, "That's not how you felt a couple of weeks ago." Craig says quickly, "I didn't know Michelle then. Since we've been studying, I've realised what a top girl she is." Debbie smiles, "I'm glad." With that, she gives Craig a kiss and goes to head off back to bed. As she does so, Craig says, "Deb... Why don't you look for work a bit closer to home? Cut out all that travelling time." Debbie, however, tells him, "No... it's worth it. I've finally found a job I enjoy; I wouldn't give it up now." Craig nods, "Fair enough." They kiss again and Debbie heads off to bed. Craig stands in the kitchen and looks at the sketch of Michelle.

It's the next morning. Two male teenagers are mucking around in an alleyway outside the college building in Melbourne. They suddenly spot Michelle approaching and one of them laughs, "Hey! The dog's arrived!" The other one adds, "Bit hard on the eyes this early in the morning!" As Michelle approaches them, both guys start making barking and howling noises. Craig appears behind Michelle suddenly. She ignores the guys and walks past them as Craig watches.

Debbie's boss at Sanders Air Charter is walking across the airfield, holding a clipboard. He watches as Debbie runs across the grounds towards him. As she reaches him, she says apologetically, "Morning, Mr. Sanders." Sanders mutters, "Glad you could make it." Debbie tells him, "I'm sorry. The buses didn't connect - I've got to catch three to get here." Sanders says curtly, "Not good enough, Debbie. You'll have to sharpen up." He walks off. Debbie calls after him, "There was nothing I could do about it - really." Sanders turns back to her and retorts, "I don't want excuses; I've had enough of those over the years." Debbie pouts as she then says, "Mr. Sanders, I don't want to sound rude, but it's not my fault if the buses are late." Sanders shrugs, "Catch an earlier one." Debbie cries, "You can't expect me to do that every day." Sanders, however, retorts, "What I expect is you work the hours you're paid for. How you get here is your problem." Debbie asks, "What about the last two nights? I stayed back both times. It's not as though you're not getting your money's worth." With that, she marches off to the office, leaving Sanders looking thoughtful.

Caroline is sitting in the lounge room at her house, reading the newspaper and ignoring Doug as he paces the floor. He looks at her before saying, "I thought about what I said last night. Maybe I did overstep the mark a bit. If you do want to go ahead with the book, it's up to you; all I ask is that you think about who you might offend - even if it is only Wayne. You still have to live with it." Caroline, still looking at the newspaper, mutters, "If Wayne isn't offended, I'll consider the book an abject failure!" Doug sighs, "Darling, you're missing the point." Caroline retorts, "Am I? I would've thought exposing Wayne was precisely the point." Doug says, "Look, I don't think he's the Archangel Gabriel, either, but there's no point in writing a whole book to show the world what he's like. How do you expect to hurt him? Everyone knows he's a sleazebag; it's not as though he's going to lose any friends; he's got none left as it is." Caroline retorts, "There's still a lot of people who don't know." Doug asks, "What about the others involved? Don't you care about them?" Caroline looks up at him finally as she snaps, "For goodness' sake, Doug, do give me some credit. I do know the meaning of the word 'discretion'." Doug says, "It's just not worth it, Caroline. You can do better than that." Caroline mutters, "If you say so - but it's already too late. The book's finished. I'm taking it to my publisher this morning." Doug retorts, "With any luck, he won't like it." Caroline, however, smiles, "I hate to disappoint you, but he's seen the rough draft. He loved it." Doug growls, "Well I hope you know what you're doing, because you're not the only one that's going to have to live with this. I happen to be your husband, remember?" Caroline says coolly, "I also remember that you were only too happy to accept the advanced royalty cheque to help you out with your T-shirt business; you found it very easy to live with that..." With that, she stands up and heads out of the room, leaving Doug looking annoyed.

Alison opens the front door at Charlie's to find Nick standing on the step, holding a bunch of flowers. He smiles, "What can I say? Sorry." Alison glares at him. He adds, "I did call, but apparently you were still stuck in a meeting." Alison growls, "You could've tried again; I wasn't running very late." Nick just shrugs, "By then, one of my patients had a breakdown. It was chaos, and by the time I'd sedated her our dinner engagement had completely slipped my mind. Honestly, I'd much prefer to spend the evening with you." Alison suggests curtly, "Perhaps I should become a manic depressive - it might help you to remember our appointments." Nick assures her, "Our meetings together are much more than 'appointments'; you mean much more to me than that. And if I had to describe you in psychiatric terms, I'd call you a manic impressive!" A hint of a smile crosses Alison's face. She then says coldly, though, "I'm very used to flattery. I'm not used to being stood-up." Taking a step inside, Nick says, "Give me another chance - like dinner tonight?" Alison, however, retorts, "I'm sorry: Charlie and I are going to a charity ball." Nick presses, "Tomorrow - and if you can't make it dinner, we'll make it breakfast. Anything." Alison just muses, "I'll see. Call me this afternoon." Nick nods eagerly, "I will - right after I've called the restaurant!" He then hands Alison the flowers as he asks, "Am I absolved?" Alison pauses before replying, "Perhaps." Nick says, "See you," and he goes. Alison closes the door - and a broad grin crosses her face. She then heads back into the lounge room - to find Wayne standing by the french windows. The expression on her face turns to one of fury and she snaps, "How dare you just walk in here!" Wayne smiles, "The door was open!" Alison demands, "What do you want?" Wayne holds out a cheque and says, "Your severance pay - which officially ends your association with the company." Alison growls, "Keep it. The way you handle money you'll need every cent you can get." Wayne muses, "It's nice to know you're thinking about my financial well-being - but if I were you, I'd start worrying about your own." Alison snaps, "I'd appreciate it if you leave." Wayne turns to go. He then looks back at Alison, though, and says, "Oh, there is one aspect of the arrangement you mightn't know about: not only are you cut off from the company, I don't want to see you in my house again. I've just had it fumigated!"

A while later, Alison is standing in Fiona's room at the mansion. Fiona is sitting on the couch, saying in shock, "You mean Susan is back living with Wayne?" Alison retorts, "Yes, and now he's got control of all the money." Fiona gasps, "I don't believe it. And that means he's back in charge of the company?" Alison nods, "I'm afraid so." Fiona cries, "How on earth did he get Susan to agree?" Alison mutters, "You can bet it wasn't with wine and roses." Fiona asks, "Have you spoken to her?" Alison retorts, "I tried to, but she told me to leave and stop asking questions." Fiona growls, "He must've forced her, because there is no way Susan would've agreed of her own free will." Alison sighs, "I'm not about to find out: Wayne's turned the place into a damned fortress." Fiona mutters, "If only we could talk to her." Alison murmurs, "We wouldn't even get past the front door." Looking suddenly thoughtful, Fiona says, "I know someone who would. They're hardly likely to turn away flesh-and-blood, are they?" Alison looks at her in surprise as Fiona declares, "We are going to visit Susan - right now."

A short time later, Susan opens the front door at Dural to find Fiona standing there, holding Robert. Susan smiles at them in delight, "Come in!" Fiona tells Susan, "I thought you'd like to say 'hello' to your little brother." Susan gives Robert a kiss. Fiona then puts the boy down. Susan says to her, "Wayne's out at the moment - a business meeting." Fiona comments, "You decided not to go, huh?" The two of them head into the lounge room as Susan replies, "I'm easing-out; Wayne knows more about these things than I do." Fiona smiles, "That's not the woman I heard talking a couple of weeks ago! But I'm glad you're here - I really haven't seen very much of you lately." Susan says in surprise, "You haven't come to ask questions?" Fiona assures her, "No, no, no - although I must admit that I was a little surprised to hear that you'd gone back to Wayne; that was all-of-a-sudden, wasn't it?" Looking uncomfortable, Susan murmurs, "I suppose - but it's worked out well." She then adds quickly, "What about some afternoon tea? Have you got time?" Fiona beams, "We've got all the time in the world!" With that Susan heads off to the kitchen. Fiona sits down on the couch.

Debbie is feeding a sheet of paper into a typewriter in the office at the airfield. A man walks in suddenly and says to her gruffly, "The keys to Cessna number 14." Debbie looks at him and replies, "Can I have your name, please?" The man tells her, "Harry Barker." Debbie looks through some papers on her desk but then says, "I'm sorry, but you're not on today's flight list." Barker snaps, "I don't give a stuff; I want the keys." Debbie asks uncertainly, "Did you make a booking?" Barker retorts, "I don't need a booking; I'm a mate of your boss. Now, cut the nonsense and hand them over." Looking worried, Debbie says, "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do: Mr. Sanders gave me strict instructions--" She breaks off as Barker takes some steps towards her and mutters, "I'll get the flaming keys myself." Debbie quickly moves to stand in front of him and retorts, "I'm sorry, Mr. Barker, but you can't have the keys without a booking." Barker looks at her and warns nastily, "I don't think you realise who you're talking to." Debbie just says calmly, "I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. Mr. Sanders makes the rules and I'm in no position to change those." Barker growls, "Yeah, well when I've had a word to Bill, the only position you'll be in is the end of a dole queue." With that, he turns and marches out. Debbie stands there, looking worried.

Susan and Fiona are enjoying afternoon tea in the lounge room at Dural. Susan asks Fiona, "How's Robert been lately?" Fiona nods, "Oh, good, good. Too good: the little devil, he's beginning to destroy everything!" As they talk, the front door opens in the hallway and Wayne steps inside. He heads into the lounge room and, seeing Fiona sitting there, says coolly, "Fiona... I didn't know you were coming over." Susan's face drops as she murmurs, "Neither did I." Fiona tells Wayne, "It was a spur of the moment." Wayne sits down next to Susan and puts his arm around her as he asks her, "Did you miss me?" Susan doesn't answer, though, instead saying, "Fiona's just been talking about Robert: apparently he's turning into a real little monkey!" Fiona says warily, "Talking about Robert, I think I'd better go and see what he's up to. Excuse me." With that, she stands up and heads out of the room. When she's gone, Wayne says to Susan coldly, "Making it hard on yourself, aren't you?" Susan murmurs, "What are you talking about?" Wayne replies, "Spending time with Robert: it'll only make think of the baby we're going to have and how you'll have to give him up if you decide to take Beryl's place in jail. If you want my advice, you'd be better off not inviting Fiona or Robert over - and you know how I like you to listen to my advice..." Fiona calls suddenly from the front door, "We're off now, Susie." Susan and Wayne emerge from the lounge room and Susan asks Fiona, "You sure I can't call you a taxi?" Fiona smiles, "Robert's playing outside; we're going to catch the bus out the front." She then adds, "Thanks so much for the afternoon tea - it was lovely to see you." Susan nods sincerely, "You too." Fiona goes on, "Gordon and I are taking Robert to the zoo tomorrow. Would you like to come with us?" Susan looks round at Wayne and then says, "I'm... I'm not sure. I might have something on. How about I give you a call?" Fiona replies in a tone of disappointment, "Oh, yeah, I'll wait 'til I hear from you, then. Bye bye." With that, she heads off. Susan closes the door behind her. She then looks at Wayne and mutters, "Don't worry, I won't be going." She adds, "She'll keep asking me out, you know, to other places." Wayne retorts, "And you'll keep saying 'no' to her. She'll get the idea eventually."

Bill Sanders walks into the office at the airfield to find Debbie sitting at her desk. Looking surprised, he says, "What are you doing here? You were supposed to have knocked off two hours ago." Debbie stands up and says nervously, "I wanted to talk to you. Did a Harry Barker see you?" Sanders asks, "Was he meant to?" Debbie explains, "He came in this afternoon: he wanted the keys to the Cessna. I didn't know what to do. He said he was a friend of yours, then I remembered what you said to me: 'Don't give the keys to anybody without a booking.' I didn't mean to cause any trouble - honest. It wasn't my fault - there was nothing I could do: he wasn't down on the schedule." Sanders just says, "Settle down; it's not your fault. Harry's a prize pain in the neck; he's one of the worst pilots around: he thinks he's behind the wheel of a stock car! Last month I forked out $3,000 in repairs when he put in a heavy landing." Debbie murmurs, "So you're not angry?" Sanders tells her, "No, you did the right thing. Harry's got to be banned; somehow I've got to start Harry hiring 'planes from some other outfit; I just wish I knew how to do it." Debbie suggests, "Just tell him." Sanders, however, explains, "It's not that easy. Even though he's a bad pilot, he's a personal friend. He's got to get the message without me telling him. You'll have to bite the bullet, I'm afraid, Deb: whenever he comes in, think of a way to put him off. Anything; just don't give him the keys." Debbie gasps, "Thanks a lot!" Sanders just points out, "You wanted the job; it's part of the territory." Debbie accepts this. She then says, "If it's OK with you, can I go?" Sanders nods, "Sure - you've put in two extra hours already." Debbie remarks, "Guess that makes up for being 15 minutes late..." Sanders sighs, "Point made!" With that, Debbie heads off.

Michelle is sitting alone at the kitchen table at Beryl's, looking upset. Craig comes in through the back door, saying, "I hope the garbos pick up that extra bag: I stuck three out tonight." He then notices the expression on Michelle's face and asks in concern, "What's the matter?" Michelle murmurs, "I got another one. I found it sitting on my desk when I went in for Maths class." Craig walks over and picks up a sheet of paper from the table. He looks at it and then says, "Forget it." Michelle sighs, "I can't." Craig tells her, "The more it worries you, the more they'll give you a hard time. This might sound sick, but getting a reaction is what gives those sort of people a buzz." Michelle murmurs, "It's still hard not to let it get to you. Whenever I go anywhere, everybody always talks behind my back or to my face. It's horrible. If it goes on much longer, I'm going to quit Tech." Craig, however, tells her, "It won't go on - I promise." Michelle sighs, "How do you know?" Craig sits down with her and says, "I had quite a successful time snooping today." Michelle asks eagerly, "Do you know who's doing it?" Craig tells her, "One of those punks who thinks he's good at howling in the lawn." Michelle mutters, "I might've guessed: him and his mates are the ones that rubbish me the most." Craig assures her, "They won't much longer - especially our little friend, Leonardo DaVinci." He picks up the latest sketch again. Michelle appeals, "Please stay out of trouble, Craig - it'll only make me feel worse." Craig, however, insists, "It's OK. The only person who'll be getting into trouble is the meathead drawing those cartoons. Besides, it's the least I can do after you cooking me dinner." He gives Michelle a warm smile.

It's evening-time. Nick is sitting in the lounge room at Charlie's. He's wearing a tuxedo. Pamela, who's also all dressed up, hands him a drink and remarks, "It didn't take you long to accept my invitation." Nick points out, "You said 'any time'; as soon as I realised tonight was free, I jumped." Pamela smiles, "I'm glad." Nick tells her, "So am I. You look beautiful." Pamela puts on a Texan accent and beams, "Why thankyou, sir!" Nick tells her, "You're welcome!" He then suggests, "We could go out to dinner." Pamela, however, retorts, "I'm cooking already!" Nick chuckles, "Out to impress me, are you?" Pamela just replies, "I think you should decide that after you've eaten. Anyway, stop thinking about your stomach." She sits down as Nick says, "To be quite honest, food isn't exactly what's running through my mind at the moment..." Pamela smiles, "Oh? I'm learning more about you every minute!" Nick points out, "And revealing none of yourself." Pamela asks in surprise, "What's that supposed to mean?" Nick explains, "I can't work you out; you're still a mystery." Pamela shrugs, "We've got the whole evening. Who knows? Bottle of wine and I might start divulging my secrets." Nick asks, "What if Charlie and Alison come home early from this charity ball? I'm not supposed to be here, you know." Pamela smiles, "That just makes it more exciting - I love taking risks." Nick raises his glass to her and beams, "A woman after my own heart." He then proposes, "To this evening - and secrets to be revealed." Pamela smiles back at him as she raises her own glass and agrees, "Whatever they might be..."