Mac and Billy broke up, and Billy started dating Danielle on the rebound. As if things weren’t bad enough for Mac, she sensed someone was stalking her, and suspected her abusive stepfather, Ralph. Mac’s instincts were on the money: Ralph was in town, and he blackmailed Amanda into helping him steal some of Jill’s jewels. The plan backfired; Jill had Amanda arrested for theft, and Ralph discovered via an appraisal that Jill’s bracelet wasn’t as valuable as he thought. Ralph then forced Amanda (who got out on bail) to make it possible for him to steal a more valuable necklace belonging to Kay. On the night of the high school prom, Mac returned to the Chancellor estate and was surprised by Ralph. Fortunately, Billy arrived and struck Ralph down. Believing he killed Ralph, Billy and Mac fled. When Ralph came to, he kidnapped Kay and held her hostage in his motel room. Later, disguised as a police officer, Ralph was able to ascertain from Raul, Billy and Mac’s whereabouts (the hideaway by the lake). Meanwhile, Amanda and Larry found Kay captive at the motel room, and Kay warned them that Ralph was after Mac. Larry tracked Ralph (who had by now knocked Billy unconscious) to the lake, where he tussled with him. Ralph disappeared after hearing the police coming. Back in town, Amanda agreed to leave Genoa City lest she be prosecuted for theft. Some good came out of the ordeal, though: Billy and Mac reconnected, and Jill (who was no longer seeing Sean) formed a bond with Larry.
Phyllis suffered severe side effects from her fertility drugs, and had no choice but to discontinue the treatment. When Nikki learned of Phyllis’s diagnosis, she confirmed to Jack that he was the biological father of Diane’s son, Kyle. Diane and Phyllis soon learned the truth and, later, a custody battle ensued. Much to Jack’s disappointment, Diane retained full custody of Kyle. Diane moved into the Abbotts’ pool house so Jack could have access to Kyle. The arrangement, however, led to some nasty confrontations between Diane and Phyllis. At one point, Diane tried to fake an accident in the driveway in order to blame Phyllis. Unfortunately, Diane was really hurt when Phyllis accidentally ran over her leg; on the plus side for Diane, she was able to extend her stay at the Abbotts. One night, while Kyle was with Phyllis and Jack, a fire broke out in the poolhouse, and Diane barely escaped the inferno. After a police investigation, Phyllis was arrested for starting the blaze. Phyllis and Jack were convinced that Diane set Phyllis up, and set out to prove Phyllis’s innocence. (The plan called for Phyllis and Jack to pretend to break up so Jack could romance Diane and get her to confess.) Despite Jack’s best efforts, though, things looked pretty bleak till the proverbial eleventh hour, when Paul and Lynne arrived at Phyllis’s trial with new evidence that cleared Phyllis.
Victor decided he needed to go on a soul-searching journey before formally asking Nikki to be his wife once more. As a result, Victor made contact with his former wives and lovers including Julia, Ramona, Ashley and Hope. Unbeknownst to Victor, however, his ex-wife Lenna joined forces with Max Hollister, who was seeking revenge against Victor. Leanna arranged for Victor’s meetings to be taped, and the footage was aired on her television show. Max, who was wooing Nikki, was with her at the Lodge when the show was broadcast. Nikki decided there was no chance of a reunion with Victor. Later, when Victor returned to Genoa City, Nikki confronted him. Victor told Nikki he visited his exes looking for insight to make his next marriage last. Then Victor proposed to Nikki, who promised him an answer in two weeks (she needed time to herself in order to think things through). Fourteen days later, Nikki told Victor she would marry him. Meanwhile, Max, along with his estranged wife, Lorie Brooks (who had once been engaged to Victor), tried to break up Victor and Nikki, but nothing came of it. Lorie apologized to Victor, and wished him well before leaving town. Victor and Nikki had a lovely wedding ceremony and reception. (Leanna crashed the nuptials, but Nick and Victoria tossed her out undetected.) On their wedding night, Victor gave Nikki a beautiful photo album documenting their many years together.
Colleen formed a friendship with J.T. (she tutored him in English literature), which soon turned into love (on Colleen’s part, anyway). At first, J.T. didn’t take Colleen’s crush seriously, but he eventually realized that he had strong feelings for her. Due to their age difference and J.T.’s past behavior, Colleen’s elders forbade her to date J.T. This didn’t stop the young couple, who met on the sly. Traci decided she wanted Colleen to move back to New York, which prompted Colleen to flee. She met with J.T., and suggested they run away together (J.T. talked her out of it). Traci called the police, and J.T. was arrested for statutory rape. Traci told J.T. she would drop the charges if J.T. could convince Colleen to return to New York with Traci. Reluctantly, J.T. lied to Colleen, telling her he didn’t love her. Heartbroken, Colleen left for the airport with Traci. J.T. regretted his actions. He went to the airport, found Colleen, and told her the truth. The kids snuck out of the airport, and went to Brad and Ashley’s place. Traci tracked her daughter down, and insisted they go to New York. Eventually, Brad (Colleen’s dad) convinced Traci to let Colleen stay in Genoa City. Colleen was relieved, although as punishment she had to agree not to see J.T. for two weeks. During this time period Colleen turned 16, but was sad that J.T. couldn’t be with her on her birthday. J.T. surprised Colleen, though, by serenading her beneath her bedroom window.
Victoria was supposed to supervise a photo shoot in Kenya for Brash & Sassy, but due to illness Neil took her place. This did not sit well with Malcolm, the photographer, who had brought Alex with him. (Malcolm was starting to wonder what was up between Alex, his fiancee, and Neil.) Later, a recovered Victoria joined the others in Africa. Neil confronted Alex about her feelings for him, unaware Malcolm was within earshot. Malcolm overheard Alex tell Neil she did have strong feelings for him, but Malcolm walked away before he could hear Alex explain to Neil that she was committed to Malcolm. Malcolm fought with Neil, after which he went to a remote location for the photo shoot, ignoring warnings that it was unsafe to travel. The group later received a call from Isaac, Malcolm’s tour guide: Malcolm perished in a terrible accident. (His body wasn’t recovered.) Back in Genoa City, Nate eulogized Malcolm at a memorial service, calling his dad a hero. Alex moved away, and Neil, who had already been drinking heavily since Ryan’s death, hit the bottle even harder. It wasn’t long before he made a complete transformation from Neil the Yuppie to Neil the Skid Row bum. Neil started spending time with Serena, a sympathetic barmaid. Dru and Lily arrived in town, and learned from Olivia about Neil’s drinking. Dru got on Neil’s case, and he finally entered rehab. Meanwhile, Lily summoned Wes, Dru’s boyfriend, to Genoa City from Paris. Lily was desperate to return to Europe, but Dru realized it would help Neil’s recovery if he was able to spend time with his daughter. Deciding that she had no future with Neil, Serena visited him one last time to say good-bye. Wes proposed to Dru, and later accused Neil of still loving Dru.
Sharon continued to blame Nick for their baby’s death, and the couple separated. Sharon found a sympathetic ear in Diego (Raul’s brother), who advised Sharon to try to straighten things out with Nick. Sharon did try, but her and Nick’s attempts to reconcile failed. At one point, Sharon mistakenly believed Nick slept with Grace, a former flame. A miserable Sharon found comfort in Diego’s arms. Shortly thereafter, Nick and Sharon resolved their differences, and Diego told Sharon it would cause major fallout if she told Nick about her and Diego’s one-night stand. One day, after observing an interaction between Diego and Victoria at the coffeehouse, Nick suggested to Sharon that Victoria might have a crush on Diego. Sharon wasn’t pleased by this, and her confusion led her to finally tell Nick about her indiscretion with Diego. A furious Nick responded by punching out Diego and telling Victoria that her new boyfriend had an affair with Sharon. (Nick refused to believe that Sharon and Diego only slept together once.) Shortly thereafter, Grace came back to town, and Nick had sex with her (which he immediately regretted). Meanwhile, Victoria softened toward Diego once she heard his side of the story, and they reconciled. A reticent Sharon told Victor about Diego, and Victor gave Diego money to leave town. Diego decided he didn’t want the cash, and was on his way to return the dough when he was beaten unconscious by a couple of thugs who stole the money. Victoria (who briefly thought Diego abandoned her) found Diego in the hospital, and denounced Victor once she learned that he tried to pay Diego to end his relationship with her. Sharon and Nick did their best to make Christmas happy for Cassie and Noah, but once the holidays were over Sharon realized she had to get on with her life, and told Victor she was going to file for a divorce. Victor then ordered Nick to fix his marriage.
Raul and Brittany began dating. One night, after dining with Brittany’s snobby parents, Frederick and Anita, Brittany got drunk and cracked up her car, severely injuring Raul in the process. Raul was temporarily paralyzed, but just as he was starting to wriggle his toes again, he gave Brittany the boot. Never one to give up, Brittany convinced Raul that she truly loved him, and the young couple moved in together. Although they were on a tight budget (Brittany’s folks cut her off), they were very happy until their room at the boarding house was burglarized. Much to Raul and Brittany’s surprise, Frederick and Anita, along with Raul’s parents, Adela and Vincente, arrived on Christmas Eve with food and gifts. The two families shared a pleasant meal.
Isabella became pregnant with Paul’s child (whom she initially tried to pass off as Michael’s). Paul had mixed feelings when he learned about the baby, especially since it was around this time that Chris returned to Genoa City. Paul had a few encounters with Chris — they kissed a couple of times — but in the end Paul married Isabella shortly after she gave birth to their son, Ricky. Hoping that Chris and Paul would reunite, Mary was stunned when she learned about Paul and Isabella’s marriage. Meanwhile, Chris and Michael start to bond. Although Paul tried to be polite whenever he encountered Michael and Chris in public, we wasn’t happy when Michael escorted Chris to the Newman nuptials. Chris and Paul argued (privately) at the reception, and wound up in an emotional kiss. Shortly thereafter, Chris and Michael became intimate. Chris was dumbfounded to receive an invitation to Ricky’s baptism, but decided to attend. Meanwhile, Michael told Isabella that he and Chris were an item, and Isabella purposely hinted about Michael and Chris’s intimacy to Paul. This prompted Paul to ask Chris point blank if she was sleeping with Michael. Appalled, Chris told Paul to mind his own business. Michael proposed to Chris, and she accepted. She went to the baptism, but when Michael showed up, Paul tossed him out, but not before Michael announced his and Chris’s engagement. Paul later confronted Chris at their old condo — Why did she kiss him at Victor’s wedding? — and things began to heat up between the former couple. Paul initiated sex and what happened next was anyone’s guess — was it an act of rape, or consensual? Afterward, Chris left town, and refused to tell Michael or Paul where she went.
Ashley was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent chemotherapy, and feared that her cancer was driving a wedge between herself and Brad. Unsure of what the future held, Ashley recorded a video in which she revealed that Victor was Abby’s biological father. Ashley later instructed Olivia what to do with the tape should Ashley die. A lonely Brad visited Olivia, and they came close to having sex (they didn’t). Afterward, Olivia watched the tape. She then confronted Ashley, and threatened to tell Brad. Later, Ashley overheard Olivia tell Dru that she had fallen in love with Brad. Ashley told Olivia that she was on to her, and demanded that Olivia turn over the videotape. Ashley got the tape back, unaware that Dru made a copy. Ashley attempted to tell Brad the truth, but was interrupted by Colleen and J.T. (the night they fled the airport). Ashley promised Olivia (who was on her case) that she would tell Brad before the new year.
Jackson Dynasty 