Credit: Howard Wise/JPI

Nick and Victoria rush into the Newman ranch where Victor has been on the phone with his people. He informs his children that their mom has not been seen since she left the club. Nick is sure that there’s no way that their mom would take off like this on Christmas Eve. He’s also sure that this has something to do with Jordan. Victoria is confident she wouldn’t want them to worry like this. Reluctantly, their father says there is one other alternative: Nikki may be drinking again. Nick refuses to believe this. Sitting, Victor explains that Nate tipped him off that Nikki may have lapsed. Nick dismisses Hastings as a “punk” but Victoria stands up for him, sure he wouldn’t lie about this. His father adds that he spotted Nikki running off after seeing her speaking with Nate. Nick continues to insist that Jordan must be behind all of this. They know she’s still in town after what was found at the motel. Crossing the room, Victor checks the vodka bottle and realizes it’s mostly water.

Cole joins them and they pool what they know. They tell him that Nikki seems to be drinking again. Victoria is sure that her mom never would have started drinking again if it were not for that “pure evil” woman stacking the deck against her. Victor gets a call from his people. They complain that they don’t have enough resources so he bellows at them to hire more people. Sitting on the couch, Victoria suddenly finds Nikki’s purse. She goes through it, finding a flash and an address. She reads it out loud. Cole instantly recognizes the address. Victor guesses that his wife wanted them to find this. Victoria worries that this could all be a trick played by Jordan. Nick gets on the phone to the police and Cole suggests that he and Victoria stay there in case Nikki shows up. Victoria can’t imagine her mother making herself vulnerable enough to fall into Jordan’s trap, especially given the way that she feels about Claire. Her father reminds her that she cares about her and knows what Claire means to her. He and Nick exit.

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Alone, Cole and Victoria debate the situation with their daughter. He wonders if they can fully trust Claire after Jordan has warped her mind for her whole life. Victoria insists that talking to her was enough to convince her they can. Something changed when she listened to her. After all they know about what Jordan did to Claire, she’s sure that their daughter would never turn back. They debate whether Claire really has any will of her own. Victoria speculates that Jordan could be trying to reel her in again. Cole wishes he knew. But he does know that Nikki is smart and didn’t go into this without a plan. As they sit, Victoria admits she was up all night thinking about what it would have been like if they had raised Claire. They would have shown her all the love in the world and celebrated so many milestones… She would have been part of their family. Cole has a hard time seeing it. He doesn’t know if he’s too numb or just too scared to think of losing her again. She says they may not have to picture it. Maybe they can spend the next holiday together. As they wait, he reminds her that Nikki is a survivor. She will use her instincts to protect herself and Claire if it comes to it.

Nick and Victor drive. He suspects that the police will make it to the cabin before them. Victor wouldn’t put anything past Jordan. Nick still isn’t sure they can trust Claire after all she did. His father says that if anything happens to Nikki, there will be hell to pay,

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Nikki stumbles into the cabin in William’s Bay. “Jordan? I’m here. Where are you?” she slurs. Jordan comes out with a gun in her hand. Nikki confirms that she did what she said, ditching her car and taking the one that Jordan hired. No one followed her. Looking her over, Jordan is appalled that she’s such a sloppy drunk and wonders how many years of sobriety she’s managed to destroy. The Newman demands to know where Claire is. Jordan is surprised that she cared enough about Claire to come after all she did to her family. Nikki says she’s a victim too. She shouldn’t have to suffer for her aunt’s insanity. Jordan is sure she loves calling her deranged but she’s a falling-down drunk running after some girl she barely knows who poisoned her family. She wonders why she agreed to come unarmed to some remote location. Nikki explains she came for her daughter’s sake. Jordan wonders how far she’s willing to go for that. Would she die for her? Sarcastically, she tells her how much she admires how the family looks out for each other… at least the members they acknowledge.

They bicker about Claire and Jordan reminds her that she’s calling the shots here. Nikki is sure that she chipped away at Claire’s confidence over the years. She admits that they confirmed Claire’s parentage using DNA. Laughing, Jordan says that proves she’s not crazy after all. That makes Nikki laugh. She thinks she’s “crazy as a loon.” She tells her that Claire deserves better than this. She’s already had her revenge by driving her back into being a drunk. She needs to let Claire go. Circling her, Jordan says that “pathetic” speech can’t even sum up Nikki’s begging. She wishes she’d thought of capturing all of this on camera. This all seems pointless to Nikki. Eve was a failure who got back at them decades ago. There’s no point in getting revenge on them. Eve never even mentioned her. Jordan claims they had a falling out over Victor. She thinks that being besotted with a “narcissist” like Nikki’s husband ruined her. When Nikki brings up her own sister, Jordan shuts her down and refuses to be conned into bonding with her. Waving her arms, Nikki reminds her that it’s too late to right any wrongs. The past is the past and if she doesn’t end this now, she will just die alone. For Jordan, watching Nikki die will make it all worthwhile, and seeing her daughter, husband, and “idiot son” grieving will only reward her that much more. Pulling out a bottle, she promises it’s not poisoned and prompts Nikki to drink from it, telling her how pitiful she is as she downs a few gulps. Putting down the bottle, Nikki asks if Claire is really there or if this was all a set-up. Jordan claims that she has been putting her niece to the ultimate test. It wasn’t easy for her to pave her way into the Newman inner sanctum, but she made it and she’s sure she will step up again.

When Nikki asks if Claire is in on this with her, Jordan dismisses her questions as tedious. She steps into the other room for a moment and then brings Claire out in a wheelchair, heavily sedated. Jordan pushes Nikki to finish off the bottle so that this can finally end. When Claire starts groaning, Jordan bends over to check on her. Nikki jumps up, grabs the bottle, and smashes it over Jordan’s head. Nikki leaps over to Claire and tries to pull her from the chair. Suddenly, Jordan jumps up and tackles her to the floor.

As they choke each other, Jordan complains that Nikki can never do anything right. They stand up and Jordan shoves her into the wall. Claire calls out for them to stop. They turn and see she’s standing with the gun leveled at them. Jordan urges her to choose wisely. Claire orders her to let go of Nikki. Her aunt does and urges her not to let the Newmans mess with her mind. She tells her they are family and they only have each other. Nikki tells her not to believe her aunt. When Jordan asks her not to turn on her now, Claire accuses her of abandoning her at the lake house. Jordan insists she didn’t. She just hid and then rescued her from the psych ward where the Newmans would have left her. “For the love of God wake up!” she says, telling her she’s in for a bitter disappointment if she thinks the Newmans will ever let her into the family fold. Nikki and Victor destroyed her sister and if they had their way, they would keep Claire in a padded room. If she puts the gun down now, they can walk away.

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Nikki tells Claire that Victoria never recovered from believing she lost her baby. Jordan says that they don’t love her and Nikki says they will…she knows that. Crying, Claire says that she knows she would have been loved, and smart, and happy. Instead, she was stuck with Jordan who only taught her to hate and look for revenge. She doesn’t deserve to live after what she did to her. Before Claire can pull the trigger, Nikki urges her not to throw her life away on this. They can hear a police siren in this distance. Claire says that prison is too good for her aunt. They can’t let her go to a mental hospital she can get free from either. Jordan urges her to pull the trigger. When she can’t, Jordan tells her she’s weak just as she was when she helped the Newmans escape. “Will you just shut up!” Nikki yells, shoving Jordan into the fireplace. Jordan hits the floor, knocked unconscious. Nikki talks Claire into putting the gun down on the table and then holds her as she cries.

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The police arrive and cuff Jordan. On her way out, she turns to her niece and says she broke her heart. Claire says she broke her entire life and Nikki orders them to get Jordan out of their sight. Once Jordan is gone, Nikki hands Claire some water to drink. Victor and Nick arrive and hug Nikki. He tells his wife he’s happy she’s alright. She will explain later but just wants to go home now. Victor nods at Claire and asks if she’s okay. She nods back. Nick wonders if they are taking her too. Nikki explains that Claire saved her. “Then we owe you a debt of gratitude,” Victor says. Claire worries about what will happen with her aunt. Nikki assures her that she and Victor, Cole and Victoria, will make sure she never hurts her again. As she pats her arm, Claire cries that she’s sorry for everything.