On Sunset Beach in March:
Monday 3 March
Episode 87
Ben tells Meg if he really wanted her to know what was behind the door he'd tell her, but she tells him she's not curious. Ben doesn't believe she doesn't want to know and asks her to stop pushing him, but Meg tells him he doesn't really want her to stop. She then tells him she has an extra shift at The Deep since they weren't going to have dinner together. After Meg leaves, Ben curses Maria, telling her portrait she's not going to ruin his life.
Annie's pleased to see Meg in a mood when she arrives at The Deep, but pushes Meg to tell her what's wrong. As 'Beyond the Sunset' plays, Ben shows up and drags Meg onto the dance floor. He apologies for the way he's acted and jokes that he should change the 'no staff romances' rule otherwise Meg'll have to leave her job.
Tim and Annie plot a way to break up the blossoming romance, and Tim suggests they tell Meg's mum she's dating a man who may have killed his wife. Ben leaves Meg to lock up at The Deep and returns home where he challenges Maria's portrait, takes out the key to her studio, but then puts it back again and goes out on the balcony.
Gregory reveals his strategy to defend Elaine lies in finding her son and forcing him to testify. He tells Olivia a jury is unlikely to send Elaine to jail if she's reunited with her long lost son, but Olivia is concerned Gregory will discover who her son is and that she slept with him.
Cole reveals his plans to steal the Deschanel jewels from SBPD, but Caitlin thinks that in telling her mum about the jewels, she'll hand them over to Cole. Of course, Cole disagrees and as Caitlin talks to Olivia, Cole goes to SBPD and breaks into the evidence room just as Gregory arrives for Elaine's case file.
Tuesday 4 March
Episode 88
Casey tells Rae he thinks Wei-Lei is responsible for her parents reaction, but she lashes out at him, blaming him for everything. She quickly apologies but the damage has been done. Wei-Lei tells Rae her parents have left for the airport and she realises how much she still needs them and Wei-Lei is her connection to them.
Cole is almost interrupted in the evidence room, but Gregory is stopped by Paula thanking him for taking her mother's case.
Caitlin tries to persuade Olivia that she should give Cole the Deschanel jewels, but Olivia is against the idea, knowing that they intend to leave Sunset Beach once he has the jewels. She tells Caitlin about her first love - Armando Deschanel Jnr. - Cole's father, and Caitlin comments how it's like being in love with the same man.
Gregory meets with Wei-Lei who tells him of his interest to buy into Gregory's media group as he needs a legitimate reason to stay in Sunset Beach. Paula tells Ricardo she's moving out because every time she looks at him she sees the man who arrested her mother. Gabi tries to persuade her she's making a mistake, but she can't see past Ricardo's betrayal.
Bette runs into Cole at SBPD and blurts out about him being Elaine's son. He can't get a word in and stands in silence. He later visits Elaine and asks if she was ever going to tell him the truth.
Wednesday 5 March
Episode 89
Paula tells Ricardo she can't live there anymore and starts to pack, but she finds a small jewellery box which Ricardo coaxes her to open - there's an engagement ring inside. He tells her he was waiting for the right time to give it to her knowing how edgy she felt after Myers, and although it'll be a while before she's ready to marry he's willing to wait.
Paula's touched by the gesture and proclaims how much she loves Ricardo. They agree to start things off slowly and then get ready for bed. As they're cuddling, Gabi - watching from outside horrified - barges in. She's about to make an about turn when Paula tells her to stay - her and Ricardo have many nights ahead.
Gregory offers Vanessa a promotion to go to Hong Kong as a foreign affairs correspondent. She asks to think about it and Gregory gives her 48 hours. As she leaves he mutters something about keeping Vanessa out of his hair. She returns to Michael's and watches as he and Virginia embrace.
Cole questions Elaine as to why she never said anything about being his mother. She tells him how she wanted to but it would've been for selfish reasons as Cole had pointed out. He asks why she abandoned him and Elaine explains how he was stolen from her and she was told he died. She suggests someone in Cole's family may be responsible.
Elaine then tells him about killing Del. After she's finished Cole tells her he needs to process everything. Elaine asks whether he'll come back to see her but he doesn't answer.
Thursday 6 March
Episode 90
Ben has nightmares about Maria leading him up to the studio. He wakes in a sweat and grabs the studio door key. After some hesitation, he goes up to the studio door and is about to unlock it when the doorbell rings. Frustrated, he goes to the door to find Meg standing there. Ben tells her he's busy and she offers to help but he tells her it's none of her business.
Annoyed, Meg tells Ben to stop pushing her away and barges into the house. He berates her for her actions, but Meg tries to convince him to talk. Upon mentioning Maria he almost loses it and rushes upstairs. Meg follows but the doorbell rings and standing there is her mother, Joan with Tim in tow.
They invite themselves in and as Meg gets Joan a drink, Ben returns and sees Tim standing there. He demands to know what he's doing in the house and who the strange woman is. Meg returns, apologies for the intrusion and Ben asks for introductions. He apologies for his rudeness as Meg tells him the woman is her mother. The doorbell rings again and Annie enters the room, walks up to Ben and kisses him passionately much to Meg and Joan's embarrassment.
Annie apologies and thanks Ben for the same arrival of her furniture then recounts the tale of how Ben hid her from the police after she was arrested for her father's murder, and Meg's part in it.
Joan can hardly believe her ears, and as Ben takes a call, Joan asks about the painting of Maria. Meg explains it's Ben's wife. Stunned, Joan asks whether Ben is married but Meg corrects herself, his dead wife. As Joan asks how she died, Ben returns with a face like thunder.
Monday 10 March
Episode 91
Ben tells Joan that some people in Sunset Beach believe he killed his wife, but he adds that no formal charges were brought against him. She later asks Tim what's going on and he tells Joan that Maria's brother, Ricardo, holds Ben responsible for her death.
Meg offers to take Joan for a walk on the beach where she explains about Annie being very upfront, and that Ben is the best thing to happen to her.
Ricardo and Paula share a moment together which is purposefully interrupted by Gabi who apologies once again for the intrusion. Later, whilst Paula's at work, Ricardo tries to fix the air conditioner with Gabi present. She puts on some sultry music and slinks onto the bed and offers to cool Ricardo down with a soaking tea towel.
When things start getting a little too warm and his attempts to fix the air conditioner fail, he slips out to the hardware store. Gabi takes a shower but discovers there are no towels, so as Ricardo returns for one last go and fixes the problem, he's startled to see Gabi standing behind him - naked.
Gregory asks Elaine if she knows who her son is, but she doesn't want to get him involved. Paula on the other hand, defies her mum's wishes and tells Gregory - to his horror - that Cole St John is her son and he's still in Sunset Beach.
Cole tells Caitlin about being Elaine's son and that it's only a matter of time before Gregory catches the trail. He asks her to leave with him and she agrees, but back at the mansion, Caitlin writes her father a goodbye letter, and runs into him as she's leaving. Starring Susan Ward and Clive Robertson
Tuesday 11 March
Episode 92
Meg tries to reassure her mum that Ben's the best thing to ever happen to her, but they're interrupted by Eddie Connors. Meg backs away and reluctantly introduces him to Joan. After he's left, Joan comments how she's finally met someone normal.
Tim and Annie discuss the next phase of their plan, but Ben sees them scheming and asks to speak to Tim alone. Ben tells him he knows he wants to take Meg back to Kansas and Tim agrees because that's what Ben wanted, but he tells him he doesn't want that at all.
Tim accuses Ben of being afraid to hurt Meg, but he replies he'd never intentionally hurt her. To which Tim mentions Maria, which riles Ben up, especially when he accuses Ben of murdering her and that he must be stopped. A fight is about to break out when Joan returns. Ben apologises and offers to give Joan the grand tour, which she reluctantly agrees to.
Gregory finds Caitlin's note and discovers she's leaving Sunset Beach with Cole St John. He whirls into the living room shouting her name and presents the letter to Olivia as he calls Chief Harris and tells her his daughter has been kidnapped by Cole St John - an international jewel thief wanted by Interpol.
Gregory asks Sean if he's seen Caitlin and whether he knows where she is, then Olivia mutters something about meeting at the grotto. Gregory overhears, grabs Olivia and demands to know what she knows. He damns her when she tells him she knew Caitlin was back with Cole.
Gregory tells Olivia he's going to destroy Cole St John. Caitlin and Cole start making their escape but as they're running along the beach they see police cruisers everywhere. They run back into the grotto and hear the sirens move away, but then Gregory enters...
Wednesday 12 March
Episode 93
Michael persuades Vanessa to take the job in Hong Kong, but secretly doesn't want her to go and Vanessa wants him to tell her to stay, because she can't face the idea of leaving Michael and Virginia together.
As Vanessa calls Gregory's office to decline the assignment, Michael books a ticket to Hong Kong much to Virginia's disappointment. Gabi fantasises about Ricardo declaring his love for her whilst Paula bangs on the door outside. But the banging continues and Gabi awakes to find Eddie at the door who asks what her plan is, to split up Ricardo and Paula.
She denies she wants to do that, but isn't happy to know Ricardo and Paula are having dinner at Grenadines.
Gregory demands Caitlin comes home with him, but she tells her father she's leaving with Cole. He tries to persuade her to stay and even says Cole's welcome, but then he calls Cole a coward for turning his back on his mother who faces life imprisonment. As they try to leave, Gregory pushes Cole against the grotto wall.
It isn't long before they begin tussling and Cole smacks Gregory in the jaw - flooring him. Caitlin is stunned but Gregory more so when she leaves him on the floor.
Olivia arrives at the grotto and Gregory blames himself for pushing Caitlin into Cole's arms. Whilst fleeing from the police, Cole and Caitlin come across an abandoned white horse.
They jump on as the owner arrives, promise to return the horse, and ride off to escape the cops.
Thursday 13 March
Episode 94
Vanessa arrives at Surf Central much to Casey's surprise, because Michael's at the airport getting ready to leave for Hong Kong. Vanessa tries to persuade the airport attendant to contact the plane that left five minutes earlier, but the woman won't.
She pours her heart out about how much she misses being with Michael and what she'd say to him if he was there, at which point Michael appears behind her with a rose. They head back to his apartment but are interrupted by Virginia and Jimmy.
Chief Harris tells Ricardo about Gregory's kidnapping allegations and Paula informs her that Cole is her brother. Ricardo goes over to the Richards to get the story now Gregory's filed assault and battery charges.
Olivia hands Ricardo the goodbye letter from Caitlin much to Gregory's annoyance, proving it isn't kidnapping but he's still determined to destroy Cole before he destroys his family. Ricardo says he has a feeling it won't be Cole that destroys Gregory's family.
Gregory berates Olivia for betraying him, but she doesn't see it like that and Gregory demands to know how much she knows about Cole. Olivia remembers her affair, but denies anything and explains how Gregory needs to trust her.
Cole tells Caitlin she can't go with him and he'll come back for her as it's too dangerous with the police after them. Reluctantly, she leaves with the horse. Cole runs into Paula who asks him to stay to help Elaine's defence, but he tells her he needs to leave to figure things out.
She threatens to call in that she's found Cole, but let's him walk away. As he speeds off along Pacific Coast Highway, he doesn't see Caitlin hiding in the back.
Monday 17 March
Episode 95
Cole can't believe how much he misses Caitlin and wishes he hadn't left her behind, so, much to Cole's shock, she pops out from her hiding place. Angry, he turns around and heads back, but his u-turn gets the attention of a squad car.
They pull over and Cole gives the officer a fake i.d. As the officer checks the registration, Cole tells Caitlin it's only a matter of time before Gregory is on to them and... speeds off. Joan thanks Ben for the tour and Annie gives Joan a tour of upstairs. She shows her the locked room and pretends she doesn't know why it's locked.
Meg berates Annie for putting ideas in her mum's head. Meg later takes Joan to Surf Central where they're all playing football in the front room. As introductions are made, Joan mistakes Casey and Rae for a couple and Michael, Virginia and Jimmy as a family - much to Jimmy's disgust. Michael later tells Jimmy to take a shot at him because he obviously wants to, but Virginia objects to violence.
They're interrupted by Vanessa who tells Michael she's taking the Hong Kong assignment after all. Jimmy runs off after blaming Michael for Vanessa leaving, so he goes after him. Joan asks Meg if she's fallen for Ben and she tells her mum she has, but Joan isn't so sure Ben feels the same way.
As Ben arrives at Surf Central, she asks to talk to him alone and asks what his intentions are. He's stunned by her directness and assures Joan he cares for Meg and sees her as a very special friend that he'd never intentionally hurt. She then asks if he's over his wife, and Meg overhears him say he's not sure he ever will get over Maria.
Back at Ben's, Annie and Tim put their plan in motion as they search for the key to Maria's studio. Tim finds it in the armoire and Annie plots a way for Meg to find it too. Starring Susan Ward and Clive Robertson
Tuesday 18 March
Episode 96
Michael tries to talk to Jimmy, but he tells Michael to leave him alone; they don't need him around. As Michael presses further, Jimmy tells him he doesn't want him to have his mum. Michael is shocked by this, but is interrupted by Virginia who insists she needs to talk to Jimmy alone and he should go to Hong Kong with Vanessa.
When Vanessa arrives she convinces Michael to stay in Sunset Beach, but Michael asks whether she thinks the same as Jimmy - that he wants Virginia.
Paula discovers Cole is wanted by Interpol and confesses she let him go when she had the chance to arrest him. Ricardo isn't angry, feeling that the right thing is Gregory getting back at Cole. As he shows Gabi the ropes, Eddie advises Paula to watch Ricardo, especially with Gabi around. Ricardo overhears and demands he leaves.
At the Waffle Shop, Gabi asks Eddie how he found out about her and Ricardo the night Paula was kidnapped. She feigns shock as she realises Eddie didn't know, and asks him not to tell anyone. Caitlin starts feeling restless and homesick but insists on staying with Cole.
As he goes off to look for alternative transportation, Caitlin calls home but her father answers and she doesn't reply. She hangs up and Gregory attempts to make a trace. Caitlin then calls Sean but she's interrupted by Cole ending the call. He tells her Gregory's probably got every mobile phone company running a trace, and indicates they need to move on.
Wednesday 19 March
Episode 97
Vanessa tells Michael she thinks Virginia would like to be with him, but he assures her that, in his eyes, Virginia is only a friend. They decide to spend some quality time together and when things start getting heated, Michael suggests locking the door, but they're interrupted once more by Virginia and Jimmy.
Vanessa reluctantly leaves as her limo arrives and Michael assures her things will be fine. Casey receives a call from his mum who's working in Africa, but by the way she talks, he senses something's wrong. Rae overhears him say goodbye to his mum and can hardly believe the woman exists.
Casey starts talking about his parents and how his father brought him up, but their relationship became strained when he discovered his father using illicitly gained money to fund Casey's law tuition.
Rae feels she understands why Casey keeps her family a secret, and they go up to Rae's room. She tells Casey she's scared of what might happen after they make love, but Casey asks her to take a chance.
Annie invites Joan to lunch at her house where Aunt Bette recounts how 'Big' Al died in the hot tub, and Tim and Annie go out of their way to convince Joan that Ben may be a serial killer. Unnerved, Joan's ready to take Meg back to Kansas, but Meg tries to convince her Ben is a good man.
Joan on the other hand believes Meg has fallen for a fantasy. Annie asks Meg to get linen from Ben's and whilst there Meg warns her to stop poisoning her mum's mind. Annie denies any such thing then drops the humidor, spilling cigars onto the floor.
Meg finds the key to the studio and, whilst alone, unlocks the studio door to find it in a mess: torn paintings and a red stain on the floor and splatters along the wall.
Thursday 20 March
Episode 98
Rae and Casey are interrupted when Wei-Lei calls to talk about her parents. She apologies to Casey for spoiling the moment and he assures her he understands. Wei-Lei bursts in as they kiss once again, but Rae's eager to hear all about the Mother's Day lunch in which her mum's sister ended a long family feud.
She's devastated when Wei-Lei returns her bracelet and tells Rae her parents have forbidden any mention of her name.
Cole and Caitlin arrive at a motel where they're interrupted by the owner who pries as to why they've no luggage. Cole tells the woman they're on their honeymoon and she asks about the wedding, to which Caitlin recounts her dream wedding.
When the owner finally leaves, Cole apologies for ruining Caitlin's dreams now they're unlikely to get married with family present, but Caitlin tells Cole of another dream wedding. As they settle for the night Cole has a nightmare about Olivia finding them and straddling him on the bed as Caitlin enters the room.
He wakes in a cold sweat, vowing nothing will get in their way.
Meg flees from the studio, rushes downstairs and bumps into Ben, who's come to check she's okay. Joan hears Meg scream and Annie suggests they go over to Ben's. Ben tries to calm Meg down and notices she's trembling. She tells him she heard something upstairs, but as Ben offers to look Meg tries to make a run for it.
Everyone arrives to see what's happening and Tim offers to check the upstairs. Meg assures her mum she's fine, but then realises she's left the key in the door and pretends her ring has fallen off.
She goes upstairs to check and as she locks the door, Ben asks if she's found what she's after. Meg shows him the ring and before he can question further, Joan arrives and escorts her downstairs.
Ben checks the studio door and follows. He suggests they postpone the meal so Meg can go home. Reluctantly, she leaves with her mum - key still in hand.
Monday 24 March
Episode 99
Ricardo and Paula prepare to take their relationship further, but he needs to get something off his chest first. He tries to tell her about the night they were set to elope, but Gabi interrupts.
When she's politely asked to give them a few minutes, Ricardo tells Paula he was getting cold feet about the elopement, but doesn't tell her about Gabi.
Later, Paula shows Gabi the engagement ring and tells her she's going to accept it tonight. Gabi offers to help straighten the loft whilst Paula pops out. She takes out the ring and assures herself the evening is not going to happen.
Gregory asks Olivia whether Caitlin has tried to contact her, but she promises she hasn't. He thinks she's hiding something but doesn't push any further. Olivia tells Sean that not telling Gregory about Caitlin's call is killing her.
Whilst visiting Elaine, Gregory tells her, Cole will be brought back to Sunset Beach in handcuffs. Elaine takes exception to Gregory calling her son a thug and a thief, and Olivia tells him to stick to the facts. Elaine blames herself for not being able to raise her son properly and ponders about the night he was stolen, asking Olivia if she saw anyone that night.
Gregory thinks a member of the Deschanel family must've been involved and implicates AJ, and discovers Olivia had a brief fling with him. She assures him it was brief and it was Elaine that AJ loved. Cole and Caitlin visit his grandmother - Madame Julianna Deschanel - and he asks what the real reason was for being sent to Sunset Beach.
She confesses it was to meet his real mother and tells Cole about the deal with Del Douglas. Cole is devastated by the betrayal and the shock sends his grandmother to lie down. He feels lost, but Caitlin assures him there's only one thing to do: return to Sunset Beach to help Elaine no matter what the cost.
Tuesday 25 March
Episode 100
Meg lets herself into Ben's, rushes to the humidor to replace the key, but Ben appears with a letter opener in hand. Meg freaks and explains she's looking for her sweater. Ben asks if she's okay, noticing she's jumpy around him. Joan enters to see what's keeping Meg, and Ben invites her for coffee, which Meg is reluctant to do.
As Meg tries to leave, Ben offers to look upstairs for the sweater, and she asks her mum to check the kitchen. She rushes over to the humidor, rattles it in her panic to get it open, but Ben appears again and she panics, smashing an ornament.
She cuts herself picking up the shattered remains, sees blood and remembers the studio. Again, she freaks and rushes out of the house as her mum tries to comfort her. Reluctantly, she goes for coffee, but Ben senses something's not right. She asks Ricardo about the circumstances surrounding Maria's death, and he warns her to stay away from Ben.
Cole says he can never forgive his grandmother for her betrayal. Caitlin talks to Madame Deschanel about Cole returning to Sunset Beach to plead on behalf of Elaine, but her father will arrest him on sight.
She offers to make an arrangement but Cole's against the idea of her grandmother using Caitlin to get to him. As Cole plans to return to Sunset Beach, Caitlin assures him that no matter what happens she won't leave him. Madame Deschanel tells them it's too dangerous to return and offers to go herself.
Paula catches Gabi with her ring and she confesses she just wants to feel what it's like to be loved by someone like Ricardo. Whilst Annie visits Ricardo to ask for legal advice on how to obtain the Deschanel jewels, he confesses he was with another woman the night Paula was kidnapped.
Annie advises to tell Paula before this other woman does. As Paula prepares for her evening surprise, Gabi tells her Ricardo was with someone the night they were set to elope. Paula's mortified and asks Gabi how she knows this as Ricardo enters and glares at Gabi in horror.
Wednesday 26 March
Episode 101
Rae receives a parcel from Casey reassuring her things will be okay. She then receives a parcel from her parents containing her childhood belongings - they've disowned her.
Ricardo confesses he was with another woman the night they were set to elope, but assures Paula she didn't mean anything. Beside herself, Paula walks off leaving Ricardo demanding to know why Gabi said anything.
She says she thought Paula knew, and Ricardo accuses her of covering her own back, but she asks why he hasn't told the truth about being with her. Paula asks Casey whether he thinks Ricardo's capable of cheating on her, and he reassures her that, in his eyes, Ricardo has changed.
Casey tells her that Wei-Lei is trying to take Rae back to San Francisco and feeding her ideas that everything will be okay if he and Rae got back together.
At the Medical Centre, Casey sees Rae with Wei-Lei, asks to speak to her alone and suggests she goes to San Francisco to tell her parents how much she misses them.
Paula returns home and overhears Ricardo telling Gabi how much he wants to be with Paula. She asks Gabi to wait outside whilst they talk, and Paula attributes Ricardo's strong feelings to guilt about the abduction. He assures her there's no other woman he wants to be with or come home to.
Paula says she needs time to think and prepares to leave for her mum's, but Ricardo stops her and tells her he wants to work things out. He demands Gabi should go, and Paula agrees that they need their own space.
Gabi overhears Ricardo triumphantly comment Gabi leaving in the morning. Starring Susan Ward and Clive Robertson.
Thursday 27 March
Episode 102
Ricardo catches Gabi looking through her scrapbook and sees pictures of him and Paula. He questions where she got them from considering she claimed never to have met him before arriving in Sunset Beach, but Gabi replies she got them from the media section at SBPD whilst updating it.
She goes on to tell him the album was her father's and he used it to keep track his favourite daughter, Paula. Gabi expresses her disdain for the love of a daughter he never saw over the one he did, and Ricardo almost buys it until a half torn picture of Paula and Ricardo falls out just as Paula enters.
She asks about the album and Gabi says it's a present for her. She doesn't count on Paula wanting to see the album and finding the torn picture, which Gabi explains was torn whilst trying to paste it in and she just hasn't got around to fixing it. Paula buys it but Ricardo isn't convinced.
They both leave as Gabi comments on how Paula's happy family will soon be destroyed. Michael fantasises about making love to Vanessa on the beach, and Virginia fantasises about a picnic with her, Jimmy and Michael.
Casey tells Michael about Rae visiting her parents and believing that if she'd stayed with Wei-Lei none of this would've happened. Rae's mother tells her Mr Chang has forbidden any mention of her whatsoever.
She gives her a family heirloom saying she won't be there to see Rae get married. Gregory triumphantly announces the authorities have found Cole's rental, but when Olivia asks him to call off the search, he questions whether Cole has something on her.
She denies it and tells him she doesn't want their family destroyed. After Cole reads Elaine's letters to AJ from twenty-something years ago, he vows to help his mother. But he's prepared to leave Caitlin behind rather than fall into Gregory's trap. Starring Susan Ward and Clive Robertson.
Monday 31 March
Episode 103
Virginia's picnic fantasy comes true in a sense when she prepares to take Michael and Jimmy to the beach, but Jimmy's reluctant to go with them that is until Michael invites Mark along.
Whilst playing football, Mark comments on how good Jimmy's catch is and asks if he got it from Michael. Jimmy replies he got it from his dad and he and Michael go way back. Michael is evasive and Virginia manages to divert the conversation in asking Jimmy to get some ketchup.
On his way back he meets Officer Ruiz who asks if Jimmy's staying out of trouble. He asks Ruiz if he should report a crime if he knows about one. As Michael gets an apartment for Virginia to look at, she confesses that she really doesn't want to leave him.
A dishevelled Eddie arrives at Annie's to discuss the Deschanel jewels as Bette returns home: her business manager has run off with all her money. After some persuasion, Bette hires Eddie to find the creep.
Meg has a waking nightmare about Ben inviting her in the locked room whilst standing outside his house. It's a shock when Ben actually comes to the door and does the same. Meg tells him her mum is leaving town because her dad's put his back out.
Tim arrives and after hearing the news, he says Hank likes nothing more than a good smoke. Ben offers some of his cigars and opens the humidor much to Meg's horror, but Joan declines. He asks Meg to help her arrange a flight for Joan and whilst alone asks if she's okay, noticing she's out of sorts. Meg puts it down to her father's ill health.
As Joan prepares to leave she asks Ben not to hurt Meg. At the airport, Joan tells her daughter how proud she is of the life she's made, but tells her not to be afraid to come home and of her doubts about Ben.
Meg returns to Ben's whilst he's in a meeting in Santa Barbara, prepares to put the key back, but curiosity gets the better of her. She puts the key into the studio door as Ben arrives back home.
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