Episode 6572

Extended Summary

Immediately after Ranae and her syndicate are found guilty at trial, Justin confesses to Kat that he can’t help but think of Ranae’s final threat at the courthouse. Kat reassures him and sends him home to break the good news to his family.
On tenterhooks waiting for Justin’s return from Ranae’s trial, Tori’s phone is distracting her over a dinner date with Nate. He encourages her to make contact with whoever she’s waiting on if it will mean she’s more attentive. Tori is apologetic, but when Kat walks in fresh from the trial and lets her know Justin has headed home, Tori asks for a raincheck on the date and a disappointed Nate acquiesces.

Raffy is finding it difficult to write her father’s eulogy, despite Mason and Brody’s support. Brody’s not sure they’ll even be able to attend. The Morgan house shares an emotional moment when Justin arrives home to reveal Ranae has been found guilty and their ordeal is over. Emotions quickly turn celebratory as the family revel in their newfound freedom from witness protection. They can stop spinning their web of lies and come clean. Despite this they decide to keep their new names – this is who they are now.

Kat informs Phoebe that Justin and Decker’s evidence was too overwhelming to deny and the Morgans are safe. On Phoebe’s happiness, Kat suggests it can’t have been easy for Phoebe to have kept the Morgans’ secret for so long and with no one else to talk to. But when she pushes Phoebe to join the family’s celebrations Phoebe is reluctant, reasoning that she had taken a step back from Justin and his baggage. Kat suggests the end of the trial means Justin’s carrying a lot less baggage than before. Phoebe decides to join the celebrations at the Morgans’ and she is quick to tell Justin how proud she is of him. However Justin quickly retreats to him room followed by Brody, who thinks he should be all aboard the Phoebe train. Justin worries he’s stuffed her around too much and left it too late, but Brody disagrees, Phoebe clearly still cares about him and Justin needs to man up and make a move.

Over breakfast preparations the next morning, Tori reassures Raffy that she is a part of their family, witness protection or not, and that they want her to stay with them. Tori questions Justin on why Phoebe didn’t stay long last night and why he’s not happier about the trial result. Justin repeats his worry about Ranae’s threat after the trial, but Tori tells him to let it go and to focus on his future. She thinks Justin might be scared about starting things up with Phoebe before he’s figured out what to do about his daughter, but he needs to heal himself and look to the future.

When Kat asks how things went with Justin last night Phoebe shares her fear that he’s just not into her anymore.

At the Diner, Marilyn tries to calm Nate’s concerns about Tori’s secrets, telling him she’ll open up when she’s ready. As he leaves, he receives a text from Tori asking to talk properly later. Tori can’t hide her happiness about being able to tell Nate everything so there’s nothing stopping them from having a relationship with a future. Raffy listens in as Brody, Tori and Mason discuss their plans. Tori later spots Raffy in the diner, looking glum. Raffy confesses that she’s been so happy to be part of a proper family again, and she’s thrilled for the Morgans being free from the constraints of witness protection, but Ranae’s trial verdict isn’t going to bring her father back.

Justin arrives at Ava’s (his daughter’s) house, but her mother Nina is furious about his sudden disappearance – she thought he was dead! Justin tries to explain about the witness protection program, but she is too furious to accept his story. Eventually she hits Justin with the news that Ava has a new father who has been there for her when Justin hasn’t. Furious, she leaves him standing on the street.

Phoebe pulls out all the stops to persuade Marilyn and Leah to agree to the Diner sponsoring the Festival, but of course they were going to sponsor it regardless. Phoebe has also scored a front page with The Coastal News. She relieved to have met her sponsorship target because she can now go back to writing her new song. She reassures the women and John that it won’t be like her last effort, no romance at all.

Justin is wallowing on a bench in a park, when a young girl hands him his hat. It’s Ava, unaware Justin is her father. Justin is speechless and watches her walk home.

Raffy decides she will read the eulogy at her father’s funeral so she can talk about all the good things he did. She asks for Tori’s help to write it and Tori delays heading off to see Nate for their promised talk to help her. Mason thinks she’s making the wrong decision and warns her she doesn’t want Nate finding out their secret from someone else. At the Diner, Phoebe can’t hide her shock when the front page of the Coastal News isn’t the Festival article she was hoping for but an expose on the Morgans’ true identities. Her shock draws John and Marilyn’s attention, as well as Nate’s, and finally he learns why Tori has been so cagey with him for so long – and not in the way Tori wanted him to.