Episode 6774

Extended Summary

Ash and Tori run into each other on the beach and exchange awkward pleasantries before admitting neither of them are happy with how things are. However, when Ash asks if Tori has figured things out yet, she says she needs more time. Ash walks on and sees Alf looking after Luc. Alf admits there’s trouble with Mick. Back at the motel, VJ in particular is incensed at the idea of Mick getting custody of Luc. Leah tries to calm him down, but when Mick tells VJ to listen to her, she makes it clear that Mick disgusts her. Ash arrives and dubs Mick sick. Mick replies Ash is the sick one, telling everyone that Ash dumped him in the bush to die and that’s why he can’t leave Luc with him. He threatens to call the police and Irene convinces the others to let her deal with things alone.

Tori arrives home and Brody has to drag the fact she ran into Ash out of her. Brody says he thought she would have forgiven Ash by now and Tori complains about everyone expecting her to be okay with what he did. Raffy comes running in but her good mood is quickly dampened by the tension in the room. She says that she’s going to the Diner to meet Coco and Brody says he’ll walk with her, since he needs to pick up his roster. As they arrive, he fobs off a question about Tori and leaves Raffy with Coco. John nods over to where Ash, Leah and VJ are having a council of war and asks Brody what it’s about. Brody points out he’s just got there but listens in. Ash is unhappy about walking away from Mick but Leah retorts that his handling of things hasn’t helped so far. VJ agrees that Ash meant well but stuffed up. Leah thinks Irene will sort it.

Irene tells Mick that he doesn’t need to worry about Ash and that Luc also has her, Leah and VJ. She points out Mick doesn’t have a job or a place to live. Mick seems to be thinking about this but then gets a text from a DNA clinic confirming he is Luc’s father, which brings a smile to his face. Irene says that blood doesn’t make him a father and no-one will ever forgive what he did but Mick says he’s not going to abandon Luc like she did him and is going to break the cycle. Irene says the cycle’s already broken: Luc has a family who will look after her. Mick tells her that if she’s not going to support him she should leave. Meanwhile, Marilyn and Ryder turn up at the Diner and Marilyn passes on a bit of film trivia Ryder was telling her to John. Ryder sits down with Raffy and Coco and, on hearing they’re planning a movie night, invites himself along. Tori comes in and tries to clear the air with Brody. He tells her it’s her decision but adds that he overheard that Mick is going for custody.

Ash is pacing the floor at the caravan park house, with Leah and VJ looking after Luc and Alf and Roo in the kitchen. He isn’t keen to trust Irene given her failure to manage Mick in the past although it’s pointed out to him that he messed up too. Tori arrives and checks on Ash. Irene turns up and tells them that Mick won’t budge, and also that he got the test results which left him more determined than ever. Ash tearfully says he just meant to scare Mick into leaving town but he’s stuffed things up. Tori suggests he prove Mick wrong. Irene calls Mick who agrees to meet Ash if there are witnesses there. VJ decides to go with them. Roo notes Luc is safe asleep upstairs.

Coco is asking Ben’s advice on choosing an outfit, since everyone else is out shopping. She admits she’s meeting Raffy and Ryder. Ben is bewildered, recalling how she got him to scare Ryder off, but tries to convince her it’d be all right if she liked him. Coco seems embarassed so Ben says it’s no big deal. Coco hurries to her room to get changed. At the Morgan house, Brody is putting together some snacks, including flavoured popcorn, for Raffy but she is thrown when he says he isn’t going out. Ryder turns up with a selection of movies, which mostly seem to be horror films. On seeing Brody there, he pretends that the beers he’s brought were a thank you present and hands them over. Brody deliberately gets his name wrong twice, calling him Rooster and Richard.

Ben knocks on Coco’s bedroom door. She says that nothing looks good on her and comes out, saying it’s too late for her to go now. Ben offers to drive her but Coco says she’s freaking out, like she used to do before bingeing. Ben calms her, telling her to just go and have fun and that the first outfit she tried on looked fine. He reminds her what her counsellor said about keeping perspective. Meanwhile, Raffy and Ryder are engrossed looking over the films and it’s left to Brody to answer the door to Ben and Coco. Ben doesn’t seem too happy to see him there, especially when he learns Tori and Justin are out, and doesn’t leave until Brody says Justin will be back in an hour. Brody goes in the shower and, as the movie starts, Ryder casually puts his arms around both girls.

Irene, Ash and VJ are in Mick’s motel room with him. Ash says he was just trying to protect Luc and that’s why he drove Mick out to the bush. Mick asks if that’s why he attacked him in the facility and semi-rhetorically asks if those are the only times he’s been violent. Ash admits he’s done time for armed robbery but says he’s been rehabilitated, which Mick should understand. Mick says Luc isn’t safe with Ash. VJ scornfully asks if she’d be safe with Mick. Mick snaps that he’s changed and Ash hasn’t. Ash asks what he can say or do and Mick replies that nothing will change his mind. A little later, Tori finds Ash kneeling in the sand, choked up at the thought of losing Luc.

That evening, Alf, Roo, Leah, VJ, Ash and Tori are gathered at the Stewart house. Alf says Ash deserves a medal for not throttling Mick and VJ agrees he handled it well. Leah says she’ll call a lawyer in the morning. Ash says he’ll take Luc home and turns down Tori’s offer to go with him. However, once he gets back to the beach house, he starts collecting his stuff together. Tori turns up, saying she wanted to keep him company, then the penny drops as to what she’s walked in on. Ash says he’s leaving.