Episode 6866

Extended Summary

Justin is asleep in an armchair with Ava asleep in his bed. Willow pokes her head round the door as Ava wakes up and calls out for Justin. Justin comforts her, saying it was just a nightmare, and Willow withdraws. Tori tells her that Ava’s been doing it all night. Willow isn’t sure what she can do and Tori says to just support Justin. At the Diner, Raffy serves John a coffee: He is sat with Marilyn and feeling the after-effects of his drinking. Leah asks Irene about Jasmine moving in, explaining the girls announced it the previous night. Irene notes Olivia didn’t tell her but says they’ve bonded now. A comment from Marilyn prompts her to note it’s the first time in a while they’ve had an all girls house without Nate, Chris, Hunter or Ash. They ponder Ash’s meeting with Robbo. Leah thinks Robbo couldn’t say anything that would make it right. John wonders why he’s not in jail.

Justin tells Tori and Willow that Ava is asleep. They try to encourage him to have a rest himself but he is worried about her needing him and wants to keep awake with coffee. Willow suggests he phones Ava’s counsellor for advice and he agrees. Tori answers a knock on the door and is shocked to find Robbo there. He says they need to talk. They go for a walk on the headland where Robbo tells Tori the whole story. Tori says she knew there was more to him and she thought she’d never see him again. Robbo says that’s why he came back: She did a lot for him and he never properly thanked her. She asks him if he feels like Ryan Shaw and he says that that person’s gone. He feels he still needs to atone for Kat and the baby.

Leah and John come into the surf club. John is saying that he should start working out again…but not today. Leah is heading to the gym when she gets a text from Jasmine cancelling their session. She runs into Roo who has just finished a session and they decide to go for a coffee upstairs. Meanwhile, Robbo and Tori arrive back at the Diner flat and he comments how he can now pay rent with Colby since he’s got his bank account back. He isn’t sure about telling other people yet but mentions that he told Ash, who listened and didn’t try to throttle him. Tori is concerned and hurries off.

Justin comes back in, ending his phone call; Willow is curled up with Buddy. He says the counsellor just said they need to keep Ava feeling safe and secure, and can talk to her about it if she wants to. Willow suggests they take her out for a walk, since Hazel kept her locked up inside. Justin isn’t sure but agrees to ask her. Soon after, the four of them (including Buddy) are going for a walk on the beach. Ava isn’t keen to talk about her nightmares. Justin tells her she’s safe with them and gets her to play with Buddy. Ava seems more relaxed and Justin congratulates Willow on the idea.

Leah and Roo are served at Salt. Tori comes in, asking if they’ve seen Ash, who wasn’t in his van. They already know that he saw Robbo but can’t give any more information. After Tori’s gone, Leah asks Roo about her work and she mentions that she’s taking the Year 11s to a play that evening. She reflects that her initial worries about teaching have gone. Later, Leah admits that she isn’t happy with her own life. When VJ and Luc left, she thought she’d be free but hasn’t done anything new. Roo notes she felt the same when she got back from South America but came to feel different.

Irene and Marilyn happily greet Justin, Willow and Ava when they come into the Diner. Raffy hugs Ava tightly and they go outside to give Buddy some water, after which Raffy promises to make Ava a shake. Irene and Marilyn ask Justin about Nina: He says she’s flying in that night and will be there in the morning. Later, Tori comes in, still looking for Ash. She approaches her family’s table and they mention that Raffy is planning to move back in once Ava’s gone. Robbo comes in and gets suspicious looks from everyone. John asks how he came to be back but Robbo says he doesn’t want to talk about it yet. John continues to demand answers and to know what he’s mixed up with. Robbo ends up grabbing John’s collar in anger, prompting a frightened cry from Ava. Justin and Tori order Robbo to get out.

Robbo is alone in his flat, pacing, leaning against tables and generally looking frustrated. At the Morgan house, Justin and Willow try to reassure Ava that Robbo wasn’t going to hurt her and she’s safe. Robbo turns up and Justin tells him to get out, although he manages to apologise to Ava before he does so. Willow tells Ava that it shows Robbo wasn’t a threat but Ava yells that she wants her mum and runs to her bedroom. Justin gives Willow an awkward look before following her.

At the Diner, Irene, Marilyn, John and Tori conduct a post-mortem. John is unhappy with Robbo but Irene points out he poked the bear. Tori and Raffy decide to go and check on Ava. They run into Leah and Roo. Tori again asks about Ash and Leah says she’ll check his van when she gets home. Roo asks the others what inspires them: John says the armed forces, Marilyn says nature and Irene, pointedly looking at John, says people who pay for their coffee. Roo explains Leah’s feeling lost and Irene says she feels the same when one of her housemates leave. Marilyn says Leah’s her inspiration. At the Morgan house, Ava and Raffy are playing Snap, while Justin has a tense conversation with Nina on the phone. He tells Tori and Willow that Nina’s happy to be back in the country but not about anything else. They tell him it wasn’t his fault but he notes it happened on his watch. He tells Ava that Nina will be there soon so she’d better pack. Ava says she doesn’t want to go, just to see Nina. Justin says they’ll see what happens. Tori gets a phone call, presumably from Leah, saying Ash’s van is empty.

Tori storms round to see Robbo, demanding to know what he said to Ash. Robbo says he just told him the truth. Tori tells him he’s made Ash leave and is convinced there’s something he’s not telling her, thinking Ash wouldn’t have left without saying something to her. She asks why Robbo came back just to turn everyone’s lives upside down. Next morning, at the Diner, John and Marilyn discuss Ash’s disappearance. John tries to convince himself that Ash has just gone surfing with some mates. Marilyn doesn’t think it’s the right time for Raffy to move back in with the Morgans but John says it’s her choice and they just need to make sure she knows there’s a home for her with them if she wants it. Willow comes in and they discuss Nina being back.

Justin tells Tori that Ava slept through the night and apologises for not being there for her with Ash. There is a heavy knock on the door and Nina comes in, calling out for Ava and waking her up. Overriding what Ava says, she tells her to get packed and get ready to go. Justin tries to protest but Nina says every time Ava comes to stay with him something bad happens and he’s not fit to be a father.