Belle, Shawn, Steve and Kayla tell Hope and Bo that Claire was taken from them because of Victor. Bo and Steve head out to confront Beverly from Child Protective Services. Bo charges into her office and demands his granddaughter. She tells him Claire's being turned over to foster parents until the hearing. Steve tries to reason with her. Unfortunately, he has another episode and completely loses it in her office. Meanwhile, Victor offers a deal: if Shawn and Belle agree that Philip can be Claire's primary parent, he'll let them be part of her life. Shawn refuses and throws Victor out. Later, he and Belle are subpoenaed to appear in court.
Nick tells Abby he gave Chelsea the "name" of her online admirer: Shane Patton. Abby wants him to tell Chelsea that he is 'Lonely Splicer,' but Nick is still reeling from losing his virginity to Billie and almost being caught by Chelsea. He's not ready to tell the truth. Later, Chelsea orders Nick to get her more info on Lonely Splicer, but he tells her no and storms out.
Billie tells Kate, Sami and Lucas that Bonnie threw her and Chelsea out of the Lockhart house. Kate wants them to stay with her, but Sami suggests they move into Lucas's old apartment, which is vacant. Billie graciously accepts. Later, a newspaper photographer arrives to take photos of Sami and Lucas, which is more than Kate can handle.
Mimi and Bonnie bail out Mimi's younger brother, Connor, who has just arrived in town. Later, Bonnie reminds him they have to make sure Mimi never finds out what Bonnie did.
Bo is shocked, as Steve tears into Beverly from Child Protective Services. Bo holds him back. Beverly calls the cops. Finally, Steve snaps out of it, but Bo wonders what is wrong with him?!
Meanwhile, at the pub, Shawn and Belle fret over losing Claire. Kayla brings in a lawyer to help them. Unfortunately, it looks like Victor is going to pull out all the stops, making this personal. Meanwhile, Kayla and Hope tend to the newborn baby. Hope wonders if Kayla wants more kids. Kayla admits she doesn't feel Steve is in the right frame of mind to care for a child. She tells Hope about the blackout episodes he's been having. In counterpoint, Steve confides the same news to Bo, who urges him to see a shrink. He's reluctant, but Bo makes him see he has no choice. Steve says he'll seek help as long as Bo doesn't tell Kayla. Later, the guys return to the pub with bad news: Claire has been handed over to temporary foster parents. Shawn and Belle are devastated. Hope gets a moment alone with Bo and warns him that Shawn is contemplating taking the law into his own hands.
Nick lashes out at Chelsea then storms off. Chelsea is thrown. Abby thinks it's what Chelsea deserves. Abby catches up with Nick and urges him to tell Chelsea the truth -- make her forget about the fictitious Dr. Shane Patton. Nick admits he can't; he's still smitten with the girl. Meanwhile, Billie calls Chelsea and asks her to come over to the pub right away. Billie has a surprise for her. Chelsea reluctantly agrees. Before she leaves, Chelsea confides in Abby about the new mystery man in her mother's life. The guy left his belt behind after making love! Alone, Abby realizes it could have been Nick. She confronts him and wonders if he slept with Chelsea's mom. Later, Billie tells Chelsea they're moving into their own apartment.
Stephanie surprises Steve and Kayla with news that she's taken a job with a race crew in Dayton. Stephanie waited to make a move until she was certain her parents were together and happy. They support her, but they'll miss her. In a private moment, Steve thanks Kayla for not revealing that he's having these strange, explosive episodes. Kayla admits she's terrified that she's going to lose him again. Later, unbeknownst to Kayla, Steve has another episode.
Abby guesses that Nick slept with Billie. Nick deflects, but finally admits it. He says it was wonderful to lose his virginity, but it was only an accidental one-night thing. He's afraid it could destroy his dreams of a future with Chelsea. Abby swears not to tell anyone. Nick admits he's worried about running into Billie. He's sure it will be awkward. Later, Nick is stunned when Steve smashes the toy he was fixing for Maggie.
Billie tells Bo she fell off the wagon. He insists she accompany him to an AA meeting. After they return, she confides in Bo that she made another huge mistake; she had a one-night stand with a much younger man. Bo understands and tells her the story of a youthful encounter he had with an older woman and the wonderful lasting impression it made. Billie is comforted by Bo's support.
Abe supports Lexie while she views a photo line-up to I.D. E.J. as John's shooter. When she has a moment to herself, she sends Tek the photos with her camera phone. Tek is definite that E.J. is the culprit. Lexie reluctantly makes the i.d., but Roman suspects there's more going on. Later, Roman privately confides in Abe his concerns about Lexie's reluctance to be part of the case against E.J.
Mimi goes to Max because her family is driving her nuts. Max says she can stay with him. Abe interrupts them with news about the skeleton they discovered. It appears the murder was more recent than they thought. Abe asks Mimi to think back to where she's seen the ring found on the skeleton before. Later, a creeped out Mimi accepts Max's offer to stay at his place.
Roman takes Marlena home. Feeling a bit more relaxed, she admits that despite the second round of tests, she believes John is awake inside his comatose body. When Roman questions this, Marlena tells him she can feel his presence. Roman says if she believes it, then he does, too. He then tells her to get some rest on the couch. She falls asleep, beckoning John to come to her. The wind whips up, awakening Marlena, and sure enough, she hears John's voice coming from the balcony. Marlena follows the voice, until she's pulled back by Roman. Marlena says she heard John calling to her, but Roman insists it was all a dream. Marlena argues but finally concedes that it may not have been real. After Roman leaves, Marlena goes back to the balcony, hoping to hear John's voice, but there is only silence.
Belle cries at her dad's bedside about the custody hearing the next day, and John's finger reaches up and touches hers. Belle is thrilled -- until Dr. Tucker tells her it was just an involuntary reaction.
In the morgue, Connor coaxes the attendant out while Bonnie sneaks in, looking for the skeleton Max and Mimi discovered. After a close call with a nurse, Bonnie finds the bones and slips out, meeting back up with Connor. They wonder what to do with the skeleton now.
Max admits to Mimi that he cares about her, and they are about to make love when Shawn interrupts. He's come to ask them to be character witnesses for him and Belle in court. They agree, and a grateful Shawn leaves. Max and Mimi try to stir up the passion again, but they're too worried about Shawn and Belle's situation. They do agree they will have their "first time" one day soon.
As their families support them, Shawn and Belle are in front of a judge to determine who will get custody of Claire. Victor has filed for and testifies on behalf of Philip. He accuses Shawn and Belle of negligence and immaturity and claims they're unfit parents. To everyone's shock, Victor brings in Willow to testify that Shawn worked for a criminal and took money under the table, despite warnings from Bo. She goes on to lie to the judge about Shawn's attitude towards Claire. Shawn and Belle vigorously defend themselves against the accusations, and give an impassioned plea. Claire belongs with her parents.
Meanwhile, Bo, Hope and Marlena wait outside the hearing room in support of their children. Hope comforts Marlena, who's trying to make the right decision about John's care. Roman arrives to confide in Bo his concern about Lexie and her i.d. of E.J. Bo tries to reassure him, but Roman feels there's something off about her story. Later, Mimi and Max show up to support Shawn and Belle. Everyone is present at the end of the day and are shocked to see a bandaged man wheeled into the hearing room. It is Philip!
Abe and Lexie are called to the morgue, where they discover that the skeleton has been stolen. Abe assumes the person who took the bones may be the killer. At the Lockhart house, Bonnie and Connor are trying to figure out where to hide the bones so no one will ever find them. They're freaked out when Abe and Lexie come by looking for Mimi. They quickly hide the bones and nervously tell Abe that Mimi is at Max's. Abe and Lexie privately agree that Bonnie's behavior was very strange. Later, Mimi and Max begin to make love, but are interrupted by Abe and Lexie, who report that the skeleton has been stolen -- maybe by the killer -- and Abe has assigned a sketch artist to draw a picture of the thief.
