After the dark of sadness comes the glory of happiness!

Another move to San Francisco!

The separation of Ridge and Brooke caused some turmoil in the family, the reactions were very mixed. Thomas and Steffy made no secret of how happy they were about it, in their opinion this was the best thing that could happen to their father. They had seen firsthand in the last few months, he had always been frustrated and tense. They were relieved, Brooke could no longer exert any influence on their father and they were also content because after the break up, he spent even more time with them than before. Stephanie saw the situation similarly to her grandchildren. She was rather relieved too about the separation; in recent times she had been considerably worried about her son. During the last months she had tried her best to get along with Brooke, mostly to show her good will and to make up for her ugly scheme but she had remained firmly convinced Brooke was simply not the right woman for her son and now finally it had been confirmed. She fervently this time the breakup would really last and Ridge would not buckle again and return to Brooke. Eric, on the other hand, saw things completely differently. For him, Brooke and Ridge belonged together and he secretly wished the two of them would work out their differences and get back together. He kept telling his son not to throw away such a long and happy marriage. RJ and Hope took their parents' separation in different manners. Hope was devastated and suffered with her mother, trying her best to comfort and encourage her. Hope prayed Ridge and her mother would soon reconcile and they would be a family again. RJ instead seemed rather relieved after all the back and forth and arguments of the past few months.

Ridge was quite confused after he moved out,, he was not exactly unhappy or lonely but it was unusual for him to be alone all of a sudden. However, he did not regret his decision. After months he finally felt like he could breathe again. Brooke was convinced the time apart was only temporary and after a period of reflection everything would be fine again. To make matters worse, Christmas was just around the corner. Ridge had moved in with Thomas and Steffy. He had put up with his parents' guest house for a week, but both had gotten on his nerves terribly with their constant appearances and good coaxing and urging. Moving in with his children was the best solution, they enjoyed it to live with him again under one roof and he was also happy to spend more time with them. Together they threw themselves into the Christmas preparations. They got a huge tree and decorated the house magnificently. Their anticipation of the holiday received a significant damper when Thomas and Steffy learned from their mother, she would not come to Los Angeles for the holidays. Again and again, her children had begged her to come home for Christmas, telling her the entire family would surely be delighted to have her at the table with them. Taylor had given her children's request a lot of thought and it was very hard for her to refuse them, but she didn't feel up to it yet. For half a year she had had no contact with any family member except the children, and it seemed absurd to her to suddenly sit under the Christmas tree with everyone in peaceful harmony again. Instead, she invited the kids to spend New Year's with her.

When Stephanie heard about it she was horrified, she stormed into the office of her grandchildren to convince them to change their mother's mind. But Steffy told her that was pointless.
"Believe us grandma, we really tried everything but it's useless. She's made up her mind and she definitely doesn't want spent Christmas here with us."
"Does she want to celebrate Christmas all alone?"
"No of course not, she told us she had invited some friends over for Christmas Eve and she had definite plans for the others days too."
"I just don't get her, I mean she must know how much you care about having her here at home for Christmas and it would be so good for Ridge too if she would come." Thomas and Steffy looked at each other in dismay, they had told their mother about Brooke and their Dad splitting up. Taylor had taken the news very calmly, certainly not in the way they would have expected, besides Taylor was convinced the separation was only temporary, she didn't believe it was permanent. Thomas looked to his grandmother, pondering.
"To be honest, that's exactly one of the reasons Mom doesn't want to come, she doesn't want to fall back into old unhealthy patterns. She's afraid Dad will just use her as a shoulder to cry on again and seek for comfort and the whole vicious cycle will start all over again."
"Is that what she said?" They both just nodded.
"Face it Grandma, Mom has built her own life, it's taken a lot out of her, she doesn't want to put that all on the line again. She knows full well if she comes home, what would be waiting for her. Among other things, you'd probably be nagging her day and night, Dad and she could finally be a family and so on and she can very well do without that right now."