Bo & Hope #27 July 9 - September 20, 1996: 8 hr original edit

Dvd #27A 7/9 The dinner includes Carrie and Austin, so Hope's plan is to put in an appearance and "get a headache" so she can get home to Bo. This plan is foiled when Carrie and Austin cancel, and Hope doesn't want to leave Franco alone. Bo arranges to join them, but before he arrives, Franco pays the maitre'd to play the country song from the Cheatin' Heart, where Hope taught him the two-step. He invites Hope to dance, and admits that he requested the song.

When the next song is the sultry one from the photo shoot, he swears he had nothing to do with it. Hope apologizes for being suspicious, and then Bo cuts in. Later, Bo tells Hope that there's something about Franco that arouses his cop's instinct. Hope teases Bo, thinking that he's just jealous. Bo's right to be concerned. After Hope leaves, Franco orders some *very* expensive whiskey and seems very pleased with himself.

7/10 Since Bo still thinks Franco is a bad guy, Hope agrees to end her involvement with Franco as soon as this campaign wraps up. Meanwhile, Franco ingratiates himself with the rest of the Brady family by tagging along with Shawn and Shawn-Douglas on a fishing trip. Shawn falls into the water, and Shawn did runs into the pub crying that Grandpa is drowning. When Bo and Hope arrive on the pier, they see that Franco has jumped in and saved him from drowning (turns out someone carelessly spilled oil on the pier which is what Shawn slipped on). Bo is grateful and he admits that he was wrong and welcomes Franco into their home. Franco is pleased that everything is going according to plan.

7/12 Bo can't believe he was so wrong about Franco. Hope is pleased by Bo's turnaround. He is invited to join the Bradys for dinner in their home. When he arrives, Franco insists on cooking and the ladies relax. After dinner with the Brady's, Franco leaves, promising to see Hope for their late-night photo shoot later. Franco shows up to the shoot, but he's very late and flustered. Bo is heading home when he finds a woman who was attacked by a man she met at the Cheatin' Heart. When Bo asks about the man who attacked her (Jill), she's traumatized and all she can say is that he was good looking enough to be a model.

7/15 Bo talks to Jill, he asks her if she would recognize the guy if she saw him again? She says she would. When Bo turns his back when he sees Hope approaching, Jill disappears. He heads to the Cheatin' Heart to investigate, but no one is helpful. He then runs into Jill, who tells Bo that she just over-reacted to a miscommunication, and she wants to drop it, blaming herself for giving the guy the wrong signal. Bo assures her that she has a right to say no and the guy was in the wrong and promises to catch him so he can’t do this to any other woman. Bo later tells Franco and Hope what happened, and both are sympathetic. Bo puts all his facts together: the guy was good- looking; while he was attacking the woman, he suddenly stopped and left; Franco was uncharacteristically late for the photo shoot. Hmmmm...

7/18 Bo's uneasiness increases when he finds out that Franco is growing closer to Hope and the Brady family. He does a background check on Franco. He goes to visit Carrie at Titan and asks some innocent questions about Franco. His resume looks okay. The man comes up squeaky clean, but Bo still can't seem to shake that anxious feeling he has about him.

Franco opens up to Hope and admits that he had a girlfriend to whom he was engaged, and a daughter. Hope sympathizes with him on his loss, and encourages him to talk to her whenever he needs to. The Brady's give him lots of home-cooked food, and he comments on the poor quality of room service at the hotels he stays at. While Bo's trying to figure out why he's so nervous, Franco moves in with Shawn and Caroline. Sami and Lucas try to break up Carrie and Austin's plans for a romantic picnic by pretending that little Will is not well.

7/19 Bo is still uneasy about Franco, until he sees Hope becoming good friends with him. Bo trusts Hope's judgement, and if she thinks Franco is on the up and up, then Bo should too. Still, he asks his parents if Franco will be staying with them for the long term. They're happy to have him, and give him a key to the pub so he can come and go. Carrie has had a special key chain made for Franco, and a pin for Hope, with the logo of the new perfume they are promoting. Franco is thrilled with his special key chain, and Gosh, now he has a key to put on it.

Franco talks more with Hope about the girl he broke up with, and it brings back painful memories for Hope. She admits to Franco that she feels comfortable talking to him, and later at the photo shoot, the photographers continue to comment on their “chemistry”. Bo returns to the station where Abe encourages him to follow his gut instinct, but Bo thinks he's probably overreacting. He finds out that Jill has been attacked again by the same guy. Bo investigates this latest incident, and this time he comes up with some evidence that could lead him to the attacker - a key chain. [Hmmm, the very same key chain that was given to Franco, who was again late for the photo shoot.]

7/22 Bo is stunned when Jill tells him that her attacker returned and threatened her and left his keychain behind. Bo calls for a police sketch artist, but Jill disappears before the artist arrives. Later, when Bo meets Franco, he tells him about the attack. Bo produces the keychain, and things look bad for Franco when he can't find his. Hope is certain there is an explanation for it, and can't believe that Franco would attack a woman. She has grown very friendly with him.

Later, Franco shows Bo his keychain and says that it was in his other pants. Then Bo meets a cop acquaintance who *also* has a keychain like Franco's. Apparently they're giving them away as a promotion. Bo wonders how he'll find the attacker with dozens of keychains around. Of course, Franco could have just replaced the one he lost. He watches Franco and Hope with a careful eye.

7/24 Hope thinks Franco is the greatest, which is why she is surprised to learn that Bo has run a background check on him. Bo explains that since Franco is living with his parents and working closely with Hope, he feels justified in checking the guy's past out. Additionally, he hasn't completely cleared himself of being a suspect in the attacks. Bo learns that Kate had the key chains mass produced that afternoon. She gives one to Bo and Hope.

7/25 Bo and Hope are shocked to learn that Franco has a criminal record, but their suspicions are eased when they learn why. Franco is at the Brady Pub, dishing out soup for the needy. Bo says that either Franco is the nicest guy around, or he's a master of deception. Though he wants to stay and help, Shawn and Caroline insist that they can handle things, and Franco makes plans to go to a movie, but instead he is sneaking around town.

Later, Bo and Hope intend to spend a romantic day together, but those plans are put on hold when Bo runs into Jill while Hope had gone home to change for dinner. Jill tells Bo she ran into her attacker again, and he was very nice and apologetic. But then things got out of hand again and he hit her when she wouldn't give him what he wanted. Bo calls for a police sketch artist, but when he turns his back, Jill has taken off again. Bo calls Hope and aborts their dinner plans, instead asking her to meet him at the movie theatre. Franco isn't there, and strangely enough, he was wearing a blue shirt just as Jill described (she says she tore it). Hope still doesn't believe Franco could be guilty.

7/26 Hope and Bo can't find Franco at the movies, which leads them to believe his alibi is worthless. Then Franco suddenly appears, so the evidence shifts. Even so, Bo and Hope are still suspicious, and they decide to search Franco's room in secret [it's Bo who wants to do this, to find the alleged ripped blue shirt. Hope still can't believe that Franco is involved.] As they head over, Hope wonders if they will find anything that will prove Franco guilty, or could Franco be as innocent as he seems?

While they are searching, Franco unexpectedly returns to his room and Bo hides under the bed. Hope hides in the bathroom, and when Franco discovers her, pretends to have something in her eye, so she ducked into his bathroom to check on it. She 'casually' asks him about his blue shirt, saying she admired it and wanted to get one for Bo. Franco says he gave it to a poor person who needed it more than him. After Franco leaves, Hope berates Bo for thinking so badly of Franco. Bo wonders if he was off base as well. But a short while later, Franco rummages around in the trash behind the Brady Pub and pulls out his ripped blue shirt, and tosses it into the incinerator.

7/29 Bo & Hope continue to have opposing points of view over whether Franco attacked Jill. When Bo learns that the movie Franco saw at the movies was on TV the night before, he suspects that Franco may have slipped out of the theatre. While Hope & Franco are called to an unexpected photo shoot, he questions the cinema staff.

7/31 Caroline overhears Franco yelling to someone over the phone & asks him if everything is all right. Franco assures her everything is fine. Bo & Hope go to the police station where Jill is going to make a statement. Bo plans on showing her Franco's photo. Jill rings to say that the man rang her & threatened her so she is leaving town. Bo decides to follow Franco & Hope goes along to prove he is innocent. They learn from Shawn that Franco is dining at the Salem Club. When they get there, Hope is called to Titan so Bo watches as Franco saves a man from choking. Soon afterward Franco leaves but Bo looses his trail. Franco goes to Titan where he gets in the same lift as Hope.

8/1 The elevator carrying Hope and Franco stops between floors. Thinking about Bo's accusations Hope becomes nervous being alone with Franco. Franco believes Hope is claustraphobic and helps her calm down. Later Hope tells Bo that Franco was so caring that there is no way that he could hurt anyone let alone attack Jill. Bo is not convinced and wants to continue to watch Franco. Hope agrees to help him but only to prove Franco is innocent. At the Salem Club, they see him talking to a woman at the bar and Bo worries that she might be his next victim.

8/2 Bo & Hope continue to tail Franco. They see him meeting with the woman from the bar and then listen to a phone call he makes where he talks about a surprise for a woman he knows. They then follow him to a warehouse. They go in and Franco is surprised to see them. Bo asks what he is doing there and Franco says he will show them.

8/5 Hope and Bo are shocked to discover that Franco has organized a surprise engagement party for them. Alice, Mickey, Maggie, Jen, Peter, Jack, Sharon, Shawn-D, Shawn & Caroline are all there to wish them well. They wonder why Bo & Hope were at the warehouse in the first place & Hope covers by saying she & Bo were out for a walk & saw Franco come in so they followed him in. Bo & Hope continue to argue as to whether Franco is the man who attacked Jill. Bo is relieved when he learns that Franco's next assignment will be in Milan but is disappointed when Franco later announces that Titan wants to do another campaign with he and Hope.

8/7 Bo has a dream that Franco is attacking Hope. He asks Hope not to sign any contract with Titan until he finds the proof that Franco is guilty. At Titan, Hope discovers that they want her to sign the contract today and many people are depending on this assignment. She tells them she needs to talk with Bo first. Bo questions a friend of Jill's but learns nothing to prove Franco is the man. At the boat, Hope tells Bo she needs to sign the contract but Bo says he forbids her from signing it.

8/8 Hope is angry that Bo ordered her not to work with Franco. They have the same argument over whether he is innocent or not. Bo leaves to go to the station and Franco visits Hope. He tells her he is leaving Salem as he needs to go where there is work. He tells her how he has bought some of the Titan staff gifts and Hope wishes Bo could see how truly caring Franco is. When Bo returns, Franco says good-bye to Bo and thanks him for his friendship. Bo is still determined to prove Franco is guilty and Franco overhears Hope and Bo’s discussion.

8/15 Hope feels guilty about not continuing the Titan contract Nx causing Franco to leave town but she agrees to abide by her decision to wait until Bo has proof of Franco's guilt. When Bo gets called to the station, Hope goes for a walk and meets Franco. They run into a cop who tells Hope that another woman was attacked. She and Franco go to the police station.

Bo questions the woman, Karen, who says that her attacker was a good looking man who could be a model. The police bring in another man and Karen identifies the other man as her attacker. A search of his apartment yields a torn blue shirt (that Jill said she tore when she was attacked). Hope is thrilled that Franco is now cleared and Bo agrees that he is no longer a suspect. She tells Franco that she is telling Keith she will do the assignment and that he can stay in town.

8/16 Hope and Franco prepare for a trip to the Caribbean for the next photo shoot. Once on the plane, they learn they will be going to Santa Rosa. Hope tells Franco that the island holds special memories for her and Bo and she wishes Bo could have come. Kate and Bo discuss Hope's contract with Titan. Kate mentions that Billie will be coming to Salem for a Countess Wilhemina meeting. Bo says he is looking forward to seeing her again.

8/19 Hope and Franco arrive at Santa Rosa for their photo shoot. They get the last two rooms in the hotel and Franco has the "room of eternal love" named after Bo and Hope stayed their years ago. Franco offers the room to Hope but she says it wouldn't be the same without Bo. During the photo shoot Hope fantasizes about Bo and almost kisses Franco thinking he is Bo. Franco stops her before she does.

Jack asks Bo to do a background check on Daniel Scott. Bo is reluctant but when Jack shares his fears for Jen and Abby's safety Bo agrees. He warns Jack that he could be being over-protective (as he was with Franco & Hope). The check shows that Daniel got a speeding ticket last fall but there is no other trace of him. Bo tells Jack that Daniel must be trying hard to cover his tracks.

8/20 At the Santa Rosa photo shoot, Keith discovers that his second bag of film is missing. The shoot will have to be extended until more film arrives. He rings Kate, who says she will have a plane fly down straight away with more film. The crew have a party since they cannot work and Franco watches Hope dance. Later when Hope goes to use her bathroom, a pipe bursts and her bathroom starts to flood. Franco hears her cries and rushes in but cannot stop the water. The hotel plumber also says he cannot fix the problem until morning. Hope wonders where she will spend the night.

Bo and Shawn-D talk about how much they miss Hope. Bo learns the shoot is now on Santa Rosa and is even more sorry he cannot be with her. When he learns that Kate is sending a plane down, he asks if he can go on the plane and come back in the morning thereby surprising Hope. Kate agrees.

8/21 Hope and Franco decide to share his room and since neither will let the other sleep on the sofa, they decide to share the bed. Hope dreams of Bo and cuddles up to Franco believing it is Bo. Bo arrives in Santa Rosa and goes straight to the Room of Eternal Love. He is shocked to see Hope in Franco's arms. Hope awakens & tries to explain the situation. Franco awakens & offers to leave the room. While Hope is in the bathroom, Bo finds a wrench behind Franco's bag.

8/22 Bo talks to the plumber and learns that the pipes were fine and could have been tampered with. Bo shares his suspicions with Carmen (who is thrilled to see Hope & Bo and learn that they are back together). As the Titan crew leave, Franco hands Carmen the wrench and says a workman must have left it in his room. Carmen asks Bo why a guilty man would hand over the wrench and Bo suspects that he did it to look innocent. Franco tells Hope that he is going to leave Salem now that the assignment is over. On the plane trip home, Keith announces that the contract has been extended. Franco calls his boss & says the plan is going well.

8/26 Bo, Hope and Franco arrive back in Salem where they announce that the contract with Titan has been extended. Hope can tell Bo is not excited about this and asks if he would prefer her not to sign the contract. Bo tells her that he will support whatever decision she makes. Hope tells Alice that she wishes they could make the decision together. Bo confides his suspicions about Franco to Alice. Franco overhears this and swears that Bo will not learn that he did tamper with the pipes at Santa Rosa.

8/27 Hope still cannot decide whether to sign the contract or not. She speaks with Bo again but he tells her he will support whatever decision she makes. He then gets called to work. Franco tries to convince Hope to sign. Alice advises Hope to listen to her heart. Hope decides not to sign the contract and Bo is delighted. Franco calls his boss and says that this goes well with their plan.

8/28 Bo tells Hope, Shawn, Caroline and Alice that Will has been kidnapped. They are all in shock, Franco meets with his boss (who remains unseen) who gives him money and further instructions to come between Hope & Bo.

8/29 Bo & Hope bring the police sketch artist to Sami. She tries to describe Mary and some of Will's missing toys to the artist. Franco delays his flight to Milan. He tells Hope he feels as if he is deserting the Brady's in their terrible time. Hope urges him to go to Milan as there is nothing he can do. Franco does leave but vows to return to Salem. Jill returns to Salem and goes to Bo at the police station. He shows her a photo of the man they arrested but she says he is not the one who attacked her. He shows her a photo of Franco from Bella and she says he may be the one.

9/3 Marlena meets with Bo & Hope. Hope can tell that she longs for John & Marlena realizes she has to hide her feelings for John. Bo gets a call from a source who may have information about Will. The source wants reward but Bo threatens to throw him in ail. The source explains that the info comes from a friend. Bo tells his source to get the info right away.

9/4 Bo & Hope continue to work on Will's case. Bo's source, Larry admits that that he does have information. When Sami learns of Bo's lead, she is certain she will get Will back. Bo & Hope explain that their source saw Mary get into a cab the night Will disappeared. They traced the cab to the airport, which means that Mary could be anywhere. Sami is once again devastated.

9/5 Austin rings the Brady's to find out more about Will's kidnapping. Marlena tells him it was Mary who kidnapped Will. Bo tells Austin that it is likely that Mary took Will out of the country and there is no point in returning to Salem just yet. Marlena looks through Bo & Hope's files and sees the sketch of Mary and of Will's rattle. She realizes Mary was the woman she saw at Paris airport.

Hope looks through some prints of the photo shoot from Santa Rosa. Bo questions whether she has any regrets about not accepting the job. Hope assures him that she doesn't. Franco also looks at the prints. He tells his boss that everything will work out and he will return to Salem.

9/9 Bo & Hope spend the day having a picnic with Shawn-D. While flipping through a magazine, Hope sees a photo of Billie but hides it from Bo. When Hope gets an invitation to attend a Titan board meeting, she and Bo see that Billie will also be attending.

9/10 Bo & Hope go out for dinner and see Alice. Hope confides in her grandmother that she is worried about how Bo feels about Billie coming to town. Alice advises Hope to be honest and talk to Bo. Hope follows this advice and Bo says he is not concerned with Billie coming. He admits that he used to love Billie but now he is committed to her (Hope). Bo & Hope then vow to always be honest with each other about their feelings.

9/11 Alice & Shawn-D plan a surprise for Bo & Hope. When they return to the boat, they find the boat decorated with streamers and balloons. Bo & Hope decide to pledge their love for each other & recite their wedding vows, promising to love each other for eternity.

9/13 Bo & Hope spend the evening making love and talking about their future. When they go to sleep, Bo has a dream about Billie. He wakes up startled and asks himself, “Where did that come from?” Meanwhile, on Billie’s flight home she has a dream about Bo.

9/16 Bo confides in his mother his dream about Billie. Caroline says she is not surprised since he and Billie never properly ended their relationship. Bo admits he is glad Billie is not returning to Salem after all. Hope meets with a wedding planner who mistakenly believes she is Billie. She is upset but after talking with Bo gets over it.

9/17 Hope wakes up to find Bo is dreaming and hears him say Billie's name. They meet Caroline & Alice for breakfast, where Hope tells Alice about how Billie has been topic of conversation lately. She admits she is glad Billie isn't coming to Salem. Caroline notices Bo orders coffee the way Billie likes it. He also admits he is glad Billie isn't returning. Billie wakes up and looks at the photos from her wedding again. She remembers more times with Bo . She heads to Salem Place where she sees Bo & Hope embrace after picking up their wedding rings.

9/18 Billie, Bo & Hope talk awkwardly for a few moments before Hope gets a call to go to work. Billie goes for a walk where she reminisces about times with Bo. On the pier Bo & Billie meet. Bo asks her about her life in Paris and whether she has met anyone else. Billie gets upset saying that he really wants to know if she is over him. She says she is but then starts crying. Bo holds her.

At a photo shoot, Keith tells Hope she doesn't seem to be focussed on the job. He asks what is wrong but Hope says nothing. While looking through Keith's camera, Hope sees Bo holding Billie further down the pier.

9/19 Billie tells Bo that she was overcome with emotion being back in Salem and seeing old friends and places. Hope is upset seeing Bo with Billie. On the boat, she asks Bo if he did anything interesting that day? At first he says no, but then tells Hope about seeing Billie. Bo visits Victor (who has had a stroke) and tells him how he was overcome with memories seeing Billie and how he never wanted to hurt her. Kate tells him that Billie went to visit Hope.

Hope is at first unwilling to talk to Billie when she arrives but Billie urges her to talk openly about their feelings. After talking, Hope and Billie become friends again and Hope asks Billie to stay for their wedding. Bo returns to the boat to find Billie and Hope having a water pistol fight and making plans for dinner that evening.

9/20 Hope tells Alice that they are going to dinner with Billie. Franco's name comes up in the conversation and Alice admits that she is glad that he has left town since Bo wasn't comfortable with him. Franco is back in Salem and talks to himself about his plan and how it will upset Bo & Hope's life. Bo runs into Jill who is pleased her attacker has disappeared. When Bo sees a photo of Franco in Bella he asks Jill to buy a copy. At dinner, Billie returns to her car to get some photos. She is approached by a man and she screams. Bo rushes to her aid and goes to hit the man who turns out to be Franco.

**The End**