Theo is led down a dark path by Valerie when things become too much for him on the UK episode of Home and Away the next week. Justin is taken aback to learn he has a new housemate.
When Leah (Ada Nicodemou) decides to move back home, Justin (James Stewart) takes a significant step toward rebuilding their relationship, but Justin isn’t counting on finding a new roommate at the same time.
While working her first shift back at the cafe, Leah gets an invitation from Justin to have a picnic on the beach.
She tells Irene that she is excited but scared, much like she is in the early stages of dating again.
After a pleasant outing to the beach, Leah asks Justin to walk her back to work. The two share a kiss on their arrival back at the diner, and Justin takes the plunge by asking Leah to return home.
Leah feels ready to take that action after talking with Irene about it, and that evening she returns to the Morgan residence with her suitcases in tow.
But Leah can’t help but feel a little nervous, so she tells Justin that she’ll have to spend the night in one of the spare rooms for the time being.
When Valerie (Courtney Clarke) finds out that Leah has returned home, she is bewildered.
Valerie, who surprised Leah by showing up just after she left the mental health clinic, has been Alf’s (Ray Meagher) visitor in a caravan while Leah was residing at Summer Bay House. Valerie informs Marilyn (Emily Symons) that it would be strange to stay in the caravan now that Leah has returned home.
Marilyn asks Valerie if she’s pleased that Leah has improved, seeing that she appears reserved. Valerie can only hope Leah has given it some thought.
Leah mentions that she was staying in “one” of the spare rooms when Valerie and Leah talk about the move the following day, and Valerie realizes right away that they had more than one.
Leah has taken a major step, so Valerie wisely suggests that she could use a little support. If moving in with them would make things easier for Leah, Valerie would be pleased to do so. Marilyn furrows her brow.
Given that he is unaware of Valerie’s initial motivation for visiting the clinic, Justin is a little hesitant to welcome her into their house.
However, Justin’s attempt to bring up the topic with Valerie doesn’t go well. Valerie abruptly states that her past is confidential and that Justin has no need to inquire about it, just as Leah has never had the need to.
As Leah chastises him for inquiring, Justin realizes he’s stepped in, but as he later clarifies to Marilyn, he only wants to know exactly with whom he’d be living. He’s even more intrigued to learn that Valerie was the one who came up with the concept in the first place.
Ultimately, Theo is the one who calms Justin down. Theo reassures Justin that he need not worry after Valerie confides in him about her background.
Justin claims that if Theo is happy, then so is he, so that’s good enough. But might this be an instance of the famous last words?
Later that night, Valerie, obviously distressed, strolls around Flat Beach by herself. She takes a tablet from her suitcase and consumes it while trying to calm her racing breathing.
When Theo brings Valerie to his performance at Salt with Kirby (Angelina Thomson), Kirby can’t help but notice their chemistry as well as Valerie’s erratic behavior.
The following morning, though, is a different story, with Valerie looking quite sullen. Theo gets a notification from TAFE that he failed the assignment because he misread a question in the hastily completed assignment the night before.
Though sarcastically retorting that he has it so hard, Valerie storms off, offering Theo precious little sympathy in her distraught state.
Valerie apologizes and says she finds it difficult to stop thinking about her brother as Theo follows.
Kirby sees them again as Theo comforts Valerie by holding her.
Kirby invites Theo over for a conversation, fearing that Valerie might be diverting Theo’s attention as she tries to secure more duet engagements to support Lyrik while Remi (Adam Rowland) is sidelined.
However, Kirby is not impressed when Valerie goes along and becomes offended when she begins to peruse Kirby’s journals without authorization.
Speaking with Theo alone inside, Kirby notes that even if they’ve had more job offers, it wouldn’t be worthwhile to accept them if Theo isn’t ready.
Kirby notes that although Theo says he’s been busy with TAFE work, he appears to have plenty of time with Valerie.
Theo tells Kirby she’ll have to get used to it since Valerie is now living with them, assuming that Kirby is only jealous of his bond with Valerie after their own separation. Telling Kirby that she no longer gets to speak to him in that way, he storms away.
As he and Valerie stroll back down Saxon Avenue, Theo is furious and complains that there is too much going on in his head right now to allow him to think clearly.
When they go to the alleyway, Valerie offers to share with Theo her coping mechanism—a secret she uses when everything gets too much.
With assurance that it will help, she takes out another pill and hands it to Theo.
Theo hesitates for a time before taking the tablet from Valerie and swallowing it.
Did Theo just commit the greatest error of his life?
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