Being rejected by Laurn Fenmor in favor of Clark Garison (or so he thought at the beginning) was a very big blow to Eric Forrester's ego. It caught him totally unprepared. In his despair he turned to the only woman who always accepted him with open arms - his first Ex, Stephanie Forrester.

That's why one evening Eric appeared on Stephanie's door step and asked her out. They spent a lovely evening at the Cafe Russ eating and dancing, returned to the mansion and by the end of the evening they were in bed making love.

Eric & Stephanie's night of passion would have stayed a one time event if not for Laurn. A short while after that night Eric did figure out that Stephanie was the real reason behind Laurn's actions. But when he confronted her, Laurn insisted that he belongs with Stephanie (and what about what Eric wants ???) and not with her.

Then came the night of Grant Chamber's costume party. Eric was a broken man. His comapny "Forrester Creations" was in Grant's hands, after Grant forced Brooke appoint him as the C.E.O. His eldest son Ridge, was accused of shooting Grant. And the media was referring to him as the "old fool who lost his comapny to his gorgeous Ex and her new young stud".

But Eric Forrester is not a man who will stay down for long. So Eric swallowed his pride, went with Stephanie to Grant's costume party dressed as King Henry the 8th, and was determined to make an unforgettable impact. And that's exactly what he did.

At the party, after Grant's speech, Eric managed to get Stephanie away from the crowd to the privacy of the balcony and there and then surprised her with a marriage proposal. Stephanie was stunned. She thought that Eric was joking (it's funny, but Stephanie had the same reaction all those years ago when Eric asked her for a divorce). Seeing the diamond engagement ring that Eric had brought with him conviced Stephanie that Eric is dead serious and she agreed to remarry him.

The newly engaged couple returned to the party and announced their engagement. Thus becoming the center of the party which unexpectedly, to Grant's dismay, was turned into an engagement party.

Eric & Stephanie's marriage plans were put on hold during Ridge's trial. When Ridge confessed to shooting Grant, Eric was crushed. He blamed himself as the man who raised Ridge for his actions. And seeing him behind bars was enough to send Eric straight to the nearest bar to get drunk. That's where Laurn found him and took him to the guest house were Eric spent the night alone in Laurn's bed.

When Eric's cuff-link turned in Laurn's bed Stephanie went balistic. She lashed at Laurn, and threw her from the guesthouse and the Forrester bulding. She also gave Eric, twice, the chance to break off the engagement but Eric declined. ( I wonder what Steph"s reaction would have been if she knew Eric's real reason to stick with her = family unity in this time of crisis.)

If Stephanie thought that by throwing her from the guesthouse and Forrester she is going to get rid of Laurn, she was dead wrong. It was only the first shot in the battle for Eric. And against Laurn's youth and vitality, and Sally Spectra cheering from the side lines, poor Stephanie didn't stand a chance.

Actually, at the end Stephanie lost Eric again thanks to her own vitriolic character, and big mouth. But that's another story.

When Stephanie overheared Sally telling Clark about Laurn's new love nest and campaign to win over Eric, she rushed to Laurn's new condo with a wedding invitation in her hand to make a stand. But Laurn refused to accept the invitation declaring that there will be no wedding.

Ridge's release from jail should have released Eric from his obligation to Stephanie. The family crisis was over and there was no more need for them to remarry for the sake of their kids. But Eric, being his usual honorable self, refused to break his commitment even after spending a very passionate night in Laurn's bed.

So Eric stayed committed to Stephanie although he wasn't able to keep Laurn out his mind. He even went as far as fantasizing about Laurn dancing Can-Can dressed in his boxer shorts while an oblivious Stephanie was happily making honeymoon plans.

Stephanie went on living in fool's paradise believing that her maturity and sophistication is what Eric truly desires and not Laurn's youth, vitality and sexuality. (And she dares to claim that she knows him better then himself) Until the big day of the wedding.

When the big day arrived, the Forrester mansion was all decorated and ready for the festivities. The guests were arriving. The groom and the best men (except Ridge) were getting ready in their monkey suits ...

The maids of honour were looking immaculate in their Forrester designed dresses ...

And the bride ..., the bride was glowing in the wedding dress that her soon to be husband has desinged for her. This was Stephanie's day of triumph. The day she waited for during those 7 long years (and 2 new wives) since that horrible night (for her anyway) when Eric came home and out of the blue asked her for a divorce.

When the principal bestman - Ridge, and maid of honour - Taylor failed to show (Ridge - because he was too busy getting drunk and being all over Brooke in her bedroom, and Taylor - being otherwise occupied in barging into Brooke's bedroom and watching the father of her baby and his ex-lover in bed), Thorne offered to stand with Eric and Stephanie asked Felicia to stand with her. And thus the wedding has begun.

So, there were Eric and Stephanie standing before the minister and all the guests (including a heart broken Laurn), declaring their eternal love, devotion and commitment to each other. (Actually it should have been Stephanie's life long obsession with Eric and Eric's blasted sense of obligation JMO.)

The minister opened his book and started reading the appropriate lines. And when he turned the page, there was staring at him right in his face, a picture of the esteemed groom, naked, in bed with a naked read-head who most certainly was not the bride...

The shocked minister stopped the ceremony, took the surprised couple to the study gave Eric the picture and left with Stephanie to explain. A very embarrassed Eric had to confess to his bride that while they were engaged, he slept with Lauren.

Stephanie exploded. She couldn't stand the humiliating thought that all those times when she trashed Lauren telling her that a man like Eric will never look at a woman like Lauren, they had already been in bed together.

Eric pleaded and begged with Stephanie to go on with the wedding but Stephanie wasn't about to do it. She took off her veil, left the engagement ring on the table and stormed out of the room. Leaving behind a devastated Eric who had to tell the guests and family that the wedding was postponed.

Eric was sure that Lauren was the one who put the picture in the minister's bible but wasn't able to find her so he can give her a piece of his mind. That's because Lauren was drinking champagne by the pool where Stephanie found her and through her into the pool.

Although Stephanie didn't want to hear about a wedding, Eric was still determined to marry her. And even the realization that Lauren had nothing to do with ruining his wedding, and her revealing to him the whereabouts of his missing spring collection (on Spectra's runway) didn't got Eric to change his mind.

Forrester's fashion show at magnificent and romantic Lake Como gave Eric a golden opportunity to get Stephanie to change her mind and remarry him.

Since Eric Forrester is not a man who will let such a golden opportunity pass him by, that's why on the day after the (very successful) fashion-show he was standing in the middle of Como's town square with the towns mayor waiting for Stephanie to show up for their wedding.

Eric had left a note in Stephanie's hotel-room, inviting her to their wedding, and informing Stephanie that a failure to show up will be considered as a refusal to remarry him.

A very thrilled Stephanie hurried to the lake's shore to catch a ride to town. But instead she bumped into Sally who was very determined to stop the wedding.

The confrontation with Sally (during which Stephanie threw Sally into the lake) and a malfunctioning boat (that left Stephanie stranded in the middle of the lake) caused Stephanie to be late. And when she finally arrived a devastated Eric, who was sure that she doesn't want to marry him, was already on a plane bound to L.A. (or so he thought) licking his wounds.

Last modified 27 September 2009