Episode 5487 (24th December 2009)

Plot[]

Despite promising Debbie he wouldn't cause any more trouble, Cain's on the warpath when he spots Charity in the village. As a row ensues, Charity lets slip that she was the one there for Debbie when Carl attacked her. Charity's worried as Cain drinks at the bar and when he goes to confront Carl, she realises that she can't stop him and races to find Debbie. Debbie tries to reason with her enraged father, who has a spanner in hand in readiness to confront Carl. As Carl and Jimmy open their door to the commotion, Debbie stands between Cain and the house, before congratulating Cain on being a tough guy but the worst dad. With that, she leaves him to it. Debbie clearly strikes an emotional chord with Cain and he surprisingly follows her home. Back at Tug Ghyll, Debbie breaks down and screams at her parents when they begin to argue again. She warns that if they ruin Christmas, she'll never forgive them. Determined not to hurt their daughter any more, Charity and Cain call a truce. Meanwhile, Natasha's suspicious of Mark's obsession with making Christmas perfect - and confused by his efforts to spend more time with his family. He's forced to cover his guilt when she questions his doting dad routine and lies further when he receives a text from Faye. Later at Faye's, Mark tries to remain joyous as she wishes him a merry Christmas but confides that it's hard to maintain his high spirits when he is about to rip his family apart. Trying to cheer him up, Faye presents him with a gift - a ring. Faye tells Mark that she understands why he can't wear it but hopes that he soon will – it'll mark the beginning of their new life together. When Mark returns home with a huge pile of presents, Natasha's intrigue is piqued. Elsewhere, Ashley's filled with sadness as Doug picks up Gabby to take her to be with Laurel for Christmas Day. Sally's silently celebrating as she watches Ashley go back into Mulberry alone. Later, seeing a lonely Ashley at the bar in the Woolpack, she steals an opportunity to buy him a drink and spend time with him.