Episode 6356

Extended Summary

Olivia tells Hunter that he can’t skip his mother’s funeral, and offers to go with him. He gets a call from Lindsay and covers, saying that he’s helping with the service.

Hunter arrives home and learns that Billie’s arson trial starts today. Feeling guilty, Hunter hopes that the judge will let her off, but Zac and Leah think that if she did it, she needs to suffer the consequences.

Ready to go to the funeral, Hunter’s agitation escalates as Zac, Leah and VJ provide some heartfelt love and support.

At Charlotte’s service, Hunter is brave as he tips dirt onto the coffin, but saying goodbye to his mother is clearly starting to overwhelm him.

With the ceremony over, Hunter asks his loved ones for a bit of space. Zac catches up with him on the pier, and tells him it’s okay to let his emotions out. But Hunter shuts down and they head home, Zac’s fears for his son is growing.

Later, Andy finds Hunter on the beach, and reveals that he knows Hunter started the fire. He offers to help him pin it on Charlotte, pointing out how unfair it is for Billie to go down for something she didn’t do. Unable to live with his silence any longer, Hunter admits he burnt Zac and Leah’s house down, rocking Olivia to the core. Hunter explains that he didn’t mean to hurt anyone – the fire took off a lot faster than he thought it would, and then he freaked out and framed Billie. Hunter tells her about Andy’s idea and Olivia agrees, figuring that Charlotte wouldn’t want Hunter to throw his future away over a mistake.

As Billie waits nervously for her trial to begin, Ash admits that Phoebe broke up with him because she couldn’t trust him to be honest with her. The trial starts, and the prosecutor presents a strong opening argument, leaving Billie, Ash and Phoebe worried about her chances of being found not guilty. Back at the beach, the disheartened trio tell Andy that things aren’t looking good. He’s torn inside, questioning whether he can let Billie go to gaol knowing that Hunter was responsible for the fire.

Ash and Billie accept Phoebe’s offer to stay the night at her place, giving Ash hope that things are slowly getting better between them. Back at Phoebe’s, Ash is thrown when she reveals that despite everything, she still loves him. As Billie heads off to bed, Phoebe orders her to stay up and enjoy her last night of freedom. Billie cracks open a beer and as they start to have fun, Ash’s feelings for Phoebe continue to grow. The next morning, Ash tells Phoebe that he still loves her too, and asks if she wants to get back together. Phoebe warns him that she needs to be able to trust him again first, and he’s up for the challenge.

Leah’s anxious as she gets ready to go to court, but Zac thinks all she can do is tell the truth. Zac and Leah agree to take Hunter with them, but they can sense something strange is going on. Leah testifies, and the prosecutor uses her answers to paint a damning picture of Billie. Hunter’s mortified, and as the judge prepares to sentence her, he announces that Billie’s innocent, admitting to the court that he lit the fire.