Billy consigue un trabajo como taxista. Hace una conexión con un pasajero y rápidamente comienzan a salir. Alison se siente desanimada por la velocidad del noviazgo de la pareja y se cansa de la presencia constante de Marcy en el apartamento. Billy, Michael y Jane la acusan de celos, pero ella lo niega. Billy pronto tiene dudas sobre su relación cuando Marcy les cuenta a sus amigos detalles íntimos sobre su vida sexual y rápidamente declara su amor por él. Billy intenta evitarla, pero Jake le aconseja que se enfrente a Marcy para romper las cosas en persona. Jake es arrestado luego de una pelea en la oficina de desempleo, y está menos que agradecido cuando Kelly lo rescata. Jane se preocupa por el estado de su matrimonio cuando Michael no puede recordar el momento específico en que se enamoró de ella.

Jake teme que Kelly resulte herida si continúan su relación. Establece una cita falsa con un amigo y se la frota en la cara a Kelly para engañarla para que rompa con él. Jane está deprimida cuando Michael debe trabajar en lugar de pasar una velada romántica con ella. Jane pierde su anillo de bodas durante una noche de chicas con Rhonda. Billy completa su primer guión, pero Alison está decididamente menos que impresionada.

Alison se hace amigo de un chico de la sala de correo, quien rápidamente la invita a salir. Revela que su padre es el vicepresidente de una empresa de protectores solares con la que D&D hace negocios. Ella hace una sugerencia para la campaña y se enfurece cuando Rick le roba la idea y se la presenta a Lucy, su jefa. Alison le cuenta a Lucy lo que pasó, pero tiene miedo de hacer algo debido a las posibles repercusiones del padre de Rick. Lucy le da a Alison la oportunidad de trabajar en la campaña, y Alison desarrolla una nueva actitud despiadada de la que luego se arrepiente. Después de fracasar miserablemente en su nuevo trabajo en una cafetería, Jake acepta ayudar a su ex novia Peri con la venta de un cuadro fraudulento. Él se retira del trato después de atrapar a Peri usando drogas, y luego consigue un trabajo como mecánico. Matt cuestiona el personaje de Rhonda después de que ella incumple su promesa de ayudar con una cena en la casa de rehabilitación.

Jane se entera de que está embarazada, pero no se lo dice a Michael porque no parecía emocionado por la perspectiva de tener hijos. Intenta abortar en secreto, pero cambia de opinión. Michael está furioso con Jane por mantenerlo en la oscuridad, hasta que la alegría por su hijo los vuelve a unir. Billy recibe una columna en el periódico del barrio. No puede pensar en un tema porque su vida es aburrida. Con la esperanza de aliviar este problema, convence a Jake y Matt de hacer puenting con él. Después de que no puede seguir adelante con el salto, Billy escribe una columna sobre "" debilitarse "".

Jake le pide a Alison que lo ayude a estudiar para su G.E.D., pero le pide que mantenga el asunto en secreto. El edificio se llena de chismes después de que se ve a Alison saliendo a escondidas del apartamento de Jake después de una sesión de estudio de toda la noche. Billy y Sandy se ponen celosos. Jake y Alison se besan, pero deciden seguir siendo amigos. Cuando Rhonda se encuentra con una vieja amiga de sus días de baile, los recuerdos de la herida que fingió para evitar una audición la atormentan. Después de que Rhonda se entera de que se ha abierto un lugar en el grupo de baile de su amiga, está decidida a redimirse. Ella clava la audición, pero decide que está feliz con su vida actual.

Billy está deprimido cuando el Melrose Times se retira. Le pide a Alison que lo acompañe en una visita a la casa de sus padres, luego le ruega que se haga pasar por su novia. Billy intenta convencer a sus padres de que está a punto de convertirse en un escritor exitoso, pero se ve obligado a ayudar a administrar la tienda de muebles de su padre debido a un trato que los dos hicieron una vez. Él renuncia enfadado después de que su padre cuestiona sus técnicas de venta, y luego le pide a su padre que le deje vivir su propia vida. Sandy se hincha la cabeza después de conseguir un papel en una película de terror y termina mudándose. Ella baja a la tierra después de que el director intenta insertar desnudez en una de sus escenas. Michael se lastima en el apartamento. Él y Jane hablan de su entusiasmo y ansiedad por el próximo nacimiento de su bebé.

Mientras Sandy está comprando un sombrero con Rhonda, un chico lindo llamado Paul la ve a través del escaparate. Rápidamente la invita a salir y ella acepta. Sin embargo, pronto se da cuenta de que no hay chispa entre ellos y trata de decepcionarlo suavemente. Paul parece que no puede entender la indirecta y sigue apareciendo y tratando de ganarse su corazón. Sandy se siente muy incómoda, pero sus amigos sienten que Paul es un buen tipo que merece una oportunidad. Sin embargo, pronto comienza a llamarla en medio de la noche. Jake promete proteger a Sandy y conversan sobre su relación disfuncional mientras pasan tiempo juntos. Paul irrumpe en el apartamento de Sandy y cubre su habitación de flores. Jake lo rastrea y lo maltrata, y termina tras las rejas. Sandy se enfrenta a Paul con enojo y lo convence de que retire los cargos y la deje en paz. Mientras tanto, Alison busca reemplazar su auto chatarra.

Billy helps a woman whose car has broken down along the side of her road. He gives her a ride to a gas station. When she doesn't have the money to pay him, she gives him some passes to a club where she is performing stand-up comedy for an Open Mic night. They get along very well, but Billy soon learns that she has an eight-year-old son. The boy initially rejects Billy, but they soon begin to bond. Billy loses Alison's trust by lying to her so that she will loan him the money Dawn needs for car repairs to make it to her first professional stand-up gig. The relationship falls apart when Billy gets into a confrontation with Dawn's useless ex-husband. Jake and Sandy try to rebuild their relationship, agreeing to go on a ""platonic"" date. Things quickly get out of hand, leaving Sandy enraged and the two not on speaking terms.

During his surprise birthday party, Jake receives an unexpected visit from his mother. Her constant drinking and carousing creates friction in their already-strained relationship. Although Sandy suggests that he be more understanding, Jake throws his mother out. He is too hurt by her mistakes of the past to have her in his present life. He later goes to see her off and wish her well. Billy is the victim of a car-jacking after dropping off a passenger in South Central, and begins to display signs of racial prejudice. Rhonda is furious. She talks with Matt and says that her reaction is partially the result of disappointment in herself; she has become so intent on living her life color blind that she has turned her back on her culture. Billy and Jake conduct a stake-out that leads to the arrest of the culprit. Rhonda takes Billy back to South Central to educate him about the area's people. Jane and Michael quarrel after he behaves insensitively during a parenting class. She believes

During a routine appointment, Jane learns that her baby has died. Michael is reluctant to express his emotions about the loss, and quarrels with colleague Kimberly Shaw when she tries to convince him to show his feelings. He later apologizes, and the two flirt rather obviously. The Mancinis' friends give them a dog to help take their mind off of losing the baby, but Jane loses the dog at the beach. Michael lashes out at her and admits that he fears she may have lost the baby because she initially considered an abortion. He later apologizes for not being more supportive throughout the pregnancy. They find the dog, but let a lonely old woman keep it. Meanwhile, Alison is enraged after finding Billy fooling around with one of her bras while doing the laundry. She claims their friendship is over, but later explains the reason for her anger.

After a chance meeting in the street, Alison becomes romantically involved with environmentalist Keith Gray. She is stunned to learn that he is married, but finds it difficult to break off the relationship after he vows to leave his wife for her. Billy is saddled with bad credit because he has yet to pay off a college loan that he didn't even need. Jane is determined to work off the weight from her pregnancy. She realizes that she is trying too hard to forget the miscarriage.

Alison continues to see Keith, despite the misgivings of her friends and the fact that her erratic behavior has put her job in jeopardy. Billy confronts Keith about his treatment of Alison. Matt is the victim of an attack outside a nightclub. When an officer from the hate crimes unit comes to the halfway house, Matt's supervisor is stunned to learn that Matt is gay. He quickly devises a reason to fire him. Jake and Rhonda convince Matt to seek legal recourse. A customer at Shooters asks Sandy to audition for a soap opera. She wins the role and moves to New York.

Keith stays with Alison while his estranged wife, Lily, is in town for the weekend. Alison is wracked with guilt after Lily confronts her in a dream, and recalls the despair her mother suffered following her father's affair. After bailing out of a camping trip, Alison drives to Keith's house to catch a glimpse of Lily. She realizes that she can't continue the affair. Matt's parents refuse to support his lawsuit because they fear it would damage their reputation. He finds a lawyer who will work for free, provided that he let her use the case to publicize the issue of anti-gay discrimination. Rhonda's ""efficient"" new roommate turns out to be completely anal-retentive.

A mysterious aspiring photographer named Jo Reynolds moves into the building. She responds coldly to the other residents' attempts to make nice, although she develops an instant attraction to Jake. She strikes up a friendship with Alison when they take out their romantic frustration on a washing machine. Jo explains that she left New York to escape from her marriage. The women continue to bond, and hustle some guys in a pool game at Shooters. Jo flirts shamelessly with Jake after he comes up to her apartment in a towel to remind her about the hot water shortage. Michael and Jane begin spending time with a respected pediatrician and his wife. Jane suspects that the woman is being abused, but Michael doesn't believe it because her husband is so good with his patients. Jane is certain that something is wrong, and pleads with Liz to seek help. Liz goes to the Mancinis after being beaten, and decides to leave Scott. Michael plans to report Scott to their boss, but convinces him to do

Billy tries to hit on Jo, but gets nowhere. Jake tries the exact same line, and Jo agrees to go for a motorcycle ride with him. Jo asks Jake to drop her off--claiming to have a job interview--but instead goes to a pawn shop to sell a bracelet. She cannot sell it because she has no photo ID. She is annoyed to find that Jake has been following her, but asks him to sell the bracelet on her behalf. The jeweler believes it might be stolen because it has the inscription ""To Beth."" Jo refuses to discuss the inscription, and orders Jake to stay out of her business. She later takes Jake's motorcycle without permission (causing him to get a ticket for allowing an unlicensed driver to use his vehicle). She apologizes and flirts with him, and they go out to dinner. Jake gets into a fight outside a bar with a man who recognizes Jo as someone named Beth. Jo runs off and refuses to explain herself. Jake pleads with her to confide in him, stressing that he really cares about her and thinks

Jake is visited by an old girlfriend, Colleen, who stuns him with the news that he is the father of her four-and-a-half-year-old son. She asks Jake to waive his parental rights so that her husband can adopt the boy. Jake is furious that Colleen failed to tell him the truth, and considers starting a custody battle. He believes that caring for a son could give him the direction he is lacking in his life. Jake becomes angry because Jo believes it might be best to let the boy stay with a stable family. Jake ultimately decides that it is in David's best interests to stay with Colleen and her husband, and signs away the rights. Jo secretly takes a photo of Jake with his son as a memento. Alison learns that she needs surgery to remove a benign tumor from her uterus. If she doesn't have the surgery, she may not be able to have children. However, she has no way to pay for the operation because she has no insurance. Billy becomes very frustrated with the ever-present bureaucracy at ever

Alison undergoes successful surgery, and Billy agrees to care for her when she returns home from the hospital. They both become frightened by how much they have come to care about each other. Jake and Jo observe that the necklace Billy plans to give Alison for Christmas is more than a ""friendship"" present. Billy disagrees, but decides not to give Alison the gift after she makes him agree to a ""no presents"" pact (because she is short on cash). Alison fears that she has hurt Billy's feelings. She later apologizes, and he gives her the necklace. They admit that they have become confused by their feelings. Jo and Jake try to overcome their unhappy memories of Christmas. He is excited about making a fresh start, but she remains cynical and wants to ignore the holiday. She also tries to push Jake away, but they end up having a hot make-out session. Michael is depressed when he and Kimberly cannot save a young gunshot victim, but his spirits are revived after delivering a baby for t

Jane receives a surprise visit from her sister Sydney, who has dropped out of college. Jane keeps the news from their parents, but is annoyed when Syd hangs around her workplace. Kay eventually hires Sydney as her assistant. Billy agrees to set up Alison with one of his friends, as she needs a date to the advertisers' ball. He scuttles the whole thing due to jealousy, and agrees to be Alison's date to make it up to her. Jake buys a new motorcycle and tries to convince Jo to take his old bike. She hesitates because she fears becoming indebted to a man. Jake tries to prove himself by taking up one of Jo's interests, poetry. He tells her that he has gained a lot from knowing her, and that he only wants to see her happy. Jo is disturbed when she is repeatedly contacted by her husband, whom Jake later finds snooping around the mailboxes. Rhonda is furious when Terrence doesn't defend her honor to his snobbish friends, but he later proposes marriage.

Sydney continues to get on Jane's nerves. Jane tells Michael that she is going to kick Sydney out of the apartment, but Michael has already asked Syd to take Jane out and get her to a surprise birthday party. He convinces Jane to go out with Sydney and think things over. This proves to be a disaster, as they get into an argument. Jane accuses Syd of trying to steal her life, and Sydney lets her storm out instead of taking her to the party. Michael has to spoil the surprise to get Jane to the event. Jane orders Sydney to move out, and the two talk about their long-standing differences. Jake reluctantly tells Jo about his meeting with her husband, Charles. Jo decides to contact Charles. Jake feels helpless when Jo begins seeing Charles, who seems to be a changed man. Jake later admits his strong feelings for Jo and shares his frustation about standing on the sidelines. Charles shows his ugly side after drinking, and grants Jo a divorce. Jo thanks Jake for his patience, and he

Alison is promoted to junior account executive and works with art director Amanda Woodward on an underwear account. Alison flirts with the handsome tennis star who is modeling for the account. She decides not to pursue him because she fears it could affect her career. Jo is hired as photographer, but jeopardizes the account with her ""alternative"" photos. Alison gets into hot water when she takes a risk and shows the client Jo's photos, even though they had already expressed approval about the more traditional shots. Jo upsets Jake and Alison by going to dinner with Rex. She later apologizes to Jake and admits that she has strong feelings for him. Billy doesn't hit it off with a blind date arranged by Michael, but is attracted to Amanda. An overwhelmed Rhonda breaks her engagement after Terrence tries to buy them a house in the suburbs.

Amanda, Billy and Alison spend the weekend at a lakeside cabin. Alison is concerned by Billy and Amanda's obvious attraction. She asks Billy not to date Amanda, as a break-up could hurt Alison's career. They decide to see each other behind her back, but Amanda later comes clean. Alison becomes angry with Billy for sharing her concerns with Amanda. She grows lonely and tries unsuccessfully to call Keith. Jake and Jo have a romantic evening and consummate their relationship. After spending the weekend together, they avoid one another because they are worried about the direction of the relationship. They agree to just relax and take things as they come. Matt is caught in the middle of Rhonda and Terrence's romantic problems. The couple gets back together, but decides to take it slow.

Alison remains irritated about Billy's relationship with Amanda. Amanda suggests that Alison might have feelings for Billy, and recommends that the two discuss their relationship. Alison begins to consider this possibility, and Billy agrees to meet with her. Someone sends flowers to Alison at work and asks her to meet him at Shooters that night. She assumes that the flowers are from Billy (creating problems for Billy and Amanda), but is instead approached by a newly divorced Keith. She agrees to give their relationship another try, so long as they take things slowly. Alison and Keith have a disastrous dinner with Billy and Amanda. Billy goes home with Amanda and sleeps with her. Jo's husband offers her a $50,000 divorce settlement, but she wants to turn it down because of her pride. Jake feels that this is a foolish decision from someone who doesn't know what it's like to be poor. Jake loses his job when the repair shop goes out of business. He believes that he could take ov

Billy backs out of plans with Alison to have dinner with Amanda and her father. Amanda's father declares that Billy is a worthless bum. Keith loans Alison his sports car, but she has it stolen at gunpoint. He comforts her when Billy isn't home to hear her tearful messages. Billy feels guilty about not being there for Alison. Amanda suspects that Billy is in love with Alison. He tries to disprove this by moving in with Amanda. Keith and Alison renew their relationship. She asks him to move in with her, but he later receives an unexpected job offer. Keith asks Alison to move to Seattle with him. Jake objects to ""silent partner"" Jo's attempts to help with the business. Jo takes Alison to the shooting range to try to help her overcome her fears about the carjacking, but Alison is horrified by the fact that Jo owns a gun. Jo mentions this to Jake, who is equally appalled. Jo promises to get rid of her gun. Jake apologizes for being stubborn and asks Jo to be his full partner and do

Billy and Amanda bicker constantly after he moves in with her. Alison quits her job and decides to move to Seattle with Keith. Billy confronts Amanda after she insults Alison at her farewell party. Amanda sarcastically wonders if Billy would rather be with Alison. Billy breaks up with Amanda and moves out. He drives Alison and Keith to the airport, but then pleads with Alison to stay in Los Angeles. She tells him that it is too late to change her mind, and leaves. Michael's college friend Sam makes a pass at Jane after they have dinner together. Michael is livid when Sam--not Jane--is the one to tell him about the incident. Kimberly offers to ""comfort"" him.

Billy's father dies of a heart attack. Amanda tries to exploit Billy's vulnerable state to seduce him, and then shows up at the funeral in an attempt to score points with her ex. Alison flies back from Seattle to comfort Billy. Billy feels that he let his father down, and decides to take over the furniture store. His mother says that she has sold the store to the employees, and that she wants Billy to use his writing gifts. She gives Billy a letter in which his father expressed his pride in him. Billy drives Alison to the airport, but she decides to move back to Los Angeles. Michael tries to convince Kimberly to move in with Billy, but she declines. She explains that seeing the death of his father reminded her of how much involvement she would have in his life if they were roommates. Michael lies about going to the hospital and instead helps Kimberly with a plumbing problem. She offers him dinner and tries to come on to him, but he resists. Billy's family tragedy prompts Matt to

Jake and Jo are forced to submit to AIDS tests after his ex-girlfriend Peri reveals that she is HIV positive. Unable to cope with their anxiety, Jake and Jo take off on his bike and spend the night in the desert. He apologizes for the situation, and they confess their love. They declare that they will appreciate their lives more, regardless of the test results. Their tests come back negative, and Jake offers his support to Peri. Billy uses an embellished résumé to win a job at Escapade Magazine. His boss, Nancy, develops a crush on him. Alison returns to D&D and begs for her old job. Unfortunately, Amanda is in charge of hiring for the position. She lets Alison work as a receptionist, until Lucy forces her to re-hire Alison. Amanda continues to treat Alison badly, but denies that it has anything to do with Billy.

One of Billy's co-workers discovers that he lied on his résumé, and reports him to Nancy. Nancy assures Billy that she hired him for his talent, and gives him a writing assignment. After he does a great job with an article about a dog wedding, she promotes him to staff writer. Amanda continues to give Alison a hard time at the office, so Alison retaliates by erasing Amanda's messages to Billy. Amanda crashes a celebration dinner for Billy and lets him know that she has been calling. Alison takes Billy out to lunch and grows concerned by the amount of personal attention Nancy is showing him. She warns that Nancy may be attracted to Billy, but he takes offense to this. Alison makes a special dinner for Billy and apologizes, but he ignores her and goes back to the office. Nancy makes a pass at him, and takes away his promotion after he turns her down. He threatens to quit, but his lecture inspires her to apologize and restore him to staff writer. Michael grows more concerned by his attraction to Kimberly. She confesses her love to him, and they kiss in the hospital parking lot. Michael gives Jane the cold shoulder, and later goes to Kimberly's place and begins an affair with her. Matt gets a date with a lawyer, but the man turns out to be an egomaniac who only cares about material items. Rhonda annoys Matt by pushing him to give the guy another chance. He says that the fact that he is gay doesn't mean he has to settle for just anyone.

Michael and Kimberly have sex in an elevator at the hospital. Alison later sees them making out in the hospital parking lot after her doctor's appointment. Alison confronts him, but he warns her to mind her own business. Kay sends a burned-out Jane off to have lunch with Michael. Jane learns that he is eating down the street from the hospital, and finds him dining with Kimberly. Kimberly feels uncomfortable after this, and wants to end the affair. Michael spends his day off at the beach with Kimberly, who decides that she will take whatever time she can spend with him. When Jane calls the hospital, she is surprised to learn that he is not on call. She later finds sand in his shoes. Amanda propositions Billy at Lucy's engagement party, and Alison becomes jealous after seeing Amanda kiss him. Jo advises Alison to make a move on Billy, but Amanda invites him to her house before she has the chance. He comes home and wakes up Alison to assure her that he didn't sleep with Amanda. Aman

Billy and Alison's first real date is a disaster, as she is fretting about Michael's affair and he has only one thing on his mind. Before they can try again, Alison is called away to a work retreat in Palm Springs. Michael has Kimberly beep him during his anniversary dinner with Jane because he decides he would rather sleep with Kimberly. On her way out, Alison tells Jane about Michael and Kimberly, but she doesn't believe her. Michael denies everything and tries to plant doubts about Alison, but Jane later catches him at Kimberly's apartment. Alison and Amanda come to a truce after Amanda shares her feelings about Alison's interference in her relationship with Billy. Jake loans Billy a motorcycle so that he can surprise Alison in Palm Springs. Amanda mistakenly receives a note from Billy intended for Alison. She tries to send him away, claiming that Alison is on probation at work and cannot see visitors for fear of losing her job. Alison goes to the parking lot to retrieve som

Billy and Alison's new relationship is torn apart when Amanda discovers that she is pregnant with his child. She insists that he is not obligated to take care of her, but he feels that he must take responsibility for his child. Michael breaks off his affair with Kimberly, and enlists Alison's help to arrange a meeting with Jane. He begs Jane to give him another chance, and she agrees to attend couples' therapy. Jo's nights out partying with Karen come to an end after she makes passes at both Jake and Jo.

The apartment building goes up for sale. Lucy resigns from D&D, and tells Amanda and Alison that promotions may be in their future. Amanda asks Alison to keep her pregnancy under wraps, but Alison lets it slip while out drinking with a colleague to make Billy jealous. Amanda denies the man's allegations. She later suffers a miscarriage while working late with Alison. Billy and Amanda grow closer as he consoles her, and he is torn between the two women. An unidentified individual begins harassing Alison. Keith returns to Los Angeles, completely obsessed with Alison. Michael and Jane rekindle their romance during a weekend getaway. Jo tries to dodge Jake's discussions of commitment. She is arrested for carrying a concealed weapon while working on a photo essay about the homeless. Jake is enraged to learn that she went back on her promise to get rid of the gun. Rhonda proposes to Terrence. Keith stakes out Alison's apartment, and attacks Billy from behind with a tire iron. While Billy is