At the hospital, Jordan received a text message from Rafe while she and Marlena were discussing a mutual patient. Marlena noted that Jordan and Rafe had seemed very happy when they had attended Will and Sonny's wedding together.
Jordan confirmed that she and Rafe had been -- and still were -- happy together, but she added that the relationship was still relatively new and that she was not yet accustomed to talking about it. "I must admit, I rue the day that my daughter let him slip through her fingers. Rafe is quite a guy. But I don't have to tell you that," Marlena guessed. Jordan smiled as she agreed with Marlena's assessment of Rafe's character.
At the DiMera mansion, E.J. was on the phone with someone, receiving the bad news that the surveillance cameras at the ferry landing site had been inoperable on the day of his first encounter with Abigail on Smith Island. Annoyed, E.J. ended the call and stared at the incriminating photograph of him and Abigail for a moment before suddenly realizing that it had actually been taken on the day of their second trip to Smith Island.
E.J. quickly placed a phone call to one of his employees and asked for the exact dates that the DiMera boat had gone to Smith Island in January. After receiving the requested information, E.J. circled one particular date on his legal pad and placed another phone call to the first person he had talked to earlier. "Yes, it's E.J. DiMera. I have another date for you -- January 17th. The surveillance cameras were operational that day? Good. I need a photograph of every single person who boarded that ferry after four o'clock," E.J. told the person.
In Will and Sonny's apartment, Arianna woke up and started to cry while Gabi was sitting in the living room, reading Aiden's printed draft of the custody agreement they had discussed earlier. Gabi set aside the document and went into her bedroom to attend to Arianna. Meanwhile, Will returned home and found the document laying on the couch.
When Gabi emerged from her bedroom with Arianna a short time later, Will was in the middle of reading the document. "What is this, Gabi? How could you try to take our daughter away from me?" Will wondered. Gabi reached for the documents, protesting that if she had wanted Will to see them, she would have shown them to him herself. "Don't you dare act like I did something wrong here. This is my apartment, and that is my daughter," Will pointed out, prompting Gabi to interrupt to stress that Arianna was their daughter. "And you are trying to cut her out of my life! How could you do that to me? To her?" Will demanded to know.
Gabi claimed that she would never, ever keep Will and Arianna apart, since she knew how much they loved each other. "No. No, that's -- that's just why you had your lawyer lower my -- my visits to every other weekend -- just for the hell of it. Every other weekend!" Will angrily countered, prompting Gabi to shush him because she believed that he was scaring Arianna. Will lowered his voice and once again demanded to know how Gabi could have done such a thing to him. Gabi reiterated that she would never, ever keep Will apart from Arianna.
"If that's how you truly feel, then I know how this language got into this document -- it was Nick. That bastard! I knew he'd try something like this -- I knew it!" Will said as he grabbed his keys and started to exit the apartment. Gabi stopped Will and assured him that Nick had not had anything to do with the contents of the document. Will wondered if Gabi really thought that he was dumb enough to believe that. Will reminded Gabi that he knew that Nick had accompanied her to her meeting with her lawyer, but she claimed that Nick had only provided moral support.
Gabi said that her lawyer had drafted the custody agreement on his own and had called it a "starting point." Gabi added that she had been shocked herself when she had first read the custody agreement, and she added that her lawyer had explained that the custody agreement that E.J. drafted for Will would probably look similar because that was just the way that negotiations worked. Will clarified that his proposed custody agreement would look nothing like Gabi's because E.J. knew that Will would never try to keep Arianna out of Gabi's life. Gabi once again claimed that she would never try to keep Arianna out of Will's life, either.
Gabi reminded Will that he was the person who had asked for a custody agreement in the first place. Gabi promised that the final custody agreement wouldn't look like the one that Will had discovered. "Yeah, it sure as hell won't," Will agreed. Gabi revealed that she needed to run some errands, and she added that, while she had originally planned to take Arianna with her, she could tell that Will would probably prefer to spend some time with Arianna himself. Will confirmed the suspicion, and Gabi excused herself after handing Arianna to Will and assuring him that everything was going to be okay.
After Gabi left, Will placed a phone call to E.J. and asked to see him at the apartment right away. A short time later, Will opened the apartment door, expecting to see E.J., but he found Marlena standing outside instead. Marlena told Will that she had been under the impression that he had wanted to see her that day, and when he confirmed that she had not misunderstood, she wondered why he seemed surprised to see her. Will claimed that he was simply concerned about the timing of Marlena's visit, since he had just put Arianna down for a nap a few moments earlier. Marlena shrugged and reasoned that she would just have to settle for seeing Will instead.
Will presented Marlena with a thank-you gift from him and Sonny -- a photograph of the three of them together at the wedding, in a frame that was similar to the one that Lucas had received. Touched, Marlena thanked Will for the gift -- just as E.J. entered the apartment through the door that had been left partially ajar. Marlena took E.J.'s arrival as confirmation that something was wrong, but E.J. vaguely clarified that he and Will simply had something that they needed to discuss with each other. "Oh. Well. All righty then. Go right ahead. Don't let me interrupt," Marlena said as she took a seat on the couch.
As E.J. reviewed the custody agreement, Will reported that Gabi had stated earlier that the custody agreement that E.J. drafted for Will would probably look similar. E.J. confirmed that it was pretty standard for lawyers to ask for more than they hoped to secure for their clients. Will wondered if that meant that he had overreacted earlier. "I didn't say that," E.J. vaguely clarified as he glanced at Marlena, who encouraged him to go ahead and say what was on his mind, since she had no intention of leaving.
E.J. set aside the document and asked Will to reveal everything that he knew about Gabi's meeting with her lawyer. Will confirmed that Nick had been present at the meeting, although he added that Gabi had claimed that Nick had not had any say in the custody agreement. "Well, not in her presence, he didn't," E.J. guessed. E.J. conceded that there was no way to know what Nick had said to Gabi's lawyer behind her back. Marlena allowed for the possibility that Nick hadn't said anything to Gabi's lawyer at all, but Will was fairly certain that Nick had definitely said something to Gabi's lawyer.
E.J. urged Will to keep things in perspective, pointing out that they were just getting started with the custody proceedings. Will nodded and agreed that things could get a lot worse before the matter was resolved. "No, it won't. Look, my job is to protect your interests, and that is exactly what I'm going to do. Nicholas Fallon is not an issue," E.J. assured Will. Meanwhile, in E.J.'s study at the DiMera mansion, the photographs that E.J. had requested earlier started to get faxed to him -- starting with one that showed Percy among the crowd of ferry passengers.
In the park, Abigail stepped in to stop Ben and Nick's altercation from escalating into a fistfight. Abigail asked Nick to leave, and once she was alone with Ben, she demanded an explanation for what had just happened. Ben said that he had intervened because Nick had been "hassling" Abigail. "And by the way, you're welcome," Ben irritably added.
Abigail warned that if Ben was waiting for her to thank him for what he had done, he would be waiting for a very long time. Abigail clarified that she had simply been having a disagreement with her cousin, and she guessed that Ben surely knew how family arguments could get sometimes. "I don't, actually," Ben vaguely replied. When Abigail pressed for more of a response, Ben pointedly stated that if she was waiting for an apology, she would be waiting for a very long time. Ben started to walk away, ignoring Abigail's attempt to stop him.
At the Brady Pub, Nicole quietly stated that she was grateful that Rafe had agreed to help her, especially since she knew how much he hated to get involved in such things. Nicole promised that she wouldn't tell anyone about whatever it was that Rafe was planning to do to Liam. "Whoa, whoa, whoa -- what did you think I was gonna do, break his legs?" Rafe asked.
Rafe clarified that he wasn't planning to do anything illegal. Nicole claimed that she had never suspected otherwise and that she had been joking earlier. "Well, you weren't, obviously. But that's okay, because I care about you, and I want to help. I'm not gonna judge you -- you know that -- but I need to know the truth. Oh, God, what have you done now?" Rafe wondered.
Nicole evasively apologized for once again taking advantage of Rafe's friendship, stating that it had been wrong of her to use him in an effort to take the easy way out of a situation. Rafe assumed that was Nicole's way of saying that she wasn't going to tell him what was really going on, and she regretfully confirmed that she couldn't. Rafe was worried about Nicole, but she assured him that she would figure out how to deal with the matter on her own.
Rafe said that he had been trying to tell Nicole earlier that he knew exactly what she needed to do -- she needed to tell Eric the truth. Rafe reasoned that honesty was almost always the best policy. Nicole agreed and excused herself after thanking Rafe for being "such an amazing friend, as usual." Rafe returned the sentiment and wished Nicole luck.
After Nicole left, Jordan entered the pub and apologized for keeping Rafe waiting. Rafe understood, since his job had been keeping him busy lately, too. Jordan wondered how Gabi was doing, and Rafe replied that his sister had "lost her mind." Jordan reasoned that love had a way of doing that to people, but Rafe argued that Gabi's relationship with Nick wasn't built on love. Jordan predicted that Gabi would eventually realize that, but Rafe was doubtful.
Jordan assured Rafe that Gabi looked up to him and valued his opinion. "Just like your brother looks up to you," Rafe mused. Jordan started to say something, but Rafe interrupted and assured her that he wasn't planning to grill her about Ben again. Rafe revealed that Ben had approached him earlier to issue a warning. Jordan sighed and apologized, explaining that Ben could sometimes be a bit of a "hothead." Rafe said that he had picked up on that himself, but he added that he was pretty good at reading people, and he could tell that Ben was just concerned about Jordan.
Jordan insisted that Ben had no reason to be concerned, since she was fine -- great, even. Rafe was glad to hear that, since he had assumed the same thing, but he mused that it seemed like Ben wasn't convinced of that fact. Rafe explained that Ben had wanted to make sure that Rafe understood that Ben wouldn't be willing to stand back and watch Jordan get hurt. Rafe believed that he deserved to know where Ben's concerns stemmed from. "It's because I told him that I'm in love with you," Jordan blurted out.
At Club TBD, Ben thought about his earlier encounter with Nick. "You're wrong, Abigail -- that guy's trouble," Ben muttered to himself. Later, Abigail entered the club and confronted Ben for leaving before they had finished their earlier conversation. Ben unapologetically stated that he had needed to get back to work right away. Abigail took a seat at the bar and stubbornly declared that she would wait until Ben was done with his shift.
As Abigail watched Ben work, she impatiently wondered how long he expected to be able to think of ways to keep himself busy so that he wouldn't have to talk to her. Abigail guessed that Ben believed that he had a good justification for threatening Nick earlier. Ben clarified that he hadn't threatened Nick, but Abigail disagreed, stating that Ben had literally scared Nick away.
"He should have been scared, the way he was treating you. No guy should ever talk to a woman like that," Ben insisted. Abigail reiterated that Ben had misunderstood the situation, adding that Nick had simply been trying to make a point. "So was I," Ben countered before turning away from Abigail.
While Nicole was in the town square, contemplating her next move, she bumped into the bank employee who had interrupted her earlier confrontation with Liam. The woman was glad to see Nicole, since Liam had dropped a photograph in the bank's safe deposit vault that the woman had been hoping to return to him. The woman handed the picture to Nicole, assuming that the woman pictured in the photograph was related to either Nicole or Liam. Nicole nodded and thanked the woman for returning the picture.
After the woman left, Nicole eyed the image of Jennifer and recalled an earlier threat that Liam had made about finding someone who would believe what he told them about Nicole's misdeeds. "Oh, my God -- he's talking about Jennifer," Nicole realized.
Elsewhere, Maggie called out to Nick as he was passing through the area. As Maggie and Nick conversed, she deduced that he was upset about something, and she encouraged him to talk to her about whatever it was that was bothering him. Nick claimed that everything was fine, but Maggie wasn't convinced. "Okay, I'll -- I'll admit, you know, um, sometimes, people in this town treat me like crap, and even though I'm used to it, sometimes it -- it gets to me," Nick explained. Maggie agreed that no one deserved to be treated dismissively or worse, and she said that she was sorry that Nick was still dealing with such treatment.
"It's cool. I mean it, all right? You know, it's -- it's not gonna change, so there's no point in stressing over it, right? And besides, I'm -- I'm gonna get everything I want, and that's all that matters," Nick cryptically replied. When Maggie pressed for more details, Nick claimed that he had simply meant that he was going to build a good and happy life for himself in Salem. Nick assured Maggie that everything was going his way and that there was no reason for her to worry about him. Nick abruptly excused himself after receiving a phone call, and Maggie watched with concern as he walked away.
Later, Nick met with Gabi, who told him about what had happened when Will had discovered the custody agreement earlier. Gabi admitted that she didn't blame Will for reacting the way that he had, and she added that she hadn't even realized that Aiden was going to include half of the things that were in the document. "Well, you know, it's -- it's honestly all standard verbiage, you know? It's -- it's totally commonplace. [Aiden] explained --" Nick started to say, but Gabi interrupted and said that, while she had heard Aiden's explanation and had relayed it to Will, she didn't believe that it was necessary for things to be that cutthroat.
"Look, Gabi, don't worry about it, okay? Will doesn't want a fight, right? And if things go as smoothly as we hope, you got a great lawyer, and you got me. Come here. You're gonna get everything that you want, all right? I promise. Everything that you and Arianna deserve. I will not let you down -- not after everything that we've been through together. You believe me, right?" Nick asked, and when Gabi confirmed that she did, he leaned in to kiss her.
Nick continued to kiss Gabi as he whispered that he would give anything to be alone with her at that particular moment. Before Gabi could respond, Percy interrupted with his signature greeting and said that he needed Nick to sign off on a document that had been due the previous day. Nick apologized to Gabi, stating that he wanted her to know that she was his priority and was more important than anything else. Gabi beamed with happiness, and Nick walked away to attend to the business matter.
When Nick returned a short time later, he observed that Gabi's smile had faded. "I know you're worried about how things are gonna turn out. I'm confident -- things are gonna work out, all right? For you, for Ari, and for us. Trust me," Nick assured Gabi.
In Daniel's apartment, Daniel told Eric that it seemed unlikely that Theresa had been "calling the shots" in the scheme to drug Daniel, if she had been involved at all. Daniel explained that Theresa -- who wasn't exactly the world's greatest actress -- had seemed genuinely confused and surprised when he had confronted her about planting the prescription pills in his apartment.
Daniel wondered if Eric had ever met Anne Milbauer. "I've had the distinct pleasure," Eric dryly confirmed. Daniel explained that he had originally suspected that Theresa and Anne were working together, but he was no longer certain of that because they usually concocted "elementary school"-level schemes. Daniel added that he couldn't think of a reason for Anne to leave Theresa in the dark about planting pills in his apartment if the women were really working together.
Daniel couldn't think of anyone else who hated him enough to do such things to him, and he hoped that no such person existed, but he admitted that it was starting to seem likely that he had another enemy. Eric suggested that it was time to get the police involved, but Daniel didn't want to do so because Roman and Hope were related to Theresa, whose level of involvement in the case was still unknown. Daniel hoped that someone else would be able to help him figure out who was responsible for drugging him, although he didn't know who that person might be.
Eric offered to do whatever he could do to help Daniel, but Daniel didn't want to keep Eric from anything important. Eric explained that he was free for a while because Nicole was working on a story and Jennifer was out of the office. Daniel clarified that Jennifer had actually gone to Smith Island earlier, and he added that, while he would like to be there with her, she could probably use the peace and quiet. Later, as Eric and Daniel were discussing the case -- and Daniel's growing concerns that Theresa was involved, but only as a secondary party -- Eric suddenly realized that he knew exactly what their next move needed to be.
Nicole went to the Horton house to see Jennifer, but she found Maggie there instead. Nicole frantically asked if Maggie knew where Jennifer was. Concerned, Maggie wondered if Nicole was all right, and Nicole admitted that she was not, although she didn't offer any additional details. Nicole said that she had already tried to call Jennifer and had been unable to reach her. Maggie offered to leave a message for Jennifer about Nicole's visit, but Nicole insisted that she had to talk to Jennifer right away. Maggie somewhat reluctantly revealed that Jennifer had gone to the Horton cabin on Smith Island.
At the Horton cabin, Jennifer was surprised to see Liam, who said that he had followed her there to talk to her about something. Liam claimed that he had spotted Jennifer boarding the ferry earlier and that a dockworker had pointed him in the direction of her family's cabin. Jennifer was in a hurry to catch the next ferry back to Salem, so she suggested that she and Liam could talk on the way.
Jennifer started to leave, but Liam blocked her path and begged her to hear him out. Concerned that something was wrong with Liam, Jennifer offered to get him a glass of water, but he laughed and said that water wasn't going to help the situation. Confused, Jennifer urged Liam to tell her what was wrong. "You know what's wrong, Jennifer. You know!" Liam snapped.
Liam said that, in spite of what had happened between him and Jennifer, he had still wanted to be someone she could count on as a friend. Jennifer confirmed that she and Liam were friends, but he wasn't convinced that she meant that, since she had pushed him away every time he had tried to offer her his support after Daniel's scandal at the hospital. Liam complained that Jennifer never seemed to think about anyone other than Daniel, whom her whole world seemed to revolve around. "If I were you, I'd be concerned about [Daniel] being a lying addict after those pills showed up in his place," Liam told Jennifer, who wondered how he had found out about that.
Jennifer assumed that Liam had overheard something at the hospital, but he revealed that she was wrong. "What does it take to convince you? My God, I worked so hard to make everything just right! I thought when you found those pills, you'd take care of telling the world who the real Daniel is, but no -- it's like -- it's like you still believe in him, no matter what I do!" Liam snapped at Jennifer, who was shocked to realize that Liam was the person who had been behind everything that had happened to her and Daniel recently.
Liam reasoned that Jennifer had left him with no other options, since she had tossed him aside for Daniel -- a man who, according to Liam, had repeatedly hurt her and was going to eventually break her heart again. "How could you do this to him? You drugged him! You could have killed him! Or one of his patients! Answer me -- why did you do that?!" Jennifer demanded to know. Liam started to sob as he replied that he had just wanted Jennifer to love him, since she had meant everything to him.
Jennifer gently reminded Liam that they had only gone on a few dates with each other. "But we were having such a good time! You -- you -- you kept saying so! You know, you said you'd never go back to [Daniel], and then -- bam! You were my last chance, you know that? After what I went through with Debra, I told myself -- I told myself, 'Three strikes, and you're out.' Before Debra, I -- there was -- you know, it doesn't matter. She's the same; you're all the same. But when I met you, I -- I thought things -- things were finally turning around for me, you know? I was -- I was gonna let go of, um...all the -- the pain and ugliness. And then...I didn't know what else to do," Liam explained.
Liam admitted that he had initially lashed out at Jennifer with the smear campaign but had ultimately realized that it wouldn't get him anywhere. Liam added that he had never wanted to punish Jennifer -- he had simply wanted her to realize that Daniel wasn't the right guy for her. "It's your fault things got so out of hand, you know? It's -- it's your blind faith that this guy walks on water. Look, the -- the checkbook, the protein drinks, the pills -- I had to keep upping the ante, don't you see? So you'd see that Daniel's the wrong guy for you," Liam elaborated.
Jennifer gently theorized that Liam had followed her to Smith Island to admit his wrongdoing because he felt guilty about his actions. Jennifer observed that Liam was in a lot of pain and seemed to be worried that it would never go away. Jennifer assured Liam that, with the right help -- help that she could help him acquire -- the pain could go away. Jennifer guessed that Liam just wanted the whole thing to be over. "Yes, I want it to be over," Liam tearfully agreed. Jennifer suggested that she and Liam could board the ferry together and talk about everything on the ride back to Salem, where she could help him get the help that he needed.
"It's too late for me. It's too late for you, too," Liam replied as he retrieved the gun that he had tucked behind his waistband earlier.
In the Horton cabin, Jennifer gently asked Liam to join her on the ferry. Half-crazed, Liam brandished a gun and said, "It's too late for me. It's too late for you too." Liam growled that Jennifer was not able to love him and that he had no choice.
"After everything that has happened, I see no solution to the problem that is you. You have to die!" Liam said. Afraid, Jennifer pleaded with Liam and offered to help him. Liam refused. Jennifer's phone rang, and Liam grabbed it. When Liam looked at who was calling, Jennifer grabbed the fireplace poker and hit him across the head. Jennifer raced to the front door but was unable to open it.
At Club TBD, Abigail sat at the bar and goaded Ben to talk to her about the incident with Nick. When Abigail asked why Ben had attacked Nick, Ben stressed that Nick did not have a right to treat Abigail poorly. Abigail countered that Ben had misunderstood the situation between Abigail and Nick. Abigail stressed that she did not need anyone to take care of her.
Ben agreed but stated that his concern was with Nick because Nick's body language had been aggressive. With a sigh, Abigail said that Nick was her cousin and would not hurt her. "I hope you're right. Because if your cousin is that kind of person, from the looks of today, the way he was acting, I'd hate to see what he was capable of," Ben said.
Worried about Ben's intentions, Abigail remarked that she did not want Ben to misconstrue her friendly interaction with him as something more. Ben denied that he was interested in Abigail. Ben apologized for grabbing Nick but added that he would have gone after Nick if Nick had behaved in that manner with any woman. As Abigail nodded, Ben admitted that he liked to argue with Abigail and joked that she was out of his league. Abigail apologized to Ben for overreacting, and Ben apologized as well. With a smile, Abigail said she would chalk up Ben's behavior to his upbringing.
In the Brady Pub, Rafe informed Jordan about his conversation with Ben. When Rafe asked why Ben was acting so protectively, Jordan confessed that she had told Ben that she loved Rafe. Embarrassed, Jordan rose to leave, but Rafe asked her to stay. Jordan apologized for blurting out to both Ben and Rafe that she loved Rafe. With a smile, Rafe noted that he wished he had been the first one to say that he loved Jordan. Jordan and Rafe were both called into work, so they kissed goodbye and parted ways.
Jordan walked to Club TBD to get a cup of coffee and to talk to Ben about Rafe. Ben asked Jordan not to lecture him about Rafe because a girl had already lectured him on his behavior. When Jordan asked for details, Ben changed the subject back to Rafe. Jordan exclaimed that she would never tell Ben any private information ever again. Ben asked what had happened, and Jordan said that Rafe had told her that he loved her. Jordan thanked Ben for intervening and asked him not to butt into her life again. "If you're happy then I'm happy," Ben said. Jordan smiled.
Maxine joined Abe and Theo on a picnic in the park. When Maxine asked about the spot they were sitting in at in the park, Theo explained that his mother had taken him there. Abe said he had not been aware that the spot was a favorite of Lexie's. Theo explained that Lexie had asked him to take his father to the spot one day. As Maxine smiled faintly, Theo excitedly ran off to see his friend Sawyer, who was walking nearby.
Once they were alone, Abe apologized to Maxine. Maxine shook her head and said that it was important for Theo to keep the memory of his mother alive. Maxine confided that she had talked to Lexie when Maxine's husband, Carl, had passed away. Lexie had said that Maxine would never be without Carl even though her life would go on. Maxine added that because of her friends and family, she had been able to move on with her life after Carl's death.
Abe and Maxine traded stories about their deceased spouses and how they would have lived their lives differently if they had known they would lose their loved ones so young. After chatting, Maxine told Abe that she needed to go to work. Theo ran over and hugged Maxine goodbye. Surprised by Theo's gesture, Maxine stared in stunned silence at Abe.
After the picnic, Abe met with Rafe at the Brady Pub to review a case file. They talked about work, and Abe mentioned he had gone on a date. Abe said that his date with Maxine had been unexpected and nice even though they had talked about Lexie and Carl. Abe admitted that he felt guilty for having a good time with Maxine. When Rafe asked if Lexie would have been pleased that Abe had been out on a date, Abe smiled.
At the hospital, Maxine asked Abigail if she was mad at her computer keyboard because Abigail was banging her hand angrily on it. When Maxine asked if Abigail wanted to talk, Abigail asked Maxine for advice about Ben's intervention with Nick. Abigail protested that she could take care of herself. Maxine advised that if Ben had not made the situation worse, then Abigail should give him the benefit of the doubt. When Maxine urged Abigail to cut Ben some slack, Abigail agreed.
While Maxine filed away medical charts, she hummed to herself. Abigail commented on Maxine's cheery disposition, and Maxine remarked that she owed her good mood to Jennifer. Maxine explained that Jennifer had convinced her to leave the hospital and have some fun. At the nearby nurses' station, Jordan texted Rafe, "I love you."
In Daniel's apartment, Daniel typed on his computer, looking for information. While Eric listened, Daniel explained that he believed that Theresa had information about the person that had drugged Daniel. With a gasp, Eric announced that he had a plan. Eric and Daniel discussed whether Brady would be able to help find the person that had framed Daniel. When Daniel asked Eric if he thought he could reconcile with a sober Brady, Eric shook his head and said no.
After Eric left, Daniel called Jennifer's cell phone and left a voicemail. As Daniel hung up the phone, he noticed Liam's concealed microphone on the bookshelf. Daniel started to throw the bug to the ground but stopped. Daniel pocketed the bug and grabbed his coat.
In the Horton living room, Nicole begged Maggie to tell her where to find Jennifer. Maggie said that Jennifer was on Smith Island and should be on her way home. As Nicole started to leave, Maggie stopped her. When Maggie asked if Jennifer was in trouble, Nicole lied and said that she was being selfish and needed to talk to her friend Jennifer. Nicole walked onto the porch and muttered to herself that she needed to rescue Jennifer and find a way to make Eric and Daniel forgive her.
In the town square, Eric ran into Maggie. When Eric mentioned that he was looking for Nicole, Maggie countered that she had seen Nicole and that she had been worried. Maggie said that Nicole had been desperate to talk to Jennifer. When Maggie said that she was worried about Daniel, Eric assured Maggie that he had spoken to Daniel, and he was fine. Shaking her head, Maggie noted that Nicole was quite upset, and she wondered aloud if Nicole's fears were about Eric. Eric asked Maggie to send Nicole to him if Maggie saw her again.
Maggie walked home, and Victor greeted her in the Kiriakis living room. When Victor asked Maggie what was wrong, Maggie informed Victor that she had talked to Eric and was worried that Eric knew information about who had drugged Daniel. Maggie added that Eric had been in a hurry to find Nicole and that Nicole had been desperate to find Jennifer. Victor urged Maggie to forget Nicole.
Theresa packed her suitcase in her apartment in preparation for her one-way trip to Los Angeles. Theresa muttered to herself that she needed to leave town before Liam told anyone about her involvement in Liam's plans to destroy Daniel. As Theresa opened her door to leave, she was surprised to find Brady in the hallway. Brady looked at Theresa's suitcase and sighed. Brady asked Theresa where she was going.
Theresa explained that she was headed home to her sick mother and brother. Brady told Theresa that he missed her. When Theresa commented that Brady had chosen the hospital board over her, Brady corrected her and noted that he had chosen to help Daniel. Brady commented that by leaving town, Theresa appeared guilty. Theresa protested that her mother needed her. Nodding, Brady asked Theresa to stay so that he could help her.
Frustrated, Theresa threw her bag on the chair and exclaimed that she hated Jennifer and Daniel. Theresa added that, despite her feelings, she had not drugged Daniel or planted pills at his apartment. Raising his voice, Brady demanded to know who had drugged Daniel. Theresa said she did not know.
"I really tried, Theresa, but it looks like it is too late to help you now," Brady said. Brady opened the door and admitted Daniel and Eric into the apartment. Daniel showed the bug to Theresa. When Daniel asked Brady if he had found any evidence against Theresa, Brady admitted that he had not. Daniel noted that the bug was traceable, and he planned to talk to Roman.
"It wasn't me, Daniel. It was all him, okay?" Theresa said. Confused, Daniel demanded answers. Theresa told them that Liam Frazer was to blame.
Nicole called Jennifer's phone. At the cabin, Liam accidentally answered the phone call, and Nicole overheard Liam talking to Jennifer, and he struggled to his feet after Jennifer had hit him with the fireplace poker. The call disconnected, and Nicole worried that Liam was telling Jennifer about Nicole's secret.
At the cabin, Jennifer struggled to open the door, and Liam grabbed her just as she was able to open it. Liam pushed her against the door, closing it. Shoving the gun in Jennifer's face, Liam pulled her toward the couch. Jennifer cowered on the couch and said that if Liam had been honest about his feelings then their relationship would be different.
"I know that you never would have treated me the way Daniel treated me. 'Cause he slept with Theresa to punish me," Jennifer said. When Liam asked Jennifer why she had returned to Daniel, she said she had made a mistake. Jennifer offered to make things right with Liam if he would let her show how much she cared for him. Jennifer reached out to Liam and gently forced him to lower the gun.
When Liam put the gun on the table and kissed Jennifer's neck, she grimaced and slowly reached for the weapon. As Jennifer's fingers caressed the gun, Liam pulled away and grabbed the gun from the table.
"You lying bitch! You don't get another chance!" Liam shouted. As Liam cocked the gun, Nicole hit him over the head with an oar and knocked him to the ground. Jennifer thanked Nicole, and the two ran for the door. Liam stumbled to his feet with the gun and called out to Jennifer and Nicole to stop. Jennifer begged Liam to leave Nicole alone. Liam told Jennifer that Nicole was not her friend. Leveling the gun at Nicole, Liam ordered Nicole to admit what she had done.
As Sami arrived at the front door of the DiMera mansion, she got a call from Kate, briefing her about Gabi's "appalling" custody agreement -- which would all but cut Will out of his daughter's life. Sami was livid, and both women were confident that Nick had been behind it. Kate said that she was on her way to meet with Nick and intended to get to the bottom of it.
In the living room, E.J. was on the phone with his detective, vehemently ordering the man to produce photos of every person who'd been on the ferry the day E.J. had gone to Smith Island. The detective said that he would have blow-ups of the surveillance pictures for E.J. very soon. The detective's printer spat out the photos -- including one of Percy Ruggles.
E.J. was locking the photo of himself and Abigail in the desk drawer when an agitated Sami entered and demanded, "So are you going to tell me now? Seriously, I had to hear about this from Kate?" E.J. almost panicked until Sami clarified that Kate had told her about the custody agreement Gabi had drawn up. Sami was convinced that Nick had been involved. E.J. apologetically explained that he'd wanted to be the one to tell Sami -- but he reassured her that the agreement had only been the lawyer's "opening gambit."
"This isn't about the lawyers, E.J. Nick is pouring poison into Gabi's ear day and night, and we have to find a way to make it stop," Sami asserted firmly. E.J. assured his fiancée that he would get a fair custody agreement for Will. Sami admitted that it was frustrating not to be able to use Nick's past against him lest he have them all thrown in prison. That seemed to give E.J. an idea, but when Sami asked about his thoughtful expression, he insisted it had been nothing.
After Sami had gone, the detective showed up with the photographs from the surveillance cameras at the ferry. E.J. gave the man an envelope and headed into the living room to look over the pictures. Each photo was a close-up of a ferry passenger, blown up to eight-by-ten. E.J. leafed through them one by one, twice -- but did not recognize the picture of Percy on either pass through the stack. E.J. concluded that whoever had taken the photo of him and Abigail hadn't been on the ferry. He called the detective again and asked for a list of everyone who'd been on the boat, as well as to find out if anyone had rented a boat that day.
E.J. was on the phone a bit later when Johnny wandered into the living room and over to the desk, where Percy's picture was on top of the pile of photos. "Why do you have a picture of Santa Claus?" Johnny asked curiously, holding up the photo.
When Kate arrived in Horton Square to meet Nick, he was with Percy, who said hello to Kate in his usual fashion: "Greetings!" "Greetings and get lost," Kate curtly ordered him. After Percy had gone, Nick reminded Kate of the millions he and Percy were making for her. Kate countered that the start-up costs were also in the millions -- and Percy was earning a hundred and fifty grand a year as a "glorified gofer." Nick got defensive when Kate accused him of being too involved in Gabi's life.
Kate accused Nick of getting the lawyer for Gabi. Nick readily admitted it, pointing out that the lawyer, not Nick, had drawn up the agreement. Kate argued that Nick shouldn't have played any part in it, but he contended that he was part of Gabi's life, and he would do anything to protect her. "She's the only person in this situation that I give a damn about. You should keep that in mind," Nick warned.
Nick revealed that he had requested the meeting with Kate because his latest formula was going to make "a gazillion dollars" for her. He demanded that she tear up his contract and raise his share from nineteen to thirty percent -- and give Percy a ten thousand dollar raise for her earlier rudeness.
Later, an irked Kate met Sami at Club TBD. Kate repeated what Nick had said -- that he'd hired the lawyer, but the lawyer had drawn up the custody agreement. She also told an incredulous Sami about Nick's financial demands. Sami spied Kate's new ring and asked about it. Kate reluctantly admitted that it had been a gift from Stefano -- but her acceptance of it in no way signified her intention to reconcile with him. "Did you solve that little problem with E.J.?" Kate asked casually.
"Actually, Kate, I don't know what you're talking about. E.J. and I don't have a little problem -- unless you're trying to cause one right now," Sami said. Kate revealed that E.J. had thrown a tantrum in her office about her supposed dirty tricks, but he'd acted embarrassed when she hadn't known what he'd been referring to. " I just assumed that you knew," Kate added. Sami was confident that E.J. would tell her about whatever it was. Kate reassured Sami, "I didn't want to upset you, and E.J. probably will tell you... And if he doesn't, he'll get you a really nice piece of jewelry."
Nick met Percy in the park and thrilled him with the news about Percy's raise. Nick said that it was only the beginning of how he was going to repay Percy. "[Kate will] fall in line. So will Sami, Will, Sonny...and then when the time comes, they won't know what hit 'em," Nick vowed. "Didn't you say you were going to let bygones be bygones?" Percy asked, noting, "If you enact some sort of revenge, then Ms. Hernandez would be in jeopardy of --" Nick interrupted, insisting that Gabi was innocent. "What I did that night was wrong, but what Sami and Kate did to me afterwards, what they forced Gabi to do? I don't think I can forgive. As a matter of fact, I don't think I will," Nick said.
At her apartment, Theresa informed Daniel, Brady, and Eric of her suspicions that Liam Frazer, who was obsessed with Jennifer, was the one who had drugged Daniel. Daniel and Eric acknowledged that they'd both thought something was "off" about Liam. Theresa explained that Liam had been watching the day in Horton Square when Daniel had vowed to make her pay, and later, Liam had approached her because he'd supposedly wanted to get to know her better. Brady recalled walking in on that conversation.
Theresa continued that Liam had kept showing up a lot, asking about Jennifer -- and one day when he had invited Theresa to lunch, Jennifer's picture had fallen out of his wallet. Theresa had confronted Liam about it and accused him of making the flyers and posting the nasty comments on the websites, and he had gone crazy. Eric wanted to know why Theresa hadn't told anyone. Theresa blamed Daniel, since she had immediately tried to tell him, but he had ripped into her and ordered her to stay away from Brady before she had been able to say anything.
Daniel acknowledged that Liam was a pharmaceutical rep who had access to all kinds of drugs. Eric wondered why Liam would have drugged Daniel, and Daniel guessed that it was to make him look bad in Jennifer's eyes. Daniel was anxious to find Jennifer because she was on Smith Island, and he hadn't been able to reach her. Eric offered the use of his dad's boat. As Daniel and Eric hurried out, Daniel asked Brady to get in touch with Hope.
Hope and Ciara arrived at the Brady Pub so Hope could meet with Aiden about the gala for St. Luke's while Caroline taught Ciara how to make a pie. As Ciara headed into the kitchen, Aiden arrived with a bouquet of roses, a box of chocolates, and a very expensive-looking gift bag. He explained that they were gifts for Giselle, who would be joining them soon. Hope didn't think Aiden's unsophisticated overtures would persuade Giselle to go with him to the gala.
Ciara returned from the kitchen because Caroline had something to do before she could teach Ciara, so Hope sent her daughter to the next table to read for a while. Hope reminded Aiden that Giselle had only agreed to donate some of her art for the auction if Roman would be her date. Aiden urged Hope to forget about Roman. Aiden said that he'd done his homework and learned not just Giselle's favorite flower, but also that she was a "tech freak," so he had also purchased the latest smartwatch in an attempt to "wow" her.
Just then, Hope got a text message from Giselle, who said that she wouldn't even meet with Hope and Aiden unless they could guarantee her a date with Roman. "I guess the gala's just not going to raise as much money for the school district," Hope noted wryly. Before Aiden could argue with her, Hope got a call from Brady, who said he had to tell her about something big that was happening with Daniel and Jennifer. As Hope rushed out, she told Ciara to stay there with Caroline.
Aiden was packing up his things, ready to leave in defeat, when Ciara stopped him. After explaining that she'd overheard his conversation with her mommy, Ciara said that she could make her Uncle Roman take "that rich lady" to the gala. Ciara explained that she would tell Roman that she was sad, and he was the only one who could help her, and she would turn on the tears if she had to.
Ciara promised to make sure Roman took the lady to the gala -- but only if Aiden gave Ciara something in return. Aiden asked what Ciara wanted. "I love chocolate, and this watch sounds pretty cool, but you can keep the flowers. They're lame," Ciara said. Aiden remarked that Ciara was a very unusual little girl. "Are you sure you can get your Uncle Roman to take Giselle Van Hopper to the gala?" Aiden asked dubiously.
Ciara said that she was positive. When Aiden agreed that they had a deal, Ciara reached for the chocolates and smartwatch, but he cautioned her that she had to keep her end of the bargain first. Ciara requested a "pinky swear" to prove that he would fulfill his promise. As the two linked little fingers, Ciara cautioned Aiden not to say anything to her mom, who had "all kinds of rules."
Hope arrived at Liam's apartment, armed with a search warrant. When no one answered her knock, she went inside and very quickly found Liam's open laptop on the bed, the earpiece next to it. Moments later, Brady and Theresa arrived. A dismayed Hope ordered them not to touch anything. She explained that she suspected the earpiece connected to a bug in Daniel's apartment. In a wastebasket, Theresa spied the photo of Jennifer that Liam had defaced and pointed it out to Hope.
As Theresa and Brady returned to her apartment later, she tried to reassure him that everything would be all right. Brady was peeved that Theresa hadn't told anyone about Liam sooner, but she pointed out that she'd had nothing but a hunch -- and she knew how it felt to be wrongly accused of something. Brady wondered if Theresa were really telling the whole story. Theresa became defensive, but Brady pointed out that her leaving town made her look guilty.
Theresa said that everyone had been eager to blame her for what had happened to Daniel, and she hadn't been able to take it anymore when Brady had turned on her. "Is that the only reason? You weren't worried that maybe if Liam was caught, that you would be implicated?" Theresa insisted that she'd told Brady everything and had nothing to hide.
Daniel was still frantically trying to reach Jennifer when Eric caught up with him in Horton Square. Eric said that he'd learned from Maggie that Nicole had been looking for Jennifer earlier, and he worried that both of them could be on the island. The men raced off toward the docks.
As Liam held Nicole and Jennifer at gunpoint in the Horton cabin, he ordered Nicole to tell Jennifer what she'd done, or Nicole would die a very painful death. Jennifer was floored that Liam and Nicole knew one another. Addressing Jennifer, Nicole reluctantly stammered that she'd kept a secret, which hadn't been ethical. Liam chimed in snidely, "No kidding." Infuriated, Nicole reminded Liam that he was about to commit a double murder, and she revealed that she had investigated him and met his ex-wife -- who looked just like Jennifer.
Ordering Nicole to shut up, Liam lunged at her and held her against the wall by the throat while shoving the gun in her face. While Liam was distracted, Jennifer grabbed a vase and smashed him over the head. She tried to drag a freaked-out Nicole outside, but Nicole returned to search Liam's pockets. Despite Jennifer's protests that they needed to leave, Nicole claimed that Liam had a new cellphone that might get better reception, but she really wanted it because it had a photo of the reassembled document from Dr. Chyka's files.
Once Nicole located the phone, she continued searching for the original document because she knew Liam kept it in his inside jacket pocket. Before she found it, Liam came to and grabbed her hand. While Nicole struggled to free herself, Jennifer delivered a vicious kick to Liam's kidneys, and the women fled the cabin.
The cabin was empty when Daniel and Eric arrived, shouting for Jennifer and Nicole. Seeing the shards of the vase on the floor, Daniel deduced that Liam had been there, and Eric found Nicole's purse near the door. "They obviously fought and ran, so we need to find them," Daniel said. The men agreed to split up to search for the women.
Nicole and Jennifer paused to catch their breath in the woods and to try to call for help, but neither could get a signal. They heard Liam approaching and hid. As he looked around for the women, who were huddled in some bushes, Liam reminded them that they wouldn't be able to hide forever. At first he promised to let them go if they swore not to tell anyone about what he'd done then he grew angry and threatened to kill them both. Ranting wildly, Liam blamed Jennifer for everything. He ordered them to show themselves, and when they didn't appear, he ran off.
Thinking the coast was clear, Nicole and Jennifer crept out from their hiding place -- and found Liam, grinning maniacally and pointing the gun at them. He accused Jennifer of throwing him over for Daniel because Liam wasn't good enough for her. A tearful Jennifer tried to reason with Liam, but he wasn't interested in anything she had to say. "Which one of you wants to watch the other one die?" Liam demanded, cackling madly.
Just as a worried Eric returned to the cabin, Hope showed up with a uniformed cop. "Hope, it's bad," Eric warned her anxiously.
While Liam pointed the gun from one woman to the other, counting out, "Eenie meenie miney mo," Jennifer and Nicole clutched each other helplessly. Liam decided to shoot "the loudmouth" first, but before he could fire at Nicole, Daniel suddenly lunged out of the trees and grappled with Liam for control of the gun. Daniel managed to wrestle Liam to the ground and knocked the gun from his hand. Jennifer grabbed the weapon as the two men continued to fight. When Liam knocked Daniel to the ground, Jennifer aimed the gun at Liam and ordered him to stop.
While Nicole ordered Jennifer to shoot, Liam rushed Daniel and the men fell to the ground, rolling around. "What if I miss?" Jennifer fretted, since neither man stayed on top for very long. Nicole grabbed the gun, took aim, and fired -- but at that instant, Daniel was on top of Liam. As soon as Liam shoved Daniel off of him, the bullet wound in Daniel's abdomen became apparent.
On Smith Island, Jennifer rushed to Daniel's side as Liam slowly rose to his feet, joking that with friends like Nicole, Daniel certainly didn't need any enemies. Nicole pointed Liam's gun at him and tried to pull the trigger again, but nothing happened. "Yeah, I know. That gun's given me fits since the day I bought it -- jams on me all the time. But look at it this way -- now I won't have to take it away from you. This'll be more fun -- lots more pain. Let's see how loud you can scream," Liam said as he picked up a loose, sturdy-looking branch and started to break off portions of it to create a sharper weapon.
After a few test swings, Liam started taunting Nicole and Jennifer with the makeshift weapon, encouraging them to guess which person he would choose to go after first. Liam also told Jennifer, who had her arms wrapped around Daniel's lifeless body, that her "boyfriend" was dead and that she should have gone with "the winner" instead. Liam advanced toward Jennifer, and as she backed away from him, Daniel suddenly sprang to life and grabbed Liam's legs, knocking the man to the ground and causing him to lose the branch.
Jennifer took the gun from Nicole but was prevented from having a clear shot at Liam because he was struggling with Daniel. Liam soon managed to shove Daniel away from him. Liam lost his own footing in the process, causing him to fall backward and get impaled on the sharp branch he had planned to use as a weapon. Jennifer rushed back to Daniel's side, and Liam soon lost consciousness, the branch protruding from his midsection.
Nicole nervously eyed Liam's lifeless body for a moment before joining Jennifer at Daniel's side. Nicole apologized for accidentally shooting Daniel, but he assured her that he was going to be fine because the bullet had merely grazed the side of his abdomen. Daniel wanted to find out if anything could be done to save Liam, which surprised Jennifer and Nicole. Daniel reminded the women that he was still a doctor, regardless of what Liam had done to them.
Jennifer refused to let Daniel move, since he had lost consciousness a few minutes earlier, although he dismissed that as something that had only happened because he had gone into shock after being shot. Nicole offered to check Liam's pulse, but she wasn't very optimistic that anyone could have survived the kind of wound that he had suffered. Jennifer urged Nicole to be careful. "No kidding. The guy's like a zombie -- he just keeps coming back," Nicole agreed.
Nicole cautiously kicked one of Liam's shoes. "Well, he looks dead. That's good news all around, right?" Nicole said before kneeling beside Liam's lifeless body and reaching out for his neck to check his pulse. Liam suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed Nicole's wrist. "You lying...bitch! You covered up about...that priest...[and] Chyka," Liam weakly muttered. Jennifer was too preoccupied with Daniel to notice what was going on between Nicole and Liam, and Nicole soon managed to break free from Liam's grasp.
Nicole announced that Liam was nearly dead. Ignoring Jennifer's objections, Daniel slowly rose to his feet and guessed that the branch had ruptured Liam's aorta. "Tell them...about you," Liam said to Nicole as Daniel knelt beside him. Daniel told Liam to stop talking, and Nicole quickly encouraged Liam to listen to Daniel's advice. "Jen. Jen. Why couldn't you love me? Why...did you have to be like the others? Why?" Liam asked. Jennifer tearfully replied that she was very sorry. "Not as sorry...as -- as -- as you're gonna be-e-e," Liam futilely sputtered before gasping for one final breath.
As Daniel returned to Jennifer's side, Hope arrived, with Eric and a uniformed police officer in tow, thanks to the earlier gunshot that had pointed them in the right direction. Eric tightly hugged Nicole and said that he had been praying that she would be all right. Meanwhile, after Hope checked on Daniel -- who assured her that he was fine -- she proceeded to get a recap of the whole ordeal from Jennifer. Hope also shared what she had learned about Liam from searching his place earlier.
At Hope's request, the uniformed police officer went to call for the forensics team and a medical evacuation unit. Jennifer hailed Nicole as a hero, but Nicole dismissed the praise, pointing out that her attempt to stop Liam had only resulted in Daniel being shot instead. Nicole reasoned that Daniel was the real hero, and she apologized again for accidentally shooting him, prompting him to place a moratorium on apologies. When the officer returned, Hope handed him Liam's gun before pulling Jennifer and Daniel aside so that she could finish taking their statements while the details were still fresh in their minds.
Meanwhile, Eric wondered why Nicole had gone to Smith Island alone. Nicole evasively replied that she would prefer to talk about the matter later, so Eric agreed to drop the subject. Nicole told Eric that she had left her purse back at the cabin, and he rushed off to retrieve it for her. After Eric left, Nicole knelt beside Liam's corpse and started to reach into one of the inner pockets of his suit jacket, but Hope stopped her and demanded to know what she was doing. Nicole claimed that she had been checking to make sure that Liam was still dead, since she had detected what she had mistaken as movement when she had glanced at his corpse earlier.
Hope reminded Nicole not to do anything that would contaminate the crime scene, and as Nicole stepped away from the dead body, Hope added that she would like to go ahead and take Nicole's statement. Nicole agreed, and when Hope asked why Nicole had gone to Smith Island in the first place, Nicole replied that she had gone there for the same reason that everyone else had -- because she had been concerned about Jennifer. Confused, Daniel -- who had overheard Nicole's statement -- wondered how she had managed to figure out that Liam had been a threat before anyone else had.
As Eric returned with Nicole's purse, Nicole explained that she had crossed paths with Liam on several recent occasions. Jennifer recalled that she had heard Nicole and Liam talking earlier about Nicole's investigation into Liam's past, and Nicole expanded on that statement, revealing that she had tracked down Liam's ex-wife, Debra, who had told Nicole about Liam's obsession with women who resembled the first love of his life. Hope wondered why Nicole hadn't bothered to share that discovery with the police.
Nicole replied that she had only recently started piecing everything together herself. Nicole explained that she had gone to look for Jennifer and had instead found Maggie, who had revealed that Jennifer had gone to Smith Island earlier. Nicole reported that when she had tried to call Jennifer's cell phone, she had heard what she had been sure had been Liam's voice in the background. Hope once again wondered why that suspicion hadn't prompted Nicole to call the police. Nicole claimed that she had tried to do so on the way to Smith Island but had not been able to due to lousy cell phone reception on the ferry.
Daniel and Jennifer reasoned that it was a good thing that Nicole had made it to Smith Island in time to help Jennifer, since the group would have likely otherwise been having a very different conversation at that time. Hope agreed but admitted that she still didn't understand what had caused Nicole to get suspicious of Liam in the first place. Nicole explained that she'd recently had a strange encounter with Liam outside Daniel's apartment, adding that Liam had made up an excuse for being there that she had later confirmed had been bogus.
"So you saw Liam by Daniel's apartment, and you discovered that his alibi was a lie, and still, it never dawned on you to call the police?" Hope skeptically summarized. Daniel urged Hope to go easy on Nicole, pointing out that Nicole hadn't had any concrete evidence against Liam and that, as a reporter, she had to be careful to avoid getting sued. Meanwhile, the uniformed police officer interrupted to inform Hope that the forensics team and medical evacuation unit would each be arriving shortly, so she decided to conduct the rest of Nicole's interview later. Hope instructed everyone to head over to the dock to wait for the medical evacuation unit to arrive.
Daniel and Jennifer quickly walked away, and Eric started to lead Nicole toward the dock, but she paused for a moment to stare at Liam's corpse. Eric assured Nicole that Liam would never be able to hurt her again, and he gently dragged her away from the crime scene as she took one last worried glance back at the dead body, which Hope was kneeling beside.
In Theresa's apartment, Theresa was on the phone with her mother, apologetically explaining that her busy work schedule had forced her to cancel her planned last-minute trip to Los Angeles. "I never realized until just now how easily you lie," Brady observed after Theresa ended the call. Theresa countered that Brady had no room to criticize her, since he had lied about wanting to help her when he had arrived at her apartment earlier that night.
Brady maintained that he had indeed wanted to help Theresa, but she wasn't convinced. "You were just pretending to care because you wanted me to admit that I'm the one who drugged Daniel. Oh, oh, and I'm the one who's harassing Jen -- let's -- let's not forget that one. You know, the fact -- the fact that I told you that I didn't do it -- it didn't mean anything to you, did it? 'Cause as far as you're concerned, your friends can do no wrong, but I'm a liar," Theresa indignantly summarized.
Brady suggested that it would be nice to hear Theresa admit that the whole ordeal could have been avoided if she had warned everyone about Liam sooner, and she countered that it would be nice to hear Brady admit that no one would have believed her if she had. Theresa tearfully added that she had truly believed that Brady was the one person in Salem who was on her side. Brady stressed that he was on Theresa's side -- provided that she was being completely honest with him, of course. Theresa maintained her innocence and insisted that she had already told Brady everything that she knew about the matter.
"So you are positive that when we catch this Liam guy and we ask him whether or not he had any help, you're gonna be in the clear?" Brady asked. Stalling, Theresa offered to pour Brady a glass of white wine, but he declined, so she just poured herself a glass of the drink instead. Brady observed that Theresa's hands were shaking, but she claimed that she was simply nervous because Liam was a "psycho" who would likely go after her if he ever found out that she was the person who had pointed the cops in his direction. Brady predicted that Liam would probably be caught within a few hours, but that failed to comfort Theresa, who feared that Liam's arrest would only delay him from seeking revenge against her until after he had posted his bail.
Still concerned that Theresa was hiding something, Brady gave her another chance to confess, but she reiterated that she hadn't done anything wrong. Theresa conceded that she could have warned Daniel about Liam sooner, but she added that Daniel hadn't made it easy for her to do so, since he had treated her like a "lying piece of garbage" -- just like Brady had been treating her since arriving at her apartment earlier that night. Brady clarified that he had simply asked Theresa to tell him the truth, but she countered that he had repeatedly made that request, even after she had firmly denied being involved in Liam's plot against Daniel and Jennifer.
Meanwhile, Brady received a text message from someone. "The police found Liam Frazer. I guess it's all gonna come out now," Brady announced after reading the message.
Abigail went to the Kiriakis mansion to help Maggie bake some cookies. Maggie reported that Parker was with Chloe in Chicago. Maggie mused that, while there was probably nothing to worry about, it was nevertheless odd that Daniel hadn't stuck to his normal routine of calling Parker to say goodnight to him. Maggie added that Daniel wasn't answering his phone calls at that time. Abigail assumed that Jennifer would know where Daniel was, but when she tried to contact her mother, the call went straight to voicemail.
Later, Abigail received a phone call from Jennifer. After ending the call, Abigail informed Maggie that, while everyone was all right, they needed to get over to the hospital right away.
At the hospital, Daniel informed Jennifer that he had been given fourteen stitches and an antibiotic regimen, along with a new scar to look forward to. Jennifer revealed that, while her own checkup had gone well, Nicole's examination might require some x-rays. As Jennifer and Daniel talked about what had transpired on Smith Island, she admitted that she still didn't understand how he had started to suspect Liam in the first place. As if on cue, Theresa entered the waiting area.
Elsewhere, in one of the examination rooms, Eric told Nicole that people never really gave her the kind of credit that she deserved. Eric praised Nicole for being a great friend who was always totally selfless, but she disagreed. Eric reminded Nicole that she had saved Jennifer's life earlier, but she countered that the reverse was also true. Nicole added that she had nearly killed Daniel during her attempt to stop Liam. Eric assured Nicole that Daniel was going to be fine, but she wasn't entirely convinced, so Eric agreed to check on Daniel for her to make sure that things weren't worse than they had initially been led to believe.
After Eric left, Nicole retrieved Liam's cell phone from her purse and quickly located and deleted the incriminating photograph of the shredded document about Chyka. Nicole still wasn't completely satisfied that the image would no longer be a concern, so she opted to also smash the cell phone under the foot of a chair, and after doing that, she tossed it in the room's trashcan, just to be safe. "Okay, definitely gone. Now, if I just knew what Liam did with the real letter," Nicole muttered as she paced the room.
Back in the waiting area, Daniel, Brady, and Eric revealed to Jennifer that Theresa had helped them figure out the truth about Liam earlier that night. "Look, all I know is the guy was a creep, okay? I'm surprised you didn't pick up on that yourself. I mean, for God's sake, you dated him," Theresa told Jennifer. Theresa assumed that Liam was in jail, but Daniel clarified that Liam hadn't made it off of Smith Island alive. Theresa believed that was good news, and her reaction seemed to pique Brady's interest. The rest of the group seemed stunned, so Theresa defended her position, reasoning that Liam had gotten what he had deserved for trying to kill people.
Meanwhile, Maggie and Abigail arrived, and their loved ones proceeded to fill them in on everything that had transpired earlier. Abigail recalled that Liam had visited the Horton house a few weeks earlier and that J.J. had expressed some concerns about the man at that time -- concerns that Abigail had dismissed because she hadn't picked up on anything strange about Liam herself. Abigail started to chastise herself for her lack of intuition, but Jennifer insisted that it wasn't Abigail's fault that Liam had been very good at fooling people.
Elsewhere, Maggie learned about Daniel's gunshot wound -- just as Nicole returned to the waiting area. Nicole apologetically admitted that she was responsible for Daniel's injury. Maggie was momentarily outraged, but Daniel quickly reminded her that he was obviously going to be all right. Nicole insisted that, despite the fact that Daniel had already told her to stop apologizing for the accident, she still felt very guilty about what had happened, especially since he meant a lot to her.
Daniel replied that Nicole was about the best friend that a guy could possibly ask for, and he urged her to let go of her guilt, assuring her that he knew that she would never intentionally harm him in any way. "I do, uh, want to ask you one favor, though -- could you have Rafe take you down to the shooting range so you can, uh, practice your aim?" Daniel jokingly suggested. Maggie and Eric stifled their laughter as Nicole feigned indignation.
Meanwhile, Hope arrived and announced to the group that the forensics team had already managed to do a complete search of Liam's belongings -- not just the things that had been on his body at the time of his death, but also the things in his apartment. Theresa and Nicole listened with interest as Hope cryptically added that the forensics team had found a few "interesting" things. Brady wondered if any evidence had been found that indicated that Liam had been working with an accomplice. Theresa held her breath as Hope replied that, while a slew of evidence had been found that tied Liam to Daniel's drugging and Jennifer's stalking, it all seemed to indicate that Liam had been acting alone. Hope added that Liam had not only installed surveillance equipment in Daniel's apartment but also the Horton house.
"There is one thing we did find in Frazer's possessions that was absolutely incriminating -- it was a key. On a hunch, I tested it -- it went to your apartment, Daniel," Hope revealed. Daniel wasn't surprised, since he had already had his locks changed because he had feared that such a possibility was likely, but he couldn't figure out how Liam had managed to get his hands on a key to the apartment in the first place. Theresa remained quiet as Hope reported that the forensics team was checking the key for fingerprints. Nicole casually wondered if any other evidence had been found, such as a paper trail of some sort. Hope replied that nothing else had been found.
The group started to disperse when Hope confirmed that she had nothing else to ask or tell them at that time, but Theresa stopped them and announced that she needed to say something to them first. "Jennifer, I'm -- I'm really sorry that I didn't tell anyone about Liam sooner. Maybe this whole thing could have been avoided. Well, actually, I did try to tell Daniel, but...I should have tried harder...no matter how nasty he was being. I just hope that you can find a way to forgive me," Theresa stated, and Jennifer nodded in agreement.
Theresa thanked Jennifer for understanding and mused that the good news was that everyone finally knew that Theresa had not had anything to do with the latest string of terrible things that had happened to Jennifer and Daniel. Theresa pointedly added that being wrongfully accused felt horrible. Jennifer admitted that she owed Theresa an apology of her own. Jennifer said that she was sorry for blaming Theresa for things that Theresa had not been responsible for doing. Theresa shrugged and replied that the whole ordeal was "over and done with."
Brady offered to take Theresa home, and after they left, a stunned Abigail asked if Jennifer really believed that Theresa was suddenly capable of being trusted. Jennifer admitted that she did not, but she added that she didn't want to think about Theresa at that time, since she was more concerned with making sure that everyone who worked at the hospital knew, as of the following morning, that Daniel had been completely innocent all along, so that he could get back to doing what he was meant to do there.
When Brady and Theresa got back to her apartment, he admitted that he owed her an apology for jumping to the wrong conclusions about her earlier. Theresa stammered out a response, finding it difficult to express just how much Brady's words had meant to her. Theresa wondered if that meant that Brady was ready to get back to "having fun" with her. Brady smiled and confirmed that there was a possibility of that happening.
Theresa started to kiss Brady, but he pulled away from her and said that he wanted to take things slowly. Brady excused himself after promising to call Theresa the following day. "Oh, son of a bitch. No, you're not gonna walk away from me, Brady. That just ain't gonna happen, because you're too good, and you're too rich. The problem is...how do I pull him back in?" Theresa wondered after Brady left the apartment. After pondering the matter for a moment, Theresa smiled mischievously and took a sip of her wine.
At the Horton house, J.J. distractedly flipped through a textbook as he thought about his earlier conversation with Paige. Meanwhile, someone rang the doorbell, and when J.J. opened the front door, Bev cheerfully greeted him and wondered if he was ready for their date. J.J. stammered out a response that led Bev to assume that he had forgotten that he had previously arranged to hang out with her that night, but he denied the suspicion and claimed that he had simply lost track of time.
Bev followed J.J. into the living room so that he could grab his cell phone and jacket. Bev mused that it was really cool that she and J.J. were finally hanging out together again. J.J. agreed but said nothing more about the matter. Bev wondered what had happened between J.J. and Paige, and he vaguely replied that he simply hadn't foreseen that particular relationship going anywhere. "Yeah. She is so stuck on herself -- like, never passes a mirror without smiling, right?" Bev mockingly observed.
J.J. abruptly changed the subject, suggesting that it would be best for him and Bev to just focus on each other for the rest of the night. Bev agreed and casually asked if she and J.J. were alone in the house. When J.J. confirmed that everyone else had gone out earlier, Bev somewhat suggestively wondered if he would like to hang out at the house instead of going out in public. J.J. declined the offer, reasoning that Abigail or Jennifer could return home at any time.
J.J. and Bev went to Club TBD, where they ordered coffee and pastries and discussed their college plans. Bev revealed that her father had pulled some strings to get her accepted into Salem University, since her grades probably wouldn't have been good enough to get her in without his help. J.J. reported that he had just received his acceptance letter from Salem University earlier that day. J.J. said that he was happy about that because he wanted more time to reconnect with his family, especially since he had spent many years away from them in a London boarding school.
Bev told J.J. that Rory was on Salem University's waiting list, and she mused that if Rory managed to get in, it would mean that the "Three Musketeers" would be together again in college -- except that it would be even better than high school had been, since they would likely only have three or four classes to deal with each college semester. J.J. pointed out that college classes were almost certainly going to be more challenging than high school classes, but Bev wasn't concerned.
"Seriously, we can just skate through. You -- you buy your papers online, and when it comes to taking tests, you go to this website where, like, everyone has --" Bev started to explain, but she paused when she noticed that Paige had just entered the club. J.J. and Paige stared at each other for a moment, and when she eventually turned away from him and headed toward the bar, he continued to watch her for a moment longer before turning his attention back to Bev. Bev assured J.J. that she would be fine with continuing their date elsewhere if he would prefer to leave.
"Um...no. No, no -- we're -- we're good. You know, my -- my cousin, Sonny, owns this place, so...you know, support the family," J.J. reasoned. Bev nodded and wondered if Sonny could at least slip her and J.J. some booze. J.J. replied that he didn't think that Sonny was working on that particular day, and he added that he wouldn't ask Sonny to do such a thing for him anyway, since that could cost Sonny his liquor license. J.J. offered to instead buy Bev a soda to quench her thirst, and when she tried to decline the offer, he excused himself anyway, stating that he wanted one.
Bev sighed and watched as J.J. approached the bar -- and Paige, who was waiting for a takeout order. Paige admitted that she didn't understand why J.J. was upset with her, since -- from her perspective, at least -- everything had been great between them until she had informed him that she would be attending Stanford later that year, at which point he had started acting weird. Paige pointed out that she hadn't kept her plans hidden from J.J., and she wondered why he had "blown up" at her upon learning those plans.
"Look, I -- I -- I didn't. Okay, here's -- here's how I see it, okay? I mean, why put a whole lot of time into getting to know someone when she's just going to disappear in the next few months? Seriously. I mean, if -- if -- if there's no future, then...just move on," J.J. reasoned. Paige assumed that meant that J.J. planned to ignore her in the future, but he assured her that she had misunderstood and that things between them were "cool." Paige nodded but seemed skeptical.
"You know what really sucks? I had fun when I was with you. When we got together, it meant something -- to me. Obviously, not to you," Paige mused. J.J. clarified that he had never said that he hadn't enjoyed hanging out with Paige, and he assured her that he'd had fun with her, too. Confused, Paige wondered why J.J. had abruptly ended things with her instead of giving their relationship more time to develop. J.J. stammered as he tried to think of a response, and Paige interrupted to guess that he had simply wanted an excuse to dump her. Paige admitted that she simply wished that J.J. could have been upfront with her instead.
As J.J. tried to correct Paige's assumption, Bev interrupted to inform him that he had just missed a call and text message from his mother. Bev innocently suggested that J.J. might want to contact his mother to let her know where he was and that everything was all right. J.J. walked away to check his messages, leaving Paige alone with Bev. The young women forced smiles and exchanged somewhat icy greetings with each other.
"Oh, no frickin' way," J.J. groaned as he read Jennifer's text message. Concerned, Bev and Paige both wondered what was wrong. J.J. admitted that he wasn't sure and that, while he thought that everything was all right, he still needed to leave right away. J.J. apologized to Bev, who understood and assured him that they would get together again within the next few days. As J.J. left the club, Paige's takeout order arrived. Paige paid for the order and started to leave, but Bev stopped her, stating that they needed to get something straight.
"J.J. and I are really close. And sure, okay -- when a pretty little thing walks by, he's got eyes. He might even give her, like, fifteen minutes. But then he comes home -- to me, because I give him something other girls can't...or won't. Now, whatever you had going on with J.J. is obviously over, so it's time for you to leave him alone. If you don't, you will be sorry," Bev warned before shoving past Paige and walking away.
At the Horton house, J.J. hugged Jennifer and told her that he had returned home as soon as he had read her text message. Abigail disapprovingly pointed out that J.J. had certainly taken his "sweet time" reading the text message, and she nosily wondered why it had taken him such a long time to do so. Jennifer protested that the answer to that question didn't matter because the important thing was that the family was together at that particular time.
Meanwhile, Daniel was on the phone with Chloe, assuring her that everything was all right. Daniel ended the call after promising to give Chloe more details the following day. J.J. mused that it seemed like he, Abigail, and Jennifer each owed Daniel a debt of gratitude, and Daniel jokingly promised to collect on that debt eventually. Abigail dragged J.J. off to the kitchen to help her make some tea so that they could give Jennifer and Daniel some privacy. Before the siblings left, Jennifer asked them to promise her one thing -- that they would never let Adrienne set either of them up with a blind date.
As Eric and Nicole strolled through the town square, he made her promise that she would never put her life at risk again, since she had already done so with Chyka and Liam. Nicole assured Eric that her life would be drama-free from that point forward, since she wanted to focus on the man she loved, anyway. Eric admitted that he didn't know what he would have done if he had lost Nicole, and she assured him that nothing was ever going to stop her from being with him.
Meanwhile, on Smith Island, the shredded document about Chyka was stuck in a shrub -- right in the middle of the area that had been sectioned off with crime-scene tape.
On the phone at Club TBD, Abigail filled Will in about what had happened out on Smith Island the night before. Will was just relieved that Jennifer was all right. When Abigail hung up, she was miffed when Ben admitted that he hadn't been able to help but overhear her talking about how a stalker had almost killed her mom. Ben assured her that it hadn't been intentional; he just wanted to make sure she was all right. Abigail apologized if she'd been rude and assured Ben that she was fine. Ben said that he was glad everyone Abigail cared about was all right.
Johnny ran into the DiMera living room and excitedly announced to E.J., "I found a picture of Santa Claus!" He showed his dad the photo of Arianna in Percy's lap, taken in Horton Square at Christmastime, which Lucas had given to Allie. E.J. compared that photo to the surveillance image of Percy on the ferry. Johnny told E.J., "This Santa was funny... Instead of saying, 'Ho, ho, ho,' he said, 'Greetings!'" E.J. recalled Kate saying that "Mr. Greetings," as Gabi had taken to calling him, was named Percy Ruggles. After sending Johnny off to play, E.J. called his detective and instructed him to find out everything he could about Percy Ruggles.
Kate entered Nick's office and found Percy gazing with amusement at a "drinking bird" toy as it bobbed its beak in and out of a glass of water. Percy thanked Kate for the generous raise, but she countered that paying someone more than they were worth gave her the right to be as rude to them as she desired. She demanded to know where Nick was. Percy reminded her that Nick rarely showed up at the office during the day because Mr. Fallon did his best work at night.
Kate gave Percy a folder and ordered him to get Nick to fill out the patent forms for his new formula before sunset that night. On her way out, Kate asked Percy why such a nice gentleman was working as a "lackey" for someone like Nick Fallon. "We all do what we must, Ms. Roberts," Percy replied. Kate agreed.
When E.J. arrived at Nick's office later, Percy recognized him immediately and became nervous. "I can tell by the look on your face that no introduction is necessary," E.J. remarked as he pulled on a pair of gloves. Getting right to the point, E.J. asked Percy to confirm that he had taken the photo of E.J. and Abigail and delivered it to the mansion on instructions from Nick Fallon. "Yes, sir," Percy acknowledged meekly. "Did you ever stop to think about how much more pleasant and safe everybody's lives, including your own, would be if you had left Mister Fallon in the river where you found him?" E.J. mused, glaring ominously at Percy.
E.J. demanded to know if anyone other than Nick and Percy knew about the photograph, and Percy assured him that no one did. E.J. wanted to know if Nick had instructed Percy to follow Abigail to Smith Island that day. Percy explained that Nick had considered speaking to his cousin before returning to Salem, but Nick had been curious when he'd learned of Abigail's plans that day. When the phone rang, Percy asked permission to answer it. E.J. yanked the cord out and began wrapping one end around his hand.
"Why bother? Where you're going, you're not going to need a telephone," E.J. warned, moving around the desk to perch on the edge nearest to Percy -- who looked terrified. E.J. advised Percy that two "gentlemen" would be waiting downstairs to take Percy home, where Percy would furnish the men with everything he had pertaining to his relationship with Nick. The man would take Percy to an airstrip, and he would board a plane back to Devon. Percy seemed dismayed, but E.J. stated that Percy should consider himself very lucky.
E.J. warned Percy not to return to Salem. Percy assured E.J. that he understood. "Now, I'm sure you can understand that you've really tested the limits of my patience and generosity, so do me a favor and get out of my sight," E.J. ordered. Percy inched by E.J. to get out from behind the desk then he dashed out the door.
In the park, Gabi had Nick look over the custody agreement that Aiden Jennings had drawn up for her because Will had freaked out when he'd seen it. Gabi started to explain that the first agreement was just a starting point, but Nick asserted, "No, no, Mister Jennings laid this out perfectly. This is exactly how it should be." Nick urged Gabi to call the lawyer and request a court date right away to lock in the custody agreement as it stood. Gabi didn't think that she should, but Nick pointed out that Sami had already accused Gabi of being an unfit mother.
Nick warned Gabi that Sami would do everything in her power to take Arianna away from Gabi. Gabi insisted that Will would never allow that to happen. Nick reminded Gabi that Sami's fiancé was also Will's lawyer. Gabi argued that it would kill both Will and Sonny if they could only see Arianna every other weekend. Nick assured Gabi that, as Arianna's primary caregiver, she would be able to allow Will to see the baby whenever she wanted. "You do not need to decide this right now, okay? ... There's no pressure," Nick reassured Gabi, putting his arms around her and stroking her hair.
Nick then produced a gift for Gabi: a crystal heart, exactly like the one he'd gotten for Will and Sonny, except with "Gabi & Nick" engraved on it. Nick explained that he wanted the two of them to be a couple again, and he was sure that was what Gabi wanted, too. "Nick, even if we did get back together -- I mean, what does this have to do with Will and Arianna?" Gabi asked. Nick explained that no matter how hard he'd tried to convince everyone, they all refused to believe that he'd changed.
Nick was worried that his being in Gabi's life again would cause the others to keep him and Gabi away from her baby. He got Gabi's phone out of her purse and dialed Aiden's number for her so she could request a court date. "This is the only way for you and Arianna to stay together," Nick maintained. Gabi very reluctantly took the phone and told Aiden, "I've thought about it, and I'd like for you to go ahead with the custody agreement you've drawn up, and I'd also like for you to get a court date as soon as you can."
After Gabi hung up, Nick urged her not to tell anyone else about the court date request. He placed the heart in her hands and said, "It doesn't have a date yet, but I really hope that it's soon." Nick kissed Gabi goodbye, but she did not look thrilled to have his lips on hers.
Sami arrived at Sonny and Will's to discuss Gabi's "draconian" custody agreement with Will. Will tried to reassure his mom that the initial agreement was just a negotiating position, and Sonny said that he didn't believe Gabi would only let them see Arianna every other weekend. Sami reminded them Nick was pulling Gabi's strings. Sonny maintained that Nick's criminal record would help them if they actually had to go to court. Sami divulged that Nick had vowed to make sure they all ended up in prison if they mentioned his past in court.
Will insisted that Gabi knew what an important role he and Sonny played in Arianna's life, and he believed that Gabi would stand up to Nick because she knew it was best for her daughter for Will and Sonny to stay in her life. Sami acknowledged that Will knew Gabi better than anyone, so perhaps Gabi wouldn't force the custody agreement on Will. As Sami hurried out, she suggested that they get Arianna together with Sydney, Johnny, and Allie for a playdate soon.
Outside, Sami's cheery demeanor gave way to frustrated determination. "I have to find a way to put the screws to Gabi Hernandez -- and I know just the person to do it," she muttered as she pulled out her phone.
When Rafe and Jordan woke up in bed together, he professed his love for her again. Jordan somewhat sheepishly admitted that she'd never told a man she loved him before -- so she said it once more, for good measure. Rafe was flattered to be the first. Jordan acknowledged that she'd been involved with other men, but she'd never felt as safe with anyone as she did with Rafe.
Just as Rafe was telling Jordan that he didn't have to be at work for a while, his phone chimed on the nightstand. "It's Sami. She says it's important," Rafe told Jordan, adding that he had a pretty good idea what it was about.
Later, Jordan was meandering blissfully through the park when she ran into Kate. Jordan admitted that it was such a wonderful day that not even Kate could ruin it. The two women began trading barbs, and although she remained cheerful, Jordan said that she knew Kate would have been happier if Jordan had kept her distance from Rafe like she had when she'd first arrived in town -- but she'd been a different person then.
Kate countered, "I don't believe that your transformation was all due to Rafe. In fact, I don't believe you actually were ever the woman you said you were before you even met him." Jordan accused Kate of being "desperate and bitter" because she hadn't been able to use Sheryl to concoct a story about Jordan. "Your paranoia that I am out to get you is nothing if not consistent -- and laughable," Kate maintained. Jordan asserted that Kate hadn't been able to dig up dirt on Jordan because there was nothing to find.
Recalling the fake IDs she'd found in Jordan's apartment, Kate challenged Jordan to end it by getting everything out in the open. "Maybe when the truth comes out about you, [Rafe] will have fallen for you so hard that he won't even care," Kate said. Jordan insisted that there was no truth to get out -- and Kate was just a bully whose best years were behind her. Kate warned Jordan, "I told you I will not let Rafe be hurt, not by who you were, not by who you are -- and not by who you plan to be next, Joan Cooper!"
When Rafe met Sami at the Brady Pub, she told him about the custody agreement and about her suspicions that Nick had been behind it. Rafe demanded that Sami tell him what was going on with Nick, or else Rafe wouldn't be able to help. Sami insisted that there was a very good reason that Rafe couldn't know the whole story. Moving on, Sami informed Rafe that the custody agreement stipulated that Will could only see Arianna every other weekend -- and Nick had hired the lawyer who'd drawn it up for Gabi.
Sami added that she suspected Nick would make Gabi leave the agreement the way it was. Rafe noted with dismay, "That son of a bitch. He's going around this whole time, complaining [that] no one will trust him, that he's changed. He hasn't changed a damn bit!" Rafe composed a text message to Gabi, requesting that she meet him right away. "I can guarantee you one thing: there is no way she is going to keep Will from Arianna," Rafe declared.
Gabi was decidedly downbeat when she returned to the apartment, and Will quickly picked up on it and asked about it. "I am so sorry. I'm really, really sorry, Will," Gabi said gravely, her voice shaking a little. Admitting that she was scaring him, Will asked what Gabi was sorry for. When Gabi's phone chimed, she reached for it, but a frustrated Will took it away from her. "Do not do this! Do not take our daughter away from me!" Will pleaded. Gabi swore that she wanted Will to be able to see Arianna whenever he wanted, as much as he wanted.
"Okay, good. But you're sorry?" Will asked, confused. "I'm sorry because of Nick," Gabi explained, but she reassured Will that everything would be all right. "He has changed, and I have to say it, and I have to believe it -- because if I don't, Will, then I'm going to lose my mind," Gabi said. When Gabi went into the bedroom to be with Arianna, Will grabbed his keys and charged out the door.
In the park outside Horton Square, Will told Sonny about the "scene" that had just transpired between him and Gabi. Sonny explained that even though Nick was controlling Gabi, she felt that she couldn't fight back. Will pointed out that Nick could put all of them, including Gabi, in prison whenever he wanted to. Will fretted that if Gabi felt forced to do whatever Nick wanted her to do to keep the rest of them out of prison, Will and Sonny could lose Arianna. "Will, listen to me. I don't care what we have to do, but we are not gonna let that happen," Sonny declared firmly.
With a defeated look on her face, Gabi was toying with the crystal heart when Rafe knocked on the door. Gabi put the heart away before she let her brother in. Although Rafe sauntered in casually, Gabi quickly guessed that someone had told him about the custody agreement. Rafe asserted that he knew Gabi, and he knew she would never sign an agreement that would limit Will's contact with Arianna to every other weekend. Unable to look her brother in the eye, Gabi said, "It's exactly what I want, Rafe."
Abigail met Nick in Horton Square and apologized for what had happened with Ben. Nick expressed worry for Abigail, asserting that she should take a tip from what had happened to her mom. "Getting involved with the wrong guy can come back to haunt you," Nick said. Abigail asked what Nick's point was. "I'm talking about Ben, Abigail. Unless -- is there some other person that you've been seeing lately?" Nick asked.
Abigail insisted that she hadn't been seeing anyone, including Ben, whom she barely knew. Nick countered that anyone who'd seen the two of them before would have suspected otherwise. Abigail cut Nick off, warning him that he was out of line -- and he'd gotten really intense while they'd been arguing. "Really intense? As in what? Dangerous? Are you saying there's some reason that you should be afraid of me?" Nick asked. He became angry, causing Abigail to ask what was wrong with him.
Implying that Ben was a "psycho," Nick emphasized, "How do you think he knew where we were? Tell me you're not that naïve, Abigail! What -- you think he just wandered upon the two of us having a private conversation?" Abigail was completely taken aback. Snapping his fingers by her ear, Nick declared loudly, "You're not thinking. You need to start drawing a distinction between the people who really care about you and the people who are trying to control you." He stalked off, leaving Abigail utterly dumbfounded.
A little later, Abigail met Sami at Club TBD at Sami's request. Sami explained that she'd asked to meet because she knew Abigail and Nick were close. Sami clarified that Nick was trying to take Arianna away from Will and Sonny, and Sami needed someone whom Nick trusted to convince that it was a terrible idea. "I know exactly who to call," Abigail assured Sami.
Nick was startled when he arrived at his office and found E.J. waiting for him. "You wanted my attention, Mister Fallon. You have it," E.J. said.
