The teens' prom night begins
At the police station, Shawn and Lani were alone together in one of the conference rooms, working on a case. Feeling the need for a break, Lani started to unbutton Shawn's shirt, but he expressed reservations about having sex at work, where someone could easily catch them. "Your lips say no, but your eyes say yes," Lani observed, not bothering to stop.
Lani admitted that it had been a very long time since her last relationship, which had been a disaster and had turned her off men for a while. "Until now?" Shawn asked skeptically. Lani conceded that she'd had a thing for Rafe before meeting Shawn, but that had gone nowhere because Rafe only had eyes for Hope. Shawn found that hard to believe, but Lani insisted it was true.
Lani closed the blinds and locked the door, but Shawn maintained that they needed to respect certain boundaries. "Listen, we had a couple of great dates and a special night together, all right, but --" Shawn started to add. "And the shower? Oh, actually, that would be plural, as in showers," Lani seductively reminded Shawn, who assured her that he couldn't possibly forget about those.
Shawn started to respond to Lani's kisses, but when she tried to pull him onto the conference table with her, he backed away, insisting that they couldn't have sex there. "Would you prefer the chair?" Lani suggested without missing a beat. Shawn found it surprising that Lani liked to take such risks in life, but she pointed out that there were a lot of things that he didn't know about her yet. "And there is plenty of time for that, but it's... Right now, I have work. I have to -- I have work to do. I have to work," Shawn stammered before grabbing some files and hastily retreating from the room.
While lying in bed together, Philip and Belle discussed the situation with Victor and Deimos. Philip fretted that aside from killing Deimos, there really wasn't any way to retaliate against him without just causing further feuding to erupt between him and Victor. Belle suggested that Philip needed to let Victor fight his own battles, but Philip wasn't sure he could do that because there was a part of him that still wanted to please Victor. Belle assured Philip that there were other ways to do that, such as starting a successful record label that Victor would have to respect. Smiling, Philip admitted that Belle's faith in him made it seem like anything was possible.
Later that day, Belle arranged a meeting with Shawn at the Brady Pub so she could let him know that she had signed the divorce papers and was ready to move forward with ending their marriage. Shawn guessed that Belle had moved on with Philip, prompting Belle to counter that Shawn had also moved on -- with Lani. Shawn clarified that his relationship with Lani wasn't serious at that time. "But it's something," Belle mused.
Belle assured Shawn that she was happy for him, conceding that he deserved to have an uncomplicated relationship with someone. Before Shawn could respond, Lani arrived and greeted Belle, wondering how she was doing. "Good. Looks like you're good, too," Belle replied before abruptly excusing herself. Outside, Belle watched through the window as Lani took a seat next to Shawn and put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.
While strolling through the town square with Ciara, Theo suggested getting frozen yogurt, prompting her to wonder how he could even think about food at that time, given what had just happened at school. Theo conceded that the principal probably should have made up a more pleasant excuse instead of announcing to everyone that classes would be ending early that day due to a sewage backup.
Changing the subject, Theo asked Ciara to go to the prom with him. Ciara didn't think she would be in the mood, given everything that had happened lately, but Theo argued that she needed to go for precisely that reason. "So...?" Theo asked expectantly. Smiling, Ciara accepted the invitation, eliciting a huge sigh of relief from Theo.
With that out of the way, Theo asked Ciara to tell him how her babysitting gig was going. Ciara admitted that being around Thomas was a welcome distraction. Theo mused that it might be good for Ciara and Abigail to hang out together, since they had both been through some rough times recently. Nodding, Ciara thanked Theo for providing his take on the situation, declaring that she loved the way his mind worked.
Abe approached just in time to catch Ciara leaning in to give Theo a kiss, but he left before they spotted him. Ciara soon received a text message from Claire, who wanted to see her. Theo encouraged Ciara to go ahead and meet up with Claire, vaguely claiming that he had a bunch of stuff that he needed to take care of, anyway.
After Ciara left, Abe returned and greeted Theo, who preemptively explained why he wasn't in school then wondered if Abe wasn't at work because of similar plumbing problems. Laughing, Abe clarified that he was just taking a walk to clear his head. Theo started to excuse himself so he could go buy some supplies he needed for a class project, but Abe said he wanted to talk to Theo first -- about Ciara.
Theo evasively wondered if the discussion could be postponed, since he really needed to pick up the supplies right away so he wouldn't be late to meet up with Ciara later for frozen yogurt. Abe wistfully recalled that he and Lexie had always ended their weekly date night with frozen yogurt. Theo found it weird to think about married couples having date nights, but Abe assured him that it actually wasn't uncommon at all.
"I would imagine that you and Ciara must have, uh, some nice dates, as well," Abe added. Theo clarified that he and Ciara weren't dating, prompting Abe to wonder if Theo wanted that to change. Dodging the question, Theo said that he didn't want to talk about Ciara. "Why is that? You do like her, don't you? You know it's okay to like her," Abe assured Theo.
Abe observed that Ciara seemed to be quite fond of Theo. Nodding, Theo admitted that Ciara had kissed him. Abe guessed that had made Theo feel good. Abe warned, however, that a kiss could mean many different things. "Not every kiss means 'I love you,'" Abe continued. Theo defensively argued that having autism didn't mean he was stupid. "She's kissed me a bunch of times. I know she really likes me," Theo insisted.
Abe cautiously explained that he simply didn't think it would be a good idea for Theo to push things with Ciara. "Dad, Ciara's one of the people in my life that makes me happy, and I make her happy, too, okay? Why won't you just let me live my life? You're so overprotective, Dad! Just let me be me!" Theo protested. Abe clarified that he wanted Theo to be happy but was worried that Theo might just end up getting hurt instead.
When Ciara arrived at Edge of the Square, Claire was in the middle of singing a self-written song. Ciara waited until Claire was finished then praised the performance, predicting that Claire would one day find herself sharing the stage with Taylor Swift. Claire appreciated the vote of confidence but admitted that she was worried that her song wouldn't be good enough to convince Philip to give her a recording contract.
Ciara thought it was impressive that Claire at least knew what she wanted to do with her life. Ciara mused that she had never been more uncertain about her future; in fact, she felt like she was trapped in her own personal version of Groundhog Day, reliving the same day over and over again. "I'm afraid that I'm never gonna get past what Chase did to me," Ciara admitted as Claire gave her a hug.
Claire advised that Ciara couldn't let her life be ruined as a result of what Chase had done to her. Ciara protested that she wasn't letting the ordeal ruin her life. "It just is!" Ciara added. Claire conceded that she should have chosen a better way of wording her advice. Ciara appreciated the effort but pointed out that there was no way for Claire to possibly understand what she was going through. Claire agreed, clarifying that she simply loved Ciara and wanted to see her start getting excited about things again. Ciara promised that she would try to do that if Claire agreed to stop doubting her own talent.
Claire happily accepted Ciara's terms then changed the subject, excitedly admitting that she was counting down the days until prom. Ciara wondered who Claire's date would be. "That's a minor detail that I'll have to work out," Claire replied. Claire wondered if Theo had asked Ciara to go with him yet. Ciara confirmed that he had, but Claire could tell that Ciara wasn't exactly looking forward to the event.
Ciara admitted that she had only accepted Theo's invitation to the prom because she hadn't wanted to hurt his feelings, since it had taken a lot of courage for him to ask her to be his date. Claire warned that Ciara would live to regret skipping the event if she decided to do so, since it would be the last time their class would be together before everyone headed off in different directions.
At the Horton house, Hope was sprawled out on the couch, clearly suffering from some sort of illness. Hope considered calling Rafe, and moments after she decided not to, her cell phone rang. "Hey. I was just about to call you," Hope revealed as she raised the device to her ear. "I can't tell you how touched I am to hear you say that, Hope. I've just been counting the days until I see you again," Andre replied.
Hope nervously crept toward the nearest window and looked out it as she demanded to know where Andre was. "You know, in a perfect world, I'd be on my cell phone, standing outside your front door, about to pay you a hospitality call. But thanks to you, I'm still behind bars," Andre assured Hope. Andre continued that Hope had been on his mind lately, especially since his court date was rapidly approaching. Andre warned that he was going to beat the spurious charges against him and would then settle a bunch of scores.
"We're through, Andre," Hope insisted, but Andre protested that he had one more thing he wanted to share with her before they ended their conversation. Hope was stunned to learn that Chase had told Andre about what had happened with Ciara. "I think he needed somebody to confide in. You know, poor Ciara, she had a troubled childhood. It's understandable, what with an absentee father and all that. But please -- for her to cry rape when she led that poor boy on?" Andre mused.
"You son of a bitch! I hope they give you the death sentence. I'd love to administer that lethal injection myself, and believe me, I wouldn't lose one night's sleep. Not. One. Night. I'd like nothing more than to watch the life drain out of you," Hope spat. Andre observed that it was interesting to hear an officer of the law utter such things. "When I get out, I'm going to act both as judge and jury myself. And then I will make sure that you and that Dudley Do-Right boyfriend of yours are duly punished -- which is to say annihilated -- for the murder of my father. Sweet dreams," Andre added before hanging up.
Hope's cell phone almost immediately rang again. "You son of a bitch! Go to hell! Leave me alone!" Hope shouted in lieu of a greeting. "Okay, that's not exactly the reaction I was hoping for," Rafe admitted. Sighing, Hope apologized and told Rafe about what had just happened. Rafe rushed over to the Horton house to comfort Hope, assuring her that everything was going to be all right and that he would do what he could to prevent Andre from being able to call her again.
Changing the subject, Rafe said he was sorry if he had crossed a line the previous night, but he wasn't going to take back what he had said because he had meant every word. Hope admitted that she couldn't pretend that she didn't share at least some of the same feelings for Rafe. Hope stressed, however, that she wasn't ready to act on those feelings at that time. "[It] wouldn't be fair to you," Hope reasoned.
Rafe argued that Hope needed love in her life and was feeling confused because she was fighting that need. "I think you're making [things] harder on yourself by being alone. You don't need to be," Rafe added. Rafe started to inch closer to Hope, but before anything could happen, Ciara and Claire entered the house and greeted them.
Sensing that she and Claire were interrupting something, Ciara suggested that they could go get some coffee, but Hope urged them to stay. Claire seized the opportunity to ask Hope and Rafe to help her get Ciara excited about the prom's eighties theme, reasoning that the era had been Hope and Rafe's heyday. Hope protested that she wasn't sure she would describe it as such, but Rafe was quick to advise Ciara and Claire of some of the highlights of that time period, including big hair, Day-Glo, mullets, and fanny packs.
Rafe soon excused himself, and Hope followed him outside. Hope admitted that Rafe had given her a lot to think about. "I think you're right," Hope added before grabbing Rafe and kissing him.
At the hospital, Justin and Brady agreed that it was unlikely that Victor had willingly given Deimos his home and company. Brady suspected blackmail. While Justin said he was determined to find out what had happened, Theresa eavesdropped on their conversation from nearby.
Down the hallway, Nicole talked to Maggie about her condition. As a frustrated Maggie said that she would never walk again, Theresa entered the room. In an effort to be helpful, Theresa mentioned an article she had read about new spinal surgery. Theresa offered to pull up the article on her tablet, but a teary-eyed Maggie told Theresa that she was not interested. Maggie fretted over how Victor would take the news about Maggie's paralysis.
After Theresa left, Maggie thanked Nicole for not joining everyone else in pressuring her to remain hopeful. Maggie admitted she was scared. As Nicole reached for Maggie's hand, Maggie pleaded with Nicole to check on Victor for her. With a nod, Nicole left. Theresa returned later to chat with Maggie. While making small talk, Theresa mentioned her hope that Victor and Maggie would live with her and Brady. Suspicious, Maggie asked Theresa why they would move out of the mansion. A look of guilt passed across Theresa's face, and Maggie guessed that Theresa was keeping something from her.
In Victor's hospital room, he thought about the night of Helena's accident. Victor remembered Helena yelling that Deimos loved her more than Victor, and in his anger, Victor had shoved Helena backward. After Helena stumbled, fell, and hit her head on a rock, Victor had rushed off to get medical attention. When Victor had returned, he'd found Deimos cradling Helena. The EMT's that Victor had escorted to the site had declared that Helena was dead. Victor had accused Deimos of murder.
In the present, Victor sighed. Nicole entered the room and asked about Deimos. Nicole noted that she had researched Helena and had learned that Deimos was obsessed with both his dead love and Victor. With a raised eyebrow, Victor asked Nicole what she was prepared to do to deal with Deimos.
At the mansion, Justin confronted Deimos. Deimos casually told Justin that he was not leaving. Deimos added that Victor would not press charges, so there was no need for Justin to sniff around the house. Narrowing his eyes, Deimos ordered Justin to leave the property. Justin left and met up with Brady at the pub. Justin updated Brady on his conversation with Deimos, and he wondered aloud if Victor was lulling Deimos into a false sense of security. Brady and Justin agreed that someone needed to teach Deimos a lesson.
In the town square, Philip joined Kate at the café. Philip warned Kate that if she continued to remain involved with Deimos, she would be collateral damage in his war with Victor. When Kate reminded Philip that he had been in league with Deimos against Victor, Philip argued that he had made a mistake. Philip argued that Deimos had hurt Maggie, but Kate said she did not believe that Deimos had done anything wrong. Kate added that Victor's decision to give Titan to Deimos was not their business.
As if summoned by his name, Deimos appeared in the square and greeted Kate and Philip. With an oily smile, Deimos proposed that Kate work with him. Kate declined, citing her satisfaction with her current job at Basic Black. Deimos offered to buy Basic Black and allow Kate to continue to run both that company and several subsidiaries of Titan. Kate declined the offer. Deimos then asked Kate to run Titan with him.
At the DiMera mansion, Marlena talked to Abigail about her ordeal with Ben. Emotional, Abigail admitted that she had seduced and stabbed Ben then set him on fire. Abigail stressed that Ben needed to die. Gently, Marlena told Abigail that she was suffering from PTSD. Marlena assured Abigail that she would be fine.
After talking to J.J. about Ben's transfer to prison, Chad headed home to talk to Marlena and Abigail. Abigail headed upstairs to check on the baby, leaving her husband to talk to Marlena. Marlena shared her fear that Abigail could undergo a psychotic break and might hurt herself or the baby. Shaking his head in disbelief, Chad said he did not believe that would happen. Marlena suggested that the best option was to send Abigail to a nearby clinic, away from everything that reminded her of Ben.
Returning from upstairs, Abigail stopped short in the hallway and listened to Marlena talk to Chad. Chad was reluctant to agree to the clinic, but Marlena convinced him that it was the best option to treat Abigail's PTSD. After Marlena left, Abigail forced a smile and entered the living room. Chad said he needed to talk to her. Avoiding the subject, Abigail asked Chad if he could fetch her prescription from the store while she rested. Eager to help his wife relax, Chad left. Abigail grabbed her phone and asked someone to meet her.
In the park, Abigail met with J.J. Abigail confided what she had overheard between Marlena and Chad. J.J. assured his sister that everyone wanted to help Abigail get better. Abigail swooned with dizziness. After J.J. helped his sister to the bench, she quietly asked for a glass of water. While J.J. went to get the water, Abigail ran home to the DiMera mansion. After hurriedly packing a bag for her and Thomas, Abigail sneaked out of the mansion and checked into a motel.
At the Horton house, Chad informed Jennifer of his and Marlena's plan to send Abigail to a clinic for treatment. Crying, Jennifer begged Chad not to send Abigail away. Jennifer explained that Abigail's worst fear was to be sent to a hospital like Abigail's grandmother. Chad's phone rang. The call was from Ciara, who informed Chad that she was at the mansion and could not find Abigail or Thomas.
Chad, Jennifer, J.J., and Ciara convened at the DiMera mansion. When Chad admitted that he had not told Abigail about the clinic yet, J.J. said that he had spoken to Abigail, and she had known about the plan. Worried, the group wondered where Abigail would have gone. In the motel, Abigail told Thomas that no one would find them and that no one would lock her away.
In the park, Joey met up with Jade. Jade was summoned home for family time, and she reluctantly left.
At his home, Steve packed his things while Kayla watched. As Steve pulled on his jacket, he looked over at a photo of him with Kayla and Joey. When Steve picked up the photo, Kayla asked Steve not to take the photo because Joey liked it. Steve suggested that Joey would prefer to have the family together rather than a photo of the family together. With a nod, Kayla explained that the photo had been taken before Ava had returned to town.
"Your son is having to live with the fact that he suffocated Ava. If that picture gives him any comfort or helps him a little bit about what might have pushed him so far, that picture needs to stay up there. And Joey really needs some counseling," Kayla said. Steve agreed. While Kayla was in the kitchen, Joey returned home and found his father packing in the living room. Joey asked Steve if he was giving up. Steve promised that he was not giving up and was only give Kayla space. Steve added that he wanted to give Kayla a chance to miss him.
"I swear to you. I'll be back," Steve said as Kayla returned to the living room. Seeing the sour look on Kayla's face, Steve grabbed his last box of belongings and hugged his son goodbye. On his way out, Steve reminded Kayla that he loved her. A sullen Joey asked Kayla if she was happy that Steve was gone. Joey said he did not understand why his parents loved one another but refused to work out their relationship.
Kayla explained that Steve had lived his life taking chances, and she did not want to do that. Joey argued that he liked to take chances. When Kayla asked Joey if he was okay with what he had done to Ava, Joey shook his head no. Joey yelled that Kayla had torn their family apart for no reason. Angry, Joey stormed out of the house and walked over to the park.
When Joey arrived at the bench clearing, he saw Jade pacing anxiously back and forth. Jade told Joey that her parents had ambushed her at home and had threatened to send her to boarding school. Joey shared that his father had moved out. Chuckling ruefully, Jade suggested that she and Joey should run away together. Joey was unsure, but Jade argued that running away would make their parents change their minds about boarding school and breaking up. Joey nodded in agreement.
Fynn stopped by Kayla's house to check on her. Kayla promised that she felt fine. After Fynn dropped hints about drinking tea, Kayla invited Fynn inside. Over tea, Fynn told Kayla about how he had met Daniel. The two chatted for a little bit. When Kayla stood up to get a refill on Fynn's tea, she passed out. Finn rushed to her side.
In her hotel room, Summer stared at the charm from Maggie's bracelet and thought about when Maggie had told her that she had given her away. With a sigh, Summer walked out.
At the hospital, Maggie asked Theresa why she and Brady wanted Maggie and Victor to move in with them. Maggie grilled Theresa and demanded that Theresa tell her the truth. With a nod, Theresa said she had overheard Brady say that Deimos had forced Victor to give him control of Titan and the mansion. Maggie was shocked. With a furrowed brow, Maggie ordered Theresa to help her into a wheelchair so that she could get answers from Victor.
In Victor's room at the hospital, Victor asked Nicole if she was going to destroy Deimos. Nicole pointed out that Deimos had attacked Victor and that Victor should be the one to go after Deimos. With a frown, Victor asked Nicole why she was visiting. Nicole asked Victor why he had never mentioned that she looked like Helena. Victor shrugged. When Nicole noted that Victor's problems involved Maggie, Victor promised Nicole he would make it worth her while if she helped him destroy Deimos.
"Be the Nicole that I loved and hated. Seduce him. Make him fall madly in love with you. Marry him. Then take the son of a bitch for everything he's got," Victor said. Surprised, Nicole sat down. Nicole explained that the woman that Victor was thinking of had fallen in love with Daniel and had changed. Victor said that he believed the old Nicole was in there somewhere. When Nicole scoffed, Victor noted that he needed the help to get the money to care for Maggie.
Fighting tears, Nicole said she did not want to sleep with anyone, especially Deimos. Victor quietly said that Maggie could have died because of Deimos. When Nicole asked for details, Victor whispered that he had already said too much. "Everything that Maggie is suffering through now is because of him. So go ahead, think about what I said. Please. When I said I would make it worth your while, I wasn't joking around," Victor added. Nicole left without a word.
Theresa wheeled Maggie down the hallway as Summer arrived at the hospital. While Theresa and Maggie went into Victor's room, Brady watched Summer staring at her mother. Brady asked Summer why she had not said hello to Maggie. Summer admitted that she could not forgive Maggie for putting her up for adoption as a baby. Brady asked Summer if they could talk privately.
In Victor's room, Victor brightened when he saw Maggie enter the room with Theresa. Maggie bluntly asked Victor where they were going to live after they were both released from the hospital. Victor scowled at Theresa, but Maggie told Victor to talk to her, not Theresa. Victor asked for privacy, and Theresa promised she would be waiting in the hallway. Once alone, Maggie asked Victor if Deimos had blackmailed him. Victor nodded. Maggie demanded to know what had happened.
"What he held over my head was you," Victor said quietly. Maggie said she had no secrets. Victor explained that Deimos had poisoned Maggie and had caused her fall. Victor added that as Maggie had lay on the floor, dying, Deimos had offered the cure in exchange for Victor's house and business. Maggie took her husband's hand.
"You gave up everything that you have so I could live?" Maggie asked. Victor nodded. Maggie informed Victor that Deimos had visited the house to tell her that he had wanted to make peace with Victor. As Victor listened, Maggie explained that Deimos had asked for a glass of water, and she had left Deimos alone in the living room while she had gone to retrieve it. Shaking her head, Maggie added that she had left her purse with her medication in the living room with Deimos, and she had felt poorly after that night.
"If I'd lost you, all the money in the world wouldn't have done any good," Victor said. Victor blamed himself for Maggie's injuries. "Now I know him. He wasn't the passionate young man in love like you. And I'm sure he was as cold and calculating when he seduced Helena as he was when he poisoned me. There's no changing a man like him. All you can do is get revenge," Maggie said.
"Did I hear Maggie Horton say revenge?" Victor said with a smile. "Why not? Are you in?" Maggie asked. With a sigh, Victor admitted that he had done Deimos "a grave injustice." Maggie asked Victor if he wanted to let the matter go. Victor said he did not want to cause a war because he had too much to lose. "As far as I'm concerned, the man doesn't exist. I won't raise a finger against him," Victor said.
In Summer's hotel room, Brady told Summer that Maggie was just as scared as Summer. Brady added that Maggie was dealing with a lot of problems, and he asked Summer to cut Maggie some slack. When Brady asked Summer if she was drawing out things with Maggie to make him feel pity for her, Summer's mouth fell open. After taking a moment to collect herself, Summer asked Brady if he agreed with Theresa.
Brady noted that Summer's lack of compassion for what Maggie had gone through when she had given birth to Summer made him question what Summer wanted. Hurt, Summer asked Brady what she needed to do to prove that Theresa and Brady were wrong about her motives. Brady asked Summer to give Maggie another chance.
Summer and Brady returned to the hospital as Theresa was pushing Maggie in her wheelchair out of Victor's room. Without informing Maggie or Theresa of their presence, Summer commented that Theresa appeared to be getting along with Maggie. Brady noted that it had taken a long time to warm to Theresa because Theresa had been a difficult person. When Brady mentioned that Theresa had hurt a lot of people, a confused Summer asked Brady why he was marrying her. Brady shared that he had watched Theresa change into a better person.
"People can do that. It affected me. Probably because I was trying to do the same thing. Anyway, it brought us very close together. I really think you should go see Maggie," Brady said. Summer nodded yes.
In Maggie's room, Theresa nervously fussed over Maggie. Theresa asked Maggie if her legs were comfortable, then gasped at her stupid comment. "How the hell would I know?" Maggie growled. Theresa's mouth dropped open. Maggie started laughing, and relieved, Theresa joined her. Summer entered the room and asked what was so funny. Maggie said that sometimes laughter was all you could do in life.
When Summer asked Maggie if she was up to talking, Maggie said she was feeling dazed over some news she had learned. Summer offered to leave, but Maggie stopped her. Maggie said she was glad that Summer was there. Theresa took the wheelchair and left the two women to talk privately. Summer said she had something for Maggie. As Maggie cocked her head, Summer pulled the charm of the red shoes out of her pocket. Summer admitted that she had stolen the charm.
Summer explained that she had taken the charm on impulse when she had spotted it on the ground. With a sigh, Summer added that she had always had the impulse to take things. Summer apologized. When Maggie said she had feared that Summer would not stay in Salem, Summer said that Brady had convinced her to give Maggie a second chance. Crying, Maggie said she wanted the same thing. Summer grasped Maggie's hand in hers.
Nicole met with Brady and Theresa at the Brady Pub so she could get Brady's take on what Victor had asked her to do to Deimos. "Well, if anyone can pull it off, it's you," Theresa assured Nicole, adding that she meant that as a compliment. Brady was less encouraging, insisting that Nicole needed to stay away from Deimos.
Nicole assured Brady that she would never let the con progress to the point where she would actually have to sleep with Deimos, but Brady argued that she might not have a choice in the matter. "Do you remember what happened with Xander? You were so sure that you were gonna put him away. That almost killed you; you almost died, okay? This is a situation that belongs between Victor and Deimos," Brady added.
Brady was furious with Victor for involving Nicole, but she clarified that she had gotten herself involved. "Old reporter habits die hard, I guess," Nicole added with a shrug and a laugh. "Yeah, well, speaking of dying, this is not a story that I want to see on the five o'clock news," Brady countered, clearly unamused. Reminding Nicole that she wasn't a cop, Brady begged her to stay out of the matter and let the professionals handle Deimos.
At the police station, a cop entered Hope's office and handed her a bulging envelope, explaining that it contained something that Roman had found while cleaning out his desk. After the cop left, Hope opened the envelope and found Bo's badge inside. "Oh, Brady," Hope muttered with a sigh. Meanwhile, Hope's cell phone began to ring. "When are you going to move on Deimos Kiriakis?" a distorted voice asked when Hope answered the call.
Hope demanded to know the identity of the caller. "You know I can't tell you that. I'm already taking a huge risk by calling you," the distorted voice replied. Confused, Hope wondered what the caller wanted from her. "Deimos Kiriakis thrives on conflict. Challenge him head-on. That's the only way to get to the truth," the distorted voice advised before hanging up.
Rafe soon entered Hope's office and wondered who she had been talking to earlier. Hope claimed that Shawn had called to give her a forensics report for one of their open cases. Changing the subject, Rafe wondered if Hope had started to recover from her recent illness yet. Hope confirmed that she was feeling much better, prompting Rafe to invite her to have dinner with him. Hope accepted but said she had something to take care of first.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Deimos gathered up all the family photos that Victor and Maggie had left on display in the living room and tossed them in the trashcan. Deimos soon received a visit from Hope, who declined his offer to pour her a drink, explaining that she was on duty. Deimos was surprised that Hope had been assigned to investigate his recent acquisition of Victor's assets, given her connection to Maggie and Victor, but she clarified that she wasn't officially investigating anything yet; she was simply curious about the details of the deal.
Deimos pointed out that if Hope wasn't officially investigating him, he was under no obligation to provide those details. Deimos promised, however, that if Hope asked him a direct question, he would respond with a direct answer. "I have reason to believe that you were involved in Bo's kidnapping and torture. Is that true?" Hope asked. "Yes, it is," Deimos replied.
Hope started to lash out at Deimos, but he interrupted. "I was very careful. My hands are clean. There's no way for you to prove anything. So to save you a lot of time and effort, you need to know: there's absolutely nothing you can do," Deimos matter-of-factly explained. Deimos continued that he hadn't had anything against Bo; he had simply been paid to obtain the formula for the serum that had been developed for Caroline, and his employer had suspected that Bo could lead him to that information.
Deimos admitted that he and his employer had greatly underestimated Bo's determination to keep the formula a secret. "He could have come home to you so much sooner, if only he --" Deimos started to add, but Hope angrily stopped him from finishing the sentence. Regaining her composure, Hope wondered why Deimos wasn't concerned that she could be wearing a wire. "You didn't think I was just gonna tell you the truth simply because you asked nicely, did you? You were completely unprepared for what you just heard. But you got what you came for, did you not?" Deimos reasoned.
"No, I didn't," Hope replied as she retrieved her gun and pointed it at Deimos. Seemingly unfazed, Deimos reiterated that there was no way for Hope to prove what he had done to Bo. "So what are you gonna do?" Deimos calmly asked. As Hope tearfully lowered her gun, Nicole entered the living room and wondered if she was interrupting something. Deimos assured Nicole that he and Hope had nothing more to discuss. "What business do you have with Deimos?" Hope asked Nicole. "None of yours," Nicole answered.
Hope left after warning Deimos that she would be back later. Nicole observed that Deimos certainly seemed to have a way with women, prompting him to concede that he did have a tendency to elicit a very strong reaction from people. Changing the subject, Nicole revealed that her dinner plans for the evening hadn't panned out. "If you're not busy, I was wondering if your offer still stands," Nicole added.
Deimos said he would love to entertain Nicole. "But if we're gonna break bread together, why don't we not start off with a lie?" Deimos added, prompting Nicole to smoothly wonder what he was lying about. "I wasn't talking about me," Deimos clarified, guessing that Nicole had an ulterior motive for visiting him. "The truth is, Deimos, I came here because I want to hear more about Helena," Nicole admitted.
At Brady and Theresa's townhouse, Brady was still fuming about his earlier conversation with Nicole. Brady insisted that he was the one who needed to be fighting Deimos, but Theresa argued that Brady couldn't put his life at risk just to get back Victor's money. "It's not about the money, Theresa," Brady clarified, noting that even without the Titan assets, Victor and Maggie weren't exactly destitute because Maggie still had Chez Rouge. "It's about [Victor's] spirit. He might not be able to recover from something like this," Brady fretted. Acknowledging that he owed Victor and Maggie everything, Brady concluded that it was time for him to pay them back.
As one of her fellow hotel guests loudly complained about the noise from an adjacent room, Abigail desperately tried to get Thomas to stop crying. As a last resort, Abigail placed Thomas in his portable seat and moved away from him, recalling how some people believed that parents needed to let their kids cry themselves to sleep instead of trying to comfort them. Abigail was relieved when the tactic seemed to work, but Thomas resumed his tantrum as soon as she stepped back into view. "It's me, isn't it? You can't get calm because I can't. You're suffering because I'm suffering," Abigail sadly realized.
Chad and J.J. soon burst into the room, having received a tip from Chad's private investigator about a charge Abigail had made to her credit card. "Don't you dare!" Abigail snarled, protectively hunching over Thomas' portable seat. J.J. gently assured Abigail that Ben was in prison and couldn't hurt her or Thomas anymore, but she just laughed and pointed out that she had received similar assurances in the past. "The all-powerful DiMeras, and all your guards, and the police -- you can't stop him! Nobody can stop him! I could have stopped him. I could have stopped him, if you hadn't..." Abigail added before letting her voice trail off.
Chad cautiously tried to advance toward Abigail and Thomas, but she warned him to stay back. "He's my son! I know how to take care of my son! You don't know, and you don't know! I know what's best for my son! I do! And I know how to take care of him because I'm supposed to take care of him. I'm the only one that knows how to keep my son safe! Nobody else knows!" Abigail shouted at Chad and J.J. as Thomas continued to cry. Remaining calm, J.J. assured Abigail that she wasn't alone, and Chad agreed, adding that he was sure that Abigail didn't want Thomas to grow up without both a mother and a father.
Abigail regained her composure and slowly backed away from Thomas, whom Chad quickly seized and soothed. Realizing that Chad had effortlessly accomplished what she had struggled for quite some time to do, Abigail rushed out of the room in frustration, and J.J. chased after her. Abigail soon returned with J.J. and marveled at how easily Chad had managed to calm Thomas down. Chad downplayed the feat, assuring Abigail that he had simply arrived at just the right time, when Thomas had exhausted himself and could no longer continue the tantrum. "Yeah, you can't make a baby fall asleep, right?" J.J. reasoned.
Musing that she suffered nightmares every time she tried to sleep, Abigail tearfully wondered if Thomas had been experiencing the same thing lately. Abigail fretted that she had given Thomas a horrible start to life, but Chad assured her that Thomas was happy because he knew that he had two parents who loved him deeply. "He is little, but he is strong, just like his mother," Chad added. Sobbing, Abigail admitted that she didn't feel very strong at that time.
Later, Chad, Abigail, and J.J. returned to the DiMera mansion with Thomas. Jennifer was glad to see that Abigail was okay, but Abigail wasn't convinced that was true. Abigail admitted that she had expected to be a great mother because she had always been good with kids. Abigail added that Jennifer had always made parenthood look really easy, but Jennifer assured her that it had sometimes been quite difficult, especially after Jack's death. "[And] I am so grateful, because I had a village -- literally -- help me. Let us help you. Please," Jennifer begged Abigail.
Fearing that Jennifer had a specific kind of help in mind, Abigail insisted that she was fine and just needed to get some sleep. Chad asked for a moment alone with Abigail, and after Jennifer and J.J. exited the living room with Thomas, he assured Abigail that there was no shame in asking for help, especially after everything she had been through. "Do you want to keep going on this way?" Chad wondered.
Abigail defensively countered that Chad just wanted to lock her up because he believed that she was a bad mother. "Why do you think that I ran? I know what you're doing. You're just punishing me for what I did upstairs. You are. And let me tell you something: anyone in their right mind would have done exactly what I did. Anyone in their right mind would want Ben dead. They would. And you know what? I'm not sorry that I lit him on fire. I'm just sorry that he didn't die!" Abigail insisted, but Chad refused to believe that.
Chad pointed out that Thomas had been in the mansion when Abigail had set Ben on fire. Knowing that Abigail would never deliberately harm Thomas, Chad guessed that Abigail actually had plenty of regrets and was punishing herself for what she had done. Fighting back tears, Abigail rushed outside through the terrace doors, and Chad chased after her.
While Chad and Abigail were gone, J.J. and Jennifer returned to the living room and started discussing why Abigail had taken off with Thomas in the first place. J.J. admitted that after the way Abigail had acted earlier, he was no longer sure that having her committed was a bad idea. Jennifer complained that if she hadn't been busy lately, she might have realized sooner that something was wrong with Abigail. "You think I let her down?" Jennifer wondered when she realized that J.J. was looking at her skeptically.
"I think Abigail is not the only one in the family that has a problem," J.J. gently replied. J.J. stressed that he wasn't judging Jennifer, especially in light of his own past struggles, but she feigned ignorance and defensively insisted that she didn't need -- and hadn't asked for -- his help. "The last thing I need is my son hovering over me like I am some pathetic woman who can't take care of herself," Jennifer added. J.J. clarified that he was simply worried about Jennifer, but she maintained that there was nothing to be worried about.
Jennifer rushed off to check on Thomas, who had just started crying again. Shortly after J.J. followed Jennifer out of the living room, Chad reentered with Abigail, who admitted that she should have contacted the police instead of trying to deal with Ben herself. "I just... I didn't trust them," Abigail explained. Abigail conceded that Chad had been right to point out earlier that she had put Thomas' life in danger when she had set Ben on fire. "I just... I snapped," Abigail continued.
Chad understood but stressed that Abigail could never tell anyone else about what she had done. "I can't protect you if anyone else knows," Chad explained. Chad added that he couldn't bear to lose Abigail or Thomas because they meant everything to him. Abigail hugged Chad and tearfully acknowledged that although she didn't mean to do so, she was hurting Thomas every time she held him because he knew, on some level, that she wasn't okay. Abigail continued that her fears about being committed had caused her to walk away from her family, Chad, and, ultimately, even Thomas -- something she had never expected to be capable of doing.
"So...I'll go," Abigail hesitantly concluded, reasoning that she needed to get better for Thomas' sake. As Jennifer and J.J. reentered the living room, Chad wondered if Abigail wanted to hold Thomas for a moment before heading to the psychiatric facility. Abigail reluctantly declined, not wanting to disturb Thomas. "I'll go, and I'll get better, and then I'll come back to my son, and I'll hold him, and I'll never let him go," Abigail promised.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Deimos began to tell Nicole about Helena Tasso, making it clear, first and foremost, that Victor hadn't pursued her out of love but instead because he had hoped to use her rich and powerful family's connections to rise to prominence. Deimos insisted that he, on the other hand, had loved Helena with his whole heart and had never gotten over the pain of losing her.
Deimos admitted, however, that in the beginning, he had also had ulterior motives for pursuing Helena. "I was the bastard son to my father, born of a different mother than the other children, so what better way to obviate my jealousy -- to prove to Victor that I was his equal -- than by stealing away his fiancée?" Deimos explained.
Deimos continued that he had eventually confessed the truth to Helena, who had been angry at first but had ultimately forgiven him, knowing that they had developed genuine feelings for each other. Even so, Helena had been too afraid to call off her engagement to Victor, fearing his wrath as well as her father's. "And then my worst nightmare came true: [Victor] found out about my affair with Helena, and he confronted her. And she ended up dead," Deimos concluded.
Nicole wanted to know more about Helena, so Deimos recalled that she hadn't just been beautiful on the outside; she had also had an inner light and an ability to draw people in with just one look. Deimos continued that Helena had been charming, sophisticated, and spirited, and she had possessed a wicked sense of humor. "I never laughed as much as when I was with Helena. Honestly, I have not laughed as much since," Deimos admitted, adding that Nicole's resemblance to Helena was painful but also comforting.
Nodding, Nicole thanked Deimos for his time and started to excuse herself, but he stopped her and wondered, "How much is Victor paying you to woo me?" Nicole admitted that Victor had made her an offer. Nicole insisted, however, that she had turned Victor down because she only did favors for herself. "[And] besides, Victor's the last person on this earth that I would help," Nicole added.
Deimos skeptically pointed out that Nicole had recently helped save Victor's life, but she explained that she had done that solely for Maggie's sake, because although she truly believed that Maggie would be better off without Victor in her life, she couldn't bear to see Maggie lose another loved one. Nicole maintained that there was no love lost between her and Victor, who had treated her like a prisoner during their marriage and had ultimately driven her to try to electrocute him. "As the saying goes, the man's too mean to die, but I believe [that] sent him a very clear message that I was not going to take his abuse lying down," Nicole mused.
Admitting that he enjoyed Nicole's company, Deimos wished he could believe that she wasn't harboring some sort of agenda. "Think what you will. Regardless, I had a good time tonight. Thank you...for the drink and the story," Nicole coolly replied before showing herself out.
At the Brady Pub, Hope told Rafe about her earlier conversation with Deimos. Hope insisted that there had to be some way to prove that Deimos had been responsible for Bo's kidnapping and torture. "No such thing as a perfect crime," Hope reasoned. "Let's hope there is [such a thing]," Rafe pointedly countered.
Changing the subject, Hope revealed that she had received another phone call from her mystery informant earlier. Hope suspected that identifying the informant could be the key to proving Deimos' guilt. "We can't give up. We have to take one lead at a time and find the proof we need to put Deimos back behind bars," Hope insisted.
Steve soon arrived and offered to buy drinks for Hope and Rafe, who requested iced tea and milk, respectively, because they were on duty. After Steve headed over to the bar to place the order, Rafe suggested that it would be best for him and Hope to keep the information about Deimos to themselves for the time being, and she agreed.
Later, Rafe received a phone call while he and Hope were in the middle of telling Steve about one of their most amusing arrests. After Rafe stepped away to answer the call, Steve observed that the vibe between Rafe and Hope had clearly changed. "I support you moving on with Rafe, if that's what you want. I mean, Bo was in favor of it. That's good enough for me," Steve added. Hope admitted that she felt conflicted about the idea of starting a new relationship, even with someone she really cared about. Steve reasoned that Hope needed to take advantage of every chance at happiness that she got because, as they both knew, love could be fleeting.
Guessing that something had happened between Steve and Kayla, Hope wondered if he wanted to talk about it. Steve admitted that Kayla had been pushing him away lately and had even called off their engagement. Hope understood Kayla's perspective but also knew that Steve would never intentionally do anything to put his family in danger. "In fact, you'd do everything to protect them," Hope added, revealing that she knew about what Steve had done for Joey. Hope said she was rooting for Steve and Kayla to eventually work things out, since they loved each other, and that was all that really mattered in the end.
At the hospital, Kayla jokingly assured Fynn that she usually strived to be the kind of hostess who didn't pass out on her guests. Unamused, Fynn insisted that Kayla needed to start taking her injury more seriously, since her latest CT scan had shown that the bleeding on her brain hadn't subsided as much as he had hoped, and her sodium levels hadn't gotten any better, either. Kayla countered that her condition also hadn't gotten any worse. "Still, if the pressure doesn't subside, you'll need to reconsider surgery, 'cause the next time you pass out, you might not be so lucky," Fynn warned.
At the Horton Town Square, Joey and Jade discussed their plan to run away together, deciding that they wanted to leave Salem right away and head to Los Angeles, where Jade believed they would be able to crash with one of her aunts until they managed to save enough money to get a place of their own. Joey warned that his Aunt Kimberly also lived in Los Angeles but would need to be avoided because she was close with Kayla and would rat him and Jade out in a heartbeat if she spotted them.
Jade started to check the bus schedule, but Joey insisted that riding a bus to Los Angeles would be a bad idea. "I did the whole bus thing in New York when I ran away to track down my dad, and it sucked," Joey explained. Chuckling, Jade pointed out that she and Joey couldn't exactly walk to Los Angeles.
"Well, what about riding there...on a motorcycle?" Joey seductively suggested, wrapping his arms around Jade's waist. Joey wondered if Jade wanted to accompany him back to his parents' place so they could search for the keys to the motorcycle. "Wait, you want to leave for L.A. tonight?" Jade realized. "Unless you want to stick around for the prom," Joey teasingly confirmed.
Joey found the keys to the motorcycle stashed away in a drawer at the Johnson house, and he also grabbed what he believed would be enough cash to cover the amount of gas that would be needed to get to Los Angeles. Jade observed that Joey really seemed to be getting into the idea of running away with her. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be? Hanging out on the beach, seeing our favorite bands --" Joey began. "Getting to know each other better," Jade added. Joey admitted that Jade already knew him pretty well -- probably better than anyone else, in fact -- but Jade stressed that she wanted to know every little intimate detail about him.
Joey kissed Jade, who removed his shirt and pushed him onto the nearby couch. "You want to do this here? Right now?" Joey asked as Jade climbed on top of him and straddled his waist. "Think it's the perfect way to kick off our adventure," Jade reasoned. Joey gave Jade another kiss as she began to unbutton his jeans. Meanwhile, Kayla entered the house with Fynn, who had insisted on walking her home.
As Joey separated himself from Jade and started to put his shirt back on, Kayla asked Jade to leave. Joey started to protest, but Jade assured him that it was all right. Fynn followed Jade out so Kayla and Joey could have some privacy. "We were making out. Big deal," Joey dismissively explained when Kayla wondered what she had just walked in on.
Kayla started to suggest that Jade was a bad influence, but Joey countered that Kayla knew nothing about Jade -- and it was none of her business, anyway. "I'm an adult now, okay? I'm not having this conversation with you. And by the way, Jade is the only good thing in my life now that you're tearing our family apart," Joey added before heading to his room.
As Jade was strolling through the town square, she received a text message from Joey, who said he was sorry that their trip had been delayed. Jade assured Joey that they could leave for Los Angeles the following day instead. "CAN'T WAIT!!!" Joey replied.
Fynn ran into Steve at the Brady Pub and refused to answer his questions about Kayla's health, citing doctor-patient confidentiality. Nodding, Steve wondered if there was anything he could do to help Kayla. "You want to help? Stay away from her," Fynn advised, explaining that Kayla didn't need any stress in her life at that time.
Later, while passing through the town square, Fynn called Kayla to make sure she was all right. Meanwhile, outside the Johnson house, Steve watched Kayla through a window. Steve considered ringing the doorbell but decided not to.
While Ciara and some other teens were decorating Edge of the Square for the prom, a student named Mark began hitting on her, wondering if she would like to hang out with him later that night. Confused, Ciara said she had been under the impression that Mark already had a girlfriend. Mark clarified that he had broken up with the girl in question the previous week. "She was, like, totally boring," Mark explained.
Ciara informed Mark that she was already dating Theo Carver. "What is a hot girl like you doing hooking up with a loser like that?" Mark asked incredulously. Ciara shoved Mark and warned him not to talk about Theo that way. "Whoa, I'm not trashing him. I'm just saying, he's kind of challenged," Mark explained.
"Not as much as you are, Mark," Ciara countered. Unaware that Theo was standing nearby, Ciara added that she didn't care about Theo's "challenges" because he was a great guy. "I didn't say he wasn't a great guy; I'm just saying, I don't think he's boyfriend material," Mark clarified. Ciara insisted that Theo was the best guy she had ever known, and she warned Mark to get out of her face before she did something they would both regret.
After Mark walked away, Theo approached Ciara and admitted that he had heard what she had just said about him. Ciara assured Theo that she had meant every word. Grinning, Theo gave Ciara a kiss. Nearby, Henry told Claire that Ciara and Theo seemed really happy together. "Must be nice, right?" Henry mused. Claire assured Henry that he would eventually find someone who made him just as happy -- and she guessed that she would, too.
Later, when Theo went to get some more supplies, Mark approached Ciara and apologized for offending her, conceding that he really didn't know Theo at all. Mark maintained, however, that Ciara could do better. "Let me show you what you're missing," Mark offered before pushing Ciara up against the bar and giving her a kiss.
Ciara pushed Mark away and told him not to touch her, but he protested that he simply wanted a chance to prove that they could be good together. Theo intervened and punched Mark, who fell to the floor. Theo got on top of Mark and continued punching him, ignoring Ciara's attempts to stop him.
