Tripp lashes out at Steve for killing Ava
Rafe and Hope watched in stunned silence as a man approached Eduardo and presented him with a briefcase filled with bearer bonds. "These...'accidentally' fell into my hands. Cool, huh?" the man said to Eduardo.
"Perfect. That's a clean hundred mill. I can put that to very, very good use," Eduardo replied. In exchange for the bearer bonds, Eduardo presented the man with a briefcase filled with counterfeit corporate bonds. "These look and feel like the real thing. They got perfect numbers; they got perfect letter sequencing. You can get any loan you want over there with these. These Eastern European banks [are] desperate; they'll -- they'll take any American corporate bonds as collateral," Eduardo assured the man.
After the deal was finalized, Rafe reluctantly emerged from his hiding place to confront Eduardo, leaving Hope to go after the other man, who was planning to be out of the country by the end of the night. When Eduardo tried to lie his way out of the predicament, Rafe revealed that he hadn't just seen everything; he had recorded everything. "What the hell are you doing, man? You been following me?" Eduardo asked incredulously. Rafe clarified that a tip had led him to the Sixth Street alley, where he had expected to catch Deimos doing something illegal.
Eduardo grumbled that Deimos had obviously set him up -- and had used Rafe to do it. "That's what you're going with?" Rafe asked, shaking his head in disbelief. Rafe wondered if Dario had been involved in the trade. Eduardo insisted that Dario knew nothing about it. "I need you to do me a solid here, son, you know? I mean, just this once. Just -- you just gotta look the other way. I mean, we -- we could both erase the last half hour, man; we could -- we could -- we could forget this ever happened, man, you know? Hey, we can donate these bonds to charity! Whatever you think -- whatever you think would be best," Eduardo begged.
"Forget about the oath that I took, or my integrity, or the fact that I told you not to do anything stupid? I can't. I can't do it," Rafe sadly replied. Nodding, Eduardo turned his back to Rafe, assumed a passive position, and said with a sigh, "Well, then, I guess you better do your duty." Rafe's voice wavered as he forced his way through a recitation of the Miranda rights, handcuffing Eduardo in the process.
Gabi entered Club TBD in time to overhear Kate recording a voicemail message for Eduardo. Gabi waited until Kate was finished with the message then excitedly asked her if it meant that she had decided to give Eduardo another chance. "Well, yeah, maybe...but, uh, looks like I might have been stood up," Kate replied. Dario soon approached Gabi and started to drag her out of the club in a rush, revealing that Eduardo had just been arrested.
At the police station, Commissioner Raines congratulated Rafe for having obtained airtight evidence to help the FBI make a solid case against Eduardo. "Gotta admit, I never thought you had the guts to arrest your own father," Raines added. "Just doing my job -- nothing more, nothing less," Rafe numbly replied.
Shortly after Raines walked away, Dario stormed into the police station and angrily asked Rafe, "What the hell did you do to our father?" Rafe explained the situation to Dario, who was furious that Rafe hadn't agreed to cover up Eduardo's crime. "Nobody would have known!" Dario pointed out. "Rafe would have known," Gabi countered as she joined the conversation. She reminded Dario that Rafe had covered up a crime for her a few years earlier. "And I know what that cost him, okay? Not just his job -- which, thank God, [was eventually given] back to him -- but what it cost him inside," she continued.
"Oh, Gabi, please, give me a break, all right?" Dario dismissively replied, maintaining that Rafe could have easily looked the other way if he had really wanted to. "No, I couldn't," Rafe insisted. Sighing, he continued, "I mean, it seems like a little thing, doesn't it? I mean...you just look the other way. [After] all, the law [is] -- it's just a guideline, a suggestion, you know? [And] if someone I love is in trouble, I just throw it away, right? That's all. [But] let me tell you, I've done that so many times, I don't even know who I am anymore, [and] if I were to do that one more freaking time... I couldn't."
Rafe understood that Dario didn't agree with what he had done. "Just know that I would have -- I would have rather gone to jail myself," Rafe stressed. Gabi wondered if anything could be done to help Eduardo out of the predicament. Shaking his head, Rafe sadly explained, "The bonds are stolen U.S. government property, [so] someone from the federal government will be here tomorrow to rearrest [Eduardo] and take him to a federal facility in Chicago." Gabi broke down in Rafe's arms when he added with a sigh that, on the bright side, there would at least be time to say goodbye to Eduardo.
When Dario joined Eduardo in one of the conference rooms, Eduardo said, "You know, it would have been a hell of a deal if it would have worked." Dario blamed himself for what had happened, believing that he had put too much pressure on Eduardo to make GDR Corp a successful company that could hold its own against DiMera Enterprises and Titan, but Eduardo insisted that wasn't true. Eduardo asked Dario to look after Gabi, who wasn't as strong as she pretended to be. "None of us are," Dario quietly replied.
When Gabi took Dario's place in the conference room, Eduardo started to say something to her in Spanish. She quickly interrupted, insisting that she didn't want to hear his flowery apology. "You gave me your word! You promised me that you were done breaking the law! [I begged] Mami [and] Dario [and] Rafe to forgive you, [and] you betrayed all of us!" she continued.
Eduardo conceded that he couldn't really argue with anything Gabi had just said; he stressed, however, that he had been doing his best all along. "Stealing Treasury bonds -- that's you doing your best?" she asked incredulously. Tearfully insisting that he had been at his true best in the moments he had spent bonding with his grandchild, she concluded, "I forgave you for leaving us, [but] I don't think I can forgive you for leaving Arianna." He sighed heavily as he watched her leave the room.
Later, as Eduardo was wiping away a few tears, Kate entered the conference room. "You came," he observed. "You didn't," she replied. Holding up his cuffed hands, he dryly explained that he had been detained. Nodding, she tearfully admitted, "I'm sorry that we waited so long to say how we feel." After sharing a tender kiss, they expressed their love for each other. "I'm so sorry that I messed [this] up," he stressed. "We messed it up," she sadly replied.
A guard soon arrived to take Eduardo to a holding cell. While being escorted out of the conference room, Eduardo asked the guard for a minute to say one last goodbye to everyone. After the guard stepped aside, Eduardo told his loved ones, "A man stays. A man is there for his family -- the people he loves, the people who depend on him. I so wanted to be that man. I've been trying for so long to become the kind of person that all of you already are." He expressed his love for them and thanked them for having given him one last chance. "I am so sorry that I -- I let everybody down," he added with a heavy sigh.
"No. You didn't let me down," Gabi tearfully replied before wrapping her arms tightly around Eduardo. She reluctantly loosened her grip when the guard returned to take him away. "This is not right. This is so wrong. How can this be happening?" she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. After Eduardo disappeared from sight, she turned to Dario and asked him to take her home. Dario didn't budge. When she began to repeat the request, he interrupted, angrily stressing, "Deimos did this. [And he] has to pay."
At the Kiriakis mansion, Deimos bragged to Victor about what Hope had unwittingly helped him do to Eduardo. Victor checked in with a contact at the police station and received confirmation that Deimos' plan to set Eduardo up had worked like a charm. Deimos was amused to hear that Rafe, of all people, had made the arrest.
Victor warned Deimos, "Before you go popping off too many buttons, boasting about this whole thing, listen up: going after Dario Hernandez -- and even Rafe -- is fair game, but Gabi is the mother of Sonny's little girl, and Hope is with Rafe now, so [both Gabi and Hope are] off-limits." Deimos confirmed that he understood. Victor predicted that Dario and Rafe would seek revenge soon enough. "I'm not too concerned. I had no problem taking down the father. [I think] I'll enjoy taking down the sons even more," Deimos dismissively replied.
Alone in a room at the Salem Inn, Tripp watched the videos that Ava had recorded for him years earlier. He was fighting back tears by the time he reached a clip in which she said, "My precious baby boy... I honestly think my whole life has been building to this. I can't wait for you to be born. I'm going to love you so much. One thing, though, honey: you need to know there are people out there who are going to say they love you when they don't; they just want to get close to you so they can hurt you. Trust your mom on this; she knows. But not to worry -- I'll be there to help you. So exciting! Once you're born, people are gonna see how much I can love. I'm gonna give you this recording on your twenty-first birthday. Won't that be something? To know how much I loved you before you were even born?"
Steve entered Joey's apartment and sighed as he informed Kayla and Joey that he had failed to locate Tripp. "[He] said he was running some errands. He didn't say anything about being out all night," Joey reported. "And half of the next day!" Steve pointed out. Kayla assured Steve that, on the bright side, Tripp hadn't been admitted to the hospital. Steve knew from his own investigation that Tripp hadn't bought a plane ticket, but travel via train or bus was more difficult to track. Shaking his head, Steve sadly acknowledged, "I blew it. I found a son I didn't know I had, [and] all I wanted to do was get to know him and make him welcome in this family, and then --"
"And then you confessed to something you didn't do," Joey concluded. He wanted to admit to Tripp that he had killed Ava, but his parents insisted that he couldn't do that. While he was arguing with them about the matter, someone knocked on the apartment door. Steve opened it and found Tripp standing on the other side. Relieved, Steve told Tripp, "There you are! We were worried sick!"
Tripp expressed skepticism, finding it hard to believe that the Johnsons truly cared about him. "You all act like it's so important [to you] for me to be a part of your precious little family, [but] the problem with that is that I know who you really are!" he spat, revealing the collection of DVDs Ava's cousin had given him the previous night. He explained that the DVDs had shown him the real Ava Vitali.
"My mother was a loving, caring... She had her heart broken -- by you, 'Dad.' She trusted you the most; loved you the most! And I'll be damned to make that same mistake," Tripp continued. Steve, Kayla, and Joey each tried to convince Tripp that Ava had been a cunning manipulator. Steve stressed, "Listen, I know that Ava would have loved you in her own way, the best she could, but she --"
"But she never got that chance -- because you murdered her!" Tripp angrily concluded. Joey started to say something to Tripp, but Steve and Kayla quickly stopped him. Steve insisted that whatever was on the DVDs had to be false. Tripp smacked the DVDs against Steve's chest and told him, "Here. Watch 'em. Maybe then you'll understand what you took from me." Tripp guessed that Steve wouldn't bother, though, because that would mean having to see the real Ava Vitali -- a happy, loving mother-to-be with dreams for her future.
Steve maintained that Ava had been a liar. "Tripp...I regret what happened, and I blame myself every day for letting that woman back into [my life]. But let me tell you something, and this is the truth: mother or no mother, you are better off because you never had to meet the real Ava Vitali. [And] you know what the worst part is? I don't think I'm ever gonna get a chance to be your father. She even managed to ruin that," Steve sadly added before leaving the apartment. Before following Steve out, Kayla told Tripp, "You know, you're wrong about your mother -- and your father. Don't throw away your chance to get to know a man who really cares about you. Believe me, they don't come any better than him."
Steve and Kayla went to the Brady Pub and borrowed a laptop from Roman so they could watch the DVDs. In the first clip they viewed, Ava said, "Hi there, sweetie! Today I'm going to tell you about your father, Steve Johnson. Daddy says I'm a little obsessed with Steve -- or a lot -- but that's his problem, not mine. Whatever. It's time you learned about Steve. I loved him. I offered him my heart. We were gonna be married. Then he abandoned me. Then I found out I was gonna have you! Now he's not here for either of us. He promised to love me forever. He lied. He's a liar. So, it's just you and me, darling. I want you to know, you will always be my one and only, and I will always put you first, no matter what. That's what a mother does. Honey, we are gonna be so happy and perfect --"
Steve angrily slammed the laptop shut, not wanting to endure another second of the DVD. "My God, where did she get that routine?" he grumbled, shocked that Ava had managed to seem competent, loving, selfless, and calm in the clip he had just watched. Sighing, he wondered, "How am I gonna convince Tripp that she's twisting the truth? How do you discredit a dead woman who leaves a performance like that?"
Kayla assured Steve that they would find a way to get through to Tripp. "I mean, there's enough evidence [out there] to prove that Ava was insane, not to mention evil," she pointed out. Nodding, he agreed that he couldn't give up yet. "Ava already used our Joe to hurt this family. I'll be damned if I let her use my other son. Not gonna happen," he stressed.
As Tripp was packing his things, Joey tried to convince him to stay at the apartment for a few more days. "You never know -- you might change your mind [about our father]," Joey suggested. "Not gonna happen," Tripp insisted. He stressed, however, that he had nothing against Joey, adding, "I mean, hey, you didn't have anything to do with what happened to my mother."
Joey released a sigh, prompting Tripp to wonder if there was something he wanted to say. Joey insisted that he didn't want to talk about Ava. "Sort of sounds like you agree with your parents," Tripp observed. "Pretty much. I mean, I didn't know her long, but..." Joey replied before letting his voice trail off. When Tripp prompted Joey to continue, Joey stressed, "She lied -- about everything, man! She was a freak! She kidnapped my mom, almost starved her to death! She bashed her over the head, gave her some big concussion! My mom used to faint -- she used to just faint, man, out of the blue! She had to have an operation 'cause her brain was bleeding! Ava was messed up!"
Tripp replied, "I hear you, man, but...just... I'm just saying, put yourself in my shoes. Because the only fact that counts for me is that my father killed my mother. That's reason enough for me to never even talk to him again." Joey said that would break Steve's heart. "Yeah, well, too bad. He earned that when he smothered her to death," Tripp countered.
Tripp started to leave, but Joey stopped him, insisting, "You can't go, okay?" Sighing, Joey revealed that Tripp still didn't know what had really happened to Ava. Confused, Tripp wondered what Joey was talking about. Joey replied, "You need to know the truth. Stay, okay? And I'll tell you what really happened."
At the Brady Pub, Steve and Kayla complained about the DVDs that Ava had left for Tripp. Steve worried aloud whether he could ever earn Tripp's trust. Steve also worried aloud whether Joey would be able to keep his secret from Tripp about Ava's death. Patting Steve's hand, Kayla assured her husband that Tripp would eventually see that Steve was a good person. Steve grumbled about Angelo's interference, and he decided to find Angelo and talk to him.
At the loft, Joey told Tripp that Tripp did not know the truth about Ava's death. Curious, Tripp asked for details. Jade interrupted the conversation then wobbled as if she was about to fall. Tripp caught Jade and helped her find her balance. When Jade mentioned that she was past due to take her pain medication, Joey stiffened. Joey reminded Jade that she had just taken her pills and that she needed to be careful. Jade insisted she had not, and she asked Tripp to retrieve her pills from her room.
As Tripp ran upstairs, Jade dropped her "weak" act and warned Joey not to confess to Tripp about Ava. Jade reasoned aloud that a confession would only hurt Steve further and would not salvage his relationship with Tripp. Jade offered to talk to Tripp and talk up Steve and Kayla as parents. As Joey furrowed his brow, Jade explained that since she was a bystander, Tripp might listen to her. Jade said she would be happy to help Joey's family, since they had helped her so much.
Joey left to give Jade and Tripp privacy to talk. Jade told Tripp that she had never believed that there were happy families in the world until she had met Joey and his parents. Jade stressed that Steve was a good guy. Tripp countered that good guys did not murder women. With a sigh, Jade said that the woman on the DVDs was not the real Ava. Furious, Tripp accused Jade of "being bought off" by the Johnson family. Tripp said he did not need anything from the Johnsons. Tripp grabbed his bag and left. With a groan, Jade chased after Tripp.
When Joey returned to the loft, he was concerned that both Tripp and Jade were not there. Kayla arrived with the intention of talking to Tripp on Steve's behalf. When Joey said that Jade had planned to talk to Tripp but that they were both gone, Kayla frowned. Kayla noted that Jade was not strong enough to leave the loft on her own.
In the square, Steve met up with Angelo to warn him to steer clear of Tripp. Angelo said he'd had a duty to carry out Ava's final wishes and deliver her messages to Tripp. Steve growled that Angelo had filled Tripp's head with lies. Angelo countered that Steve had lied to Tripp when he had said that the ISA had ordered Steve to kill Ava. Angelo accused Steve of murdering Ava for his own reasons then using the ISA to cover up his crime.
Sneering, Angelo said that Tripp would never believe Steve again. Angelo vowed never to back off of Tripp because Tripp was his blood. Steve said that Tripp would learn to trust him in time. With a snicker, Angelo countered that Tripp would never need Steve for family or money. Confused, Steve asked Angelo what he meant. Angelo announced that he had given Tripp his inheritance in a trust fund.
At Club TBD, Tripp sullenly drank a beer at the bar and thought about his inheritance. Jade approached Tripp and, flirting, asked him to buy her a drink. With a head shake no, Tripp told Jade that she was underage and short a full liver. Jade said the doctors had cleared her to drink.
As Tripp slid his glass of beer toward Jade, she grabbed it as Kayla entered the club. Jade went to sip the beer, but Kayla sternly ordered Jade to put the beer down. Defensive, Tripp yelled at Kayla not to tell Jade what to do. When Jade meekly put the beer down, Tripp accused Jade of being under the influence of the Johnson family.
Eric and Marlena met up for coffee at the Brady Pub. As Eric yawned, Marlena raised an eyebrow. Eric explained that he had been up all night, helping a boy that had been in a bike accident while his parents had been out of town. Eric explained that the work he was doing helped him stay sober. With a sheepish grin, Eric said he loved his new job. Marlena asked Eric about his social life. With a shrug, Eric announced that it was too soon to have a life.
Eric told Marlena that he had canceled his date with Jennifer because he had realized that it might have been a mistake. Marlena asked why. Eric reasoned aloud that he did not want to be a burden on Jennifer, who was also working to heal from her problems. When Marlena dismissed the idea, Eric mumbled that not everyone agreed that he should start dating. Marlena pushed for details. After asserting that Maggie had been supportive, Eric shrugged.
Marlena deduced that Victor had badgered Eric. Eric admitted that was the case. After noting that she had an errand to run and that she would not talk to Victor, Marlena left. With a sigh, Eric said, "There she goes. Straight to Victor."
At the Kiriakis mansion, a fuming Marlena burst into the living room to confront Victor. Marlena yelled at Victor for attacking her son when he was already beaten down. Victor rolled his eyes and joked that Eric had run straight to his mother. Victor added that he was fine with Eric's need to feel horrible but that he did not think Eric deserved to spend an evening out on a date.
Marlena countered that Victor had hurt people for years with no consequences. Marlena suggested that Victor's time would be better spent helping Maggie deal with the situation rather than tearing down Eric. Leaning closer, Marlena stressed that Victor should focus on Deimos because he was more of a monster than Eric could ever hope to be.
After Eric returned to the Horton Center, he started to work but appeared distracted. Eric glanced at his computer, and he hesitantly looked up news about the search for Nicole. After returning to work, Eric fell asleep at his desk. Eric dreamed that he had run into Nicole in the town square, and he begged her not to run away from her problems. Eric startled awake.
In Canada, Nicole and Brady laughed over a mishap with the mixer while they had been making batter for cupcakes. After Nicole wiped batter off of Brady, he leaned forward and gently kissed the batter off of Nicole's cheek. As Brady seductively leaned in, Nicole pulled away. Brady apologized for crossing any boundaries. Brady asked Nicole if she was upset about Scooter. Shaking her head no, Nicole explained that she felt violated anytime someone mentioned her past.
Brady stressed that Nicole had not done anything wrong. Frustrated, Brady said he wanted to punch Scooter for mentioning Nicole's porn career. Nicole cautioned Brady not to touch Scooter. Brady promised he would not lay a hand on their neighbor. Citing the need for eggs to make more cupcake batter, Brady left for the store.
Immediately after Brady's car pulled away, Scooter knocked on the front door. After a brief pep talk to herself, Nicole reluctantly answered the door. Scooter started to talk about sex again, and Nicole warned him to be quiet because her children were sleeping in the other room. Unfazed, Scooter pushed Nicole to sleep with him or suffer the consequences.
Nicole said she would not be blackmailed. With a shrug, Scooter said he planned to learn a lot from Nicole and that he would tell his wife everything if Nicole did not comply. Outside, a car door slammed. Sighing in relief, Nicole ordered Scooter to slip out the back door because Brady would beat him up if he found Scooter there. Scooter reiterated that he would tell his wife everything if Brady touched him.
While Brady unloaded the groceries in the kitchen, a weepy Hillary knocked on the cabin door. Hillary confessed that she and Scooter had been suffering through difficult times in their marriage, and things had grown worse since "Bridget and Freddie" had moved in. Wiping away tears, Hillary said she was worried that Scooter would leave her. Nicole suggested that it might not be a bad thing if Hillary was rid of Scooter. Frustrated, Hillary said she could kill Scooter.
With an embarrassed smile, Hillary apologized for her blunt statement. Nicole said she did not judge. Hillary asked Nicole if Scooter was cheating. Shocked, Nicole shrugged noncommittally. Hillary apologized and said that Nicole's marriage had given her hope. Calmer, Hillary announced that she was going to the gun range, and she invited Nicole to join her sometime. Hillary rambled about how she had hoped to do activities with Scooter to grow closer, but each of her suggestions had angered him further. Overwhelmed, Hillary burst into tears.
While Hillary cried in the bathroom, Nicole reached into Hillary's purse and pulled out the gun. After staring at the weapon, Nicole carefully placed it back in Hillary's purse. When Hillary returned, Nicole assured her that everything would be okay. With a nod, Hillary left. Nicole opened up her laptop and looked up locations for nearby gun stores. Nicole mumbled that she had no choice.
When Brady returned to the living room, Nicole closed the computer. Nicole explained that she had been planning for their future. With a searching look on his face, Brady told Nicole that she seemed like herself again after talking to Hillary. Nicole said she felt like herself again.
As Theo entered his apartment, Claire cried out, "This is awful! This is disastrous!"
Confused, Theo wondered what was wrong. Claire, who was staring at her open laptop in disbelief, explained that she had uploaded two songs to her YouTube page earlier that day and had amassed less than five hundred views since then. Theo thought that nearing the milestone of five hundred views in such a short amount of time was pretty impressive, but Claire disagreed, noting that Ariana Grande's latest single had amassed over one million views in the first five hours following its release. Theo pointed out that Ariana Grande was a big star. "And I'm just a big nobody? Is that what you mean?" Claire asked defensively.
Theo tried to clarify his statement, but Claire forged ahead, complaining that only one record label had bothered to write her back about her recent submission; each of the others had simply sent a standard letter of rejection, explaining that unsolicited material was never accepted. Theo reasoned that the record label that had written back obviously thought that Claire was good, but she didn't find that comforting, insisting that she needed to be "off-the-charts amazing" because "good" didn't cut it in the music industry -- and certainly wouldn't earn her a spot in The Today Show's annual summer concert series.
Theo assured Claire that she was off-the-charts amazing -- especially to him. "I want to go through with it," he added. When she realized what he was talking about, she wondered if he was being serious. He confirmed that he was. "I want to take the first big step in us being together -- forever," he continued. "Wait, uh...did you just say 'forever'?" she asked incredulously, backing away from him.
Theo wondered if he had said something wrong. Claire carefully answered, "No, no, no -- not wrong, Theo, but, um...I just know that you get...confused...sometimes about saying what you really want." He insisted that being with her forever was what he really wanted. She pointed out, "I mean...forever is, like, a long, long time, and we're both so young... Thinking too far ahead -- I just -- I don't know..."
"Well, I mean, if we're gonna be making love, don't you think that should mean forever?" Theo reasoned. He stressed that he loved Claire and wanted her to know, whether they slept together right away or not, that he was "all in" with her. After a moment of hesitation, she smiled and assured him that she was all in, too. She reminded him, however, that she wanted their first time to be romantic and special, and she didn't want it to happen at the apartment, where one of their roommates could walk in at any time and ruin the moment. "I already thought of that," he replied, revealing a strip of black fabric. She laughed nervously as he blindfolded her.
Theo led Claire to a new location that smelled like Hawaii to her, even though she knew they couldn't have traveled that far in such a short amount of time. When he removed the blindfold, she found herself in a candlelit room at the Salem Inn. The bed was covered with rose petals, and a bottle of sparkling cider was chilling on the desk, next to two champagne glasses that had already been filled.
As Claire looked around the room, she noticed personal touches that Theo had added to it based on things she had posted on her Pinterest board. "I'm sorry it's not Green Mountain Lodge," he said. "Oh, my God, no -- this is so much better," she replied. They started kissing as they made their way toward the bed. After removing his shirt, Theo asked Claire if she was sure. She confirmed that she was then kissed him again.
Later, while Theo and Claire were lying in bed together, they talked about how the experience had exceeded their expectations. "'Cause we're [each] with the person we love," Theo reasoned before starting to kiss Claire again.
At the police station, Eli stepped into a conference room and received a terse greeting from Lani, who had been leafing through some paperwork. He explained that he was looking for a place to work in peace and quiet because the main section of the police station was a bit of a zoo at the moment. She said he could have the conference room because she was basically finished with it, anyway.
Before leaving, Lani promised, in the hope of maintaining a civil work environment, that she would "make nice" with Eli in the future -- professionally, at least. "What about personally?" he asked. She expressed doubts that she would ever see much of him outside of work. "Except for tonight," he noted, revealing that, like her, he would be attending Chad and Abigail's party later.
Lani said she could handle being at a social gathering with Eli; hanging out with him, however, was another matter entirely. She thought it would be best to avoid the latter, since she might just feel compelled to meddle in his business again if they spent too much time together. "Okay, about that...I know I came down on you kind of hard when you talked to me about my mom. I realize now that you were just trying to help," he said.
Lani wondered if that was supposed to be Eli's version of an apology. He somewhat defensively confirmed that it was. Chuckling, he added, "Look, I'm just hoping that we can start over, all right? Try and be civil to each other...and maybe even be friends." She conceded that that would be a lot easier than holding a grudge. "So, is that a yes?" he asked. "It is," she replied, extending an arm to seal the deal with a handshake.
As Sonny and Paul were passing through a secluded section of the town square, they discussed the round of tennis that they had just finished playing. Sonny insisted that he would have won the match if it had lasted any longer, but Paul disagreed. As a rematch was being planned, Sonny received a text message from Lucas, revealing that Arianna would be staying with him that night so Gabi could have some time to herself.
Sonny and Paul soon began talking about what had happened to Eduardo. Having heard from one of his sources that Deimos had set Eduardo up, Paul asked Sonny, "What if you're next?" Sonny insisted that he could handle himself. When Paul expressed doubts, Sonny snapped, "Why do you have to be so damn overprotective?"
Paul clarified that he knew Sonny was capable of handling himself; however, he also knew what Deimos was capable of doing. "If you keep pushing --" Paul began. "I may find something -- something to bury him with!" Sonny excitedly concluded. "Unless he buries you first," Paul countered.
Sonny insisted that wasn't going to happen. Still worried, Paul admitted, "But if it did...I don't know if I could go on. I mean, I can't even imagine my life without you in it. I love you, Sonny." Sonny softened a bit when he realized that Paul was being serious. Paul thought his feelings should have been obvious to Sonny, but Sonny explained, "Some things just need to be spelled out." Sonny added, for the record, that he loved Paul, too.
J.J. went to the DiMera mansion to tell Chad and Abigail about what had happened to Eduardo. When Abigail said that she felt bad for Gabi, Chad muttered that he did, too; he seemed, however, to be downplaying how much the news had affected him. Abigail was quick to send a supportive text message to Gabi but balked when Chad suggested sending one to Dario. Confused, Chad pointed out that Abigail and Dario were friends. Abigail vaguely explained that she'd "had some words" with Dario after the fundraiser at Club TBD.
At Club TBD, Dario assured Gabi that Eduardo had the best lawyer money could buy. "But when you look at the facts...Papi's going down. He really screwed himself this time," Dario added with a sigh. With Adriana and Eduardo both gone, Gabi fretted that it seemed like the Hernandez family was falling apart. Dario promised Gabi that he wasn't going anywhere.
Later, Dario ran into Chad in a secluded section of the town square. Chad seized the opportunity to say that he was sorry about what had happened to Eduardo. Dario expressed skepticism, guessing that Chad was actually thrilled to have a business rival out of the picture. Chad insisted that the thought had never even crossed his mind, but Dario found that hard to believe. Dario vowed to keep GDR Corp going in Eduardo's absence and turn it into the most successful business in Salem. "By any means necessary?" Chad concluded. "Whatever it takes," Dario confirmed.
Chad advised Dario to be careful, noting that it would be a shame if Gabi lost yet another member of her family. Dario countered that Chad needed to stop worrying about Gabi and start focusing instead on Abigail, since, after all, she was his wife. Chad started to warn that Dario was overstepping, but Dario forged ahead, insisting, "Abigail deserves more than this half-assed devotion [from] a man who probably fantasizes about another woman while he's in bed with her. Abigail should have a man who wants her and only her -- a man who loves her, appreciates her --"
Laughing, Chad guessed, "Like you?" He stopped laughing when he realized that he had actually hit the nail on the head. "You're in love with my wife?" he asked incredulously. "And yet she's given her heart to you -- a man who will eventually break it into a million pieces," Dario replied before walking away.
J.J. took Abigail to the Brady Pub for her party, having agreed earlier to be her chauffeur so Chad could run an errand before the event. When J.J. noted that it seemed like Chad and Abigail were in a good place, Abigail confirmed the suspicion. "At least, I hope we are..." she muttered to herself after she turned away from her brother.
Later, after the invited guests -- J.J., Lani, Eli, Sonny, and Paul -- had all assembled at the pub, Chad arrived and apologized for his tardiness. Abigail thanked everyone for attending the party, explaining that she had planned it as a way to celebrate with close friends before the vow renewal ceremony that was scheduled to take place the following day, since it was going to be an intimate family affair.
Gabi entered the pub while Chad was making a toast to Abigail. When Gabi rushed back outside in horror, Lani wondered, "What was that about?" Eli guessed that Gabi simply wasn't ready to field questions from friends about Eduardo yet. After excusing himself, he followed her to a secluded section of the town square and offered her a shoulder to cry on. Julie soon passed through the area, but they didn't notice her.
When Sonny arrived a short time later, Eli decided to return to the party, knowing that Gabi was in good hands. Gabi tried to tell Sonny that she was simply upset about what had happened to her father, but he wasn't convinced. Sighing, she reluctantly admitted that she was having trouble dealing with her lingering feelings for Chad. "[But Abigail and Thomas love] him as much as I do. I cannot be the person to get in between that family. I can't -- I won't -- be," she tearfully added. Sonny comforted her with a hug.
After Chad and Abigail left the Brady Pub, J.J., Eli, and Paul began discussing what Deimos had done to Eduardo. They made a pact to work together to end Deimos' reign of terror.
At the DiMera mansion, Chad told Abigail about his earlier encounter with Dario. She reluctantly admitted that she knew Dario was in love with her. She insisted that she only thought of Dario as a friend, but Chad wasn't entirely convinced, given how she had reacted to the idea of sending Dario a text message. She claimed that she was simply trying to cut off all contact with Dario, just as Chad had cut off all contact with Gabi.
The conversation was cut short when Thomas began crying. Abigail excused herself so she could check on the child. Chad still seemed a bit concerned about Abigail and Dario's feelings for each other, but by the time Abigail finished taking care of Thomas, he had decided that after the vow renewal ceremony the following day, outside parties would no longer be an issue in their marriage. Chad flirted with Abigail while she was getting ready for bed but fell asleep before she could join him there. She smiled when she found a new ring that had fallen out of his jacket pocket -- the item he had picked up during his earlier errand.
Julie ran into Ciara in the town square and wondered if she would like some company. Ciara declined, explaining that she was on a date with someone. Julie looked around, wondering where the guy was. Ciara explained that he had gone to buy lattes from a nearby restaurant. "[And] he knew exactly how to make mine. It's like we're totally in tune, you know?" Ciara raved.
When Wyatt returned, Ciara introduced him to Julie. He observed that Ciara had clearly gotten her beauty from Julie. Charmed, Julie extended a dinner invitation before walking away, leaving Ciara and Wyatt to resume their date. Ciara admitted that she loved hanging out with Wyatt, who seemed to really get her, even though they barely knew each other. She noted that he almost seemed too good to be true, given how much they had in common with each other. He returned the sentiment, stressing that he had never met anyone quite like her before.
Later, Wyatt walked Ciara back to her apartment and declined when she invited him inside, reasoning that they could instead get to know each other better during their next date. She happily accepted then said goodbye to him. He gave her a kiss on the cheek before she entered the apartment. Once the coast was clear, he sent a text message to someone: "Thx 4 all the info on Ciara. Working like a charm!"
As J.J. was passing through Horton Town Square, he ran into Gabi, who guessed that the box he was carrying contained a cake for Chad and Abigail's vow renewal ceremony. She said she was happy for the couple. He found that hard to believe, given what had happened at the Brady Pub the previous night, but she claimed that she had simply been upset about her father's arrest.
J.J. tried to express sympathy for Gabi, knowing that things had been pretty rough for her lately. He began to acknowledge that she was a victim of circumstance who had never intentionally caused problems for Chad and Abigail, but she quickly interrupted, insisting, "J.J., I'm not talking to you about this, okay? I'm not talking to you about this -- now or ever!" She rushed off without giving him a chance to respond.
At Club TBD, Myron informed Dario that the first test of their hacking software had been conducted the previous night -- and had been a huge success. "How much did you get?" Dario asked. "Several million," Myron replied. Myron tried to get a celebratory fist bump from Dario but was ignored. Somewhat disappointed, Myron lowered his hand and continued, "Anyway, your old man would be proud."
Rafe overheard and wondered what Dario and Myron were talking about. After dismissing Myron, Dario explained to Rafe that he was keeping GDR Corp going in Eduardo's absence as his way of making Eduardo proud. Dario started to lash out at Rafe again for having refused to cover up Eduardo's crime, prompting Rafe to tiredly reiterate that he had been obligated to honor the oath he had taken when he had begun his career in law enforcement. Dario said he was glad he hadn't followed in Rafe's footsteps. Acknowledging that Dario had instead followed in Eduardo's footsteps, Rafe advised against future involvement in illegal business activities. "I really do not want to have to arrest anyone else from my family," Rafe added.
"Why don't you go after Deimos Kiriakis? He is the real criminal -- the one who should be made to pay for his crimes!" Dario insisted. Rafe promised that he would go after Deimos; he added, however, that Eduardo had committed a crime, as well. "Does that mean anything to you? Does it? Do you have any respect for the law at all?" Rafe asked.
Dario argued that Eduardo had simply been trying to build something for his kids as a way of making up for past mistakes. "That's really touching, coming from you -- [and] also very surprising, considering you were the one who didn't want to welcome him back into our family," Rafe pointed out. Dario conceded that Rafe was right. Gabi entered the club and joined the conversation as Dario added, "But Dad never gave up on me. He always tried to be a better father [to us and] a good grandfather to Arianna, and you -- you just -- you ripped him from us!"
Gabi disagreed, insisting that Rafe had simply been doing his job and that Eduardo had only himself to blame for what had happened. Dario repeated his argument that Rafe had put family ahead of the job before and should have done so again. Gabi countered with her own familiar argument that bending the rules had cost Rafe far too much in the past. "Yeah, well, now [he's] cost us our father!" Dario spat.
Rafe told Gabi that she didn't have to defend him, but she disagreed. "Rafe should not have to do this again! This is not who he is! He's never wanted to be like our father, he's never wanted to take shortcuts, he's never wanted to take the easy way out to get things; he's always wanted to be better -- for himself, for all of us!" Gabi told Dario. She insisted that was why it had been necessary for Rafe to arrest Eduardo, but Dario maintained that it hadn't been necessary at all. "Why are you taking his side?" Dario asked.
"Because that's what our father wanted!" Gabi replied, revealing that she had visited Eduardo earlier that day, before he had been transferred to a federal holding facility. "[He told me] to come talk to you guys because he knew you'd be fighting about this," she explained. She added that Eduardo didn't blame Rafe for what had happened, and he didn't want Dario to blame Rafe, either; in fact, he wanted peace between his sons. "Fat chance," Dario replied, vowing that he would never forgive Rafe. Gabi tried to object, but Rafe stopped her. "You're wasting your time -- and so am I," Rafe said with a sigh before exiting the club.
At the DiMera mansion, Chad told Abigail, while getting dressed, that he had arranged a meeting with Lucas and would be gone for a while. "So the next time I will be seeing you, we'll be vowing to love and honor and cherish," he added. She said she couldn't wait, and he returned the sentiment. "Do you mean that?" she asked. "I do," he replied before leaving.
Later, Jennifer arrived to help Abigail get ready for the vow renewal ceremony. Jennifer admitted that she'd had concerns about the idea when Abigail had first mentioned it to her, since it had seemed like a spur-of-the-moment decision. Jennifer was happy to hear, however, that Abigail and Chad were both looking forward to it. "I know -- I just know, in my heart -- [that] after today, we're gonna be on solid ground," Abigail predicted.
Meanwhile, Kate greeted Dario at the front door and asked if Rafe was pulling strings to help Eduardo. "That would be against my brother's ethical code of conduct," Dario bitterly replied. Holding up two large bags, Dario explained that he had gifts for Kate -- from Eduardo. "[It's] stuff he bought for you over the past few weeks. He said he was waiting to give them to you 'til the two of you got back together," he added.
Kate tearfully admitted that when she had rejected a gift Eduardo had recently tried to give her, he had vowed that he would keep buying things for her regardless, but she hadn't believed him. "Well, he obviously loved you very much," Dario observed. Nodding, Kate replied, "I loved him, too. But I pushed him away...and now I've lost him forever."
After Dario left, Kate began opening the gifts. The first box contained the charm bracelet Eduardo had recently tried to give her. "Why was I such a fool? Why didn't I accept it then?" she asked herself as she stared sadly at the item. Fresh tears began streaming down her face as she read the attached note: "I'm hoping to give this to you again when you're finally ready to accept it. And you'll see that I kept my word and bought you a gift every day that you made me wait, 'cause I knew that in the end, I'd have my own gift -- and that would be you."
The second box contained a pair of ornately jeweled earrings. In the attached note, Eduardo explained, "I bought these in honor of your wit and clarity, which have captured me. They're the color of your eyes. When you look at me, Kate, I feel, for the first time in my life, like I'm truly seen." The third box contained a book of sonnets that was meant to honor her grace and beauty, and the fourth box contained a silk scarf that had reminded Eduardo of the softness of her skin, along with an attached note in which he had promised, "I'm gonna hold you, Kate, for the rest of your life. I'm gonna protect you so that you never have to be alone again."
The final gift was a crystal vase. Eduardo's attached note explained, "When I first saw this delicate beauty, I had a vision of her coming to pieces. I had done something terrible to disappoint you, and it made you crazy mad at me. And you, in your rage, had picked this beauty up and taught her how to fly. Sometimes, you seem like a dream to me, Kate, and I pray that I never wake up." Sighing, she heaved the vase across the living room then began sobbing uncontrollably as it shattered against the wall.
Later, Abigail and Jennifer entered the living room and found Kate cleaning up the mess she had made. Abigail assumed that Kate had broken something in an act of protest against the vow renewal ceremony, but Kate insisted that wasn't the case. Unconvinced, Abigail assured Kate that she didn't have to attend the ceremony if she didn't want to. "I said I would be here, and I will be here," Kate promised, adding that Chad was like a son to her, and she simply wanted to see him happy. "But, you know, stringing together a bunch of words to sentimental effect doesn't guarantee that things are going to be all right. [And] neither does giving someone a bunch of pointless presents," she pointed out before leaving the mansion with her remaining gifts.
Jennifer guessed that Kate was still upset about Eduardo's arrest, but Abigail remained certain that Kate was upset about more than just that. Jennifer advised Abigail not to worry about Kate's support of Gabi as a more suitable partner for Chad. "[He's] married to you, and that is what you need to focus on today -- just recommitting to your marriage and your future with your husband," Jennifer reasoned.
Talking about Abigail's future helped Jennifer remember that she needed pictures from Chad's past to include in a slideshow she was creating for the vow renewal ceremony. Abigail thanked Jennifer for the sweet gesture and promised to provide her with some old pictures of Chad as well as his high school yearbook. "Of course, you know, Kate would much rather see a slideshow of Chad and Gabi from their Countess W modeling days, just hanging all over each other," Abigail grumbled. Jennifer reiterated that Abigail needed to forget about that and focus on what the day was really supposed to be about.
As Jennifer was showing herself out of the mansion, J.J. arrived with Chad and Abigail's cake. Jennifer quietly revealed that she was worried about Abigail, who seemed to be experiencing a case of the jitters. In an equally hushed voice, J.J. assured Jennifer that he would talk to Abigail. When J.J. joined Abigail in the living room, she told him, "Mom didn't have to whisper. I could still hear her."
Abigail suspected that her mother was worried that she might "crack up" if the vow renewal ceremony didn't go off without a hitch, but J.J. insisted that wasn't the case. Unconvinced, Abigail complained, "I just wish everyone would stop treating me like I'm some delicate flower." J.J. suggested that Abigail might be upset about how Chad had reacted to the news that Gabi's father had been arrested -- and how he had later reacted to Gabi's unexpected appearance at the Brady Pub gathering. J.J. had taken note of both reactions, and he was fairly certain that Abigail had, too.
Annoyed, Abigail wondered if J.J. was trying to ruin the special day. She reminded him that he had previously urged her not to assume the worst about the situation -- advice that she had been trying to follow since then. "I'm just saying --" he began. "I know what you're saying! It's what everybody's saying! But, I mean, what am I supposed to do? Just stop talking to me like that! It's depressing, and I can't do it! Just leave me alone!" she snapped.
J.J. started to apologize, but Abigail stopped him and acknowledged that she had overreacted. She confirmed his suspicion that she had taken note of Chad's reactions the previous day. She admitted that she had, in fact, feared that Chad might leave his own party to chase after Gabi and make sure she was okay. "But he didn't," J.J. stressed. "No, he didn't. But he wanted to. And, J.J., that's what I'm up against. I'm up against feelings that are so strong, they're not just gonna disappear because [Chad and Gabi] decide they're not gonna see each other," Abigail replied.
Abigail believed that she had to live with that because her decision to fake her death was what had pushed Chad into Gabi's arms in the first place. "There needs to come a point where you stop blaming yourself -- and Chad starts taking responsibility for his feelings," J.J. argued. Abigail decided that she simply needed to keep reminding herself that Chad wanted to be with her, not Gabi.
When Abigail returned to the topic of the vow renewal ceremony, J.J. wondered why Kate had been invited. "That woman's a total downer," he grumbled. Abigail explained that Chad had a good relationship with Kate and wanted her in attendance. J.J. was surprised to learn that Kate had been vocal about wanting Chad to be with Gabi instead of Abigail. Abigail assured J.J. that she had shut Kate down in the same way that Chad had shut down his feelings for Gabi -- which, Abigail predicted, would begin to fade away after the vow renewal ceremony. "I hope so," J.J. replied.
Chad met with Lucas in the town square. After receiving confirmation that Adrienne was doing well, Chad got straight to the point of the meeting, revealing that a hacker had stolen a large amount of money from Countess Wilhelmina the previous night. Lucas quickly concluded, just as Chad had, that Deimos was the culprit. Chad didn't want to involve the police, believing that would just cause things to escalate further, but Lucas pointed out that they didn't really have a choice because investors were soon going to be wondering where their money had gone. Chad admitted that he hadn't given any thought to the investors yet. Knowing that was because Chad was preoccupied with the vow renewal ceremony, Lucas volunteered to file the police report himself.
At the police station, Hope joined Rafe in a conference room and happily informed him that she had been released from desk duty and placed back on active investigations. Her smile faded when he said he was glad to hear that at least one good thing had happened as a result of his father's arrest. She tried to apologize for having started the chain of events with her scheme to bug the Kiriakis mansion, but he insisted that it wasn't her fault that his father had committed a crime. He hoped, for her sake, that Deimos had decided to destroy the bug, since she would be back on desk duty -- or worse -- if Commissioner Raines ever found out about what she had done.
Lucas soon arrived and told Hope and Rafe about what had happened to Countess Wilhelmina. Lucas shared his suspicion that Deimos was responsible but admitted that there wasn't any proof of that yet. Hope and Rafe promised to help Lucas investigate the matter. After Lucas left, Hope wondered how Deimos always managed to get away with everything. Rafe asked Hope to promise that she wouldn't do anything reckless to try to stop Deimos' reign of terror. "I have to get back to work," she replied before leaving the conference room.
Later, Hope rejoined Rafe and tried to convince him to go home and get some rest. When he refused, pointing out that his brother might be there, she offered to let him spend the night at her place -- where, she promised, lots of pampering would occur. He accepted the invitation then excused himself so he could wrap up a few things.
While Hope was waiting for Rafe to return, Jennifer arrived to explain why Hope hadn't been invited to the vow renewal ceremony. Hope assured Jennifer that she understood. Jennifer admitted with a sigh that she was worried about Abigail because it seemed like the vow renewal ceremony was a way for Abigail to prove something to people -- and, most importantly, to herself.
Lucas bumped into Dario while exiting Club TBD. After apologizing, Lucas tried to talk to Dario about what had happened to Eduardo, but Dario quickly changed the subject, wondering why Lucas wasn't at Chad and Abigail's vow renewal ceremony. Lucas explained that only a few people had been invited to it. "How'd you know about [it]?" Lucas asked. "Abigail and I, we were, uh -- we're friends," Dario replied.
After Lucas left, Myron nervously informed Dario that Lucas had placed a phone call to "some accountant type" earlier and had engaged in a really intense conversation with the person. "[And he kept] checking his tablet like crazy, like he was onto something," Myron continued. Dario told Myron to relax. Myron protested that Lucas had to know that money had been stolen from Countess Wilhelmina, since he was, after all, the CEO of the company. "Oh, he knows. He just doesn't have a clue that we're the ones who stole it," Dario replied.
Kate was just about to contact Gabi when they happened to run into each other in a secluded section of the town square. "If you love [Chad], you have to do something about it -- and you have to do it now," Kate insisted. Gabi reminded Kate that Chad had already made his choice -- and he had chosen Abigail, not her. "Because you didn't fight for him!" Kate argued.
Gabi insisted that she couldn't fight for Chad because Abigail was her friend. Kate countered, "You are being too noble -- and 'noble' doesn't keep you warm at night. Chad is going to get married [to Abigail] again, and the two of them are going to be miserable, and you know why? Because he's in love with you. But he's just as noble, so he's gonna go ahead and do the 'right thing,' even though it's wrong for everyone -- including Abigail."
Speaking from experience, Kate warned that if Gabi didn't fight for what she wanted, she would regret her refusal to do so for the rest of her life. "It's too late for your father and me, but it's not too late for you and Chad. If you want him, you have to let him know, and you need to do it now," Kate urged Gabi. Gabi said she was sorry that Kate had lost out on a chance at happiness with Eduardo. Gabi pointed out, however, that her situation was totally different because Chad, unlike Eduardo, was already married to another woman and had a young son with that woman.
Kate maintained that Gabi shared a special kind of love with Chad and couldn't let it just slip away. Gabi rushed off, not wanting to discuss the matter further, but Kate chased after her and continued trying to change her mind. Kate warned that Gabi only had one more chance to fight for Chad because if she allowed him to go through with the vow renewal ceremony, he would feel even more obligated to stay with Abigail than he already did.
Kate soon spotted Chad at the other end of the town square. "Gabi, it has to be fate or something. I -- for him to be in this spot at this time, this moment -- I -- it's like you're destined to be together," Kate mused. Gabi remained convinced that she needed to keep her mouth shut, but Kate maintained that if she did that, she would regret the decision for the rest of her life.
At the DiMera mansion, Abigail leafed through Chad's high school yearbook and found a picture of him in his baseball uniform. Below it, Gabi had written, "Chad, congrats on an awesome season. You totally owe me for all those secret lessons teaching you how to pitch. I will admit it was tons of fun, and I will never forget it. You can't see now, but I'm tugging my ear in your honor one last time. XOXO, Gabi."
Recalling how Chad had tugged on his ear before tossing Gabi the vial of antidote at the warehouse, Abigail sighed as she told Thomas, "You know, all this time, I've just been in denial -- about Gabi and about your dad -- but...I can't lie to myself anymore. It's time for me to face the truth, and...it doesn't matter how much it's gonna hurt."
At the DiMera mansion, Abigail stared at Gabi's signature in Chad's high school yearbook. As Abigail mumbled, "It's always been Gabi," Andre burst in with a bouquet of flowers for the bride. Seeing Abigail's face, Andre asked what was wrong. Abigail said she was the problem. Abigail handed the yearbook to Andre. After reading the entry, Andre shrugged in confusion. Andre reminded Abigail that Chad had been friends with Gabi before he had met Abigail.
Shaking her head no, Abigail explained that the inscription mentioned secret pitching lessons, and it showed that Chad had not saved her first at the warehouse because he loved her more. Abigail added that Chad had run to her first because he had believed in Gabi and not her. Andre disagreed, but Abigail said she believed that Chad loved Gabi more than her. Andre said that no matter how Chad felt about Gabi, he believed Chad loved Abigail more than anyone.
As evidence, Abigail noted that Chad had been tense after Gabi had walked into the Brady Pub. Abigail was convinced that Chad preferred Gabi. Andre stressed that Chad belonged with Abigail. Breathless, Abigail wondered aloud if Andre was wrong. Changing tactics, Andre said he would not want Abigail to be a part of the family if she was wrong for Chad.
"You've changed my life. Seriously. The way you had such intense love for your husband, it brought out the best in me. It brought out the best in Chad," Andre said. Andre argued he wanted Abigail to believe that she was Chad's future. Andre urged Abigail to embrace her future with Chad. With a nod, Abigail said she would trust that Chad knew who he wanted to be with. Relieved, Andre handed the flowers to Abigail and left.
In the town square, Gabi froze when she saw Chad staring at his phone across the square. Kate encouraged Gabi to talk to Chad and tell him that she loved him. Gabi shook her head no. Kate said it was Gabi's last chance to be with the man that she loved, and she urged Gabi to talk to Chad. Hesitant, Gabi sighed. Gabi refused to hurt Chad's marriage. Frustrated, Kate said she would talk to Chad. Gabi grabbed Kate's arm and begged her not to interfere.
When Kate asked why, Gabi said she did not want to hurt Chad or Abigail. With a nod, Kate said she would support Gabi's choice, but she believed Gabi and Chad belonged together. Upset, Gabi went into the park to cry and think. Gabi ran into Eli. Concerned, Eli asked what was wrong. Gabi admitted that she was still in love with Chad then apologized for complaining to Eli about another guy.
When Eli asked about details, Gabi explained that she and Chad had grown closer when Abigail had been presumed dead. Nodding, Eli said it made sense that Gabi was struggling with her feelings. Eli asked about Chad's feelings. Gabi explained that Chad had been honest and said that he loved both Gabi and Abigail. As Eli listened, Gabi added that Chad was renewing his vows to his wife. Eli told Gabi that she was doing the right thing by staying away because she could not make Chad stay if he intended to work things out with his wife. Eli put his arm around Gabi and told her things would be okay.
Gabi joked about their terrible date, and Eli teased that he had been on worse dates. When Gabi asked Eli how he had known she would be in the park, Julie interrupted to coldly announce that Eli was there to meet her. Gabi rushed off. Eli told Julie she had been rude to Gabi. With a groan, Julie warned Eli to stay away from Gabi. Changing the subject, Julie handed Eli a box of items that had belonged to his father.
Julie and Eli looked through the records in the box. When Eli expressed a desire to play some of the records for Gabi, Julie sternly reiterated her warning to steer clear of Gabi. Eli asked why. Julie bluntly said that Gabi had murdered his cousin Nick and had barely spent any time in prison for the crime. Julie said it was an outrage that Gabi was allowed to live her life.
With a sigh, Eli told Julie that when she got to know him better, she would learn that no one told him what to do. Eli gently kissed Julie on the cheek and walked away. Julie vowed to keep Gabi's claws out of her grandson.
At the Brady Pub, Eli caught up with Gabi. Laughing, Eli said he had found Gabi because he had been playing "Catch a Critter" on his phone. Her smile fading, Gabi asked Eli if Julie had called her an evil witch. Eli admitted that Julie had said some negative things. Smiling, Eli asked Gabi to tell her side of the story on a second date. Relieved, Gabi accepted the invitation. Gabi asked Eli if he was sure that he wanted to date someone who had admitted she was in love with another man. Grinning coolly, Eli said he was confidant that he could make Gabi forget about Chad.
In the DiMera living room, J.J. and Jennifer arrived for the vow renewal ceremony. Chad was beaming with excitement. Kate arrived, and Andre swooped in and pulled Kate aside. Andre warned Kate to hold her peace. Annoyed, Kate told Andre not to threaten her. Kate growled that Chad belonged with Gabi because she was a fighter like Chad. Andre argued that Abigail had fought to return from the dead, but Kate rolled her eyes.
In the doorway, Abigail appeared. Jennifer and J.J. complimented Abigail, and Andre agreed. Chad sidled beside Abigail and grinned at his wife. Everyone took their places on the couch for the ceremony. Chad thanked the attendees for supporting their marriage. Abigail added that they wanted to renew their wedding vows and renew the connection between the Horton and DiMera families. Abigail asked the group to take one another's hands.
As Jennifer reached out her hand to Kate, Kate turned her head away. Andre whispered at Kate to take Jennifer's hand. Plastering on a fake smile, Kate gently took Jennifer's hand in hers. Chad and Abigail walked to the center of the room and exchanged vows with one another.
"When I fell in love with you, you were more than I could ever want. And then, life happened, and I thought I lost you. And I was lost -- for a while -- 'cause see, you were this light at the end of the tunnel, and when you were gone, it just, I was surrounded in darkness. All I ever dreamed about was just to be able to stand in the light one more time. And you found your way home, and how lucky am I because here you are. And it's not dark anymore. So with this new ring, we are going to start a new beginning. I, Chad Michael DiMera, choose you, Abigail Deveraux DiMera, to be my wife, now and forever," Chad said.
"When we first got together, my life was a nightmare, but you found me, and you comforted me, and you told me that my story was this crazy, fractured fairytale, and I finally fell asleep, and once that darkness lifted, we were able to really live our own fairytale. You are my prince, and you freed me. You broke the evil spell, and you kissed the life back into me. One by one, you slew all the dragons -- the real ones and the ones that were in my imagination. You saved me," Abigail said. Abigail dreamily looked off to the side and repeated saying "you saved me." When Chad regained Abigail's attention, she said she did not want Chad to save her anymore if it meant that he had to give up what he truly loved.
"Life is not a fairytale, and no matter how much I want to write it that way, it's not fair because it will never be true," Abigail said before falling silent. Abigail asked for a moment alone with her husband. Kate eagerly agreed and pulled Andre along behind her out into the foyer. Reluctantly, Jennifer offered to take Thomas for a walk. J.J. left with Jennifer.
Once alone, Chad grew teary-eyed and asked what was wrong. Chad vowed to fix whatever it was. Abigail said that she finally realized that she could not be Chad's wife because he belonged with Gabi.
In Canada, Brady suggested to Nicole that their next home should be in South America. Distracted, Nicole continued to stare silently at the wall. When Brady asked what was wrong, Nicole said she was worried about their future. Brady promised Nicole that they would be fine for the two weeks it would take until the ID's were ready.
"Maybe we don't have two weeks," Nicole muttered. Worried, Brady asked Nicole what she was not telling him. Dodging the question, Nicole said she was scared and not sleeping. Brady massaged Nicole's shoulders and quietly told Nicole to let him handle everything. Nicole worried aloud that her impulses would ruin things. Brady assured Nicole that she was a different person than the disaster she had been in the past. With a raised eyebrow, Nicole reminded Brady that she had kidnapped Holly.
"She's your baby," Brady said. "So mothers get a pass?" Nicole asked. "They do. Sometimes," Brady said. Brady said he believed Nicole was a better person since she was a mom. Brady said he hoped that Nicole would also believe she was a better person. After packing up the kids for a day out at the farmer's market, Nicole asked Brady if he would mind leaving her behind to take a nap. With a reluctant nod, Brady said goodbye and left with the kids.
Once alone, Nicole worried aloud that Scooter would be on his way over. Right on cue, Scooter knocked on the front door. With a sigh, Nicole opened the door. Scooter said he would not stop pursuing Nicole until she agreed to have sex with him. Narrowing her eyes, Nicole said there was no way in hell that she would sleep with Scooter. Scooter countered that if Nicole did not make his dream to sleep with a porn star come true, he would rat her out to the authorities.
Nicole asked Scooter if he loved his wife. Scooter dismissed the question, so Nicole asked Scooter if he wanted to hurt Brady, who had been kind to Scooter. As Scooter reached out to touch Nicole, she recoiled. Scooter started to yell, and Nicole cried out that she would give Scooter what he wanted. Nicole asked to make a date for the next time Brady left town, but Scooter refused to accept any time but that night.
After Scooter left, Brady returned home and put the children to bed. Brady asked Nicole how she was feeling. Nicole said she wanted to leave town that night rather than wait. Brady urged Nicole to relax and forget about Scooter. Brady chatted about his day out with the kids, and he said he was disappointed that they would be leaving town. Holly cried in the bedroom, so Brady went to check on her.
"No choice. I have to stay here. That means I have to," Nicole said before sighing in disgust. Nicole muttered to herself that she could not kill Scooter. With a resigned sigh, Nicole called Scooter and told him to meet her at a nearby hotel. Nicole promised to make all of Scooter's dreams come true.
