Brady makes a shocking discovery
While passing through Horton Town Square with Thomas, Jennifer admitted to Andre and Kate that she was worried about Abigail and Chad. Andre tried to assure Jennifer that everything was going to be okay, but Kate expressed doubts, guessing that Abigail had finally realized that Chad was in love with Gabi and needed to be with her. Annoyed, Jennifer warned Kate to stay out of Abigail's life.
"Some people just can't take being wrong," Kate mused with a shake of her head as she watched Jennifer storm off with Thomas. Andre questioned why Chad would ever choose Gabi over a "fine young woman" like Abigail. Shrugging, Kate reasoned, "[Maybe because Gabi] has a spine? You know, Abigail reminds me of one of those frail, clingy wives in romance novels [who's] always, like, a very tedious impediment to true love."
Andre chuckled as he sarcastically conceded, "Yes, Gabriella is known far and wide for her 'spine,' [which led her to a] bold modeling career [and a] game-changing foray into personal shopping. I mean, she's certainly a very strong, independent woman...who just happened to marry a sociopath, [have] a child with a gay man, [and move] in on a widower who happened to have an infant son."
Kate insisted that Gabi was a strong, independent woman. Chuckling again, Andre argued that Gabi, like Kate, was a complete narcissist. When Andre took things a step further, implying that the only difference between Kate and Gabi was that Kate had always been open and honest about being a prostitute, Kate angrily doused his face with the martini she had just ordered.
Kate started to storm off, but Andre grabbed her and pulled her back toward him -- and into a kiss. She quickly pushed him away and slapped him. After calming down, she apologized and began dabbing his face with a napkin. He acknowledged that it had been wrong of him to call her a prostitute. She reminded him that he had also called her a narcissist. "Oh, I meant that. I've never met [another woman who had] such a high opinion of herself," he replied. He stressed, however, that her narcissism was part of her charm. Sighing, she conceded, "You know, we don't have very many friends left in Salem. I suppose the two of us are stuck with each other."
Dario was surprised, given how his last encounter with Gabi had ended, when she joined him at Club TBD. She explained that she didn't want to fight with him because he was one of the only remaining sources of stability in her life. He thought that stability was overrated, but he agreed that he didn't want to fight with her, either.
Changing the subject, Dario offered to make Gabi his newest cocktail: Heartbreak Amnesia. She wondered if it had worked as advertised for him. "Not so much," he admitted. Speaking from experience, she advised that he needed to get back into the dating scene because that would be the best way for him to get over Abigail. "When I'm with [Eli], a whole ten minutes goes by [where] I don't think about Chad, and that's a start; that's something. I'm trying to put Chad behind me [and] focus on living my own life, and I think you need to do the same thing," she continued.
Later, after Gabi stepped aside to answer a text message from Eli, Chloe entered the club and told Dario that she was sorry about what had happened to Eduardo. Chloe wondered if Dario knew how to get in touch with the contacts who had helped Eduardo get a lead on Holly's whereabouts. Dario apologetically explained that those contacts had disappeared as soon as they had learned about Eduardo's legal troubles.
At the DiMera mansion, Abigail admitted that she had been ignoring the obvious because she had wanted her fairy-tale romance with Chad to have a happy ending. "That's what tonight was supposed to be!" Chad shouted in frustration. "But it wasn't real!" Abigail shouted back. She tearfully explained how she had reached her earlier epiphany about what had really transpired at the warehouse. "In that moment, if you [hadn't known] that Gabi was gonna catch that vial -- [if you hadn't known what] she was thinking -- honey, I don't think you would have come to me first," she concluded.
Chad defensively insisted that he had been in a no-win situation and had managed to find a way to save both Abigail and Gabi -- something he would never apologize for having accomplished. Abigail pointed out that Chad hadn't exactly denied her suspicion. "You had the chance to tell me that [Gabi had] coached you [and had] caught thousands and thousands of your pitches, but you didn't; you held that back," she continued.
Chad reminded Abigail that she was talking about things that had happened back when he had been in high school. She argued that it didn't matter when those things had happened -- and, in fact, it didn't even matter that they had happened, period, since the underlying point was that he had an incredible connection with Gabi, and the pitching thing was just one of many examples of that connection in action. "What about our connection, huh? What about our son?" he tearfully countered. She insisted that she didn't want him to stay with her simply because they shared a child together.
Chad wondered if Abigail cared at all about what he wanted. "What are you gonna do? You just gonna -- you just gonna abandon me? Again?" he asked incredulously. He noted that she had a habit of bowing out on him whenever things got rough or complicated, and her excuse was always that she was looking out for his best interests. "You continue to put me through the wringer, as if you're some sort of martyr [who's] doing it all for the greater good, [but] you're not!" he snapped.
Abigail conceded that Chad had every right to be angry with her about what she had put him through when she had decided to fake her death. "You're damn right I do!" he shouted. She started to acknowledge that it had been wrong of her to return to Salem and take him away from the woman who had helped him move on with his life, but he angrily countered that it had been wrong of her to leave in the first place. "Stop making decisions for me, and stop using me as an excuse to keep running away!" he demanded.
After calming down, Chad apologized for snapping at Abigail. He reminded her that she had previously agreed to give him time to process his feelings. She doubted that time would change things. "You're trying to do the right thing, but when you love somebody, you gotta love 'em with your whole heart, okay? Because you deserve it, and Gabi deserves it, and, dang it, I deserve it! So stop telling me that I'm making decisions for you when I'm making them for me!" she continued. She stressed that although she would never love anyone else as much as she loved him, she couldn't settle for any less than all of him.
Chad tried to protest as Abigail removed her engagement ring and wedding band, but she insisted that she had to leave him because she wanted him to be happy, and she knew he would never truly be happy with her. She left the rings on the desk then rushed out of the mansion after giving him one last kiss. He sobbed as he watched her leave, but he didn't bother to chase after her.
Later, Andre returned to the mansion and found Chad sitting in the living room, staring at the rings. Chad numbly told Andre about what had happened with Abigail. Andre argued that Chad needed Abigail because she kept him centered. Chad agreed but sadly concluded that Abigail had already made her decision. "Well, make her change her mind! You're a DiMera! We don't give up!" Andre pointed out. Chad nodded and gave Andre a hug.
Kate found Gabi at Club TBD and excitedly filled her in on what had happened during the vow renewal ceremony. "[Abigail] fumbled the ball. This is your time to make a move," Kate urged Gabi. Gabi disagreed, believing that she needed to mind her own business and hope, for the couple's sake, that they managed to work through their issues. "Okay, look, I understand [that] you're worried about being a home-wrecker, but you are not; Abigail already did the demolition. Gabi, this is your chance. You love him. You have to fight for him. Do for him what she can't: make him happy," Kate advised.
Later, Gabi ran into Chad in a secluded section of the town square. Meanwhile, Dario found Abigail crying in the park. "It's over. Chad and I -- we're over," she explained before breaking down in his arms.
After receiving a phone call from Eric, Chloe reluctantly headed over to the Horton Center to meet with him. He explained that he wanted to talk to her about Holly and Nicole. "The last thing that I need is another lecture, especially not from a murderer," Chloe spat. He clarified that he had no intention of lecturing Chloe; he simply wanted to try to help her find a way to resolve things with Nicole. "There's not a day that goes by that I forget what I've done to [both of you], so now I am asking you for a chance to do something to atone," he continued.
Having seen firsthand just how much Chloe loved Parker, Eric guessed that she felt the same way about Holly. He wondered if Chloe had ever heard the Bible story in which King Solomon had offered to slice a child in half to satisfy the two women who had been arguing over custody, knowing that the child's true mother wouldn't be able to live with that compromise. "Did he think that the other woman would be satisfied with half a baby?" she asked bitterly. Ignoring the question, he urged her to put Holly's welfare ahead of everything else.
Jennifer arrived with Thomas as Chloe was arguing that she wasn't obligated to compromise with Nicole because the court had awarded her full custody of Holly. "And isn't that working out well for you? You have full custody, and Nicole has the baby," Eric pointed out. Chloe stormed off after Eric once again urged her to start thinking about what was best for Holly.
Jennifer observed that it seemed like Eric had just given Chloe a really big dose of reality. "[But] Chloe and reality really don't have a very strong relationship," she pointed out. He admitted with a sigh that he probably shouldn't have butted in on a situation that really didn't involve him. She agreed that he couldn't save everyone; she added, however, that she appreciated how determined he was to keep trying nevertheless.
Changing the subject, Eric wondered if Jennifer was babysitting Thomas to give Chad and Abigail a night to themselves. She sadly reported that the vow renewal ceremony hadn't exactly gone as planned. "I really thought this was gonna be a fresh start for them, but it doesn't look that way," she added with a sigh. He comforted her with a hug and told her that everything was going to be okay. "Feels good to be in your arms again," she said.
While Brady was trying to assure Nicole that everything was going to be okay, Hillary arrived with a tray of fresh muffins. "I would have grabbed your mail, but my hands were full," Hillary explained, prompting Brady to head outside to get it himself. Nicole declined to sample the muffins, explaining, "I prefer to drink my carbs." Hillary assumed that was how Bridget managed to stay in shape. "I mean, you work out, too...don't you?" Hillary asked hopefully.
Without waiting for Nicole to respond, Hillary began talking about Scooter's strange new determination to get back in shape. Hillary sadly guessed that Scooter was trying to impress Bridget, since he had certainly never cared about looking good for her. Nicole dismissed Hillary's concerns and suggested that Scooter might simply be trying to put the spark back in his marriage. Hillary thought it was too late for that, but when Nicole advised her to try cooking a romantic dinner for Scooter, she decided to give the idea a shot.
After Hillary left, Brady returned with a large package and asked Nicole if she had ordered anything recently. She started to say that she hadn't but then changed her answer, sensing that there might be something inside the box that would upset him. As soon as he stepped into another room to continue working on a new batch of fake passports, she opened the box and found a skimpy outfit inside, along with a note from Scooter: "Can't wait to be with Locker Room Lolita tonight!"
Sighing, Nicole removed the outfit -- which was identical to the one she had worn in the porn video Scooter was obsessed with -- and stuffed it in a gym bag. As she was closing the bag, Brady rejoined her in the living room and observed that she seemed a bit tense. Admitting that she was, she abruptly excused herself, claiming that she was going to go to the gym to work off some steam. She left with the gym bag after giving him a hug.
Later, Hillary returned to ask Brady for some jumper cables. She explained that Scooter had just sent her a text message to let her know that he was going to be gone for a while because his battery had died. She wanted to find him and help him out so he wouldn't have to wait for a tow truck; she admitted with a laugh, however, that she didn't actually know where he was, and he wasn't answering his phone.
While Brady was talking to Hillary, he received a text message from Nicole, who offered an eerily similar story. "Maybe Mercury is in retrograde or something," Hillary suggested with a shrug. Another text message soon arrived, this time on Hillary's cell phone. She rushed off after reading it.
While Brady was trying to contact Nicole, he spotted a bra on the floor -- part of the skimpy outfit that Scooter had bought for Nicole. Fearing the worst, Brady quickly grabbed a nearby tablet computer, planning to use it to compare the bra to the one in Nicole's porn video. When he turned on the device, he discovered that Nicole had used it to search for directions to a nearby motel.
After contacting a babysitter he had met a couple days earlier, Brady rushed over to the motel and located the room that had been listed in Nicole's search string. He pilfered a master key card from a nearby cleaning cart and used it to let himself into the room -- where he found a woman and man writhing around, half naked, on top of a bed.
At the loft, Claire and Theo kissed on the couch. Ciara returned home with her date, Wyatt. Claire eagerly introduced herself to Wyatt, but Theo was less enthused. Claire talked up Ciara to Wyatt while an embarrassed Ciara blushed. Smiling, Wyatt said he was lucky. Claire said that Ciara was lucky to finally find a guy that deserved her. In the kitchen, Theo grunted then went into his room.
After chatting with the girls, Wyatt said he needed to run to the library. Claire hugged Wyatt tightly. On the way out, Ciara kissed Wyatt goodbye and promised to meet up with him at the pub. After the door closed, Claire ran over to Ciara and congratulated her on finding the perfect guy. A sullen Theo returned to the living room. Ciara asked Theo if he liked Wyatt, but Theo's response was tepid. Ciara said she wanted her friends to like Wyatt. Theo nodded then walked over to the couch.
After Ciara left to meet up with Wyatt at the pub, Claire asked Theo why he was acting strangely. Theo said he was worried about an upcoming test. As an uncertain Claire nodded, Theo grabbed his bag and announced he was going to study. After Theo left the loft, Jade entered the living room and said that Theo was jealous. A moody Claire asked Jade not to spy on her. Jade said that she could hear everything in her loft room.
Curious, Claire asked Jade why she believed that Theo was jealous. Jade explained that Theo was overly friendly to everyone except for Wyatt. Jade pointed out that Theo had once had a crush on Ciara. Annoyed, Claire dismissed the issue as ancient history. Jade smiled. When Claire stressed that Theo was into her, Jade asked if Claire believed that because she and Theo were having sex. Claire blushed and ignored Jade.
Claire cried out. When Jade asked what was wrong, Claire pointed to her computer tablet at the subscriber numbers on her social media. Jade looked at the comments on Claire's tablet, and she read off a few of the negative ones. Claire pouted. When Claire lamented that the record producer that had been interested in her had continued to postpone their meeting, Jade joked that Claire could amp up her visibility with a sex tape. Claire's mouth gaped open.
Claire said she would never do anything as desperate as leak a sex tape. With a shrug, Jade said that Claire needed to make a splash online to raise her profile. Jade told Claire that she should tape sex with Theo without his knowledge. Shocked, Claire asked Jade how that would work out. Jade said that she could apologize to Theo, or if Theo broke up with Claire, she could use that to write a breakup song. With an eye roll, Claire noted that it was not a shock that Jade was single. With a shrug, Jade warned Claire that her chances of things working out with the record executive were slim. Incensed, Claire said she believed her career would take off.
In the park, Gabi asked Chad what had happened at his vow renewal ceremony. Chad explained that Abigail had dumped him because she believed that he was still in love with Gabi. Chad told Gabi about the yearbook and that Abigail had felt that he and Gabi had a stronger connection. Upset, Gabi said that Abigail was pushing Chad away because Abigail believed she was giving Chad what he wanted. Gabi added that Chad was not the type of person to give up on his marriage. Gabi urged Chad to go home and salvage his relationship with his wife. "She's the one that you need to be with," Gabi said.
At Abigail's memorial statue, Dario worked to cheer up a crying Abigail. After composing herself, Abigail explained that she had broken things off with Chad. Abigail said she believed she had made the right decision because if Chad had been committed to her, he would not have struggled with his feelings for Gabi.
"I am the kind of girl who wants her husband's undivided affection. I mean, call me crazy -- is that not what marriage is supposed to be? It is for me," Abigail said. Dario asked Abigail if she had given Chad enough time to get over his feelings for Gabi. Surprised, Abigail asked Dario why he was not backing her. Abigail stressed that she wanted to stand on her own and did not want anyone to tell her how to feel. Abigail said she was finally seeing the situation clearly.
Abigail said she did not want to shuttle her son between two homes, but it was a better alternative than a home where Thomas' mother was worried about her husband's heart and Thomas' father was aching for another woman. With a nod, Dario asked Abigail what she planned to do. Abigail announced that she was returning to the mansion to pack and leave. Dario told Abigail to call him if she needed any help. With a relieved sigh, Abigail said she wanted to move on with her life. Dario smiled slyly, and he asked Abigail who she was fooling. Abigail said she hoped it was the beginning of her new life.
In the town square, J.J. spotted Gabi walking toward him, and he asked her if she had seen Abigail. J.J. said that Abigail had stopped the vow renewal ceremony, and he was hoping Abigail had worked out her reservations with Chad. Quietly, Gabi said they had not. Gabi explained that she had talked to Chad. "Yeah. Of course you did," J.J. grumbled.
Gabi explained that she had run into Chad in the park, and they had only spoken briefly. When J.J. asked for details, Gabi said that Chad had sworn to fight for Abigail and that she had encouraged Chad to save his marriage. J.J. apologized for sniping at Gabi. With a nod, Gabi said that she loved Chad, but she refused to interfere in Chad and Abigail's marriage. J.J. commended Gabi on how she had handled the situation, and he offered to talk to Gabi if she needed to bend an ear. Gabi winced, but she thanked J.J. for the offer.
At the DiMera mansion, Abigail dragged her suitcase into the foyer as Chad returned home. Abigail said that Thomas was with Jennifer and that she would pick up the rest of her things later. Abigail reiterated that she was leaving so that Chad could move on with his life. Chad bristled at the comment. Chad argued he was losing his family, but Abigail promised that they would share custody of their son. Chad begged Abigail to stay.
"Chad, I'm sorry. I'm not doing this to hurt you," Abigail said. Chad jokingly talked about upcoming plans for dinner and the aquarium, and he asked Abigail to take things one step at a time with him. Abigail disagreed. Chad said he did not plan on pursuing Gabi and that he would wait at home for Abigail to return. Shaking her head, Abigail said she was sorry and left.
In the park, an animated Dario ran into a morose Gabi. Gabi said she had talked to Chad and had told Chad to fight for his marriage. When Dario asked what would happen if Chad could not save his marriage, Gabi stressed that failure was not an option.
At the Brady Pub, Wyatt and Ciara talked about their next date. When Ciara urged Wyatt to pick their next activity, Wyatt looked lost. Ciara stepped aside to take a phone call from her study partner, and Wyatt mumbled to himself about his cheat sheet as he scrolled through the contents on his phone. As Wyatt stared at his list of Ciara-approved activities, Ciara returned to the table, startling Wyatt.
Wyatt said he was looking up the hours for the ice rink. Grinning, Ciara said she loved skating. Wyatt chimed in that he had played hockey for years. As Ciara excitedly chirped about how much she and Wyatt had in common, Wyatt smiled in relief. Wyatt suggested they head over to the rink.
In Canada, a suspicious Brady broke into a Maple Leaf hotel room and found Scooter making out with a blonde in a cheerleader outfit. Brady yelled at the couple. Surprised, Scooter and Hillary broke apart from their kissing. As Brady realized his mistake, he stammered out an apology. Brady said that he had trust issues and had expected to find Bridget in the room. Brady hurried out quickly.
In the hallway, Brady ran into Nicole. They returned to their cabin home, where Brady apologized to Nicole. Nicole asked Brady why he had panicked. Brady explained that after he had found lingerie on the floor, he had worried that Scooter had pressured Nicole into having sex with him at the hotel. Curious, Nicole asked Brady if Scooter and Hillary had looked like they were having a good time. Brady nodded. Brady asked Nicole if she had arranged the rendezvous for their neighbors.
With a shrug, Nicole said that Brady's hunch had been right and that Scooter had attempted to blackmail her with her real identity. Groaning, Brady said he needed to kick Scooter's ass. Nicole urged Brady to remain calm. Nicole explained that Scooter had threatened to go to the police if Brady had attacked him. With a sigh, Nicole said she had planned to give in to Scooter's demands, but she had not been able to go through with it.
Confused, Brady asked how Nicole had involved Hillary in the evening. Nicole said that Hillary had asked Nicole for advice about her sex life with Scooter, and Nicole explained that she had given the costume to Hillary and sent her to the hotel to meet with Scooter. Nicole added that she had told Scooter that Misty was the fantasy, but Hillary was the reality. With a tired smile, Nicole said that Scooter had agreed because he was still in love with his wife.
When Brady commended Nicole for her ingenious plan, Nicole chuckled and admitted that her original plan had been to shoot Scooter and frame Hillary. Fighting tears, Nicole said that Brady had been the reason that she had looked for a different answer. Brady gave Nicole credit for saving a marriage. "I did it for the kids and us and for our life together," Nicole said.
Brady told Nicole that she was amazing. With a sad smile, Nicole asked Brady if he believed she would be a good mother. Brady said he believed that Nicole had turned her life around and had evolved into a better person. As Nicole nodded with relief, Brady added that he would "monitor the Scooter situation." A car door closed outside.
Brady opened the front door and found Scooter. Scooter thanked Nicole for her help. "You were right, Bridget. Nicole. I didn't want you. First of all, you're a lady now. A mom. Not the Misty of a thousand years ago. I didn't mean that in a bad way," Scooter said sheepishly. Brady urged Scooter to get to the point. Scooter apologized to Nicole. Brady interrupted to asked Scooter for his assurance that he would not turn them in. Scooter said he would keep their secret because he was afraid of Brady. Nicole thanked Scooter for his apology, and Scooter again promised to keep their secret.
With a nod, Nicole said she would keep Scooter's secret from Hillary as well. With a smile, Scooter said he and Hillary were leaving town to start couples therapy and return to work. As Brady escorted Scooter to the door, Brady whispered that if Scooter had second thoughts about spilling their secret, Scooter needed to remember that Brady was a Kiriakis. Brady urged Scooter to look up the Kiriakis family on the Internet. Once alone, Nicole thanked Brady for helping her with Scooter and Holly. Nicole said that Brady prevented her from being her own worst enemy most of the time.
"I didn't think I'd miss one part of my old life, but that's not true. I missed you. And here you are again. You are always here for me when I need you. You are my rock, Brady. And maybe I've just been too afraid to say it but the truth is, I'm not just grateful for you. I mean, you're here because it's right, and I understand how much you've sacrificed. You mean a lot to me. My God, I just don't understand why I can't say it," Nicole said. Taking Brady's hand, Nicole told Brady that she loved him.
Paul met with Marlena in a secluded section of Horton Town Square and handed her an envelope. He asked her to trust him, explaining that he was acting on behalf of someone he wasn't allowed to identify by name. After he left, she opened the envelope and began reading the enclosed letter. Gasping, she muttered to herself, "Are you serious?"
The letter instructed Marlena to check into a room at the Salem Inn. There, she waited impatiently for something to happen. Finally, the door to the hotel room opened -- and John joined her inside. "You're here! You're really here!" she happily observed. "Long time no see, Doc," he replied. She began crying tears of joy as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.
After a long embrace, John apologized to Marlena for all the cloak-and-dagger stuff. She wondered how much time they would have together that night. "Let's just make the most of every moment," he evasively replied. "I can do that," she assured him. They kissed passionately as they made their way toward the bed.
Later, Marlena guessed that she wasn't allowed to ask John anything about the mission he was working on. He jokingly confirmed that he would never allow himself to be seduced into revealing his secrets. "Okay. [But] one question: are you safe?" she asked. "I...am...never safer than when I'm holding you in my arms," he carefully replied.
Marlena wasn't satisfied with that answer, but John insisted that he couldn't give her a real one. "You know I wouldn't tell anybody. Nobody even knows that I'm with you right now," she pointed out. She added that she was getting pretty good at being the wife of a secret agent; in fact, she had even managed to help lure Stefano, of all people, out of hiding. "Don't you want to tell me stuff? I mean, don't you want to talk to somebody?" she asked. "Not if it's gonna put you in danger," he replied.
Sighing, Marlena reluctantly agreed not to ask any further questions. "I've got a question, sweetheart: how are you?" John asked. She admitted that she missed her husband. "You know, sometimes I think that I've gotten used to you not being there, and then, in the middle of the night, I'll roll over, and in my sleep, I'll reach out for you and touch your pillow. And then it starts all over again, and I can't even breathe," she continued. He told her he was sorry for what he was putting her through. She assured him that she knew he would return home to her for good as soon as possible. "That's a fact," he confirmed.
Later, while getting dressed, John told Marlena that it was time for him to leave. She protested that it seemed like he had just arrived. "I know. But we're gonna be seeing each other again real soon," he replied. She asked for -- then demanded -- his promise that they really would see each other again soon. "Doc, I promise you, I am coming home to you real soon," he assured her before giving her one last kiss.
Paul joined Sonny in the town square and asked him to take a break from work. "I can't. I have too much to do," Sonny insisted, staying glued to his cell phone. Sonny complained that Basic Black had only been under his control for a week and had already fallen a month behind on both distribution and manufacturing -- just as Deimos had hoped it would when he had placed it in the hands of someone who knew nothing about the fashion industry. Paul promised that Sonny wouldn't regret making time to hear what he had to say, since it was about Deimos.
Having managed to get Sonny's full attention, Paul explained that he was still monitoring Deimos' email account, even though Deimos normally didn't use it to conduct business. Paul opened his laptop and showed Sonny one of Deimos' recent emails: "Everything is set at the homestead. We are ready for the delivery of the artifacts." Sonny assumed it meant that Deimos had found another source for stolen antiquities. Doubting that Deimos would ever risk having incriminating items sent directly to the Kiriakis mansion, Sonny guessed that 'homestead' was code for 'Greece,' since, for a Kiriakis, that was home.
Paul did some digging and found a few places in Greece that could potentially be serving as homesteads for Deimos. None of the corresponding addresses meant anything to Sonny, but Paul decided to get a European contact to check them out, just in case. Sonny said he would try, in the meantime, to identify the artifacts that had been mentioned in the email.
Sonny offered to buy Paul a drink as a way of thanking him for the help. Paul insisted that Sonny didn't need to thank him; he admitted, however, that he would like a drink. Sonny acknowledged that Paul wanted him to keep his head down and leave Deimos alone. Paul conceded that it wasn't in Sonny's nature to do that. "Doesn't mean you have to help me put a target on my back," Sonny pointed out. Paul maintained that if Sonny was "all in," he was, too -- for better or worse. "Sounds like a marriage," Sonny mused with a chuckle. "Yeah, well, don't awkwardly laugh. I'm not afraid of what we have, Sonny -- not anymore," Paul replied.
Later, while Sonny and Paul were passing through a secluded section of the town square, they talked about how life never really turned out the way any given person expected it to. Sonny admitted that sparring with Deimos had made him realize just how badly he wanted to run Titan. "I've found what I want to do with my life -- and I've found who I want to spend it with," he continued.
Paul guessed that Sonny had never expected to fall back in love with him after so many years spent apart. Sonny admitted that he hadn't; he added, however, that the unexpected nature of his reunion with Paul had just made it that much better. Paul predicted that Sonny would do great things for Titan because he always succeeded at whatever he set his mind on. "This time, we're gonna do it together," Sonny promised.
Joey entered his apartment and offered Jade a quick greeting before heading toward his bedroom. Hurt that he hadn't bothered to say more, she asked if he was still angry with her for having shared a drink with Tripp at Club TBD. "More like disappointed," he clarified. Choosing to see the bright side, she said she appreciated his concern for her well-being. She somewhat suggestively asked him to tell her how she could make up for her mistake.
Before Joey could respond, Kayla knocked on the apartment door then opened it and wondered if she was interrupting anything. He assured her that she wasn't. She placed a few bags of groceries on the kitchen counter as she explained that she had just finished shopping at the market. He thanked her for the groceries and began putting them where they belonged.
Meanwhile, Kayla handed Jade a new bottle of pain medication and warned her not to take more than one pill per day. Jade confirmed that she understood. Satisfied, Kayla changed the subject, asking about Joey and Jade's plans for the evening. Jade wanted Joey to play World of Warcraft with her, but he insisted that he couldn't because he had to study for a test.
After Kayla left, Jade tried to change Joey's mind, but he maintained that he didn't have time to play games. After he retreated to his bedroom, she opened her bottle of pain pills and dumped out a handful of them. As she raised her hand to her mouth, Kayla burst back into the apartment and reminded her that she was not supposed to take more than one pill per day.
Jade claimed that she had been planning to take one of the pain pills and put the rest back in the bottle, but Kayla didn't buy that story. Joey soon emerged from his bedroom and wondered why Kayla was back already. Kayla gave Jade a chance to explain what had happened, but Jade continued feigning innocence. "You know, Jade, I have been around a long time, [so], uh, you want to maybe stop lying to Joey and have an honest conversation?" Kayla suggested. Sighing, Jade reluctantly admitted to Joey that Kayla had caught her preparing to take a couple pain pills. "It was a lot more than a couple," Kayla clarified.
"Are you trying to kill yourself?" Joey asked incredulously. Jade insisted that she wasn't. Kayla guessed that Jade was actually trying to stay sick so Joey would feel obligated to continue taking care of her. Jade indignantly denied that she would ever purposely overdose just to get attention from Joey. "You know that I'm recovering from major surgery. You brought me those pills because I need them!" Jade reminded Kayla.
"They are placebo," Kayla revealed, explaining that she hadn't wanted to take the risk of giving Jade real pain pills again because she had suspected all along that Jade's recent overdose hadn't been accidental. "I trusted you!" Jade snapped, shocked that Kayla had set her up. Kayla countered, "You want to talk about trust? We took you into our family. We believed in you. And for you to risk your health because you wanted to get close to a guy -- I'm not even sure you know how wrong that is."
Jade defensively insisted that Kayla had no idea what she'd been going through lately. "No, I understand perfectly. You felt that you were losing Joey, and you were desperate to hang on to him," Kayla replied. Jade tried to convince Joey that wasn't true. She begged him to confirm that he believed her, but he remained silent. Kayla, having already said everything she had intended to say, excused herself so Joey could have some time alone with Jade. "You're wrong about me, Dr. Johnson. I'll prove it," Jade vowed. "I hope so, Jade," Kayla skeptically replied.
Jade locked the apartment door as soon as Kayla shut it, prompting Joey to point out that his mother had a key. "I can't believe she did that! I mean, we were doing fine, and then she came in and --" Jade began. "Caught you with a bunch of pills?" Joey concluded. Jade assured Joey that she could explain everything. He said he didn't want an explanation; he wanted the truth.
"Okay. You want the truth, Joey? The truth is, I'm scared, and I'm lonely, and I miss you. Even when you're standing right in front of me, I miss you. I miss what we had when it was you, me, and our baby, and we had such a bright future. [Between] losing that, and the complications from the surgery, and everything that happened with my dad... I'm sorry. I just wanted to be happy again, like we used to be," Jade explained.
"So you take a bunch of pills to make yourself sick so...what, so -- so I have to keep taking care of you?" Joey asked incredulously. Jade explained that she loved Joey and felt like everything was right in the world when he was taking care of her. "But when you're cold and distant --" she began to add as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He pushed her hand away and admonished her for having lied to him as well as for having used his mother in her plot to gain his attention. "How many more times do I have to say it? I don't love you," he stressed.
"No. What we had was too strong. It doesn't just go away like that," Jade protested. Joey insisted, "It did for me." He added that he had tried to be nice in his attempts to break things off with her, but she had taken advantage of his kindness each time. Sighing, he concluded, "I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no other choice. You need to move out. I want you out of my life."
Steve entered the Brady Pub as Tripp was wrapping up a meeting with the Vitali family's lawyer, who had promised that Tripp would begin receiving his inheritance in generous periodic increments within the next few days. After the lawyer left, Steve urged Tripp to refuse the inheritance, referring to it as "blood money." Steve explained that Ava's father had built the Vitali fortune as a ruthless, stone-cold killer -- the kind of man who had been capable of torturing his own daughter and forcing her to give her child up for adoption. "Then he owes me this money -- for everything he did to me and my mom," Tripp reasoned.
Tripp suspected that Steve didn't want him to have financial independence, but Steve insisted that wasn't why he wanted Tripp to refuse the inheritance. Unconvinced, Tripp noted that it was easy for Steve to give just one side of the story because most of the Vitalis weren't around to contradict his claims. Knowing that Ava's DVDs had thrown a wrench in Steve's narrative, Tripp guessed, "I bet you wish I never even saw [them]." Steve stressed that he hadn't even known about them until Tripp had shown them to him. "I want them back," Tripp demanded.
Steve said he was glad that Tripp had mentioned the DVDs, since they needed to have a talk about them. "Let me guess: [my mother] was crazy, she never loved me, and everything on those discs is a lie," Tripp preemptively concluded. Steve shook his head and clarified that when he had watched the DVDs, he had realized that he had left out some things about Tripp's mother that needed to be said.
Over a round of beers, Steve admitted to Tripp that when he had met Ava years earlier, she had been a happy, wild, free-spirited woman, and they had fallen in love with each other. "We were supposed to be married, [but] I was abducted just minutes before the wedding. And she thought I left her at the altar, [so] she was devastated. I was having a bit of a rough time myself -- the people who abducted me put me through hell -- and as a result, that happy season of my life with your mother was a suppressed memory for a long time," Steve continued.
Steve explained that Ava had spiraled out of control during their time apart from each other, not just because she had been crazed with grief over the loss of her fiancé as well as her child but also because her father had kept her drugged for a good part of that time. "Then it wasn't her fault. Her father drove her crazy," Tripp pointed out. Steve conceded, "That's partly true." Steve added, however, that Ava had eventually gotten off the drug regimen, and even then, she had been unable to let go of her love for him -- which, by that point, had turned into obsession.
"The last time she came back to Salem, you know what she did? She pretended she had cancer, and then she abducted Kayla and almost killed her," Steve revealed. He acknowledged that it was only natural for a son to want to think of his mother as a good person. "And she was -- in the beginning. But in the end, Ava was dangerous. She was a threat to my entire family," he continued.
"Yeah? Prove it," Tripp challenged Steve. Sighing, Steve reluctantly retrieved his cell phone and handed it over so Tripp could look at some of the images that were stored on it. "That's what we called 'Ava's secret room.' We found it after she went off the rails," Steve explained, adding that Ava had held Kayla hostage in a room directly above that one.
Tripp stared at the images in horror. "But I -- but I saw the video! She wasn't always like that!" he protested. He insisted that even if his mother had done some bad things, she hadn't been inherently evil; she had simply been sick. "You loved her once, right? Well, why didn't you try to help her? You could've saved my mother, but instead, you put a pillow over her face and held it there until she was dead," he spat.
As Tripp began downing another beer, Steve hesitantly replied that he hadn't wanted to take Ava's life -- and, in fact, he would have stopped her death if he had been able to. "What does -- what does that even mean? You're acting like you're not even the one who murdered her," Tripp observed. Changing the subject, Steve acknowledged, "I know it's practically impossible for you to trust me right now. It must feel like I'm just some guy [who's] telling you what to do and how to think -- I don't know, maybe like your adoptive father."
"Yeah, [except] if I didn't do what he said, he'd knock me around," Tripp replied. Steve admitted that his father had treated him the same way -- and had always claimed that the abuse was for his own good. "That kind of thing really messes with your head, doesn't it? You start to think that everyone's like him -- that everyone's out to get you, even the people who say they're on your side. Makes it hard to trust anyone," Steve continued.
"I trust myself. That's enough," Tripp stressed. Steve said he'd had that same philosophy for a while, but when he had met Kayla, she had taught him that there were good people in the world -- people who loved each other and took care of each other. "Tripp, you don't have to be alone anymore. I can't offer you bags of money like Angelo, but I can be a father to you, and you can have a real family, [with] a brother and a sister you can count on, and a stepmother who's the most loving, selfless person I've ever known. All you got to do is let us in a little bit. But you have to decide what's more important -- that money or a good family?" Steve concluded.
Tripp assumed that meant that Steve would be done with him if he decided to accept money from the Vitalis, but Steve clarified that he would never be done with Tripp because Tripp would always be his son. "But I want you to think about what that inheritance means," Steve added. Tripp summarized that it meant he would be able to stop living paycheck to paycheck and being behind on his bills all the time.
"It also means you'll be beholden to that family. They're the ones who will be paying your bills, buying your house -- and don't forget, they're the ones who changed Ava. They took that sweet, hopeful young woman you saw on those DVDs, and they turned her into something vicious -- someone who could put together that horrible room. I don't want to see anything like that happen to you, Tripp," Steve stressed.
Steve excused himself so Tripp could have some time to think about things. Before leaving, Steve reiterated that he would always be there for Tripp, even if Tripp decided to accept the inheritance. "It's your life. I just want to be a part of it," Steve stressed. Steve wondered if Tripp was planning to stay in Salem. Tripp confirmed that he was -- at least until the lawyer finished getting the inheritance set up. Steve invited Tripp to join him for dinner that night, but Tripp declined. "Maybe another time," Steve suggested. "We'll see," Tripp replied.
After Steve left, Tripp continued drinking. Roman eventually decided to cut Tripp off, but Tripp wasn't happy about that. When Tripp smashed a glass and took a swing at Roman, Roman decided that a night in jail might do Tripp some good.
Steve went to the Salem Inn to check on Adrienne, who reported that she was feeling better every day -- and, in fact, was going to be traveling to Scottsdale, Arizona, the following day to see her sons who lived in the area. They had arranged to take her 'glamping' at Pinnacle Peak so she could get some rest and relaxation.
Desperate to talk about something other than her health for a change, Adrienne soon changed the subject, asking Steve to tell her about what was going on in his life. Although he was reluctant to get into a heavy conversation with her while she was still recovering from surgery, he eventually began telling her about Tripp.
Adrienne advised Steve to keep trying to get through to his newfound son, confident that his persistence would eventually pay off -- just as it had in his quest to win Kayla back. Steve admitted that he would like to see Joey and Tripp form a brotherly bond; he was skeptical, however, that they would ever be able to. Confused, Adrienne optimistically argued, "There's no reason for them to be at each other's throats, right?"
After Steve left, Adrienne received a visit from Lucas, who helped her pack for her trip, even though he thought it was too soon for her to be traveling. She assured him that she was going to be fine. She was disappointed that he couldn't join her, but she understood that he needed to stay behind to deal with the crisis at Countess Wilhelmina. She expressed complete faith in his ability to repair the damage that had been done to the company.
At the police station, Kayla thanked Hope for calling to tell her about what had happened to Tripp. "He wouldn't let me call Steve. I told him it was either you or I'd make him sober up in a holding tank overnight," Hope explained. Kayla couldn't believe that Tripp had tried to hit Roman, of all people. Hope noted that Tripp had obviously been unaware that Roman had once been a cop. "Lot of things he doesn't know -- most of them bad," Kayla mused. Hope wondered if Kayla thought she would be able to get through to Tripp. "I'm sure as hell gonna try," Kayla replied.
Kayla joined Tripp in one of the conference rooms and asked him to tell her about what had happened -- and, more importantly, why it had happened. He explained that "the grumpy dude" at the Brady Pub had refused to serve him a drink, preferring to try to force chowder and a lecture on him. "The guy's a total tool," he grumbled. "That tool happens to be my brother," she replied.
Scoffing, Tripp sarcastically clarified, "Oh, sorry. I -- I -- what I meant to say was that it's all my fault. Yeah, I guess I'm crazy, you know? Just like my mother." Kayla disagreed, believing that Tripp simply needed someone to talk to. When she volunteered to be that person, he asked, "Why would you want to get mixed up with me? I'm Steve's bastard, not yours." She told him not to call himself that. "Why not? I acted like one tonight," he argued. She stressed that he was just as much Steve's son as Joey was.
Tripp assumed that Steve had sent Kayla to deal with him, but Kayla clarified that Hope, per Tripp's wishes, hadn't told Steve about what had happened -- and she hadn't yet, either. When she revealed that she had heard about the talk he'd had with his dad earlier that night, he insisted, "He's not my dad. Dad -- dads coach your Little League team, you know? They -- they teach you how to ride a bike, tie a tie..." She informed him that Steve hadn't been around to do those things for Joey, either. "And, quite frankly, I don't even know if he knows how to tie a tie," she added.
"Well, he knows how to hand out the advice, though. Yeah, he's real good at that," Tripp grumbled. Kayla acknowledged that Steve might be trying too hard -- and doing all the wrong things in the process. She stressed, however, that Steve had started trying to find Tripp the second he had learned of Tripp's existence. "It's not his fault that he wasn't there to raise you," she argued.
"Oh, yeah. Nothing's ever his fault, is it? Not even when he killed my mother," Tripp bitterly countered. Kayla chose not to try to defend Steve's actions, knowing that she couldn't do so without making Ava look bad in the process. "I don't think that that would be very productive right now," she reasoned.
Tripp noted that regardless of what anyone else had ever thought of Ava, she had still been his mother -- and had apparently loved him very much. Kayla stressed that Steve loved Tripp just as much and was still around to be a part of his life. "So...what, I should just let him off the hook?" Tripp asked incredulously. Kayla said that was up to Tripp to decide. "But maybe before you write him off, you can make an honest effort to see what kind of man he really is," she suggested.
Tripp questioned why Kayla -- who, he acknowledged, was being really nice to him -- cared one way or the other about how the "totally messed-up situation" worked out. "Well, people tell me that I'm a good judge of character. And I think that you're a pretty good guy underneath this attitude of yours," she replied.
Kayla hoped that Tripp wouldn't leave town the moment he was released. He assured her that he wasn't going to do that, noting, "I've [still] got way too many questions that people don't want to answer." She advised him to take things one day at a time. "Maybe when you get more of your questions answered, [you'll] decide to give your dad a chance," she optimistically suggested.
Jade tried to convince Joey not to kick her out of their apartment, pointing out that she was still recovering from major surgery. "How? By sacrificing your health to get my attention?" he countered. She understood that he was angry with her; she insisted, however, that they had once loved each other.
Joey conceded that he had once wanted to believe that he could make things work with Jade -- if only for the sake of their baby. "But then there wasn't a baby anymore. And that's the reality we live with now," he pointed out. He added that the baby wouldn't have permanently bonded them as a couple, anyway. She disagreed, but he reasoned, "Jade, babies aren't glue, okay? Eventually, we would have split up. We're not soul mates. We never were." She refused to believe that he meant that, dismissively concluding that he was simply lashing out because he was angry with her about what she had tried to do with the pain pills earlier.
Sighing, Joey stressed, "Jade, I tried to stay friends -- that's why I fixed it so you could live here -- but all you see is what you want to see. Look, if I sent you mixed signals, that was wrong, but whatever there was between us is over, and that's not gonna change." He promised to give her time to find a new place to live; he maintained, however, that she had to move out as soon as possible. "Why do you have to be so mean? You're just like my father!" she spat before storming out of the apartment.
Later, Kayla dropped Tripp off at the apartment and told him to feel free to call her if he needed anything else. "I'll think about it," he replied. Joey heard his mother's voice from his bedroom, but by the time he emerged from it, she was already gone. Tripp shared a few details about his arrest but didn't feel like telling Joey the whole story because he was starting to experience the telltale symptoms of a hangover. Joey offered Tripp some club soda, explaining that it would settle his stomach so he could take some aspirin. "How'd you know that?" Tripp asked. "Mom's a doctor," Joey replied.
Tripp acknowledged that Joey had been "pretty chill" about having a new person in his family. "Everybody seems to think we should get to know each other. I guess we should," Tripp continued. "'Cause we're brothers," Joey concluded. Tripp admitted that he had always wanted a brother. Joey admitted that he had, too.
Joey was surprised when Tripp revealed that he was planning to stay in Salem. "You inherited all that money. You can go wherever you want," Joey pointed out. Tripp clarified that he wasn't going to have access to his entire inheritance right from the start, so he was still going to have to be careful about how he spent whatever he received in each regularly scheduled deposit to his bank account.
"The place next door is for rent," Joey informed Tripp -- just as Jade returned and opened the apartment door. Not yet noticed, Jade kept the door cracked open and lingered outside the apartment so she could eavesdrop. Tripp wondered if Joey would be okay with having him as a neighbor. "Why not?" Joey replied with a shrug. "Cool," Tripp said to seal the deal.
After Joey returned to his bedroom, Tripp stripped down to his boxers and got settled on the couch. Jade soon entered the apartment, prompting Tripp to quickly cover his lap with a pillow. Chuckling awkwardly, he explained that he had been about to try to get some sleep. Nodding, she moped off toward her bedroom. "Something wrong?" he asked. "I'll be fine. I just...sort of had the worst night of my life," she replied.
"Your night sounds like mine," Tripp noted. Jade wanted to know what had made Tripp's night so bad, but he insisted that she had to tell her story first. After she complied, he mused that she was obviously really into Joey, since she had been willing to take such big risks to get his attention. She confirmed that she was. "I have no idea where I'm gonna go [now]," she admitted with a sigh.
Jade was pleased when Tripp took the bait, revealing, "Joey said the place next door is empty, so I'm going to look into renting it. [And] if it works out, you could...live with me." She warned that she didn't have a job at that time and therefore couldn't start helping out with the rent right away, but he insisted that wouldn't be a problem. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "It seems like you could use a break," he replied with a shrug.
Jade gave Tripp a hug, raving that he was like an answer to a prayer. She then said goodnight and retreated to her bedroom. He smiled as he watched her walk away.
Julie went to the police station to let Hope know that Gabi had set her sights on Eli. "It needs to be nipped in the bud because if, God forbid, a romance develops [and] something goes wrong, she's liable to shoot him like she shot Nick!" Julie fretted. Hope insisted that Julie was overreacting and that Gabi hadn't just shot Nick for no reason. Julie reluctantly conceded that Nick had been a "tortured soul" and that Eli was nothing like him; she maintained, however, that she couldn't let Eli get involved with Gabi. "He's all that I have left of David," Julie pointed out.
Hope offered Julie two words of advice: "butt out." Julie argued that she had done that too much in the past. "Really?" Hope asked skeptically, stifling a laugh. Julie reasoned that if she had been more involved in David's life, he might still be alive. Hope disagreed, pointing out that David's death had been an accident.
"Well, I'm not gonna sit by and see his son's life ruined by Gabi. I -- I -- I owe him that much," Julie insisted. Hope urged Julie to trust Eli to take care of himself, since, after all, he was an adult. "I came for your support, not a lecture. I won't bother you again," Julie grumbled before storming off, ignoring Hope's attempts to stop her.
Eli ran into Gabi at the Horton Town Square and quickly deduced that she was upset about something. After buying her some ice cream -- a surefire way to cheer anyone up -- he asked, "So, what'd Chad DiMera do now?" She insisted that she didn't want to talk about it.
Later, while Gabi was waiting for Eli to finish a phone call, Julie approached and began lashing out at her, calling her a man-eating predator who had chosen Eli as her latest victim. Julie started to walk away after warning that she was going to be carefully watching Gabi's every move, but Gabi stopped her, wondering, "What would Alice Horton think of the way you're treating me?"
Outraged, Julie protested that Gabi had never even met Alice. "No, I didn't, but I've heard enough about her to know that she would hate what you're trying to do to me. And -- and this is enough! I can't take it anymore, so please get it through your thick head that I don't give a damn what you think about me! I don't care! You act like you're this pillar of the community, and you're just nasty and -- and judgmental!" Gabi snapped.
As Gabi added that Eli was a grown man who could make his own decisions about his love life, Julie noticed that he was walking toward them. Julie quickly clutched her chest and began gasping for breath as she collapsed onto a nearby bench. Eli rushed over and demanded to know what Gabi had done to Julie. Gabi insisted that she had simply been having an argument with Julie. "I think I'm having a heart attack!" Julie exclaimed.
Over dinner at the Brady Pub, Steve, Kayla, Hope, and Rafe discussed Tripp. Steve blamed himself for Tripp's arrest, guessing that their earlier conversation had left him riled up. Hope offered to talk to Tripp as one of Ava's other victims, but Steve didn't think that would help. "He'd probably think I put you up to it," Steve reasoned. Kayla assured Steve that they would find a way to get through to Tripp eventually.
Later, while passing through a secluded section of the town square with Steve, Kayla filled him in on what she had caught Jade doing earlier. "When I left [the apartment, Joey] was really mad at her, [and] I'm just afraid that if he unloads on her..." Kayla explained. Steve assured Kayla that Jade would never tell Tripp the truth about Ava's murder. "She can't," Steve insisted, as if he was trying to convince not only Kayla but also himself.
At the hospital, Valerie joined Eli in Julie's room. "Don't tell me you're gonna be my doctor," Julie grumbled. Valerie explained that Eli had asked for her help. Shocked, Julie wondered if Eli had reconciled with Valerie. "No, but she's a really good cardiologist, and that's what matters," he replied. Although Julie insisted that she was feeling better, she reluctantly agreed to let Valerie examine her.
Eli left the room so Valerie and Julie could have some privacy. He found Gabi at the nurses' station and demanded to know why she had been yelling at Julie earlier. Gabi explained that she had simply been standing up for herself because Julie had said some horrible things to her. He fretted that he hoped Julie would be able to survive the confrontation with Gabi.
Later, Eli returned to Julie's room and asked if she wanted him to contact Doug. "Not yet. [He] worries about me too much as it is," she replied. Valerie soon entered the room and reported that Julie had not suffered a heart attack. "Then what happened to her?" Eli wondered. Valerie suggested that Julie might have forgotten to eat that day, but Julie shot down that theory. When Valerie noted that Julie was on blood pressure medication, Julie produced a sheepish smile and admitted that she might have forgotten to take it that day.
"All I know is, I was perfectly fine until I ran into Gabi and she said such horrible things to me," Julie explained. Valerie noted that, in that case, Julie might have simply suffered a panic attack. "That probably was it!" Julie agreed. She apologized to Eli, acknowledging that Gabi was "some sort of friend" of his. "Thank goodness you came along when you did," she added as she reached for his hand.
Hope soon arrived with Rafe, having received a heads-up from Eli that Julie was in the hospital. Gabi filled Hope and Rafe in on what had happened. Hope went to check on Julie and was relieved to hear that Valerie had ruled out the possibility of a heart attack. Valerie left the room after explaining that she planned to keep Julie overnight for observation. Eli followed Valerie out so Hope could have some time alone with Julie.
Eli went to contact Doug. Meanwhile, Valerie assured Gabi and Rafe that Julie hadn't had a heart attack. Valerie walked away after promising to figure out what had really happened to Julie. Alone again with Rafe, Gabi remembered a look Julie had given her during the supposed heart attack. "That sneaky phony. She faked it!" Gabi concluded, shaking her head in disbelief.
At the pub, Abigail had a phone interview with someone at Salem University about a job. After she finished her call, Dario walked into the pub. With a sympathetic smile on his face, Dario sat at Abigail's table. Abigail said she had kept her promise and moved out of the DiMera mansion. Sizing up Dario, Abigail said she did not need a babysitter. Dario stressed that he was there as a friend.
At the entrance to the pub, Kate watched Abigail reach across the table and place her hand on Dario's hand. Abigail said she was grateful for Dario and would let him know if she needed him. With a raised eyebrow, Kate left. Dario told Abigail that it had taken courage for Abigail to walk away. Quietly, Dario told Abigail that he knew she was hurting, and he encouraged her to lean on him. Abigail said she was reluctant to lean on Dario because of his feelings for her. With a nod, Dario said he would give Abigail space to figure out her life.
At the DiMera mansion, Chad thought about Abigail's speech to him before she had left. Chad stared at Abigail's wedding and engagement rings. Sonny walked in to check on Chad. When Sonny asked about why Abigail had left, Chad admitted that he had confessed to Abigail about his unresolved feelings for Gabi. Chad stressed that he was committed to his marriage to Abigail.
Sonny urged Chad to give Abigail time and space alone. Worried, Chad refused to stand by and lose his wife again. With a sigh, Sonny cautioned Chad to give both Abigail and Gabi time to resolve their own feelings. Sonny suggested that Chad should focus on Thomas. Sonny recommended that Chad remain calm and steady because if he was meant to be with Abigail, then she would return home.
At the pub, Jennifer met up with Abigail. Seeing the worried look on her mother's face, Abigail assured Jennifer that she did not plan on running away again. Jennifer asked Abigail to give Chad time to get over his feelings for Gabi, but Abigail said she did not want to wait any longer. Jennifer argued that Abigail was the love of Chad's life, but Abigail countered that she and Chad did not belong together.
Jennifer was surprised that Abigail had moved out of the mansion, and she was even more surprised by Abigail's drive for independence. Jennifer offered to provide a job for Abigail, but Abigail said she wanted to stand on her own. Abigail said she would find her own job and apartment. Concerned, Jennifer said that Abigail might not be up to the task. Abigail urged Jennifer to stop worrying, and she said she needed to stand on her own if she ever hoped to fully recover from her breakdown.
At the DiMera mansion, Kate stopped by to talk to Chad. When Chad saw Kate in the living room doorway, he yelled that he did not want her advice. Kate suggested that Abigail had realized that her marriage to Chad was not working. Kate said Abigail had done the right thing. Wincing, Chad told Kate that she had never wanted him to be with Abigail. Kate nodded, and she added that she still felt that Chad belonged with Gabi.
With a tired sigh, Chad asked Kate to stop talking about Gabi. Chad explained that Gabi had never been a threat to his marriage because his love for Abigail would never fade, but his feelings for Gabi would fade over time. Shaking her head, Kate said that Abigail had moved on. Curious, Chad asked what Kate meant. Kate teased that she had seen Abigail with Dario, and they had appeared to be close.
In the park, Eric met up with Abigail. Abigail said that she needed to move on from everyone that was holding her back in life. Staring at Eric out of the corner of her eye, Abigail said she meant both Chad and Jennifer. Abigail said she felt guilty that Jennifer blamed herself for Abigail's breakdown. Eric counseled that Jennifer needed time to deal with her feelings because she would always see Abigail as her child. In a soft tone, Eric suggested that Abigail find a gentle way to keep her distance.
After his meeting with Abigail, Eric returned to the Horton Center and found a frustrated Jennifer, aggressively stapling papers. Eric admitted that he had talked to Abigail, and he said that Abigail was just as frustrated as Jennifer. Eric said that Abigail needed to face her problems and learn self-reliance. As Jennifer scowled, Eric added that Abigail did not want to feel like a child. When Jennifer's face softened, Eric encouraged Jennifer to give Abigail space to grieve and move on. Jennifer said she trusted Eric's instincts, and she hugged him.
At Club TBD, Kate thanked Dario for giving her the gifts that Eduardo had left for her. Kate commented that it was sad that so many relationships were ending, including Abigail and Chad. Dario said he was just friends with Abigail, but Kate countered that she had watched Dario and Abigail together at the pub. Kate explained that they had looked intense together. When Kate asked Dario if he was more than friends with Abigail, Dario said he had feelings for Abigail, but his feelings were unrequited. Kate disagreed.
Kate advised Dario to be patient and wait for Abigail to realize that there was more than friendship between her and Dario. With a smile, Dario asked Kate if the situation was like her and Eduardo. Kate nodded. Dario said that Eduardo had asked him to keep an eye on Kate. Grinning, Kate said she did not need anyone to watch over her. Dario said he planned to keep his promise to his father regardless. Kate nodded, and she said that she wanted a better fate for Dario and Abigail.
When Abigail returned to the mansion to pick up her things, she found Chad in the living room. Chad asked Abigail to join him. Reluctantly, Abigail took Chad's hand and followed him to the town square. The square was empty. Beaming, Chad said he had cleared the square so that they would have it to themselves. A table of scones and mimosas was waiting for the couple. Chad said he wanted a chance to prove to Abigail that he believed their story was a true fairytale.
Chad pulled a paper out of his pocket and explained that his vows were written on it. Chad said that his vows were a pledge to commit to their future together. Fighting tears, Chad said he wanted to give the paper to Abigail so that she could read them and carry them with her. Chad said he wanted Abigail to carry his vows with her for the rest of their lives.
At the Salem Hospital nurses' station, Gabi asked about Julie. An annoyed Eli walked up behind Gabi and asked why she was there. Gabi said she wanted to apologize to Julie. Gabi added that the fight between her and Julie had been building for a long time, but she had not wanted to hurt Julie. When Gabi asked what Julie had told Eli about her, Eli said that Julie had warned that Gabi was trouble. Gabi countered that Julie could be a bully. As Eli shook his head, Gabi said she would apologize for her part in the argument.
In Julie's hospital room, Doug sneaked in a muffin for Julie. As Julie dug in to her contraband breakfast, Doug asked her if she had exaggerated her symptoms to make Gabi look bad. Julie hesitantly admitted that she had because she wanted to protect Eli. Julie blamed Gabi because she had not heeded her warning and backed off of Eli. Doug reminded Julie that it was Eli's choice, not Julie's, who he should date.
To Julie's dismay, Gabi entered the room and asked to talk. As Doug leaned over to kiss Julie goodbye, he whispered to her to behave. Once alone with Julie, Gabi said she knew that Julie had faked her attack and why she had done it. Gabi added that if Julie had been stricken ill, then she would apologize to Julie for her part in Julie's illness. Julie growled at Gabi to stay away from Eli. Gabi admitted that Eli was a distraction from her life. Frustrated, Julie warned that if Gabi hurt Abigail or Eli, Gabi would have to answer to her.
In the hospital hallway, Sonny ran into Eli, and he asked about Julie. Eli told Sonny that Julie was fine and that Gabi was in Julie's room to apologize for causing her to collapse. Looking at the conflict written on Eli's face, Sonny told Eli that Gabi was worth the trouble. Sonny told Eli the full story about Nick's harassment of Gabi, leading up to his murder.
Shaking his head, Sonny said that Julie refused to see the facts in Nick's case or the reasons for Gabi's breakup with J.J. Sonny said that Gabi was not the monster that Julie claimed. Sonny confided that Gabi was a great person to have in Eli's corner. After wishing the best for Julie, Sonny left. When Gabi exited Julie's room, Eli apologized to her for being harsh. Gabi apologized too.
