Marlena reaches out to John
At Club TBD, Lucas bitterly greeted Chloe, who demanded to know why he had suddenly fallen off the wagon after such a long stretch of sobriety.
"I didn't 'fall' off the wagon, all right? I happened to be pushed!" Lucas insisted, seizing his shot glass from Chloe and draining it in one quick gulp. Chloe tried to remind Lucas that drinking was a personal choice, but he argued that one of his exes had apparently neglected to read the Alcoholics Anonymous handbook. "Who was it? Nicole? Carrie? Don't tell me Sami's back in town --" Chloe began.
Interrupting, Lucas sarcastically thanked Chloe for taking him on a "death march" down memory lane. Chloe was stunned when Lucas clarified that he had been talking about Adrienne, who had just randomly decided to dump him and get back together with Justin. "I'm sorry, but that just doesn't sound like the Adrienne that I know," Chloe mused. Nodding, Lucas agreed, "It was like she turned into a totally different person."
Meanwhile, the bartender, who had been busy serving other customers, stepped back behind the bar. Lucas quickly asked for a refill, prompting Chloe to warn the bartender that Lucas was an alcoholic. "Not my problem, lady," the bartender replied with a shrug as he poured Lucas another shot of vodka. Chloe tried to stop Lucas from taking the drink, but he gulped it down while she was talking then told her, "Gotta be quicker than that!"
"Lucas, I know that you want to hurt Adrienne, but...tossing away your sobriety is just hurting yourself," Chloe pointed out. Chloe offered to take Lucas to a meeting, but he insisted that he wasn't going anywhere with a woman who had cheated on him in the past. "You are no better than Adrienne is! And who the hell are you to lecture me on my drinking? Brady never did drugs until he started following you around Europe," Lucas continued.
"I didn't make Brady a coke addict; I just didn't want to see that he was one," Chloe clarified. Hoping to inspire Lucas, Chloe added that Brady had since turned his life around, prompting Lucas to reveal with a snicker that he had actually had a few drinks with Brady earlier that night. Lucas added that Nicole was the one who had pushed Brady off the wagon.
Confused, Chloe struggled to understand why Lucas and Brady -- who had stayed sober through such hardships as Will's death and Theresa's departure, respectively -- had suddenly thrown away all their hard work in the wake of developments that, while certainly painful, seemed a lot less devastating in comparison. Lucas didn't want to talk about Will's death, but he explained that he had decided to start drinking again after losing Adrienne because he had realized, at that moment, that he had no one left in his life who cared about him -- and, therefore, no reason to stay committed to sobriety any longer.
Chloe insisted that she cared about Lucas -- and Brady, too, for that matter. Ignoring Chloe, Lucas impatiently asked the bartender for another refill. The bartender started to grant the request but changed his mind when Chloe warned that the police would likely have some questions for him if Lucas got into an accident later that night. Undeterred, Lucas insisted that he would simply find another bar, adding that Club TBD wasn't going to be in business much longer, anyway. Chloe, who had returned to Salem to finish working out the terms of the gig that Dario had recently offered her, was surprised to hear that he was on the run.
Lucas started to leave but fell to the floor after taking only a single step. "Slipped on a peanut," Lucas dismissively insisted. Unconvinced, Chloe seized Lucas' keys then helped him out of the club.
At the police station, Sonny and Chad continued to piece together the events that had occurred at the Martin mansion on the night of Deimos' murder. When Sonny remembered that he had gone in search of Paul after Deimos had stolen the amulet, Chad pointed out that Sonny would have had to walk through the living room, where Deimos had been killed, in order to get to the garden, where Paul had been knocked out. Sonny suddenly recalled doing just that. Smiling, Sonny excitedly informed Chad that Deimos had already been dead at that time -- meaning that someone else had killed him.
"[Now] there's only one thing [left] to do," Chad began. "Find the amulet; find the killer," Sonny concluded in unison with Chad.
Brady entered the Kiriakis mansion and found Victor sitting alone in the living room, worrying about Sonny's predicament. Brady insisted that he wasn't going to help Victor frame some random person for Deimos' murder. "But, um...do you know what this is?" Brady continued as he retrieved the amulet from his jacket pocket. Surprised, Victor wondered where Brady had found the amulet. "In the, uh, home of the real killer -- my beloved brother Eric," Brady casually answered. Brady wanted to take the amulet to the police right away so they could release Sonny and arrest Eric, but Victor warned that it wouldn't be wise to do that.
"You said that whoever has the amulet is probably the murderer, [and] you have it now," Victor pointed out. When Victor demanded to know why Brady had been in Eric's room in the first place, Brady reluctantly explained that he had been looking for proof that Nicole and Eric were sleeping together. "So, if you were to go to the police, it might occur to them that you wanted to get even with Eric by setting him up," Victor noted. Stammering, Brady admitted that he had failed to consider that possibility. "Because you were drunk as a skunk!" Victor concluded with obvious disappointment.
"Did you really think I wouldn't notice?" Victor continued. Brady dismissively insisted that he had a problem with cocaine, not alcohol. "That's what you said after that whole debacle with Kristen, and look how that turned out," Victor countered. Determined not to let Brady self-destruct yet again, Victor warned, "Remember when you were with Chloe, and that bimbo refused to believe that you were high as a kite most nights? I had you kidnapped and thrown into rehab. You'd better believe I can do it again."
When Victor added that Brady should have stopped to think about Tate before deciding to knock back a bunch of drinks, Brady grew defensive, arguing that he was a good father. Victor agreed that Brady was a good father -- when sober, at least. "I will not have any great-grandson of mine be raised by a father who's a lush!" Victor vowed.
Brady maintained that there was no cause for concern because he was simply drunk, not high. "I don't -- I don't -- I don't need rehab," Brady dismissively continued. "You're in no condition to determine what you need. [And] Titan certainly doesn't need another scandal," Victor countered. Annoyed, Brady reminded Victor that they had more important things to discuss -- like the fact that evidence had been found in Eric's room that linked him to Deimos' murder. Victor insisted that Brady needed to sober up first. Scoffing, Brady reluctantly headed upstairs to take a shower, leaving the amulet behind on the coffee table.
At Bayview, Marlena frantically tried to fill John in on what had happened to her, but a bad connection prevented him from being able to make out most of her end of their phone conversation. "Did you say 'help'? Doc, do you need help?" John asked worriedly. Before Marlena could say anything else, the orderly returned and snatched his cell phone out of her hand. "You've been a very bad girl, [and] now, 'Not Hattie,' you're gonna find out what happens to bad girls," the orderly warned before putting Marlena back in the straitjacket and sedating her.
At the Salem Inn, Eric knocked on Adrienne's hotel room door and called out to Marlena. Hattie and Bonnie tried to ignore Eric, hoping that he would eventually go away, but when he made it clear that he had no intention of doing that, Hattie reluctantly opened the door and greeted him. Eric entered the messy room and looked around in shock as he wondered what was going on. Hattie claimed that she had simply been trying to cheer Adrienne up. Suddenly concerned, Eric hoped that Adrienne hadn't received bad news about her health. "No, I'm healthy as a horse," Bonnie blurted out before catching herself and clarifying that she was still in remission.
Faking tears, Bonnie continued that she was upset because her relationship with Lucas had ended earlier that night. Hattie hinted that Eric needed to leave right away so she could get back to comforting Adrienne, but he apologetically insisted that he needed to talk to Marlena about John first. "So, what, he sent you here to badger me?" Hattie asked defensively.
Taken aback, Eric clarified, "[No], I came here on my own. [But John] doesn't think you're telling him everything, and I'm starting to wonder myself." Hattie dismissively insisted that John simply needed to accept reality and move on with his life, just as she already had. Bonnie tried to help Hattie out, adding, "See, Eric, when two people have been together as long as your mother and John have -- or, well, Lucas and me -- sometimes, you know, it just -- it becomes like a habit. I mean, I used to wake up every morning and have a bowl of oatmeal, right? And then one morning, I woke up, and I looked at it, and I said, 'I hate this stuff!'"
"Yes, and -- and sometimes these things happen all of a sudden," Hattie agreed. Eric argued that Adrienne couldn't possibly be comparing her relationship with Lucas, which had only started a couple years earlier, to Marlena's decades-long relationship with John. "You know, Lucas and me -- Lucas and I, that is -- we did a lot of living in those two years!" Bonnie insisted, faking more tears. Hattie scolded Eric for upsetting Adrienne, tightly squeezing Bonnie's arm to send the message that she needed to play along. Pulling away from Hattie, Bonnie complained that Eric was making her feel like her problems didn't matter at all.
Eric reluctantly agreed to leave, but before exiting the hotel room, he made it clear that he would be seeking Marlena out again soon so they could continue their conversation about John. Once the coast was clear, Hattie apologized for hurting Bonnie's arm, explaining, "I had to stop you! I thought you were gonna blow the whole thing!" Bonnie defensively pointed out that Anjelica had not yet gotten around to coaching her on the right and wrong things to say in any given situation. Frazzled, Hattie decided that it was time to call it a night, and Bonnie agreed.
After exiting Adrienne's hotel room, Hattie ran into John in the hallway. When John revealed that Marlena had called him earlier, Hattie muttered, "Oh. Must've had a little too much." Confused, John wondered what Marlena was talking about. "Uh -- uh... Stress! [It] just makes you forget stuff, doesn't it?" Hattie explained with a nervous chuckle. Meanwhile, John took note of the cheddar dust on Marlena's blouse. "What the hell? This is cheese puffs! You hate cheese puffs!" John pointed out. Shrugging, Hattie complained that she'd had to raid the minibar because the Salem Inn's room service wasn't available after sunset.
"You sounded desperate on the phone, in spite of the bad connection. You asked for my help. So, what can I do to help you?" John asked. Hattie claimed that she had been calling to ask John to stay away from the townhouse for a while the following morning so she could get the rest of her things without having to deal with him. "So now you don't even want to be in the same room with me?" John asked incredulously. Hattie tried to explain that it would simply be easier that way, but John insisted, "No, no, no -- you're hiding something, [and] you know what? I'm not gonna stop 'til I find out what it is." Hattie watched nervously as John walked away.
Meanwhile, Eric returned to the Martin mansion and found his room in disarray. "What happened here?" he wondered as he looked around the room.
At the Martin house, Lani marched up to Eli's table and announced that she could no longer work with him. Angry, Eli asked why. Lani explained that Raines had pressured her to tell him information about Dario's case. Smirking, Lani said she had countered Raines's threat by hinting that her father, the mayor, could fire Raines. Lani said she would never ask her father to fire Raines and that Abe was too honest a person to ever grant such a request. Softening, Eli thanked Lani for her help on the case.
After Lani left, Valerie arrived to meet up with Eli. When Eli complimented Valerie's diamond earrings, she grinned broadly. Valerie explained that the earrings had been a gift from Abe. Valerie laughed and said that Abe had paid cash for the earrings. Eli raised a suspicious eyebrow.
At the police station, Rafe and Hope struggled through their caseload and talked about the Deimos murder case. Hope told Rafe she was relieved that he had not run off to Mexico to look for his brother. Sighing, Rafe theorized aloud that Dario's partner was someone influential in Salem. As Rafe complained that Eli had continued to withhold information about Dario's case, Raines walked into the precinct and asked about Dario. With a shrug, Rafe said there was no news.
Lani walked into the precinct and informed Raines that she had quit the FBI task force. Lani added that she still could not tell Raines anything about the case because of confidentiality. As Raines scowled, Lani apologized for threatening to talk to her father about him. Raines nodded. Across the precinct, Hope talked to Eli on the phone and arranged to meet with him in the park.
At the café in the square, Abe sat with Theo, and he lamented that he had given his blessing for Theo to work for the DiMera family. Abe argued that Theo had broken the law for no reason. As Theo raised a questioning eyebrow, Abe said he knew about the deleted photo. Theo admitted that he had destroyed the evidence. Furious, Abe warned Theo that he was an accessory to a crime. Abe argued that the DiMera family was corrupt, but Theo shot back that he was a DiMera. Abe urged Theo to quit his job before something bad happened. Theo said no and walked away.
While Abe finished his meal at the café, Eli stopped by the table. Eli asked Abe if anything was wrong. Groaning, Abe said he had fought with Theo. Changing the subject, Eli thanked Abe for taking care of his mother. Abe chuckled and said Valerie could take care of herself. Eli mentioned the presents.
With a nod, Abe asked Eli if there were any leads in Dario's case. Eli said no. After Eli walked away, Abe pulled out a thick wad of cash from his pocket and stripped off a bill to pay for his meal. When Eli met up with Rafe and Hope in the park, he told them he was finally prepared to tell them about Dario's partner. "You're not gonna like it," Eli said.
At the DiMera mansion, an angry Kate lashed out at Andre for not telling her that Chad had confessed to murdering Deimos. Kate noted that she had learned the information from the television news. Andre said he had felt compelled to tell Chad the truth in case Abigail died from her wounds so that Chad could make amends with her. Smiling, Andre said that Chad had since recanted his confession, as had Sonny.
When Andre offered to talk to the board about Chad, Kate quickly declined the request, citing that the board believed Andre was crazy. Kate ordered Andre to go through her about anything regarding the company. Andre bristled. Andre reminded Kate that she was the temporary head of the company until he divorced her. Grinning, Andre added that he could tell the board that their wedding had been a sham, turning the board against her. With a calculating look at her husband, Kate apologized for behaving so harshly. Andre noted that Kate had overplayed her hand with him. "One other thing I think we have in common -- we never forget anything," Andre said.
While Andre was in the kitchen, Kate continued to conduct business in the living room. Kate assured Mr. Shin on the phone that Chad would be out of jail by the end of the day. Kate added, "I thought Andre was handling the situation, as well, but once again, he wasn't up to the task." From the kitchen doorway, Andre glowered at Kate's back.
In the loft living room, Joey and Claire discussed Chad's confession. Joey said he understood how Chad felt. Joey announced that he planned to tell everyone the truth about Ava's death. With a sigh, Joey said he could no longer live with the guilt of what he had done. When Claire urged Joey to think about how the news would affect everyone in his life, Joey said that he had already told Tripp the truth. Her eyes widening, Claire said that she had talked to Tripp earlier, and she did not believe Tripp would turn Joey in to the police. Shaking his head no, Joey insisted that he needed to confess his crime.
After Joey left, Theo returned home from his meeting with Abe. Theo told Claire about his fight with his father. Unsure, Claire asked if Theo's DiMera job was related to Chad's arrest. When Theo complained that Claire sounded like his father, Claire clarified that she meant she did not want Theo to get into trouble.
Claire added that if Theo believed he had done the right thing, then that was the only thing that mattered. Claire took Theo's hands and looked into his eyes to calm him. When Theo pulled his hands away, Claire apologized for invading his personal space. Theo took one of Claire's hands and looked into her eyes. "You're my friend," Theo said quietly.
At the hospital, Kayla saw a text from Steve on her phone and ignored it. Kayla thought about when Steve had first told Joey about his half-brother Tripp. As Kayla turned around, she found Tripp standing behind her. Kayla did not want to talk but reluctantly agreed to talk to Tripp as long as it was in public. Tripp apologized for what he had done to Kayla. Tripp stressed that he could not undo what he had done and that he was deeply sorry for his actions.
As Tripp recounted threatening Kayla's life, Tripp said he had found Kayla asleep and had thought about how his mother had been murdered in her sleep. Tripp admitted that he had snapped in that moment. After a deep breath, Tripp said what he had done was unforgivable. Kayla asked Tripp if he had overheard her arguing with Steve. Tripp nodded yes. Tripp said his instinct had been to leave town, but Claire had convinced him to stay and face his judgment. Kayla admitted that she had lashed out at Steve in the heat of the moment. Shaking her head, Kayla said she would not go to the police because she did not want to ruin Tripp's life just like she did not want to ruin Joey's life.
At the Brady Pub, Steve asked Roman if he had seen Kayla. When Roman said no, Steve informed Roman about his fight with Kayla. Steve stressed that he did not believe he could fix his family this time. Roman listened as Steve talked about Joey's crushing guilt and what Tripp had done to Kayla. Roman reminded Steve that he had perjured himself to protect Joey. Shaking his head, Steve said he blamed himself for the troubles of both his sons.
With a shrug, Steve wondered aloud if he had put Tripp before Joey out of guilt. Roman said he believed that both Joey and Tripp could argue mental duress in their cases. Roman suggested that Steve reach out to Justin. As Steve stared numbly into the distance, Roman confided that he had felt tremendous pain when Eric had been sent to prison. Roman added that prison had been a good thing for Eric.
When Joey arrived, he quit his job. Nodding, Steve asked Joey if that meant he had made up his mind about confessing. Joey said he was going to the police station, and he asked his father to accompany him for support. Before Steve could answer, Roman announced that he needed to take a call in the other room. Steve opened his mouth to speak to his son, but Kayla walked into the pub with Tripp.
Tripp announced that Kayla was not pressing charges against him. Tripp added that he had no intention of telling the police what Joey had done. As Joey stared at Tripp in confusion, Tripp said that he understood that a person could be pushed to do bad things. Tripp added that he wanted to put the situation behind them. Kayla jumped in and stressed that there was no need to ruin two young lives. Kayla urged both boys to get counseling. When everyone looked at Joey, he stared silently, contemplating his choices.
Hope and Rafe were stunned when Eli finally revealed the identity of Dario's silent partner.
"All this time, we were just being played!" Hope grumbled. Nodding, Rafe added, "Dario said to me that it would be the last person we ever suspected, but this?" Hope and Rafe assured Eli that they finally understood why he had been unable to share the information with them sooner. "[But] what do we do now?" Rafe asked, prompting Eli to explain how he wanted to handle the situation.
Meanwhile, Valerie joined Abe in the Horton Town Square and quickly deduced that something was bothering him. Abe tried to insist that he didn't have time to talk about the matter, but Valerie refused to let him leave without first telling her exactly what was going on. Sighing, Abe reluctantly revealed that Theo had destroyed evidence in an effort to prevent Chad from being tied to Deimos' murder.
Valerie felt responsible because she had convinced Abe to ignore his suspicions about Theo's new job at DiMera Enterprises, but Abe reasoned, "You just wanted me to trust my son. I wanted to trust him. My mistake was trusting the DiMeras." Abe added with a sigh that Theo could face criminal charges as a result of his actions. Meanwhile, Hope and Rafe approached Abe and Valerie's table, looking quite serious.
Jumping to conclusions, Valerie preemptively sprang to Theo's defense, arguing that he had simply gotten in over his head while trying to help out a family member. Hope and Rafe clarified that they weren't planning to arrest Theo. Turning to Abe, Hope apologetically continued, "We're here to arrest you." Stunned onlookers quickly began filming the scene on various mobile devices as Abe demanded to know the exact charges he was facing. "You've been named as a co-conspirator in a counterfeiting scheme," Rafe explained.
Valerie refused to believe that Abe was guilty, insisting that he was the most honest man she knew. "We don't want to do this, Valerie, but the evidence against Abe [is] clear," Hope began to explain. Nodding, Rafe added that Dario had named Abe as his silent partner. Valerie watched in stunned silence as Rafe cuffed Abe, who glared at Hope while confirming through gritted teeth that he understood the rights she had just recited to him.
Theo was just inches away from Claire when she suddenly retreated to the other end of their apartment, apologetically acknowledging that she was supposed to be respecting the fact that he no longer wanted to be anything more than a friend to her. "I want you to know that you can trust me not to cross any lines," she continued. He approached her and confirmed, when they were again standing just inches apart, that he did trust her.
After gazing at Claire for a moment, Theo cleared his throat and asked for a change of subject. "How 'bout we don't talk at all?" she suggested. He was confused at first, but she quickly added, "[Instead, we'll] just enjoy what's left of our summer [by spending] the rest of the day at the lake. [We'll] go swimming, and get some sun, and have a picnic, and it's gonna be great!"
Claire rushed into her bedroom to change into a bathing suit, and Theo, after regaining his composure, headed into his bedroom to do the same. Later, while waiting for Claire to finish getting ready, Theo -- wearing only a pair of board shorts -- quietly reminded himself, "Friends. Claire and I are just friends. That's what I said I wanted, so that's what we are -- friends."
Claire soon joined Theo in the living room, wearing a two-piece bathing suit, and asked him to rub some sunscreen lotion on her back. He tried to convince her that it would be better to complete that task at the lake, but she wanted to give the sunscreen lotion time to soak into her skin before she entered the water. "Friends. We're just friends," he quietly repeated as he began applying the sunscreen lotion to her back. "What'd you just say?" she asked while reading alerts on her cell phone. "Nothing," he answered, awkwardly clearing his throat. She smiled knowingly as he continued rubbing her back while struggling to restrain himself.
Theo seemed to be just seconds away from succumbing to temptation when Claire suddenly pulled away from him, staring at her cell phone in disbelief. Concerned, he wondered what was wrong. "Just a nasty comment on one of my songs. No biggie," she claimed. Knowing that she usually considered such comments a very big deal, he suspiciously argued that she couldn't expect him to trust her if she wasn't willing to be honest with him. She conceded with a sigh that he was going to learn the truth soon enough, anyway. "I was just trying to protect you," she continued as she reluctantly revealed a recording of his father's earlier arrest.
At the police station, Lani informed J.J. that she had decided to stop working with Eli, effective immediately. J.J. was furious when he learned that Commissioner Raines had essentially forced Lani's hand -- and that Lani, despite having ended her partnership with Eli to prevent any further conflicts of interest, was still worried that Raines might not want her on the police force any longer.
Ignoring Lani's protests, J.J. approached Raines and insisted, "With all due respect, you can't punish Lani for not giving you details about an ongoing FBI investigation, [so] I want [her] reinstated as my partner right now." Meanwhile, Eli arrived and announced that he wanted to talk to Raines privately. Raines made it clear that he wasn't interested in hearing anything that Eli had to say unless Eli was willing to say it in front of J.J., Lani, and the other nearby police officers. Nodding, Eli revealed that Dario had been working with a silent partner and had promised to give up the name of that partner in exchange for enrollment in the Witness Protection Program.
Raines shot Lani a questioning look, prompting her to stress that she had known about the existence of a silent partner but had never learned the person's identity. Raines demanded to know if Eli had any hard evidence to back up Dario's claim. Eli admitted that Dario hadn't had a chance to deliver his evidence to the FBI before the hit-and-run driver had scared him off. "Ah, so this 'evidence' disappeared with Dario," Raines dismissively concluded. "I didn't say that," Eli coolly replied, adding that although he didn't have that evidence, he had, with Lani's help, managed to obtain other pieces of evidence that supported Dario's claim.
"[It's] good enough for me," Eli continued. As Eli started to warn Lani that Dario's silent partner was someone who was close to her, Hope and Rafe entered the police station with Abe, who angrily insisted that the charges against him weren't going to stick because he was innocent. Valerie arrived while Raines was lecturing Abe for betraying the town's trust. Abe argued that Dario had played the FBI and had fled afterward to avoid having to produce proof to back up his claims, but Eli countered that there was still plenty of proof out there because Abe had been throwing a lot of cash around lately -- most of which had turned out to be counterfeit.
Lani and J.J. defended Abe, reasoning that the counterfeit money might have simply been in circulation longer than originally suspected. Eli clarified that the FBI was convinced that only someone who was involved in the counterfeiting scheme could have access to the number of sequential bills that Abe had used to pay for Valerie's jewelry. Reminding everyone that any suspect could be held for forty-eight hours to allow time for even more evidence to be gathered, Eli added that the FBI would have an airtight case by then. Abe maintained his innocence and vowed that he would sue the Salem Police Department and the FBI for slander after being vindicated.
Lani shoved Eli, concluding that he hadn't bothered to talk her out of ending their partnership earlier because he had known all along that she wouldn't be okay with the eventual result of their investigation. J.J. intervened and tried to convince Lani to go outside to get some air, but she refused, insisting that she was fine. After taking her frustration out on a nearby filing cabinet, Lani warned Eli, "You will not get away with this!"
Raines soon approached Eli and told him, "I know how difficult things can be [when] family and friends [are involved], so I'd just like to commend you [on a] job well done, son." Eli shook Raines's hand but avoided making eye contact with him. Meanwhile, Rafe tried to tell Valerie that he was sorry, but she angrily insisted that she didn't want sympathy from him, of all people. "I don't want an apology from you, either," Valerie snapped as Eli approached her. Eli clarified that he simply needed to collect Valerie's jewelry because it was evidence. Valerie removed her earrings and necklace and threw them at Eli's feet before storming off to contact Abe's lawyer.
At the Brady Pub, Joey noted, after hearing Kayla and Tripp out, that Steve hadn't said anything yet. Steve pointed out that he had already shared his thoughts with Joey earlier.
Nodding in agreement, Kayla bitterly confirmed that Steve's opinion on the matter was already abundantly clear. Kayla started to add that Steve needed to just stay quiet and let Joey speak for himself from that point forward, but when Steve countered that he had been trying to let Joey speak for himself all along, she sarcastically conceded the point. "You know, it's truly admirable, actually, [that you're not trying] to influence him in any way, you know? Just -- just let him completely and totally self-destruct, because, after all, that's what he wants to do, anyway, right?" Kayla continued with a shrug.
"[Joey's] so ready to throw his entire life away, and it's all because of you!" Kayla shouted at Steve, who patiently clarified that Joey might not have to throw his life away in order to accept responsibility for Ava's death. Steve continued that, according to Roman, Joey might be able to get a reduced sentence if he turned himself in voluntarily, since he had been underage when he had killed Ava.
"You know, you think that you're helping him, but you're only making things worse!" Kayla told Steve. Joey warned that Kayla was being unfair, but she countered that she wasn't interested in fairness; she was only interested in saving his life. "If you go to prison, I just don't think that I can go on, Joey. Please -- please -- don't turn yourself in," Kayla tearfully begged Joey.
Joey asked to talk to Kayla privately. After Kayla followed Joey outside, Tripp apologized to Steve for having failed to talk Joey out of confessing. Steve wondered why Tripp had suddenly decided to protect Joey. Tripp explained that Claire had convinced him to try to earn a second chance with his family instead of running away from his problems. Tripp added that although Kayla had asked him to talk to Joey as a way of making amends, she hadn't forced him to do so. "I wanted to do it [because] I don't want Joey to go to prison. He's my brother -- your son -- [and] I don't want you to lose him," Tripp continued.
"When I saw you with that scalpel against Kayla's neck -- the woman I love more than anything in this world -- and then when you turned it on my son -- my own flesh and blood -- I wanted to take you out myself," Steve admitted to Tripp, who wondered what had stopped Steve from doing just that. "You're my flesh and blood, too, [and] I had to put my anger aside and put you first [because] that's what a parent does for his child," Steve explained. Nodding, Tripp vowed to find a way to make things right with every member of his family. Steve assured Tripp that he was a member of a family that had gotten through tough times before and would do so again.
Meanwhile, Joey took a seat on a bench and regretfully stressed, as Kayla joined him, that he hated seeing her fight with Steve. "I did what I did because I wanted us to be together, [and] if you and Dad break up, I don't know if I can handle it," Joey continued. Kayla assured Joey that everything would go back to normal if he abandoned his plan to turn himself in. Joey informed Kayla that what she was doing was considered emotional blackmail, adding, "You sent me to therapy for months; you don't think I learned anything?" Kayla apologized to Joey but maintained that confessing wouldn't make things better.
"What will?" Joey asked. "Wish I knew," Kayla replied with a shrug. Kayla stressed that there was no guarantee that Joey would get a reduced sentence if he turned himself in, but he insisted that he deserved whatever sentence was deemed necessary because he had taken someone's life and needed to pay a price for that decision. Kayla argued that Joey had already paid a terrible price, since he had been carrying the burden of guilt with him for months and had also been forced to face everyone who had suffered as a result of his actions, including his victim's son, who also happened to be his brother.
"None of us want you to suffer anymore," Kayla continued, adding that Joey had his whole life ahead of him. Joey countered that he could still do "normal" things, like falling in love and pursuing his dreams, after paying for Ava's death. Kayla tearfully maintained that she couldn't let Joey turn himself in as a way of earning his father's respect.
"This has nothing to do with Dad, okay? You're the reason I want to turn myself in," Joey clarified, adding that when Kayla had caught him stealing money from the pub's cash register back in high school, she had forced him to apologize to Caroline and work off the debt -- plus interest. "You were teaching me to do the right thing, even when it was hard, and that's what I'm trying to do now, Mom -- just like you taught me," Joey continued. Fighting back tears, Kayla sadly admitted, "I get it now."
Kayla followed Joey back inside the pub and informed Steve and Tripp that Joey still planned to turn himself in -- and that she had finally accepted his decision.
Lucas awoke in Chloe's room at the Salem Inn and slowly started to remember everything that had happened the previous night.
Lucas was furious with himself for having fallen off the wagon, regardless of the devastating circumstances that had led to that mistake. Chloe wondered if it was true that Brady had also fallen off the wagon the previous night, apparently as a result of suspicions about the true nature of Nicole's relationship with Eric. Lucas claimed, despite clear memories that supported Chloe's version of events, that he wasn't sure.
Lucas was feeling a bit queasy, so Chloe took him to the Horton Town Square for coffee, aspirin, and fresh air. Lucas appreciated the kind gesture but assured Chloe that she didn't have to hang out with him all day because he would be fine on his own. "Will you, Lucas?" Chloe asked skeptically. Lucas admitted -- at the risk of sounding pitiful -- that although he understood that there was never a good reason for an addict to fall off the wagon, the fact of the matter was that the past few years had been quite rough for him. "You know, losing, uh..." Lucas started to add before letting his voice trail off. Sighing, Lucas muttered, "I can't even say it anymore."
"Losing Will," Chloe helpfully concluded for Lucas. Nodding, Lucas sadly declared that the worst thing that had ever happened to him. "[And] my little girl is with Sami, and they're in a different town right now, and...it's hard, you know? It's hard," Lucas continued, adding that Adrienne had been the sole bright spot in his life lately, and her sudden decision to end their relationship had left him with only sadness and grief.
Chloe reminded Lucas that he had other people in his life who loved him and would do anything for him, such as Maggie, Jennifer, and Kate. Nodding, Lucas conceded that he needed to stop feeling sorry for himself -- and stop drinking, too. Chloe made it clear to Lucas that, despite their rocky past, he could also count her as one of the people who would always be there for him.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Victor was sitting in the living room, chuckling about the news of the "holier-than-thou" mayor's arrest, when Brady returned from an overnight stay at a private facility, where he had been free to sober up without having to worry about anyone else finding out that he had fallen off the wagon. Victor assured Brady that no one suspected that anything was amiss -- not even Maggie, who believed that Brady had simply gone to Chicago the previous night to take care of some last-minute business. "This isn't gonna happen again," Brady promised. "It'd better not," Victor insisted, adding that Titan couldn't afford another scandal at that time.
Brady reminded Victor that the scandal Titan was already facing -- Sonny's arrest for Deimos' murder -- would soon be over, since they had finally managed to identify the real killer. "And you have no reservations about turning your brother [Eric] in?" Victor asked. Brady admitted that he did, in fact, have some reservations about throwing a family member under the bus. "But I'd be lying to you if I [said that I] didn't have a little bit of satisfaction attached to it; I mean, after all, he did, uh -- he did betray me with Nicole, didn't he? Yeah, he did," Brady bitterly added before starting to excuse himself.
Victor insisted that Brady wasn't going anywhere until they finished talking about what had happened the previous night. Brady dismissively assured Victor that he had only fallen off the wagon because he had been triggered into doing so. "[But] I know there's no excuse," Brady added when Victor shot him a look of disapproval. Brady promised to attend a Narcotics Anonymous meeting later that day, just to be safe. Victor admitted that he couldn't even begin to imagine how difficult it was for Brady to fight addiction every day. "But [you've] won that fight [before, and] you can win it again," Victor continued. Nodding, Brady thanked Victor for believing in him.
"Damn Chloe! You know, she's the one who started your addiction," Victor grumbled. Brady insisted that Victor couldn't pin the blame on Chloe -- or anyone else, for that matter -- but Victor countered that Brady hadn't always seen things that way. Sighing, Brady abruptly excused himself, explaining that he didn't have time to continue arguing with Victor because he needed to attend a Narcotics Anonymous meeting then head over to the police station afterward to help Sonny get released. "Of course. The preliminary hearing is later today; there's no reason why he should be subjected to that," Victor agreed.
Brady was surprised when he opened the living room door and found Chloe standing in the foyer. "Who the hell let you in here?" Victor demanded to know. After explaining that Henderson was outside and had given her permission to let herself in, Chloe asked Brady if she could talk to him privately. "Absolutely not!" Victor answered for Brady.
Ignoring Victor, Brady invited Chloe into the living room and encouraged her to tell him what was going on. Chloe was reluctant to say anything else while Victor was around, but when Brady insisted that there were no secrets in the Kiriakis family, she reluctantly revealed that she was concerned because Lucas had suggested that Brady might have fallen off the wagon the previous night.
"Lucas! There's a reputable source," Victor sarcastically mused, adding that he was outraged that Chloe had barged into his house just to spew such defamatory nonsense. After a moment of hesitation, Brady decided to play along, claiming that he hadn't left the mansion the previous night. "I hope that's true," Chloe skeptically replied. After urging Brady to take care of himself -- if only for his son's sake -- Chloe showed herself out.
At the Horton Center, Eric handed Nicole an envelope that contained printed copies of the images from their recent photo shoot. Nicole hoped that Holly's foster mother would be willing to accept and display the images.
Nicole soon received a text message -- one that, to her dismay, was not from Brady. Sighing, Nicole admitted to Eric that although Brady had supposedly rushed off to Chicago the previous night to take care of some last-minute business, she was fairly certain that he was actually just avoiding her. "He thinks we're having an affair," Nicole explained to Eric, who realized, after hearing the whole story, that his brother could be the person who had trashed his room at the Martin mansion the previous night -- especially since nothing had been stolen. Concerned, Nicole rushed off in search of Brady, hoping to find him before things got any worse.
Later, Eric flipped through the images of Nicole that were still stored on his digital camera. "Gotta get her out of my head," Eric muttered with a sigh. "Get who out of your head?" Chloe asked as she entered Eric's office.
Meanwhile, Nicole ran into Brady as he was leaving the Kiriakis mansion. "Where are you going?" Nicole wondered. "You really want to know? Go ask Eric!" Brady angrily replied.
Bonnie was in Adrienne's room at the Salem Inn, reading about Abe's arrest while nursing a hangover with a plate of greasy foods, when Hattie arrived, bursting with energy, and loudly wondered why Bonnie wasn't dressed yet. Bonnie winced in pain as she struggled to understand how Hattie could be so chipper after a long night of partying. "What can I say? I got the stamina of a young college grad," Hattie explained with a shrug.
Eager to finally have a relationship with Roman, Hattie impatiently urged Bonnie to quickly pull herself together so they could both start living their dreams. While Bonnie was wolfing down the rest of the hangover meal, Hattie raved about Roman's many great qualities and explained, when asked, that she had first met him years earlier while she'd worked at a diner -- and that she actually owed him her life because he had rescued her when she had tried to commit suicide during a period of depression. "Ever since then, he's the only man I've ever been able to think about," Hattie admitted with a sigh. "Well, girl, now you've got you a second chance," Bonnie assured Hattie.
Anjelica soon arrived and complained that the room smelled like a food court. Hattie rushed off in search of Roman, leaving Bonnie alone with Anjelica, who was eager to hear all the gory details of Lucas and Adrienne's breakup. Bonnie assured Anjelica that everything had gone according to plan. "[But] I still don't get why I couldn't go for a little roll in the hay before I broke up with him," Bonnie added. Sighing, Anjelica irritably pointed out that, for starters, Bonnie's anatomy was noticeably different than Adrienne's. "Right. The boob thing," Bonnie remembered. Nodding, Anjelica insisted that Bonnie needed to forget about Lucas and stay focused on the plan.
"Now, Justin is a very complex man, so you are gonna have to be very mindful of what comes out of that mouth of yours," Anjelica warned Bonnie, who reached for a pen and a notepad while asking for a few tips. "Tell him he's the most amazing man you've ever met, and that you were a fool to let him go, and that you have never stopped loving him," Anjelica began.
As Bonnie took notes, Anjelica continued, "And then tell him how he always made you feel so loved and so beautiful, and how much you miss his tender touch and his warm embrace, and how safe you always felt in his arms, and then you gently take his hand and look into those big, dreamy eyes and tell him you can't wait for the day that the two of you can be together again."
"And then we make sweet, passionate love?" Bonnie excitedly concluded. "No, you sex-starved idiot!" Anjelica irritably replied, adding that the point was for Adrienne to break Justin's heart so that she could swoop in and pick up the pieces. Bonnie thought that the plan sounded like a lot of work, but she was willing to go along with it because it doubled as a way for her to gain access to the Kiriakis mansion -- and her own targets.
Hattie entered the Brady Pub and cheerfully greeted Roman, who revealed that John had told him about Marlena's decision to end their relationship. "Yes, we're both very sad," Hattie claimed, trying to wipe away her smile.
Roman insisted that Marlena needed to track John down right away and work things out with him, but Hattie maintained that she was done with John for good. "You know what? Sometimes, I start to wonder if our relationship -- John's and mine -- was doomed from the very start. You know, because of the way it began, [when] he took over your life and all. [And then] you came back, and...well, then I had that regrettable affair with John, [and maybe] that's when it all began to go wrong for me -- when I let you go," Hattie continued, swooning as she gazed at Roman. Hattie added that life had been a lot simpler back then. "Just you and me," Hattie concluded.
"And a bunch of kids," Roman added. Backpedaling, Hattie confirmed that she had fond memories of the kids, too. "[First there was] Carrie, and then...and then...Sami came along, and then, a little later, Eric," Hattie added before taking a sip of iced tea. "Sami and Eric are twins," Roman pointed out, causing Hattie to choke on her drink. Chuckling nervously, Hattie clarified, "[But] Sami came out first...right?"
"By two minutes," Roman confirmed. After reminiscing about the kids' early years for a bit longer, Roman changed the subject, insisting again that Marlena needed to get back together with John because they had the kind of love that most people were never fortunate enough to find. "[It doesn't] compare to the love that we [had]!" Hattie argued, adding that she never would have fallen in love with John in the first place if she hadn't believed at the time that he was Roman. "Oh, Marlena, come on!" Roman protested with a dismissive chuckle. Hattie spontaneously jumped into Roman's arms and started kissing him in an effort to get him to see things her way.
Bonnie tried to hide from Lucas when she spotted him in the town square, but when he noticed her, she reluctantly approached his table. Noticing the telltale signs of someone who was nursing a hangover, Bonnie worriedly wondered if Lucas had fallen off the wagon. "I've had enough lectures for one day, so please save it," Lucas replied. Bonnie felt bad about what Lucas was going through, and she even found herself fantasizing about taking back everything she had told him the previous night so they could hop into the nearest bed together, but when he begged her to give him a second chance, she regained her composure and reiterated that her heart belonged to Justin. After Bonnie left, Lucas ordered a Bloody Mary and told the waitress, "Keep 'em coming."
At Statesville, Adrienne realized that Anjelica had tricked her so Bonnie could take her place. Adrienne shoved a guard in frustration while trying to convince him that she wasn't Bonnie -- and that he needed to let her use a phone so she could call someone and ask for help. "All right, that's it -- no phone for a month!" the guard declared, twisting Adrienne's arms behind her back. When Adrienne protested that the guard couldn't take away her phone privileges, he countered, "Oh, yes, I can -- [and] I can throw you in solitary, too!" Adrienne cried out in fear as the guard dragged her out of the recreation room.
At the police station, Sonny and Chad sat in the interrogation room, waiting to talk to someone about their recovered memories. With Abe's arrest, no one was available to talk to the men. Chad worried aloud about Theo's reaction to Abe's arrest. When Chad noted that he would call Theo as soon as they were released from jail, Sonny reminded him that a judge would need to accept their memory as fact before they could be released. Chad blamed himself for wiping the real killer's prints off of the knife.
Shaking his head, Sonny countered that they could find the killer once they found the amulet. Paul arrived as Sonny was talking about their memories, and Sonny and Chad filled him in about their new evidence. Paul was relieved. After receiving a text message from the courthouse, the police escorted Chad to see the judge.
At the Horton Center, Eric grinned at photos of Nicole on his camera. "Why can't I get her out of my mind?" Eric wondered aloud as Chloe walked in. Chloe explained that she was in town for a gig at Club TBD, but Dario had skipped town. Chloe asked about Deimos' murder. Reluctant to discuss the night of the murder, Eric changed the subject to Nicole. Chloe and Eric talked about Nicole's separation from Holly. Grinning, Eric said he believed Nicole would regain custody.
Chloe raised a curious eyebrow, and she asked Eric if things had been going well with Nicole at the center. Eric said things had been improving with Nicole, and he hoped he and Nicole could be better friends someday. Chloe asked Eric if he only wanted to be friends with Nicole. Eric admitted that he still had feelings for his ex. With a shrug, Chloe said it had been obvious that Eric had feelings when he had fought for Chloe to return Holly. Eric explained that it was complicated because Nicole was with his brother, but since Nicole had forgiven him, it was harder not to think about her.
"You love her," Chloe said. "Yeah. Like I've never loved anyone else," Eric said. Eric stressed that Nicole did not know how he felt, and he did not want Nicole to know. Chloe flashed a smile at Eric and counseled him that he would feel better if he told the truth. Eric countered that he did not want to cause any trouble. "Don't you deserve some happiness?" Chloe asked. Eric stressed that he did not want to upset Nicole's life. Chloe reminded Eric that keeping his feelings to himself would not make them go away.
In the Kiriakis living room, Brady stared at the amulet he had found in Eric's room. As Nicole walked in, Brady pocketed the amulet and asked to talk. Cutting off Brady, Nicole swore that she and Eric were not having an affair. Brady demanded an explanation. When Nicole urged Eric to calm down, he countered that he had a right to be angry. "Angry enough to trash Eric's room?" Nicole asked.
Brady admitted that he had searched Eric's room, looking for photos from their photo shoot. When Nicole asked how he knew about the photos, Brady admitted he had overheard them talking from the hallway outside Eric's room. With tears in her eyes, Nicole told Brady he was an idiot. Nicole shoved the bundle of Eric's pictures into Brady's hands. Reluctantly, Brady opened the envelope and looked at the pictures. Nicole said the photos were for Holly's crib.
Unfazed, Brady demanded to know why Nicole had visited Eric in his room the night of the conference call. Nicole admitted that she had forgiven Eric. Brady shook his head no. Nicole told Brady that she had discovered a cache of letters from Eric about his guilt, and she had realized how much Eric had been suffering. "I'm not the only person who lost something, someone. I forgave him," Nicole said.
When Brady asked Nicole why she had kept that a secret, Nicole said she had been worried how Brady would react. Nicole added that she had feared that Brady would jump to crazy conclusions, but he had done that anyway. As Brady stared at the photos, Nicole said she had planned to tell Brady the truth once his jealousy had died down. Brady admitted that Nicole would have had to wait a long time for that to happen. Nicole said Eric had done nothing wrong. Shaking his head no, Brady told Nicole that Eric had killed Deimos.
Brady showed Nicole the amulet. Nicole remembered Eric returning to his room and saying he had done something bad. Nicole gasped. Nicole reminded Brady of that memory. Shaking his head, Brady said Eric had had a motivation to kill Deimos. Nicole did not think Eric was capable of murdering Deimos. Brady asked Nicole how she explained the amulet. Nicole remembered holding the amulet while standing in Eric's room. Brady asked Nicole what she was thinking.
At the DiMera mansion, Andre told Kate he was headed to the courthouse to support Chad. Kate ordered Andre not to go because it could influence the judge in a negative way. Narrowing his eyes, Andre told Kate that he had heard her badmouth him on the phone with Mr. Shin. Kate explained that she had told Mr. Shin that Andre had "done his damnedest" to help Chad but had failed. Kate returned to work in the living room. Under his breath, Andre said, "Enjoy your power trip because it will end soon."
In the town square, John told Paul about his breakup with Marlena. John confided that Marlena had been "off." After Paul left to see Sonny, John ran into Kate. John told Kate that she had been right about Marlena avoiding him. John admitted that Marlena had dumped him. The two sat on a bench, and Kate stressed that Marlena was madly in love with John. John said he had believed the same thing.
At the Brady Pub, Hattie shocked Roman when she kissed him passionately. Roman pulled away. Unfazed, Hattie locked Roman in another embrace. Roman shoved Hattie away and yelled, "What the hell are you doing?" Hattie apologized then said she regretted that she had not chosen Roman. Hattie asked Roman if he had imagined what their life would have been like if she had chosen him instead of John.
Roman said that although he had imagined a life with Marlena, she belonged with John. Roman added that Marlena's romantic overtures were sudden and unexpected. As Hattie pushed to reunite, Roman said he wanted to slow down because he was confused.
"You felt that old magic, didn't you?" Hattie said with wide grin. "No. I didn't. Something was off," Roman said. Taken aback, Hattie leaned forward to kiss Roman again. Roman leaned away and said that something was wrong. When Hattie asked why, Roman said that he and Marlena were different people than when they had been married. Hattie urged Roman to give her another chance. Roman insisted that Marlena was on the rebound. Roman added that there could never be anything between them again. Growing teary-eyed, Hattie got up to leave.
As John walked in with Kate, he called out to Marlena. Hattie brushed right past him without a word. Confused, John asked Roman what had happened. Roman told John that he and Marlena had argued and then kissed. As Kate started to laugh in disbelief, John punched Roman in the face. Roman screamed at John to listen. Roman told John that Marlena had kissed him, and he had told her to leave and look for John. Shaking his head, John asked Roman for forgiveness. Patting John on the arm, Roman said Marlena had not sounded like herself. John ran out looking for Marlena.
Julie visited Abigail at the hospital. Abigail said she was worried that she would lose Chad if he went to prison. Julie assured Abigail that things would turn out fine. Smiling, Julie added that Abigail and Chad belonged together. Abigail asked Julie if she was saying that because she hated Gabi. Julie said that even if she could forgive Gabi, she could never forget that Gabi had killed Nick. When talk turned to Abe's arrest, Julie commented that Abe was practically a saint.
Overhearing Julie and Abbigail, Andre walked into the room with flowers and said that Abe was a criminal and a self-righteous hypocrite. Julie called Andre the town lunatic. With a sneer, Julie excused herself and left. Abigail apologized to Andre for Julie's comments about Andre's mental illness. With a grin, Andre said he was glad Abigail was still around. Abigail asked why Andre was not at the courthouse. Shrugging, Andre said Kate had cautioned him not to do anything that could hurt Chad's chances at release from jail.
Right on cue, Chad entered the room with a pink rose. Beaming, Abigail pulled Chad into her arms. Chad told her that he was free. Chad explained that Sonny's testimony had saved them both. With a grin, Andre said he was glad that Chad would be back in charge of DiMera Enterprises. Chad joked that he would have to fight Kate. Andre promised to take care of his wife. After Andre left, Chad asked Abigail to marry him.
At the police station, Sonny and Paul celebrated his impending release from jail. Sonny promised to be a better man and make better decisions. Grinning, Sonny asked Paul if they could go to the Brady Pub for chowder. Sonny said he had been worried he would never take his daughter to the park or spend time alone with Paul again. Laughing, Paul said that Sonny would be sick of him soon enough.
After fetching a cold compress from the kitchen of the pub, Kate placed it on Roman's split lip. Roman muttered that he would never hit on Marlena. Kate assured Roman that John knew that. With a chuckle, Kate said she could not imagine why Marlena had been so forward with Roman. Roman wondered aloud if Marlena was crying out to be heard. Kate shrugged. Roman said he was ready to find love again.
"Maybe it's time to find somebody new or revisit a chance to be with someone that I loved and lost. Maybe it was fate that brought you through that door," Roman whispered as he looked into Kate's eyes. Kate placed her hand on Roman's cheek, and they kissed. In the doorway, Andre scowled as he walked into the pub and saw his wife kissing Roman.
