Outside the Hernandez house, Gabi contacted Kate and begged the veteran schemer for advice.
"I haven't heard from Stefan. I don't know what's going on with him and Chloe. I -- I don't know anything, okay? And I need to be very careful about what I do next, because --" Gabi worriedly began to explain. "Why do you need to be so careful?" Stefan asked curiously, approaching Gabi from behind.
"I...was...just telling Sonny that I need to be very careful with Arianna. She's really upset about Holly," Gabi hesitantly claimed after ending the call. "[Then] why aren't you with her right now?" Stefan suspiciously countered. "I wouldn't be much help to her. I -- I can't stop thinking about --" Gabi began to tell Stefan. "How Chloe caught us in bed together?" Stefan concluded for Gabi. "Yeah. [And] I was thinking that you two could work things out," Gabi continued. "Yeah, well, that didn't go very well. Chloe and Parker moved out this morning. Whatever it is that we had together is gone -- and that's your fault!" Stefan snapped.
"You were the one who insisted we have one last go-around -- [and] that was the one Chloe walked in on!" Stefan reasoned. "I do not remember 'insisting' -- [and besides], how was I supposed to know she was gonna come home early?" Gabi innocently countered. "[Look], I will talk to Chloe [and] tell her that it meant nothing," Gabi offered. "I already tried that. Let's just say it didn't fly," Stefan grumbled. "It's gonna be different, coming from me --" Gabi began to argue. "No, it's not!" Stefan insisted. "[You'll just] make it worse! That's a natural talent of yours -- making things worse!" Stefan added, prompting Gabi to get defensive.
"What are you doing here at this time of the night?" Gabi eventually demanded to know, ready to change the subject. "Please tell me [you didn't come all the way over here] just to yell at me," Gabi added. "It's not uncommon to [want to] yell at somebody who has ruined every facet of your life!" Stefan pointed out. "I don't buy that at all. [I think you just] needed some excuse to come see me because you can't stop thinking about what it's like to be with me," Gabi argued. "No, no, no -- I didn't come here to hit on you; I came here to tell you whatever screwed-up thing we had is over!" Stefan insisted. "Fine by me!" Gabi countered.
Stefan started to storm off but soon stopped and reluctantly admitted, in a sudden wave of guilt, that it was wrong to blame Gabi for what had happened. She forgave him and agreed to join him at work the following day.
"All right, Gabriella -- I'd say you played that exactly right..." Gabi mused with a smirk after Stefan left.
At Doug's Place, Chloe approached Julie, who was folding napkins at the bar. "What are you doing here? Isn't it your anniversary?" Chloe asked. "It is...and Doug and I had a lovely little private celebration earlier...but I decided I should take over tonight, because I don't think you should be working the night of Holly's funeral," Julie replied. "I am here because I need to be doing something," Chloe insisted, fighting back tears.
While Julie was trying to comfort Chloe, Jack and Eve entered the club. "We're closed," Julie snapped at the couple. "No, we are not. You can have a seat anywhere you'd like," Chloe assured the couple. "Fine," Julie grumbled, forcing a smile. "Actually, I would like a word..." Julie added before dragging Jack over to a corner of the club. "He's in for it now..." Eve knowingly informed Chloe.
"You know, I have a bone to pick with you, [too]," Chloe snapped at Eve. "Not tonight, all right?" Eve tiredly begged, but Chloe forged ahead. "You are the one who told me to give it a shot with Stefan, and guess what -- it turned out to be the worst mistake of my life!" Chloe complained before proceeding to tell Eve everything. "I'm sorry," Eve stressed at the end of the tale, adding that Stefan was a dog.
"You should be [sorry]! I was practically begging you to keep me from dating that guy, and you were his biggest cheerleader!" Chloe pointed out. "No, I was not shaking pom-poms, okay?" Eve argued. "But you told me that you never know where you can find happiness, [so] I opened up my heart to him...and he stomped all over it!" Chloe countered. "I'm sorry that you're hurting...but I think you're taking it out on the wrong person here. You should be yelling at Gabi and Stefan," Eve advised. "Honestly, the person I'm most mad at is myself," Chloe admitted with a sigh.
Meanwhile, Julie tried to talk to Jack about Jennifer. "I have tried to stay out of [her] business, but things are so out of control [now]... You and that trollop you have married [need to] understand how you are hurting [her]," Julie stressed. "Careful how you talk about my wife," Jack warned. "Unlike you, I remember Eve from way back when, and I calls 'em the way I sees 'em," Julie countered, shrugging unapologetically.
"I'm not losing sleep over Jennifer or her feelings! Ever since I came back, all she's done is rant about what a terrible person I am!" Jack complained. "[That's because] you are a terrible person -- deeply terrible!" Julie matter-of-factly declared, stunning Jack. "And it's killing Jen because she remembers when you were a wonderful guy -- flawed, but [ultimately] a decent human being," Julie continued.
"And now you're...you're you," Julie noted with obvious disapproval. "Okay, look --" Jack defensively tried to protest. "No, you 'look'!" Julie countered, stopping Jack. "Look who you made police commissioner! You know, when they say 'needs police experience,' they don't mean 'as a prime suspect' -- about eleven times! And if you do not care about what you've done to Hope, what about what you're doing to your own son?" Julie continued. "J.J.? J.J. broke the law -- just like his mother!" Jack snapped, confusing Julie, who was stunned to learn that Jennifer was in jail at that moment.
"[How could you] put the mother of your children in jail? [I mean, Jennifer was probably just] trying to knock some sense into you [so] you would remember the kind of person you were before you turned into a total jerk!" Julie incredulously snapped, prompting Jack to reluctantly admit that Jennifer might have actually succeeded in jogging one random memory.
"[Or maybe] I read it somewhere, or heard it from someone, or --" Jack began to add. "[Or] maybe it is your past beginning to come back to you; maybe all you needed was a conk on the head to remember the kind of person you used to be!" Julie excitedly argued. "Or to kill me," Jack bitterly countered. "At this point, I'd be fine either way," Julie dryly stressed.
"I think you -- and everyone else from my past -- better get used to the fact that the old me is gone, [and] the new, improved Jack is here to stay," Jack proudly declared. "'New' and 'improved'? Hardly!" Julie dismissively countered, laughing hysterically. "The voters in this town -- the majority of them -- would disagree," Jack defensively bragged, unamused. "Only because you [used] Haley to frighten them into voting for you," Julie pointed out. "And I think history has proved [that] many men have been elected to public office who are mean, arrogant, and stupid," Julie added.
"Now, wait a minute --" Jack angrily began to argue, but Julie forged ahead. "You know that you are not qualified to hold the same positions Abraham Carver and my husband, Doug Williams, [once held]. Those men are leaders; those men stand for something --" Julie continued until Jack dramatically interrupted, pretending to have just regained another memory.
"I just remembered...[that] you're still an excruciating, relentless cow!" Jack snapped at Julie before storming off to find Eve, who was about to confide in Chloe. "I'm trying to do the right thing in a certain situation, but there's a hitch -- actually, there are a couple of hitches -- and...I don't know -- I'm starting to feel a little guilty about it all," Eve began to explain to Chloe, but Jack interrupted just then and insisted that it was time to leave. "We didn't even get to order a drink!" Eve protested, confused. "Someone killed the mood," Jack clarified while glaring at Julie, who waved unapologetically.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Maggie sneaked into the otherwise unoccupied living room, approached the bar, and shakily filled a glass with vodka.
"Hmm. Looks like I'm not the only one who needed a nightcap," Xander observed from the foyer before joining Maggie at the bar. "From the look of things, you got started early," he added as she turned to face him. "It's water," she claimed. "You know, I've tried that one myself," he replied with a smirk of skepticism. "Go to hell," she spat, but he chose not to take her words personally.
"I know you're in mourning. I am, too," Xander stressed. "For...what, your soul?" Maggie guessed. "I was Holly's stepdad for a while. I...I know what a special little girl she was," Xander clarified while filling a glass with whiskey. "Why don't we have, uh...a toast in her memory, eh? To God's newest little angel," Xander suggested, and Maggie gagged in response, fighting back a sudden wave of nausea. "I'm gonna be sick!" Maggie managed to choke out while shoving the glass of vodka at Xander, who took it. As Maggie rushed off to the nearest bathroom, Xander shrugged and gulped down the vodka then also gulped down the whiskey.
After setting the glasses aside, Xander went to the kitchen and prepared two bowls of ice cream then went to check on Maggie, who agreed to let him help her return to the living room and get settled on the couch. "I was thinking that, uh, maybe melted ice cream would help settle your stomach," he explained, handing her one of the bowls. "[And] you need to stay hydrated," he added, stepping over to the bar to fill a glass with water -- and mix whiskey into his own serving of ice cream. "It might surprise you to learn that I know a thing or two about drinking too much -- another one of my many failings," he admitted with a chuckle, but she wasn't amused.
"If I could walk, I -- I would leave," Maggie stressed. "I know," Xander replied. "I'm curious -- how much, uh, have you had to drink?" he asked while taking a seat next to her on the couch. "I don't really know," she admitted. "Ah -- a real binge, eh?" he summarized with a knowing smirk. "Has this been going on for a while?" he wondered. "Today was the first time I took a drink in over 30 years," she tearfully revealed.
"Brady is so angry with me --" Maggie began to add. "He knew? [And] he left you alone?" Xander asked incredulously. "Uh...no, no -- I, uh...I sent him to the Salem Inn," Maggie clarified before telling Xander about the earlier encounter with Kristen. "You...do know she's dead...right?" Xander argued at the end of the tale, feigning skepticism. "So? Nicole was, too, right?" Maggie countered, shrugging. "I don't need you to believe me!" Maggie defensively snapped. "But...you believe it? Even though you can't remember how much you've had to drink?" Xander gently wondered. "Just...go away!" Maggie irritably demanded.
"Unlike Brady, I don't think you should be alone," Xander told Maggie, staying put. "Look, I know a little something about women who drink. You probably know my old man died when I was pretty young... Well, my mom -- she, um...she did not handle it very well. She chose to deal with her grief by drinking herself into oblivion," Xander revealed. "I'm sorry," Maggie stressed, softening at once. "Well, it teaches a young guy...you know, self-reliance. I'd come home, find her on the floor, get her into bed, and then I'd have the whole flat to myself to do whatever I wanted. I was the envy of all my mates," Xander replied, forcing a laugh.
"You don't have to shrug it off for me," Maggie assured Xander. "I lost both of my parents when I was young. It's not easy when you don't have anyone to look out for you, or to love you... It's a kind of loneliness that stays with you forever," Maggie added, and Xander nodded in agreement. "Are you still in touch with her?" Maggie wondered. "I haven't heard from her in years. She...she washed her hands of me the first time I went to prison," Xander admitted. "I used to lie awake in bed for hours, just...dreaming about the day our rich Uncle Victor would come and take me and Mom away -- take care of us, rescue us from the lives we had..." Xander added.
"[But] I learned to fight my own battles, and look at me now -- living the good life in a fancy mansion [with] a big, important job. I've got everything I ever wanted," Xander insisted, but Maggie clearly wasn't convinced.
At Eric's apartment, Sarah flipped through pages of notes from Rex's days as Rolf's apprentice. "That's it," Rex, who was doing the same, eventually declared with grave finality.
"We went through every last one of my notes, [and] there's nothing. [Rolf must have been] keeping that formula for the walking dead all to himself," Rex continued with a heavy sigh of frustration while shoving aside one of many stacks of notes. "I was hoping that there would at least be something [that would] explain why it caused Will's tumor," Sarah mused, equally frustrated.
"This stuff is a really weird read. I mean, Dr. Rolf was, like, a real-life mad scientist," Sarah added. "There were times when I felt like I was Igor," Rex admitted. "Did you see [these notes about a] mask that goes on like skin and makes you look like someone else? It's out of an old sci-fi movie!" Sarah declared with obvious disbelief. "But here's the thing -- it's true," Rex revealed.
"In the early 1980s, Andre DiMera ran around Salem, killing people...but he did it wearing a mask that made him look exactly like my dad," Rex elaborated, stunning Sarah. "[And the mask was so convincing, it] even fooled Marlena. So, Rolf became obsessed with this, and he wanted to perfect the prototype...but the ISA was working on the same thing at the same time, so Rolf was trying to beat 'em to the punch," Rex continued. "Did he?" Sarah asked. "I have no idea...but if anybody could manage it, it was him," Rex replied before spontaneously deciding to head over to the hospital.
"It's...pretty late..." Sarah pointed out, somewhat confused. "I know, [but] I'm really amped up right now, and I -- I want to see Kayla and brainstorm [with her]. We need to find another way to treat Will," Rex explained.
At the Salem Inn, Kristen, still posing as Nicole, fearfully ordered Eric to stay away. "What happened?" Brady wondered. "[Eric went] crazy -- that's what happened!" Kristen insisted before providing a dramatic recap of everything that Brady had missed -- including the part about Xander's interest in Holly's autopsy report, although Kristen claimed that Eric had made that whole thing up as a way of starting their conversation.
Eric denied the accusation -- and argued that the cut on "Nicole's" right arm had been the result of an accident. "You pulled away!" Eric pointed out. "Oh, don't you put this on me!" Kristen snapped, adding that Eric was the one who had turned a verbal argument into a physical one. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry," Eric stressed. "Get out -- and stay out! I don't ever want to see you again!" Kristen spat, surprising Eric -- and even Brady. "If you don't leave, I will call the police!" Kristen added. "I'll take care of her. I think you should go," Brady told Eric. "Nicole, I'm sorry...for everything," Eric repeated before reluctantly exiting the hotel room.
"Oh, Brady... He wasn't making any sense! I was so scared!" Kristen fretted while seizing a hug from Brady, who soothingly promised that everything was going to be okay. Brady offered to tend to "Nicole's" wound, and Kristen happily agreed. "I've never seen Eric like that before -- even...even when he was drinking," Kristen mused as Brady cleaned and bandaged the wound. "He said [this cut] was an accident," Brady pointed out. "So...you don't believe the woman," Kristen summarized, disappointed. "I believe you...[but] with everything that's been going on with Holly, I think we're all doing a lot of things that we wouldn't otherwise do," Brady clarified.
"Are you talking about us kissing?" Kristen wondered. "Yeah, maybe I am," Brady replied. "I thought you came back tonight 'cause maybe you had a change of heart," Kristen grumbled. "I came back here tonight because I need to talk to you about something that Maggie told me," Brady clarified before recapping the earlier conversation with Maggie. "I don't mean to throw Maggie under the bus -- I don't -- but...she was wasted when she showed up here," Kristen revealed at the end of the tale. "I know," Brady admitted, sighing. "And yet...you still bought her story?" Kristen asked incredulously. "No, but I told her that I would check it out," Brady explained.
"Were you wearing, uh...a red dress [when Maggie showed up]?" Brady asked curiously. "Why the hell would I wear a red dress the day I bury my daughter?" Kristen defensively replied before suddenly noticing that the red dress, which had been hastily tossed under the bed earlier, was still partially visible. "I have such a terrible headache..." Kristen claimed, and Brady took the bait, rushing into the bathroom to fetch some aspirin.
As soon as the coast was clear, Kristen pushed the dress further under the bed, completely hiding it from view. Brady soon returned with a dose of aspirin, and Kristen gulped it down then changed the subject, begging for a stronger form of comfort. Brady maintained that Eric was the one who needed to be comforting Nicole. Kristen tried to object, but Brady rushed off after vowing to never kiss Nicole again.
Eric returned home and told Sarah about what had just happened at the Salem Inn. "What's so weird is [that] when I looked into [Nicole's] eyes...[it was] almost as if I didn't recognize her," Eric mused at the end of the tale.
While passing through the park, Rex spotted Chloe, who was sobbing. "I think I've just been going through this day on autopilot, and reality just hit me," Chloe explained. "I get that. I have, uh...I have a patient [who] means a great deal to me, and...I thought I could save him, and I had to face the fact that I'm probably wrong about that," Rex replied, sighing heavily. "Have a seat," Chloe offered, sliding to one end of a park bench.
Brady entered the Kiriakis mansion and found Maggie in the living room, sleeping on the couch -- next to Xander, who was also asleep. "What the hell...?" Brady muttered, stunned.
At the Salem Inn, Kristen angrily trashed her hotel room, upset about what had happened earlier.
Outside, Jack and Eve walked by and heard the commotion. "That's, uh, Nicole Walker's room, Jack. She buried her daughter today. I know what that's like. Maybe I should talk to her," Eve suggested. "Let's give her her privacy," Jack advised. "You're probably right. She probably wants to be alone," Eve conceded.
"It's going to be you and me, Brady. I am not giving up. I don't care what it takes," Kristen vowed after exhausting herself with her fit of rage.
Eve escorted Rory into the interrogation room at the police station to sit with Jennifer. With a smirk, Eve joked that Jennifer would annoy Rory into talking. After Eve left the room, she joined Jack in the bullpen. Eve explained that, between the lack of drugs in Rory's system and the presence of Jennifer, Rory would crack soon enough. Jack suggested that they use Xander's eyewitness account as leverage against Jennifer.
At the Horton cabin, Tripp ignored a phone call from Claire as he talked to J.J. and Haley about their plan to run to Canada. J.J.'s phone started to ring. As no one had the number but Rory, J.J. was concerned when he saw Jennifer's name on the caller ID. J.J. reluctantly answered the call.
"It's me, J.J. How is it going?" Jack said coolly. When J.J. asked why Jack was using Jennifer's phone, Jack informed his son that the police had arrested Jennifer for assault. "When Jennifer knocked me out, there was a witness, and because I'm a public figure, that's a felony," Jack said. Jack warned J.J. that Jennifer could spend a lot of time in jail because she had helped J.J. J.J. asked Jack what he wanted. Jack offered to drop the charges if J.J. returned to Salem with Haley.
"That's blackmail, you son of a bitch!" J.J. yelled. "That's my final offer," Jack said. Jack warned J.J. that Jennifer would suffer the consequences of J.J.'s actions if he did not turn Haley over to the police. After Jack ended the call, J.J. turned to Tripp and Haley and told them about Jack's demand. Furious, J.J. spat out that Jack had sounded happy.
"I will not be the reason that your mom goes to prison. We have to go back," Haley said. J.J. refused to turn Haley in to the police. With a sigh, J.J. explained that the police could use his phone to track their movements. "I think it will be better for everyone if I turn myself in," J.J. said. J.J. asked Haley to go to Canada with Tripp. Tripp agreed to help Haley cross the border.
"I will get everything squared away with my mom, and then I will fly up to be with you," J.J. promised Haley. Haley wanted to go alone, so as not to involve Tripp, but Tripp refused to leave Haley on her own. J.J. hugged Tripp and thanked him for his help. While Tripp stepped aside to call Claire, Haley and J.J. had a tearful goodbye. J.J. promised to see Haley soon.
At the DiMera mansion, Ciara found Ben asleep at the desk in the living room. Ben confided that he had had a nightmare about the cabin fire. Ciara massaged Ben's shoulders and suggested that he had dreamed about the fire because they had discussed it the previous night.
"I just can't believe that Claire is the one who set [the fire], I'm sorry," Ciara said. Ciara told Ben that she and Claire had talked at the Kiriakis mansion and that Ciara had felt close to her. "Deep down, I know that she and I really love each other," Ciara said. "You don't know how bad I hope you're right," Ben said. Ben told Ciara that he had scheduled another appointment with Marlena for hypnosis.
"I don't think you're going to have any luck trying to prove it was Claire," Ciara argued. Ciara asked Ben why he wanted to schedule another session with Marlena. Ben told Ciara that he had remembered a new clue. Ben said that when he had returned to the cabin, he had heard music playing. "The song was so familiar. I just can't place it," Ben said. Ciara asked Ben to hum the tune in case she knew it. Ben attempted to hum the tune, but Ciara joked that Ben was tone deaf.
In the loft, a frantic Claire repeatedly called Tripp and left voicemails. Claire told Tripp that she was worried that he had not returned home the previous night. "I thought that things were better between us, but even if they're not, even if you still completely hate me, I don't care. Please just call me and let me know you are all right," Claire pleaded. There was a knock on the door. Claire rushed to answer it and found Marlena in the hallway.
Claire asked Marlena if Ciara had sent her over. Confused, Marlena asked Claire why Ciara would have sent her to the loft. "'Cause she is worried about me," Claire said. Marlena asked Claire what was wrong. With a sigh, Claire told Marlena that Tripp had dumped her but that she did not need a therapist to deal with her feelings.
"It's all my fault, because I did something awful and terrible and stupid," Claire said. Claire told Marlena about her problems with Tripp and his marriage. "I don't think I've ever been so hurt in my life," Claire said. Claire added that Ciara had sided with her against Tripp. Marlena asked Claire what "terrible thing" she had done. Claire confessed that she had recorded her conversation with Tripp in order to expose Haley. Marlena sighed with disappointment.
"I'm sorry, okay? I really am. I know I screwed up Haley's life, but just think about what she was doing to mine," Claire whined. "I don't think that she was intentionally trying to, as you say, screw up your life. I think they were trying to keep Haley from being deported. And I don't think Tripp cheated on you," Marlena said. Claire argued that it had felt like Haley was the center of attention and like Claire could not do anything right.
"I'm concerned that your self-esteem is so fragile that you could think that your friends would actually let you down," Marlena said. With a frown, Claire said she wanted to make Marlena understand why she had released the recording. Marlena suggested that Claire wanted to justify her actions.
"I hate myself for what I did!" Claire cried out. "I think they put you in a very uncomfortable position," Marlena said. Marlena said that she loved Claire, and she urged Claire to talk. Claire confided that she had not opened up to Marlena sooner because she had been afraid that Marlena would have been disappointed in her.
"I would never judge you," Marlena said. Marlena asked Claire about Tripp, and Claire explained that Tripp had started to forgive her but had then disappeared. "I guess he changed his mind," Claire grumbled. Marlena warned Claire not to jump to conclusions. "Why else would he stay away?" Claire asked. Claire's mouth fell open in realization.
"You agree with Ciara? Don't you? Yeah, you think that I'm totally screwed up and that I need a shrink," Claire said bitterly. "You know me. I think everybody could benefit from therapy," Marlena said. As Marlena grinned, she noticed Maggie's shepherdess figurine and asked about it. Claire admitted that she had broken the figurine after she had fought with Tripp at the mansion. Claire added that Ciara had been kind enough to glue it back together for Maggie.
"I'm a little concerned that you would destroy something that meant so much to somebody else," Marlena said. "I'm so sorry that it concerns you, but think about where I was coming from. I was beside myself. I was hurt. Humiliated, rejected, you name it. Whatever," Claire yelled. After a deep sigh to stifle her anger, Claire said she was thankful that Ciara had been so understanding of her point of view.
"Not that I deserve any of that after what happened...with the contest, Theo, Tripp," Claire said. Marlena asked Claire about what she had said after Ciara had disappeared on her bike. "You wondered at the time if maybe, subconsciously, you were trying to hurt her," Marlena said. Claire thought about the lighter and the cabin.
"Grandma, I need to tell you something," Claire announced dramatically. Before Claire could tell Marlena her secret, Claire's phone rang with a call from Tripp. Claire eagerly answered the phone. Tripp lied and told Claire that he was headed out of town to meet his father for a few days. "That's great! I know how much you miss him," Claire said. Tripp asked Claire to cover his shift at the café, and she agreed.
"What a relief. Wow. I feel so much better," Claire said. Claire said she needed to go to the café for work. Marlena asked what Claire had wanted to tell her before Tripp had called. With a forced smile, Claire lied and said she had not wanted to tell Marlena that she did not want the cookies that Marlena had sent her.
Not fooled, Marlena said, "You were not about to talk about the cookies." Claire insisted that that was all she had wanted to say. Marlena asked about the ringtone on Claire's phone. "It's my own original composition actually. That way, when it rings, I know it is my phone and nobody else's," Claire said. As Claire walked out, a look of worry crossed Marlena's face.
In the interrogation room at the police station, Jennifer told Rory, "You've been such a good friend to J.J. Don't give up on him now." Rory reminded Jennifer that he had not talked to J.J. in years. Jennifer told Rory that she knew that he had been loyal to J.J. through the years. As Jennifer suggested they find a way to compensate Rory, Eve walked in.
"Goody! Now we can add bribery to your long list of charges, Jennifer," Eve said with glee. Jack walked in. With a frown, Jack informed Jennifer that he had spoken to J.J. "Is he okay? How did you find him?" Jennifer asked. Jack announced that he had listened in on Rory's phone call and used it to trace J.J's phone number.
"Thank you, Rory, for your gross ineptitude," Jack said. Jack told Jennifer that J.J. was healthy and on his way home. Suspicious, Jennifer asked Jack what he had done. Jack told Jennifer about his ultimatum. "You used me as a bargaining chip?" Jennifer asked in surprise. Jack stressed that he had done what he had needed to do for their son. Jack promised that he would make sure that the charges against J.J. would be dropped if J.J. held up his end of the bargain.
When J.J. arrived at the police station, Jennifer rushed over to her son. J.J. apologized to Rory and Jennifer for involving them in the situation. "Where's Haley?" Jack asked. J.J. demanded that Jack drop the charges against Jennifer before he would tell Jack anything. Once Jack arranged to drop the charges with prejudice so that they could not be refiled against Jennifer, J.J. refused to tell Jack where to find Haley.
"We had an agreement," Jack said. "I lied," J.J. countered. With a chuckle, J.J. added, "What a disappointment I must be to a stand-up guy like yourself." J.J. said he would never betray Haley. Through gritted teeth, Jack ordered a police officer to handcuff J.J. "Your mother may be free, but you're not going anywhere," Jack said.
Eve escorted Rory into her office to inform him that the charges against him had been dropped. Rory asked about his weed, and a frustrated Eve told Rory to get out. The phone rang. When Rory suggested that Eve answer the phone, Eve yelled at Rory to get out. "What?" Eve yelled into her phone.
At the Horton cabin, Tripp and Haley discussed their need for new passports. Tripp rattled off a list of people who might be able to help them, but no one seemed like a viable option. Tripp checked his phone and saw that Rory had been released by the police. When Tripp suggested that they reach out to Rory about new passports, Haley said, "What other choice do we have?"
At the hospital, Will asked Sonny to retrieve his laptop from home. Sonny was dismayed that Will wanted to work on a story, but Will explained that Jack had arrested Jennifer, and he felt compelled to write about his family. "This is a huge story, Sonny. And it involves my family. This could be the last story that I ever write, so it's going to be a damn good one," Will said.
As Will struggled to find the right words, Sonny asked Will not to say it was his last story. Will told Sonny that he could not ignore the fact that his tumor had continued to grow rapidly. Will asked Sonny again for his computer. Reluctantly, Sonny suggested that Will give Sonny his pad of paper so that Sonny could write for him. Will started to talk, but he struggled to name the people involved in the story. When Sonny repeatedly jumped in to help Will with names, Will grew frustrated.
"You don't [have] to tell me everything!" Will barked. "Maybe you could think about writing something with less to remember," Sonny suggested. "Like what? My will?" Will joked. Sonny suggested that Will talk to his family about his health. Frustrated, Will yelled that he did not care.
"I'm the one who is dying! We do this my way!" Will said. Sonny looked hurt. Will apologized to Sonny for yelling, and Sonny said he understood. Will stressed that he was not mad at Sonny. "I'm mad at the idea of leaving you. Of leaving our daughter. Of leaving my family. I fought so hard to get back to them," Will complained. Sonny hugged Will. Marlena walked in. With a nod at Will, Sonny left so that Will could have privacy with Marlena.
Marlena asked Will why no one had contacted her about Will's admission to the hospital. Will explained that he had asked Kayla to keep his condition a secret. "Right now is when you need your family and friends the most," Marlena said. Will agreed. Will said he had not known how to tell his loved ones that he was dying. "Kayla says it could be a matter of days," Will explained.
In the town square, Ciara and Ben sat down at the café to eat. "I get that you want to figure out who set that fire. I really do, but I can't believe that it's Claire," Ciara said. Ciara begged Ben to do whatever he needed to do to recover his memory and prove that Claire was not the culprit. From nearby, Claire spied on Ciara and Ben's conversation. Claire called Eve's voicemail and begged her to frame Ben as soon as possible. When Eve heard the voicemail, she grumbled, "I did not need this today, Claire. Not today."
At the café, Claire walked over to Ben and Ciara's table and asked for their order. As Ciara placed her order, Claire's phone started to ring. The ringtone made Ben's eyes go wide as he realized that was the ringtone from his memory about the cabin fire.
After running some errands, Rafe returned home and greeted Lani, who was in the process of feeding David.
"Need a hand?" Rafe asked Lani. "No, I'm good," she told him. "Are you sure? 'Cause I've got two fully functional arms to help you with," he pointedly stressed, prompting her to notice that his left arm was no longer in a sling. "The doctor gave me and the arm a clean bill of health. I still have to do a little rehab, but, uh..." he happily reported before spontaneously pulling her into a dance move to show off the arm's range of motion. "Impressive! You must be so relieved," she mused afterward. "I'm sure you are, too; I mean, now that my arm is finally healed, you can get on with your life," he acknowledged, confusing her.
"Are you saying that you don't want me to help out with David anymore?" Lani asked worriedly. "I'm always gonna need some help with David -- maybe a babysitter now and then -- but...you know, now that I'm out of the sling, it wouldn't be fair for me to ask you to stay, so... [I mean], you've got your own life, right? You've got your job to get back to, [and] I am sure that Eli is more than anxious to have you back in the [Martin mansion]. You do not need this little bugger right here cramping your style," Rafe replied. Lani started to protest, but David began fussing just then, and Rafe confidently insisted on handling the matter alone.
Shortly after Rafe left the kitchen with David, Eli arrived to see Lani, who didn't exactly offer the warmest greeting ever. "I heard [Rafe] had a doctor's appointment today. How'd that go?" Eli asked, trying to ignore Lani's coldness. "He got the sling off," Lani replied, forcing a smile. "That's great news!" Eli raved, happy for Rafe but also happy that Lani would no longer have to spend so much time with David.
"I think I should stay a few more days, just to -- to help out with the transition... I -- I really don't want David to feel like I'm abandoning him..." Lani reasoned. "That's really nice, [but]...Rafe's a grown man. I'm sure he can handle things on his own," Eli argued. "I'm just talking about a few days, [so] I don't see what the big deal is!" Lani defensively snapped. "Because it's not a 'big deal' to you...which says a lot about our relationship -- if you can even still call it one," Eli countered. "Stay as long as you want, all right? You've already made your choice, so now it's time for me to make mine," Eli spontaneously decided, fed up.
"You're breaking up with me?" Lani asked incredulously. "Oh, I -- I think we've already been broken up [for a while]; I was just the last one to see it," Eli replied. "You're living with my partner, taking care of someone else's baby, acting like it's yours --" Eli began to add, prompting Lani to get defensive again. "[You're getting defensive] because you know that I'm right," Eli argued.
"He's. Not. Our David!" Eli stressed. "You think I don't know that?" Lani angrily countered. "I care about this baby because he is helpless and innocent, and he needs me! And you don't have to worry about me, [because] I am doing just fine!" Lani insisted. "Well, I am worried. And I want to help you," Eli stressed. "Well, I don't need your help -- or your armchair psychology!" Lani spat.
"You made it very clear, Eli -- this relationship is done," Lani added before ordering Eli to leave. He sighed and sadly exited the house.
Later, Lani informed Rafe that things were over with Eli. "I'm sorry," Rafe stressed. "I'm not," Lani replied before kissing Rafe.
At the Horton Town Square, Ben listened in shock as Claire's cell phone continued ringing. She eventually retrieved the device and sent the call to voicemail, leaving no doubt about the origin of the distinctive ringtone that perfectly matched the music he had recently remembered hearing on the night of the unsolved cabin fire.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Ciara informed Ben after Claire rushed off. "I just have a lot on my mind," Ben vaguely explained.
Meanwhile, Claire rushed over to the park and found a safe place to return Eve's call. "I am about ready to lose it," Claire admitted before telling Eve about Ben and Ciara's earlier conversation. "Why does [Ben] suspect you in the first place?" Eve asked at the end of the tale. "I don't know! [Although] he did catch me trying to light Tripp's clothes on fire..." Claire hesitantly replied. "What?" Eve choked out, flabbergasted. "I was upset, all right?" Claire defensively explained. "Look, the point is, I -- I covered it up very well with Ben... Or... I don't know -- I think I did..." Claire added, suddenly worried.
"What am I gonna do? I cannot get caught! I cannot get caught! Tripp is finally starting to forgive me!" Claire fretted. "Just relax, and we'll deal with it," Eve promised. "How?" Claire demanded to know. "By putting an end to this investigation -- once and for all," Eve explained. "Bring me the lighter -- now, [so I can] find a way to plant it on Ben," Eve added. "I'm still on my shift at the café. I can't just leave. My boss [would] flip out and probably fire me," Claire protested. "[Your boss is] probably gonna fire you if you end up in prison, too," Eve countered, and Claire conceded the point.
"[But] if I leave, then Ben's gonna be even more suspicious," Claire predicted. "Okay, fine -- then I'll come down there to you," Eve decided, clearly annoyed.
After ending the call, Claire started to rush back out of the park -- and bumped into Rory in the process. Rory recognized Claire as one of J.J.'s cousins -- "the cute one" -- and Claire recognized Rory as one of J.J.'s old friends. Claire apologized for causing the collision then knelt down to pick up some items that Rory had dropped -- and was stunned to see that the items were actually fake passports for Haley and Tripp.
"Is Haley running away with Tripp instead of J.J.?" Claire angrily demanded to know. "That's not for me to say --" Rory began while trying to seize the passports, which Claire kept out of reach.
"I know all about J.J. trying to help Haley," Claire stressed. "Then why were you so upset about the passports?" Rory asked suspiciously. "Because... I just... These plans keep changing on me, and if I'm gonna help these people out, I think I really need to be kept in the loop," Claire hesitantly replied. "Amen to that! [You know], I keep trying to help, and then, when I think I have what they need, they change up the plans on me!" Rory complained. "Mm-hmm... So, uh, how did you find out about Tripp going with Haley?" Claire wondered. "He texted me -- told me that J.J. was out of the picture, and that he needed new passports," Rory explained.
"Hey, uh, listen, I gotta -- I gotta run. Um, the ferry for Smith Island leaves in, like, ten minutes," Rory suddenly realized. "Smith Island? Uh, wait a minute -- [they're at] the Horton cabin?" Claire asked, stunned. "I thought you said you knew about their plans," Rory suspiciously recalled. "No, I do -- I do... I just, um... Like I said, this plan keeps changing on me," Claire nervously explained. "Honestly, I just want this whole mess to be over with. You know, I almost got thrown into jail because of this!" Rory complained. "What? Oh, my God -- that's awful! I'm so sorry! [In fact]...what if I just, like, took this off your hands?" Claire innocently suggested.
"You'd do that?" Rory asked, surprised. "I don't want you to get in any more trouble with the police. You know, I heard that new commissioner is a real hard-ass. [And], I mean, for all we know, the cops could be watching you right now..." Claire pointedly replied, making Rory paranoid. "You're okay to go out there by yourself?" Rory wondered. "It's my family's cabin. Been there a million times," Claire explained.
Meanwhile, Ciara tried to find out what was bothering Ben -- but Eve arrived just then and interrupted the couple's conversation. "Well, if it isn't our friendly neighborhood Necktie Killer..." Eve began. "Sorry [to] interrupt your romantic date...with the guy who murdered my daughter and nearly burned you alive," Eve told Ciara. "Just keep on walking, okay?" Ciara irritably countered, and Eve complied -- but only to move over to Ben's side of the table. "Enjoy your freedom while it lasts, Ben, because now that I'm the police commissioner, I'm gonna do every single thing in my power to lock you up for good," Eve whispered in Ben's right ear.
"She cannot just do that -- that's called harassment!" Ciara incredulously protested after Eve walked away. "Just let it go," Ben calmly advised. "No, I -- I can't -- I can't 'just let it go'! [I mean], it was bad enough when my mom was doing it!" Ciara insisted. "Please...just drop it, okay? [Look], I know she's gonna make my life difficult, but I cannot fight back, [because that's] only gonna make it worse," Ben maintained. "Yeah? Well, I can [fight back]," Ciara replied before storming off in search of Eve, ignoring Ben's protests. As Ciara disappeared from view, Ben suddenly realized that Claire had disappeared at some point, too.
Ben headed off in search of Claire, who had just managed to convince Rory to give up the responsibility of delivering the fake passports to Haley and Tripp.
After Claire rushed off, Ben approached Rory and demanded to know what had just happened. "You don't recognize me," Ben guessed when Rory refused to cooperate. "No... What, are you one of those, like, Ninja Warrior tools or something?" Rory dismissively replied. "My name's Ben Weston," Ben revealed, causing the color to drain from Rory's face in an instant. "You killed Paige," Rory recalled. "I did...but I got the help I needed for that. They say I'm cured," Ben clarified. "Are you?" Rory asked, gulping. "Just tell me where Claire went, and it won't be an issue," Ben advised. "Why? So you can strangle her, too?" Rory countered.
"No..." Ben began before suddenly grabbing Rory by the shirt collar. "But if you stand in my way, Rory, I might just strangle you," Ben warned through gritted teeth.
Outside the Brady Pub, Ciara caught up with Eve, who was still searching for Claire.
"Why do you have to be so awful to [Ben]?" Ciara demanded to know. "Ben didn't set that [unsolved cabin] fire," Ciara added. "Oh? What about the fact that [a] lighter that looked like [the one Ben used to set the first cabin fire] ended up in the loft, where Ben was living?" Eve argued. "The police already looked at that lighter [and] deemed that there's no evidence linking it back to the [unsolved cabin] fire," Ciara pointed out. "That was the old Salem Police Department. There's a new sheriff in town. [And maybe] your mother couldn't link that lighter back to the [unsolved cabin fire, but that] doesn't mean that I won't," Eve countered.
"I'm not gonna let you railroad him the same way that my mom tried to," Ciara warned. "That's one thing that your mom and I have in common..." Eve grudgingly acknowledged.
"Ben may be fooling you right now, but it's just a matter of time before you wake up, honey, and you realize that you are dating a monster," Eve added before walking away from Ciara.
Ciara returned to the town square and discovered that Ben was no longer there.
While searching for Ben, Ciara ran into Rory in the park. "Been a while," Rory noted. "I'm still single, FY -- FIY -- no, that's wrong... F...Y...I..." Rory added, prompting Ciara to knowingly observe that someone was stoned. "It's medicinal, man! You know, it's for my anxiety...[which is] skyrocketing right now [because] the Necktie Killer -- he just threatened to strangle me!" Rory revealed, surprising Ciara.
At the hospital, John approached Sonny, who was wrapping up a phone conversation with Adrienne. "I got a text from -- from Doc, asking me to come on down here," John explained after Sonny ended the call. "What's going on? Will have another setback?" John asked. "I'm afraid...this time...it's much worse than that," Sonny gravely replied before telling John about what had happened earlier.
"It all goes back to -- to -- to Rolf's formula -- that damn antidote that Will took to get his memory back. And now, no one knows how to -- how to counter it," Sonny noted at the end of the tale. "If we could only get our hands on that quack's diary, then we might be able to stop the tumor and save Will's life," Sonny added. "You know, I wasn't gonna say anything about this until I knew for sure, but...I, um...I came across a lead..." John hesitantly began to reveal. "If you know who has the diary, you need to tell me -- right now! It's our only hope to save Will's life!" Sonny urgently insisted, prompting John to elaborate.
"I can't believe this! [Eve's] shameless!" Sonny grumbled at the end of the tale. "That's a fact. I tried to appeal to her sense of decency, [but] I think that if we're waiting for Eve's conscience to kick in, we're gonna wait a hell of a long time. She's not gonna confess on her own," John predicted, and Sonny sighed in response, knowing that was probably true.
Meanwhile, Marlena fought back tears while struggling to think of a way to respond to the dire news that Will had just shared. "I need to talk to Kayla," Marlena eventually choked out before starting to rush off. "She said it could be days. I promise you, I'm not confused about that," Will stressed, stopping Marlena. "Well...you, uh...you said to me at one point that you didn't want your parents to know what was...what was going on..." Marlena began to point out, desperately trying not to crumble in front of Will. "Yeah. I was, um...holding out and hoping for a good prognosis... Um... But it seems like that's not...gonna happen..." Will replied before wincing in pain.
Marlena quickly paged the nurses' station then extended a hand and encouraged Will to squeeze it until the pain subsided. "Grandma...will you call my mom?" he shakily managed to request as the pain intensified.
When a nurse arrived to give Will some pain medication, Marlena headed off to find John and Sonny. "I should be in there," Sonny decided after hearing that Will was in a lot of pain. Marlena pointed out that the pain medication had probably made Will drowsy. "I just want to sit with him. It's the only place I want to be right now. I want him to know that I'm there, even if he is sleeping," Sonny argued.
After Sonny entered Will's room, John asked Marlena if Sami was aware of what was happening. "Uh...no -- Will didn't want his parents to worry," Marlena replied. "It's time they know," John gently insisted.
Nodding, Marlena reported that Will had already reached the same conclusion. Marlena cried in John's arms for a while then recovered enough to dial Sami's cell phone number. "Sami, it's Mom. I need you to call me back as soon as you get this. Do it right away. Um...it's important. We may not have much time," Marlena shakily explained before ending the voicemail message.
Meanwhile, Sonny stared sadly at the good-luck-charm necklace that Will had been forced to remove before undergoing tests earlier that day. "This was supposed to protect you, keep you safe... I know it's old folklore, but if there's any truth to it, I pray that it works now," Sonny mused as Will slept soundly. "You have to keep fighting. I will, too. I love you so much... If Eve Donovan has Dr. Rolf's diary and doesn't come forward, she's the one that's gonna need protection," Sonny added with a scowl before carefully returning the necklace to Will's neck.
At the police station, Eve recorded a voicemail message for Claire. "Where the hell are you? I'm beginning to think that you're not stable, dear! So, whatever you're doing, just call me as soon as possible, before this whole thing starts spinning out of control!" Eve irritably stressed before ending the call.
Seconds later, Sonny barged into Eve's office. "Either give me Dr. Rolf's diary -- right now -- or I promise you, I will kill you!" Sonny spat, glaring at Eve.
At the Horton cabin on Smith Island, Haley gave Tripp a chance to back out of their plan to flee to Canada together. He refused, blaming himself for what was happening to her.
"If I had only predicted what our little arrangement would do to Claire -- which I should have, [because] I know [she's] needy and insecure, [so] to think that she would be okay with me marrying another woman... No, it was only a matter of time before she did something extreme," Tripp continued. "What about now? What -- what -- what'll Claire do if she finds out that you're running away...with me?" Haley nervously wondered. Tripp admitted that might just be enough to push Claire over the edge. "The girl has problems," Haley gently noted. "I know. And I hope she gets help for those problems," Tripp replied, sighing.
"[But], knowing Claire, she'll probably just want to sweep all of this under a rug and pretend like none of [it] ever happened," Tripp predicted. "She's not a bad person. [And] even though there's not a future between us, I want to see her get better. I hate that I hurt her," Tripp added before slumping down on the edge of the bed and releasing another sigh.
Haley joined Tripp on the bed and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders, and he did the same to her. They stayed that way, unaware that they were being watched.
"Lies!" Claire silently mused while watching Tripp and Haley through one of the cabin's windows. "It's been nothing but lies! J.J. was just there to throw me off track! But Tripp's wanted this all along! He was never gonna give me a second chance! He doesn't love me! How stupid could I have been? They have been together, under my nose, this whole entire time! Those lying bastards! Look at them -- all cozy, laughing at me... I should just charge in there and confront them! They think they got away with it -- that they can just make me look like a fool and run off together..." Claire continued.
"No -- I can't, 'cause they'll just deny it, and Tripp will say I'm paranoid; he'll make me feel like a bad person for not wanting to help Haley again," Claire silently decided. "I could call the police, get them both arrested again -- that'll teach them a lesson..." Claire mused before suddenly spotting a can of gasoline that had been left near a stack of firewood on the front porch. "Or..." Claire continued, smirking.
Claire picked up the can and began pouring the gasoline on the front door, the porch, the cabin's siding, and the stack of firewood. Once the can was empty, she used her lighter to ignite the firewood -- then stood back and watched with a blank expression as the flames grew more intense.
Due to NBC Sports coverage of the French Open tennis tournament, Days of our Lives did not air. This was a planned pre-emption and there were no "lost" episodes as a result of the scheduling change.
Regular programming resumed on Monday, June 10, and picked up where Wednesday, June 5, episode concluded.
Due to NBC Sports coverage of the French Open tennis tournament, Days of our Lives did not air. This was a planned pre-emption and there were no "lost" episodes as a result of the scheduling change.
Regular programming resumed on Monday, June 10, and picked up where Wednesday, June 5, episode concluded.
