At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady was talking to someone on the phone -- somewhat manically -- about a business deal they had just agreed on. Before the conversation ended, Brady said something that seemed to offend the business associate. "What? No, no -- it -- 'turn' -- 'turn this mother out' -- it's -- it's a good thing; it's an expression. Don't get all toasty," Brady dismissively assured the associate.
Brady pulled his cell phone away from his ear for a moment as the business associate started to protest. "Listen, listen, let me just -- let me -- hold on! Let me talk. I'm very glad that we did this deal. I'm very pleased about it, and my grandfather's gonna be pleased. Are we cool?" Brady asked in a measured, slightly less manic manner. Brady's attempt at diplomacy seemed to satisfy the associate, and they ended the call on good terms.
Brady cheered and excitedly assured himself that the business deal would keep Victor "off [his] case" for a while. After sending a text message to Theresa to let her know that he was almost done working, Brady -- who was alone in the living room -- retrieved a vial of cocaine from his pocket, declaring that he needed to celebrate the fact that he was getting stuff accomplished.
A short time later, as Brady was frenetically typing on his laptop, he paused and decided that it would be okay to take one more hit of cocaine. Brady made a fist and started to pour a bit of the drug between the knuckles of his thumb and forefinger, but before he could do so, he heard John talking to Henderson in the foyer. Brady quickly sealed and pocketed the vial as John opened the living room door.
Annoyed, Brady insisted that he didn't want to have anything to do with John. John refused to let Brady push him away, stating that he wasn't going to give up on Brady, even if Brady had already given up on himself. "You know -- God, I'm so sick of this 'parenting when it's convenient' BS from you, Dad. You were never there for me. You were never there. You were always out saving the world. I don't know -- I don't know what you were doing out there, on some exciting adventure, okay? But I was a kid, and I was falling apart, and you weren't there, man," Brady countered.
John dismissed Brady's complaint as a cop-out, but Brady insisted that it wasn't. "You would disappear, and then, all of a sudden, poof, like magic, you were there to fix everything. The problem was, you didn't know what you were supposed to fix, because you were never there for the problem, anyway. But thank you for the nannies that you gave Belle and I -- they took great care of us. Except for that one that smelled like cough syrup, Dad -- what the hell was up with her?" Brady wondered, getting increasingly manic as he spoke.
"Anyway, what are you doing here? Did you hear the superhero siren go off? Did the John siren go off? 'Cause you got the wrong address, pal. You don't need to be here. You're a superhero now? You shouldn't wear the tights or the, uh, spandex at this point, but you've got the leather jacket. You've got the low voice. Super Dad!" Brady continued to rant, even imitating the sound of a siren at one point for good measure, until John finally interrupted and told him to shut up.
"You think I don't know what's going on here? You ranting on and on like this, you're all wired and amped up -- you think I don't know you're high on coke? What is going on with you?" John demanded to know. Brady insisted that John couldn't keep making the drug accusation every single time he said something that John didn't want to hear. Brady claimed that he had consumed a few espressos for breakfast that morning because he had spent the entire previous night working, and he added that John's "baseless accusations" had riled him up.
John told Brady to "man up," admit that he was back on drugs, and seek professional help. Brady reiterated that he wasn't using drugs and that John only believed otherwise because John always saw the worst in him. Brady ordered John to leave, but when John didn't immediately comply, Brady decided to leave instead.
In a secluded section of Horton Town Square, Sami wondered if Kate was thinking about marrying Stefano again. "Are you worried that maybe there'll be a double wedding? Oh, there's a thought -- there's a thought," Kate replied. Sami stressed that it would be "a cold day in hell" before she would share a wedding with Kate, prompting Kate to wonder if Sami was worried about being outshined.
Sami angrily lunged at Kate, but E.J. quickly stepped in and kept the women separated. E.J. assured Sami that there wasn't going to be a double wedding because he was certain that Stefano -- despite his "dotage" -- had no intention of remarrying Kate, but Kate reasoned that Stefano hadn't been sending her jewelry "as often as the mail arrives" simply because he wanted her to be his friend.
Changing the subject, Kate wondered when E.J. was going to realize that Sami was hazardous to his health. "Every time you ask her to marry you, you get shot! I would take that as a sign," Kate added. Sami demanded to know why Kate was trying to ruin Sami and E.J.'s lives and destroy their happiness, as well as the happiness of their children, who wanted their parents to be together.
"Sami, you and I both know that, sometimes, parents together are a detriment, not an advantage, to their children. Just look at you and my son," Kate replied, prompting Sami to smugly wonder which son Kate was referring to. Without waiting for a response, Sami added that, unlike her and Lucas, she and E.J. were meant to be together. Kate reasoned that it was pointless to argue with Sami about the matter because if Sami and E.J.'s relationship was meant to be, it would be. "Let's just wait and see what happens," Kate added before walking away.
After Kate left, Sami turned to E.J. and declared that she wanted to get married right away. E.J. advised Sami to ignore Kate, who had simply been trying to "get a rise out of" Sami, but Sami insisted that she would feel much better if she and E.J. were already married. Sami wondered if she and E.J. could arrange to get married before the impending annual DiMera Enterprises board meeting.
E.J. laughed and said that he was going to be swamped with work until that time, and Sami sighed as she admitted that she was going to be just as busy. Sami insisted that she could still find the time to whip up a decent wedding, but E.J. reminded her that he had promised her a dream wedding. Sami clarified that she wasn't talking about a Vegas wedding or a justice-of-the-peace wedding, and she suggested that she and E.J. could still manage to have a beautiful, elegant, perfect wedding in the DiMera garden.
E.J. reminded Sami that the board meeting was only a few days away. "This board meeting -- isn't it the one where Stefano's always giving that speech about how important family is? Right? How would you feel sitting in that board meeting, announcing to everyone that we're married? Just think -- Stefano would have to stand behind you in front of the entire board. What do you think of that?" Sami pointedly suggested. E.J. admitted that he liked the idea, and Sami promised that she would make their wedding perfect.
Elsewhere, Theresa spotted J.J. emerging from a store, carrying a gift bag. Theresa grinned mischievously and decided to have "a little fun" with J.J. while waiting for Brady to finish working. Theresa approached J.J. -- who had taken a seat on a bench and was inspecting the musical eighth note pendant necklace he had just purchased -- and draped her arms around his neck as she looked over his shoulder and mockingly declared that the item was adorable. Annoyed, J.J. started to walk away, but he stopped when Theresa asked if the gift was for his "mommy" or for Paige.
J.J. knew that he had never mentioned Paige's name to Theresa, so he demanded to know how Theresa had figured it out. Theresa said that she had heard J.J. say Paige's name when she had spotted them making out in the park one day. "So you're some sort of creeper? That's gross, Theresa," J.J. disapprovingly replied. Theresa scoffed and clarified that she had simply spotted J.J. and Paige while passing through the park.
Theresa admitted that Paige was cute but added that the "sweet and innocent" girl didn't really seem like J.J.'s type. J.J. shrugged and declared that he was done with girls like Theresa. Theresa wondered if J.J. was still keeping secrets from Paige, since she had gotten the impression, during her earlier encounter with him at Club TBD, that he had left out some details when he had told Paige who he really was.
J.J. said that Paige knew everything there was to know, but Theresa wasn't convinced. Theresa laughed as she pointedly wondered what would happen if she ever decided to have a little chat with Paige. "Don't you ever go anywhere near Paige," J.J. warned as he tightly gripped Theresa's arm. Theresa freed herself from J.J.'s grip and told him to lighten up, adding that she had simply been messing with him.
"Do you really think that I care about your artificially sweetened teen romance?" Theresa wondered. J.J. replied that he believed that Theresa was vindictive, and she mockingly wondered if he had learned that word while studying for the SATs. Theresa confirmed that she could be vindictive at times, and she advised J.J. to keep that in mind. J.J. irritably wondered when Theresa was going to get a life, and he walked away without waiting for a response. Theresa grinned as she watched J.J. leave.
Later, Brady met with Theresa, who had already ordered a martini for each of them. Brady immediately drained his entire glass, explaining that work had stressed him out. Theresa discreetly retrieved a vial of cocaine from her purse and started to suggest that she knew of a way for Brady to keep the edge off, but before he could accept the offer, he spotted John entering the town square.
John lurked nearby and watched Brady and Theresa, making no effort to hide his presence. Brady declined Theresa's offer and said that he would rather spend some private time with her. Theresa followed Brady's gaze and saw that John was standing nearby, so she agreed to take Brady back to her apartment. Before leaving, Brady gulped down Theresa's martini, glaring at John as he did so.
Later, while Brady and Theresa were lying together on her couch after having sex, he poured himself a shot of vodka and started ranting about John. Shortly after draining the shot of alcohol, Brady passed out on Theresa's shoulder. "I bet John would do just about anything for you," Theresa mischievously muttered as she stroked Brady's cheek.
At the Brady Pub, Marybeth wondered if Paige's mother would be attending their high school graduation ceremony. Paige confirmed that her mother was going to try to make it back to Salem in time for the big event. Marybeth thought Paige needed to be nervous about the fact that Paige's mother might soon meet Paige's "loser boyfriend."
Paige insisted that J.J. wasn't a loser, prompting Marybeth to sarcastically agree that he was "a pillar of society." Paige maintained that J.J. was a good person, but Marybeth countered that he had once been a drug dealer. Marybeth suspected that Paige's mother would be less than thrilled to learn that fact, and she warned that it would be foolish for Paige to try to keep J.J.'s past a secret, since her mother could uncover the truth at any time with a simple online search.
"Actually...she can't look him up online. I just told her I was dating a guy named J.J. -- no last name," Paige admitted. Marybeth predicted that Paige's mother would eventually want to know J.J.'s surname, and she wondered if Paige planned to lie about his identity when that moment arrived. Paige shrugged and said that she would deal with that problem when it presented itself.
"How? You think she's gonna be all, 'Oh, it's fine -- some of my best friends are drug dealers'?" Marybeth asked with a laugh. Paige wasn't amused, but Marybeth maintained that Paige's mother was going to "flip out" upon realizing that Paige had been spending all of her time with a "lowlife." Paige believed that her mother would like J.J. once she got to know him, but Marybeth wasn't convinced.
"When I met [your mother] at Christmas, there was a whole lot of talk about staying away from bad influences. I mean, she doesn't even like your cousin, who you live with. She thinks she's too crazy, because she has eyelash extensions or something," Marybeth replied. Paige didn't think that was relevant, but Marybeth pointed out that, unlike J.J., Paige's cousin didn't have a criminal record.
Later, after leaving the pub, Paige went to see J.J. at the Horton house. Paige warned that she would only be able to stay for a short amount of time, since she still had to study for her last final, but J.J. smoothly assured her that any amount of time they spent together was good enough for him. J.J. presented Paige with her gift, explaining that it was meant to be a good luck charm for the end of high school.
Paige declared that the necklace was beautiful, and after J.J. helped her put it on, she added that she loved it and was sure that it would give her luck. J.J. started to kiss Paige, but she eventually pulled away and said that she believed that they needed to slow things down. Paige claimed that she was simply worried about her finals, but J.J. guessed that there was more to the story, since she was acting kind of weird.
"It's -- it's nothing. I -- I totally shouldn't have let her get to me," Paige admitted. Concerned, J.J. wondered if Paige had talked to someone about him earlier that night, and she hesitantly confirmed that she had. "What did she say to you, Paige? Look, I don't know what she said, but --" J.J. started to say, but Paige interrupted and assured him that she knew better than to pay attention to anything that Marybeth had to say about him.
J.J. nodded as he realized that Marybeth had been badmouthing him to Paige again, and he wondered what Marybeth had said about him. Paige explained that Marybeth didn't believe that Paige and J.J. were compatible, but she assured him that she didn't agree with that assertion. "Look, if Marybeth or anybody else tries to come up to you and turn you against me or make me look bad, you need to come to me and talk about it, okay? Just give me a chance to defend myself," J.J. requested, but Paige assured him that she already believed that he was a really great guy and that no one would be able to change her mind about that.
Paige and J.J. started kissing again, but she eventually pulled away and reminded him -- and herself -- that she had some studying to do that night. As Paige rose from the living room couch, she knocked over her purse, and Jack's book fell out of it. J.J. picked up both items and handed Paige's purse to her as he inspected the book, surprised that she had purchased it. Paige reported that Jack's book was a top seller at the local bookstore, and she added that she had only read the introduction but planned to read the rest of the book as soon as she was done with her finals.
J.J. said that Paige didn't have to do that, but she clarified that she wanted to. Paige added that Jack had written beautifully, and she wished that she could have met him, since it seemed like he had been an interesting guy. J.J. agreed that he would have loved introducing Paige to Jack. Paige guessed that J.J. was a lot like Jack, but J.J. wasn't sure if that was true.
At Club TBD, Jordan took a seat at Rafe's table and sympathetically grasped his hand as she revealed that she had overheard the end of his earlier phone conversation with his mother. Rafe didn't want to talk about the matter, but Jordan insisted that his mother couldn't blame him for what had happened to Gabi and that he couldn't blame himself, either.
As Jordan continued to offer Rafe words of encouragement, he impatiently interrupted and ordered her to stop talking. "I know what you're trying to do, I just can't take the pep talk right now, okay? One of my sisters is going to jail for a really long time, and my other sister, Arianna, is dead, and I promised my mother that I would take care of both of them, so as much as you think that I should just let this go and move on, I can't! There's no positive spin here -- I screwed up, and I am gonna deal with this on my own...alone, okay? So just -- if you want to help, just -- just go...please," Rafe asked Jordan, who reluctantly complied with his request.
In the park, Abigail reminded Ben that had previously stopped himself from kissing her because he had felt like he had been taking advantage of her during a vulnerable time, and she wondered if his latest kiss had been an indication that he was no longer worried about that. Ben confirmed that he remembered why he had stopped kissing Abigail the previous time, and he started to say something else, but she stopped him and assured him that he wasn't taking advantage of her and that kissing him had felt right. Ben returned the sentiment, and he and Abigail kissed again.
Ben admitted that he felt like he had been waiting forever to kiss Abigail again. Abigail agreed that it had been a really long time since their first kiss, and she mused that a lot of stuff had happened since that moment. Abigail acknowledged that Ben had been incredibly patient and that a lot of guys wouldn't have waited while she had been dealing with a bunch of drama, especially since they hadn't even gone on an official date yet.
Ben wondered if Abigail was interested in remedying that problem, and she replied that she was very interested. Ben warned that he wouldn't be able to afford anything extravagant, since he wasn't exactly making a lot of money at the club. Abigail assured Ben that she was "a pretty low-maintenance girl," and he said that was one of the many reasons he liked her.
As Ben leaned in to kiss Abigail again, he received a text message. Ben reluctantly pulled away so that he could check the message, which was from Jordan, who wanted someone to talk to. Ben apologetically excused himself, vaguely stating that, while he believed that everything was okay, there was something that he needed to handle right away. Abigail assured Ben that she understood, and he started to walk away after promising that he would see her again soon, but he quickly returned to give her a farewell kiss.
A short time later, Sami and E.J. arrived and greeted Abigail. Sami was glad to see Abigail, since she wanted to ask Abigail for a huge favor. Sami announced that she and E.J. had decided to move up their wedding date, and she pointedly added that Abigail had previously promised to attend the ceremony. Abigail confirmed that she would be there, and Sami wondered if that meant that she could count on Abigail to help out with the wedding. Abigail hesitantly assured Sami that she would be happy to help. "Good! Great! Fantastic! Then that makes you our unofficial wedding planner," Sami excitedly declared.
Abigail claimed that, while she was flattered, she wouldn't be able to help Sami plan the wedding. Sami asked for a reason, and as Abigail started to stammer out a response, E.J. stepped in and suggested that Abigail's job at the hospital probably kept her too busy to take on such a responsibility. Sami promised that she would work around Abigail's schedule and would even pay Abigail, but Abigail protested that she wouldn't expect to get paid for something that she didn't even know the first thing about doing. Sami reasoned that wedding planning wasn't exactly rocket science and that Abigail's job at the hospital involved planning big events, anyway.
E.J. reiterated that Abigail was probably busy and that it would be better to hire a professional to handle the job, but Sami didn't want to do that. "I want the personal touch, you know? And, actually, Abigail and I have very similar tastes," Sami reasoned. Abigail suggested that Marlena might be a better choice, but Sami explained that she and her mother hadn't exactly been seeing eye-to-eye lately and that Marlena might not even attend the wedding, anyway. Sami added that she didn't want to ask Will and Sonny for help because their focus needed to be on Arianna at that time, which Sami completely understood.
"Look, it would just mean so much to me if you would help. To be honest, I just feel like we have this kind of nice connection, you know? And I don't feel that way with a lot of people. And, um, you know, I just think you're such a wonderful person, you know? You're so trustworthy, and -- and I just know that you're in my corner -- and E.J.'s. Please say you'll help us," Sami sweetly asked Abigail.
Abigail started to stress that she really wanted to help Sami but couldn't do so, but when Sami realized that Abigail was about to turn down the request again, she interrupted and assured Abigail that she understood. "Look, Abigail, is there a reason that you don't want to be a part of this that you're uncomfortable telling me about?" Sami wondered. Before Abigail could respond, E.J. jumped in and suggested that Abigail was probably just worried about being unable to meet Sami's expectations.
E.J. assured Abigail that he and Sami were certain that Abigail would do a fantastic job, and he added that Abigail would be doing them a tremendous favor if she would just agree to help plan the wedding. Abigail hesitantly agreed, and Sami excitedly hugged her. Sami thanked E.J. for convincing Abigail to accept the responsibility, and she cryptically informed him that she and Abigail had also been working on a secret project together. E.J. tried to get Sami to elaborate, but she was only willing to state that the surprise was worth waiting for and that he would be impressed when the time arrived for her to finally reveal the secret.
Sami abruptly excused herself so that she could pick up Johnny, who was at a friend's house, and she asked E.J. to stick around and give Abigail the list of vendors they had already decided on so that Abigail could get started on the wedding plans. After Sami left, Abigail smacked E.J. and demanded to know why he had pressured her into agreeing to help Sami plan the wedding.
E.J. explained that he knew how stubborn Sami could be and that he had been trying to keep her from getting suspicious about Abigail's reluctance to plan the wedding. Abigail pointed out that Sami probably would have changed her mind about enlisting Abigail's help if she had known that Abigail had slept with E.J.
E.J. assured Abigail that, since Nick was dead, Sami was never going to find out the truth, but Abigail countered that she knew the truth and had barely been able to handle the guilt before she had been assigned the task of planning the wedding. E.J. assured Abigail that he loved Sami and his family more than anything else in the world and that nothing else mattered.
Meanwhile, Sami strolled past the Brady Pub as she left a voicemail message for someone. "Call me when you get this. I have exciting news -- E.J. and I set the wedding date. It's gonna be perfect," Sami said.
Jordan met with Ben in a secluded section of Horton Town Square and told him about her earlier conversation with Rafe. Ben suggested that Rafe simply needed more time to process what had happened to Gabi. Jordan explained that Rafe didn't just feel guilty about what had happened to Gabi -- he also felt guilty about what had happened to his deceased sister, Arianna. Jordan said that her assurances that Rafe hadn't been responsible for what had happened to either of his sisters hadn't sunk in, and she admitted that the situation was frustrating because she knew exactly how to help her patients but couldn't do the same for him.
Jordan knew that she needed to be patient with Rafe and that she couldn't make the situation about herself, but she admitted that his earlier comments had stung. Jordan said that she really wanted to be there for Rafe but that he wasn't willing to accept her help.
Jordan sighed and leaned her head on Ben's shoulder as he assured her that, while he realized that she was scared because she had never put herself out there for someone the way that she had for Rafe, he was certain that Rafe loved her and that the situation with Gabi wouldn't change that fact. "I hope you're right, because I love him so much, and right now, I just feel like he's slipping away," Jordan admitted.
Outside Club TBD, Kate told Lucas that they had a lot of business to discuss, but he first wanted to talk about what he had just learned from Julie -- that Gabi had been involved in Melanie's kidnapping. Kate confirmed that she had also heard the news, but before she could say anything else, she received a phone call. Lucas headed inside to wait for Kate to finish the call.
Rafe was still sitting alone at a table, drowning his sorrows, so Lucas took the opportunity to say that he was sorry about what Rafe was going through. Rafe numbly clarified that he wasn't the one who was headed to prison. "Yeah, but I know how much you love your sister. You think you know everything there is to know about somebody, and then, all of a sudden, they turn into a --" Lucas started to reply, but Rafe interrupted and warned him to choose his next words very carefully.
Lucas apologized and explained that he had simply heard about what Gabi had done to Melanie and that he could only imagine how Rafe had felt when he had heard the news. Rafe regretfully admitted that he should have been paying more attention to Gabi. "Yeah, but it's not your fault. I mean, if you -- if you had known what -- what Gabi was up to from the beginning, yeah, things would have turned out differently. You would have gotten her the help she needed," Lucas reasoned.
Kate arrived in time to hear Lucas' comment, and she chastised him for being insensitive, pointing out that Rafe was clearly upset. Lucas admitted that, while he was trying to say the right things, he was clearly failing, and he decided that it would probably be best for him to leave. Neither Kate nor Rafe objected to the idea, so Lucas excused himself after telling Kate that they would find some other time to conduct their business.
After Lucas left, Kate took a seat at Rafe's table and assured him that she didn't plan to say anything to him -- she was simply going to order each of them a drink. Later, as Rafe and Kate consumed their drinks in silence, he admitted that Lucas had been right earlier -- he had screwed up and let Gabi and Arianna down, just like he had let down his romantic interests in the past. Rafe reasoned that Sami and Carrie had each needed his help in their own ways, and he had tried to rescue each of them but had only made things worse in both cases.
Kate countered that Sami and Carrie each bore responsibility for what had happened and that Rafe couldn't place all of the blame on his shoulders. Rafe dismissed Kate's advice, insisting that he always made things worse for anyone who happened to get close to him -- even Jordan. Intrigued, Kate wondered what Rafe was talking about, and he vaguely replied that he had realized that he was still repeating the same old patterns and that he hadn't changed at all.
Rafe added that there was something painful in Jordan's past that she wasn't willing to talk to him about, and he reasoned that her instinct to keep the information from him stemmed from the fact that she knew, deep down, that he wouldn't be able to help, anyway. Rafe muttered that he always tried to be the hero but always ended up screwing things up instead. "You know...not every woman that you were with needed to be rescued," Kate pointed out.
Later, Rafe and Kate went back to his place, where they ended up having sex.
At St. Luke's, Eric delivered to Bishop White the proof that Eric had been drugged by Kristen. Eric expressed his hope that the evidence would help the church. Eric explained that the three drugs listed were an aphrodisiac, a memory-erasing concoction, and a masking agent to hide all traces of the drugs during testing. When the bishop asked about the rest of the evidence, Eric admitted that he had only been able to recover the material he had handed to the bishop.
When the bishop asked about how Eric had discovered the evidence, Eric explained that Daniel had tracked down the evidence. Eric admitted that Nicole had kept the evidence hidden until recently. Bishop White promised to review the evidence and talk to the witnesses before making a decision. Eric swore that he was positive that the papers were authentic evidence of his innocence. Nodding, Bishop White said that he hoped Eric's case could be reopened.
Nicole stopped by the Brady Pub to visit Eric but learned that he had left. As Nicole waited at the bar for Eric to return, Sami walked over and asked Nicole what she had done to upset Eric. Defensive, Nicole asked Sami to leave her alone.
"I committed a crime. A really big crime. I loved your brother, too much as it turned out," Nicole said. Nicole added that Eric's accusation that Nicole had raped him was a larger crime than what she had done. Annoyed, Sami talked over Nicole's explanation and argued that Nicole's explanation was self-serving. Nicole interrupted and said that after Eric had accused Nicole of rape, she had forgiven him and then worked to hunt down the evidence to clear Eric's name while Sami had curled up to Kristen's brother.
"If you're so wonderful, why did Eric break up with you?" Sami asked. Nicole said she did not know. "Once he realizes what I did I did for love, he will change his mind about me," Nicole said. Nicole said that when Eric remembered that she had risked her life to find the evidence to clear Eric's name, he would realize that the things Nicole had done were done out of love.
"I had the proof. Okay so maybe I wavered a little, but I know he is going to forgive me," Nicole said. Shocked, Sami asked Nicole if she had said that Nicole had wavered prior to Eric choosing Nicole. Nicole admitted that she had wavered. With a raised eyebrow, Sami asked Nicole if she had found the proof when Nicole had been alone with Dr. Chyka in the cabin. Nicole said no and argued that she had found the evidence after researching online.
In disbelief, Sami argued that Marlena had been right and that Nicole had found the evidence to clear Eric at the cabin. Nicole denied the charge, but Sami had made up her mind. The two women slapped one another, then wrestled each other across the room. When Eric arrived at the pub, he pulled the two women apart. Nicole argued that Sami had chosen E.J. over helping her brother clear his name.
Eric asked Sami to leave. Upset, Sami refused. Eric pulled Sami aside and asked her not to harass Nicole. When Sami protested, Eric stated that Nicole's accusation about Sami was true. Hurt, Sami asked Eric why he had taken Nicole's side over his sister. Eric stressed that he was not taking sides and that he wanted to talk to Nicole alone.
"We both know that E.J. knew what his sister was doing. He knew it all along. You made the choice. You stayed with him. That is a choice you are going to have to live with just as much as I'm going to have to live with mine," Eric said. Reluctantly, Sami left. When Eric turned around, a stunned Nicole said that she did not know what Eric had said to Sami but that she was thankful.
Eric countered that Nicole should leave because did not have anything to say to her. As Nicole started to talk, Eric reiterated that he had nothing to say to Nicole. Unfazed, Nicole asked Eric if he had met with Bishop White. Eric nodded. When Nicole asked about the meeting, Eric stressed that his meeting with the bishop was private. Nicole asked Eric if he was returning to the church.
As Daniel left his apartment, he ran into Jennifer in the hallway. When Jennifer asked to talk, Daniel countered that they needed space from one another. Jennifer disagreed. Jennifer begged to talk. Daniel resisted but agreed. When Jennifer apologized for telling Nicole, Daniel said that he was not angry about Jennifer talking to Nicole. Daniel said that he was upset that Jennifer had believed that he was the kind of person that would not have followed through and told Eric the truth.
"There's nothing you can say that's going to change what either one of us feels. Believe me. It hurts like hell, but I got it," Daniel said. Jennifer begged for a chance to explain, but she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Daniel opened the door and found an emotional Maggie. Maggie said that she had heard about Melanie and Gabi. Daniel hugged his mother and let her cry on his shoulder.
As Melanie and Daniel talked on the couch, Jennifer listened. Maggie talked about how upsetting it was to hear that Gabi and Chad had betrayed Melanie. Daniel assured Maggie that Melanie was fine. Shaking her head, Maggie lamented that Melanie had not told them the truth before she had left Salem. After chatting about Parker's "coming home party," Maggie left.
Once alone, a hurt Jennifer asked Daniel if he had planned to tell her about the party for Parker or the issues between Gabi and Melanie. Daniel noted that if he could not talk to Jennifer about their relationship then it was only natural that he had not talked to her about his kids. Upset, Jennifer asked Daniel if they were even friends anymore. Daniel urged Jennifer to sit down.
Daniel joined Jennifer on the couch and explained that he had been shocked by what Jennifer had believed about him. Daniel explained that he had lost his moral compass after his wife had died but that he had changed once he had met Jennifer and had recovered his sense of right and wrong.
"Aside from my kids, Maggie, a few friends, I don't really give a damn what people think of me but I've always cared what you think. And no matter what's gone on between us, you were that one person I wanted to have a good opinion of me," Daniel said. When Jennifer said that she thought highly of Daniel, he argued that he had seen in her eyes that she had seen him as a liar and that she had believed he was capable of hurting people.
"I cannot be with someone who doesn't believe in me. No matter what you say, you essentially told me that I wasn't the man I thought I was in your eyes," Daniel said. Jennifer pleaded with Daniel to give her another chance. Daniel stressed that she could not take back what she had said because she had meant it. Upset, Jennifer announced that she loved Daniel and would not let him walk away from her. Jennifer apologized for hurting Daniel. Jennifer gently kissed Daniel, and he grabbed her and kissed her more passionately.
In their living room, Will checked on Arianna in the playpen while Sonny slept on the couch. Sonny stirred awake and noted that he had carried Arianna into the living room so that Gabi could sleep in. As Sonny realized what he'd said, his face fell. Will and Sonny talked about Arianna and agreed that life would be difficult with Gabi out of the picture.
In the town square, Ben said hello to a flustered Abigail. When Abigail said she had a lot of things to do, Ben apologized for pushing her romantically, and he swore he would back off. Abigail apologized and said that she had a project she was working on. Abigail said that she'd enjoyed their encounter in the park. With a smile, Abigail asked Ben to pick up where they'd left off -- in a couple days.
Jordan dreamed that she and Rafe had made love and he had thanked her for not letting him push her away. As Jordan awoke, she looked at the empty spot beside her in bed. Ben called Jordan at her apartment and invited her to the club for a cup of coffee. With a sigh, Jordan agreed. Jordan looked at her photo of Rafe and wondered if she should go to Rafe's apartment and confront him.
A groggy Rafe woke up in his bed and realized that Kate was lying next to him. Kate woke up, and the two awkwardly admitted that they had made a mistake. When Rafe asked why they had slept together, Kate said that she had reached out to someone who was in a terrible place. With a smirk, Rafe asked Kate if she had meant that she had pitied him. Kate denied the charge and said that she had enjoyed her time with Rafe.
"It can't happen again; no one can find out. It would ruin everything," Kate said. When Rafe asked Kate if she meant Jordan, Kate nodded. As Kate started to get out of bed, they both wondered aloud if they heard someone in the hallway.
Abigail took a container of muffins over to Will and Sonny's apartment. When Will thanked Abigail between big bites of a muffin, Abigail smiled and admitted that the muffins were a bribe to get Will to help her plan Sami's wedding. When Will asked if E.J. was aware, Abigail nodded and said that E.J. had been there when Sami had asked Abigail to plan the wedding. Desperate, Abigail begged Will and Sonny to help her.
When Sonny pointed out that Abigail seemed unhappy about the task, she thought about having sex with E.J. and looked away from Will and Sonny. Will guessed aloud that Jennifer was making Abigail plan the wedding against her will. Abigail nodded. With a grin, Will said that he was happy that Abigail was helping because Sami did not have many female friends.
"E.J doesn't really like a lot of people but I can tell that he likes you," Will said as Abigail shifted her eyes nervously away.
Jordan met up with Ben for coffee at Club TBD. With a sigh, Jordan admitted that Ben was right and that Rafe needed space and time alone. Ben assured Jordan that Rafe was upset about his sister and that he would return to Jordan when he was ready. When Jordan said that Rafe was not to blame for Gabi's actions, Ben countered that Jordan had risked her life to help Ben. Across the club, Kate watched Ben hold Jordan's hand while Jordan told Ben that she would give Rafe time.
As Jordan left the club, Kate approached the bar and took a photo of Ben while he was not looking. Kate walked over to Sonny's apartment. Kate explained that she had purchased a teething ring for Arianna and that she had planned to leave it with the bartender at Club TBD, but he had said that Sonny was at home. Sonny noted that the bartender was named Ben. With a sigh, Kate said that she had left her wallet at the club. Kate asked for Ben's last name, and Sonny told her his name was Rogers. Kate said goodbye and left.
Kate walked to the park and called her private investigator. Kate informed the investigator about Ben and asked him to use the information to uncover Jordan's past.
Ben texted Rafe and asked to meet him at the club. When Rafe arrived, Ben told Rafe that he was worried about his sister. Ben asked Rafe to let Jordan help Rafe through his crisis. Shaking his head, Rafe said that Jordan was better off without him because Rafe would screw up Jordan's life. Rafe stressed that he did not know anything about Jordan's past but that he understood that Jordan was hiding from it. Rafe swore that he would not help anyone again because it always seemed to backfire.
In the town square, Abigail ran into Jordan. When Abigail asked about Rafe, Jordan stammered and said that Rafe was dealing with the situation with his sister. Abigail advised Jordan that Rafe internalized his emotions and that he would reach out to Jordan when he was ready. As Abigail stared across the square, her mouth fell open. Worried, Jordan asked what was wrong. Abigail pointed to the corner of the square and noted that the area by the park was where Nick had died.
When Abigail asked when Rafe planned to visit Gabi, Jordan admitted that Rafe had not talked to her since Gabi had left for prison. Abigail nodded and noted that Rafe was closing himself off. Sami interrupted to talk to Abigail, and Abigail reluctantly left to make plans at Sami's insistence.
Will sat at his desk and finished a final for school on the laptop. Sonny returned to the living room and talked about the future. Will said he was looking forward to working and contributing to household finances. While Will trotted into the bathroom to shower, Sonny whispered, "Maybe there is something we can do about that."
Aiden tracked Hope down at Club TBD and announced mischievously that evil was about to be vanquished. He reminded Hope about how they hadn't been able to book the Salem Inn ballroom for the St. Luke's fundraiser because Curt Howell had "stolen" their date for his domino association convention. Aiden began removing some folded pieces of paper from a brown paper bag and began lining them up on the table, much as he would dominoes he intended to knock down. As Hope watched curiously, Aiden explained that he had discovered Howell's "tipping point." "He's gonna regret ever messing with St. Luke's," Aiden predicted.
As if on cue, a grouchy Curt Howell walked in. He noted that he had gotten Aiden's message, which had sounded like a threat, but Aiden couldn't do anything about Curt's contract with the Salem Inn. Curt noticed what Aiden was doing and remarked that Aiden was doing it wrong if he were aligning the papers like dominoes. Aiden tapped the first "domino" in the line and the others fell in quick succession. Curt said that Aiden would fail if he tried that with real dominoes.
Curt picked up one of the folded slips of paper and asked where Aiden had gotten them. Hope observed that they looked a lot like parking tickets. Aiden clarified that they were, indeed, parking tickets, all of which had been issued to Curt on business trips to Chicago -- and Curt had racked up fines "in the low five figures," enough for jail time. Hope got out her phone to have Curt's car impounded. "I get it. I want this to go away, and you want the Salem Inn ballroom. Let's make a deal," Curt proposed.
While Curt called the Salem Inn, Aiden put the folded parking citations back in the paper sack. As soon as Curt was finished, Hope got on the phone with the hotel to book the ballroom, and Aiden ripped up Curt's contract. Aiden agreed to represent Curt free of charge on the parking fines. After Curt had gone, Aiden said that he'd heard about Gabi's transfer to prison. Acknowledging that she'd confided in him about how hard it was on Hope, Aiden offered to listen if she ever needed to talk. Hope confessed that watching Aiden operate with Howell had made her smile, and she hadn't thought that possible. "Then my work here is done," Aiden said with a smile before he headed out.
As Sami and Abigail arrived outside the DiMera mansion, Sami apologized for interrupting Abigail's conversation with Jordan. Abigail said that Jordan had just been worried about Rafe, who'd been very depressed about Gabi. Sami understood how Rafe felt, but she knew that he would get through it. Abigail seemed surprised that Sami still cared about her ex. Sami admitted that she would invite Rafe to the wedding if he didn't dislike E.J. -- unlike Abigail, who could see what kind of man E.J. really was. Oblivious to Abigail's discomfort, Sami embraced Abigail and thanked her for her friendship.
On the phone in the living room, E.J. asked, "Can I count on your vote at the upcoming board meeting? As a matter of fact, I know exactly how many votes my father has." He assured the person on the other end of the call that Stefano would be at the meeting. E.J. hung up and addressed his father's portrait: "Where are you, old man, and what are you up to?"
When Sami and Abigail entered, E.J. cautioned Sami that he still had a lot of calls to make. He picked up his papers to go work elsewhere while Sami and Abigail planned the wedding, but Sami stopped him on his way out and gave him a very passionate kiss. Behind them, Abigail squirmed uncomfortably and tried to avert her gaze. Afterwards, Sami realized that she had left her notes in the other room, so she dashed off to retrieve them.
Before Abigail could fully express her displeasure to E.J., Sami ran back into the room, although she hadn't been able to find her notes. E.J. admitted that his phone calls could wait a bit, so Sami excitedly grabbed his and Abigail's hands and led them into the garden to discuss the wedding. Sami took them through a vine-covered brick archway to a walled-in area full of climbing flowers and rosebushes in bloom. Sami announced that it was her favorite part of the garden.
Sami described how she wanted the garden arranged for the ceremony -- and stunned Abigail with the news that she wanted Abigail to be her maid of honor. Sami admitted that she didn't have many female friends, plus both of her sisters weren't in the country. "It kind of hit me that there isn't anyone I would rather have standing next to me on the most important day of my life than you," Sami concluded.
Abigail tried to get out of it by pointing out that the wedding and her brother's graduation were the same day. Sami promised that Abigail would be finished before the graduation. "Uh, sure, then. I mean, uh, I'd be honored," a reluctant Abigail stammered. Sami had E.J. stand next to her where they would during the ceremony and asked Abigail how they looked. Abigail assured Sami that they looked like the perfect couple. So she could see if it were the perfect spot, Sami asked Abigail to stand next to E.J. and hold his hand.
Abigail obeyed for a moment then pulled away, objecting, "I'm sorry, I can't do this. This is just so wrong!" A sympathetic Sami assumed that being in the garden had reminded Abigail of all the times she'd been there with Chad. Sami hugged Abigail, and both Sami and E.J. apologized if they'd been insensitive to Abigail's feelings. Sami implored Abigail to remain maid of honor and continue helping to plan the wedding. Abigail reluctantly agreed.
After Sami went inside to ask Harold to get a snack for the three of them, Abigail complained incredulously, "This is torture... I'm supposed to straighten Sami's veil and hold her bouquet while she stands there and marries a man I slept with?" Keeping his voice low, E.J. grabbed Abigail and ordered her to find a way to get through the next couple of days, after which she would never have to see him or Sami again.
Abigail protested anxiously that she felt like a hypocrite because Sami was obviously so happy and in love -- plus she was treating Abigail like her new best friend. E.J. reminded Abigail, "We cannot change what happened. We can agree that it was a mistake and move on, all right? Samantha has no idea -- nor will she ever."
Inside, Sami used the intercom to ask Harold to take a snack out to the garden. She grabbed her tablet from the desk and started to head back outside, but then she paused and glanced at a red leather briefcase on the desk. She pulled a large envelope out of the side pocket and paused for a moment before sitting down at the desk to examine its contents: a copy of the photo of Abigail and E.J. kissing, taken through the window of the Horton cabin.
J.J. ran into Marlena in Horton Square. After saying hello, he boasted that he'd gotten a very good grade on his history final. J.J. asked if Marlena had been looking for his mom earlier because she'd wanted to talk to Jennifer about Eric eloping with Nicole. Marlena was taken aback that J.J. had heard about that. Observing how upset Marlena seemed about the elopement, J.J. informed her that both Daniel and Jennifer had also been upset about it.
At Daniel's apartment, Daniel responded to Jennifer's kiss by kissing her even more fervently, but after only a moment, he pushed her away. Daniel explained that as much as he'd like to move on from what had happened, having sex with Jennifer wouldn't fix anything. He stated firmly that he needed to be alone -- so Jennifer needed to leave.
Jennifer tried to defend her reasons for telling Eric the truth, but Daniel reiterated his disbelief that she'd thought he would have let Eric marry Nicole without knowing the truth. Jennifer emphasized that she knew she'd hurt Daniel, but she loved him very much, and she wanted to repair what her actions had done to their relationship. After expressing his doubts that they could find a way past it, Daniel declared, "I want you to believe in me, to see me for the man I think I am."
Jennifer insisted that she wouldn't be with Daniel if she didn't love and respect him. "What do we do?" she asked helplessly. Daniel said that they needed time apart. Jennifer reluctantly picked up her purse and headed for the door. Daniel asked her to leave behind her key, so she took it out of her purse, put it on the chest by the door, and left without a word.
Daniel went to his office but found Jennifer's picture on his desk too distracting to get any work done, so he put it in a drawer. J.J. stopped by to brag about his exam grade -- and to thank Daniel for everything he'd done. Daniel was appropriately proud of J.J. When J.J. mentioned the dinner that his mom was throwing for his graduation, Daniel admitted that he wouldn't be able to make it. J.J. observed that his mom's picture was no longer on Daniel's desk. Daniel encouraged J.J. to talk to Jennifer about it but admitted that the two of them were taking a break.
J.J. was worried that the break had something to do with him, but Daniel reassured him that it did not. "I am so proud of how you've gotten your life back together. So is your mom," Daniel said, adding that he still wanted to see J.J. and would always be there for him. "If you want to talk to [your mom] and then come back and talk to me, I'm fine with that," Daniel offered. Although he admitted that he didn't understand, J.J. accepted Daniel's handshake.
Almost as soon as Jennifer got home, she broke down in tears. As she recalled being in bed with Daniel, she clutched a pillow to her chest and wept bitterly. When J.J. arrived, Jennifer was looking through the contents of a large cardboard box. J.J. expressed optimism that his mom and Daniel would work things out.
After gazing forlornly out his office window for a while, Daniel donned his white coat then showed a patient into his office. Daniel said that he had reviewed the woman's chart and researched her condition, and he believed that surgery would clear up the problem with her throat. "Well, now I know why everyone said you're the surgeon to see," the woman declared. Daniel said that they could get started with the pre-surgery tests right away so they could get her procedure scheduled soon. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Baron," Daniel said, extending his hand for the woman to shake. "Please, call me Eve," the woman replied as she took Daniel's hand.
At the Brady Pub, Eric told Nicole that he didn't know if he would return to the priesthood or if he would get to make the decision. He explained that before making a decision about reinstating Eric, the bishop wanted to speak to everyone who'd been involved in trying to clear Eric's name, such as Daniel and Nicole. "I'll do anything to help, anything that would clear you," Nicole reassured Eric, but he snapped, "You shouldn't say anything you don't mean."
Nicole demanded to know what Eric had meant by that. Eric noted, "I've finally realized that you often tell me what you think I want to hear then do exactly as you please." He added that he had no faith that Nicole would tell the bishop the truth. Nicole didn't see what good it would do for her to lie to the bishop when Eric already knew she'd kept the truth from him. Eric reminded her that she'd lied to him for months. "I don't think I will ever believe anything you ever say to me again!" Eric declared hotly.
"And why would you?" concurred Marlena as she arrived and overheard. As Nicole exited, she wondered aloud to Marlena, "Do you enjoy going around and dispensing judgment and dirty looks? 'Cause I have to say it doesn't seem like much of a life to me." Marlena said gently that she'd heard part of what had happened and asked Eric if he wanted to tell her the rest of the story.
After Eric had filled his mother in, he explained that he had finally learned from Jennifer the truth about what Nicole had done. Eric apologized to Marlena for how he'd treated her when she'd questioned Nicole's story. Marlena assured Eric that despite how much he was hurting, it would get better. After embracing his mom, Eric left, and Marlena headed out shortly afterwards.
When Hope ran into Eric in Horton Square a little later, she started to tell him the good news about the fundraiser. Hope stopped herself because she was afraid St. Luke's might be a sore subject. Eric informed Hope that he might be able to clear his name and return to the church -- but he urged her to keep that news to herself. A pleased Hope agreed.
When Nicole got back to her hotel room, she looked at the front page of the newspaper and saw the headline about Gabi going to prison. "Oh, my God, Rafe," Nicole exclaimed. She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Rafe's number, but the call went to his voicemail. Nicole left Rafe a message, reassuring him that she loved him and would always be his friend. "I want to see you. I don't know if that's good news or bad news. I seem to be of very little use to anyone right now -- but please just take care of yourself," Nicole added before hanging up.
Nicole was heading out again when Marlena showed up. "I'm not talking to you," Nicole declared. "The hell you're not," Marlena retorted, pushing past Nicole into the room. Marlena angrily recounted all the things that Eric had done for Nicole, yet Nicole had repaid him by keeping the evidence to clear him to herself in order to hold on to him. Nicole spat that she would have given Eric the documents to let him make his own decision, but she had known that Marlena would have convinced him that being with Nicole was a huge mistake.
"So you convinced him all by yourself, and now -- thank God -- you've destroyed any chance you have of being with my son," Marlena pointed out. As Marlena left, she warned Nicole to give up on the idea of getting back together with Eric. "He sees you for who you are: a devious, neurotic liar. So it's over, and Eric can go back to being a priest," Marlena asserted. Nicole stopped Marlena in her tracks by warning her, "Not without my help."
Nicole explained, "The bishop wants to talk to me. He wants me to verify what Eric told him -- but after the way you and Sami have treated me, I'm not gonna verify anything. So you can forget about being mama of the priest again. You're just gonna have to settle for being the bitch who unleashed Sami on the world -- and Eric can kiss his holy orders goodbye!"
At the Horton Town Square, Paige spotted Bev and Cole, who seemed to be engaged in an argument. Cole ended the conversation with a dismissive wave of his hand, and after he walked away, Paige approached Bev and announced that he was the guy who had gotten into a fight with J.J. after trying to mess with Paige's purse. Paige wondered if Bev and Cole knew each other.
Bev confirmed that she knew Cole, explaining that he had gone to Salem High until he had been arrested and sent to jail for shoplifting. Bev innocently added that messing with Paige's purse sounded like the sort of thing Cole would do. Paige wondered what Bev and Cole had been talking about, and Bev replied that she believed that Cole had simply been looking for drugs. Bev claimed that she had told Cole to find someone else to bug, which was why he had been upset when he had left.
Changing the subject, Bev wondered if Paige had finished taking finals yet. Paige confirmed that she had taken her last final earlier that day, and Bev guessed that Paige had aced it. Paige shrugged unknowingly and excused herself. After Paige left, Cole returned, and Bev chastised him for nearly leading Paige to the realization that they were connected. "But she didn't. What'd you think about my wave? Just kind of came to me in the moment," Cole cockily replied. Bev warned Cole not to get smug, explaining that Paige wasn't quite as dumb as she looked.
At the Horton house, J.J. remained hopeful that Jennifer would eventually be able to work things out with Daniel, but she sadly explained that, while she and Daniel still loved each other, they hadn't been seeing eye to eye lately. J.J. wondered if that meant that Jennifer and Daniel were breaking up.
Jennifer replied that, while she appreciated J.J.'s concern and was sure that Abigail would also be concerned, she didn't particularly enjoy talking to them about the matter. J.J. nodded and said that he had simply been trying to help. Gesturing toward a box that was sitting on the coffee table, Jennifer said that J.J. could return it to the attic if he wanted to be helpful.
J.J. recognized the suggestion as a subtle ploy to change the subject, but he still agreed to accommodate the request. When J.J. picked up the box, the bottom collapsed, scattering the contents on the floor. Jennifer apologetically acknowledged that she should have warned J.J. to support the bottom of the box, and she knelt to help him collect the items.
J.J. noticed that one of the items was Jennifer's high school yearbook. Jennifer mused that the yearbook contained a lot of memories, and J.J. wondered if they were good memories. "Mostly," Jennifer confirmed with a nod and a smile. J.J. flipped through the yearbook and found a picture of Jennifer and Frankie, whom he vaguely recognized because Jennifer had gotten back together with Frankie during a time in J.J.'s childhood when Jack had been absent. J.J. was surprised to realize that Jennifer and Frankie had known each other in high school.
Jennifer explained that she and Frankie had been "quite the item" in high school. J.J. playfully asked Jennifer if Frankie had known how lucky he had been, and she clarified that she had been the lucky one, since "herds" of girls had been interested in Frankie. "One in particular --" Jennifer muttered before her voice trailed off.
J.J. prompted Jennifer to finish her sentence, so she explained that it would probably be accurate to say that the girl in question had been her rival. J.J. asked for the girl's name, so Jennifer started to search the yearbook for a picture of the girl. "Oh, shoot, I don't know. You know, some people are just better when they are left in the past, right where they belong," Jennifer mused when she was not immediately able to locate the girl's picture.
"So you had a rival. What is this, High School Musical?" J.J. joked. Jennifer insisted that the situation hadn't been funny and that she'd had some very serious issues with her rival along the way. Jennifer informed J.J. that the girl had actually left town with Frankie in the end. Jennifer added that she and Frankie had only reunited when he had returned to Salem years later, after things between him and her rival had ended.
Jennifer tried to drop the subject, guessing that J.J. didn't really want to hear about such silly things, but he clarified that it was actually interesting to think of her as a kid instead of just a mom. J.J. glanced at a framed photograph of Jack as he added that it was also interesting to think about what her life had been like before she had met his dad.
Meanwhile, the doorbell rang. J.J. volunteered to greet the visitor, guessing that it might be Paige, who had told him earlier that she might visit him after her last final. When J.J. opened the door, Paige excitedly announced that she had taken her last high school final, and they hugged as Jennifer watched with a smile on her face.
J.J. and Paige decided to go somewhere to celebrate. Jennifer warned them not to spoil their appetites in the process, since she had a celebratory feast planned for later that day. J.J. asked Paige to wait for him outside, and after she left, he wondered if Jennifer was sure that she was okay. Jennifer insisted that she was fine, and she reiterated that she didn't want to talk about what had happened with Daniel.
After J.J. left, Jennifer stared sadly at a framed photograph of Daniel that was perched on the mantel. Jennifer sighed and turned her attention back to the yearbook, idly flipping through the pages until she suddenly spotted something of note. "Oh, my goodness -- there you are. Oh, Eve," Jennifer muttered as she stared at a photograph of her high school rival.
Jennifer thought about the moment that Eve had gleefully revealed that she and Jack had gotten married. Jennifer had refused to believe the news at first, but Eve had flaunted her wedding ring to support the claim. Jennifer shuddered and told herself that her past with Eve was not the kind of thing that she needed to be thinking about at that time.
Meanwhile, the doorbell rang again, and Jennifer set aside the yearbook so that she could greet the latest visitor -- Victor, who had gone to the Horton house to show her the latest sales figures for Jack's book. Victor explained that Titan Publishing had experienced a nice spike in profits when Jack's book had been published, so he was interested in negotiating a movie deal. Jennifer was pleased to hear that, since it was great news for the veterans' organizations that would be receiving all the proceeds.
Changing the subject, Victor announced that Parker would be returning to Salem later that day and that Maggie wanted to host a gathering to celebrate the boy's return. Jennifer hesitantly started to respond, but before she could do so, Victor noticed the yearbook that was laying on the coffee table, still open to the page where Eve's picture had been printed. "Son of a -- what's with this picture? I thought that miserable tramp was long, long forgotten. Yeah, I was wondering what ever happened to her. Guantanamo?" Victor joked as he took a closer look at the yearbook.
Victor theorized that Jennifer had decided to pull out the yearbook because she had been in a good mood and had known that the best way to remedy that problem would be to look at something that would make her nauseous. Jennifer laughed but halfheartedly protested that Victor needed to be nice. Jennifer explained that J.J. had found her yearbook and had asked her about Frankie, which had made her think about Eve.
"Isn't it funny how, after all these years, someone can still just get under your skin?" Jennifer mused, and Victor replied with a sigh that there was nothing funny about it. "And then it occurred to me to tell J.J. that Eve is related to Theresa, but then I thought, 'Really, what's the point?' And I didn't tell him that Eve once married Jack right out from under me. I mean, he's just been so conflicted about his dad, you know? Why complicate things, right?" Jennifer reasoned.
Eric went to the hospital to talk to Daniel, but before he could find out if Daniel was available, he overheard a nurse talking to someone on the phone, explaining that Dr. Evans had canceled all of her sessions for the day. After the nurse ended the call, Eric asked if she had been referring to Dr. Marlena Evans. The nurse confirmed the suspicion and added that the cancellations had seemed a bit sudden. Eric's suspicions were aroused, so he quickly left the hospital, no longer interested in talking to Daniel right away.
Elsewhere, in Daniel's office, Daniel observed that, according to Eve's medical records, she had just moved to Salem. Eve clarified that she had actually just moved back to Salem, which had also been her home years earlier. Daniel guessed that a lot of things had changed since Eve's last stay in Salem. "Some things have. Some haven't," Eve coyly replied.
Daniel poured coffee for himself and Eve as he welcomed her back to Salem. Daniel explained that he had been living in Salem for the past few years, and he wondered if he and Eve knew some of the same people. "Hmm. Maybe. But right now, I want to focus on what's ahead of me. That is why I'm here, after all, and I think that you are gonna be a very big part of that, Daniel. Oh, I can call you Daniel, can't I? Oh, I hope you don't mind -- I just want to keep things, you know, comfortable by staying on the informal side," Eve said, and Daniel confirmed that he was okay with being on a first-name basis with her.
"And I know that you're gonna be the surgeon to revitalize my singing career -- I mean, once we get rid of those nasty nodules," Eve added. Daniel nodded and reported that he had performed the surgery in the past and could boast a "pretty good" success rate. Daniel warned that there was one little problem -- the surgery in question was an expensive elective one that Eve's insurance plan wouldn't cover.
Eve knew that Daniel would have to run some tests before he would be able to perform the surgery, so she told him to go ahead and schedule those, assuring him that once they were finished with that step, she would be "more than able" to pay for the surgery herself. Daniel laughed and wondered if Eve was planning to win the lottery in the meantime. "Well, let's just say it's not gonna be an issue for me," Eve coyly replied. Daniel nodded and observed that Eve seemed pretty driven to get back onstage. "I am driven to do a lot of things," Eve confirmed.
As Eve stood to leave, she noticed two framed photographs that were perched on Daniel's desk, and she asked if the people in the photographs were his children. Daniel confirmed the suspicion and told Eve his kids' names, and she observed that there was a big age difference between Melanie and Parker. Eve jokingly asked if Daniel and the mother had fought somewhere along the way, and he clarified that the kids actually had different mothers. Eve wondered if Melanie got along well with Daniel's new wife, and he replied that he was single.
"Uh, a single surgeon who looks like you? What's wrong with the women in this town, huh? You know what? Don't answer that -- I will find out on my own," Eve said before excusing herself, stating that she had a lot of catching up to do. Later, Eve found herself in the town square. "Well, this all seems new. Hmm. Some things never change," Eve mused as her eyes scanned the area and landed on Tom and Alice's memorial plaque.
In Nicole's hotel room, Marlena marveled that Nicole apparently had no qualms about hurting a man Nicole claimed to love. Nicole argued that Marlena -- and Marlena's "trashy daughter," Sami -- had hurt their beloved Eric just as badly.
"Watching you swap out his father for Secret Agent Man and watching Sami plow through men like Sherman marching to Atlanta -- no wonder Eric saw celibacy as an attractive lifestyle. And yet, he stayed so loyal to both of you. And Sami pays him back by shacking up with the brother of the woman who ruined his life, and you -- you protect Brady by showing that -- that video -- that awful video to a church full of people. I wouldn't have even had the opportunity to hurt Eric if it weren't for you two. Your idiotic actions are the gift that keeps on giving," Nicole asserted.
"You know, this is not a word I use very often, but you...are crazy. Blaming Sami and me? Really? That's insane, even by your standards. And you just won't take responsibility for what you did to my son," Marlena replied. Sick of hearing Marlena gloat, Nicole grabbed Marlena's arm and dragged her into the hallway, ordering her to leave.
As Marlena irritably freed herself from Nicole's grip, Eric arrived and demanded to know what was going on. "Oh, what's going on is your mother needs to get a life. She raced all the way over here to say 'I told you so' -- it was so petty and so immature," Nicole complained until Eric told her to stop talking. Eric turned to Marlena and wondered if she really believed that confronting Nicole had been a good idea.
"I make it a guiding principle to stay away from her, but some things had to be said," Marlena replied. Nicole insisted that Marlena would have to change her tune once Nicole and Eric worked things out, but Marlena found it hard to believe that would ever happen, based on Nicole's latest threat. "Nicole seems to have no interest in helping you with the church inquiry. What was it [she] said, again? Um...'Eric needs my help. Guess what -- he's not gonna get it.' Pretty close," Marlena informed Eric before walking away, guessing that he and Nicole had plenty of things to talk about.
As Eric followed Nicole into her hotel room, she admitted that she had been angry and had said the wrong things, but she added that she hadn't meant those things and that she loved and would never hurt him. Meanwhile, Eric received a phone call from the bishop. After a brief conversation, Eric ended the call and reported that the bishop had already started reaching out to people in an effort to corroborate Eric's story about the shredded documents.
Nicole assumed that meant she would soon receive a phone call from the bishop. Nicole stressed that she had meant what she had said earlier about helping Eric, and she assured him that she was his friend. "Yeah, and with friends like you -- you know the rest. I know that we wouldn't be where we are right now if you hadn't kept those documents hidden from me in the first place. I'm sure you mean it when you say you want to make this right, but I'm not gonna hold my breath," Eric replied before starting to leave.
Nicole protested that she and Eric needed to talk about everything that had happened. Eric replied that he was done talking and that he was headed to meet with someone he could trust. "And I asked you to take that ring off, and I meant it...'cause I'm pretty sure, [excluding] you, nobody else wants to see it, either," Eric added before exiting the room, slamming the door behind him.
Later, Nicole sighed as she stared at her engagement ring, and she slowly removed it. Meanwhile, Nicole received a phone call from someone who was calling on behalf of Bishop White. "So, you want me to come in tomorrow morning and testify before the ecclesiastical board about what happened to Eric? You say he needs my help? Well, he can forget about it. I have no intentions of helping the good Father -- tomorrow or ever," Nicole said before ending the call.
Eric returned to the hospital to make another attempt to talk to Daniel, who was in his office. Eric explained that he needed Daniel to help him convince the church that the shredded documents were legitimate pieces of evidence that proved Eric's innocence. Daniel assured Eric that he would be happy to help. Eric was grateful but remained worried about the person who could potentially have the most impact on the investigation -- Nicole.
At the Brady Pub, Roman was just ending a phone call when he spotted Marlena, so he kept his cell phone near his ear and pretended that he was talking to Giselle Van Hopper. After ending his fake phone call, he turned and greeted Marlena, claiming that he had missed her arrival. "You were busy talking to your not-so-secret girlfriend," Marlena replied.
Roman shrugged and claimed that Giselle called him constantly. Roman started to add that he should probably think of the attention as flattery, but he stopped himself when he realized that Marlena seemed upset about something. "I don't know why I let her get to me so much," Marlena muttered, more to herself than to Roman. Roman guessed that Marlena was talking about Nicole, and she confirmed the suspicion.
"I don't know why I feel like I've gotta stand up to her. And I -- I felt the same thing about Kristen -- I had to stand up to her -- and every time I do it, I end up hurting the people I love rather than helping them," Marlena mused. After hearing about what had happened earlier, Roman assured Marlena that Nicole had simply made an idle threat and that she didn't really have any intention of further sabotaging Eric's efforts to prove his innocence. Roman insisted that Marlena couldn't blame herself for any of the things that had happened to Eric lately. Roman grasped Marlena's hand as he added that they would help Eric get through his ordeal together.
As Paige entered her cousin's apartment, she received a text message from J.J., who was doing community service at the town square. Paige smiled as she read the message, but before she could respond to let J.J. know that she was on her way to the town square, she heard a door close inside the apartment. Assuming that her cousin had made the noise, Paige called out that she was home, but she was pleasantly surprised when she realized that the sound had actually originated from her mother -- Eve.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Victor greeted Kate and sweetly stated that it was nice to see her. Kate observed that the text message she had received from Victor earlier -- "get over here now" -- hadn't exactly conveyed the same "nice and fuzzy" sentiment. "Well, tonality's a little difficult when you're texting," Victor pointed out with a shrug.
Victor thanked Kate for her prompt response to his request, and he wondered if he could get her anything -- a glass of champagne, perhaps, since he was planning "a little celebration." Kate irritably reminded Victor that it was the middle of the day and that she was swamped with work and couldn't just drop everything at a moment's notice to celebrate with him.
"Well, then that should help you with your scheduling," Victor said as he pointed to an envelope that was laying on the coffee table. Intrigued, Kate reached for the envelope, wondering what it was. "It's your pink slip. You're fired," Victor gleefully replied. As Kate opened the envelope, Victor reminded her that he had previously warned her about "hooking up" with Stefano. Kate irritably countered that she had previously warned Victor to stay out of her personal business.
"Oh, trust me, Kate -- your coupling with that lowlife is the last thing I wanted on my mind. It's a very bad visual. But then, when you're using your position to pass along secrets to that person -- heh. As Aeschylus put it so powerfully, 'Your ass is fired,'" Victor replied. Kate claimed that she didn't know what Victor was talking about, so he explained that Aeschylus had been one of the "great Greek tragedians."
Annoyed, Kate clarified that she didn't know why Victor had accused her of passing business secrets to Stefano, since she had done no such thing. "Oh, here it comes -- the mock outrage. Well, it's not gonna work, Kate. Shortly after you started sporting those new baubles from Stefano, you gave him a little present in return -- sort of a tat for tit. You gave him information...leaked from my company. So now we not only know what you are, we know what your price is," Victor summarized.
Kate mused that there were only two people who were low enough to implicate her in such a manner, and she knew exactly who they were. "You know, I don't think anybody who twitches their behind for Stefano DiMera has the right to call anyone else 'low,'" Victor replied. Kate incredulously wondered if Victor had fired her because he was jealous of the fact that she and Stefano were working things out.
"I am not jealous; I am nauseated. This isn't personal, Kate. You stole from our company -- that's why you got canned. Now, granted, the idea of having to write you a check every week, knowing what you're doing with Stefano, is enough to turn my stomach, so get out! And don't even bother going back to Mad World -- security has orders to keep you out. Your stuff will be sent to you. Although, I must say, you're taking this a lot more calmly than I expected you to," Victor curiously observed. "Just you wait," Kate replied before exiting the mansion, and Victor smirked as he listened to her footsteps receding.
At the DiMera mansion, Harold entered the living room and politely cleared his throat to announce his presence, prompting Sami to tuck the photograph of E.J. and Abigail back in its envelope. Harold announced that the refreshments Sami had requested earlier were ready, and he wondered if she wanted him to take them out to the garden.
Sami nodded and explained that E.J. and Abigail were already outside. Sami added that Abigail had seemed a bit upset earlier, and she predicted that Harold's treats might cheer Abigail up. Harold mused that a slice of wedding cake could put a smile on anyone's face, and Sami laughed politely as she agreed with him.
After Harold left, Sami turned toward Stefano's portrait. "What is it you always say? 'Revenge is a dish best served cold'? I'm on it," Sami said before slipping the envelope back in her briefcase, grabbing her tablet computer, plastering a fake smile on her face, and exiting the mansion through the terrace doors.
Meanwhile, Harold wheeled a cart of refreshments into the garden, interrupting E.J.'s latest attempt to assure Abigail that everything was going to be okay. A short time later, Sami returned and wondered how Abigail was feeling. Abigail claimed that she was fine, but Sami encouraged her to help herself to a drink, anyway.
As Abigail accepted a glass of lemonade from Harold, Sami suddenly realized that the sugary treats might not be good for Abigail. "Maybe you should have something else. Do you want Harold to make you something to drink -- uh, a Virgin Mary?" Sami asked. Abigail stammered as she declined the offer, assuring Sami that the provided lemonade would be fine.
Sami stressed that Abigail could speak freely instead of giving the answers she believed Sami wanted to hear. "E.J. and I are working on this whole 'honesty' thing -- it's our new pact, right, sweetie?" Sami added as she turned to E.J., who nodded and forced a smile. Sami quickly changed the subject, turning her head toward the sky as she mused that she hoped that the weather would hold until after the wedding.
The mention of a wedding surprised Harold, so Sami apologetically explained that she had forgotten to inform him that she and E.J. had decided to move up their wedding date. Sami told Harold that the wedding was still going to take place in the garden, and she happily added that Abigail had agreed to be her maid of honor and help her plan the wedding.
Sami seamlessly segued into the next order of business -- picking the music that would be played during the reception. E.J. tried to excuse himself, claiming that he knew nothing about that subject and that he had some business that he needed to take care of, but Sami stopped him and insisted that he had to stay because she and Abigail needed him.
Sami asked Abigail to help her convince E.J. to stay, and Abigail -- who seemed a bit nervous about being left alone with Sami -- somewhat eagerly complied, so he shrugged and promised that he wouldn't leave. "'I Will Always Love You,'" Sami suddenly blurted out as she stared dreamily at E.J., who stressed that he would always love her, too.
"I know that, silly -- I mean the song! Isn't that perfect? You know, we could have just, like, all romantic songs. Abigail, would you hand me the tablet? Uh, you know, we could do, um, 'Isn't It Romantic?', 'My Romance,' 'I Fall In Love Too Easily,' -- oh, my gosh, this is gonna be so great! Those are all songs my dad had recordings of, but, of course, you're too young to know those songs, aren't you, Abigail? I just think it'd be so perfect, you know, that all the songs...just...are all about our love, our relationship," Sami cooed as she gazed at E.J.
"Abigail, I'm so embarrassed. I mean, I know he seems so gruff and tough all the time in public, but in private, he's actually very, very romantic. 'True Love' -- another one! Perfect, right? Oh, my gosh, I have to start writing this down. I am having so much fun! This is perfect. Wait, you know what? Can we toast? To our wedding -- to a day that none of us will ever forget," Sami suggested as she raised her glass of lemonade, and E.J. and Abigail uncomfortably followed suit. From behind her glass of lemonade, Sami grinned mischievously as she watched Abigail and E.J. sip their drinks.
Changing the subject, Sami informed Abigail that E.J. had a big board meeting scheduled for the day after the wedding, and she started to say something else about his workload, but she abruptly stopped herself and changed the subject again, asking Abigail to help her with something. Sami instructed E.J. and Abigail to stand, and she arranged them so that they were facing each other, mimicking a groom and bride. Sami pushed Abigail and E.J. closer together before standing back and using her tablet computer to take a photograph of them. E.J. and Abigail uncomfortably stared at each other as Sami captured the moment.
After taking the photograph, Sami studied it and complained that it seemed too "blah." Abigail helpfully suggested that she had once attended an outdoor wedding where the couple had stood beneath a trellis that had been adorned with flowers. Sami declared that the idea was "genius," and she sweetly asked E.J. to go to the DiMera shed and find out if they had a spare trellis. "I never thought I would say the words 'spare trellis' -- the Bradys don't even have one trellis. Abigail, I have to tell you -- thank you. Thank you so much! I am having so. Much. Fun," Sami said as she embraced Abigail after E.J. left.
Meanwhile, inside the mansion, Harold opened the front door and found Kate standing outside. Kate demanded to know where Sami was. Before Harold could respond, Kate barged into the foyer and started calling out for Sami. Harold followed Kate into the living room as she continued her search. Harold patiently objected that Kate had not been expected, and he offered to see if Sami was available to talk to her. "Oh, don't worry about that -- I'll announce myself," Kate said as she exited the mansion through the open terrace doors.
Meanwhile, in the garden, Sami suggested that she and Abigail could go ahead and sample the wedding cake options, reasoning that they had resisted temptation for long enough. "Though you're not like me -- I'm sure you have no trouble resisting temptation. You're a good girl," Sami added as she handed Abigail a fork. Before Abigail could respond, Kate entered the garden, with Harold in tow, and angrily shouted that Sami wasn't going to get away with what she had done.
Confused, Sami wondered what Kate was talking about. Without waiting for a response, Sami turned to Harold and demanded to know why he had allowed Kate to enter the mansion. "Maybe because he knows who he's going to be working for in the near future," Kate suggested. Sami vowed that she and E.J. weren't going to let Stefano get back together with Kate, adding that if Kate believed otherwise, she was even more delusional than Sami had previously suspected.
Sami dismissively added that she and Abigail were doing something very important -- tasting wedding cakes -- and didn't have time to "put up with the rantings of an over-the-hill piece of tail" like Kate. "You bitch!" Kate angrily shouted as she tossed some lemonade at Sami, who dodged the attack and caused Abigail to get drenched instead. Sami retaliated, smashing a piece of cake against Kate's chest, and a food fight quickly ensued, with Abigail caught in the middle, trying to stop the fight but taking the majority of the damage in the process. Harold watched and occasionally interjected, futilely asking the ladies to stop.
As the food fight continued, E.J. returned and intervened, getting some cake thrown at him in the process. Sami insisted that Kate had started the fight, but Kate countered that Sami needed to drop the innocent act. Kate added that Victor had fired her earlier and that she knew that Sami and E.J. had made that happen. E.J. dryly stated that it was hard to imagine why Victor would want to fire a levelheaded lady like Kate.
Kate warned E.J. and Sami to beware of what Stefano would do when he found out about their scheme. "Oh, I can't wait for him to find out about you. He is gonna kick you to the curb. And you'll be lucky if you get to keep all that jewelry you've been whoring yourself out for," Sami countered. Sami lunged toward Kate, but E.J. held his fiancée back.
"Really? Really? You think you've won, but, you see, Stefano knows that I love him. He knows that I support him. Unlike the two of you, with your ridiculous schemes," Kate argued. Sami sarcastically agreed that everyone was aware that scheming offended Kate. Grabbing another handful of cake, Kate approached E.J. and smashed it against his chest, vowing that Stefano would be made aware of the fact that his son couldn't be trusted. Kate stormed out of the garden, leaving nearly everyone in stunned silence -- everyone except Sami, who nonchalantly scraped a piece of cake off of E.J.'s shirt, tasted it, and said that she really liked the raspberry dacquoise.
Harold passed linen napkins to everyone, and Sami asked Harold to take Abigail into the mansion and help her get cleaned up. Sami said that she was sorry that Abigail had gotten caught in the crossfire, and she encouraged Abigail to take her pick of one of the outfits in Sami's closet, since her own had been ruined. After Harold escorted Abigail out of the garden, E.J. irritably demanded to know what Sami had done to incite Kate's wrath. Sami innocently replied that she had done "nothing," but E.J. knowingly pointed out that Samantha Brady had never, ever done "nothing" and that Kate wouldn't have gotten that upset about "nothing."
"Okay, well, maybe I happened to see one of Victor's henchmen at the Brady Pub, and maybe I just happened to have whispered too loudly that we had managed to steal a secret formula from Mad World," Sami admitted with a shrug and a sheepish grin. E.J. pointed out that the formula in question had actually originated from a completely different source, but Sami countered that the henchman hadn't known that. Sami added that she might have also made it seem like Stefano had been in on the theft from the beginning.
Furious, E.J. chastised Sami, reminding her that the DiMera Enterprises board meeting had already promised to be incredibly difficult and that he had spent hours trying to shore up the needed votes to accomplish his goal. E.J. predicted that Sami's actions were going to arouse Stefano's suspicions and motivate him to find out what E.J. had been up to lately.
"But, honey, I'm not worried about Stefano and Kate. I mean, they're not gonna be able to beat us -- we make a perfect team. You're the one who always says that, right? Please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry. I -- I didn't mean to go behind your back. Seriously, I didn't. I just thought you'd think it was funny, and...I don't want to do anything that would break the trust between us," Sami innocently assured E.J.
After a moment of silence, E.J. sighed and scraped a piece of cake off of Sami's bare shoulder. E.J. tasted the cake before playfully flicking Sami's nose and declaring that she was trouble. Sami smiled and unapologetically replied that she was aware of that fact. E.J. excused himself so that he could try to find out more about Kate's dismissal. After E.J. left, Sami's smile faded. "You do that, hotshot. You just do that," Sami muttered before disgustedly brushing off the part of her shoulder that E.J. had just touched.
Later, in the living room, Abigail and E.J. -- who had separately cleaned themselves up and changed into fresh clothes -- talked about what had happened earlier. Abigail declared that it had been scary, and E.J. joked that they were lucky that Sami and Kate had only been armed with cake to use as ammunition. Abigail wasn't amused, pointing out that Sami had been really angry. Abigail started to fret about what would happen if Sami ever found out the truth about E.J. and Abigail's fling, but he interrupted and insisted that Sami would never find out about that -- just as Sami entered the living room and interrupted them.
Sami -- who had also cleaned herself up and changed into fresh clothes -- apologized to Abigail again for the "fun" that had transpired earlier. Sami offered to pay for Abigail's dress to be dry cleaned, but Abigail insisted that wasn't necessary. Sami shrugged and cheerfully but dismissively escorted Abigail to the front door, explaining that E.J. had a lot of calls to make. Sami unapologetically reported that E.J. often claimed that his entire job revolved around putting out fires that she had started herself. E.J. watched in silence as Sami led Abigail out of the mansion, wondering which cake flavor Abigail had preferred.
Later, E.J. was on the phone with someone. "Well, there really isn't anything to worry about. Look, neither my father nor myself have the majority of the votes. But with the help of certain, uh, sympathetic board members, Mr. Shin, I'm quite confident that I could win," E.J. explained. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the mansion, Harold was also on the phone with someone -- Stefano. "Yes, Mr. DiMera. Ms. Roberts seemed sincere -- protective. Her exact words were, 'Stefano knows I love him and support him,'" Harold reported.
In a secluded section of Horton Town Square, Sami met with Kate -- who, like everyone else, had cleaned herself up and changed into fresh clothes. "I think that went perfectly," Sami said after embracing Kate, who agreed with the assessment of their earlier fight. "I'll be in touch," Sami added before walking away.
In Theresa's apartment, Brady woke up and found a card perched on the nightstand, addressed to him. When Brady picked up the card, he discovered a vial of cocaine hidden behind it. Brady sighed as he read the note -- "Don't forget -- big meeting first thing this morning. See you later. Love, Theresa" -- and tossed it aside before turning his attention back to the vial of cocaine.
At the hospital, Aiden was passing out fliers for the gala. After charming a nurse into buying tickets to the event, Aiden turned to walk away, accidentally bumping into Theresa in the process and knocking a stack of files out of her hands. Theresa chastised Aiden for causing the collision, complaining that it had taken forever to get the files in order.
Aiden apologized and knelt to help Theresa pick up the files. Theresa sighed irritably, but her mood changed the moment she realized that Aiden was handsome and well-dressed. Aiden picked up the files and even sorted them in alphabetical order for Theresa, and as he handed them back to her, he wondered if he had done enough to earn her forgiveness.
"Oh, who could stay mad at those dimples, hmm?" Theresa flirtatiously asked. Aiden said that he could give Theresa a list of names, and she wondered if he would sort those alphabetically, too. "Well, you might have time for 'A' through 'H,' and that's if you have all day," Aiden replied. Theresa found that hard to believe, since Aiden was "way too charming," but he assured her that his charm was just a clever mask.
Intrigued, Theresa wondered if Aiden's charm masked hidden motives. Aiden confirmed the suspicion and added that he had a proposition for Theresa. Aiden proceeded to make his sales pitch in an effort to get rid of a few more gala tickets, but as he was in the process of doing so, Brady arrived and accused Aiden of hitting on Theresa. Theresa was pleased when Brady referred to her as his girlfriend.
Aiden told Brady to relax, explaining that he had simply been talking to Theresa about the annual church gala. Brady remained antagonistic, wondering if Aiden wanted to step outside and find out how Brady liked to relax. Aiden started to wonder about the reason for Brady's behavior, since Brady wasn't "sweating bourbon" like he had been during their last encounter, but Theresa quickly stepped in and claimed that she and Brady already had plans for the evening of the gala. Theresa suggested that it might be best for Aiden to leave, and he happily obliged.
After Aiden left, Theresa admitted that she was also curious about Brady's behavior. Brady explained that he knew and disliked Aiden, who was a "pompous ass." Theresa tried to probe for additional details, but Brady irritably wondered why she cared about the matter. Theresa observed that Brady clearly wasn't having a very good morning, and she abruptly changed the subject, wondering if he had found the note she had left for him on the nightstand. Brady nodded and assured Theresa that he hadn't forgotten about his meeting, but he dragged her away as he added that there was something else that he wanted to do first.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Daniel reunited with Parker, who had just returned from Chloe's place in Chicago earlier that day. Parker was eager to swim in the pool, so Victor suggested that he and Maggie could host an outdoor dinner the following day to welcome the boy home and give him an opportunity to do just that. Maggie wondered if that would work for Daniel and Jennifer, and he noncommittally replied that he would have to check.
Later, Daniel presented Parker with a gift -- a kid-friendly tablet computer -- and as the boy played with it, Victor revealed that he had talked to Jennifer earlier. Victor asked if things between Daniel and Jennifer were all right. Daniel evasively wondered what Jennifer had said to Victor, who replied that she hadn't said much but had a very bad poker face that had hinted that something was amiss.
Daniel revealed that he and Jennifer were taking a break and that, consequently, she would not be joining the family for dinner the following night. Maggie was sorry to hear that but reasoned that things between Daniel and Jennifer would eventually get better. Daniel was less optimistic, but he chose not to elaborate. Later, after Victor and Parker went to another room to play with the boy's new toy, Maggie tried to find out what had happened between Daniel and Jennifer.
Daniel vaguely explained that the situation was complicated and that he couldn't tell Maggie much about it, since other people were involved. Maggie assumed that Daniel was alluding to an affair of some sort, but he clarified that she had misunderstood. Maggie observed that it looked like the situation had wrecked Daniel, and he confirmed that it had. Daniel added that he had believed that Jennifer had known him "down to his soul," but he had realized that he had been wrong about that.
Daniel explained that Jennifer hadn't had enough faith in him to believe that he would have done the right thing in a particular situation that had arisen. Daniel admitted that he cared -- a lot -- about Jennifer's opinion of him, and he added that he had realized that, deep down, she didn't really believe in him at all. Daniel said that Jennifer's doubts had made him question whether he really was the man he had previously believed himself to be.
Maggie wondered if Daniel believed that he would have done the right thing, and he confirmed that he was certain that he would have. "Well, then, I'm sorry, [but] Jennifer Rose is flat-out wrong," Maggie asserted. Maggie optimistically reasoned that Jennifer simply needed some time to realize that fact, but Daniel wasn't convinced that Jennifer would ever reach that conclusion. Daniel added that, either way, he couldn't forget about what Jennifer had said about him. Maggie mused that Daniel was making the matter sound awfully final.
Daniel apologized for sounding negative, but he added that the pain was still fresh, and he had to be honest about it. "You can't invent a fantasy world where the person you're with has just the qualities you want and nothing else. You have to accept them for who they truly, truly are," Daniel reasoned, and Maggie agreed, pointing out that she was keenly aware of that fact herself. Maggie argued that Daniel and Jennifer had been good for each other, and he admitted that he had once believed that, as well. Daniel conceded that Maggie might be right -- he and Jennifer might still be able to work things out -- and Maggie hugged him and said that was what she had wanted to hear all along.
At the Horton house, Jennifer received a visit from Hope, who quickly spotted the yearbook that was remained on the coffee table, still open to the page where Eve's picture had been printed. "Why in the world are you looking at photos of Eve Donovan? She's nothing but a very bad memory. Don't look back, cuz -- ever," Hope advised as she closed the yearbook.
Jennifer explained that the yearbook had fallen out of a box and that J.J. had found it and had started asking her questions about it. Hope wondered if J.J. knew about Jack and Eve's history. Jennifer shook her head and admitted that she was glad that J.J. didn't know the truth, since he already had conflicting feelings about his father, anyway. Hope understood, musing that it would be hard to predict how J.J. might react to the revelation that Jack and Eve had once been married. "No, it's not the 'what' -- it's the 'why.' And Abigail doesn't know, either. I mean, they don't need to know, right? Why -- why should they?" Jennifer reasoned, and Hope agreed.
Jennifer wondered how Eve's life had turned out. Hope guessed that Eve was probably bilking some millionaire out of his millions, stealing cars, or doing something similarly unsavory. Jennifer argued that Eve might still be in Africa, feeding the hungry and tending to the sick, but Hope countered that Jennifer needed to take off the rose-colored glasses. "We both know that she's probably making someone's life miserable," Hope predicted.
Jennifer admitted that she was glad that Eve was no longer making her life miserable. Hope could tell that Jennifer was upset about something, though, so she wondered who was responsible for the distress, if not Eve. Jennifer claimed that she was concerned about Eric, who had been through a lot during the past few days. Hope knew that Eric had ended his engagement to Nicole, and she reported that someone from Bishop White's office had called the police station earlier to request the help of their forensics team. Hope explained that the church was trying to verify the authenticity of some documents that could potentially clear Eric's name.
Hope also knew that Nicole had tried to destroy those documents, so she asked about Daniel, guessing that he had probably been devastated -- or, at least, disappointed -- when he had found out about Nicole's lies, since he had considered her a friend. Jennifer admitted that Nicole wasn't the only person who had upset Daniel recently. Jennifer proceeded to explain why she had told Eric about Nicole's deception instead of letting Daniel do so. Jennifer added that Daniel was upset because she had been honest about her belief that Nicole would have convinced him to keep the truth from Eric forever.
Jennifer stressed that she hadn't meant for her comments to sound like an attack on Daniel's character. Jennifer said that she had wanted to take back her comments but hadn't done so because she had known that Daniel would have seen right through her ploy. Jennifer optimistically reasoned that she and Daniel would eventually get through their latest conflict, since she believed that they were meant to be together.
Later, Jennifer received a visit from Aiden, who had known that Hope would be at the Horton house at that time, thanks to an earlier conversation with her. Aiden happily informed Jennifer that he and Hope had secured the Salem Inn ballroom for the church gala, and he wondered if Salem's "power couple" -- Jennifer and Daniel -- would like to sponsor a table. Jennifer started to decline, but Aiden pushed forward with his sales pitch, ignoring Hope's attempts to stop him.
Hope finally made a more forceful attempt to interrupt Aiden, which managed to get his attention. Confused, Aiden wondered what was wrong, so Jennifer admitted that she and Daniel were taking a break and wouldn't be able to sponsor a table. Aiden apologized profusely and said that he hoped that Jennifer and Daniel would work everything out eventually. Hope pointedly reminded Aiden that they had a catering meeting to attend, and he took the hint and followed her out of the house.
Later, at the Brady Pub, Aiden apologized to Hope for what had happened earlier, admitting that he had a real knack for alienating people. "You'd think I would have learned my lesson back when --" Aiden started to add, but he stopped himself before finishing the sentence.
Hope urged Aiden to continue. "When should I have known better? I don't know -- uh, last week, yesterday? I don't know -- pick a time, you'll find me with my foot in my mouth," Aiden joked. Hope wondered if that quality was helpful in court, and Aiden admitted that it sometimes was, since judges occasionally took pity on his clients when he acted like an idiot. Hope said that she hadn't seen Aiden act like an idiot before -- in court, anyway.
Changing the subject, Hope pointed out that she and Aiden were nearly finished with their plans for the gala, and he joked that she mainly had him to thank for that fact. Hope let the comment slide, and she wondered if Aiden could think of anything they had forgotten to do. Aiden pointed out that he and Hope were still without dates to the gala, and he suggested that they could go together as friends, if she believed that she would be able to stand spending an entire evening with him. "I don't know. You'd better hope so. I am always armed," Hope reminded Aiden with a smile.
While J.J. was doing community service at the town square, he ran into Cole. J.J. tried to ignore Cole, but Cole explained that he had some information to share with J.J. Cole added that, while he hated J.J., he hated Bev more at the moment. Confused, J.J. wondered what Bev had done to upset Cole. "She hired me to plant weed in your girlfriend's purse. I wasn't trying to steal [Paige's] bag, you moron," Cole revealed.
As J.J. absorbed the information, Bev suddenly appeared behind him on the other side of the town square. Cole glanced at Bev, and J.J. followed Cole's gaze and spotted her, as well. Bev quickly walked away, and J.J. chased after her. When Bev reached the Brady Pub, she paused near its entrance and hid behind a corner to give J.J. a chance to catch up to her. Bev emerged from her hiding place and started to rush off again when she heard J.J.'s footsteps approaching, but before she could take more than a few steps, he caught up to her and grabbed her arm to stop her from escaping.
As Bev struggled to free herself from J.J.'s grasp, he revealed that Cole had told him about her scheme to set Paige up. Bev ordered J.J. to let go of her, but he agreed to do so only after she promised that she wouldn't try to run from him again. Bev insisted that Cole's claims were ridiculous, adding that he was a loser and a liar who was just upset because she had refused to go out with him.
Unconvinced, J.J. assured Bev that her scheme wouldn't have worked, anyway. "Of course it wouldn't, because she's a brain and a goddess. She's a bitch, J.J., and you could do better," Bev insisted after making her sarcastic remark. J.J. wondered if Bev was referring to herself, and she confirmed the suspicion. Bev complained that J.J. had placed Paige on a pedestal, but he argued that Paige deserved that treatment. "Do you?" Bev wondered.
J.J. demanded to know what Bev meant. "I don't judge you, J.J., but she will," Bev predicted. Before Bev could continue, J.J. interrupted and warned her to stay away from him and Paige, adding that Bev had crossed the line. "You don't know her at all. I do belong with Paige, and you can't ruin it for us, so don't embarrass yourself by trying, okay?" J.J. advised Bev, who walked away without responding.
In Paige's cousin's apartment, Paige happily reunited with Eve, who assured her daughter that she planned to stay in Salem for good. After hugging Paige, Eve took a step back and studied the young woman, observing that something was definitely different about her. Paige protested that it hadn't been that long since she and Eve had last seen each other, but Eve remained convinced that something had changed.
After studying Paige from all angles, Eve determined that the difference was that Paige was brimming with confidence and seemed like a powerful young woman who was ready to take charge of life with a roar. Paige said that sounded like someone else she knew. "Well...I don't roar anymore. Not much, anyway. It's not good for my vocal cords," Eve admitted.
Eve promised that she and Paige were going to have the best summer ever, making the most of every minute they could grab together before Paige headed to college in the fall. Paige admitted that she was looking forward to hanging out with Eve, but Eve clarified that they weren't going to hang out together -- they were going to shop together.
Eve insisted that she and Paige each needed a new summer wardrobe, adding that Paige also needed a completely new wardrobe for Stanford. Paige pointed out that a few pairs of jeans would be enough, since college didn't really require a special set of clothes, but Eve insisted that Paige was going to have a different outfit for every occasion.
Realizing that it would be futile to try to protest, Paige decided to bow to Eve's expertise on the subject. "That's right -- one of us has to be frivolous. Besides, you are gonna be a far better nurse than I could ever be," Eve proudly predicted. Paige started to object, knowing that her mother had always been an excellent caretaker when illnesses had befallen her, but she stopped herself when she suddenly sensed that there might have been a deeper meaning behind Eve's comment. Concerned, Paige wondered if Eve needed a nurse.
Eve assured Paige that everything was fine, explaining that she was simply planning to proceed with the "little" throat surgery they had previously discussed. Eve added that, earlier that day, she had met with the doctor Paige had mentioned -- Dr. Daniel Jonas -- and had gotten things started. Eve jokingly cited that as proof that she did listen to Paige sometimes. Eve predicted that she would be back onstage that fall, singing again.
Paige was excited to hear the news, but she had some concerns. Before Paige could voice those concerns, Eve interrupted and declared that they needed to find a new place to live soon. Eve picked up a nearby decoration as she disapprovingly observed that Paige's cousin, Joan, was "a little style-challenged." Paige said that the apartment wasn't that bad, but Eve disagreed, asserting that the place looked like it had been decorated with things that had been purchased from a carwash gift shop. Eve insisted that Paige needed and deserved a real home.
"Mom...there's no way we have the money to do all these things," Paige pointed out, finally voicing her earlier concerns. Eve happily declared that she and Paige would never have to have another conversation about money, since they were "set" because she would soon be restarting her singing career. Paige was skeptical and immediately turned her attention to her cell phone, barely listening as Eve explained that she had once made pretty good money onstage. Eve guessed that Paige was trying to look up past performances, so she added that her best ones had occurred long before the YouTube era had begun.
Looking over Paige's shoulder, Eve realized that her daughter was actually on a financial aid website. Paige reasoned that it might not be too late to apply for financial aid, but Eve insisted that wasn't necessary. Paige remained worried, but Eve urged her to stop being "a downer." Eve raved that it had been a great day and that Daniel was optimistic about the surgery, and she joked that Paige had failed to mention that he was hot.
Changing the subject, Eve took a seat next to Paige on the couch and wrapped an arm around her, asking to hear about something good and happy -- such as Paige's relationship with her new boyfriend, J.J. Paige vaguely replied that J.J. was great. Eve sensed a vibe surrounding J.J. -- who not only had a shorthand name but had also just been described in a shorthand manner -- and she wondered if she could at least get his full name.
Paige evasively stated that everyone -- including J.J.'s own mother -- called him "J.J." Paige added that she didn't want to tell Eve anything else about J.J. because she wanted Eve to meet him and form her own impression of him. Eve wondered when she would get to meet J.J. Paige replied that J.J.'s mother was hosting a dinner later that night to celebrate the fact that the young couple's finals were behind them, and she urged her own mother to attend the event. Eve wasn't sure that it would be appropriate for her to show up uninvited, but Paige insisted that J.J.'s mother wouldn't mind. Paige predicted that Eve would love J.J.'s mother, who was "so sweet."
Eve noncommittally promised that she would think about attending the event, but she was suddenly more interested in having a discussion with Paige about the girl's willingness to believe that everyone was sweet and nice. Paige guessed that she was about to get another speech about how boys couldn't be trusted and couldn't stop themselves from acting like dogs, but Eve clarified that she actually wanted to talk about something else.
Eve predicted that people were going to be jealous of Paige -- who was a good, smart, big-hearted girl -- and were going to try to lower Paige to their level. Paige assumed that Eve was talking about Joan, so she stressed that she barely ever saw Joan, anyway. "No, no, no, sweetheart, no, no, no. That's not who I'm talking about. I'm talking about my family. I'm talking about Aunt Theresa," Eve clarified.
Paige stressed that she'd had zero contact with Theresa, just as Eve had requested. Eve was pleased to hear that, and she planned to keep things that way in the future. Paige wondered if Theresa was really that bad, and Eve replied that she was just glad that Theresa had last seen Paige when Paige had been a little girl. Paige admitted that she couldn't even remember that particular encounter. Eve hoped that Theresa had also forgotten about the encounter, since that would mean that Theresa would likely fail to recognize Paige if they ever crossed paths in Salem.
Paige assumed that Eve planned to avoid Theresa while living in Salem, but Eve admitted that she wouldn't be able to do so, since Shane had shared her whereabouts with Theresa. "What was I gonna do, sweetheart, you know? I -- I couldn't say no to him. I told him I would -- I'd check in on her. But I'm gonna tell you this much -- I'm gonna make sure she stays away from you, that's for sure," Eve promised. Paige insisted that she could handle Theresa, but Eve argued that she didn't want Paige to be forced to do so. Paige pointed out that Eve couldn't protect her forever, but Eve made it clear that she was certainly willing to try.
Changing the subject, Paige wondered if Eve would be willing to attend the dinner at J.J.'s mother's house that evening. Eve promised to think about the offer, but she added that she'd had a really long day and that it didn't sound like J.J. was going anywhere, anyway. Paige thought it sounded like Eve was backing out of the event, but Eve clarified that she hadn't made a decision yet, adding that she was simply wary of the fact that she would soon have to deal with Theresa.
Paige advised Eve to refrain from giving money to Theresa, and Eve promised that she wouldn't give Theresa their address, either. Paige started to excuse herself, and Eve asked her to leave the apartment door open, since the air conditioner was broken and Eve wanted to ventilate the apartment, which smelled like "kitty litter and cheese puffs" -- neither of which, according to Paige, had been in the apartment during her stay there.
Brady dragged Theresa to the park, where he wondered what they were doing with each other. Theresa said that she and Brady were simply having fun, and she mused that she had thought that had been working for them. Brady confirmed the suspicion but added that he wanted more. "It's not that I just saw you with that jerk at the hospital, okay? I don't like the idea of you with anyone else. When I see you with anyone else, I -- I don't like it. I hate it. I don't think I would feel that way if I didn't...care, right?" Brady mused, prompting Theresa to reply that she wasn't an expert on the subject.
Brady guessed that Theresa had been under the impression that their relationship had simply been about sex, booze, drugs, and good times, not to mention the free stuff he regularly provided her with. As soon as Brady mentioned the latter benefit, Theresa quickly interrupted and claimed that she didn't care about such things at all, but he ignored her comment and forged ahead with his point.
"What if you take all of that other stuff away? I mean, maybe...there's something else. I'm not -- I'm not saying I want to go cold turkey tomorrow or anything -- that's crazy -- but...without all that other stuff, I mean, maybe there's something here. What do you think about that?" Brady wondered. Theresa initially suspected that Brady was simply embarrassed because he had acted like a "jealous jackass" earlier, but she soon realized that he was being serious. Theresa admitted that she liked seeing Brady's serious side and knowing that he was serious about their relationship. "I -- I kind of like everything that you had to say," Theresa added before kissing Brady.
Meanwhile, Theresa's cell phone rang, and she reluctantly answered it. The caller -- Eve, who had blocked her number -- remained silent as Theresa wondered if anyone was on the other end of the call. Theresa eventually ended the call. "Okay. Well, I am definitely gonna need a drink before I deal with that one. Or, at least, some fresh clothes and fresh air," Eve muttered as she tossed her cell phone aside and retreated to the back of the apartment.
Theresa assured Brady that she hadn't just received a call from some guy, and he told her that he believed her and that he didn't care who she talked to, anyway -- as long as she never talked to his father. "I completely trust you," Brady blurted out. The comment surprised Theresa, and she asked him to repeat it. "I trust you. I have no reason not to trust you. Why would I --" Brady started to say, but Theresa interrupted him with a kiss and thanked him for saying such kind things.
Brady and Theresa started to part ways, but before doing so, Theresa suggested that taking a hit of cocaine would be a good idea. Brady claimed that he was out of cocaine, and Theresa said that she was, too, although she promised to buy more later. After Theresa left, Brady retrieved a vial of cocaine from his pocket, but he quickly returned it without taking a hit.
Paige went to the town square to look for J.J., but he wasn't there, so she sent him a text message. J.J., who was outside the Brady Pub at that time, replied that he would meet Paige "at home," and she responded a few seconds later to confirm that plan. Paige went to the Horton house to meet J.J., but he wasn't there. Meanwhile, J.J. went to Paige's cousin's apartment to meet her. The door was still ajar, and as he approached it, Eve revealed herself -- with several shirt buttons still undone.
