Outside Eve's apartment, a shocked Paige quietly walked away after overhearing Eve point out that Jack had raped Kayla years earlier. "I don't need you to remind me what Jack did to me. I was there," Kayla countered.
"It took a long time...and a hell of a lot of work -- on my part and Jack's -- to get past what he did to me, but Jack was truly, truly remorseful. He went to therapy, and he did everything in his power to make amends and to be a better person. [...] But you refuse to acknowledge that. You haven't changed one little bit, have you? You are exactly the same selfish, vindictive girl that I first met [back] when your only mission in life was to destroy my sister's marriage," Kayla added.
Eve countered that Shane and Kimberly's marriage had been over long before she had entered the picture, and she asserted that it hadn't been selfish of her to want to protect her father from someone who had hurt him -- just like she wanted to protect Paige from J.J. Kayla insisted that J.J. would never hurt Paige, but Eve disagreed, arguing that he had already stopped Paige from going to Stanford. Kayla reminded Eve that it had been Paige's decision to take a one-year deferral from the college. Kayla added that it seemed like that decision was paying off.
Eve maintained that J.J. wasn't good enough for Paige. "He never will be, in your eyes, no matter what he does, because he is Jennifer's son. Why won't you just admit that this is all about her?" Kayla countered, but Eve continued to deny the accusation, extolling Paige's virtues and arguing that, in contrast, the only things that could be said about J.J. were that he had a criminal record and a drug problem. Kayla pointed out that Eve also had a criminal record. Kayla added that she had heard a lot about Eve's high school days from Kayla's brother, Frankie, who had -- to Eve's dismay -- loved Jennifer more than Eve.
Kayla concluded that Eve was trying to punish Jennifer -- through J.J. -- for the fact that Frankie had never been able to get over Jennifer, but Eve insisted that Kayla's psychoanalysis was wrong. Changing the subject, Eve pointedly asked about Stephanie, and Kayla tersely replied that Stephanie was doing great. "It's a good thing she got out of that unsavory relationship and left Salem, even though it was in disgrace," Eve mused, and she vowed that she was never going to let anything similar happen to her daughter.
"J.J. has proven over and over again that he would lie, cheat, steal to get whatever he wants -- and, of course, I would know all about that, right? But eventually, my daughter will see who J.J. really is, and in the meantime, I just hope it's sooner than later," Eve concluded as she dismissively opened the apartment door for Kayla, who took the hint and left, glaring at Eve but not saying another word.
Later, Eve went to the hospital to see her throat surgeon, Dr. Chung, one last time before her vocal cord surgery the following day. Eve assumed that the meeting was just a formality, but Chung revealed that he actually had some bad news for her.
Paige entered the Brady Pub in a daze, still absorbing what she had heard earlier. Suddenly seeing J.J.'s recent behavior in a different light, Paige retrieved her cell phone and read the five text messages from him that she had been ignoring. Paige briefly considered keeping quiet about what she had learned, reasoning that J.J. might not want to talk about it, but she ultimately decided that he needed to know that she was there for him. "Maybe it will even bring us closer together," Paige mused optimistically.
In the park, J.J. shivered and rubbed his bare forearms as Rory helpfully reported that a cold front was moving down from Canada that was supposed to send the temperature in Salem plummeting down to fifteen degrees that night. J.J. mused that it would probably be best to head home, since he had neglected to wear a jacket to the outdoor party, but two girls overheard and flirtatiously assured him that they would keep him warm.
As J.J. got sandwiched between the two girls, Bev captured the interaction on her cell phone from her nearby hiding place. Meanwhile, J.J. received a text message from Paige, and he quickly excused himself after reading it, encouraging the girls to keep Rory warm instead. Rory tried to convince J.J. to stay, but J.J. excitedly explained that he needed to leave right away because Paige had just asked to meet with him.
Rory wished J.J. luck, admitting that, while Paige and J.J. weren't exactly a barrel of laughs when they were together, things were even worse when they were apart. Rory teasingly guessed that Paige had asked to meet J.J. at the library, but J.J. clarified that they would be meeting at Daniel's apartment -- and that it wouldn't take her long to get there, since she had contacted him from the nearby Brady Pub. J.J. didn't want to keep Paige waiting, so he left after encouraging Rory to have fun without him, unaware that Bev had overheard their conversation.
Bev made it to the Brady Pub just as Paige was leaving. Bev casually asked if Paige was headed to the Halloween party in the park, where J.J. had been all afternoon. Bev urged Paige to get there quickly, explaining that J.J. had been having a bit too much fun on his own there. Paige responded with confusion, so Bev showed Paige a picture of J.J. sandwiched between two girls, holding a plastic cup in his hand. "I tried to warn ya, babe. And you can't really be mad at him, either, because that's just who he is, and who he always will be," Bev reasoned. As Paige started to walk away, Bev mischievously promised to send the picture to her.
At Daniel's apartment, J.J. turned up the thermostat and helped himself to one of Daniel's beers in an effort to warm up, reasoning that Daniel would never miss it, anyway. J.J. called Paige and left her a voicemail message, wondering why she wasn't at Daniel's apartment yet. Meanwhile, in the hallway, Paige stared at the incriminating picture Bev had sent her earlier. Paige assured herself that Bev had obviously set things up in a way that would make J.J. look guilty, and she reasoned that Bev was probably the person who had taken the last set of incriminating photographs, too.
Paige let herself into Daniel's apartment -- and was shocked to find J.J. sitting on the couch, drinking a beer. J.J. hugged Paige and said he had missed her, slurring his words slightly as he spoke. Paige pulled away and wondered what J.J. had been doing that day. J.J. replied that he had been sending Paige text messages practically every ten minutes, and he added that she was all he had been thinking about all day. "Stop it, J.J.! Stop lying to me!" Paige snapped.
At the Horton Town Square, Aiden greeted Bree and acknowledged that it had been a long time since they had last seen each other. Bree agreed, and after asking about Chase, she admitted that she had always wondered where Aiden and Chase had gone after leaving Portland. "You left so suddenly...but I guess we both know why," Bree vaguely added.
In response to Aiden's inquiry, Bree explained that she had once lived in Salem but had only returned to take care of some business and see some old friends before flying back out of town later that night. Aiden replied -- with questionable sincerity -- that he was sorry to hear that he and Bree wouldn't have time to catch up with each other. "You know, there's not a single day that goes by that I don't think of Meredith. Not a single day," Bree told Aiden. Meanwhile, Hope spotted them from the other end of the town square, but before she could approach them, she received a phone call from someone at the police station.
Aiden assured Bree that he thought about his wife all the time, too. Bree seemed skeptical but gave Aiden the benefit of the doubt. Bree said it was a shame that Meredith was gone, since she had been such a sweet person -- and a dear friend, as well. Aiden nodded uncomfortably but remained silent as Bree excused herself so that she could get to the airport in time for her flight.
As soon as Bree left, Hope returned with bags of butter toffee for herself and Aiden. "Hey, I just saw you talking to Bree Tjaden. You know her?" Hope asked curiously. Hope explained that she and Bree had met each other years earlier but had lost touch when Bree had moved to Portland. Aiden confirmed that he had met Bree soon after she had moved to Portland, and he admitted that, while he hadn't known her that well, she and his wife had been friends. Hope wondered if Aiden was okay, guessing that seeing Bree again had stirred up a lot of old memories. Aiden nodded but claimed that he was fine.
Changing the subject, Hope started to tell Aiden about another scary movie she had thought of that might be suitable for their planned movie night, but he interrupted and asked if she would mind if he canceled their date. Hope shook her head and guessed that Aiden's earlier encounter with Bree had upset him more than he had been willing to admit, but he claimed that he had simply decided that it would probably be best to take things slowly, since Ciara wasn't completely in favor of their relationship yet.
At the Brady Pub, Theresa confidently insisted that she could fix things between her and Brady -- and that she wouldn't even have to lift a finger to do so. "Oh, really? How? A little magic? A little prayer? Maybe chanting, perhaps, a little Namu Myoho Renge Kyo?" Anne skeptically asked, the Buddhist mantra expertly flowing from her lips as she folded her hands in prayer. Theresa dragged Anne off so they could continue their conversation in a more private location.
At the hospital, Eric informed Marlena that his latest call to Brady's cell phone had gone straight to voicemail, just like all the other attempts. Marlena feared that Brady might have gone to a bar, but Eric argued that there were actually worse possibilities. "Now that Brady knows Kristen's the one person who wasn't lying, this could be the one thing that sends him right back into her arms again," Eric pointed out.
Marlena assured her curious son that she hadn't known about John's deception all along -- and that if she had known, she would have warned him that the whole thing would have blown up in his face eventually. Eric gave Marlena a comforting hug as he reasoned that they simply had to trust that everything was going to be okay. Meanwhile, Theresa and Anne emerged from the nearby elevator -- and cautiously backed into it again as soon as they saw Marlena and Eric, whose backs were turned toward the women.
"Maybe I'll do us all a favor -- maybe I'll just strangle Theresa," Marlena mused as Anne impatiently pressed the button to close the elevator doors. Meanwhile, Marlena turned her head and spotted Theresa, but the elevator doors closed just before Marlena reached out to stop them. "Hmm. Well, if she thinks it'll be that easy, she's sadly mistaken. She hasn't met me yet," Marlena told Eric, who followed as she rushed off to catch Theresa.
Theresa and Anne ducked into a secluded section of the town square and paused to rest for a minute, assuming that they had managed to evade Marlena, but they were horrified when she and Eric soon cornered them there. Theresa maintained her innocence, and she defiantly insisted that no jury in the world would ever convict her, anyway, since John had already given an official statement to the police that supported her version of events, and Kristen had a history of editing recordings.
Marlena reasoned that, while she didn't know if Theresa would be headed to jail or not, the really good news was that, at the very least, Theresa and Brady were finished for good. "I wouldn't be too sure about that," Theresa countered. Eric asked Marlena to give him a moment alone with Theresa, and Marlena gladly complied. After Marlena left, Eric told Theresa that he was very disappointed, and he urged her to stay away from Brady and refrain from making things tougher than they already were.
Anne waited until Eric was gone before pointing out that Theresa would only have a lifetime of dinners with Daniel and Jennifer to look forward to if she stayed with Brady, anyway. Theresa insisted that she had an excellent reason for refusing to give up on Brady, and she once again dragged Anne off in search of a more private location to reveal it.
Kristen admitted that she hadn't expected to see Brady again, especially after the way their previous conversation had ended. Kristen wasn't in the mood to hear Brady yell at her again, so she informed him that she had already accepted the fact that he would forever refuse to believe the truth simply because she was the person who was telling it to him. Brady entered Kristen's hotel room as he clarified that he had actually realized that she was the only person who had been telling him the truth all along.
Shocked, Kristen wondered what had changed Brady's mind. Brady told Kristen about what had happened at the hospital, and he apologized for the harsh things he had said to her earlier. Relieved, Kristen hugged Brady and assured him that she understood and was just happy that he finally knew the truth.
"I can't help but think maybe this is a new beginning for us. [...] I mean, I don't think we're gonna pick up where we left off, you know, a year ago, and I know I've got a long road ahead of me before you trust me again. [...] But hey, doesn't it count for something? I wanted you to know the truth because I love you so much. And I know that you still have feelings for me. I mean, you said that my lying killed those feelings, but there was no lie. So...is there hope that maybe this is a fresh start for us? What do you think?" Kristen optimistically asked Brady, who admitted that her fantasy sounded nice.
"Maybe -- maybe -- it might have been possible, if it weren't for one small problem -- I just saw you having sex with my best friend," Brady bitterly added. Kristen desperately tried to convince Brady that she and Daniel had stopped themselves before taking things that far, stressing that what had almost happened between them hadn't been about love or even lust -- it had simply been about her and Daniel trying to find comfort with each other after devastating fights with Brady and Jennifer, respectively.
Kristen begged Brady to say that he believed her, but he reasoned that the only thing that mattered was that she had gotten into bed with Daniel in the first place. "There is always someone else. Not -- not -- not just someone else, but usually someone that's important to me, someone I'm close to. I mean, do you just want to hurt me? Is that what this whole thing is about?" Brady wondered. Kristen denied the suspicion, but Brady wasn't convinced, pointing out that, in addition to his best friend, Kristen had previously targeted his father and his brother. "Who's next, huh? Victor?" Brady asked.
Kristen insisted that, in each case, her actions had been due to the heartbreak and devastation that had stemmed from believing that there had been absolutely no chance that Brady would ever take her back. "I did take your pitiful self back, and I will never make that mistake again. [...] You're always heartbroken and devastated. You always have an excuse for everything that you do, and if I ever needed any more proof to prove how sick and destructive you are, man, I got it now!" Brady countered.
Kristen argued that Brady wasn't being fair, and she pointed out that she hadn't cheated on him, since he had told her earlier that he never wanted to see her again. Brady bitterly replied that Kristen's first instinct had been to hop into bed with his best friend. "If you would have chosen anyone else in the world, we might have had a chance, Kristen, but no, you chose my best friend. It's like you're takin' a knife and you're stickin' it in me!" Brady snapped. Brady concluded that Kristen was one of the many liars in his life, along with John, Theresa, and Daniel, and that they could all go to hell.
When Brady returned to the Kiriakis mansion, Eric and Marlena were waiting for him. Brady wasn't in the mood to talk, so Marlena and Eric reluctantly agreed to give him some space. Brady promised that he wasn't going to drink or do drugs, and he also surprised Marlena and Eric with assurances that he never wanted to see "that bitch," Kristen, again.
Kristen angrily tossed a vase across her hotel room as she chastised herself for being an idiot, musing that she would have had a chance with Brady if she had just stayed away from Daniel's apartment earlier that day. Feeling claustrophobic, Kristen went to the park, and she was sobbing on a bench there when she heard Theresa and Anne's voices in the distance. Kristen hid behind some trees and eavesdropped as Anne impatiently demanded to know when Theresa was finally going to explain why she believed there was still a chance for her and Brady.
"I'm pregnant -- with Brady's child," Theresa excitedly revealed.
At the hospital, Dr. Chung informed Eve that he had canceled her vocal cord surgery the next day. He explained to an upset Eve that her pre-op tests had revealed that the surgery could cause severe, permanent damage to her laryngeal nerve -- and she could lose her voice completely. Clutching her throat, Eve declared that she wanted a second opinion. Dr. Chung cautioned Eve that although she was welcome to get one, his colleagues at University Hospital had concurred that there was nothing that could be done medically to help Eve.
Eve tearfully confided that she had been waiting a very long time to be able to afford the surgery. "Singing is my life, okay? And I was finally going to get my life, so you -- you can't tell me that there's no hope here!" she cried. Dr. Chung couldn't offer Eve anything else, so she fled the doctor's office, sobbing.
Later, Eric found Eve drinking alone at a table in Horton Square. Eric was looking for Theresa so they could finish a conversation they'd started earlier, but Eve hadn't seen her. Concerned, Eric asked eve if something were wrong, pointing out that Eve hadn't wanted to drink before her surgery. Eve said that her plans had hit a snag -- but she didn't feel like talking about her career. She asked Eric to tell her more about himself. Before the conversation could go any further, Eric had to leave to take a call. Crying, Eve took another big swig from her glass of wine and left.
At Daniel's apartment, an irked Paige informed J.J. that she knew what he'd really been doing that day besides thinking about her -- and it made her wonder if she truly knew him. Spotting J.J.'s beer, Paige demanded to know why he was drinking. J.J. insisted that he'd just been trying to warm up, plus he had been waiting for Paige so long that he'd begun to wonder if she would show up. Paige noted that it hadn't been J.J.'s first beer that night.
Paige demanded to know where J.J. had been earlier, and he said that he had been hanging out with Rory. J.J. admitted that the two of them had consumed a few beers because they'd been trying to patch things up between them -- but J.J. didn't understand why Paige was so upset that he'd drunk a few beers. Paige showed him the picture on her phone that Bev had sent of the two girls hanging all over J.J. at the keg party.
J.J. insisted that he'd gone to a party with Rory while waiting to hear from Paige. J.J. continued that he hadn't worn a jacket so he'd been freezing, but they had just been "messing around." Paige pointed out that J.J. had decided not to even tell her about it, but J.J. reminded her that she'd started grilling him about drinking the minute she'd walked in. Paige was still miffed. "Paige, I'm having a really hard time understanding what I did wrong here," a perplexed J.J. admitted, pointing out that he had never lied to her about anything.
Her anger escalating, Paige argued that J.J. had been keeping something from her for weeks. J.J. asked what she was talking about. "That your dad raped your Aunt Kayla," Paige said. J.J. was stunned that Paige already knew about that. Paige asked gently why J.J. hadn't just told her when she'd talked to him about Kayla being raped, but J.J.'s face had clouded over with anger. He guessed that Paige's "bitch of an aunt" had blabbed, and when Paige said it hadn't been Theresa, he surmised that it had been Eve.
Seeing how angry J.J. had become, Paige gently apologized. J.J. declared, "I can't talk about it right now. I think you should go." A dismayed Paige said that she'd wanted to be there for J.J. because she'd thought he'd been upset about his dad, but he wouldn't talk to her -- although he clearly hadn't been upset when he'd been with the other girls. She grabbed her things and started to leave. Softening, J.J. asked Paige to wait. "No. I'm serious: I don't know what's going on with you, but one thing I do know is that we're done," Paige declared as she stormed out.
J.J. chugged the rest of his beer and tried to call Paige. When she didn't answer, he left a message, apologizing and explaining that he had wanted to tell her from the beginning about his dad and Kayla, but he hadn't known how. J.J. continued, "I was scared that maybe, you know, I was like him; I am in other ways. So I just got really scared, and I shut down." He assured Paige that he wasn't a "player" and that the other girls had been a mistake. "Whoever took that picture tonight was just trying to mess with us, and it worked. Paige, I love you, and I hope you know that," J.J. concluded.
Ignoring J.J.'s call, a sobbing Paige called her friend Daphne and asked if she could spend the night in Daphne's dorm room. After she hung up, Paige wished that she could just go home. "I need you, Mom!" Paige cried.
Back at the apartment, Eve got a text message from Paige that read, "Staying with Daphne tonight. Love you." A miserable Eve said, "I love you, too, baby." She put on one of her CDs and listened, her hand at her throat, as her clear voice sang from the speakers. Crying, Eve tried to sing along, but she broke down in devastated sobs. When there was a knock at the door, Eve turned off the CD before answering. She was taken aback when she opened the door and found J.J. standing in the hallway.
While Jordan was pouring a cup of coffee at the hospital, she recalled Clyde's accusations that she had killed her mother. Distracted, she over-poured the coffee and burned her hand. Marlena witnessed the mishap and asked if Jordan were all right. Jordan claimed that she was just having a tough day. Marlena was confident that the day would improve.
Jordan asked Marlena about "a patient" who'd suddenly experienced disturbing memories about something that had happened long before. Marlena explained some studies had shown that repressed memories were the brain's way of compartmentalizing painful events until they disappeared from conscious recall. Marlena offered to talk to Jordan's patient, since she had some experience in that area. Jordan promised to pass the information on to her patient.
Ben exited Horton Square with a Realtor who'd just shown him an apartment. The Realtor reassured Ben that with his decent credit, good references, and deposit money, the landlord should approve Ben to move in as early as the next day.
Clyde sat at a table in Horton Square, reading Will's online article about Chad. Spotting Chad across the square, Clyde noted to himself that Jordan could do a lot worse. Clyde approached Chad and said that he'd just been reading about Chad. Clyde offered belated condolences about E.J.'s death and acknowledged that it had to have been painful for Chad to lose his brother while the two had been at odds. Chad thanked Clyde and left.
Abigail went to Club TBD to see Ben, but Sonny informed her that he'd let Ben leave early to take care of something that Ben had said was important. Abigail announced that, in that case, she'd run by Will and Sonny's to drop off a present for Arianna. Sonny broke the news that Will and Arianna had gone to California with Sami and the kids. Abigail was floored, especially since Will hadn't even told her goodbye. Sonny explained that the "studio suits" had wanted Will there right away to write the screenplay about Sami's life, but Will would be back in six months.
Correctly guessing that the studio executives had read Will's article in TruVista, Abigail sarcastically remarked that at least Will wouldn't have time to write any more exposés about his friends and family. "I'm guessing you haven't seen this," Sonny said, handing Abigail a copy of Sonix with Will's cover story about Chad, with the headline: "After DiMera Death...Heir Apparent?"
Chad arrived while Abigail was reading the article. Since Abigail had just read that Chad had called E.J. an "arrogant ass," she wondered aloud if she wanted to hear what Chad had said about her. Sonny and Chad informed her that Will had only accepted the assignment on the condition that Abigail's name was left out, and Chad had happily agreed to those terms.
After Chad and Sonny stepped away to discuss their proposal for a new club, a beaming Ben arrived and surprised Abigail by greeting her with a passionate kiss. Ben filled Abigail in about his potential new apartment, excitedly adding that he'd never had a place of his own before other than rented rooms, and he couldn't wait to share it with her.
Chad seemed impressed with the time and effort Sonny had put into the presentation about the new club. After Sonny left, Chad answered a call on the club's business phone. "Yeah, this is one of the owners... Sure, I can answer all your questions," Chad said.
As he walked through the park, Sonny tried to call Will but got his voicemail instead. Marlena arrived as Sonny was concluding his message and asked how he was. He admitted that the apartment felt empty without Will and Arianna. Marlena noted that Sonny had needed to give Will his blessing to go to Los Angeles without getting much time to think about it. Sonny confessed even before Will had gone to California, they had been arguing about Will's work -- but Sonny was very proud of his husband and could never ask Will to walk away from such a great opportunity.
Sonny added that Sami and the kids had been through something terrible, and they really needed Will and Arianna with them. Pointing out that Sonny was also a very important part of the family, Marlena suggested, "What if you just jumped on a plane and surprise them? Wouldn't that mean the world to Will and to Ari? Wouldn't that be so important to you?" Sonny admitted that he was very busy with work, but he would see what he could do.
Marlena noted that it would be good for Will to know how much Sonny missed him. She added that many of the couples she'd treated over the years had admitted to missing the communication and closeness that they'd once shared -- but she believed that Sonny and Will would be just fine as long as they kept that closeness.
Sonny was still in the park when Abigail showed up a little later with the gift for Arianna. Abigail explained that she would mail the gift but she didn't have Will's address in L.A. Sonny offered to deliver it personally when he visited. Abigail happily informed Sonny that Ben was getting his own apartment.
Chad went to the hospital, where he ran into Jordan. Assuming he was there to ask for a decision about whether to have dinner with him, Jordan apologized for not being ready to give him an answer yet. Chad assured Jordan that he wasn't there to pressure her; he was only there to formally notify the CEO that he was taking E.J.'s seat on the hospital board. Chad asked if he could buy Jordan a cup of coffee while he was there, noting that it seemed as if something were bothering her.
Jordan pointed out that Chad barely knew her. Chad countered gently, "I've had plenty of reminders lately that life is too short to let stuff eat at you." Jordan asked if she could take a rain check on the coffee -- but she promised to let Chad know soon about dinner. "Before you do that, you might want to read the article about me in Sonix magazine," Chad cautioned her lightly. After Chad left, Jordan sent a text message that read, "I need to see you -- now."
A little later, Clyde met Jordan in the park outside Horton Square. He remarked that it warmed his heart to know that Jordan wasn't going to stand in the way of him helping Ben out with college and a place to live. Jordan explained that she had asked Clyde there because she wanted to know what he'd been talking about when he'd said it wasn't just her mother's blood on her hands.
As Chad returned to the club, Ben got a phone call from his Realtor. She informed Ben that he hadn't gotten the apartment because the landlord had called his references. "The problem was your employer," the Realtor added. A confused Ben said that his employer would never give him a bad reference -- and Ben had been doing such a good job that Sonny Kiriakis had just given him a raise. "Unfortunately, Sonny Kiriakis wasn't the person the landlord spoke to," the Realtor said. Ben wanted to know whom the landlord had spoken to.
Ben hung up and immediately strode over to Chad. "You son of a bitch," Ben said, punching Chad so hard that it nearly knocked him to the floor.
In the woods, Kristen eavesdropped from behind some foliage as Theresa announced to Anne that she was pregnant with Brady's baby. Kristen's eyes widened with horror. "This is so wrong," Kristen muttered angrily, picking up a softball-sized rock and wielding it as if she might hurl it at Theresa. "I knew he always wanted a child, but I never thought I would be the one to make his dream come true," Theresa said happily.
Pouting miserably about her own inability to have a baby, Kristen dropped the stone -- and Theresa heard it. Since Anne hadn't heard anything, she suggested that Theresa had simply heard an animal. A jumpy Theresa said that they would have to continue the conversation elsewhere. Anne agreed as long as they went somewhere she could get a drink.
As soon as Anne and Theresa had gone, an enraged Kristen emerged from her hiding place. Repeatedly flinging a trash can around and kicking viciously at the refuse that spilled out, a crazed Kristen shrieked, "That bitch cannot be carrying his child! She cannot! She cannot! She cannot!"
At the Brady Pub, Theresa said that she needed to tell Brady about her pregnancy as soon as possible. Anne wondered if Theresa had made the whole thing up. Theresa explained that the day had started off badly, but then she'd looked at the calendar on her phone and realized that her period was really late. She'd gone home and taken a pregnancy test, and it had been positive. Anne asked if Theresa were sure the baby was Brady's.
Theresa insisted, "Brady's the only guy I've been with for months -- and now he's going to be a daddy." Anne noted cynically that she hoped the baby wasn't born in jail and that Brady didn't sue for custody and end up raising it with Kristen. "That is not going to happen... Kristen or no Kristen, I am the mother of Brady's child, and nothing can ever change that," Theresa declared firmly.
A determined Kristen headed for her hotel room and made a phone call: "Hello, this is Kristen DiMera calling. I have some very specific needs, and it's important that I see you right away... No, this cannot wait. In fact, time is of the essence... Perfect. So I can count on your complete support?" A little later, Kristen's goon arrived. He assured her that the job they had discussed could be done that very night.
In the town square, Rory saw Paige crying and said hello. Rory said he was confused because when he had last spoken to J.J., he had been excited to see Paige. Sniffling, Paige asked if J.J. had been as excited to talk to her as he had been to cuddle up to the "disgusting girls" at the party. Rory told Paige that she'd misunderstood the situation, but she did not want to listen to him. Paige showed Rory the photos on her cell phone.
When Paige admitted that Bev had sent her the photos, Rory said that he had been at the party and that Bev could not be trusted because she had issues with J.J. Upset, Paige argued that Bev had not posed J.J. with the girls in the pictures or given him the beer. With a sigh, Rory commented that Paige was book smart but "life stupid." Rory urged Paige to listen to J.J.'s side of the story. Rory admitted that although he did not like Paige, he did not think she was capable of shutting J.J. out of her life without talking to him first.
After Rory walked away, Paige sighed and listened to the voicemail message on her phone from J.J., which explained what had happened in the park. With a sigh, Paige wiped a tear from her face. Paige called J.J. After getting J.J.'s voicemail, Paige wondered aloud if she should go home.
J.J. went to Paige's apartment, looking for her, and a sniffling Eve greeted him at the door. J.J. demanded to see Paige, and Eve muttered to herself about the timing. Eve informed J.J. that Paige was staying at a friend's house overnight. With a sigh, J.J. grabbed Eve's glass of wine from the table and started to chug it. Angry, Eve stopped J.J. and asked him if he had been drinking. Worried, Eve demanded to know if J.J. had hurt Paige.
"You hate me, but trust me, no one hates me more than I do right now. Congratulations, you got your wish. It's all over for me and Paige," J.J. said. Barely audible, Eve whispered that what she had wanted was for her daughter to have a good life. Sniffling, Eve added that she had wanted to get back to her own life as well.
Eve wondered aloud if it was too much to ask that she and her daughter could be happy. When J.J. asked what had happened, Eve told him that she would never be able to sing again because the nodes on her vocal chords were inoperable. J.J. comforted Eve and squeezed her hand.
"Singing was all I had. Now I can't do it. That's it, J.J. I don't have anything," Eve said. J.J. urged Eve not to be down on herself. When Eve shrugged off J.J.'s compliments, he grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes. J.J. quietly whispered that Eve was smart and beautiful. Eve hugged J.J. When J.J. repeated that he thought Eve was beautiful, she kissed him. Shocked, J.J. pulled away. After a moment, the two began to kiss again.
J.J. backed Eve against the wall and pulled at her shirt. J.J. and Eve kissed and stumbled into the bedroom. On the bed, J.J. and Eve rolled around, kissing passionately and undressing one another. In the living room, J.J.'s phone rang. In the bedroom, J.J. and Eve had sex. After they finished, both J.J. and Eve guiltily lamented the mistake they had made. Eve ordered J.J. to leave. As J.J. started to get out of bed, they heard Paige return home.
Paige paced the living room and wondered if her mother had left. When Paige saw Eve's purse, she decided that Eve had to be in her room. Eve rushed out of the bedroom, frantically buttoning a blouse. Seeing her mother's face, Paige asked Eve what was wrong. Inside Eve's bedroom, J.J. freaked out as he listened to the two women outside the door.
Paige asked Eve to talk to her. Eve explained that she could not have surgery and that she would never be able to sing again. Paige grabbed her mother and hugged her tightly. As Paige swore to find another doctor, Eve pulled away.
"I don't deserve your sympathy," Eve said. When Paige asked why, Eve said that she had been a fool to believe that she could sing again. Eve asked Paige to go to the store to get some aspirin for her headache. With a shrug, Paige said that there was aspirin in Eve's room, and Paige rose from the couch to retrieve it.
In Eve's bedroom, J.J. swung his fists in frustration, waiting for Paige to discover him. Eve called out to Paige and said that there was no more aspirin in the bedroom. With a doubtful face, Paige argued that there had been a full bottle in the room the day before. As Paige's gaze fell on a strange jacket lying on the chair, a look of realization dawned on Paige's face. In Eve's bedroom, J.J. frantically dressed.
In the Brady Pub, Theresa talked to Anne about how she could get in touch with Brady. When Nicole walked into the pub, Theresa noted that Brady would take a call from Nicole. Anne walked over to Nicole's table and apologized for being short with Nicole before when she had requested an interview. Anne offered to share a scoop about the hospital with Nicole. When Nicole agreed, Anne urged her to talk outside privately. After Nicole and Anne left, Theresa rushed over to Nicole's table and took Nicole's cell phone.
While Brady sat in the Kiriakis living room, his phone vibrated. Brady looked at the screen and saw that the call was from Nicole's phone. When Brady answered the call, he was annoyed to hear Theresa's voice. Brady hung up the phone.
Outside the pub, Anne told Nicole that she had big news. Anne led off with the news about the scholarship, and Nicole sarcastically announced that she would stop the presses and print the news about the scholarship. As Anne continued to talk about the scholarship, Nicole raised an eyebrow as she realized that Anne was distracting her. Nicole turned and gazed through to window to see what Theresa was doing in the pub. Nicole saw Theresa return Nicole's phone to Nicole's table. Nicole went inside and confronted Theresa. When Nicole realized that Theresa had called Brady, she stomped out of the pub in search of him.
Anne asked Theresa what had happened. Theresa shrugged and said that Brady had hung up the phone. Anne suggested that Brady had done Theresa a favor. Anne urged Theresa to think about Brady's perspective. As Theresa stared wild-eyed at Anne, Anne argued that if Theresa told Brady about the baby while he was freshly angered, then she would lose Brady for good.
Anne invited Theresa to her apartment to talk. Tired, Theresa said she preferred to go home. Anne assured Theresa that time would heal all wounds. Annoyed, Theresa told Anne she was a terrible best friend. "And I'm all you got," Anne said cheerfully as she walked out.
In the park, Clyde told Jordan that she was to blame for her mother's death. Jordan started to walk away. Clyde remarked that Jordan seemed to not remember what had happened. Clyde commented that Jordan's mother had had the ability to forget mistakes, just like Jordan. When Jordan asked Clyde what he was talking about, Clyde said that Jordan had forgotten that she had killed her mother.
Crying, Jordan stressed that her mother's death had been an accident. Clyde shook his head. Clyde argued that though Jordan might forget what had actually happened, he never would. As Clyde walked away, Jordan broke down.
At Club TBD, Ben punched Chad in the face. As Chad chuckled, Ben accused Chad of talking to Ben's prospective landlord and convincing him to turn down Ben's application for the apartment. Ben argued that Chad was working to sabotage his relationship with Abigail. As the two men argued, Abigail entered the club with Rafe, and they pulled Chad and Ben apart. When Abigail asked what had happened, Chad yelled that Ben had jumped him.
Ben countered that Chad had caused him to lose his apartment. As Rafe held Ben back, Abigail asked Chad if he had caused Ben to lose his apartment. Chad admitted that he had talked to the landlord. As Ben seethed, Chad explained that he owned the apartment building and had thought that Ben would not want to work for Chad and live in his apartment building. Wiping the blood from his mouth, Chad explained that he had planned to tell Ben and give him a list of alternate apartments, but he had not had a chance before Ben had hit him.
Rafe escorted Ben outside to talk. When Abigail stammered the start of an apology, Chad interrupted to say that Ben had a bad temper and needed to rein it in. Chad excused himself to get ice. Outside the pub, Ben complained to Rafe that Chad had pushed his buttons. Rafe advised Ben to keep his temper in check. Angry, Ben asked Rafe why he was defending Chad when Chad was pursuing Jordan. Rafe admitted that he hated seeing Chad with Jordan, but he did not want to get arrested. Rafe offered to talk to Chad and make sure that he would not press charges against Ben.
Inside the club, Jordan entered through a side door and saw Chad holding a bag of ice on his face. Worried, Jordan asked what had happened. Abigail said that Ben had hit Chad. Chad updated Jordan on what had transpired in the club with Ben. Jordan apologized, but Chad told Jordan not to worry because it was a misunderstanding. Seeing the look on Jordan's face, Chad asked her if she was okay.
Rafe returned inside the club to talk to Chad, and Chad confirmed that he did not want to press charges against Ben. Chad stressed that the incident had been a misunderstanding. Rafe nodded. Rafe told Chad that Ben was outside and wanted to talk. When Chad made a joke about Ben waiting to throw another punch, Rafe stared blank-faced. Chad shrugged and went outside in search of Ben.
Jordan thanked Rafe for breaking up the fight. Rafe cautioned Jordan to watch out for Ben's temper and that it would be good to remember that Ben did not like Chad. After Rafe left, Abigail asked Jordan what Rafe had meant. Jordan explained that Rafe did not appear to be pleased that Jordan was friends with Chad.
Outside the club, Chad told Ben that he should have explained the situation sooner. Ben admitted that Chad was correct in assuming that Ben would not want to live in an apartment complex owned by Chad.
"It's bad enough that your boss was your girlfriend's first, right?" Chad said. "Excuse me?" Ben asked quizzically. Chad explained that Abigail had lost her virginity to him. Ben stepped forward and hovered menacingly in Chad's face.
While at the hospital, Daniel called Brady to check on him. Brady thought about when he had seen Daniel rolling around in bed with Kristen. Brady asked Daniel to meet him at the Kiriakis mansion. After Brady hung up the phone, he muttered, "I can hardly wait."
When Daniel arrived, Brady escorted him into the living room. Brady said that everyone had lied to him. As Brady listed all the people that had lied to him in order to protect him, Brady added that Kristen was full of surprises. Daniel told Brady that he had suspected that Theresa had been lying but that he had not had any proof. With a smirk, Brady noted that when he had learned about Theresa and John's lies, he had sought out guidance from someone he could trust.
"I went to see my best friend. You know? The one guy I knew that would be concerned about me. The one guy who has always had my back. I really wanted to talk to you, but you were in bed, doing Kristen, so I didn't think the timing was good," Brady said. As Daniel nodded in realization, Brady called Daniel a "son of a bitch." As Brady lit into Daniel, Nicole arrived at the mansion and walked into the living room. When Brady argued that Daniel would have difficulty explaining to Jennifer why he had slept with Kristen, Nicole's mouth dropped open.
"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it, Daniel but the fact is, I saw it, and it pissed me off," Brady growled. Brady punched Daniel, knocking him backward. As Brady grabbed Daniel and shook him, Daniel stood limply, refusing to fight. Nicole spoke up, and Brady released Daniel from his grasp and continued. Brady noted that Kristen had said they had stopped before they'd had sex but that he did not believe that story.
"It doesn't matter. It's semantics. When you touched her, you went too far," Brady said. Brady added that Daniel had helped him figure out that he could not trust anyone. "I don't want to see you. I don't want to hear from you. You did me a solid. Thanks, man. Now get the hell out of my house," Brady said. Defeated, Daniel walked out. Brady turned his attention to Nicole. When Brady asked what she wanted, she explained that she was there because of Theresa.
Brady noted that Theresa had called him. With an exasperated sigh, Nicole said that she had not known that Theresa had taken her phone because Anne had distracted her. Brady told Nicole not to worry. Nicole asked Brady to talk to her, but he asked to be left alone. With a nod, Nicole left and followed Daniel to the town square.
Confused, Nicole asked Daniel to explain what had happened. Daniel said that what Nicole had heard was true. In disbelief, Nicole pressed Daniel for details. Daniel explained that he had not slept with Kristen but that they had been close to having sex. Nicole was disgusted. As Nicole babbled on, she realized that Daniel was upset about Jennifer. Daniel admitted that his relationship with Jennifer was over.
In her hotel room, Kristen talked to a thug named Mandrake about a plan for Theresa. Mandrake looked out the window and noted that he had a clear view of the plaza below. Impatient, Kristen urged the henchman to get on with the plan. Mandrake wrote some notes, and Kristen handed him an envelope. Mandrake told Kristen she would hear from him "when it's done."
Once alone, Kristen looked at a picture of Brady on her phone. Kristen called Brady. In his living room, Brady groaned when he saw Kristen's call. Brady answered the call and demanded to know what she wanted. Kristen said that she was leaving town but that she had information for Brady.
As Theresa walked through the park, two men accosted her and put a chloroformed rag over her mouth to abduct her.
In Eve's apartment, Paige grew suspicious when she noticed a jacket draped across a chair at the kitchen table, but Eve managed to make Paige feel guilty for even suggesting that Eve might be hiding something from her. Paige apologized for quibbling about aspirin at a time when Eve was obviously in pain. With a comforting embrace, Paige stressed that she would always be proud of Eve, even if Eve never got to sing professionally again.
After taking one last look at the jacket, Paige left the apartment to get some aspirin from a nearby drugstore. As soon as the coast was clear, J.J. rushed out of Eve's bedroom, put his shoes on, and started to leave. Eve stopped J.J. and tossed the jacket at him in frustration. "What happened in that bedroom tonight did not happen. You were never here; I never saw you. You and I -- none of it. None of it!" Eve shouted hysterically. J.J. assured Eve that he had no intention of telling anyone about what had happened, and he wished that he had never even met her in the first place. J.J. stormed off, slamming the door behind him.
As Paige strolled through the town square with a paper bag from the drugstore, she suddenly realized that she had once seen Daniel wearing a jacket that looked identical to the one she had just seen in her own home. Paige groaned, fearing that J.J. would be hurt when he learned that Daniel had cheated on Jennifer with Eve. Meanwhile, Eve was at home, struggling to cope with her overwhelming guilt and despair. When Paige returned to the apartment, Eve quickly downed three aspirin tablets, complaining that her head was pounding.
Eve admitted that she had dreaded being alone that night after receiving the devastating news that she wasn't a suitable candidate for the vocal cord surgery. Paige nodded knowingly and revealed that she had figured out that a man had been in the apartment earlier that night. Paige stressed that she wasn't judging her mother -- and that she didn't want to know the details, although she did want to know if the relationship was serious. Eve insisted that it wasn't, explaining that her judgment had simply gone out the window because she had been upset, and she added that she was embarrassed and that she wished she could take back what she had done.
Paige understood and wished she had been there for her mother when the vocal cord surgeon had delivered the bad news. "Oh, I do, too, honey. I do, too. [...] More than you know," Eve regretfully replied, her voice cracking slightly as she spoke. Eve admitted that she felt stupid because she had pinned all her hopes on the possibility of reviving her singing career, and without that, she felt like she had nothing left. Paige stressed that her mother still had -- and always would have -- her.
Eve didn't want her daughter to feel sorry for her, and she admitted that the worst part about the mistake she had made earlier that night with "a complete nobody" was that Paige had found out about it. Paige told Eve to stop beating herself up about what had happened, adding that they would get through it together. Eve broke down as she hugged Paige, wondering what she had done to deserve such a great daughter. Eve stressed that she loved Paige very much, and Paige returned the sentiment.
Eve wanted to get some air, so she abruptly excused herself, declining Paige's offer to accompany her. Outside, Eve prayed that Paige would never learn the truth about what had happened that night.
When J.J. returned home, he was surprised to find Kayla sitting in the living room. Kayla explained that she had let herself in to use Jennifer's laptop, since her own had crashed earlier. Kayla hoped J.J. had been out doing something fun that night. "Actually, uh...no, it wasn't fun," J.J. admitted, and as his voice trailed off, Kayla sympathetically informed him that she had heard that he and Paige were going through a bit of a rough patch. Kayla hoped things would work out for the couple. "Yeah, well, you can hope all you want, but it won't do you any good. I, uh -- I blew it sky-high tonight, just like I always do. I -- I ruined everything," J.J. regretfully revealed.
Kayla optimistically reasoned that things might not be as bad as they seemed, and she explained that couples sometimes simply needed some time away from each other -- and a good night's sleep -- in order to resolve their problems. J.J. assured Kayla that distance and sleep wouldn't change what had happened earlier that night. "Um...Paige found out what my dad did to you. [...] And my reaction, um -- it wasn't the best. [...] First I lied to her, and then, uh -- then I blew up at her," J.J. explained. J.J. added that he had left Paige a voicemail message afterward to apologize for what had happened, but he doubted that she would ever listen to it.
Kayla was sorry to hear about the couple's fight, and she wondered if there was anything she could do to help. "No, I -- I didn't think. And that's my problem. I -- I forgot what was really important to me," J.J. regretfully replied, shaking his head in frustration. Kayla urged J.J. not to give up hope, reasoning that when two people cared about each other the way he and Paige did, anything could be made right. J.J. noncommittally replied that he had heard Kayla's advice, and she showed herself out after hugging him and assuring him that he was a good guy. "No, I'm not," J.J. sadly muttered after Kayla left.
J.J. picked up the jacket, which he had removed and tossed aside earlier, and started to head upstairs to his bedroom, but he paused when he received a text message from Paige, informing him that she was sorry and that she wanted to talk to him the following morning because she had realized that she had been wrong about a lot of things. "She's sorry?" J.J. incredulously muttered.
Outside Club TBD, Chad innocently explained that he had told Ben about Abigail's sexual history because Ben had asked for all the facts earlier. "Honestly, I figured you already knew -- I mean, about Abigail. But since ya -- since ya don't seem to, first it was me, then it was my brother, E.J., and then it was, well, you, I guess -- I mean, you two have done the deed, right? [...] I'm lookin' out for ya. I don't want ya to get blown out of the water like I did when I read the magazine article. But you never know -- I mean, there -- there could be other guys," Chad added with a shrug.
Ben warned Chad to shut up, but Chad wasn't fazed, coolly replying that, as an employee, Ben's attitude left a lot to be desired. Chad added that, unlike Ben, he knew how to maturely handle the fact that the woman he was interested in -- Jordan -- had been with other men before meeting him. Ben guessed that Chad had manipulated the entire situation with the apartment to get a reaction that would make Ben look bad, but Chad innocently countered that he would have needed an incredible imagination to devise such a scheme. Fed up, Ben said he had already apologized and therefore had nothing else to say to Chad.
Meanwhile, inside the club, Jordan complained that she had been begging Ben to get his temper under control since his teenage years. Abigail guessed that Jordan knew from personal experience that violence never solved anything. Taken aback, Jordan wondered what Abigail was talking about. Abigail explained that Ben had told her about the abuse he and Jordan had suffered at Clyde's hands -- and that Clyde had also once talked about regretting the things he had done to them. "Oh, he does? He regrets beating us with a belt? Gee, that really makes it a lot better, Clyde," Jordan sarcastically replied.
Jordan blamed Ben's temper on the fact that Clyde had been a bad role model, and she insisted that Clyde wasn't truly regretful about anything. Abigail assumed that Jordan had to hate the fact that Clyde was paying for Ben's college education. Jordan admitted that she didn't mind, since Clyde owed Ben that much, but she stressed that, while accepting money from Clyde was one thing, Ben could never forgive the man. Recognizing that the conversation was making Jordan uncomfortable, Abigail apologized and promised that she would never mention Clyde again.
When Ben and Chad reentered the club, Abigail went with Chad to the bar so Jordan could have a minute alone with Ben. Anticipating a lecture, Ben preemptively assured Jordan that he knew he needed to learn how to control his temper, and he insisted that, despite what she might be fearing, he was nothing like his father.
Meanwhile, at the bar, Chad casually informed Abigail that he and Sonny were planning to open another club on the south side of town -- and that Ben had been in the running for a management position there, which would have meant a substantial raise. Abigail noted that Chad was speaking in the past tense, but he conceded that the job could still be Ben's -- if Ben learned how to control his temper. "Abby, the guy's a powder keg. If he blows again -- especially if it's at an employee or a customer -- he's not just gonna lose his job, he's gonna wind up in jail," Chad warned.
After Ben and Abigail left, Chad went to talk to Jordan. Chad explained that, while he wished things between him and Ben could be different, the sad truth was that they had simply never hit it off with each other, and everything he did seemed to rub Ben the wrong way. Confused, Jordan wondered if Ben had really apologized to Chad earlier. Chad confirmed that Ben had apologized, but Jordan sensed that Chad was holding something back.
"Hey, look, I don't like telling you this, all right? But for a while out there, I thought Ben was gonna come after me again. [...] Look, it was probably my fault, all right? I was just trying to tell him I understand how he feels, and I guess I...said it the wrong way," Chad innocently revealed. Jordan sighed and suggested that steering clear of each other might be the best course of action, prompting Chad to wonder if she was advising him to steer clear of Ben or of her. Chad was relieved when Jordan clarified that she had been talking about him and Ben steering clear of each other.
Chad admitted that he had picked up on the fact that something had been bothering Jordan earlier, and he hoped he hadn't somehow made things worse for her. Jordan assured Chad that her earlier distress hadn't had anything to do with him. Chad said he would be willing to listen if Jordan ever needed to talk to someone about what was wrong, but she vaguely replied that she needed to handle the matter on her own. Jordan abruptly excused herself, and after she exited the club, she recalled what Clyde had said earlier about her having more than one person's blood on her hands. "I need to know the truth," Jordan decided before walking away.
While Abigail and Ben were strolling through the town square together, he complained that he was going to have to start the search for an apartment all over again. Abigail mentioned what Chad had said earlier about the new club that Ben could potentially manage, prompting Ben to disgustedly wonder if Chad ever stopped playing people. Abigail assured Ben that Chad hadn't been playing her. "Okay, see, that's exactly what being played means, Abigail -- you don't even see it happening," Ben countered. Abigail wondered if Ben was trying to say she was a sucker.
Ben pointed out that Abigail had previously admitted to him that Chad had once played her. Abigail assured Ben that she had learned from that experience. "Okay, but not before E.J. came along, right?" Ben countered. Abigail abruptly decided that it would be best to end the conversation before she or Ben said something regrettable. Ignoring Ben's attempt to clarify that he hadn't meant for his comment to sound harsh, Abigail left after giving him back the rose he had purchased for her a few minutes earlier. Frustrated, Ben tossed the flower over his shoulder as he watched Abigail walk away.
Nicole tried to comfort Daniel when she realized that his relationship with Jennifer had ended for good, but he wasn't in the mood to talk about what had happened. Daniel abruptly excused himself, but Nicole followed him from the town square to his apartment, and she refused to go away when he reiterated that he wanted to be left alone.
Nicole pointed out that she understood how Daniel was feeling -- probably better than anyone else could -- because her relationship with Eric had ended for good, too. Daniel opened a beer as he started to talk about his earlier fight with Jennifer, and he conceded that what he had almost done with Kristen afterward had probably proven that Jennifer had been right about him all along. "Okay, come on. Look, [Kristen] probably slipped you aphrodisiacs in your coffee or your houseplants or something," Nicole reasoned, but Daniel clarified that Kristen had simply been in the same bad place he had been in.
Nicole insisted that, despite what Jennifer apparently believed, Daniel wasn't a terrible person. Unconvinced, Daniel guessed that Nicole couldn't honestly say that she didn't think it was disgusting that he had nearly hooked up with Kristen, of all people. "Okay, fine. [...] You're the scum of the earth. Feel better? Especially coming from a -- a pillar of respectability like me," Nicole sarcastically replied. Nicole reiterated that she knew the kind of pain Daniel was in, since she had been there herself, and she refused to sit back and let him inflict even more pain on himself. Nicole seized Daniel's beer as she added that she was in no position to judge him, anyway.
Daniel pointed out that he had judged Nicole pretty harshly on more than one occasion, but she simply shrugged and suggested that she might be a finer person than he had ever suspected. Nicole handed the beer back to Daniel and urged him to get some rest, observing that he looked like he could use it. "So you're not perfect. Please, who is? But Daniel, you are still a good man, and I've always known that," Nicole added, and she showed herself out after kissing Daniel on the cheek.
Kristen cryptically informed Brady that she had called to let him know she wouldn't be leaving Salem empty-handed. "You've made it very clear how you feel about me, but you know what? I'm always gonna have the memories of what we shared, and I'm always gonna have the dreams of what we could've had. [...] When I go...I'm going to be carrying a part of you inside of me -- the very best part," Kristen added before ending the call.
When Maggie returned home a short time later, she quickly realized that something was bothering Brady. Maggie wondered what was wrong, and Brady vaguely replied that everything was wrong. Brady assured Maggie that he hadn't turned to drugs or alcohol to numb his pain, although he added that he wouldn't mind attending a meeting. Maggie offered to drive Brady so he could fill her in on what had happened, and he accepted the offer, admitting that he had been hoping to see her that night. Maggie stressed that if Brady ever needed to see her in the future, he could feel free to call her instead of just waiting for her to show up.
When Maggie and Brady returned home after the meeting, she was still trying to wrap her head around everything he had told her earlier. However, it was clear that Brady hadn't told Maggie about seeing Kristen and Daniel in bed together, and that omission made it hard for Maggie to understand why Brady was bitter about Kristen's part in the whole thing, since Maggie thought it seemed like Kristen had actually just been trying to help Brady for once. Brady shrugged and vaguely explained that he had thousands of reasons to hate Kristen.
Brady told Maggie about the strange phone call he had received from Kristen earlier, and he admitted that, while he hadn't understood most of the things Kristen had said, the important thing was that she was supposedly on her way out of town. "I'm done. I'm done with her, I'm done with my dad, I'm done with...Theresa. I swear to God, Maggie, my one wish in life would be that I never see any of those people ever again," Brady bitterly concluded.
At a medical facility in an undisclosed location, Kristen and Theresa were lying next to each other on separate gurneys. Theresa had been sedated, but Kristen was still alert, and she impatiently informed Mandrake that she was ready for him to begin the procedure. "It's happening. It's really happening. Finally, I'm gonna get what's rightfully mine," Kristen excitedly muttered as she watched Mandrake and his assistants don surgical masks.
At her apartment, Eve woke up from a dream about having sex with J.J. then she recalled that it was a memory from the previous night, not just a dream.
In the living room, Paige called J.J., and the two agreed to get together at his house. Paige was about to head out the door when Eve emerged from the bedroom and apologized for her behavior the night before. A sympathetic Paige assured her mom that she understood how upset Eve had been about not being able to have the surgery.
Paige fretted that if she'd been there when Eve had found out, Eve might not have turned to someone else. Eve insisted that it had just been a stupid mistake in a vulnerable moment. Paige confided that she'd also made a mistake with J.J., and she needed to talk with him so they could see where things stood.
Abigail found a grim J.J. waiting in the living room of the Horton house for Paige to arrive. When Abigail asked what was wrong, J.J. babbled nervously that things with Paige had gotten out of control. After Abigail calmed him down a little, J.J. explained, "Paige somehow, yesterday, found out about Aunt Kayla and Dad... She's on her way over here right now to talk about it." J.J. continued that he had handled things very badly -- but then Paige had apologized to him by text message.
Abigail asked if Eve knew what had happened, and J.J. said that Eve might have been the one who'd told Paige. J.J. admitted that he had done everything wrong, and he didn't think Paige would ever understand, since he never would.
After Paige left the apartment, Eve was frantic to call J.J. to make sure he didn't say anything to Paige but couldn't find her phone. By the time she located it, Paige had already gotten to the Horton house.
J.J. tried to apologize to Paige, but she insisted that she was the one who was sorry for believing Bev without even listening to J.J. Paige continued that Rory, "of all people," had helped her see that Bev had just been trying to cause problems for J.J. and Paige. Paige felt terrible for making J.J. feel guilty, and she was eager for them to start over because she loved J.J. "I love you, too, Paige," J.J. declared, taking Paige in his arms.
Paige said that she felt awful for Kayla -- and for J.J. having to live with knowing what had happened. She tried to reassure J.J. that what his father had done had nothing to do with J.J. and that the past should stay in the past. "We'll stick to what we've always known is the most important thing: not just loving each other, but being honest and truthful, no matter what," Paige added.
Paige spotted a small box gift-wrapped in her favorite color and guessed it was for her. J.J. explained that he'd gotten it a few days earlier but hadn't found the right time to give it to Paige. She opened the box and found a bracelet inside. "I love it. J.J., it's perfect," Paige declared, kissing J.J. Paige had to leave for class, but the two agreed to see one another later.
As a frustrated Eve was dealing with a dead cell phone battery and an unsent text message, warning J.J. not to say anything, Abigail showed up on her doorstep. Eve tried to get Abigail to leave, but Abigail declared firmly, "I'm not leaving until we talk about last night... My mom is out of town right now, so someone has to stand up for J.J. None of this was his fault." She demanded to know if Eve had been the one who had told Paige about Jack and Kayla.
Eve insisted that she hadn't deliberately told Paige, but Kayla had been there, and perhaps Paige had overheard Eve and Kayla's conversation about what had happened. Although Abigail was dubious, Eve swore that she would never say or do anything intentionally to upset her daughter. Eve ordered Abigail to leave. On her way out, Abigail promised that if Eve tried to use the information to hurt J.J., she would answer to Jennifer and Abigail.
As soon as the door closed behind Abigail, Eve dove for her phone. Horrified to discover that her message to J.J. hadn't gone through, Eve willed him to keep his mouth shut.
When Chad met with Kayla in her office at the hospital, she expressed her condolences about E.J. Chad thanked her but said that he was there to talk about Abigail. Chad explained that the hospital CEO had reinstated Abigail, and Kayla quickly realized that Chad has used his influence after replacing E.J. on the board. "I thought, since you were the one who was forced to fire Abigail, you might like to be the one who gives her the good news about getting her job back," Chad said.
Kayla cautioned Chad that he would not be able to buy Abigail back. Chad maintained that he and Abigail had both moved on with their lives; he was only reinstating her job because she'd been caught in Sami and E.J.'s crossfire, and her professional future had been unfairly jeopardized. Kayla was clearly skeptical.
When Daniel arrived at the hospital, Anne informed him that he had a top-secret new patient, who required all hospital staff to sign a confidentiality agreement. Although annoyed, Daniel signed the papers.
As Anne led Daniel into the patient's room, the man was just ending a phone call in Japanese. Daniel recognized the patient as Paul Narita. Anne explained that Paul was registered under the name "David Press." She fawned over the patient until Daniel hinted that she should leave. Once the men were alone, Daniel read aloud from the chart that Paul had a torn rotator cuff. Daniel assured Paul that the recovery rate on his shoulder surgery would be a hundred percent. Paul was pleased, explaining that he needed to get his fastball back.
Daniel said that he had a very good physical therapist lined up for Paul. When Paul found out the therapist was a woman, he wanted to know if she were good-looking. Refusing to comment, Daniel would only say that she was an excellent physical therapist.
Later, Kayla stopped in to see Paul, who assumed she was his physical therapist. Kayla quickly rectified the case of mistaken identity. Paul seemed a bit sheepish about mistaking the chief of staff for a physical therapist, but that didn't stop him from flirting with Kayla. She assured him that the staff would respect his need for privacy. A grateful Paul explained that he was a free agent, and no one knew about his shoulder injury yet.
After Kayla reviewed the details of the surgery, Paul admitted that the only thing that mattered was that the strength and flexibility returned to his arm. Kayla reassured Paul that he was in the best possible hands with Dr. Jonas.
J.J. went to Daniel's apartment to return the jacket he'd borrowed. Daniel said that he hadn't even noticed the garment had been missing. Explaining that he had "overstepped," Daniel reluctantly asked J.J. for his keys back. As he removed the key from his keychain, J.J. observed that something seemed to be bothering Daniel. Daniel admitted that he never should have given the keys to J.J. and Paige without consulting Jennifer -- and things between Daniel and Jennifer were really over.
J.J. blamed himself for causing problems between his mom and Daniel, but Daniel accepted full responsibility for messing things up with Jennifer. Daniel wouldn't discuss the details of the breakup because he was trying to respect Jennifer's decisions and her privacy. Daniel added that he had made a mistake that couldn't be fixed, and he urged J.J. not to let the same thing happen with Paige.
Paige went back to the apartment after her class was canceled because she thought Eve needed her. Eve wanted to know what had happened with J.J. Paige explained that she and J.J. were starting over. Paige added that she had overheard Eve and Kayla talking the day before, and after talking it over with J.J., she understood why Eve had been so hesitant about her seeing J.J. -- but Paige pointed out that it wasn't fair to judge J.J. based on his father's actions.
Eve agreed. Paige said that although J.J. wasn't taking her knowing about Jack well, she still loved him and wanted to be with him. She acknowledged that Eve wasn't happy about her seeing J.J., but Paige hoped that the three of them could find a way to get along. When Paige went into the next room, Eve called J.J., who was just leaving Daniel's. "We need to talk, privately, alone -- now," Eve hissed. J.J. agreed.
Kate met Victor in Horton Square at his behest. She joked that people might talk, since she was the CEO of DiMera Enterprises and Victor was her competitor. Victor retorted, "If they were to talk, it would be about your new hillbilly boyfriend." Victor urged Kate to distance herself from Clyde and focus on what was important. "Resign from DiMera and come back to Mad World," Victor proposed.
Although she found it flattering, Kate insisted that she was happy being in charge at DiMera, plus she got along with Chad. Scoffing, Victor asked, "What about Stefano?" Kate maintained that she had no dealings with Stefano, but Victor warned her, "You know that fox is going to resurface again, and when he does, he's going to make your life miserable."
Victor was gone when Chad showed up, and Kate filled Chad in on what Victor had wanted. Chad was suspicious about why Kate had told him about a job offer from a rival company. Kate maintained that she was very happy as CEO at DiMera and had no intention of going elsewhere. Chad asked what Kate had done about Stefano's latest move.
Kate informed Chad that after Stefano had bought 300,000 shares of Caine Industries, she had taken the bait, which she hoped would lull Stefano into a false enough sense of security to make a big, final move -- and then she and Chad could "blow him out of the water." Kate noted that she was meeting someone, but he was late. Chad asked how Kate intended to get rid of Stefano. Kate admitted that it wouldn't be easy, but she added, "When the time does come to put that last nail in Stefano's coffin, we're going to have a powerful adversary holding the hammer." Chad correctly guessed, "Victor Kiriakis."
At Club TBD, Sonny demanded to know why Ben had started a fight with Chad the night before. Although Ben assured Sonny that he had apologized to Chad, Sonny was miffed about the way Ben had treated his other boss just because of Chad's history with Abigail. Ben testily maintained that he didn't care about Chad's past; he was concerned about what Chad was doing with Jordan. Sonny pointed out that Ben's sister was a grown woman who could make her own decisions about whom to hang out with.
Ben agreed and promised to try to keep his temper in check about Chad. When Ben learned that Chad was at the hospital -- where Jordan worked -- he began to get agitated again. "If you can't handle Chad spending time with your sister, then maybe you should find another place to work," Sonny cautioned Ben.
Victor went by the club and asked Sonny if overseeing the new club were what was keeping Sonny in Salem and not where he belonged, in California with his husband and daughter. Sonny insisted that in addition to writing the screenplay about Sami's life, Will was mainly in L.A. to support his family. Victor was doubtful that Sonny truly believed that, noting that Will was very ambitious, and after two "back-to-back home runs," Will was writing a screenplay. Sonny reminded Victor that it was only for six months, and Sonny was going to visit.
Victor insisted that he only wanted Sonny and Will to be happy, but he cautioned Sonny that marriage was hard work. "I think you and Will have a real shot because I can see that you love each other as much as any two people I've ever known. You hang onto that, okay?" Victor said before patting Sonny's cheek and heading out.
Over coffee at the Brady Pub, Kayla told Abigail that she'd wanted to talk to Paige about what had happened, but J.J. didn't want her to. Kayla added that she hoped Paige and J.J. could work things out because they were so good together. Ben arrived outside and spotted Abigail and Kayla through the window. He walked in just in time to overhear Kayla announcing that the hospital board had reversed its decision and was offering Abigail her job back. After Ben congratulated an elated Abigail, she asked Kayla how it had happened.
Clyde awakened in his hotel room and, without opening his eyes, felt around on the nightstand for something. "You looking for this?" said Jordan's voice in the darkened room. Startled, Clyde sat up and saw his stepdaughter siting in a chair, holding a gun on him. He asked how she'd gotten in. Jordan replied, "You taught me well. I wasn't surprised to find this next to your bed." She demanded that Clyde tell her the truth.
Getting out from under the covers and sitting on the foot of the bed, Clyde began, "Well, you know what happened to your mama -- what you call 'the accident.'" Never lowering the gun, Jordan insisted that it had been an accident. Clyde asked why, if that were true, Jordan had made herself forget it and had never told Ben about it. Clyde maintained that he didn't blame Jordan for running from the truth, because he knew how hard it could be to face up to.
Jordan insisted that she had run away with Ben to keep Clyde from beating him. Clyde contended that Ben only knew Jordan's version of the truth, but Clyde wondered how much she either didn't recall or remembered wrong. "You know as well as I do, girl -- you can't trust a damn thing in that pretty little head of yours," Clyde asserted calmly. He ordered Jordan to give him the gun, but instead, she pulled back the hammer.
Clyde didn't believe that Jordan would really shoot him, since, despite her attempt to frighten him, she was the one who was really scared. "You're wrong, Clyde. I am not scared of you anymore -- finally... [If I pulled the trigger,] I'd be doing what I should have done a long time ago," Jordan declared, confidently leveling the gun at Clyde. Clyde reminded Jordan that he'd already told her there was no way to make up for what he'd done to her in the past, even though he knew it had been wrong.
Clyde noted that things had gone "to hell" after Jordan's mother had died. "Don't you dare use her as an excuse for what you did to Ben and me! Our lives were hell before she died," Jordan retorted. Clyde pointed out that Jordan would have gone to prison if he hadn't protected her. "Protected me? Is that what you call it?" Jordan demanded incredulously, tears streaming down her face.
Clyde angrily reminded Jordan that he had apologized, and he admitted that he had been wrong. "You think 'I'm sorry' fixes anything? My God, Clyde, I was fifteen years old! [...] It was more than wrong, you bastard! It was rape!" Jordan shrieked.
