Gabi took Arianna to the hospital to see Rafe, who could tell that she was happy about something. Rafe assumed that Cameron was responsible for the smile on Gabi's face, but she denied his suspicion. Gabi declined to tell Rafe what she was happy about because she didn't want to jinx it.
Rafe protested that he was stuck in the hospital and could use some good news. Gabi reminded Rafe that Jordan had reported that his recovery was going well, which was very good news. Gabi jokingly added that she had actually seen the hint of a smile on Jordan's face earlier, prompting Rafe to defensively inform her that he had managed to get Jordan to loosen up on several recent occasions.
Rafe stressed that he and Jordan were just friends, and Gabi wondered where things stood with his other friend, Kate. Rafe insisted that Kate had been right to end their relationship and that it was over for good. Meanwhile, Gabi received a phone call from someone, and she handed Arianna to Rafe so that she could step out of the room to answer the call.
Elsewhere, while talking to someone on the phone, Jordan ducked into an empty break room so that she could have some privacy. "No, no, no, listen to me -- everything's fine here. Yes, it will stay that way. I've got it covered. Look, I'm tired of running, okay? And -- and I don't want to abandon the people I'm helping. They need me, too. Seriously, no matter what happens, this is the last stop," Jordan insisted before ending the call.
At Club TBD, Sonny greeted T, who had happily agreed to handle Chad's workload to earn some extra cash. T asked for an update on Chad's condition, and Sonny reported that Chad was on the mend. T guessed that Abigail, who was seated at the bar, was happy that Chad's recovery was going well. After confirming the suspicion, Abigail informed T that she and Chad were no longer together.
As Sonny went to get Abigail a latte, T jumped onto the bar and slid across to the other side to take a seat next to her. T believed that fate had intervened to ensure that he and Abigail would both be free from romantic entanglements at the same time. "Look, I've felt this sort of vibe with us for a while, and, um, I think -- actually, I know -- that we could have some fun together, you and me. So...what do you say?" T asked.
T predicted that taking his relationship with Abigail to the next level could be really cool, but she carefully replied that, while the offer was tempting, she didn't want to take that sort of chance at the risk of jeopardizing their existing relationship as friends. Meanwhile, Sonny returned with Abigail's latte, and she abruptly excused herself, vaguely stating that she needed to help her mother with something.
"That girl is amazing. That girl is amazing. Just so we would stay good friends, she made the ultimate sacrifice," T gushed as he jumped onto the bar again and rejoined Sonny on the other side. Later, Gabi entered the club and asked Sonny to watch Arianna for a while, vaguely explaining that she had to go to a sudden appointment and couldn't take the baby with her. Sonny apologetically declined because he knew that the club was going to get busy at that time of the day, and he wouldn't have enough time to focus on Arianna.
T offered to take care of Arianna, grinning as he assured Gabi that women of all ages loved him. Gabi thanked T and rushed out of the club after promising Sonny that she would take an extra shift with Arianna the next time that he needed a break. Sonny wondered if T was sure that he was up for the challenge of taking care of Arianna, but T dismissively reasoned that it couldn't possibly be that hard.
At the Horton Town Square, Kate overheard Nick having a phone conversation with someone about living in New York. When Nick ended the call, Kate asked if he was planning to move to New York. Nick coyly stated that, while New York was a definite possibility, he was still weighing his options. Changing the subject, Nick handed Kate an envelope that contained the details of a new project that he had drafted for Mad World.
Kate assured Nick that if his latest project was as good as the last one had been, she would soon be sending another sizable check to his new address in New York. After reiterating that he had not yet decided where he was going to move to, Nick casually asked Kate when Will was going to return from his seminar at Berkeley. Kate wondered why Nick was suddenly interested in Will's business.
Before Nick could respond, Kate advised him to give Will a call if he ever had any questions about Will's schedule, adding that she planned to keep her relationship with Nick strictly professional. Nick shook his head in disbelief and wondered if Kate was ever going to forgive him for what he had done to Will in the past. "I am not the forgiving kind, so if you suddenly decide you want to go up and leave for New York, don't waste your time looking for me to say goodbye," Kate replied before walking away.
Nick sighed as he turned his attention to a photograph of Gabi on his tablet computer, muttering that it was a good thing that they would soon be leaving Salem, since they were clearly never going to catch a break there. Later, Nick ran into Abigail and asked if it was true that she and Chad had ended their relationship. When Abigail confirmed the news, Nick casually wondered if Abigail was going to get back together with Cameron. Abigail shook her head and reported that Cameron was planning to leave town in the near future.
"Okay, so...Cameron's out of the picture, Will's out of town -- this is gonna work," Nick confidently assured himself after Abigail left. Later, Nick received a text message from Gabi, who was preparing to meet with someone about the modeling offer that she had recently received. "I'm with you all the way, Gabi -- Arianna, too. And no matter what anybody says, I'm always gonna be there for my family," Nick muttered after reading the message.
At the Brady Pub, Gabi met with Casey McGraw, a representative from the Sparkle Modeling agency, who was eager to sign Gabi to a modeling contract right away. Casey explained that Gabi's first photo shoot would be done in Salem so that they wouldn't disrupt Arianna's schedule, but she added that Gabi would arrive in New York as the next big thing. Confused, Gabi interrupted and wondered what Casey was talking about.
Kate went to the hospital to visit Rafe, who reported that she had just missed Gabi and Arianna. Rafe asked Kate about the envelope that she was carrying, and she explained that it was something that Nick had given her earlier. Confused, Rafe reminded Kate that she had fired Nick, but she reasoned that she still owed it to her shareholders to use Nick's ideas if they were worth using.
"I think the son of a bitch should just move on," Rafe stated, and Kate informed him that his wish might soon be granted. Rafe was happy to hear that, and he admitted that, while he had heard from certain people that Nick had changed into an upstanding citizen, he really couldn't care less. Rafe added that after what Nick had done to Will and Gabi, as far as he was concerned, Nick could change somewhere else. Kate agreed and said that she was just thankful that Arianna was right where she needed to be.
Elsewhere, after picking up some papers for Jennifer -- who was working from home that day -- Abigail ran into Jordan in one of the break rooms. Abigail was carrying a book about Queen Elizabeth that she was reading for her Feminist Theory class, and Jordan remarked that she had read that same book the previous year. Jordan summarized that Queen Elizabeth had been an amazing woman -- a queen who had refused to marry. Abigail and Jordan proceeded to have a conversation about their mutual belief that they didn't need a man to be happy.
Later, Jordan returned to Rafe's room, and Kate gave her a somewhat icy greeting before excusing herself so that Jordan could start Rafe's next therapy session. After Kate left, Jordan commented on the tone of the greeting and admitted that her previous assumption that she and Kate were starting to build a friendship might have been wrong.
Rafe dismissed Jordan's concerns and explained that Kate had a bit of a "hot and cold" personality. Rafe advised Jordan to refrain from letting Kate scare her, and Jordan assured him that he wouldn't have to worry about that. "Well, Jordan -- whatever the hell your name is -- you think you can hide from me? Think again, bitch," Kate muttered as she waited for the elevator in the waiting area.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Victor entered the living room and tossed aside the tribute DVD that Brady had made for Kristen, muttering that it would no longer be needed. When Victor turned around, he found Maggie sitting in a chair, quietly observing him. Maggie calmly rose from her seat and wondered if Victor had any idea what he had just done. Victor refused to apologize for protecting Brady from Kristen.
Maggie started to protest that Victor had hurt Eric in the process, but he interrupted her. "Ah, yes, the ever-righteous Father Eric, who can't seem to keep it zipped any better than the rest of us. Kristen caught on to that first and had herself a nice little romp, then they made a movie of it, so now we know what she is and what he is," Victor unapologetically summarized.
Maggie told Victor that she had known all about the secret meetings that he had recently been having with Marlena. Maggie said that she had just assumed that Victor and Marlena had been working on a way to stop the wedding, and he confirmed her suspicion and thanked her for staying out of the matter. "Well, I wouldn't have if I had known what you were gonna do. See, I know damn well Marlena would never have agreed to sacrifice her own son to save Brady. But she didn't know, did she? Well, that's unconscionable -- Marlena's trying to help you, and you stab her in the back," Maggie disapprovingly summarized.
Victor confirmed Maggie's suspicion, claiming that there had been no time to show Marlena the video before the wedding. Maggie suggested that Victor could have shown Brady the video privately, but he insisted that Brady would have just dismissed him without watching the video and that Kristen would have been standing on the sidelines cheering Brady on while going on and on about her love for and loyalty to Brady.
"Stop it, stop it! For heaven's sake, this isn't about Kristen! Victor, you made a mother destroy her son. You tricked her into doing it. It's unforgivable," Maggie declared. Victor reminded Maggie that Brady was his grandson, but she countered that Eric was Marlena's son.
"So the hell what?! It's family first -- Kiriakis first! Our family, Maggie -- ours! Marlena is not a part of our family, and neither is her playboy priest. You married into the Kiriakis clan -- you should know the damn rules by now. If you can't put family first, last, and always, you might as well take a hike right now!" Victor impatiently replied, and after considering his words for a moment, Maggie took his advice and silently exited the mansion.
At the DiMera mansion, Kristen told Brady that she had never wanted him to find out that she had slept with Eric. Kristen claimed that she had turned to Eric for support after her relationship with Brady had ended a few months earlier. Kristen said that she had trusted Eric because he was Brady's brother, but he had taken advantage of that trust and seduced her.
"It happened when we were broken up, and I was just so lost, and I was so devastated. And I -- I tried to throw myself into my work, but it didn't help. And then...I ran -- I ran into Eric. And, you know, he just kind of reeled me in with that soft voice and that gentle understanding. I told him that I had lost the one person that I really loved, and he told me that I should come upstairs with him to his room -- that God loved me and that he was gonna show me. He preyed on my pain and on my heartache, Brady. I'm telling you, I'm so sorry. It shouldn't have happened, but it did," Kristen tearfully explained.
Brady impatiently ordered Kristen to stop lying to him, but she insisted that she was telling the truth and that she could prove it. Intrigued, Brady skeptically took a seat and encouraged Kristen to continue. Kristen claimed that after sleeping with Eric -- an act that had left her with immediate feelings of disgust and guilt -- she had heard him humming in the bathroom.
"And that's when I knew I wasn't the only one he'd done this to, Brady. I just felt it. I -- he had taken advantage of other women in the parish. I just knew it. But how could I ever prove it? Who's gonna believe a DiMera over a Brady who's a priest? That's when I knew -- I had to use my phone. I had to get video. That's the only way anybody would ever believe me. Eric came out of the bathroom, and he wanted more sex, and I -- honest to God, I didn't want to do it, but I knew I had to, and it was the right thing to do, because he shouldn't be allowed to be a priest, you know? He should be in a cage with animals," Kristen tearfully explained.
Brady interrupted and insisted that his brother would never do something like that, but Kristen pointed out that he wasn't Eric's biological brother, and she wondered how well he really knew Eric. "Do you remember the opening of the school? Do you remember how upset I was? Do you remember how upset I was? I was gonna give the video to the bishop that day. But then you came to me -- baby, you told me that you loved me, and you wanted another chance, remember? You wanted to try again. Do you remember that? And you -- you are all I have ever wanted in my whole life. It was you. You're all I ever wanted, Brady, and I knew if I showed that video, I was gonna lose you again," Kristen recalled.
"My hand to God, I got rid of that thing. I -- I destroyed it; I got rid of it. I don't know how Marlena and Victor got their hands on it. I don't know why they wanted to show it at our wedding. But that just tells you how sick Marlena is, that she would do that to her own -- her own son. He's not innocent in this. You know that? He's not innocent in this. Do you remember the scholarship fund? How I didn't want to be any part of it? Listen -- listen to me, Brady, please. And the Pre-Cana counseling? How I was -- kept trying to get out of it, but you kept pushing it and pushing it? And I couldn't tell you why I was avoiding it -- because it was Eric. Brady, I love you. Brady, you know I love you. I swear to you on that love, I am telling you the truth," Kristen continued.
Still unconvinced, Brady recalled that when the video had started playing during the wedding ceremony, Kristen had looked guilty, while Eric had looked shocked and disgusted. Brady reminded Kristen that Eric had accused her of drugging him, but she claimed that Eric had been pretending the whole time, and she vehemently denied that she had forced Eric into bed with her.
Kristen invited Brady to accompany her to the church so that they could watch the video again, but he said that he had already seen every disgusting minute of it and had no desire to repeat the experience. Kristen wondered if Eric had seemed weak or drugged in the video, and she reminded Brady that she was the person who had been pinned down on the bed, not Eric. Brady impatiently wondered if Kristen was ever going to stop lying.
"Brady, I am only guilty of one thing -- I protected your precious brother out of love. So you just go back and watch that video, and this time, please believe what you see," Kristen tearfully urged Brady, who shook his head in disbelief and silently exited the mansion.
After Brady left, Kristen poured herself a glass of scotch as she assured herself that everything was going to be fine because her story was very plausible, and Brady couldn't prove that she had lied. Kristen took a sip of her scotch and angrily slammed the glass down on the bar as she stared at her reflection in a nearby mirror. "He's not gonna believe you. He's not gonna believe you, you idiot! He's gonna talk to Nicole, and he's gonna talk to Daniel, and he's not gonna believe you. Marlena, I hate you so much! You can't just let me be happy this one time? I can't be happy? I'm gonna find Brady. I'm gonna make -- make him believe me, not Eric," Kristen declared.
Kristen grabbed her jacket and purse and started to exit the mansion, but as she opened the front door, she suddenly decided to check her purse for something first. Kristen turned away from the door, leaving it partially ajar, and started to rummage through her purse. As Kristen pulled out the gun that she had tucked in her purse before the wedding ceremony, Marlena entered the mansion and slammed the door to announce her presence. "Marlena -- just the person I wanted to see," Kristen said as she smiled wickedly.
At St. Luke's, Marlena reached out to comfort Eric, but he recoiled and angrily warned her not to touch him. "How could you show that vile, pornographic filth in God's house? Do you have any idea what you've done?" Eric demanded to know. Eric insisted that Kristen had drugged him during his initial stay at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and that Marlena should have taken the video to him and asked for an explanation instead of broadcasting it to everyone in the middle of his brother's wedding ceremony.
Ignoring Marlena's repeated attempts to defend her actions, Eric insisted that she had destroyed his life and completely humiliated him. Eric demanded to know how Marlena could hurt her own son in such a horrible manner, so she proceeded to explain how Victor had tricked her into doing so. "Eric, if I had known -- if I had known that she had drugged you, if I had known she had lied -- I'm so sorry, but if I had known, I would have let Brady destroy his own life. I would never let you go through this kind of pain," Marlena regretfully stated.
Eric insisted that Marlena's remorse didn't change what she had done, and he added that he wasn't the only one who had been hurt. Marlena agreed that Brady had also been hurt, but Eric impatiently clarified that he wasn't talking about Brady or Kristen. "I accused Nicole of being that blonde woman in the hotel bed with me. I condemned her as a liar when she was trying to deny it. What I did was unforgivable -- as unforgivable as what you did to me," Eric revealed.
Eric told Marlena that he needed some privacy so that he could pray and try to understand who he was. Marlena tried to assure Eric that he was the same man he had always been, but he impatiently interrupted and insisted that he didn't have time to hear her sympathies or apologies. Eric once again asked Marlena to leave, but she said that she didn't want to leave him alone after what he had just been through.
Marlena's eyes happened to fall on the crumpled pile of vestments on the floor, and she quietly reminded him that she and Roman had given him the vestments as a gift. Eric picked up the vestments and threw them at Marlena, angrily instructing her to take them and leave. Marlena tearfully picked up the garments and carried them out of the church. Once he was alone, Eric sank to the floor in despair.
Later, Brady entered the chapel and found Eric watching the video again. Brady angrily shoved the laptop off of the table, turning off the video in the process, and demanded to know if Eric had really seduced Kristen. Eric clarified that Kristen had raped him. "I got a little problem with that, Father. See, that video you were just watching -- I saw the look in your eye, and you enjoyed every damn minute of it. So now it's time to pay, my brother," Brady said as he punched Eric.
A fight ensued, and after trading punches for a few moments, Eric managed to pin Brady to the floor, where he proceeded to wrap his hands tightly around Brady's throat as Brady gasped for breath.
In Club TBD, Sonny and T alternately worked and watched Arianna. J.J. stopped by and ordered a coffee. T said that J.J. was lucky to have family members to help him. J.J. thought of Daniel's sacrifice to protect him and mumbled, "I owe a lot of people." Sonny joined T and J.J. at the table with Arianna. Sonny told J.J. that he had done the right thing when he moved back into Jennifer's house.
Uncomfortable, J.J. switched the topic of conversation to Arianna. Sonny cooed over the baby, and he admitted that he could not imagine his life without Arianna. Sonny carried Arianna into the back to feed her, and T returned to work.
Rory entered the club and motioned J.J. over to the bar to talk. Rory explained that he had purchased some weed and that a group of people were headed over to a friend's empty house. J.J. declined the invitation and went home instead. Once home alone in the Horton house, J.J. pulled out his cell phone and stared at Daniel's phone number.
At the Brady pub, Gabi met with a representative from Sparkle Model Agency, Ms. McGraw, while Nick watched through the window from out front. McGraw explained to Gabi that Gabi would have to move to New York if she signed with the agency. McGraw told Gabi that she wanted to make Gabi a global brand and that it would take a lot of work. When Gabi mentioned that she needed to think about her baby, McGraw noted that the contract included childcare.
After McGraw left, Nick walked into the pub and asked Gabi about her meeting. Gabi told Nick about the contract and the move to New York. Smiling, Nick told Gabi that he was happy for her no matter what decision she made about the modeling job. Gabi asked Nick not to tell anyone about the offer from the modeling agency.
After leaving the pub, Gabi walked to Club TBD to pick up Arianna. Sonny asked Gabi about her job interview, and Gabi said the interview had been okay. Sonny asked Gabi if she had talked to Cameron. When it was clear that Gabi did not know what Sonny meant, Sonny explained that Cameron had received an offer to join Doctors Without Borders. Elated, Gabi smiled.
"Sometimes things just happen like that, and they can change your life forever. You have to just go for it," Gabi said. As Sonny headed back to the bar, Gabi noted that everyone was getting a chance at something they wanted and that she might as well take her chance as well.
Daniel, Parker, and Nicole went to the cafe in the town square to drink hot chocolate. As Daniel made jokes, Nicole laughed. With a sad smile, Daniel said he was happy to see Nicole smile again. Daniel called out to a nurse that was walking by, and she awkwardly waved hello and scurried away. Nicole expressed her displeasure that J.J.'s lies had damaged Daniel's reputation. Daniel told Nicole that she was a good friend.
Daniel admitted that he was worried that Parker would think less of him when he grew up if he learned about Theresa. Nicole promised that Parker would see the same good man that Nicole saw when she looked at Daniel. As Daniel took Parker's hand and gathered his stuff to go home, Nicole asked to stay behind and have some time to herself. Daniel nodded and left with Parker.
Back at Daniel's apartment, Daniel readied Parker for bed. When Parker called out "Jennifer," Daniel told Parker that Jennifer would not visit that night. Daniel scooped a giggling Parker into his arms and carried Parker into the bathroom.
In the DiMera mansion, Kristen walked into the foyer and grabbed her purse. As Kristen looked inside the purse, she found her gun. With the front door ajar, Marlena pushed open the door and confronted Kristen. "I could kill you," Marlena growled. "You took the words right out of my mouth," Kristen countered as she pulled the gun out of her purse and leveled it at Marlena. As Marlena stared wide-eyed, Kristen cocked the gun.
After a moment, Kristen placed the gun on the table and sighed. Kristen told Marlena to pick up the gun and shoot Kristen to put her out of her misery. Marlena grabbed the gun off of the table, walked into the living room, and placed the gun in a desk drawer.
"You never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity," Kristen said. Shaking her head, Kristen said she had nothing to live for if she did not have Brady. Kristen noted that Marlena had destroyed the lives of the people she loved in order to destroy the life of the person that she hated. Kristen informed Marlena that she had let go of her plan for revenge after she had lost Brady the first time but that Marlena had pushed Kristen into renewing her schemes.
Startled, Marlena asked if Kristen's intentions in making the video had only been to hurt Marlena. Kristen admitted that she had wanted to release the video in order to see Marlena's face break but that when Brady had asked to reconcile with Kristen, Kristen had decided to bury the video. Laughing maniacally, Kristen argued that Marlena's desire to hurt Kristen by publishing the video had hurt Marlena's son instead.
Marlena said that she intended to tell everyone in town what Kristen had done. When Kristen claimed she was the victim, Marlena argued that anyone that knew Eric knew that he would never have taken advantage of Kristen. As Marlena called Kristen a "piece of twisted garbage," Kristen seethed. Marlena suggested that Kristen should change out of her wedding gown because Brady would never return.
After Marlena left, Kristen screamed and beat her fist against the table. Kristen then cried out when she realized that the diamond had popped out of her engagement ring. Kristen crawled around the floor until she located the diamond then cried out in relief. Kristen remembered the night that Brady had proposed. Desperate, Kristen grabbed her phone and texted Brady, asking him to meet her in the spot where Brady had proposed. Kristen whispered that Brady would forgive her because he loved her.
At the church, Brady and Eric punched and wrestled one another in front of the altar. Eric gained control and choked Brady. As Brady struggled for air, Eric let go and crawled a few feet away to calm down. Brady rose to his feet and announced that he was not finished. Brady punched the back of Eric's head and choked Eric until he was blue. Roman and Hope arrived in the church and pulled the two men apart.
Brady yelled at Eric, but Roman calmed Brady down and asked Eric to explain what had happened. Eric looked at Brady and explained that when Eric had been in the capital, he had been poisoned. Eric said Kristen was to blame for the poisoning. With tears in his eyes, Eric continued that he had suffered from nightmares since his illness and that Eric had been tormented by dreams of sex with a blonde woman.
Eric said that he had not told anyone because he had not realized that the woman was Kristen. Fighting tears, Eric explained that a woman had registered in the hotel room next to his as Fay Taylor. Eric said that based on the evidence, he had blamed Nicole for poisoning and assaulting him. Wild-eyed and sad, Eric said that he had called Nicole a liar and had refused to believe her when she had said she was innocent.
Stricken by Eric's words, Brady's face fell. Eric was anxious to locate Nicole in order to apologize to her, but Roman counseled Eric to see a doctor instead. Eric and Brady asked about one another's wounds and apologized to one another. Hope asked Eric for a statement, but he requested some time alone instead.
After Roman, Hope, and Brady left, Eric prayed and cried out, asking God why he had been humiliated. "What do I have to look forward to next?" Eric yelled. As Eric turned to face the pews, he spotted something on the floor.
As Nicole walked into Club TBD, Hope called out to her. Hope asked Nicole for some details about a criminal case she was working on for Eric. Defensive, Nicole argued that she was innocent. Hope explained that Kristen had been the one to blame.
In the town square, Roman spotted Marlena and informed her that Eric was in bad shape. As Roman asked about the video, Marlena saw Brady staring at her from across the square. Roman received a text message from the station, and he reluctantly left. "You won," Brady said to Marlena then he walked away.
In the wooded spot where Brady had proposed, a half-crazed Kristen called out Brady's name, hoping to find him there, waiting for her. There was a sound across the clearing. Kristen turned toward the noise and found a stone-faced Eric staring at her.
After an incident on the monkey bars that had apparently involved Sydney using his head as a ladder, Johnny was taken to the hospital, where he received two dissolvable stitches in his left forearm. Sami was concerned that Johnny might have sustained other injuries because she had noticed him limping earlier, but Kayla was confident that he was going to be fine, and he effortlessly ran toward Rafe when he spotted Rafe wheeling himself into the waiting area.
Kayla excused herself so that she could get some antibiotic ointment for Sami and E.J. to use to treat Johnny's injury. Meanwhile, Johnny showed his injury to Rafe and proudly announced that he had never cried out in pain and had even managed to avoid getting blood on his FBI jacket. Johnny was happy to hear that Rafe was doing well, and he excitedly revealed that E.J. had agreed to let him, Allie, and Sydney visit Rafe in the near future.
Kayla returned with the ointment and pulled Sami and Johnny aside to show them how to apply it to his injury, leaving Rafe and E.J. alone together. Rafe asked about Chad, and E.J. reported that his brother was expected to make a full recovery. Rafe wondered if E.J. was really willing to let Rafe spend time with the kids. E.J. shrugged and grudgingly acknowledged that Rafe had once been an important part of the kids' lives. "They don't know how much I despise you...nor do they have to," E.J. added, and Rafe returned the sentiment.
After listening to Kayla's instructions, Johnny rejoined E.J. and Rafe, giving Kayla a chance to quietly inform Sami that she had received a phone call from Roman when she had gone to retrieve the ointment earlier. Kayla reported that Roman had barely been able to talk to her because he had been extremely upset about something, and she asked Sami to tell her what had happened at the wedding.
Hearing what Kristen had done to Eric sickened Kayla, who cursed the DiMeras and wondered how E.J. had reacted to his sister's actions. E.J. listened as Sami assured Kayla that he was just as upset as everyone in the Brady family was. Sami insisted that E.J. would have done something to prevent Kristen from hurting Eric if he had known what Kristen had been planning, but Kayla wasn't convinced.
While Johnny continued to talk to Rafe, revealing that he had dressed as an FBI agent for Halloween, E.J. approached Sami and Kayla and wondered if there was some sort of problem. Kayla angrily replied that E.J.'s family was the problem. Kayla told Sami that the news about Eric was going to kill Caroline, and she wondered if anyone had told Caroline about the incident yet. Sami wasn't sure, but she promised to tell Caroline herself and assured Kayla that she would deliver the news in the gentlest possible way. "That's what I'm worried about," Kayla said before walking away.
In Daniel's apartment, Maggie tearfully recounted for Daniel the events that had taken place at Brady and Kristen's wedding, as well as Victor's role in the ordeal. "I knew exactly who Victor was when I married him. I've always known how ruthless he can be. Why did I think that anything would change?" Maggie tearfully wondered. Daniel was confident that Victor had been protecting Brady and that it had never been about defeating Kristen, but Maggie believed that both motivations had played a role in Victor's decision to trick Marlena into exposing Kristen at the wedding.
Maggie insisted that there had to have been another way for the truth to be revealed, and she predicted that Victor's actions would scar Brady and Eric forever. Daniel pointed out that the truth would have been hard to swallow regardless of the manner in which it had been revealed, but Maggie still believed that it had been cruel for Victor to use Marlena as an instrument in Eric's humiliation. Maggie struggled to understand how Victor had been able to do something like that, and Daniel summarized that she was having difficulty understanding Victor's actions because she could never do such a thing herself.
Maggie urged Daniel to refrain from worrying about her problems, since he had enough of his own to deal with. Daniel said that he didn't want Maggie to get stressed out about what had happened with Theresa, and Maggie admitted that she was also struggling to understand that whole situation. Daniel wished that he could explain everything to Maggie, but she assured him that he didn't need to do so and that she would always be in his corner.
At the Brady Pub, Jordan was talking to someone on her cell phone, assuring them that she was going to be careful. After Jordan ended the call, Caroline approached her and asked if everything was all right. Jordan claimed that everything was fine, so Caroline dropped the subject. Later, Caroline handed Jordan a brown paper bag and explained that it contained a slice of Rafe's favorite dessert, dulce de leche cake. Caroline wondered if Jordan would mind delivering the cake to Rafe the next time that she went to the hospital, and Jordan agreed to do so.
Jordan could tell that Caroline was quite fond of Rafe. Caroline confirmed the suspicion and summarized that under Rafe's tough-guy machismo image, he was really a very sweet guy with a heart of gold. Jordan nodded knowingly and excused herself, promising to take Rafe to the pub in the near future so that he could personally thank Caroline for the cake.
Sami, E.J., and Johnny entered the pub as Jordan was leaving. After hearing about Johnny's accident, Caroline informed him that she had a special dessert in the kitchen, and she wondered if he had already eaten wedding cake that night. Johnny shook his head and turned to Sami to give her his best puppy-dog-eyed expression, and she agreed to let him have one slice of cake. Caroline advised Johnny to ask one of her employees for the slice that had the largest amount of icing on it.
Johnny rushed off to the kitchen, and Caroline knowingly braced herself for the bad news that she could tell, based on Sami's expression, that she was about to receive. "Well, how can you be sure? What if this thing was -- what, photo -- what do you -- Photoshopped? Or maybe -- maybe Kristen hired someone to look like Eric. Well, does the name Susan Banks ring a bell to you?" Caroline asked after learning what had happened at the wedding.
Sami regretfully informed Caroline that Eric was certain that Kristen had drugged and assaulted him. Caroline disgustedly informed E.J. that his sister was vile and evil. Sami agreed and assured Caroline that E.J. was just as upset as everyone else was and that it wasn't his fault. Caroline clarified that she wasn't blaming E.J., adding that she was simply saying that Kristen possessed no morals whatsoever and that everyone knew who had taught her to be that way.
Caroline couldn't believe that Kristen had destroyed Brady and Eric in such a public manner, but Sami reluctantly revealed that Marlena was actually the person who had aired the video at the church. Sami stressed that Marlena never would have done so if she had known that the video had involved Eric. Caroline announced that she was exhausted and excused herself so that she could lie down.
After Caroline left, Sami angrily wondered if E.J. was paying attention to what Kristen was doing to Sami's entire family. Sami wished that someone had known what Kristen had done ahead of time so that they could have at least prevented Marlena from inadvertently revealing the truth in such a public manner. As E.J. remained silent, Sami excused herself so that she could check on Caroline.
At the hospital, Rafe started to question Kayla about the heated conversation that he had observed between her and Sami earlier, but before Kayla could respond, Jordan interrupted to deliver Rafe's cake to him. Kayla excused herself so that Rafe could enjoy his dessert. Rafe told Jordan that she shouldn't have felt obligated to make a special trip to the hospital just to deliver the cake to him, but she claimed that she hadn't wanted to disappoint Caroline. Rafe guessed that Jordan had also secretly been hoping that he would share the dessert with her, and she admitted that she had taken the liberty of acquiring an extra fork before entering his room.
At Club TBD, Hope told Nicole about what had happened at Brady and Kristen's wedding. Nicole sighed as she admitted that she had been hoping that what Eric had remembered hadn't really happened to him. Nicole wondered how someone could do something like that to another human being. As Hope shrugged unknowingly, she received a phone call and apologetically excused herself.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady asked an operator at the police station to let Hope know that he needed her to contact him immediately. Brady started to say that Hope could call his cell phone, but he corrected himself when he suddenly realized that he had lost his cell phone earlier. Victor entered the living room as Brady ended the phone call, and he unapologetically confirmed Brady's suspicion that he was responsible for what had happened at the wedding.
Victor explained that he had learned what Kristen had done right before the wedding, and Brady realized that was why Victor had wanted to talk to him earlier. "I didn't want it to come out this way, but there's no getting through to you on the subject of Kristen -- today or any other day. You just refused to see the truth. Now, I know how much you wanted to be with this woman. If I gave her a chance to explain her actions -- if I didn't expose her publicly -- she would have hypnotized you into believing her all over again, so there was no other way. If I had to do it all over again, I'd do exactly the same thing. Now, you can hate me till the day I die, but I need you to know that I did it all for you," Victor told Brady.
Victor wished that he could have avoided hurting Brady, but he reiterated that there had been no other way to convince Brady that marrying Kristen would be a huge mistake. After stating that he loved Brady, Victor started to leave, but Brady stopped him. "I know you do, and you were right. Thank you. Thank you," Brady replied.
Brady picked up the tribute DVD that he had made for Kristen and summarized that he had seen her as a businesswoman, a social worker, and an ultimately vulnerable woman who had loved him just as much as he had truly loved her. Victor conceded that there had probably been a part of Kristen that had truly loved Brady, although she had never been capable of being the woman he had needed her to be -- a fact that Brady had already figured out once before.
"I felt like such a fool then. After I took her back, how was I supposed to admit I was wrong a second time? I needed to see the looks on those people's faces, and I understand why you did what you did. Marlena wanted to get back at her, and you just wanted to save my life. There's one more thing I want you to help me with -- let's track down that miserable bitch," Brady said as he snapped the DVD in half and tossed it in the lit fireplace.
In the park, Kristen wondered how Eric had managed to locate her. Eric pulled Brady's cell phone out of his pocket and said that God had shown him the way. Kristen tried to run when she realized that Eric had read the text message that she had sent to Brady earlier, but he grabbed her arms and held her in place.
Kristen informed Eric that he was hurting her, but he replied that he didn't care. Kristen countered that Eric also hadn't cared when he had seduced her and taken advantage of her vulnerability at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. Eric impatiently ordered Kristen to shut up and stop lying, pointing out that it was safe for her to be honest for once because no one else was around to hear her confession.
Kristen reminded Eric that he couldn't even remember what had happened to him at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, but he countered that he had remembered enough. Kristen, who was still being held in Eric's tight grip, wondered if he had remembered that he had held her the same way on the night in question. Eric reluctantly released Kristen, but when she tried to run again, he insisted that she wasn't going to leave until she answered for what she had done.
Eric started to recall various things that Kristen had said and done during the previous few months -- visiting him in the hospital after the incident at the Capitol Plaza Hotel, requesting an invitation to the St. Luke's Academy consecration ceremony and asking if he had ever known what it was like to lose everything, trying to avoid working with him on the scholarship program and the Pre-Cana counseling sessions -- and he realized that it was all linked to what had happened to him at the hotel. Kristen tried to put her own innocent spin on each event, but Eric warned her that he wasn't as dumb as Brady was.
"Don't you talk about Brady that way! Look, I understand why you have to demonize me this way. I understand that you feel guilty 'cause of breaking your vows. You made yourself sick about it, didn't you? You just wanted so badly to forget it ever happened, didn't you? Well, I can't forget! And you talk about being sick? I was your victim, Father!" Kristen angrily declared. Eric incredulously insisted that he was the person who had been drugged and victimized, but Kristen countered that he hadn't acted like a person who had been drugged.
"Yeah, but we were also videoed in that hotel bed. It wasn't me, so let's really think about who it really was. Let's see...you! You did this against my will without my consent! Why? Why do you hate me so much?" Eric demanded to know. Kristen's expression suddenly changed, and she shook her head as she stated, somewhat painfully, that she didn't hate Eric. Eric suddenly recalled that Kristen had been desperate to speak to the bishop at the St. Luke's Academy consecration ceremony, and he realized that she had been planning to show him the video that day and had changed her plan at the last minute after she had talked to Brady and learned that she might still have a chance to regain everything that she had lost.
"I didn't lose -- I didn't lose anything. I had my love, my life, my entire future ripped from me! And somebody had to pay! And that was you. 'Let he who has not sinned cast the first stone.' Does that sound familiar? But hey, you know what? Don't let that stop you. Because the only person that's holier than thou is your mother," Kristen told Eric, who suddenly realized that she had used him to hurt Marlena.
"Oh, God, you know what? Marlena could be skinned alive, weenie-roasted on a spit, and she wouldn't experience half the pain that she's caused me. Do you know that the only thing I've ever wanted in my whole life -- ever -- was to be a wife and a mother? I didn't have grand ambitions; I just wanted to be a wife and a mother. But she took that away from me -- not once, not twice, but three times. And do you know the only thing worse than not having a child? It's watching your precious angel just be destroyed and humiliated and suffering. Well, don't wait around, Father. You're not gonna hear an act of contrition cross these lips, because I don't have any regrets," Kristen assured Eric, who wondered if that meant that she didn't regret the fact that she had lost Brady.
Ignoring the question, Kristen acknowledged that Eric had been kind to her, and she tearfully insisted that she had listened to his advice, repented, said that she was sorry, and had tried to do the right thing but that it had gotten her nowhere. Eric incredulously countered that Kristen had acted out of pure selfishness and that she had stood back and let him blame her misdeeds on Nicole even though she had known all along that Nicole was innocent. Kristen laughed in Eric's face. "Oh, my God. If Nicole is innocent, then I'm Mother Teresa. She can go to hell. So can you," Kristen dismissively stated before walking away.
Eric went to Daniel's apartment to talk to Nicole, but Daniel reported that Nicole wasn't there. When Eric spotted Maggie, she informed him that she had told Daniel about what had happened earlier. Eric admitted that Daniel's prediction that Eric would eventually regret what he had done to Nicole had been correct, and he said that he needed to find her and make things right before he did anything else. Daniel tried to contact Nicole, but the call went to voicemail. Desperate to find Nicole, Eric wondered where she could possibly be.
At the DiMera mansion, Harold informed Hope that Kristen wasn't there. Hope started to enter the mansion so that she could confirm that Harold was telling the truth, but he blocked her path and wondered if she had a warrant. "No, but I'll get one. Oh, and Harold, when she does return, you tell her she can run and she can hide, but I'll find her," Hope added before walking away.
Kristen -- who had apparently been hiding nearby -- waited for Hope to leave before attempting to enter the mansion, but Nicole grabbed her as she was opening the front door. "There must be a private circle in hell for someone who could drug and rape a priest. I would hate to be you on judgment day," Nicole disgustedly stated. Kristen returned the sentiment and told Nicole to take her righteous indignation and shove it.
Nicole accused Kristen of ruining her and Eric's lives, but Kristen countered that Nicole had ruined her own life, and she dismissively reasoned that her actions might cause Eric to finally leave the priesthood so that Nicole could make his life miserable. "You threw Eric's celibacy in my face, and then you taunted me about having something that I would never have, and you let Eric blame me for something you did!" Nicole angrily summarized.
"Well, maybe you should have just tried a little harder to get into that cassock, then you could have had what I had. Go take a peek at the video, Nicole -- see for yourself that the flesh was weak and the spirit was very willing," Kristen advised Nicole, who angrily grabbed Kristen's arms and pushed her against the door frame. "Oh, you sick, evil -- your scrawny flesh is weaker than my two fists. I'm not gonna wait for you to go to hell; I'm gonna make your life a living hell right here, right now!" Nicole snarled at Kristen.
Kristen wondered if Nicole was defending Eric because she believed that he wasn't man enough to defend himself. Nicole insisted that she knew Eric better than anyone else did and that he was absolutely committed to his vocation and would never do what Kristen was claiming that he had done. Kristen teasingly countered that Nicole wasn't the person who knew Eric best, that he was no longer committed to his vocation, and that he was only unwilling to do what he had done to her with Nicole.
"Seriously, why are you defending him? He treats you like crap. I mean, he called you a lying whore, Nicole. You only see the best in him. Well, guess what? He only sees the worst in you, honey. It's not so hard to understand, actually. I mean, 'cause I think there is a private circle in hell reserved for you -- you know, for women that use their dead, unborn babies to send their romantic rivals to prison. You know that one?" Kristen mused. Nicole insisted that she had paid and would continue to pay for what she had done to Jennifer and that she was similarly going to make Kristen pay for hurting the people Nicole cared about.
Guessing that the people in question were Eric and Brady, Kristen reminded Nicole that they had thrown her away like the piece of trash that she was. Nicole observed that it was killing Kristen that she couldn't have Brady, but Kristen shrugged and made it clear that she wasn't ready to give up on Brady yet. Nicole incredulously asked Kristen to reveal what planet she was living on. Nicole summarized that even if Brady were stupid enough to take Kristen back again, it wouldn't matter because Kristen was going to spend the rest of her life in prison for what she had done to Eric.
Nicole insisted that Kristen couldn't lie her way out of her latest crimes. "No, I don't think so. I don't think so, because you know what? There's one truth that you will never know. I'm referring to what really happened between Eric and me on that momentous night, and that's one detail I know is gonna haunt you -- drive you crazy -- the rest of your stupid, lonely little life," Kristen tauntingly predicted before shoving Nicole and running away from the mansion. Nicole chased after Kristen, vowing that she would chase Kristen all the way to hell if she had to.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Victor and Brady were contacting various people to put them on Kristen's trail when Hope arrived and asked for statements from each of them. Victor believed that Hope's time would be better spent searching for Kristen instead of playing the role of a transcriptionist, but she assured him that the Salem Police Department was doing everything that it could possibly do to apprehend Kristen.
Hope promised that Kristen would be going to prison for a very long time if the charges that Eric had made against her could be proven. Hope said that the district attorney was willing to file rape and assault charges, but she summarized that they were going to need solid physical evidence to back those charges up. "Hope, track her down. Make the charges stick. If you don't, I'll hunt her down myself, and I will kill her," Brady vowed.
As Kristen was driving away from the mansion, she spotted Nicole's headlights in her rearview mirror. Kristen cursed Nicole as she stepped on the accelerator, but Nicole matched Kristen's speed and rammed her car into Kristen's car. After making contact with Kristen's vehicle three additional times, Nicole finally managed to send Kristen skidding off of the road, and Nicole slammed on her brakes and skidded in the opposite direction.
In Will and Sonny's apartment, Sonny called out to Gabi from her bedroom, wondering if she had seen Arianna's pink pacifier. Gabi, who was examining the Sparkle Modeling contract in the living room, quickly stuffed it into her purse and rushed into the bedroom to deliver the pacifier to Sonny. When Sonny emerged from Gabi's bedroom, he was shocked to see Will standing in the apartment doorway, and they passionately kissed.
When Gabi returned to the living room, she was also shocked to see Will, who had originally been scheduled to return to Salem the following morning. Will explained that he had taken an earlier flight because he had missed his family and had been homesick. "We didn't really miss you that much. It was very nice and peaceful without you," Sonny joked. Gabi scoffed and advised Will to refrain from listening to Sonny. "I never do -- don't worry," Will jokingly replied.
Will wondered if Arianna was awake. Gabi revealed that she had just put Arianna down for a nap a short time before, so Will promised that he wouldn't wake his daughter, but he couldn't resist the chance to take a peek at her. As Will rushed into Gabi's bedroom to see Arianna and Sonny carried Will's luggage into their bedroom, Gabi picked up her purse and started to exit the apartment.
Sonny reentered the living room and wondered where Gabi was going. Gabi knowingly explained that she was going to leave for a while so that Sonny and Will could have some privacy, since Arianna would be asleep for a while and it had been a week since the men had last seen each other. Sonny joked that he was starting to like Gabi more and more every day.
At the Horton Town Square, Nick was talking to Jessica on the phone, explaining to her that, while he hadn't decided where he was going to move to yet, his ideal destination would be New York City. Later, Gabi greeted Nick, who wondered if she had decided to sign with the modeling agency yet.
Gabi shook her head, and Nick worriedly wondered if she was saying that she had turned down the offer or if she was simply saying that she hadn't made a decision yet. Gabi clarified that she hadn't made a decision yet, so Nick proceeded to gush about the amazing opportunities that the modeling offer could open for her -- opportunities that she would never get the chance to explore if she chose to continue living in a town like Salem.
Changing the subject, Nick revealed that he had talked to Abigail and that she had reported that she had picked Will up at the airport earlier that night. Nick wondered if Gabi had told Will about the modeling offer. Gabi said that she hadn't wanted to ruin Will's happiness with the news that she was considering moving his daughter to New York. Nick laughed heartily and said that he understood.
Nick wanted to know more about Will's trip to Berkeley, so Gabi summarized that it seemed like Will had finally figured out what he wanted to do with his life. Nick told Gabi that nothing was more important, and she wondered what he wanted to do with his life. Nick evasively stated that he was still trying to figure out exactly what was going to make him happy, and he quickly steered the conversation back to Gabi's big decision. Nick hoped that Gabi would decide to do what was right for her instead of trying to please other people, because he had been down that road before, and it was ultimately self-defeating and doomed to failure.
In Will and Sonny's apartment, Will emerged from Gabi's bedroom and found the lights dimmed, candles lit, and Sonny pouring two glasses of wine. Surprised, Will wondered where Gabi was, and Sonny revealed that she had left earlier, adding that it had been her idea to leave so that he and Will could have some privacy. Will took that as a sign that Sonny and Gabi were starting to really get along with each other, and Sonny confirmed the suspicion.
Will took a seat next to Sonny on the couch as he told Sonny about his earlier discussion with Arianna. "I'm sorry -- I did wake Ari up. We had a chat. I said, 'Oh, Ari, I missed you so much,' and she said, 'Dad, chill out -- you were gone for a week,' and I said, 'Don't talk to me that way,'" Will summarized as he and Sonny laughed. Sonny said that if Arianna could talk, she would say that she had missed Will like crazy.
"And I can tell because of the expressions on her face sometimes. Like when I would, like, put her to sleep, she would look up at me as if, like, 'You again? Where's my dad?'" Sonny explained. Will was sure that Arianna had been just fine with Sonny and Gabi, but Sonny replied that, while Arianna might have been fine with him and Gabi, he was certain that, like him, Arianna was much happier when Will was around.
Sonny kissed Will and said that he had missed Will terribly, and Will returned the sentiment as they started to undress each other. Later, while Will and Sonny were lying in bed together after making love, Will joked that he might need to go away more often, but Sonny didn't like that idea. Will laughed and asked Sonny to accompany him the next time that he took a trip somewhere. Sonny jokingly agreed that he and Gabi and Arianna and Arianna's stroller, crib, and blanket could all board the plane with Will, who conceded the point and admitted that it might be best for him and Sonny to wait a few years before trying to go on a romantic trip together.
Sonny asked to hear all about Will's seminar. Will claimed that everyone else who had attended the seminar had been smarter than him, but Sonny refused to believe that. Will insisted that he was being serious, but he added that knowing that each of his peers was smarter than he was hadn't intimidated him and had instead inspired him and motivated him to work harder. Will said that he had realized that he loved writing. Sonny encouraged Will to continue to write, but Will was concerned that he wouldn't be able to make a living as a writer.
Sonny insisted that Will didn't need to worry about whether being a writer was a viable career choice from a financial perspective, adding that Will needed to simply write and see where his writing took him if that was his dream. Will agreed to take Sonny's advice, and he admitted that it felt good to know what he wanted to do with his life. "Other than, um, you know, hanging out with you, I guess," Will added as he kissed Sonny passionately, and they started to make love again.
Later, Sonny informed Will that Cameron had left Salem. Will wondered if Gabi was okay with that development. Sonny assumed that Gabi was handling Cameron's departure well, since she had been in good spirits recently. Sonny reported that Gabi was very excited and happy about someone or something, and he assured Will that, while he didn't know the details, he was certain that Nick wasn't involved.
Gabi returned to the apartment later and went straight to her bedroom after tossing her purse on the couch. Meanwhile, Sonny emerged from his and Will's bedroom to grab something from the couch, but he knocked Gabi's purse to the floor in the process. Sonny started to pick up the spilled contents of the purse, including Gabi's modeling contract. As Sonny inspected the contract, Gabi returned and wondered what he was doing.
Eric searched for Nicole at St. Luke's, but she wasn't there. Eric placed a phone call to Nicole, but the call went to voicemail. As Eric started to exit his office, Father Matt arrived and wondered if it was true that Eric had been intimate with Kristen DiMera. Eric confirmed the news, but he insisted that he had been drugged and that he would never willingly forsake his vows to the church.
Eric reminded Father Matt of their previous conversations about the sexual dreams that Eric had been plagued with and Eric's efforts to figure out what had happened to him and had made him deathly ill at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. Eric explained that all of those things were connected and that Kristen had committed a heinous act against him at the hotel.
Father Matt remembered the conversations in question, but he also recalled other conversations in which Eric had been guilt-ridden about something that he had not wanted to explain to Father Matt. Father Matt noted that Eric had admitted to being at least partially responsible for whatever it was that Eric had been struggling to deal with, and he wondered if Eric had been feeling guilty about willingly sleeping with Kristen.
Eric attributed his feelings of guilt to the fact that he had previously figured out that his sexual dreams were actually memories. Eric revealed that he had mistakenly assumed that Nicole was the woman who had been appearing in his memories and that she had denied his accusations when he had confronted her. Father Matt wondered why Eric would ever believe that Nicole would do something like that to him.
Eric summarized the coincidences that had led him to that conclusion, and he admitted that he had accused Nicole without any real proof and had refused to believe her side of the story. Eric explained that he had been searching for Nicole to make things right with her before Father Matt had arrived at the church, and he started to excuse himself so that he could continue his search, but Father Matt stopped him.
Father Matt revealed that Bishop White and a number of other church officials had heard from many parishioners who had seen the video at the wedding, and that all of the parishioners had reported that the sex had looked consensual. Eric was disappointed to learn that not even one single parishioner had been willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Father Matt reported that the bishop wanted to personally view the video before making a decision about Eric's fate, but he added that things didn't look promising.
"I know if I don't have any proof that I was drugged, no one's gonna believe me. You know, even after seeing that video, I have no recollection of what happened with Kristen. But I can honestly say, even though that evening was a loss, there's no question in my mind or in my heart that I did not willingly have sex with Kristen. You believe me, don't you?" Eric asked Father Matt, who confirmed that he believed Eric. Father Matt said that he had always known Eric to be a thoughtful, prayerful man who was decent, honest, and dedicated to the church, but he added that regardless of his own personal beliefs, Eric's vocation was still at risk.
Eric understood and promised to meet with Bishop White later, but he added that finding Nicole was his main concern. After thanking Father Matt for having faith in him, Eric excused himself and exited the office.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Hope received a phone call from someone at the police station. After ending the call, Hope informed Victor and Brady that someone had reported seeing two cars speeding down the highway and that both cars had gone over the embankment. Hope revealed that the witness had been able to make out the license plate number on one of the vehicles and that the vehicle in question was registered to Kristen.
Brady wondered if Kristen had been injured in the accident. Hope admitted that she didn't know yet, and she promised to let Brady and Victor know as soon as she learned more about what had happened on the highway. Hope started to leave, but Brady insisted on accompanying her to the scene of the accident. Victor couldn't believe that Brady still cared about whether Kristen lived or died after everything that she had done to Brady. Brady clarified that, while he didn't care, he still needed to know Kristen's fate either way.
Later, after Hope and Brady left, Victor sighed as he looked at a framed photograph of Maggie that was perched on the mantel. Meanwhile, Victor received a phone call from someone who told him something very interesting about Kristen's car accident.
At the DiMera mansion, E.J. recorded a voicemail message for Kristen, instructing her to call him right away because he needed to ensure that Sami would never find out that he had known and kept quiet about the fact that Kristen had seduced Eric. After E.J. ended the call, Sami entered the living room and dryly asked if he had blueprints for a guillotine laying around somewhere.
Ignoring the question, E.J. informed Sami that Kristen wasn't at the mansion. Sami wasn't surprised, guessing that Kristen had cowardly decided to flee Salem. Sami hoped that Brady would find Kristen and make Kristen pay for what she had done to him and Eric. E.J. impatiently advised Sami to refrain from judging Kristen until the whole story had been revealed.
Sami incredulously reminded E.J. that they already knew the whole story -- that Kristen had drugged and sexually assaulted Eric -- but E.J. skeptically clarified that she was simply recapping Eric's version of the story. Sami insisted that Eric would never lie about something like that, but E.J. mused that he had seen nothing that even remotely resembled sexual assault in the video that everyone at the church had seen -- twice.
Sami glared at E.J. as she wondered how he could suggest such an incredibly stupid, insensitive, and infuriating thing. E.J. matter-of-factly stated that Eric had seemed pretty aggressive in the video, but Sami insisted that Eric's behavior could be attributed to the fact that Kristen had pumped a cartload of drugs into Eric before filming their encounter.
E.J. wondered what kind of drug would allow a man to ravish someone against his own will and have no memory of the encounter afterward. Sami shrugged and told E.J. to ask Kristen for the answer to that question. "No, let's ask you. Unless it is you don't remember the name of the drug you used to get Austin to sleep with you," E.J. pointedly replied.
Sami couldn't believe that E.J. was throwing that particular incident in her face, but he failed to see how that incident was different from the one that she was more than happy to throw in Kristen's face. "I was a kid; she's a fully grown psychopath! And obviously Stefano hasn't changed a bit, because he's helped her do it!" Sami protested.
Meanwhile, E.J. received a phone call from Roman. After ending the call, E.J. informed Sami that Kristen had been in some sort of accident earlier. E.J. walked away, and after pausing for a moment to glare at Stefano's portrait and state that she hoped that Kristen was dead, Sami followed E.J. out of the mansion.
After crashing her car into a tree in an embankment on Highway 41, Nicole was unconscious, her head resting against the airbag that had deployed from her steering wheel. Elsewhere, Kristen's car had also crashed -- on its side -- in the embankment. As Nicole slowly started to regain consciousness, Roman and a police officer rushed over to her car to check on her. Roman wondered if Nicole was all right. "Yes, I will be...as soon as you tell me that bitch is gone for good," Nicole replied.
Roman helped Nicole out of her car and once again asked if she was all right. Nicole said that she had hit her head and was kind of sore, but she reiterated that she believed that she would be fine. Roman advised Nicole to refrain from saying anything to anyone about the accident. Nicole agreed, but she added that, while she wouldn't wish death on anyone, Kristen couldn't be allowed to destroy anyone else's life.
Roman reiterated that Nicole needed to remain silent. "Why are you shushing me? Why? I mean, maybe you don't know what Kristen did to me, but you sure as hell know what she did to your unsuspecting son. You can't stand there and tell me that you don't hate that low-life snake as much as I do," Nicole replied. Before Roman could respond, one of the police officers interrupted to report that another vehicle had been found nearby.
Elsewhere, Hope and Brady arrived at the scene of the other car crash, and he identified the vehicle as Kristen's. A police officer was inspecting the car, and he announced that there was something that Hope needed to see for herself. Hope joined the officer on the driver's side of the car as Brady urged her to tell him if Kristen was dead or alive. "There's no one in the car. Kristen's not here. Kristen -- or whoever was driving this car -- somehow managed to walk away from it," Hope revealed.
Brady found it hard to believe that someone could just walk away from such an accident, but Hope said that a trail of footprints leading into the woods had been found. Hope showed Brady a bracelet that had been found in the car, and he confirmed that it was Kristen's and that she had been wearing it at the wedding. As Roman and Nicole arrived at the crash site, Hope announced that she had found something nearby.
Everyone joined Hope, who was inspecting what appeared to be a torn piece of fabric. Nicole identified the fabric as a piece of Kristen's wedding gown, which Kristen had still been wearing during their earlier argument. Roman quickly interrupted Nicole and told her that they would talk about that at the police station. Hope and Roman went to continue their search of the area, leaving Brady alone with Nicole.
Nicole told Brady about her earlier argument with Kristen and the car chase that had ensued. Nicole admitted that, while Roman had advised her to keep her mouth shut, she didn't care what people thought about her and she wasn't sorry about what she had done to Kristen. "I'm not, either. Kristen deserved it, and much worse. You were right all along. You told me to look out for her, and what did I do? I told you to get the hell out of my life -- that's what I said to you. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I have no excuses," Brady replied.
"You should be. You know, Brady, for what it's worth...I'm sorry I was right -- for your sake," Nicole said before walking away. Later, Sami and E.J. arrived at the crash site, where Hope informed them that Kristen had fled the scene of the accident. Hope reported that the police were on Kristen's trail and that it probably wouldn't be long before they found Kristen, who couldn't have gotten far on foot.
Hope promised to contact E.J. later to give him an update on the search. Satisfied, E.J. and Sami started to leave, but they ran into Brady as they were walking away. Sensing trouble, Sami warned E.J. that it wasn't the time for him to be starting an argument with Brady. After giving Brady a meaningful look of concern, Sami walked away, and E.J. smirked smugly at Brady before silently following her away from the crash site.
Brady observed that the DiMeras were certainly loyal to each other to the end. "Aren't they? The bitter end. Kristen virtually destroys his fiancée's brother, and yet he comes around here like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. I mean, like it'd actually be a tragedy if something really did hap -- I'm sorry," Hope told Brady, but he assured her that there was no need for her to apologize. Brady guessed that E.J. was the last person on the planet who cared about what happened to Kristen. Brady assured Hope that Kristen disgusted him and that he only wanted to find Kristen so that she could pay for everything that she had done.
At the police station, Roman gave Nicole a document to sign to indicate that she had waived her right to an attorney. Roman proceeded to question Nicole about what had happened that night. Roman asked Nicole to describe how extremely foggy it had been that night so that he would be able to get an accurate sense of what she had been dealing with when she had been pursuing Kristen on the highway.
Nicole started to clarify that it hadn't really been that foggy at all, but she quickly realized what Roman was trying to do for her, and she confirmed that it had been pretty foggy and that she had barely been able to see the road. Nicole added that she had simply been trying to stop Kristen and that she hadn't intended for Kristen to get injured. Later, as Nicole concluded her story, Victor burst into Roman's office and advised her to refrain from saying another word until Justin arrived to represent her.
Nicole was confused, and Roman told Victor to relax because no charges were being filed against her. Meanwhile, Roman received a phone call and excused himself after warning Nicole to look the other way if Victor offered to help her. "People that Victor Kiriakis offers help to end up with a knife in their back," Roman summarized before exiting the room.
After Roman left, Victor proudly informed Nicole that he was responsible for the video of Kristen and Eric being played at the wedding. Victor revealed that Marlena had helped him, but Nicole was certain that Marlena wouldn't have willingly exposed Eric in such a public manner. Victor denied that he had tricked Marlena, but he admitted that she hadn't known about Eric's involvement in the video until after she had aired it.
Nicole declared that Victor's latest scheme was one for the books, but he unapologetically declared that he had no regrets and that his plan had worked out exactly as he had hoped that it would. "I did hear that you managed to run Kristen off the road. Now, that's a good deed that deserves to go unpunished. In fact, if you'd managed to kill her, I'd have thrown you a parade. Who knows -- if we're lucky, you may still get one," Victor added.
Nicole said that she would settle for some peace of mind, adding that it would be nice to know that she no longer had to worry about when Kristen was going to pull another vicious stunt that Nicole would get crucified for. Victor didn't understand why Nicole was worried about being crucified for Kristen's misdeeds, but Nicole declined to clarify the matter for him, dismissively stating that she was simply being paranoid, as usual. Victor cheerfully advised Nicole to take comfort in the fact that, one way or another, Kristen was toast, and everyone else was going to live happily ever after. "Not everyone, Victor," Nicole sadly muttered after Victor left.
At the DiMera mansion, E.J. went to check on Johnny after Harold announced that the boy had experienced a nightmare earlier. Meanwhile, a cell phone started ringing, and when Sami realized that it was E.J.'s, she decided to answer it because she assumed that Hope might be calling to deliver some news about Kristen. E.J. had simply received a work-related text message, so Sami started to return his cell phone to his jacket pocket, but she paused when she noticed that there was also an unread text message from Kristen on his phone.
After a moment of hesitation, Sami opened the text message. "'Bye, E.J. Thank you for being a loyal brother and keeping my secret about Eric.' E.J. knew? That Kristen had slept with my brother?" Sami muttered with disbelief. E.J. returned a short time later and wondered what Sami was doing with his phone. "You son of a bitch," Sami said as she glared at E.J.
Back at the police station, Nicole was anxious to leave, so she decided to track down Roman and find out why he was taking such a long time to return with her statement for her to sign. When Nicole opened Roman's office door, she found Eric standing on the other side.
At the crash site, a police officer informed Hope and Brady that a woman had been found hiding in the woods.
At Will and Sonny's apartment, Gabi grabbed her purse and modeling contract away from Sonny and demanded to know why he'd been going through her things. Sonny innocently explained that it had fallen on the floor, and he had merely picked it up. "Was that a contract from a modeling agency?" Sonny inquired curiously. Gabi snapped for him to let it go. Will exited the bedroom and asked what was going on.
Sonny quickly clarified what had happened, but Will was still in the dark about the reason for the tension between Sonny and Gabi. Gabi urged Sonny to go ahead and spill the beans, because she knew he would, anyway, as soon as she left the room. Sonny explained that he'd seen a contract from a modeling agency in Gabi's things. Will surprised Gabi by congratulating her with an enthusiastic, supportive embrace. Will and Sonny promised to cover with Arianna if Gabi needed help.
Will wanted to know why Gabi hadn't told him right away. Gabi's face fell a little as she thought about how she would have to move to New York if she signed the contract, but she covered by saying that she hadn't known how Will would react. When Gabi said that the agency wanted her to have a lawyer look over the contract, Sonny immediately sent a text message to ask his dad to do it. Will thought it was exciting that all three of them had something to do that they were very interested in.
T was working behind the bar at Club TBD when Jordan joined Abigail at the bar. Clearly intrigued, T tried to introduce himself to Jordan, but Abigail hustled her away to a table. Abigail revealed that her phone had died after she had invited Jordan and another friend out for drinks, but she was glad Jordan had shown up because Abigail wanted to get to know her better.
After Abigail admittedly monopolized the conversation by talking about her family, she asked about Jordan's family. Jordan admitted that she felt for Abigail and J.J., because Jordan had lost her dad at a young age. When Abigail asked questions about it, Jordan hedged that she didn't want to talk about something like that when they were supposed to be having a good time. T walked over and introduced himself to Jordan, then offered to show her around town. Abigail quickly but politely got rid of him.
Grinning tolerantly, Jordan said that T was kind of sweet. "Sweet and incorrigible," Abigail maintained. When Gabi showed up, Jordan became nervous. Jordan fretted about boundaries because Gabi's brother was Jordan's patient. Gabi thought that Rafe would be happy to know that Jordan was out having a good time. Gabi said that she hadn't known that Jordan and Abigail were friends.
Abigail explained that they had just met, but she had decided to spend more time with her girlfriends to take her mind off of guys. Gabi revealed that the modeling agency wanted her to start modeling again. Raising her wine glass, Abigail toasted, "Proof positive: we do not need a man to succeed."
At the DiMera mansion, an upset Sami tossed E.J.'s cell phone to him. "You got a text from Kristen, so she's not dead, unfortunately," Sami hissed, angry tears welling up in her eyes. Reciting the message from memory, Sami accused E.J. of knowing all along what Kristen had done to Eric. E.J. accused his fiancée of overreacting. "You knew that she did this horrible, vile thing, and you were okay with her being near our children?" Sami demanded.
Sami was incredulous that E.J. had chosen his sister over Sami and the children, even though Kristen had been "hell-bent" on ruining Eric's life. E.J. countered nastily, "If anybody ruined Eric's life, you can thank your mother." An incredulous Sami reminded E.J., "Your sister drugged my brother and then raped him and then videotaped it -- and you want to talk about what my mother did?" E.J. coldly pointed out that was Eric's version of the story.
A livid Sami argued that Eric's story was the truth because he was always honest. She sarcastically urged E.J. to look her in the eye and lie to her again about not knowing what Kristen had done. "I'm not going to lie. I knew," E.J. admitted unapologetically. Sami exploded, protesting that she'd thought E.J. loved and wanted to marry her. E.J. insisted that he did; he'd been trying to keep the situation contained in order to protect, among others, members of her family.
"I can't believe that you thought it was okay for that whore to marry my brother!" Sami said. "You take it easy. Your brother loved that whore," E.J. reminded her. He added that Kristen and Brady had been broken up when Kristen had slept with Eric. Sami roared that Kristen had raped Eric. E.J. maintained that Kristen had explained it differently -- and Eric had not looked drugged on the video. Sami hotly pointed out that Eric would never have willingly had sex with Kristen.
Trying to feign calm, E.J. poured a drink and reasoned that it was over because Kristen had left town. Sami yanked the drink out of his hand and hurled it across the room, dousing herself and shattering the glass in the process. Furious that E.J. had let her get dressed up and pretend to be happy watching Brady and Kristen get married, Sami shouted, "You knew what she had done, and you didn't tell me!"
E.J. argued that if he had told Sami, the video would have shown up on the evening news instead of on a video screen at the church. "Only a complete fool would have told you!" E.J. barked. He was utterly dubious that Sami would really have believed him if he had told her about Kristen and Eric. "Stop trying to be a lawyer with me, E.J. You didn't even try to tell me the truth," Sami pointed out, adding that it had been wrong and unforgivable.
"Unforgivable? You're talking about what your brother did to my poor --" E.J. began, but an utterly incensed Sami thundered at him to shut up. As she stormed out of the room, E.J. demanded to know where she was going. Sami stopped in the doorway and whirled around and glared venomously at E.J., then declared that where she was going was none of his business. Sami firmly ordered E.J. to find another bed to sleep in while she was gone. "Lucky for you, there are plenty of empty bedrooms in this house now. Pick one. I don't care. Stay away from mine," she spat before storming out.
E.J. brooded with a drink for a while and tried to convince himself that Sami was just angry, and everything would blow over. Attempting to snap out of it, E.J. sat down at the computer, muttering, "All right, Kristen, let's see what sort of a mess you've been making of the business." After reviewing things for a moment, he scowled, noting, "Kristen, I know you were otherwise engaged, but you made a right mess of this business." E.J. pecked determinedly at the keyboard.
At the site of the car crash, Officer Bennett escorted a homeless woman, Brenda, back to where Hope and Brady were waiting. Bennett explained that Brenda had seen a woman in the woods. An overzealous Brady demanded answers from the homeless woman so insistently that Hope threatened to have one of the officers take him back to the station. Hope showed Brenda a picture of Kristen, and Brenda confirmed that it was the same woman she had seen.
A confused Brenda seemed unable to describe where she had seen Kristen, so Hope instructed Bennett to take the woman someplace warm for the night. Brady was furious because he knew Kristen would get away, probably with help from E.J. Hope urged Brady to talk to someone, because she sensed that he was on the edge. Brady wanted to help search for Kristen, but Hope firmly ordered him to leave the search to the police.
At the police station, Eric admitted to Nicole that he had been looking everywhere for her. Nicole gave Eric the short version of how she happened to be there after her car accident with Kristen and Kristen's subsequent disappearance. Eric asked if Nicole were all right. Nicole quipped, "Well, compared to the rest of my week, the car crash was kind of fun. Besides, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?" Eric realized that Nicole had really wanted to kill Kristen.
Nicole admitted that although she hadn't set out to kill Kirsten, she wouldn't have cared if Kristen had died a horrible death. Nicole was eager to finish her statement so she could leave. Eric expressed his sincere wish that he had never learned the truth. Nicole was sympathetic about what Eric had to be feeling to find out that a woman he'd thought was a friend had violated him. Eric stated that he had wanted to talk to Nicole not because of what Kristen had done to him but because of what he had done to Nicole.
Eric explained that it wasn't just the "big, horrible thing" that was he sorry for but also for all of the little things along the way. Eric added that it disgusted him that he hadn't believed her even when she'd sworn that she had been telling the truth about what had happened at the hotel. "I was completely and totally wrong about so many things, but most of all, I was wrong about you. I mean, how could you ever understand when I don't?" Eric said.
"I do understand," Nicole began tearfully, but a police officer interrupted to get Nicole to sign her statement, since Commissioner Brady was tied up. Nicole quickly signed the forms and started to head out, but Eric stopped her to ask what she'd meant when she'd said she understood. "I understood that you were wrong," Nicole said. She wondered if he were truly sorry for what he'd done. She reminded him that she had put her hand on the Bible and sworn that she hadn't done anything wrong, but he had been certain that he could not have been wrong.
Nicole continued tearfully that Eric had called her a rapist, and instead of searching his conscience to realize he was wrong, he'd needed a video to prove that she wasn't the monster he'd accused her of being. "But you want to know the good that has come out of all of this? You don't have to worry about me loving you anymore. Your virtue is safe with me," Nicole cried. The tears that had filled Eric's eyes spilled down his cheeks. Nicole informed him that she had defended him to Daniel because she knew what that kind of debasement felt like.
Nicole added that she hoped Eric could find a way to forgive himself for how he had treated her, but she could never give him the forgiveness he needed from her. Urging him to do whatever he had to do to make peace with himself, Nicole spat, "You are not the man I thought you were. You are not the priest I thought you were. And I am sure God will forgive you. It's just I never can." She turned and walked out.
At Daniel's apartment, Daniel invited Maggie to stay with him until she was ready to face Victor, but Daniel cautioned her that Nicole was also staying there. Maggie expressed her outraged disbelief that Daniel could add to the pain he'd already caused Jennifer. Daniel asserted that Nicole needed a friend. Maggie soft-pedaled her anger, acknowledging that what Victor had done had put her on edge. Daniel reminded his mom that she was well aware Victor would do anything to protect his family.
Maggie argued that it hadn't been necessary for Victor to put Marlena through what he had so publicly in order to expose Kristen. Daniel knew that Maggie still loved Victor, but she contended, "This is not about love. It's about forgiveness. Sometimes forgiveness is the hardest thing on earth." Daniel repeated his offer for Maggie to stay there. Maggie declined but assured Daniel that it had nothing to do with Nicole; she just needed some time alone, so she would check in to a hotel.
Maggie admitted that she had known who Victor was when she'd married him, but she had hoped that he was through doing such cruel things. Daniel maintained that Victor hadn't set out to hurt Marlena or Eric by doing what Victor had believed was necessary to protect Brady. Daniel added that Maggie was the best thing that had ever happened to Victor.
Hope went to Daniel's and turned on a recording device as she asked him questions about Eric's allegations. Daniel explained that he was convinced Eric had been poisoned and a masking agent had been used to disguise the drug -- although there was no concrete proof. Daniel added that Eric had been tormented every day since the incident at the hotel. Noting that Daniel had been not just a good doctor but a good friend to Eric, Hope wanted to know how Daniel could have hurt Jennifer the way he had.
Hope turned off the recorder as Daniel explained, "I had taken an oath that kind of requires me to try to keep people from dying, so I had to take Theresa to the hospital that night." He added that he would have done exactly the same thing even if he'd known that Jennifer was going to be there, and even if she hadn't broken up with him. Hope suspected that there was more to the story, but Daniel refused to discuss it further.
When Nicole returned to Daniel's apartment, Daniel said that he'd been worried about her. He asked if she were okay. "No, I'm not okay. And I don't think I'm ever going to be," Nicole admitted.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady confided to Maggie that he wished he could take back all of the stupid mistakes he'd made, thinking Kristen had changed. "I know who she is now, and they will find her. She's too evil to die," Brady predicted. Maggie suggested that they attend a late-night meeting together. Brady maintained that the rage he felt for Kristen would fill him up and keep him from drinking or using. "Rage never does that," Maggie cautioned him gently. She urged him to call -- no matter how late -- if he needed her.
After Maggie left, Brady eyed all the bottles and glasses on the bar in the living room. He shut his eyes to the temptation and got on the phone instead. "It's Brady Black. Listen, the cops are looking for Kristen DiMera, but that's not good enough for me. I want all of Titan security. I don't care how many men; I don't care what it costs. I want you to find her," Brady ordered. After he hung up, he vowed that Kristen wouldn't get away with what she'd done.
Eric was listening to the messages on St. Luke's answering machine from irate parishioners, accusing him of being a disgrace to the priesthood, when Sami arrived. She tearfully expressed her regrets to her twin brother about everything that had happened. A grateful Eric held her in a lengthy embrace. "I am so glad that you're here. You're the only person I want to see right now," he admitted.
Sami began to tell Eric about E.J.'s role in everything, but quickly covered that E.J. had sent her there to reassure Eric. "We both know how important it is for me to say that I believe in you. I love you and I believe in you, Eric Brady. I always have, and I always will," Sami proclaimed.
