At the DiMera mansion, Sami received a phone call while she was in the middle of opening the envelope that had been slipped under the front door. As Sami started talking to the caller, E.J. realized that it was a business call. E.J. offered to take the call because he could tell that there was some sort of problem, but Sami assured him that she could handle the matter herself.
Sami passed the envelope to E.J. as she continued to talk to the caller. E.J. reached into the envelope and partially removed the incriminating photograph from it, but he kept his eyes locked on Sami while doing so because hearing her issue stern warnings to the caller was distracting and impressing him. When Sami ended the call, E.J. placed the envelope facedown on a nearby surface and proudly kissed her.
Sami pulled away from E.J. and headed into the living room, but he stopped her and kissed her again as he started to unbutton her shirt. Sami pulled away from E.J. again and regretfully informed him that she needed to respond to a few work-related emails right away because Marlena would be visiting the mansion later that day to help her pick out a wedding dress. After assuring E.J. that, later, they would pick up where they had left off, Sami went to the study, leaving him alone in the living room.
Remembering the envelope, E.J. returned to the foyer, where he finally viewed the envelope's contents. Stunned, E.J. tucked the photograph back in the envelope, went into the living room, and closed all of the doors leading into the room before pulling the photograph back out of the envelope. After staring at the photograph for a moment, E.J. tossed it on the surface of the piano, next to some other items, and paced around the piano as he tried to process the turn of events. Shaking, E.J. returned to the image and tried to pick it up, but he only managed to scatter it and the other items -- wedding invitations -- on the floor instead.
E.J. scrambled to collect the items, and as he held a stack of wedding invitations in one hand and the photograph in the other, he thought about a recent moment when Sami had declared, after they had finished making love, that she trusted him completely. "Oh, my God. What the hell is that?" Sami asked, surprising E.J. with her sudden return. Sami snatched the picture out of E.J.'s hand so that she could take a closer look at it, and she wondered if it was someone's sick idea of a joke. E.J. played along with Sami's assumption as she mused that someone -- Stefano, perhaps -- had done a surprisingly good job of making the image look convincing.
E.J. took the photograph from Sami as he stated that, while he found it hard to imagine that Stefano would pull such a stunt himself, the DiMeras had enemies who were certainly capable of doing so. As E.J. and Sami stared at the picture together, she compared E.J.'s real hand to the one that was on Abigail's waist in the image. Sami once again yanked the photograph out of E.J.'s hand for a closer look, growing increasingly concerned that it was too convincing to be fake. E.J. tried to stop Sami, but she warned him to stay where he was. "Abigail...and you?" Sami asked, and E.J. quietly confirmed her suspicion.
E.J. quickly added that what had happened with Abigail had meant nothing at all, calling it an idiotic mistake. Sami continued to stare at the photograph as she tearfully wondered when it had been taken. E.J. replied that the image depicted something that had happened months earlier. Sami started to hyperventilate as she tried to think of the next question to ask, and E.J. reminded her to breathe normally as he started to approach her. Sami backed away from E.J. and once again ordered him to stay where he was, so he complied with her request.
As Sami continued to stare at the photograph, E.J. stammered out assurances that what had happened with Abigail was over and that it had just been a meaningless physical thing. Sami interrupted and started to ask when the thing between E.J. and Abigail had happened, but she quickly remembered that she had already asked that question, so she started to take herself through the rest of the standard questions, beginning with "where" -- a question that she answered herself when she recognized that E.J. and Abigail were at the Horton cabin. Sami wondered if E.J. had been with Abigail anywhere else, such as the DiMera mansion.
E.J. insisted that he would never do that, and he begged Sami to let him explain everything, but she interrupted as she continued to remind herself of the questions that still needed to be asked. Skipping past "who," "what," and "how" -- questions that had obvious answers -- Sami finally landed on "why?" E.J. contemplated the question for a moment before deciding that there was no good answer for it.
Sami tearfully asked if E.J. had -- or still -- loved Abigail. "No! No, I love you -- you know that. From the first moment that I saw you until I draw my last breath, it will be you and only you," E.J. assured Sami, but she quietly objected to his use of the word "only" as she turned her attention back to the photograph she was still holding. Sami matter-of-factly observed that Abigail was very pretty.
Sami remained silent as she continued to stare at the photograph, tears rolling down her cheeks. E.J. decided to fill the silence with an answer to Sami's earlier question, recounting the events that had led up to his encounter with Abigail at the Horton cabin. E.J. concluded that he had simply been protecting Sami, prompting her to start slapping him repeatedly. Sami continued to hit E.J. as she shouted at him, refusing to believe his excuse, but he stopped her and insisted that he was telling the truth.
E.J. informed Sami that the incident at the Horton cabin had occurred right after she had gone on a business trip to Chicago -- an act that had left him fearing that she had been about to cancel their engagement. "Well, you sure showed me, didn't you?!" Sami snapped at E.J., who maintained that he had been a wreck at that particular time because he had assumed that he had been minutes away from losing her forever. Sami picked up the photograph, which she had dropped earlier, as she summarized that E.J. had decided to seek comfort from their kids' pretty, young babysitter, who was barely out of college and just happened to be his little brother's ex-girlfriend. Sami demanded to know what E.J. had been thinking, and he replied that he hadn't been thinking at all.
E.J. referred to what he had done as one huge, stupid mistake, prompting Sami to wonder if it had really only happened once. E.J. admitted that it had actually happened twice, while he and Sami had been estranged. Sami once again asked if E.J. had been with Abigail at the DiMera mansion, and he reiterated that he would never do that. Sami demanded to know where the second incident had occurred so that she wouldn't get blindsided with the information at some point in the future. When E.J. reluctantly revealed that it had happened in the men's locker room at DiMera Enterprises, Sami quickly realized that he was talking about the day that he had taken a long time to get out of the shower when she had surprised him there with a visit after returning from her business trip.
Sami sadly recalled that she had wanted E.J. very badly that day and that he had rushed her out of the room. Sami guessed that Abigail had been in the shower the whole time and that E.J. had turned Sami away so that he could be with Abigail instead. E.J. reached out to Sami, who backed away and warned him not to touch her. Sami sobbed as she mused that E.J. and Abigail had probably shared some laughs at her expense after she had left the locker room, but he assured her that he had sent Abigail away immediately after Sami had left. E.J. added that he hadn't gone looking for Abigail in the first place -- she had just shown up while he had been using the locker room that day. "Poor you," Sami quietly replied.
Sami recalled that she had asked E.J. to "handle" Abigail on the day of Arianna's christening, and she bitterly wondered if he'd had a quickie with Abigail in Father Matt's office to "protect" Sami. E.J. acknowledged that he deserved everything that Sami was dishing out at him, and he promised to take it all without blinking, but he refused to let her go. Ignoring the statement, Sami started to complain about the fact that she had helped Abigail through a pregnancy scare without ever realizing that Abigail had slept with E.J., but she stopped herself when she realized the true implications of what she was saying. "It would have been yours. Of course, it would have been yours, and she let me hold her hand. That little bitch -- she sat there and let me comfort her the whole time, knowing that it was --" Sami started to say, but E.J. interrupted to remind her that Abigail wasn't pregnant.
Sami guessed that E.J. hadn't been able to stop himself from "jumping all over" Abigail for long enough to locate and use a condom, but he protested that it hadn't been like that at all. Sami demanded to know what it had been like, tearfully wondering what had made Abigail irresistible. Sami stared at the photograph as she conceded that Abigail was pretty and young and educated and skinny, but E.J. insisted that Sami was the only woman he had ever wanted. "Samantha, for how many years have I waited for you? Have I loved you [and] lusted after you? I jumped through every hoop you ever held up. I gave away everything that I have in this world...for you. How could you ever think that I would ever want to be with anybody but you?" E.J. asked as he knelt beside Sami, who was sitting in a chair.
Sami pointed out that E.J. had been with someone other than her, but he clarified that he had wanted her but she hadn't been around at that particular time. Sami started to remind E.J. that she had simply gone on an overnight business trip to Chicago, but he stopped her and told her not to make the matter that small. E.J. reasoned that the matter had actually been about the fact that, after everything that he and Sami had been through together, she had still not been ready to commit to a life with him at that particular time. "You are gonna stand there and defend what you did to me?!" Sami snapped as she rose from her chair, causing E.J. to back away from her. E.J. clarified that he wasn't trying to defend or justify his actions -- he was simply telling Sami what his mindset had been at the time in question.
E.J. said that he didn't blame Sami for hating his guts and that he was sorry "to the marrow of his bones," but he added that he wasn't going to lie down and surrender because he was fighting for his life -- their life -- and he wasn't going to let one stupid mistake destroy everything that they had been through together. "Oh, don't. Don't you use that word. This isn't a mistake, E.J.! You forget the dry cleaning, and that is a mistake! This is -- this...is betrayal," Sami sadly concluded after angrily slamming the photograph against the surface of the nearby desk multiple times.
E.J. cautiously approached Sami while she was catching her breath, and he reasoned that it couldn't possibly be true that he had betrayed her, since his heart had never left her -- not even for a single second. E.J. placed a hand on Sami's shoulder as he reminded her that she fell asleep each night to the sound of his heart. Sami stared at E.J.'s hand for a moment before grabbing a nearby letter opener. "You touch me again...and I will drive this through that lying heart," Sami warned as she pointed the makeshift weapon at E.J., who carefully wrapped his hands around her hand and helped her guide the letter opener to the appropriate spot. Sami applied a slight bit of pressure to E.J.'s chest with the makeshift weapon but ultimately decided not to plunge it into E.J.'s heart, choosing instead to stab a legal pad that was laying on the desk.
After dropping the letter opener on the desk, Sami turned to face E.J. again, but something else caught her eye in the process -- a stack of wedding invitations that had been knocked off of the desk when she had assaulted it with the photograph earlier. Sami sobbed as she knelt to pick up the wedding invitations, which had been kept separate from the ones that E.J. had accidentally scattered near the piano earlier.
"These are my -- my 'by hand' box. These are the invitations I had to deliver personally...along with a plea. 'It's different this time, Daddy, Aunt Hope, Eric...' -- fill in the blank -- '...E.J. makes me so happy. The kids are so happy. Once we admitted that we loved each other and accepted each other -- it's better than I ever thought my life could be. I trust him this time. Daddy, I can trust him. You'll see. This is gonna be my perfect, happy wedding -- my perfect, happy beginning,'" Sami sadly stated before calmly tearing up one of the invitations as E.J. watched helplessly.
"Well, at least it didn't happen at the altar -- thank you for that. And I guess I'm lucky that you wanted a souvenir, 'cause now I have one," Sami said as she smoothed out the creases she had given the photograph when she had used it to attack the desk earlier. Sami picked up the photograph and started to walk away, but E.J. stopped her and stammered out an objection that what had happened with Abigail was insignificant, not just when compared to his love for Sami but also when compared to all of the truly monstrous things they had done to each other in the past. E.J. assured Sami that Abigail meant nothing to him.
"That's what makes it so horrible. You crossed a line I never even imagined you could cross. You crossed a line I can never forgive...for something that you say meant nothing to you," Sami sadly replied. Sami started to walk away, but E.J. grabbed her hand and fell to his knees as he started to beg her to give him a second chance. Sami summarized that E.J. had thrown her away and that their relationship had ended the second his lips had touched Abigail's, but he protested that Sami wasn't being rational. E.J. quickly tried to take back what he had just said, but it was too late. Sami freed herself from E.J.'s grasp and circled the living room, shattering everything that was within reach, as he tried to assure her that he hadn't meant what he had just said.
"Rational?! I'm not being rational?! I'm not being rational?! What about Sami and E.J., huh? Cut to ribbons! That's not rational?! You didn't mean it?! You meant it all, E.J.! You meant everything! You meant every word! You meant every touch! Every lie! You meant it! You did exactly what you wanted to do, you bastard, and you -- you broke us! You broke us! You broke me! You broke me! You did it -- you broke me, E.J.! You -- you -- you broke --" Sami angrily shouted, stopping only when she started to hyperventilate again.
E.J. -- who had caught Sami and wrapped his arms around her in the middle of her tirade, pulling her to the floor with him -- held her as she sobbed and struggled to catch her breath. Sami tearfully admitted that she loved E.J., and he kissed her forehead as she rested her head against his chest and continued to cry.
Marlena entered the living room, surveyed the scene, and demanded to know what E.J. had done to her daughter. As Sami crawled away from E.J., he angrily ordered Marlena to leave, explaining that Marlena was interfering in a private matter. Sami reasoned that Marlena was going to learn the truth eventually, but E.J. protested that no one else ever had to know what had happened. Ignoring E.J.'s objections, Sami showed Marlena the photograph. Sami announced that she was leaving, and she asked Marlena to pack some things for the kids and meet her somewhere later. E.J. continued to protest, but Sami insisted that she was going to get her children and take them away from him and his "little whore," and she shoved him to the ground as she stormed past him and exited the mansion.
E.J. started to go after Sami, but Marlena stopped him and told him to stay away from Sami. "My daughter loved you completely. You could have done anything, and she would have stood by you, but not this. There's no way back from betrayal with Sami -- she is gone, and you are done. And we can all live without the stench from this house," Marlena said before heading upstairs to pack the kids' things. E.J. fumbled around the living room, looking for his keys, and rushed out of the mansion after locating them.
E.J. went to the Horton house to warn Abigail about what had happened, but when she opened the front door and found him standing outside, she dismissively informed him that she was headed somewhere. Abigail tried to exit the house, but E.J. grabbed her arm and pushed her back inside, causing her to drop her purse in the process. Abigail knelt to collect the scattered contents of her purse as E.J. started to tell her what had happened earlier, but he stopped himself when he spotted an unexpected item on the floor -- a positive home pregnancy test. Confused, E.J. started to point out that Dr. Garcia had previously confirmed that Abigail wasn't pregnant, but Abigail interrupted him.
"Dr. Garcia? Really, E.J.? Your father's personal doctor? Looks like Stefano wanted you to get married without any inconvenient loose ends. But yes, I am pregnant, and I'm on my way now to go see a real doctor to get some real prenatal care so that I can take care of my child," Abigail explained before trying to leave the house again.
E.J. stopped Abigail and insisted that she wasn't going anywhere until they figured out where Sami was. E.J. guessed that Sami had gone to look for Abigail at the hospital. Abigail assured E.J. that she would track Sami down and talk to her about what had happened, but he advised against that because Sami was furious and would likely snap Abigail like a twig if the women saw each other.
Abigail protested that she wasn't a delicate little flower, but E.J. countered that she was pregnant. "Isn't that special?" Sami mused as she entered the living room. E.J. held Sami back as she said that it was a bummer that Abigail was pregnant, adding that it was too bad that Abigail had been unable to spare the time to find a condom before "jumping" Sami's fiancé. Abigail insisted that she had never intended to sleep with E.J. "You didn't? Was it an accident? Did you trip and fall onto E.J.'s --" Sami started to counter as she tried to break free from E.J.'s grip. Sami bitterly observed that Abigail and E.J. seemed to have a lot in common, since they were both using the same argument to excuse their behavior.
"Wasn't it enough for you to almost destroy my sister's marriage to Austin? You couldn't stop until you did destroy a family? Well, congratulations, cookie -- mission accomplished!" Sami snapped at Abigail. E.J. tried to get Sami to leave with him, but she pulled away from him and said that she wasn't even willing to take two steps with him. Sami turned her attention back to Abigail and added that, while the mere sight of "the babysitter" made Sami want to puke, they needed to go over the house rules together.
Abigail tried to say something, but Sami interrupted and ordered Abigail and E.J. to shut up and listen to her. Sami said that whatever E.J. and Abigail wanted to do to or with each other from that point forward was their business, and as she continued with a warning about what would happen if either of them ever tried to get near her or her children again, Jennifer entered the living room and interrupted, demanding to know what was going on.
Sami laughed bitterly and encouraged Abigail to answer the question, but Abigail just clutched her stomach and muttered that she was going to be sick. "Aren't we all? Jennifer, I am sorry to be the one to tell you that your skank of a daughter had sex with my fiancé. And good news -- you're gonna be a grandmother," Sami revealed. Shocked, Jennifer turned to Abigail for confirmation, but instead, E.J. muttered to Jennifer that he was fully responsible for what had happened with Abigail. Jennifer demanded to know what E.J. had done to convince Abigail to sleep with him.
Meanwhile, Abigail reiterated that she was going to be sick, and she rushed out of the living room, but Sami chased after her, catching her midway up the staircase in the foyer. E.J. and Jennifer joined Sami and Abigail on the staircase and tried to break up the fight, but Sami pushed them away as she continued to struggle with Abigail, who ended up toppling over the banister and falling to the floor below. Abigail grabbed her stomach as Jennifer and E.J. rushed to her side, and Sami looked on in horror.
E.J. snapped out of his nightmarish fantasy just as Sami returned to the living room of the DiMera mansion and asked if he had seen the picture. E.J. quickly hid the incriminating photograph behind some wedding invitations as he turned to face Sami, who was holding a picture that Johnny had drawn of their family. Sami laughed as she tried to figure out why Johnny had given everyone a mustache, and she was somewhat surprised when E.J. suddenly interrupted to give her a hug. Sami wondered if everything was all right, and E.J. held her tightly as he quietly replied that everything was perfect.
As Sami pulled away from E.J., she spotted the envelope on the surface of the piano and started to wonder what had it had contained, but at that same time, the doorbell rang, announcing what Sami guessed was Marlena's arrival. E.J. quickly replied that the envelope had simply contained a bill from the gardener, and Sami went to answer the door. As soon as Sami left the room, E.J. tucked the incriminating photograph back in the envelope and locked it in one of the desk drawers. E.J. discreetly placed the key in his pants pocket as Sami returned to the living room with Marlena.
Sami informed E.J. that she and Marlena were planning to go to the pub to get something to eat after they finished looking at wedding dresses upstairs. Sami invited E.J. to join her and Marlena, and Marlena didn't object to the invitation, but he declined the offer, explaining that he had some work to take care of and that it sounded like Sami and Marlena could use a girls' night out, anyway. Sami said farewell to E.J. and led Marlena upstairs to show her the three wedding dresses Sami had found.
As soon as the coast was clear, E.J. closed the living room doors, retrieved the envelope from the desk drawer, and turned to face Stefano's portrait. "You miserable bastard. You want a war with me, old man? You will have one. What's this -- your idea of a wedding present? Do you want to threaten the only reason that I have to live, let alone stay in this house and be civil to you?! Do you want to threaten my life? My happiness? My children's happiness? My grandchildren's happiness? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no -- of course you don't. Oh, no, you might be the only other person in this town who's happy for this marriage, who's happy that we're together. You didn't do this. Someone else knows," E.J. concluded.
Meanwhile, Marlena and Sami returned to the foyer, where they agreed that they needed a harsh, objective critic because they both liked each of the dresses and couldn't decide which one to choose. Sami and Marlena simultaneously determined that Caroline was the perfect person to consult on the matter, so they decided to go to the pub right away and ask for Caroline's advice. Because the door to the living room was closed, Sami decided to just send E.J. an email to let him know that she and Marlena were leaving. Marlena smiled as she watched Sami, and she observed that Sami looked happy and centered.
"Miracle, right? It fits -- we fit -- so now it feels like everything...just fits. I finally have the life that I always wanted, Mom. I'm whole, and -- and -- and we're whole. And it's all because of E.J.," Sami tearfully confirmed before she and Marlena exited the mansion. Back in the living room, E.J. stared at a framed photograph of him and Sami and vowed that he wouldn't lose her or the life that they had built together.
E.J. arranged to meet with Abigail in the park, but when she arrived, he quickly realized that she was annoyed and hadn't expected to hear from him that night. Abigail wondered why she would have expected E.J. to contact her that night, and before he could respond, she added that it was a bad idea for them to meet each other in public. Abigail reminded E.J. that they were lucky that they had gotten out of their fling without any consequences.
E.J. claimed that he had simply wanted to check on Abigail because she didn't have anyone else to talk to about what had happened between them. Abigail said that was a small price to pay for the comfort of knowing that no one would ever know about what she and E.J. had done, since she would "die" if the truth were ever revealed because no one would ever look at her the same way again if that happened. E.J. nodded and summarized that he and Abigail would simply have to make sure that their secret remained a secret.
Abigail guessed that, with E.J. and Sami's wedding a few short weeks away, he had started to worry that Abigail might have told someone about their fling. E.J. admitted that he would probably always be worried about that possibility. "Abigail, I'm sure that if somebody were to find out, the consequences for you would be terrible...but my life would be over. Samantha would be destroyed," E.J. elaborated. Abigail found that hard to believe, since Sami would never let anyone destroy her, and E.J. agreed that Abigail was right about that.
Abigail sighed and wondered how her and E.J.'s fling had ever happened in the first place, considering how fiercely he loved Sami. E.J. replied that nothing had ever really happened between him and Abigail because he loved Sami fiercely, although he was quick to add that Abigail was still an incredibly beautiful and special young lady in her own right. Abigail told E.J. that she didn't need a pep talk from him. E.J. nodded and stressed that if Abigail ever needed to talk to anyone about what had happened between them, he was the only person she could consider turning to. Abigail assured E.J. that he was off the hook and could relax, since she would never need him for anything ever again. Abigail walked away after adding that she never wanted to receive another call from E.J.
Abigail returned to the Horton house and picked up a framed photograph of her, J.J., and Jennifer. Abigail muttered that Jennifer wouldn't have to worry, since E.J. was out of Abigail's life for good.
Caroline wasn't at the Brady Pub because it was her regular poker night, which surprised Sami and Marlena because they hadn't even realized that Caroline played poker. With their original plan thwarted, Marlena offered to "man up" and help Sami choose a dress herself, but Sami clarified that she would prefer for Marlena to "girl up" instead, since Sami wanted to look pretty at the wedding. Marlena stressed that Sami always looked pretty, but Sami wasn't convinced, even though E.J. always told her the same thing. Sami explained that she simply wanted to be the perfect picture of a bride that E.J. had in his head, since she wanted their wedding to be perfect.
Meanwhile, Jennifer entered the pub and interrupted to greet Sami and Marlena, who invited her to join them to be the tiebreaker opinion in their quest to decide on a wedding dress. Sami added that Abigail was also welcome to take part in the process, but Jennifer clarified that Abigail was actually helping a friend with something at that time. Unsurprised, Sami raved that Abigail was "such a good person." A short time later, while the group was huddled around Sami's tablet computer, the image on the screen suddenly changed from one of a wedding dress to one of Renaissance art. Marlena and Jennifer were puzzled, so Sami revealed that Abigail had been helping her learn more about art so that Sami could impress E.J. on their honeymoon.
After the group decided on a wedding dress, Sami received a business call and apologetically excused herself. Marlena decided to stay at the pub for a while longer, so Sami thanked Marlena and Jennifer for their help and said farewell to them. As Sami exited the pub, Jennifer observed that, while Sami had looked radiant, Marlena just looked terrified. Marlena agreed that Sami had never been happier, but she added that, while she was trying not to be terrified about Sami and E.J.'s impending wedding, the fact of the matter was that Sami was about to marry a DiMera. Marlena wondered how Jennifer would feel if Abigail were still involved with a DiMera.
Jennifer admitted that she was glad that Abigail's relationship with Chad hadn't worked out. Marlena believed that Jennifer was wise to feel that way, but Jennifer suggested that their concerns might be unfounded, since Sami looked amazing and happy. Jennifer mused that E.J. might have actually changed his old ways for good, and Marlena uncertainly conceded that there was at least a remote possibility that Jennifer was right.
At the DiMera mansion, E.J. was in the living room, talking to Stefano on the phone. "Well, of course, that's the first place I bloody went! It's not Abigail, all right, Father? This has to be somebody who's connected to us, okay? Somebody who has an axe to grind against us," E.J. impatiently stated as the front door of the mansion slammed shut. E.J. abruptly ended the call after promising to contact Stefano again later. Meanwhile, Sami entered the living room and proudly announced that she had picked out a wedding dress.
Sami added that she wanted to elope. E.J. jokingly replied that he would get the car ready, but he quickly realized that she was being serious. "Yes! I mean, I picked a dress, and usually, things go downhill from here. You know my wedding statistics," Sami reminded E.J., who dryly assured her that six was his lucky number. E.J. pointed out that Sami had previously wanted to get married in front of her friends and family members in the DiMera garden. Sami confirmed that she still really wanted to do that, but she added that she didn't want to tempt fate.
E.J. argued that he and Sami weren't the type of people who ran from things. E.J. promised Sami that he was going to give her the wedding she wanted and deserved, and he assured her that they were going to have the life that they had always dreamed of having.
Ben called Jordan from Club TBD and asked if they could meet later. Jordan would only say, "Maybe," since she was on her way to meet Rafe.
On his phone in the park, Rafe asked Tim, his contact at the FBI, for a favor. Rafe was telling Tim that it was personal, not Salem P.D. business, when Jordan arrived. She stopped and listened as Rafe asked Tim, "You got the profile I just emailed you on him, right? Yeah, well, listen, anything you can red flag on him would be helpful, because I'm coming up with nothing." When Rafe hung up and saw Jordan, she accused him of investigating Ben.
Rafe assured Jordan that his phone call had not been about her brother; it had been about his sister and Nick. Rafe explained that he was worried that Nick, who had hurt Gabi before, was worming his way back into her life. Tim called Rafe back just then. "No record? Nothing?" Rafe asked, puzzled. When he hung up, Rafe told Jordan that he needed to postpone their date. She understood. After apologizing for her reaction before, Jordan urged Rafe to go easy on Gabi.
When Jordan met Ben in the park outside Horton Square, he expressed dismay that she'd gotten involved with a cop. Jordan insisted that despite the intimacy of physical therapy, she had never allowed herself to be intimate either emotionally or romantically with her patients, but she had felt a pull toward Rafe that had been mutual. "This can't end well, Jordan," Ben warned her, although he acknowledged that he'd never seen her happier. He flipped out when Jordan informed him that Rafe had been in the FBI for eight years. "I know. I know! He could end this, and it could all be over," Jordan admitted worriedly.
At Will and Sonny's apartment, Nick informed Gabi that he'd found the perfect lawyer to handle her custody agreement, someone tough with no Brady or Horton relations. Gabi wondered why Nick thought she needed a tough lawyer. Nick pointed out that Will and Sonny's marriage made them look like "more substantial" parents than Gabi, at least on paper. Gabi got defensive, so Nick apologized.
Gabi complained that Sami had called her an unfit mother, and she explained that Will had only mentioned the custody agreement when he'd returned from talking to Sami and getting her key back. "She's gonna do everything in her power to take my baby away from me," Gabi fretted. Since Sami hated him and his presence in Gabi's life might only add fuel to the fire, Nick offered to accept one of the jobs in New York and leave Salem.
Gabi refused to let Nick leave town because of what other people thought. She thanked Nick for finding the lawyer for her. Nick guessed that the custody agreement had been Sami's idea and that Will would never do anything like that to hurt Gabi. Gabi marveled that Nick could be so forgiving -- but she hoped Nick would do something to stop Sami if she tried anything.
Nick expressed amazement and gratitude that Gabi had let him back into her life. When Rafe sent Gabi a text to let her know he was on his way over, Nick volunteered to leave. When Gabi suggested that Nick go with her to meet with the lawyer, he was surprised. "Right now, Nick, you're the only person I can trust," Gabi admitted.
Nick went to Club TBD, where Sonny reluctantly served him a ginger ale. Nick cheerfully stated that Gabi had told him about Will's request for a custody agreement -- and Nick thought it was a good idea. Sonny cautioned Nick that neither he nor Will was buying Nick's act. "Look, I know that you don't believe anything that I say, but the truth is that I have changed. I don't really give a damn if you believe me or not," Nick declared. He added that the only person whose opinion of him mattered was Gabi, because she saw him for who he really was -- and everyone was just going to have to get used to the idea that the two of them were together.
When Rafe showed up at the apartment, he questioned Gabi about the company Nick had worked for in New York and whether Nick had gotten in touch with her after he'd left town. Gabi said that she hadn't heard from Nick then, and she'd been just as surprised as everyone else when he'd returned. Gabi asked what Rafe's point was. Rafe explained that he'd had a friend at the FBI do a search on Nick, and the friend hadn't been able to find a shred of evidence that Nick had ever been in New York.
"Obviously, it begs the question: where the hell has he been all this time that he's been gone from Salem?" Rafe mused. Gabi was incredulous -- and furious -- that Rafe had investigated Nick. Rafe pointed out that everyone had been telling him to stop asking questions about Nick, and Rafe was worried that Gabi was in some kind of trouble because of Nick. Gabi asserted that Nick was trying to keep her out of trouble.
Rafe demanded to know what Nick had on Gabi, but Gabi refused to divulge any details because it involved other people. She begged Rafe to let it go -- because she could go to prison, as could the other people she'd mentioned but refused to name. Rafe grudgingly agreed not to press the issue but vowed, "So help me God, if Nick hurts you again, I am going to make him pay."
Liam met a mysterious woman in the park outside Horton Square. "It wasn't easy tracking you down, but I'm glad I did. I'm glad you agreed to meet. So -- let's talk about Daniel Jonas," Liam began. After they discussed the woman's task, Liam produced an envelope full of cash and promised to pay the remainder when she'd finished the job.
Jennifer went to Daniel's apartment prior to his disciplinary hearing to inform him that she couldn't be at the hearing because Anne had thrown her weight around with the board. Anne had also made Seth Burns and Kayla recuse themselves, but she hadn't been able to block Brady, since he was on the board. Their moods brightened a little when Parker emerged from the bedroom. After a playful goodbye with the little boy, Jennifer left.
Jennifer was waiting for the elevator when she got a call from the woman Liam had met in the park. "I need to talk to you right away. It's about Daniel Jonas," the woman said. A little while later, the women met at Jennifer's house. Jennifer asked, "Who are you afraid of? Anne Milbauer or Theresa Donovan?" The woman wouldn't say. She produced a document for Jennifer that proved the woman worked for a cleaning service and had been assigned to Dr. Jonas' apartment a few times. Jennifer didn't understand what that had to do with Daniel's case at the hospital.
The woman said that she'd seen a lot while cleaning apartments, because she sometimes cleaned places where other people let dust accumulate. When she'd heard about Dr. Jonas being on drugs during a surgery, she'd decided she couldn't keep quiet about what she'd found in his apartment -- something that was probably still there. "If you're interested, I could tell you exactly where to look," the woman offered.
At the hospital, Anne was eagerly anticipating Daniel's hearing, although she observed that Theresa was not nearly as excited. When Brady arrived, she approached him quietly. Brady warned Theresa that people were eager to accuse her of drugging Daniel. Theresa wanted to know if there were any new evidence as to whether Daniel had taken the drug or not. Brady refused to discuss it with Theresa but promised to talk to her when the hearing was over.
After Brady left, Theresa turned to Anne and asked anxiously, "My name's not gonna come up in that hearing, is it?" Theresa insisted that she hadn't been around when Daniel had been drugged -- but Anne pointed out that Theresa had a key to Daniel's apartment. Theresa lied that she'd forgotten all about the key, and she didn't even know where it was. Anne vowed to make sure that everyone believed Daniel had gotten high all on his own and that it cost him his job.
When Daniel arrived, Theresa watched nervously as Anne led him and Brady into the boardroom. "I can't talk to Liam. There has to be someone who can tell me where I stand in this whole thing," Theresa told herself. She got out her phone and sent a text message.
As she sat alone in her office, Nicole had a nightmarish daydream about Liam telling Daniel and Eric that she'd destroyed Chyka's documents. She phoned Eric and told him, "I need to talk to you as soon as possible about Daniel -- about a lot of things." When Eric met Nicole at the Brady Pub, he tried to reassure her that Daniel was innocent and would be cleared.
Unconvinced, Nicole said that she couldn't sit around and watch Daniel's career be destroyed when she could do something to help. Nicole clarified that she only had suspicions, nothing concrete, about who had drugged Daniel, and she suspected that Theresa might not have been involved. "I can't let Daniel get hurt like this. I need to finally get this out!" Nicole declared.
Eric worried that in helping Daniel, Nicole was going to do something to get hurt. He urged her to find another way to help, one that wouldn't risk their future together. Nicole promised she would. Eric got a text message that made him remark, "Looks like somebody else's guilty conscience got to them." As he left, Eric told Nicole, "Knowing how much you sacrificed for Daniel shows me how lucky I am to have such an amazing woman in my life."
A little later, Eric met Theresa in the park. She was freaking out about Daniel's hearing, but Eric interpreted that as guilt about her part in what had happened to Daniel. Eric admitted that he concurred with Daniel and Jennifer's suspicions that Theresa had been involved, but if she told him what she knew, he would do everything he could to help her. "Like I keep saying, I know nothing about what happened to Doctor Jonas or why. Look, someone else did this, and if you think that I'm going to let you or somebody else pin this on me, then you're out of your freaking mind!" Theresa declared before storming off.
Nicole returned to her office and tried to figure out how she could get Chyka's email away from Liam so she could tell Daniel and Eric that she'd seen Liam outside Daniel's apartment. She started by looking up Liam's address on the computer then found that Liam appeared to have a hard time holding a job for very long. "Maybe a disgruntled employee can enlighten me -- or how about the ex-Mrs. Frazer?" Nicole mused. She was curious when she discovered that Liam's divorce records were sealed, so she called Liam's ex-wife and said that she wanted to discuss Liam. "I want nothing to do with that crazy bastard!" the woman snapped, hanging up.
When Liam's accomplice met him in private later, he produced the rest of her money and a one-way ticket to Texas. After the woman recounted her meeting with Jennifer, she said that she was sure Jennifer would head straight for Daniel's apartment, where she would find exactly what Liam wanted her to find.
Brady called the hearing to order, explaining that the board would review Dr. Jonas' suspension and make a decision about his employment at the hospital. As Anne handed out the results of Daniel's blood work, she reminded the board that he had been implicated in another incident involving drugs. Brady contended that it was irrelevant because Daniel had been cleared after passing a drug test. "We cannot discount the idea that someone else purposefully caused the appearance of these drugs in his blood work at this time. I think that's clear," Brady stated.
Anne argued that Daniel had knowingly put a patient at risk, but Brady reminded everyone that Daniel had stopped the surgery upon realizing that he hadn't been able to continue. Brady announced that in the absence of further evidence or facts, the board would take a recess and make a decision based on what they knew.
When the board returned a little later, Brady announced that the investigation would continue, but there was no credible evidence that Dr. Jonas had knowingly taken the drugs. He continued that Daniel would be taken out of the surgical rotation for thirty days while submitting to random drug tests, but his non-surgical duties would begin the following day. After the month was up, if there were no further incidents or new evidence, Daniel's privileges would be fully restored.
Jennifer let herself into Daniel's apartment and looked around the place worriedly. She began opening kitchen cabinets until she found a Christmas-themed tin. She opened the tin and discovered a prescription bottle of Dilaudid -- in her name, with Daniel's name listed as the prescribing doctor.
At the hospital, Daniel informed Abigail that his hearing had gone about as well as he'd expected. He was eager to tell Jennifer the good news, but Abigail advised Daniel that she had no idea where her mom was except that she wasn't in her office. Daniel tried unsuccessfully to reach Jennifer by phone. Abigail pressed him for details about what had happened in the hearing, so Daniel told her that the board was allowing him to perform all of his non-surgical duties for thirty days, and he would be fully reinstated if there were no further incidents in that time.
A relieved Abigail embraced Daniel happily. She asked Daniel to relay a message to her mom: Abigail was going to get the key to the Horton cabin from home and leave it in her mom's office, so Jennifer could head straight there from the hospital.
After Abigail left, Daniel spotted Brady and thanked him for what he'd done in the hearing.
J.J. was changing light bulbs in Horton Square when Paige offered him a hand. After J.J. finished with the fixture he was working on, he explained that he was trying to bank some community-service hours by switching all the lights to compact fluorescent bulbs. He invited Paige to go to a movie with him when he finished, and she accepted. J.J. got a call from Abigail, who asked if J.J. could get home right away. J.J. agreed. He promised Paige that he would return soon.
When J.J. got home, Abigail complained that she'd been trying to get her bike down when his recycling system had fallen on her. She also filled him in about Daniel's hearing. Sensing that J.J.'s good mood had to do with more than Daniel, Abigail guessed, "It's about Paige, isn't it?"
Marybeth showed up after J.J. had gone, but Paige didn't want to talk to her. Marybeth apologized for deleting J.J.'s text. Paige pointed out that it was her decision whether to be friends with J.J. or not. After Paige got an alert on her phone, she excitedly revealed that she had been accepted to Stanford. Paige wanted to tell her mom immediately but had to step away to make the call so she'd have better reception.
J.J. returned right after Paige had left, and Marybeth greeted him hostilely. Fed up with Marybeth's attitude, J.J. started to send Paige a text message. Marybeth gleefully informed him that Paige had been accepted to Stanford. Seemingly pleased by J.J.'s stunned reaction, a smug Marybeth sauntered away with a warning that Paige would leave him "in the dust." When Paige returned, J.J. asked why she hadn't told him that she was going to Stanford in the fall.
Nicole sat on a park bench, ruminating about her earlier phone call with Debra Frazer, Liam's ex-wife. Nicole wondered what Liam had done to spook Debra -- and what he would do next. Nicole dialed Debra again and was leaving a message when Eric showed up. Nicole quickly hung up and greeted Eric with a kiss. Eric said that he'd just seen Theresa, who'd insisted she hadn't had anything to do with drugging Daniel, but it had sounded like she'd been trying to convince herself. Nicole suggested that Theresa might not be guilty.
Eric and Nicole got simultaneous text messages, letting them know that Daniel's hearing had gone well. Nicole thought that Eric should use that opportunity to talk to Brady, but Eric wanted to know what had been going on with her when he'd arrived. Nicole claimed that she had a story brewing. Eric praised Nicole for being such a good friend to Daniel, but she wished she could do more.
After Eric left, Nicole called Debra again. "[Liam] did it again. The same thing he did to you, he's doing to something I care about. I need your help," Nicole implored Debra. Debra said, "He won't stop unless you make him." Nicole recognized Debra's Chicago area code and offered to meet her somewhere neutral. Debra pointed out that she did not know Nicole. "If this is one of Liam's tricks, I will have the Chicago P.D. on notice if he tries to come near me," Debra warned. Nicole promised that she would do whatever Debra said. "Okay, listen carefully," Debra began, and Nicole got out a notepad.
A little while later, Nicole was in a booth at Club TBD when a blonde woman approached her. "I'm Debra Frazer, Liam's ex," the woman said.
Liam donned a headset to eavesdrop through the listening device at Daniel's apartment. "Showtime," Liam muttered, grinning ominously.
Meanwhile, Jennifer had discovered the bottle of Dilaudid that Liam had planted in Daniel's kitchen cabinet -- a prescription in her name that listed Daniel as the prescribing physician. She was staring at it worriedly when Daniel called her a few minutes later. Jennifer hit the "ignore" button instead of taking his call. Jennifer called the number of the pharmacy on the bottle, gave them her name, and asked them to look up the prescription. The woman who'd answered advised Jennifer that the prescription had been filled about a month earlier and had refills remaining.
Jennifer hung up abruptly. A bit later, she was sticking the prescription bottle in her purse when Daniel arrived and asked what she was doing there. Liam eagerly waited to hear what Jennifer would say, but before Jennifer could explain anything to Daniel, Brady showed up. Daniel informed Jennifer that he had been reinstated except for surgery, and Brady was there so they could discuss strategy. Jennifer thanked Brady for his help, but Brady said that it hadn't been hard after watching Daniel get railroaded.
"Technically, he wasn't. He was drugged out of his mind when he went into surgery, so the hospital had to react," Jennifer pointed out, to Liam's delight. Daniel and Brady wanted to know why Jennifer hadn't been there after the hearing. She explained that she'd gotten a call and had returned there to pick up something that hadn't been able to wait. Daniel asked what Jennifer could have needed to pick up at his apartment. Jennifer lied that she had left the key to the Horton cabin there.
Daniel made an excuse that he needed to videochat with Parker, who was staying at his mom's for a few days, so Brady agreed that they could meet later. After Brady had gone, Daniel told Jennifer about Abigail's message regarding the key to the cabin. "What are you really doing here, Jenn?" Daniel demanded. Jennifer stammered that she'd needed to look for something. Daniel reminded her that there was nothing she couldn't say to him.
"No, you're right, and as serious as all of this is, it's more important than ever that we are totally honest with each other," Jennifer stated. Daniel begged her to tell him what was going on. "This," Jennifer said, holding up the pill bottle for Daniel to inspect.
Brady returned to the Kiriakis mansion and gazed longingly at the bottles on the bar before noticing that Eric was already there. Eric revealed that Theresa had told him about what Brady had done for Daniel; she'd also told him that Brady had stopped drinking and put their relationship on hold. Brady pointed out irritably that he'd only been trying to help a friend. "Let me help you help him," Eric requested.
Brady said coldly that there was nothing they could do for Daniel right then. Eric wanted to know if anything would make what had happened with Kristen would go away, since it was still between him and Brady. "Maybe it never will," Brady said.
At the DiMera mansion, E.J. was on the phone with Stefano discussing the incriminating photo of E.J. and Abigail that had arrived at the mansion. "I can't [destroy] it until I know who sent it," E.J. said irritably. When the doorbell rang, E.J. hung up and locked the photo in the desk drawer.
Gabi entered the living room, and E.J. informed her that they had convinced the agency to build their entire campaign around her. A thrilled Gabi asked E.J. to look over the contract for her. E.J. noted that Nick might not like that idea very much, but Gabi asserted that it wasn't Nick's decision. E.J. voiced his concerns that Nick might change his mind about telling what had happened at the river that night -- and if Nick did that, a lot of people would lose their freedom. Gabi pointed out that E.J. hadn't been involved in what had happened that night.
E.J. reminded Gabi that she had sent him to Smith Island to talk to Abigail. He acknowledged that he could have been followed because he and his family had enemies, although he hadn't seen a tail. Gabi admitted that she had told Sonny about E.J. going to Smith Island, but neither she nor E.J. was worried about Sonny. Gabi suddenly remembered that she had also told Kate that E.J. had been headed to the island. E.J.'s mood instantly darkened, although Gabi assured him that Kate had as much to lose as the rest of them.
After Gabi had gone, E.J. retrieved the photo from the drawer. "Kate. Yes, this is just her style," he muttered grimly.
Sami was puzzled when Kate led her into Lucas' office for their meeting. Kate teased that what was on her desk would keep Sami up at night. Sami started fretting about how they could go to prison -- causing Kate to ask what Sami had done to make her worry about it at that moment. Sami explained that Gabi had been with Nick right after Will and Sonny's wedding. Kate had a hard time understanding why Gabi would be with Nick again.
Kate pointed out that Gabi's fate was tied to Sami and Kate's. Sami reminded Kate that Nick had accused them -- not Gabi -- of "killing" him. Sami worried that Nick had figured out a way to send them to prison without hurting Gabi. A suspicious Kate repeated, "What did you do?" Sami reluctantly admitted that she had called Gabi an unfit mother. Kate was none too thrilled. Guessing that Nick would say something to Gabi that they would need to counteract, Sami suggested that they make sure they had their stories straight about what had happened the night of Nick's "death."
Kate agreed, so she and Sami started recounting the events of that night. Both women wondered if Nick had really hurt Gabi, but they agreed that he would back up Gabi's story that she had hit him in self-defense. Kate recalled that she had actually been the one who'd suggested dumping Nick's body in the river. They remembered that Gabi had protested, and although she had carried Nick's backpack, she hadn't helped them carry him and had only "kind of" helped push him into the river. "We are screwed. He has us exactly where he wants us," Kate said dejectedly.
Sami announced that she was going to try to get back into Gabi's good graces. "All of our lives would have been so much easier if Nick had just stayed dead," Kate noted. After Sami left, Kate said to herself, "You do it your way; I'll do it my way."
Gabi met Sami at the Brady Pub at Sami's request. Sami apologized sincerely for what she'd said to Gabi, but Gabi was skeptical that Sami would ever change her ways. "I've tried because I want things to be easy with Will's family, but don't pretend to like me," Gabi began. Sami recounted all the ways she'd helped Gabi even before Gabi had been Arianna's mother. "I liked you then; I like you now. Gabi, I don't have a problem with you," Sami insisted.
Abigail arrived and watched Gabi and Sami's conversation from the bar, as Gabi pointed out that Sami had a big problem with Nick. "I put my butt on the line for you, to protect you from him... You were so scared of him that you thought you had killed him," Sami whispered. Gabi reminded Sami that Nick could have put the three of them away but hadn't. Sami asked if Gabi felt as if Nick were holding her hostage. "The point is that Nick is the one holding all of the cards," Gabi pointed out.
Abigail approached the table then and said hello. Gabi made an excuse about being late and hurried out, so Abigail sat down across from Sami. "What did Gabi mean when she said Nick is holding all the cards?" Abigail asked. Sami maintained that she had no idea what Gabi had meant. Abigail reiterated that she thought that Nick had changed. Sami countered that it would be better to wait to see if Nick could prove himself first. "Don't you wish you had done that with the worthless jerk you were dating?" Sami asked.
Sami apologized for her lack of diplomacy, but she said that she hated how the guy had treated Abigail, who deserved better. Uncomfortable, Abigail got up and went to the coffee station as she insisted that it has been just as much her fault as it had been the guy's. Sami apologized if she had overstepped and asked if the man were still in the picture. Abigail insisted that it was over, and she was glad that it had ended before anyone had really gotten hurt.
An assistant entered Kate's office with a delivery -- a small blue box tied with a silver ribbon. The attached card read, "I hope you will wear this to our next dinner, cara mia." Kate muttered that Stefano shouldn't hold his breath for that to happen. When she saw the gold ring with its glittery green stone in the box, she slipped it on her finger and said that she didn't intend to give it back.
E.J. arrived and dropped the envelope onto Kate's desk. Kate asked cheerfully, "Is this about you?" E.J. replied, "No, this is about you and your very predictable bag of tricks." He asked what Kate's next move was, but she coyly replied that he would have to wait and see. "I'm not a particularly patient man, Kate, so why don't you just tell me what you plan on doing with this?" E.J. hissed, tapping his finger on the envelope.
Suggesting they negotiate, Kate asked how much E.J. would offer her for what was in the envelope. It dawned on E.J. that Kate didn't know what he had, so he noted, "You know how much that formula is worth to Countess Wilhelmina." Kate countered that it was worth as much as the formula that E.J. had stolen from her. When E.J. said that had been the wrong answer, Kate snatched up the envelope to see what was inside it -- but it was empty.
"Really? So you were just bored at your office and you decided to come over here and yank my chain?" Kate remarked wryly. E.J. took the envelope and headed for the door. Kate noted that the envelope's contents had obviously upset E.J., and she wanted to know why he'd thought she had sent it to him. "It was a minor annoyance that I could take care of in one afternoon -- your specialty," E.J. quipped. Kate warned E.J. that he wasn't going to drag her down with him if it had anything to do with Nick. E.J. left without another word -- but in the hallway, he wondered, "If not Kate, then who?"
At the Brady Pub, Gabi was surprised to learn that Nick had set up a meeting with a lawyer -- Aiden -- to discuss a custody agreement for Arianna. After the introductions, Aiden asked to talk to Gabi privately, but she clarified that she needed -- wanted -- Nick to be present during the discussion.
Gabi started to tell Aiden about her living situation with Arianna's father, Will, and his husband, Sonny. Gabi explained that Will had asked for a formal custody agreement after she had recently threatened to move out of the apartment. After letting Gabi talk for a few minutes, Nick took control of the conversation, explaining to Aiden that they needed to make sure that Gabi's rights were protected in the event that Will decided to move forward with the pursuit for joint custody. Nick instructed Gabi to tell Aiden about Will's mother, Sami, whom Nick referred to as "the wild card" and the person who had pushed for a formal custody agreement once before.
Nick urged Gabi to tell Aiden about what Sami had said during one of their recent arguments, so Gabi revealed that Sami had called Gabi an "unfit mother." Nick beamed with delight as Aiden recalled that Sami was the person who had been on trial for murder the previous summer. Aiden diplomatically pointed out that emotions often ran high during custody issues, causing people to say things that they wouldn't normally say. Aiden wondered if Gabi and Sami had gotten along with each other before Will had voiced his desire to obtain a formal custody agreement.
Nick encouraged Gabi to tell Aiden about her previous history with Sami, so she revealed that, during her pregnancy, she and Sami had gotten into an argument about a custody agreement -- an argument that had nearly caused Gabi to suffer a miscarriage. Gabi stressed that she didn't want to be confrontational or keep Arianna away from Will, adding that she was simply worried about what Sami might tell him and Sonny to do. Nick jumped in again to add that Sami was engaged to E.J. DiMera, Will was a Horton and a Brady, and Will's husband was a Kiriakis, which meant that Gabi was up against some very powerful people.
Aiden eyed Nick suspiciously and asked Gabi to clarify what her relationship with Nick was. Gabi replied that she and Nick were friends, but when Aiden reminded her that she had previously insisted that Nick had to be present during their meeting, Gabi shrugged and restated that she and Nick were close friends. "Well, then, that might be a very serious problem. You were convicted of kidnapping and murder, Mr. Fallon. Now, legally, that qualifies as a problem," Aiden pointed out.
Nick protested that he had paid for his crimes, but Aiden countered that the rules were different in family court, where many judges might not agree that four years in prison had been a sufficient penalty for Nick's crimes. "Sounds like you don't think four years is a sufficient penalty," Nick mused, but Aiden ignored the comment and added that many judges might also have some serious reservations about someone with Nick's background being involved in a child's life. Nick assured Aiden that the matter wouldn't even be mentioned during the custody proceedings, since Aiden wouldn't mention it, and neither would Will's lawyer.
Aiden suspiciously wondered how Nick could possibly be certain that Will's lawyer wouldn't mention Nick's criminal history. Nick vaguely replied that he never would have gotten involved with Gabi again if he had not been absolutely certain that his past wouldn't hurt her chances in any future custody proceedings. Aiden started to argue that he wasn't absolutely certain because he knew what he would do in such a case if he were representing the father, but Nick impatiently interrupted him. "Well, you're not representing the father. We're hoping that you'll represent Gabi," Nick dismissively stated.
Aiden told Gabi that, based on what he had just heard, he had some ideas about how to best protect her interests. Nick leaned back in his chair and excitedly urged Aiden to continue. A short time later, Gabi and Nick looked over Aiden's proposed custody agreement. "Okay, this is kind of, um -- well, this just sounds like I won't be letting Will see Arianna very much," Gabi observed. Aiden clarified that it was just a starting point that would give Gabi room to negotiate the terms of the agreement.
Aiden reasoned that he just wanted Gabi to be in the driver's seat, adding that after an agreement was reached, she could be as generous with Will as she wished to be. "He's her father. I don't feel like I have to be generous to let him be with her," Gabi countered, but Nick insisted that Aiden was absolutely right. Nick argued that the terms of the agreement were what they were because Sami needed to be kept in line, and he told Gabi that it wouldn't change her relationship with Will at all. Nick enthusiastically stated that he believed that Aiden's proposal was a great idea.
Aiden skeptically agreed with Nick before excusing himself so that he could get the necessary documents created. "Oh, uh -- one last thing, just so we're clear -- I represent you, Gabi, and only you," Aiden pointedly stressed before exiting the pub. Confused, Gabi wondered why Aiden had made that particular comment. "Like he said -- just to be clear," Nick innocently replied. Nick assured Gabi that he felt really good about what had happened during the meeting. Nick added that he felt like Gabi finally had someone who was looking out for her and her rights, and he predicted that everything was going to work out nicely.
After obtaining permission from Will, Sami went to his and Sonny's apartment to drop off a gift for Gabi. When Will reported that Gabi had left earlier and would probably be gone for a while, Sami quickly deduced that Gabi was with Nick. Before Sami could complain about Gabi's relationship with Nick, Sonny preemptively argued that the good news was that Nick and Gabi's relationship was no longer a secret.
Sami didn't think that made much of a difference, but Will assured her that it did. Will explained that he had told Gabi earlier that he wanted a formal custody agreement so that they could stop walking on eggshells around each other. Sami argued that as long as Nick was in the picture, everyone would be walking on broken glass, not eggshells. Sonny joked that he loved Sami's positive attitude.
Sami abruptly changed the subject, admitting that there was something that she needed to tell Will and Sonny. "God, I hate it when you have something to tell me," Will nervously muttered. Sami revealed that the gift she was carrying was intended to be a peace offering because her earlier attempt to smooth things over with Gabi hadn't gone very well. Sami apologetically explained that, while she hadn't meant to make the situation worse, she simply hadn't been able to stand listening to Gabi defend Nick.
Will assured Sami that he understood how she felt, adding that he had mentioned the custody issue even though he had known that doing so would push Gabi's buttons. Sami argued that Will couldn't afford to be worried about that while Nick was in the picture. Sami retrieved her cell phone and started to call Justin to see if he could create some joint custody paperwork, but Will stopped her and revealed that E.J. had already agreed to help with that.
Sami seemed somewhat hurt that E.J. hadn't mentioned that he would be representing Will. Will stressed that the situation wasn't about Sami, who understood but still felt guilty about the fact that she had caused problems between him and Gabi. Sami summarized that her most recent conversation with Gabi had ended the way that all conversations seemed to end with Gabi -- "one step forward, two steps back." Sami asserted that Nick was to blame for that constant lack of progress.
"I just -- I just think about how we keep saying that Gabi is blind, right? That we remember what Nick has done, we see how creepy he is, but obviously, she doesn't. But what if that's not it, you know? What if she isn't blind? What if she remembers everything? What if she's scared? You know, she knows how cruel Nick can be. She knows better than anyone how manipulative he can be. What if she feels like she has to go along with him?" Sami mused.
Will reluctantly admitted that, even if Sami's theory was accurate, the fact of the matter was that Gabi was also attracted to Nick. Sami cringed as Sonny agreed with Will, stating that, while it was hard to believe that anyone could be attracted to Nick, it was unfortunately true that Nick had a hold over Gabi that no one else had ever been able to match. Sami criticized Gabi for getting involved with someone who had a criminal record, calling Gabi a mess. "I guess [Nick] also does not have a daddy with great lawyers and a judge or two in his pocket," Will pointedly countered, prompting Sami to warn him never to compare E.J. to Nick again.
Will reasoned that he simply believed that Sami could stand to be a bit more careful about attacking Gabi for going out with "some dumb guy," and he added that Sami had misinterpreted his earlier statement. Unconvinced, Sami argued that she was trying to help Will and that he was throwing her past in her face as his way of thanking her. After intervening and urging Will and Sami to cool off with some water and think of a way to change the subject, Sonny excused himself so that he could check on Arianna.
Will went to get Sami a bottle of water, and when he returned and apologized to her, she was looking at the engraved heart-shaped crystal. Sami returned the apology before admiring the crystal, which she hoped had not been a gift from Adrienne, since it was quite beautiful. Will assured Sami that Adrienne wasn't responsible for that particular gift. Sami started to ask Will to reveal the identity of the person who was responsible for the gift, but she quickly deduced on her own that Nick was the person in question, and Will confirmed her suspicion.
"Well, I never said that Nick wasn't diabolical," Sami conceded, slowly backing away from the crystal after carefully placing it back where she had found it. Will thoughtfully added that Nick was also smart. Will started to say something else, but Sami interrupted and warned that she would lose her mind if he said that he believed that Nick had changed. "I would never, ever say that. I am only saying that maybe...he's trying," Will clarified as Sonny returned to the living room.
Sami protested that Will couldn't allow himself to think like that, arguing that they needed to keep their guard up and not allow themselves to get sucked into Nick's game the same way that Gabi had. Sonny didn't think that Sami's strategy would do them any good, since Nick was holding all the cards at that time. "I know, okay? I know all of that, but I can tell you right now, I'm not gonna spend the rest of my life bowing and scraping to Nick Fallon's every whim," Sami vowed. Will agreed that he and Sonny didn't want to live like that, either, although he didn't think that they really had any other choices at that time.
As Sami contemplated Will's question, he groaned and observed that she had adopted the look that never failed to scare him. Will begged Sami to refrain from making a bad situation even worse. Sami promised that she wouldn't, but she added that she wasn't going to sit back and let Nick keep Will from Arianna -- and, more to the point, E.J. wouldn't let that happen, either. Will nervously hoped that Sami was alluding to E.J.'s legal skills, not the DiMera family's typical way of handling problems.
Sami scoffed and replied that E.J. was a fabulous lawyer, Will was a fabulous father, and Gabi was a good -- if somewhat deluded -- person. Sami assured Will that everything was going to work out, and she urged him to trust her. Sami abruptly excused herself after asking Will and Sonny to give Gabi the gift and an abject apology on Sami's behalf. After Sami left, Will summarized that she was up to something, and Sonny wondered what that could be. "I -- I don't even -- I don't even want to know," Will nervously admitted.
When Gabi returned later that day, Will started to tell her about Sami's earlier visit. Gabi quickly interrupted and told Will and Sonny that she wanted everything to be out in the open. Gabi added that, while Sonny and Will knew that she had been with Nick earlier, what they didn't know was that she and Nick had met with a lawyer to have a custody agreement created. Gabi retreated to her bedroom after concluding that she believed that she and Will would be able to work everything out. "Let the games begin," Will muttered after Gabi left the room.
Nick followed Sami to a secluded section of Horton Town Square. Sami dismissively informed Nick that she was too busy to talk to him at that time, but he insisted that they were going to have a conversation right away.
Elsewhere, Paige informed J.J. that she had just learned a few minutes earlier that she had been accepted to Stanford. "But you -- you accepted it? I mean, you're going to California? For the next four years?" J.J. asked. Paige confirmed J.J.'s suspicion, reminding him that Stanford was one of the best universities in the country. "Right, yeah -- as -- as opposed to Salem U. I mean, what kind of dump is that if they'll accept a loser like me?" J.J. replied.
Paige protested that she had never called J.J. a loser, but he reminded her that her "BFF," Marybeth, certainly seemed to think that he fit that description. Paige clarified that she made up her own mind about people. "Yeah, you make up your own mind about a lot of things," J.J. countered before grabbing a ladder and returning to his community service duties. Paige somewhat irritably told J.J. that she hadn't meant to upset him, and he issued her an apology of his own, acknowledging that he had not yet bothered to congratulate her on getting accepted to Stanford. Paige thanked J.J. but observed that it didn't seem like he was truly happy for her.
J.J. assured Paige that he was being sincere. "It's just...you're gonna be gone for four years. I mean, in -- in a couple of months, you're -- you're gonna be gone for good," J.J. added. Paige wondered if J.J. suspected that she was going to develop a "big head" and start thinking that she was better than everyone else. J.J. shrugged and matter-of-factly replied that Paige was better and smarter than he was, but she insisted that she never wanted to hear him say anything like that again. Paige argued that J.J. was more musically talented than she could ever hope to be.
Ignoring the compliment, J.J. clarified that he didn't believe that Paige was going to develop a big head. Paige urged J.J. to tell her what had really upset him, but he dismissively argued that it was pointless to even discuss the matter. "It just seems a little ridiculous to be spending time together when you're going to be leaving," J.J. explained. Paige reminded J.J. that he was talking about something that was months away from happening, and she informed him that she would like to spend some time getting to know him in the interim.
Paige said that if she and J.J. grew closer during that time, they could always keep in touch via Skype while she was gone, and they could also hang out together when she returned to Salem for vacations and holidays. Paige summarized that it was kind of ridiculous for her and J.J. to be having a discussion about her departure months before it even occurred. "Right. So, we both agree that it's ridiculous. It's pointless. 'Cause we both know that that's -- that's not gonna happen. I -- I'm done here. 'Scuse me," J.J. said before abruptly walking away, leaving Paige looking confused and disappointed.
J.J. was on the phone with Bev when he returned to the Horton house later that day. "Uh, do you want to hang out tonight? Yeah, yeah -- like -- like on a date. Paige? What a -- what about her? No, that is not gonna be a problem, 'cause it is over," J.J. assured Bev. Meanwhile, back at the town square, Paige was thinking about how she had helped J.J. change a light bulb earlier.
At the hospital, Theresa tracked Anne down in the waiting area and breathlessly stated that she needed to talk to Anne about something. Anne guessed that Theresa had heard about Daniel's earlier disciplinary hearing, but Theresa clarified that she had not. Anne summarized the results of the hearing and complained that it had been a "travesty of justice." Theresa wondered if her name had been mentioned during the hearing.
"What a surprise. I'm very upset, and we end up talking about you," Anne irritably replied. Anne started to walk away, but Theresa chased after her and pressed her for an answer. Anne didn't understand why Theresa was worried about the matter, but she nevertheless confirmed that Theresa's name had been kept out of the hearing. Theresa claimed that she was simply worried because Jennifer and Daniel hated her and blamed her for everything that went wrong in their lives. Anne complained that nothing had gone wrong for Daniel, but Theresa pointed out that Anne had previously reported that Daniel had lost his surgical privileges.
"He's supposed to get them back in a month! But you know what? Knowing how that guy steps in, I'm sure he'll have them back by the end of the damn day! You know what? Why don't you get it, Theresa? That guy could be found standing over a dead body with a smoking gun in his hand, and they wouldn't convict him. They would just erect a statue of him in Horton Square, next to a statue of Jennifer Horton, who is not a bitch just as much as he is not a drug addict. Let me tell you something -- that guy should not be emptying bedpans, let alone performing surgery, but since all the fools on the board think he walks on water, well, then, he'll be back here tomorrow --" Anne loudly complained, stopping her rant only when Theresa unexpectedly pinched Anne's arm.
Anne's rant had started to draw some attention that Theresa wanted to avoid, so the women went to Anne's office so that they could continue their discussion privately. Anne found an empty paper bag and started breathing into it to calm her nerves, but Theresa quickly seized it from her. Theresa impatiently instructed Anne to get over herself so that she could offer Theresa some help. Anne sarcastically thanked Theresa for being a supportive friend, but Theresa ignored the comment. Theresa breathed a sigh of relief when Anne once again confirmed that no one else knew that Theresa had made a copy of Daniel's apartment key months earlier.
Theresa assured herself that no one could accuse her of wrongdoing in Daniel's case because she no longer had his apartment key, and no one else knew that she had ever had it in the first place. Confused, Anne wondered what had happened to the key. "I got rid of that key a long time ago," Theresa vaguely replied. Anne found that hard to believe, considering the way that Theresa was acting, but Theresa claimed that she was simply paranoid about situations that involved Daniel, since he always managed to somehow get away with murder. Theresa asked about the key again, and Anne impatiently reiterated that she hadn't told anyone about it.
At a club in Chicago, Nicole stared at Debra for a few seconds before apologizing and explaining that Debra had a very strong resemblance to someone Nicole knew. "The woman that Liam is currently obsessed with? Yeah, why am I not surprised?" Debra mused. After viewing a picture of Jennifer on Nicole's cell phone, Debra dryly summarized that the old adage about blondes having more fun wasn't true for blondes who got involved with Liam. Nicole assumed that Liam simply had a thing for blondes, but Debra clarified that there was more to it than that.
Debra reported that, while she and Jennifer obviously resembled each other, Jennifer even more strongly resembled the first real love of Liam's life -- although Debra was hesitant to refer to his feelings for the women as love. Debra said that she had been one of Liam's many attempts to recreate what he'd had with his first love. Nicole told Debra about Jennifer and Daniel, and Debra explained that Liam didn't appreciate it when women left him -- especially if they left him for another man. Debra said that she knew that from experience -- an experience that she never wished to repeat.
"[Liam] -- he kind of swept me off my feet at first. He -- he acted like the whole world revolved around me. And we got married [after only] a few months. Then, uh, I don't know -- here and there, I started to realize that he wasn't in love with me at all. He was -- he was trying to turn me into Lindsay. That's the first woman. You know, she broke his heart, and he never got over it. Well, anyway, the -- the marriage went downhill pretty fast after that. I -- I started to pull away, and I asked for a divorce. He...went crazy -- literally crazy. I mean, like, scary crazy," Debra explained. Nicole worriedly muttered that Liam had gone crazy all over again.
Debra warned that Jennifer needed to be very afraid of Liam, especially if he was doing things to Jennifer that were even remotely similar to the things he had done to Debra. "Stupid, mean, petty things at first. It got worse, though, when I started dating someone -- the harassment. He, uh, would stage things so my new boyfriend and I would get into fights. [He'd] talk about me to people I worked with, gossip about me. I thought that was bad," Debra explained, prompting Nicole to wonder if that meant that there was more that Debra had not yet mentioned.
"He used his access to pharmaceuticals to make everyone think that I was a drug addict. I know it was him. I can't prove it, but I know it was Liam," Debra elaborated. Nicole cautiously started to ask a question, but Debra interrupted before Nicole could utter more than three words. "No. No, I am not coming forward, so don't even ask me. I have my life back -- finally. You know, I can't -- I can't risk him coming after me again. He is more than capable of ruining my life, and he would enjoy doing it -- he would. He -- he would find some -- some weakness -- some shred of something -- and he will destroy anyone who gets in his way," Debra stressed.
Nicole's reaction to the statement convinced Debra that Liam had already managed to obtain some sort of leverage that he was using against Nicole. Nicole evasively replied that she didn't think that she was Liam's target. "You're asking questions about him. You're trying to help your friends. That makes you his target. So listen to me, and listen good -- don't let your guard down, and don't ever think that you have Liam's number. Do whatever you have to do to protect yourself," Debra advised Nicole.
Nicole vaguely asked if there was anything that Debra could do to help her, and Debra took that as confirmation that Liam did indeed have something on Nicole. Debra retrieved a key from her purse and handed it to Nicole. "This is to our joint safety deposit box. Liam doesn't know that I still have a key. I, uh -- I kept it from when we were married. I -- I check on him from time to time, just to keep tabs on him. If Liam does have something on you, it's -- it's probably in there," Debra explained.
After thanking Debra for the assistance, Nicole returned to Salem to contemplate her next move. Nicole assured herself that everything would be fine if she could just recover the incriminating evidence from Liam's safe deposit box and destroy his cell phone to get rid of the photographs he had taken of the evidence.
In Daniel's apartment, Jennifer told Daniel that they needed to have a very serious talk about the prescription pills that she had found earlier in one of his cabinets. Liam, who was still eavesdropping from his own place, listened gleefully as Daniel insisted that he had never written or filled the prescription. Liam waited expectantly for Jennifer to say that she didn't believe Daniel, but she instead voiced her firm belief that someone had sneaked into Daniel's apartment and set him up.
Liam sobbed and shredded petals off of a bouquet of fresh flowers as he listened to Jennifer tell Daniel about her earlier encounter with the suspicious cleaning lady. Daniel and Jennifer couldn't figure out how the person who had planted the drugs in his apartment had managed to also get drugs into his system, but they vowed that they weren't going to let the culprit get away with the plan to ruin Daniel's reputation.
Unfortunately, the apartment complex didn't feature interior surveillance cameras, so there was no way for Daniel and Jennifer to obtain a record of the people who had recently passed through the halls. Daniel decided to get his locks changed right away, although Jennifer sneakily suggested that it might be better to leave the locks alone and install a security camera inside his apartment to catch the criminal in the act.
Daniel was grateful that Jennifer was on his side and hadn't fallen for the scheme to incriminate him. Jennifer said that, while she had occasionally doubted Daniel in the past, she had always been wrong about him, and she no longer had any doubts that he was a good, honest man. Jennifer reasoned that the hardships that she and Daniel had endured had only made their love stronger and deeper.
As Jennifer and Daniel kissed, Liam -- who was still eavesdropping on them from his own place -- started to trash his bedroom in anger before locating a picture of Jennifer and stabbing it repeatedly with a pair of scissors. "I've lost her...forever. So, now I have to decide what to do next," Liam muttered as he paced the room, ultimately arriving in front of a wall mirror. "You know what you have to do. You don't have a choice," Liam said as he stared at his reflection.
After Daniel called the locksmith, he went to his laptop to gather all of his records pertaining to prescriptions he had written in the past. Jennifer admitted that, for once, she was really glad that Daniel was obsessive about record-keeping procedures. Daniel was fairly confident that he could prove that the prescription in question had been faked. Jennifer offered to call Hope and tell her about the cleaning lady, but Daniel was not yet ready to enlist Hope or Roman's help because there was still a possibility that Theresa had been involved in the scheme.
Jennifer offered to cancel her planned trip to Smith Island, but Daniel dismissed the offer. Daniel knew that the Horton cabin's water heater needed to be fixed, and he didn't want the workmen -- who had already been hired to do the job on that particular day -- to charge Jennifer for nothing. "So...the cabin," Liam muttered as he listened to the conversation from his own place.
Later, after the locksmith finished changing the locks in Daniel's apartment, Daniel went to the hospital to figure out who had been "screwing with" his life. Daniel overheard Anne mentioning to someone that Theresa was in Anne's office, so he went there to confront Theresa. Daniel warned Theresa that he knew what she had done and that, more importantly, he could prove it.
Theresa maintained that Daniel couldn't prove that she was guilty of something that she hadn't even done in the first place. Daniel refused to give Theresa specifics about his supposed proof, instead threatening to call Hope and get her involved. "Wait, stop! You can't do that! That wasn't me, I swear!" Theresa protested as Daniel reached for the office phone.
On Smith Island, Jennifer heard a loud noise while she was taking care of a few things inside the Horton cabin. Meanwhile, at a bank in an undisclosed location, Nicole started to open Liam's safe deposit box -- just as he grabbed her from behind.
At the bank, Liam caught Nicole opening his safe deposit box. Liam surmised that his ex-wife had given the key to Nicole, and he promised to punish his ex-wife for crossing him. Liam threatened to tell Eric and Daniel what Nicole had done. When Nicole said it would incriminate Liam, he said that he had proof of Nicole's misdeeds and that her only evidence was seeing him in the hallway. Liam said that he was not stupid enough to keep the evidence in the safe deposit box, which was accessible by his ex-wife. With a grin, Liam patted the breast pocket of his suit jacket. When Nicole attempted to take the papers from his jacket, he twisted her wrist, and she cried out for help.
A bank employee asked Nicole if she was okay, and Liam lied and said his wife was leaving. Nicole rushed out. After Nicole left, Liam opened the deposit box and looked at a gun he had locked inside it. Liam placed the gun in the waistband of his pants and left.
In the DiMera mansion living room, E.J. wondered aloud who knew that he had gone to Smith Island in pursuit of Abigail. E.J. thought about his conversation with Abigail in the park when she had said that she was mortified by their affair and did not want anyone to know about it. When E.J. confirmed the date of his first trip to Smith Island, he called an employee and ordered the person to obtain all surveillance footage from the ferry waiting area for the afternoon of the day he had gone to the island.
At Club TBD, Abigail overheard Sonny talk about Gabi's lawyer. Abigail confessed she had given the name of the lawyer to Nick. Abigail apologized, but Sonny told her it was fine. Sonny swore that Nick had not changed and that he was worried that Nick would hurt Gabi. When Ben arrived at the club, he smiled at Abigail as he walked to the back to handle a delivery. Abigail blushed as she smiled at Ben. Sonny told Abigail that the guy she was checking out was named Ben and that Ben had said that Abigail was hot.
Ben offered Abigail a refill on her coffee and mentioned that he had a short shift. When Abigail offered to put in a good word with Sonny to get Ben more hours, he said he did not want to rock the boat. As Ben started to ask Abigail out, her phone rang, and she excused herself and went outside.
In the park, Nick warned Sami that she should show him respect or suffer the consequences. With an exasperated sigh, Sami wondered aloud what Gabi would think about Nick's threat. Nick said that he would not use the evidence against Sami as long as he got what he wanted. Nick said he did not want to blackmail anyone, and that he only wanted a happy life with Gabi.
"Gabi and I are going to be together. You want to know the craziest thing? The craziest thing is that you are going to be the one to make sure that nothing comes between me and my dream," Nick said. Nick added that he wanted Sami to make sure that Will's lawyer at the custody hearing did not mention Nick's past. When Sami resisted, Nick said that if Will's lawyer mentioned Nick's past, he would make sure that Sami, Kate, and E.J. were locked up in prison.
In the town square, Ben talked to Rafe and asked him not to hurt Jordan. Ben said that he had taken Jordan's word that Rafe was a good guy. With a scowl, Ben warned Rafe that if he was not serious about Jordan then he should not date her. After Ben left, Rafe left voicemail for Jordan, asking to talk.
At the hospital nurses' station, Anne posed for photos with Eric for a story about her in the hospital newsletter. Eric asked Anne about Theresa. Eric warned Anne that if she had covered for Theresa, then she should tell someone what she knew about the drugs that Daniel had ingested. Eric asked Anne to tell him anything she knew. Defensive, Anne told Eric to leave her alone.
In Anne's office, Daniel asked Theresa who was responsible for drugging him. When Daniel asked Theresa if she had thought about his son getting the pills she had left, Theresa's dumbfounded expression surprised Daniel. Daniel asked her why she was not talking, and Anne barged in and pushed Daniel away from Theresa. Anne ordered Daniel to leave her office.
Once Daniel was gone, Anne asked what had happened. Theresa said that someone had planted a bottle of pills in Daniel's apartment. "Well, someone went too far," Anne retorted. Theresa swore that she had not planted the pills. Anne warned Theresa not to implicate her in the scandal, and Theresa reiterated that she was innocent. Anne reminded Theresa that she had a key to Daniel's apartment, and she asked Theresa who else could have planted the pills in Daniel's apartment. Anne warned Theresa that she should not interfere with her hospital newsletter article. Stunned, Theresa said that she would take the day off from work, and Anne shooed her out of the office.
At the Smith Island cabin, Lucas surprised Jennifer. Lucas informed Jennifer that he had gone to the island to kayak and relax. Jennifer was upset that Lucas had not informed her of his plans because she would have asked him to meet the repairman at the cabin for her. Lucas asked about Daniel's drugged surgery. Lucas agreed with Jennifer that it didn't sound like Daniel to take drugs, but he added that he had not expected Daniel to sleep with his fiancée either. Lucas wondered aloud if Jennifer knew Daniel well. Lucas reminded Jennifer that he cared about her. Jennifer protested Daniel's innocence and noted that someone wanted to destroy Daniel.
When Lucas asked to help, Jennifer refused, noting that Lucas would use the information against Daniel. Nodding, Lucas said he did not need to hurt Daniel because Daniel appeared to be quite adept at destroying his own life. Lucas urged Jennifer to reexamine her relationship with Daniel and cut him loose.
After Lucas left, the repairman arrived at the cabin to fix the water heater. After fixing the heater, the repairman asked Jennifer to wait for the water to drain and shut off the valve before she left. Jennifer was concerned that she would miss the ferry to the mainland, but the repairman said she should have plenty of time. Jennifer checked her phone, but there was no cell reception in the cabin. As Jennifer grabbed her purse and keys, she turned and found Liam standing in the doorway of the cabin.
In the park, Nicole worried aloud what Liam would do. Nicole noted that she needed to stop Liam before he hurt anyone. Eric called Nicole's cell phone, but she ignored the call so that she could find someone to help her neutralize Liam.
When Lucas returned to Salem, he met with Sonny at Club TBD. Sonny presented a gift to Lucas. Lucas opened the box, and inside was a framed photo of him, Sonny, and Will, inscribed with the words, "Your words meant the world to us." Touched, Lucas thanked Sonny for the gift. Sonny confided that Nick was getting back together with Gabi. Lucas swore that he would not let Nick ruin his son's happiness.
Sami barged into the DiMera living room as E.J. locked the incriminating photo of himself and Abigail in the desk drawer. Sami announced that Nick had convinced Gabi to agree to a custody agreement. Sami said that Nick would not give up on Gabi and would take Arianna away from Will. Sami informed E.J. of Nick's demand to omit Nick's past in family court. When E.J. noted that Gabi would not hurt Will in court, Sami countered that Gabi could not be counted on to make up her own mind. E.J. said that Nick was bluffing and that he would deal with Nick if Nick attempted to use the attempted murder against them.
Abigail met with Nick in the park. When Abigail angrily reminded Nick that he had said that the lawyer was not for Gabi, Nick argued that he was the only person on Gabi's side in the custody case. Abigail stressed that Gabi had Rafe in her corner, but Nick disagreed and said that Rafe had refused to support Gabi. When Abigail noted that Nick had hurt Will and Sonny in the past, Nick lost his temper and wondered aloud why everyone put Sonny and Will on a pedestal.
"What about what I want? What about my life? Does that not matter at all?" Nick shouted. Abigail said that Nick's life mattered but that the custody case was between Gabi and Will. "It's none of your business," Abigail stressed. Angry, Nick lowered his face close to Abigail and warned her, "Don't you dare tell me what is and what isn't my business." Ben intervened, grabbed Nick, and pushed Nick away.
Nicole walked to the Brady Pub and met with Rafe. Nicole asked Rafe for help on a story about a dirty pharmaceutical representative. When Nicole said that she could not pursue the man because he had information on her, Rafe gently noted that he could not help Nicole unless he knew what information the man had about Nicole. Nicole reminded Rafe that she had a lot of skeletons in her closet and that the details were not important.
Rafe nodded and asked Nicole who she wanted him to investigate. Nicole told Rafe that the man was named Liam Frazer. When Rafe asked if Liam's information was about Nicole's past, Nicole answered that the information Liam had would hurt Eric. Nicole asked Rafe for help. Rafe researched Liam on his phone and informed Nicole that there had been charges of stalking and domestic violence against Liam. Rafe added that there were no convictions against Liam. When Nicole asked Rafe if he could question Liam, Rafe noted that he did not have a lot of options.
When Daniel returned to his apartment, he called Jennifer, but there was no answer on her phone. Eric stopped by, and Daniel informed him that there had been another incident. When Eric asked for details, Daniel admitted that he was not sure what had happened.
At her apartment, Theresa worried aloud what Liam would do next. Theresa called her mother and said that she missed her parents. Theresa asked if she could fly home and visit.
