02-21-2017 (Tuesday) "RESCUED"

Eduardo and Dario come to Deimos and tell him if he lets Chad and Gabi go, they will release Sonny.  Deimos insists that he stole the key ‘fairly’ and unless he gets it back, there is no deal; no peace. Eduardo professes his daughter’s innocence in all this; Deimos says sometimes there are casualties, asking if everyone Eduardo has killed or hurt in his lifetime was innocent.  Dario leaves; he meets Abby in the square.  He gets word that an abandoned warehouse on the docks is being watched; he goes to check it out.  Abby wants to go; he asks her to stay… she follows him anyway.  

Drew calls his brother, Shane; he tells him he’s in a little trouble – the kind that can get people killed.  He says if he turns up dead, Shane needs to tell Roman to arrest Deimos Kariakis, then says he has to go take care of something.  Deimos demands the key; Andre insists that neither he, nor Eduardo, have it.  Deimos tells the two of them that they better focus on finding it.  Enter Deimos’ henchman, dragging Jennifer in; Eduardo tells her she needs to confess what she was doing snooping around on the docks that night.  She spills the beans, telling them she knows all about the Orwell device; Deimos asks where the key is… she tries to leave.  She says nothing; Deimos yells at her.  Drew walks in, and announces himself as “the key” and asks who the hell Deimos is; Deimos looks irritated.  Andre gets it; he tells Deimos Drew is the creator of the Orwell, therefore, the key to making it work.  Drew tells Deimos he was hesitant, but he is now ready to do whatever is necessary and asks where the drive is; Deimos takes the hard drive out of the safe and hands it to Drew, telling him to do his magic.  He opens the computer and plugs it in; the word “DELETE” appears over and over again on the screen; Deimos asks if that is supposed to happen.  Drew says it should have happened years ago; Deimos screams, “no” and pushes Drew out of the chair, trying desperately to stop the action on the computer.  

Roman comes in, saying he heard there might be some trouble there; he mentions the kidnappings of the three missing young adults.  The henchman sneaks out; Dario sees him, and tells him that’s his kid sister they have… he demands to know where they are.  The man tells him; Dario hands him some money, thanks him and tells him not to waste time getting out of there.  Deimos and Eduardo say they were just having a business meeting, which Roman interrupted; Jennifer speaks out, telling Roman that Deimos was threatening to kill Drew.  An officer escorts Jennifer and Drew out; Roman asks the three ‘businessmen’ to accompany him down to the station for questioning.  They reluctantly go.  At the station, however, the three men band together and agree not to say a word about anything; total denial, they deem, is appropriate at this time.  They have a common enemy now.

Justin tries to comfort Adrian, telling her that Sonny knew what he was getting himself into; she says that doesn’t make her feel any better.  Just wishes Sonny would have stayed in Europe until this battle between the families blew over; Adrian says it is never going to blow over.  Justin says she needs to go home because she doesn’t need to get any sicker; she gets angry with him and tells him at this moment, she is not a cancer patient, she is a mother who needs to find her son and bring him home.  Justin concedes; they go to see how they can help.  JJ knocks on the door of a motel room, saying they’ve had reports of noise coming from the room; he says he needs to come in. The man says no without a warrant; in fact, not even with a warrant, he says.  Paul is inside the room, untying Sonny.  The man hears a noise and runs back in the room to find Sonny gone; he tells JJ this is his fault, and points his gun at him.  JJ puts up his hands and asks who he had tied up in there; the man pushes the door away, revealing Paul… he is confused.  Sonny smacks him over the head from behind with a metal object, trying to strike him again, but Paul stops him.

Chad hesitates as he and Gabi get more and more intimate, now half naked, with the sheet just over their laps even though they are still freezing; Gabi begs him not to stop.  Gabi begins to cry, wishing they were anywhere else together, seems slightly delirious and whines that she’s not the woman wearing his ring right now; she sobs that they are going to die in there, lays her head back and passes out.  Chad whispers to her to hang on; he begins to kiss her lips and appears to pass out too.  Abby finds the locker before Dario, somehow, and bursts in to find Chad and Gabbi passed out COLD, literally.  She pulls Chad down to the ground and begins pumping on his chest; Gabi still sitting up against the shelves.  Dario comes in just as Chad starts to come around; Dario grabs Gabi and says, “come on, let’s get out of here” as he is picking her up.  At the hospital, the doctor tells them both that Gabi and Chad will both be fine; they got there just in time.

Roman gets word that they and Sonny are, all, okay; a little beat up, but he’s alright.  Jennifer is relieved; Roman tells Drew that he did a very good thing.  Drew calls his brother; Shane tells him he’s proud of him, wishes him the best with his Camilla, saying may his life be much more uncomplicated.  Drew says there is nothing uncomplicated about love.  Abby sits by Chad’s bedside, chewing him out because his family almost got him killed again; she asks him to think about her and Thomas and says they need him.  He is still unconscious.  Dario apologizes to Gabi, who is also still not conscious; he tells her he has realized that their family is what is important… Dario goes to see how Chad is going.  Abby decides to go see Gabi; when she walks in her door, Gabi is talking in her sleep and calls out for Chad.  

Drew asks Jen to show him the warehouse where this locker is; she does.  He carries a brown paper sack of ‘stuff’ with him; once there, she asks why they are… he tells her that he didn’t COMPLETELY destroy the Orwell at Deimos’; any good software engineer could recover it.  He tells her he has one more thing to do and opens the bag; they run outside and cover their ears, ducking by a crate, as an explosion can be heard.  He blew up the hard drive; feeling that his job is now done, he skips off to see his Camilla.  Jen stands there in amazement.  At the station, Sonny tells Paul that he is now ready to take over as head of the family; he plans to exact his revenge on Deimos.  Roman tells Deimos, Andre and Eduardo that they are free to go for now, but adds, “this is not over.”  Deimos leaves with a threat to both Andre and Eduardo; Andre turns and threatens Eduardo as he leaves.  The union of the three was certainly short-lived.

02-20-2017 (Monday)... IT'S GETTING COLD!

Aidrian continues to scream at Deimos; Deimos denies the attack on Sonny having anything to do with ‘their’ technology.  She tells him he needs to find Sonny right now.  Deimos tells Adrian that there’s nothing he can do to help her with that; he says he is sure Sonny is taking good care of himself.  Adrian says she’s going to kill Deimos; Brady tries to hold her back.  

The judge tells Nicole and Chloe she knows this is emotional, and begins to explain her decision, but Nicole interrupts her; she goes on a tirade of how no one is going to keep her baby from her… the judge is obviously annoyed, but she calmly says she has focused on the welfare of the child and considered which woman would give the little girl a safe and stable environment; she awards custody to Chloe.  Nicole is somehow shocked; she flips out and starts screaming and crying as Child Services walks in, hands the baby to Chloe and Chloe walks out with Nicole’s baby in her arms.  Nicole comes home angry at Deimos, saying he ruined any chance she had of getting her baby back; Adrian says so she’s not the only one he’s ripped a child away from.  She tells Nicole about Sonny being kidnapped, because of Chad and Gabi being taken by Deimos.  Nicole tells Deimos he has done enough damage; she is resigning from Basic Black effective immediately, throws her engagement ring at him and tells him she is through with him forever.  Deimos tries to follow her when she leaves, but Justin stops him and says he isn’t going anywhere until he helps him and Adrian find their son.  Deimos refuses to talk in front of Adrian, referring to her as a “news reporter.”  She agrees to leave and Justin demands Deimos tell him everything; Deimos admits to Justin that he caught Gabi and Chad, red-handed, stealing the Orwell; Justin tells him he is escalating this war and chews him out for stealing the technology in the first place.  He says he should have called the cops and demands that he reveal where Gabi and Chad are.

Brady goes after Nicole and chases her down in the park; he reminds her she can appeal and tells her everything will be okay.  She tells him she cannot breathe without her baby.  He tells her she must use her pain to fight back; she cries, asking… what if she never gets to hold Holly again.  He tells her to listen to him and says that they have to do this conservatively and responsibly, but promises her they will do that.  She hugs him and cries.  Chloe and Belle go to the square to talk; she relishes in the fact that she won and says she can’t wait to get Holly home to her brother.  Shawn overhears; he asks if he heard right.  Chloe excuses herself; Belle tries to explain to Shawn that the judge did what she thought was right, but admits that she feels bad for Nicole.  Nicole sobs; Brady tries to console her, telling her that Chloe is not going to “harm” Holly.  Nicole says she already has, by taking her away from her; she says one day, Holly will grow up and hate Chloe the way that she hates her.  She vows to take her baby girl back from that “crazy bitch, one way or another.”  

JJ is on the phone looking for Gabi and Chad; Abby sees him in the square.  He tells her she has to help him out; Abby swears she knows nothing and questions why he would think she wouldn’t tell him if she knew where they were.  JJ asks about Andre, and whether he might have had anything to do with this; she insists she he does not.  She calls Andre and asks him to meet her; Andre tells her that he “is on it” but doesn’t want to reveal any information that will put her in danger.  Andre says, if he does tell her, she can’t tell anyone.  Andre gets called away from the table where he and Abby are having lunch.  Abby remembers JJ asking her if she could get ahold of Andre’s phone to see if he’s contacted anyone about Gabi and Chad; she takes a picture of his phone screen with her phone.  It begins to ring, Andre comes back and she hands it to him, looking pretty guilty, gets up and says she has to leave; he looks confused.  

Paul goes to the police station and tells JJ about Sonny being taken.  JJ is pissed; and he says he knows that Deimos is involved.  Abby comes in and says she wants to help; she says, “let’s find a way to get out loved ones back.”  She tells them that she took a photo of Andre’s call list, Paul goes to make a call to see if anyone has heard anything.  Gabi takes a picture of the computer screen on the desk.  JJ gets a lead on where Sonny might be; Abby does off to look for her husband.  Chad and Gabi are huddled on the floor, trying to stay warm by holding onto each other; they are both shivering like crazy and beginning to look pale.  She tells him she should have been smarter in high school and held onto him, and tells him if she is going to die, she is glad she will be with him.  She looks up at him and they begin to kiss, softly. Gabi says she doesn’t feel so cold anymore.  They decide to undress and make skin-to-skin contact…just to stay warm, of course, as they huddle under a sheet.  Gabi says whatever happens, she wants him to know she loves him; he says he loves her too.

02-17-2017 (Friday) One Son Missing; Another Lost

Everybody turns and looks at Julie.  They ask what’s wrong; she says her grandson, Scotty, just told her that her son, David is dead.  She breaks down crying.  He was in a motorcycle accident and was killed instantly she manages to utter.  She rambles on about how she told him motorcycles were dangerous; she says she sent him a helmet.  Then she says she’s a horrible mother, says she should have tried harder, should have stayed with him, and now he’s gone.  Everybody does their best to comfort her.  She is devastated.  Valerie is breaking into tears; Abe asks if she’s okay.  She apologizes and says she “just needs to…” and walks away.  It dawns on someone that David was Valerie’s first love; Abe says he didn’t know that.  He goes to comfort her.  Doug says he wants to take Julie home now; she says she would like to lay down.  She walks away, saying, “what a terrible day.”  

Marlena finds Valerie sitting alone; she asks what happened.  Valerie tells her about David’s death; she says Julie must be devastated, then she asks about Valerie – she says he was the first man she ever truly loved.  Marlena asks, “what about David’s son?”  Valerie looks shocked; she asks what she means.  Marlena says, “Scotty.”  A look of relief comes over Valerie’s face; “right,” she says.  She says it was never easy for David and her; they apparently broke up and got back together, a lot.  She tells Marlena David was still in her life, more than he even realized; just as she is about to tell Marlena something in confidence, Abe rounds the corner.  Marlena excuses herself, saying they should get together and continue talking sometime; Valerie thanks her.  Abe offers to walk her home, but Valerie says she needs to just be alone; she talks to “David” saying that she should have told him when she had the chance, and now it’s too late.

Hope tells Rafe she wants to stop by her parents on their way home, to make sure Julie is okay.  He puts the music on and holds out his hand; she tells him she is elated to be there with him.  They dance; they kiss.

Nicole gets dressed for court; Justin is waiting for her.  He gets a phone call; he says what they are saying is a little unusual.  Brady asks Deimos why he is so happy; he says he is happy that Nicole is getting her baby back.  Brady asks how he can know that; he suspects that Deimos is up to something.  He denies it; he gets upset when Justin comes in and tells him that he can’t attend the hearing.  He tells Brady and Deimos that the judge has decided to hear the case in chambers.  After they leave, Deimos admits to Brady that he has “taken out an insurance policy” by bribing the judge; Brady tells him that could backfire on them.  Deimos is confident though, laughing at the thought.  

Nicole begs Chloe to give up the fight, the minute they enter the courtroom.  Chloe asks if that means she is willing to give up Deimos; Nicole just looks unsure.  The judge walks in, but it’s not the judge that Justin was expecting; she tells him to sit down and says it will be explained.  Belle stands up and explains that there was communication discovered between the former judge and Deimos Kariakis; when presented with the evidence, the judge recused himself.  Nicole tells Chloe she knew nothing about it; Chloe doesn’t believe her… the judge says there will be order in her chambers.  Belle makes her opening statement and slanders Nicole, listing every one of her past indiscretions, and claiming baby Holly would be in danger if placed in the care of Nicole Walker.  Nicole already looks as if she has lost.  Justin gets his turn; he presses the fact that Nicole is this baby’s biological mother, naming precedent; he adds that Chloe has a history of post-partum depression.  Chloe speaks out, saying she didn’t have any depression this time; the judge gets up to ponder her decision.  Nicole asks if she can say something; she stands up and tells how grateful she is to Chloe for doing this, and how much she loves her for it; Chloe looks back at her.  Nicole cries as she talks about Daniel and says Holly is all she has left; she swears she would never put her little girl in danger, she would center her life around her, love her and protect her.  She sits down, sobbing; the judge stands up and leaves, saying this won’t be an easy decision.  Moments later, the judge comes back and says she is ready to give her ruling.

Adrian happens by the alley where Paul is laying; she sees him and runs over to him.  His head is cut and he is bleeding, front and back, apparently.  She holds a napkin to the back of his head after realizing her hand is bloody; she tries to call for help.  He manages to tell her that “they took Sonny.”  Adrian tells Paul she knows that Deimos took Gabi and Chad; this must be in retaliation, Paul says.  Adrian remembers that Justin is in Court; she says they need to go to the police.  Paul says they should go see Deimos together; he gets to his feet and holds onto her.  They head off.  They walk in the door demanding that he tell them where Gabi and Chad are, and that he let them go right now.  She tells him someone else took Sonny now and he is responsible.  He denies everything and mocks her; Paul tells Deimos that he saw it happen.  He yells at Deimos and asks if he doesn’t even care about his nephew; Brady steps in and gets in Deimos’ face, asking if he had Chad and Gabi kidnapped.  Adrian screams at him, and lunges at him, beating on his chest, saying, “I want my son back..” 

02-16-2017 (Thursday) The Wedding Begins

Sonny and Justin talk about Deimos and his recent actions; they both agree they likely can’t trust him.  They argue over what needs to be done.  Sonny tells his dad he wanted advice, not an intervention; he says he is not a kid and Deimos needs to learn a lesson.  He says his relationship with Deimos is good enough that he can negotiate with him; he asks for until the end of the day to take care of this.  Justin reluctantly agrees.  Anna shows up in the square and finds Andre sitting at a table; she approaches him, and begins yelling at him for being alive while her Tony is dead.  He makes a snide comment and she grabs the urn, saying, “not in his presence.”  Andre mocks her, but stands up and coaxes her into sitting down in the chair, then sits back down himself to talk to her.  He asks her if she could put the urn away; she implies that it must make in uncomfortable because he’s alive and Tony is dead.  She then tells him he’s always had the same face as Tony, but he doesn’t have his heart; he says he doesn’t have to carry around his ashes, as he keeps him in his heart, always.  She gets up and walks away.  

Hope and Rafe walk into the Pub, surprising everybody; they are thrilled to see Hope out of jail and safe.  Hope says that she knows several of them in that room, she owes her freedom to, and she thanks them.  She mentions Steffano being alive and Steve gets uncomfortable for a minute; he says he is tired of talking about that man, and wants to get this wedding going.  Stephanie talks to Joey about finding out when he was going to be born; she tells him she has stopped resenting his existence, and then says she’s really sorry about his baby.  Jade shows up; Stephanie shakes her hand and introduces herself.  Jade tells him they need to get to the club, reminding him that he is the best man; Stephanie questions why Jade and he are living together, he explains, and she says that’s really mature.  He says she can call him ‘Joseph’ but she says that is NOT going to happen.  Jen and Adrian wait for Drew to finish implanting the virus he created to destroy it; Jen tells Adrian she should go on to the wedding without her…she has to be there for Steve, she says.  

Adrian makes it just in time.  Abe thanks Steve and Kayla for sharing this happy day with them all, and the ceremony gets started.  Kayla talks about thinking she knew everything the first time, and really knowing that she doesn’t know anything this time; she says she is going to focus on what she does know – that she loves him, and always loved him.  She thanks him for not giving up on them.  He fumbles for words, but tells her that he remembers first meeting her and she was all sweetness and light; he says he wore a coat of armor and she chipped away at it, showing him the best parts of himself.  He thanks her for making all of dreams come true, acknowledges their children, and tells her she is the best gift of all, admitting that he can’t live without her.  Abe says it’s time for the rings; Steve jokes a little again and they put each other’s rings on.  Abe pronounces them husband and wife and thanks them for the honor.  

Jen is still waiting with Drew; she gets a text that Anne is stopping by and tells Drew she is going to run to the Club TBC, where the reception is being held, and congratulate Steve and Kayla.  She also gets a text telling her Shane is there; she tells Drew and suggests maybe Shane could help them.  Drew gets nervous and says he doesn’t want Shane to know he’s messed up again; he says he will fix this himself.  Drew sneaks out for some more soda before Anne gets there; Anna sees him and thinks he is Shane.  He darts in the door and closes it before she can reach him; she walks away saying, “that was rude.”  

Doug and Julie sit at a table; she looks around at everyone there and says she can’t help but think about the ones who aren’t with them anymore.  The both admit they are very happy for Steve and Kayla; she says she is going to call her son, David, when they get home.  She says he marches to his own drum; Doug says the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  Music begins to play and everyone starts dancing; individual conversations are had on the dance floor.  Roman dances with his daughter, Kari; Joey asks Jade to join him.  Hope pulls Roman aside and tells him about Eric; he thanks her for letting him know.  Valerie tells Abe she is going back to Washington in the morning; Theo asks if she is leaving because of him.  She assures him she is not and asks if they can stay in touch; Abe admits he is sad.  Theo tells him he’s sorry.  Kayla throws the bouquet; Steve catches it.  Jade and Ciara talk about feeling like wallflowers; Kayla calls all the “single ladies” together and tosses the bouquet over her shoulder for real – no one catches it, but Claire lunges and grabs it off the floor, then celebrates.  

Doug and Julie are honored as Steve says he can only hope to be blessed with the kind of love they have.  Doug says he can’t get over pictures being taken from a phone; Julie welcomes him to the 21^st century.  Steve and Kayla go home for their wedding night; he apologizes for not taking her on a fancy honeymoon.  She says she is happy to be in their home, with her husband.  He asks if he can take her dress off now.  Andre gets a call and gives the order to have Sonny grabbed.  As he the club, several men not only “grab” him, they beat him up.  Paul tries to intervene and gets knocked out.  Julie gets a phone call, exclaims, “Scotty?!” and then shouts, “oh my God!”  She looks horrified.

02-15-2017 (Wednesday)

Kate meets with Andre; he asks what she has found out about the key.  She says, "nothing," but she tells him, Jen was on the pier that night, obviously playing reporter; Andre gets upset and she tells him to calm down.  He tells her Deimos is getting ready to torture Chad and Gabi, and asks how she expects him to be mellow.  He then wonders what the judge is going to decide about Hope; Kate says he should prepare himself that Hope may go free… it’s hard to uphold a murder conviction when the victim is up and walking around, she says.  He cringes in his seat.  Austin and Kari happen by; Austin calls out, “mother” and Kate jumps up to hug him.  She asks why they didn’t tell her they were coming for the wedding; they say they were just invited in Prague.  She sits them down and tells them to tell her everything.  

Hope finds out that the same day Andre showed up to take Hattie on her date, the DeMira Enterprises account was hacked and money was withdrawn; she says it was withdrawn, using Andre’s ID and she thinks she can prove it.  She gets a notification from the Salem Paper; she reads that her conviction has been overturned… she jumps up and hugs Eric in excitement, saying she has been exonerated.  She delights in the fact that she didn’t kill Steffano after all; Eric looks sad and she apologizes for being insensitive.  She tells him she owes her life to him and doesn’t know how she can thank him; he says by going home to her family and living a happy life.  She tells him he should do the same; he says he can’t, eventually snapping at her to leave it alone.  He says he doesn’t want to be a constant reminder and begins to cry.  She kisses him on the cheek and says she will say no more, except thank you, adding God bless you Eric; she leaves.  

Steve comes into Brady’s Pub and gives Kayla a box of Chocolates, and wishes her a happy Valentine’s Day; he suggests they get married and she agrees.  Shane comes in and asks about Hope; Kayla says they haven’t heard anything yet.  Rafe comes in and tells everyone that the conviction has been reversed.  They celebrate.  Steve says he is going back to the Salem Inn to change into his suit; Kayla tells him she can’t wait for the wedding.  Kayla talks to her mother, telling her they are getting married in a church and of course they are having a mass; she insists she stay there and re-cooperate.  She laughs after hanging up and asks Adrian if that was horrible to lie to her mom like that; she just doesn’t want to upset her when she’s just getting better, she says.  Austin asks his mother how she can live with Andre; she tells him he isn’t all that bad.  Kari says she has to get going and says she will see them at the wedding; Austin asks how Kate feels about Steffano being out and running around again.  She says she isn’t worried about it.  

Kayla has a surprise visitor; apparently, it’s her daughter?  Kayla calls her ‘baby.’  She says she wouldn’t miss this wedding for anything; she says “daddy” thought it was a good idea and she is so happy that Kayla and “papa” are going to be together again.  She gives her mother a gift; a blue nightie.  Kayla calls her “Stephanie Johnson” – she says she can’t believe she was in on this.  Kari brings Kayla a pair of earrings to borrow.  Marlena asks Kayla if she is ready; she says she is “so ready.”  

Shane and Steve talk about the sting operation they pulled off; Steve questions if they really did.  Shane says Hope doesn’t have to live with having killed Steffano anymore and assures Steve that everyone, including Hope, (except the two of them) think he is just a fugitive now, roaming the world and they don’t have to be afraid of him; as it should be, Steve says.  Shane reminds Steve that no one can ever know about this, except them; Steve doesn’t like lying to Kayla and questions why they can’t tell their wives.  Joey arrives.  Steve asks how they are doing in the communal house, and asks how Jade is; Joey says her parents still have nothing to do with her and she really appreciates all their support.  Steve says her parents may step up one day; Joey says not to hold his breath.  Joey congratulates them on what they did for Hope; Steve cuts him short, telling him to go find his mother.  He wants to get this show on the road.  

Hope walks in the door of the police station and hugs everyone; Rafe hugs her and says she must have seen the news.  The commissioner says they shouldn’t celebrate so soon; apparently, she is still being charged with the escape from Pentonville.  She explains how she was chloroformed and smuggled out in a garbage bin; she says she was left bleeding by the side of a road because she fought him when she came to.  He questions why she looks so good; she says a “good Samaritan” came by and helped her out, and took care of her.  Rafe says with all that information, the charges should be dropped; the commissioner walks out in a huff.  Andre shows up at the police station, Shawn and Ciara follow him in; he says he wants a word in private but Rafe doesn’t leave the room.  Andre tells them the deal they had is now ‘off’ – he starts making threats to tell the true story of the cover up and Rafe's involvement; she says she has a story to tell too, and proceeds to bring up his alias as Alfonso, better known as ‘Alfie,’ who stole a bunch of money from his own family's company.  She says there is video footage of him sitting at Hattie’s desk the day the money disappeared, and tells him about the evidence she has found tracing the money to him.  She says she can either give all the information to the FBI, or just enough to get Hattie out of prison; in exchange, she says, he stops making threats to her or anyone else.  Holding a thick, blue file in front of her, she asks him which will it be?  Andre says he will take the deal; he leaves.  Rafe and Hope hug in celebration; Andre stares at them through the window.

Austin questions his mom about the man in her life right now; he is surprised when she tells him there is no man – he detects that there was someone, and she really like him.  He tells her she could make him come around to her way of thinking; she changes the subject.  Friends and family gather at the Pub, which is decorated nicely for Steve and Kayla's wedding; someone walks in with a surprise.  Eric writes a letter and puts it in an envelope. 

02-14-2017 (Tuesday) SECRETS REVEALED

Dario goes to meet Abby, Kate and Eduardo at the club; Kate says Sonny is talking to Deimos to find out whatever he can.  They agree to wait to hear what Sonny finds out before making another move.  Abigail says she has to go get Thomas; Dario grabs her arm and says she isn’t going anywhere.  He then apologizes and says he just meant that he doesn’t want her going anywhere alone, adding it is dangerous for her now; she says she will be fine and leaves.  Dario says he will go make some phone calls to see if he can find anything out.  He comes back and tells his father that one of his longshoremen said he was working at Pier 119 the night the ‘key’ went missing; he said the shipment was moved to Pier 27, and also said there was a woman on Pier 119 right before the container was found empty, blonde hair, blue eyes about 5’4”.  He said this woman said she was there looking for a cheating boyfriend who was supposed to arrive on a ship; the man said he saw this woman’s picture in a column of the Spectator – it was Jennifer Horton.  Eduardo says they need to pay Ms. Horton a visit; Dario reminds Eduardo that this is Abby’s mother they are talking about.  Eduardo says he would hate to see Abigail end up as collateral damage; he says maybe they should do the same thing Deimos has done... he says they should take Sonny and hold him as collateral.

Jen and Adrian end up telling Anne about Drew and the ‘key’ – they mention that if Deimos finds Drew there with them, Deimos will probably kill them all.  The three girls try to figure out what their next move should be; …Anna says she has an old Police uniform; she changes into it and asks exactly what the plan is.  Jen tells her to sneak into the mansion and pretend like she is part of the search with the other cops; once inside, she tells Anne, she needs to seize every piece of electronic equipment that hasn’t already been confiscated, and bring it back there so Drew can put the virus into a Titan computer.  Anne pulls out a gun, she doesn’t even know how to use; Jen and Adrian take it away from her and tell her to just go to what they told her.  Adrian stays with Drew; Jen leaves to check on Abby.  She finds Abby and tells her that she has a very good feeling that everything is going to be resolved very soon.

Deimos comes home to find the mansion being searched; Chad and Gabi discuss how hungry they are.  JJ hands Deimos a warrant and tells him they have reason to believe that he may have something to do with the disappearance of Chad and Gabi.  JJ shows Deimos Gabi’s necklace and asks if he has seen it before.  Gabi and Chad hear a noise; Chad says it sounds like a car engine; then he notices air flowing through a vent that wasn’t on before.  He realizes it\’s the freezer motor; Gabi is afraid Deimos is trying to kill them.  She starts frantically banging on the door and screaming in Spanish. Chad screams at her to stop; he says she is doing no good and somehow she interprets that to mean that he thinks she is crazy… so he says he does.  She argues they have to do something or they are going to turn into human Popsicles; he says he knows that.  She asks how he can just stand there with that hard, cold stare; typical of a DeMira he says.  He grabs her, almost angrily, and tells her not to say another word.  She tells him to let go; he does.  She goes on about how her little girl may never see her again; Chad says she will, but she argues that he doesn’t know that.  They both calm down and she asks him how he could be so angry with her; he says anger is the emotion that he can show with her… it’s the only thing that is safe.  She understands and says instead of losing her mind, she is just going to go sulk in the corner, admitting that she tired.  He suggests they cuddle up together, saying, normally he would try to keep his distance from her, but these are not normal circumstances.  They sit down on the floor together; Gabi lovingly says, “I hate you.”  Chad laughs.

Deimos tells JJ that he thinks this is all a set up and he is going to get the search warrant revoked; Maggie comes in and asks what’s going on.  JJ tells her that they believe Deimos is hiding something; Maggie asks Deimos, “well, are you?”  JJ continues the search; Maggie demands that Deimos tell her the truth, as she can tell he is lying.  She asks him, “how could you?”  He continues trying to deny having Chad and Gabi; she tells him she knows he does and says Victor would not back him on this.  He says she should be involved in the business; she tells him what he is doing is not business… it’s a felony.  She tells him he better free Chad and Gabi now, before it is too late.  Victor comes in and asks what Maggie and Deimos are talking about; Maggie excuses herself and Deimos admits to him that he is holding Chad and Gabi in a meat locker across town.  He doesn’t like it, but says he understands why he did it; he says he will work on Maggie and tells Deimos to resolve this before it turns into something he cannot resolve.  JJ and Loni talk about the way Deimos was acting during the search; they both believe he is hiding something.  JJ says they have to figure this out before something happens to Gabi; Loni realizes this is not just about police work for JJ, and says she knows he still cares about Gabi.  JJ says it’s not just Gabi… he is worried for Ariana; he says, for a while there, it was like she was his daughter and he doesn’t want her growing up without her mother.  Loni suggests they start looking at the thirty-some properties in Salem that Titan owns; like Abby is the needle and Salem is the haystack, JJ says.  He vows they will find her anyway.  

Anne walks into the mansion, and bumps right into Deimos; she excuses herself and he snaps at her.  She tells him she is there on official business; he goes upstairs, leaving her to her business.  In the living room, she runs into one other police officer, who asks why she is there; everyone but him was sent back, he says.  She tells him the commissioner sent her there to get a computer; she points at a computer on the coffee table.  Even though he doesn’t recognize her, he tells her to take it and get going; she does.  Upstairs, Deimos recalls putting Chad and Gabi in the locker, as he holds a gun on them; he says they better hope their family members care more about them than they do that damn ‘key.’ He also recalls Victor’s warning; he makes a phone call to Eduardo.  He tells him not to speak, just to listen; he tells him that if he doesn’t get the key by tomorrow night, he can’t guarantee his guests will be comfortable much longer.  Anne returns to the room with the computer; Jen thanks her.  Drew gets to work.

02-13-2017 (Monday) SURPRISES, SURPRISES

Jen comes back and tells Drew she was not able to get into the mansion to get a Titan laptop; then she tells Drew about the kidnapping of Chad and Gabi.  Drew inquires if her son can’t get in, since he is a detective.  Jen thinks for a minute and decides, yes…JJ, she says, would do anything for Gabi.  But when she goes to the police station, she overhears Roman telling JJ that he has to be careful not to let his personal feelings get in the way; he reminds him of his duty as a police officer.  Roman puts his arm around JJ and tells him not to let anything stop him from being a good detective; conflicts come up all the time…he mentions all his connections in town and says he knows how tempting it can be to want to help people you love; he insists, JJ must stay impartial in this investigation.  Jen turns around and starts to leave; JJ sees her and calls her back.  He asks her what she needs; she tells him about Chad n Gabi being taken, but not about ‘the key.’

Eric brings Hope a laptop; she asks about a picture of Jennifer she found.  He says there are still things she doesn’t know; he tells Hope that he and Jennifer were together for a while, but came together for all the wrong reasons.  He says she is a great person and deserves so much more.  He tells her Jen is doing well; owns newspaper…she made it through.  Hope finds a snapshot, from security camera, of Andre going to meet Hattie; she says gotcha.  Eric says maybe not.  Abe asks Valerie if she is, in fact, seeing someone else; she acts surprised and says she was talking to her son, Elli.  He inquires why she didn’t tell Theo; Valerie says he wouldn’t have heard her at the time anyway, and besides, it was none of his business.  Abe apologizes, saying it wasn’t his business either; they sit down to eat.  Abe tells Valerie that he hopes she is going to stay in Salem, admitting that his feelings have grown – adding he hasn’t felt that way since his wife died.  Val admits her feelings have grown as well, but says she thinks she should go back home now; he asks why, she says she and her son are so close – it’s been just them for so long.  She says she cannot leave him; Abe asks if he couldn’t move there.  She snaps, “no”…then apologizes. She said, she always knew this day would come; that there were risks.  He questions what she means.

Steve talks to Shane as he finishes peeling off his rubber Steffano mask; Steve says anyone would have believed he was Steffano.  Shane says he couldn’t wait to get it off… they laugh and say the fingerprints and DNA samples they sent back to Salem worked like a charm.  Steve says he hated that all he could do was feel sorry for Hope and watch her go off to prison.  Shane recalls a prior conversation and says he should have worked harder to keep an eye on her, and Bo; he wants to help now any way he can – couldn’t stand that Steffano knew he only had weeks to live and goaded her into shooting him. They talk about how they pulled Steffano’s body out of the grave and planted another corpse in it’s place, planted Steffano’s DNA in Prague, and transferred funds from DeMira Enterprises… so it could be found, but not traced… classic Steffano.  Shane says he was glad to be able to fool Agent Resnick at the Arms dealer’s meeting, after Hope’s appeal was turned down.  That was hardest part, he says; Steve says he hated keeping Rafe and Kayla in the dark on this.  Anna complicated things, they admit; good thing she was such a lousy shot, Steve laughs.  They both say, at least now, Hope can get on with her life.  Going through pictures on tablet, they see one of Steffano feeding the pigeons; Shane says it’s not him…he didn’t go to that park and he sure as hell didn’t feed any pigeons.  Steve reminds him that they dumped his body in the grave themselves; this guy just looks like Steffano, he insists.  Shane mockingly says he believes that too.

JJ tells Roman about the Orwell technology the three families are fighting over; Hernandez, had it first, he says, then DeMira took it and Kariakis stole it from them, he explains.  Jen calls Adrian and asks Adrian to meet her at the Salem Inn.  There, she introduces her to Drew; she tells her, he is ‘the key.’  She fills Adrian in on the background story and tells her that this has to remain a secret – nobody can know Drew is the key.  Adrian jumps up saying she has to stop “her” just as Anne comes through the door.  She introduces herself to Drew and asks who he is.

02-10-2017 (Friday) Double-cross

Steve cannot believe that Steffano has gotten away again; he is pissed.  Rafe gets a call, from Agent Reznick; she is expediting Steffano’s transfer, he says.  Steve comes back in the room and tells Rafe, “he is gone.”  Rafe accuses the police officer of taking a bribe and letting Steffano go; the officer says he has issued an APB.  He goes to check the security footage; he comes back and says they have all of them talking to Steffano, but then the footage goes blank.  Somehow the camera was blinded.  Rafe worries that Hope will still be stuck in prison; Steve reminds him that they have Steffano’s fingerprints and can get statements from the police there, that he was still alive – he says Hope is going to get out anyway, he says.  

Eduardo sits by his son’s hospital bed, telling him that once this is all over, he is going to have to take a good, long look at the future of Andre DeMira.  When Dario wakes up, his father is gone and Abby is walking into his room; she tells him he looks like hell.  He mentions getting his revenge once he is better, and Abby tells him he can’t take revenge; she says he has to think of Chad and Gabi.  Dario asks what has happened to Chad and his sister; Abby thought his dad would have told him.  She tells him; he starts pulling his monitors off and gets out of bed.  He says she can help him or not, but he is leaving that hospital room.  

Gabi gets Chad to wake up; for some reason, he has a bloody lip.  Gabi chews him out for stepping in front of her; he says he was just defending her honor.  She says she didn’t ask him to and then asks what she would ever do without him…then she stands up and apologizes.  He tells her not to do that; he says she doesn’t have to pretend with him.  So she sits down and tells him that she accepts that he wants to be with Abigail; and she is happy for her friend.  Her mind accepts that, she says.  But she also admits that her heart is still in love with him; and she doesn’t know what to do with that.  He smiles; he tells her when he hears her say that, he wants to say it back, but he can’t.  She understands.  Still, then he admits that he does still love her too; how is he supposed to stop, he asks.  He says he never understood how anyone could love two people at once, but now he knows that it is true; he loves her, and he loves Abigail – and now he doesn’t know what to do, he says.  

Kate and Andre meet in the square and talk about what they are going to do; they say they need to find that damn key.  Andre tells her this is war; Deimos Kariakis, he says, “takes no prisoners.”  Andre takes a phone call and steps away.  Eduardo shows up and sits down with Kate; she asks about Ariana.  He says she has no idea that her mom is in trouble, but she knows she is missing her.  Andre sits back down at the table; Kate tells Eduardo that Andre says they need to treat Deimos with ‘kit gloves.’  Eduardo listens; she tells him that she thinks maybe Sonny can help them.  She says he is trusted by almost everyone in his family; Deimos would have to listen to what he has to say.  Kate calls Sonny; she tells him that she needs his help, saying things are bad there right now.  She tells him that Deimos has kidnapped Gabi and Chad, mentions ‘the key’ and says they have no idea what he is talking about.  Sonny says he does, but Kate doesn’t hear him – she asks him if there is any way he can possibly reason with Deimos.  Sonny tells her to contact Austin, saying he might have a trace on the missing money.

Steve reports back that a private plane just took off from a private airfield, five kilometers away.   No flight plan was filed; Steffano has gotten away again.  Kate tells Eduardo what Sonny said and leaves; Andre tells Eduardo that maybe they should take Sonny when he gets back to Salem, and use him a bargaining chip, like Deimos has done with Gabi and Chad.  Eduardo shakes his head in agreement.  Steve walks into a room, where he finds Drew?  He calls him crafty and says their plan worked like a charm; “just like you said it would,” Drew says, as he holds up what looks like Steffano’s ring.  So, I’m confused now.

02-09-2017 (Thursday) Steffano Behind Bars?

Anne sees Chloe in the square and they begin talking.  Anne mentions how she got ‘stuck’ working for Jennifer at the newspaper, then tells Chloe what a pretty baby she has, claiming she looks like her.  Brady approaches and says Holly does look like her mother only her mother is not Chloe.  He asks Anne to excuse them so he can talk to Chloe alone; he gets pissed when he sees that she has purchased clothing for a one-year old.  He claims he is concerned for her because he knows how much it is going to hurt her when Nicole gets custody; Chloe says she’s not going to get custody.  Brady says he thinks she will.  She brings up Deimos, and Brady says Nicole is willing to leave Deimos; Chloe doesn’t believe it.  She tells Brady that she knows she is doing the right thing for Holly, and says she has to go because she has a meeting with Belle to get to.  She finds Belle sitting with Shaun at the café; they invite her to sit down.  Shaun asks her if she really thinks she is doing the right thing.  He tells her that he thinks it’s just wrong; Chloe tells him that she is trying to do what’s best for the baby and lists her reasons why.  He says he will try to support her as a friend.  

Steve tells Marlena that they have Steffano in custody; he is being booked and fingerprinted as they speak.  She tells Steve she needs to talk to Steffano now so she can put all this behind her; Anna shows up and says she is going to have to stand in line because family comes first, tapping on her husband’s urn.  Marlena let’s her go ahead; she says it doesn’t matter, she’s already waited so long to say these things to Steffano.  Anna calls Steffano a pig, as she shows him her husband’s urn and says it’s all she has left of her Tony; Steffano just smirks and shakes his head.  She tells him at least she knows her Tony is in heaven and she’ll see him again one day; “you,” she says to Steffano, “are headed straight for hell.”  She leaves.  Now it’s Marlena’s turn.  Kayla tells Steve she is still worried Steffano has some other surprise coming for them; he says the phoenix is done… he doesn’t enough energy to rise from the ashes again.  Marlena goes in to see Steffano; she tells him how they are all going to be moving on with their lives; she tells him that John said that all he had done to hurt them has only made them stronger, and she wants Steffano to know that’s the truth.  She sits a Queen chess piece on the bars of his cell, and tells Steffano, “check mate” and walks away.

Sonny and Paul have a drink and talk; Sonny says it was pretty cool to see him in action.  Paul thanks him for coming to help; he says it was his pleasure.  Sonny brings up the investigation he had hired Paul to do for him and how it turned out to be more than just counterfeit leather goods.  Then he says he can’t tell him any more; he gives Paul a little record he bought for him.  Paul apologizes for not having a gift for him; Sonny says his helping catch Steffano was the best gift he could give him.  Kayla and Steve invite Kari and Austin to come to their wedding next week back in Salem; they say they will be there.  Kari says it’s about time Salem has something to celebrate.  Rafe goes in to see Steffano next; he tells him he failed… he says he and Hope won and he lost.  Then he tells him there are a lot of rats in there, so he should feel right at home and walks away.  Steffano just shakes his head, actually looking defeated.  But when Steve, Paul and a police office return the cell to get Steffano for his transfer to Salem, just moments later, the cell is unlocked and Steffano is gone.

Deimos tells Nicole he has a surprise for her; he hands her some papers… they are plans for “Holly’s Room” – she tells him that is really sweet, but it presupposes that she is going to be living there with her daughter, in his home, and she says he can’t count on that.  She does agree though that she needs to start thinking about where Holly is going to sleep; he tells her he will never do anything violent again, just as soon as he “wraps up a few loose ends.”  Nicole looks like she’s buying it.  She goes to look at the room he has picked out for her; Deimos makes a call to judge in charge of Nicole’s custody case.  He tells him that he needs to assure that Nicole wins this case.  She comes back down and tells Deimos it’s beautiful, but stresses her concern about her chances again.  Deimos tells her she has nothing to worry about; she asks how he can possibly know that, but Brady comes in and interrupts them.  He asks how Andre and Dario are doing; Deimos says they will both make a full recovery.  Brady asks if they are working things out; Nicole says nothing is certain yet… Deimos assures Brady he will be a better man after all of this.  He leaves the room; Brady tells Nicole that he saw Chloe, and about their conversation.  She thanks him for being such a good friend; they hug.  Deimos watches from the doorway.

02-08-2017 (Wednesday) The Key is Found

Abigail asks Andre how he can just sit around doing nothing when Chad and Gabi have been kidnapped; funny thing is, he is still in his hospital room from having been poisoned.  Chad tries to ram the door of the closet with his shoulder again; Gabi tells him to stop.  Andre assures Abigail he is doing everything he can to get them back; he tells her to leave it alone and let him handle this.  He tells Abigail that she is too fragile to be involved in this; she gets angry and hits him.  She leaves the room, saying she is going to find her husband.  Gabi is flipping out and says this is all her fault; she worries she may never see her daughter again.  Chad hugs her and tells her it will be okay.  She says if she had to be stuck in a meat locker with anyone, she’s glad it’s him.  A man comes to the door of the locker; he is bringing them food.  He hands a bag to Gabi and makes a move on her; Chad steps on front of her and the man punches him in the stomach.  He takes the bag back and tells Gabi they can starve; Gabi kneels down to see if Chad is okay.  He seems to be unconscious now.

Andre goes to see Eduardo and tells him that he wants to make a deal; Eduardo can’t believe he is there, while Gabi is still missing and Dario is still in the hospital… Andre asks if he has the key.  Eduardo says no; Andre tells them they need to work together to find that key.  Eduardo agrees; they shake hands.

Hope stops when she hears the gunshot; the detective has fired into the air.  She turns to look and takes off again; he goes after her.  She loses him and makes it back to Eric’s; the detective calls for backup.  Hope tells Eric that Hattie convinced her turning herself in would be a bad idea; she tells him that Lieutenant Raines showed up and almost got her in the alley.  He tells her that she can’t stay there now, and she can’t go back to Salem, but when she tries to leave again, he tells her she’s not going anywhere.  She says she has already caused him too much trouble; he tells her to stay put while he runs to a computer store in town.  Hope tells herself she needs to be gone before he gets back.

Suddenly, Marlena is gone; Rafe and Steve think Steffano has gotten her.  Marlena walks back into the room with Austin; he is the one who startled her.  She asks about the man they saw.  Rafe says it wasn’t Steffano but Steve assures her, he will be there.  Austin tells them that he wants to help get Steffano; he says if he doesn’t, Anna may show up and start waving a gun around again.  Rafe gets a call from JJ, about Hope; all he knows is that she has been shot at and is on the run.  Marlena assures him that Hope will be okay; she says they have to stick to their plan and catch Steffano.  Rafe says if they don’t get him tonight, he is on a plane back to Salem in the morning; he says Hope can’t keep doing this alone.  Austin asks to talk to Rafe alone, saying it is something personal; he asks him why he senses so much hostility from him.  Rafe denies any hostility whatsoever.  

Sonny and Paul realize it’s almost midnight; a song begins to play that causes them to reminisce about their first meeting.  Rafe sees Steffano and tries to tell Marlena he is coming up behind her, but the music is too loud; she turns to see Steffano, gasps and the lights go out.  When the lights come back on, Marlena says she tried to grab him but he got away from her.  She says she is going after him; Rafe steps back in the door.  He tells Marlena that he and Steve got Steffano outside of the cafe just down the street.

Jennifer tells this man, Drew (Shane’s twin brother), that she has spoken to his wife; she says that she is fine and wants him to hurry up and do what he has to do so he can get back home.  She asks if he has finished working on the virus yet; he tells her he has and they can destroy the ‘Orwell’ no problem.  She gets excited; he tries to explain to her how it will keep re-infecting the system over and over again, until someone destroys the virus… the problem, he says, is that he hasn’t been able to get into the files to plant it yet.  He asks if there is any way she could get ahold of a Titan laptop; he might be able to compromise the files that way.  Jen says maybe so, then gets a call from Abigail and says she has to go. Abigail tells her about the key, that Deimos has it but can’t make it work; Jen recalls her conversation with Drew about “the key.”

02-07-2017 (Tuesday)

Nicole contemplates her decision to walk away from Deimos; Brady sees her, hugs her and asks if she’s okay.  She tells him about Chloe nursing her baby.  She is surprised to learn that Brady doesn’t know all the things that Deimos has done; she tells him that he poisoned Andre and had Dario beaten up.  She tells Brady that she knows Deimos is not the monster people think he is; this would be a lot easier if that’s all he was, she says.  Deimos tries to call again.  She isn’t sure she can forgive him for the things she knows he’s done, and she worries about what other horrible things he is doing right now.  

Deimos gets a call; he says to “keep Chad and Gabi on ice” until someone turns over “the key.”  Nicole tells Brady that she almost had everything she’s ever wanted; but at the same time, she has never felt so far away.  She is afraid that Belle will bring up her past in court and make her look like a terrible person, whether she is with Deimos or not.  Deimos stands in the doorway, listening.  Brady tells Nicole that he is on her (and Daniel’s) side and he will do whatever he can to help bring Holly home.  Deimos walks in; he tells Nicole he’s been worried about her.  Brady asks about the issues Deimos is having with the DeMira and Hernandez families; Deimos assures him he has it handled and asks to speak with Nicole alone.  Brady tells Nicole he’s there if she needs him.  Deimos does his best to explain to her that he has done the things he’s done because he will do anything to protect her and his family.  She tells him that she worries about retaliation from the families he has hurt; he begs her just to trust him.  She tells him he has to earn her trust; she says if she hears of one more violent act, they are done.  She leaves the room.  

In the next room, Victor offers Deimos a drink; he tells him he heard about Dario and says if he is going to try to eliminate their enemies, he needs to get the job done.  Nicole bumps into Brady in the square; he notices she has a bag of diapers, baby bottles and formula.  He tells her she can’t go to Chloe’s; he grabs her and hugs her, and tells her she just has to hang on a little longer, and says she can hang on to him.  He tells her he will be there for her as long as she needs him to be; she hugs him back and thanks him.  Deimos gets on the phone and tries to bribe a judge into ruling in Nicole’s favor; Victor then asks him if he would like to share how he is getting the other families to cooperate.  Of course, he doesn’t; he changes the subject back to Nicole and Chloe.  He says Chloe is standing in the way of his happiness with Nicole.

The Masked Ball begins and our friends discuss their strategy as they enter; I really like Paul’s mask (a golden leaf).  Sonny tries to inquire about Steffano’s arrival but the doorman is a “tool,” as he puts it; he gets nowhere with him.  Steve tries to calm Kayla’s fears by telling her they should just try to enjoy the party; they kiss.  Sonny and Paul get closer; they decide that they should ‘hang out’ more often.  A man steps into the room; the doorman points out Sonny and opens a side door, which the man walks out of.  Marlena says she thinks she sees Steffano and she decides to follow him; her tiny, sparkly blue mask matches her dress beautifully.  The rest of them worry this could be a diversion; the man Rafe followed wasn’t Steffano.  Marlena begins to say there is no one out on the balcony; a hand touches her shoulder and she gasps.

A detective walks in, just as Hope starts to leave Hattie; Hope turns to look at some equipment, pretending to be doing paperwork.  He begins to question Hattie as to whether or not she has heard from Hope; Hattie does her best to act completely normal, then asks if they could have some privacy.  Hope nods her head and leaves.  The detective soon figures out that the “doc” was Hope and he runs after her.  Another detective shows up at Eric’s place with a search warrant; he tells Eric they are going to bring Hope in, dead or alive, adding it’s up to her.  Hope ducks behind a crate in an alleyway as the first detective pursues her; he thinks he hears something and turns the other way.  She steps out and he sees her; she tells him she is innocent and says he has to listen to her.  The detective tells her to turn around and put her hands on her head; she says, “no.”  She begins to walk away and tells him he will have to shoot her; he lifts the gun and fires

02-06-2017 (Monday) The Search for Steffano

Paul looks at a flyer for the “masked ball” they are hoping to catch Steffano at; the rest of the gang discusses the possibility that Paul will be able to score tickets.  A knock on Paul’s door surprises him; Sonny is standing there.  He decided to hand-deliver the tickets Paul asked him to get for them.  The gang is as surprised to see Sonny as Paul was; he explains that since he had to buy the tickets in his name, he has to be present at the ball – they are all his guests.  They discuss the security arraignments that have been made and the plan to get Steffano to expose himself.  Kayla worries that Steffano might be ‘playing’ them and they might be walking into a trap themselves; Marlena agrees it is a possibility.  Kayla says this insane obsession Steffano has had for her and what he has put her through all these years…she apologizes for drudging it up.  Marlena assures her she isn’t drudging anything up; it remains in the back of her mind all the time.  

Scene flashes to a young Marlena, waking up to a masked Steffano standing by her bedside; she asks where he is taking her… he asks if it matters.  He tells her if she joins him on this trip, there is no coming back; he says it is forever and the decision is hers.  She follows him through a closet door, with a light shining in the distance; then they are in another room somewhere and she is trying to get away from him.  Back to reality, Kayla asks if she’s okay; she tells her it’s okay if she wants to back out.  Marlena says she is not backing out, but Kayla believes she is having second thoughts.  Marlena tells her she HAS to go through this, for herself and for Hope; she says if she doesn’t, she will never be free of Steffano.  Paul and Sonny share a romantic moment as they walk around surveying the grounds, checking things out.  

Eric brings Hope a ‘burner’ phone; she calls the prison, pretending to be Hattie’s sister, Hailey.  She is upset by what she is told; Hattie was attacked and is in a clinic now.  Hope says she has to go back; Eric tells her she is not going anywhere.  He tells her she is going to need to put her fight for justice for Hattie on hold until she is better; she sits back and tells him that he is right.  She says she is hungry and sneaks out when he goes to make her something to eat; she apologizes, quietly, as she leaves.  Hope, dressed as a scrub nurse, sneaks into the clinic where Hattie lies in bed, beaten and bruised – Hattie apologizes for how she took Hope out of there.  Hope says she knows she was only trying to help; she then says that she is going to turn herself back in.  Hattie pleads, “no.”  She says she didn’t go through all of this to lose her and she is so frail, she’d never survive an attack.  But, she says, she can’t go on the run with her.  Hope tells her, if her instincts are right, she won’t have to.  Hattie looks confused; Hope tells her that she believes she can prove her innocence.  She shows Hattie a picture of Andre; Hattie confirms that’s her “snake,” whom, she knew as ‘Alfie’.

Theo finds Ciara crying on the couch; he asks what’s wrong and she hands him her tablet.  She has been reading an article about her mother missing, “Keeping Hope Alive” – he sits down by her and hugs her.  She tells him she is more than worried about her mom; he says they need to try to stay positive.  She apologizes for the way she acted toward him last year; saying she was just all messed up and that she regrets what she did, especially to him.  He asks what she means; she changes the subject and says she is late for her volunteer job and has to go, but thanks him for being there for her.  Ciara sits in the park, where Julie finds her; Julie sits down.  Ciara tells her that her volunteer work was cancelled; Julie begins offering compliments and slightly embarrassing Ciara.  They talk about her grandpa and Ciara says she wants to come see him; Julie invites her for dinner and a movie one night this week.  Ciara confesses to her grandmother that she isn’t having much fun with her friends lately, saying it’s just “so lame.”  Julie assumes that means it’s about a boy; she explains that you can’t stop feelings – or force them.  She tells her it’s okay, and natural, to resent her friend for being with him, and recommends being honest with her friends about her feelings.  She goes home, tells Theo her shift was cancelled and says she needs to tell him something… he asks for her opinion about a gift he’s thinking of getting Claire for Valentine’s Day.  She tells him it’s lovely and changes her mind about whatever she was going to tell him.

02-03-2017 (Friday) Held Hostage

Nicole walks into the pub to see Chloe nursing Holly; she gets upset and calls her a bitch, telling her to give her the baby.  She just looks at Nicole in defiance and continues nursing.  Nicole sits down next to her and tells her that she knows she just wants to protect Holly; she understands that everything she is doing is for her good.  She tells Chloe that she has realized she is right about Deimos; he is dangerous, Nicole agrees.  Chloe looks shocked; she asks if they called off the wedding.  Nicole says not exactly, but says she is having second thoughts; she tells Chloe this little girl is her first priority.  Chloe mocks her relationship with the mobster; Nicole apologizes and asks if she can hold her little girl now.  Chloe calls out to a police officer and tells him that this woman is bothering her, asking to have Nicole removed.  Nicole is stunned.

Justin can’t believe it when Nicole tells him Chloe was breastfeeding the baby.  He tells Nicole he will take care of it, but she has to promise to back off and let him do his job.  He tells her Chloe is just trying to provoke her; he tells her she needs to just “play it cool.”  Nicole says she thinks she can do that.

Deimos backs Chad and Gabi into the other room at gun point; he demands the hard drive Gabi is holding behind her back.  Chad says that drive belongs to him; he tells them if they don’t hand it over, he will shoot them both and claim self-defense.  He tells Gabi not to test his patience; she reaches out and he takes the drive.  He then asks for the key… Chad has no idea what he is talking about.  Deimos says to quit playing around, but they really don’t know what he is talking about.  Deimos explains that this key, he thinks they know of, operates the Orwell – he says, without it, the drive is useless.  Deimos decides that he is going to take Chad and Gabi hostage; one person from each family, he says.  He tells them to move into the next room; and scoots them into a closet.  He teases Gabi about Chad being a married man and says he will see them again when he gets his key.  He takes their picture and slams the door.  

Deimos shows the picture to Kate and Eduardo; he tells them that he wants the key in exchange for the Chad and Gabi's lives.  Kate tells Eduardo that they need to stick together and present a united front against Deimos and his family.  He makes a sarcastic remark; he is worried about his son.  Kate tells him that Dario is strong; he’s a fighter, like his dad, she says. He apologizes to her forever accusing her of stealing the drive; she said she made a conscious decision not to betray him, and she thought somehow he would know that.  He says he does now, and if they ever get around to trusting each other they’ll be unstoppable.

Andre wakes up, as Abigail talks to him; he says there must have been something in his champagne.  She tells him he was poisoned; JJ comes into the room to ask Andre some questions.  He says last thing he remembers was having dinner with his brother; JJ tells him he was poisoned and tells them both about Dario’s attack this same night.  JJ asks Andre to tell him what’s going down between them and the Kariakis’… he says he wants to help.  Abigail caves and tells JJ about the technology called Orwell; he leaves to check it out and tells her to stay right there.  She takes the next elevator.  Jen tries her best to encourage the old man “Drew” to remember where he has the key; he can’t think, he says, as his mind is on his wife.  Jen offers to try to text her from her phone; he gives her a number, but gets no reply.  They send an emoji message; she replies… he’s so excited, it’s stupid.  Jen asks him to continue working on the virus; she gets messages about the two attacks and tells him he has to destroy the Orwell before it destroys them.  JJ finds Gabi’s necklace on the floor, which she deliberately dropped to show she was there.  She lets Chad know she dropped it and says maybe someone will find it and find them somehow. 

02-02-2017 (Thursday) The Key

Deimos receives a call, telling him there is a problem; the “key” is missing.  An old man pops out of the wooden box on the dock and grabs Jen, as she is still snooping around there; Drew Donovan, this man says his name is.  She knows him; he is Shane's twin brother.  He asks why Jennifer is there; he says she’s not supposed to be.  He says he is supposed to meet Deimos Kariakis; but she thinks he must be confused.  Jennifer tells this man that she is looking for a key, but she couldn’t find it; he tells her he has the key.  

Gabi and Abigail talk about how they can get into Sonny’s safe - where Ariana told them he hides a black box.  Abigail is surprised to learn that Gabi knows a safecracker; she also knows how to get past security in the Kariakis mansion and Gabi is going to keep lookout.  Dario makes one call, asking “is it done?… both of them?”  Dario lay bleeding on the sidewalk, while Andre is gasping for breath and falling to the ground, apparently poisoned.  Nicole calls out for help.  An ambulance finally arrives and gets him to the hospital.  Deimos calls Nicole; she asks him if he is responsible for Dario getting beat up.  He pretends not to know what she’s talking about.

Nicole and Chad meet up with each other at the hospital; he asks how she knew about Andre… she asks what he’s talking about and tells him she is there with Dario.  Chad is surprised to hear that Dario was beaten up; he tells her Andre was poisoned.  She gasps.  He asks her if Dario said anything about who did it; she doesn’t tell him.  Abby and Chad arrive at the hospital with Andre; Chad is pissed and ready for revenge against Deimos. He is sure he is the one who has done this.  Abby tells Chad that revenge is not going to solve anything; she asks him to think about their family and what would happen if this escalates.  He promises her he will stay with her, but when Abby goes in to see Andre, he follows Gabi.  

Abby sits down to talk to Andre; she tells him she knows he’s not perfect, but he has a big heart.  She thanks him for standing by her and keeping her secret.  She begs him to come back to his family.  Nicole tells Deimos that she realizes Chloe was right to keep Holly away; he is a murderer.  She says he is the only thing standing her way of being with her daughter.  She walks out on him as he shakes his head.  Chad catches Gabi snooping in the Kariakis; he walks in and the door of the safe is wide open behind her.  She has the hard drive in her hand; he insists she give it back to him, but she says no as she holds it behind her.  They hear Deimos coming and hide in a closet; he goes away.  They make a run for it, and run right into the barrel of a gun; Deimos holds it.  

02-01-2017 (Wednesday) The Beat Down

Chad gets nervous when Abigail tells him she and Gabi have plans tonight; she teases him, letting him think he might have reason to be.  They meet for drinks at the club; Abigail is sure Chad doesn’t know anything about the “Orwell” drive… Chad meets with Andre in the square.  Chad fells Andre in on this information, but makes him promise NO BLOODSHED… he wants to do this quick and clean.  Andre asks Chad if Gabi, being Eduardoe’s daughter, is going to be a problem; Chad assures him it won’t.  

Jen meets with Adrian and complains about her hiring Ann, first, then tells Adrian there is something big going down on the docks and, she says, a lot of influential people are involved.  Adrian asks if Sonny is involved; she receives no answer.  Adrian gets up and heads out the door; Jen tells her to be careful.  Gabi goes to the club to gather information; she tries to get on the company computer, but Dario catches her.  She says she was just checking the weather, asking if there is something she should be concerned about.  He is suspicious of her and lets her know it.  

Eduardo warns Dario not to go off half-cocked tonight; he says if any one has to be taken out, he will do it.  Dario promises to watch his back and to call if anything goes slightly sideways.  Sonny comes in with Adriana; Abigail says she has to make a phone call and leaves the table.  Gabi starts pressing Sonny for information; he just tells her to stay away from whatever it is that’s going on.  He tells her to stay out of it, saying they have it under control.  

Nicole is looking a picture on her phone…the only picture she ever took of her and Holly.  She worries she will be painted as an unfit mother and Deimos can’t console her.  Brady reassures her that she will be holding her baby girl very soon; they continue holding hands for a good minute.  In the background, Deimos glares.  Every time, he sees Brady touching Nicole, hatred spews from his eyes.  Maggie does her best to support Nicole; she doesn’t know how Chloe could be so cruel; she reminds her they are all there for her.  Deimos announces to Brady exactly what the technology “Orwell” is; the ability to see anyone, anytime, anywhere… (Big Brother).  Brady agrees the value of this would be incomprehensible; Sonny gets nervous with it sitting out and goes to put it in the safe.  Ariana watches.  

Adrian comes to see Sonny; she overhears 10pm on Pier 119.  Deimos questions what she’s doing here; she claims to have lost an earring.  She kisses Sonny goodbye and leaves.  Sonny, Brady and Deimos all shake hands and agree to do this.  Deimos tells Brady this will go down as the greatest day in history for the Kariakis family.  Deimos promises Nicole that everything will be okay after tonight; she sneaks out the door after telling Deimos that she’s going to bed.  Deimos’ phone rings; he tells them it’s a “go.”  Jen almost gets caught sneaking around down on the docks; she talks her way out of it, pretending to be an angry wife of one of the workers.  She decides to break open a wooden box when she finds a room full of them, marked “Titan Industries” and she’s shocked at what she sees.  As Deimos plays a haunting tune on the piano, Dario gets the crap beat out of him – body and face – Andre sips the last of his wine and grabs his throat, loosening his tie.  Nicole finds Dario laying on the ground; he tells her Deimos did this to him.

01-31-2017 (Tuesday)

Hope starts to wake up; Eric tells her she seems to be spiking a fever again.  He guesses it’s septic shock; he tells her to try to relax.  He goes out to get some more antibiotics.  Hope has audio hallucinations, lying in her bed; she tries to get up and walk.  Now Hope is up wandering around outside in the cold; police pull up, with lights flashing.  Eric comes back and finds Hope missing; Shaun shows up and offers to help in the search.  Someone grabs Hope from behind… it’s Eric.  He carries her back away from the search party.  Shaun calls Ciara; she says she just wants this nightmare to be over.  Eric gives Hope her pills and a glass of water; she goes to sleep.  Ciara hears that the Mayor has issue excessive force orders; she worries Hope may get in the line of fire.  Shaun assures his sister that their mom will find a way to stay safe until this is over.  Claire sees Ciara coming out of the diner; and starts to talk about a movie that is supposedly being made about her grandma.  Ciara gets angry at her for being worried about a movie with all that’s going on with Hope in jail and crime all around.  Ciara begins to cry; Claire hugs her and Ciara heads home.  

Theo comes out of the shower, in a towel (having been at the gym); Ciara tells him it’s okay, she’s just worried about her mom.  Theo tells her that he asked his dad to have the police stand down; he said he’d see what he could do.  She thanks him; he tells her he just doesn’t want her to worry, and he hugs her.  Claire starts to walk in, but stops when she sees them hugging.  She hides around the corner until they are done hugging; Theo goes back to the bathroom and Ciara goes to her room to study.  Claire comes in; she is pissed.  When Theo comes back out, Claire makes a big deal out of being all worried and starts fake-crying so Theo will hug her; he does.  

Julie gets angry with Jen when she sees the article she is trying to publish; she says Doug read the article as if it were an obituary.  He is afraid he’s never going to see his daughter again and he’s not sleeping well, which means she’s not sleeping well either.  Jen hugs her; Eric looks over his shoulder in the background.  Julie gets a call and has to go; Jen starts to head out and runs right into Eric.  She asks what he is doing here.  He tells her he received a pardon from the Governor, but asks her not to say anything; he says he’s just here to see his dad and then he has to take off.  She asks if she will see him again and he says he doesn’t think so.  

Jen runs into Ann, excuses herself and goes on by; Ann stops her and tells her that Adrian hired her, and she is there to have some papers signed.  Jen cannot believe they have to work together.  Paul, Steve, Kayla and Marlena discuss the plan to put Marlena out there as bait; Paul doesn’t agree with their plan.  He tells them he has to call his dad and run it by him.  Marlena protests, but Paul says he is going to call; Marlena asks to talk to Paul privately for a second.  Kayla tells Rafe and Steve that Paul is right; they can’t give him any assurances.  Steve says that’s why where the bait is placed as to be as irresistible as Marlena is; someplace he really loves.  Marlena tells Paul he can’t tell his dad, because he would want to be here; she tells him if she needs protection, she trusts him to be there.  He concedes.  Rafe comes back in with a flyer for a masquerade ball?  Rudolpho Muradi is on the list for the ball.  On the docks, a pale, red-haired boy delivers an invitation to the ball to “Mr. Muradi.”

01-30-2017 (Monday) The Invincible Deimos

Deimos threatens his would-be assassin; he tells the man that he better make sure the case against Nicole gets thrown out, or he and his family will be very, very sorry.  The man decides not to talk.  Chad makes plans with Abigail for dinner; hangs up n sees Gabi.  They talk, awkwardly again; she says he looks different.  He claims it’s the color-coordinated suit; she says it’s something else.  She tells him he looks happy; he says he is.  He talks her into sitting down for a drink; JJ sees them sitting there together, when he and Lani come in for a refreshment.  JJ confronts the two of them, asking if Abigail would be happy to know that they were out together.  Chad says they aren’t “out” together; he excuses himself to go home.  Gabi doesn’t say anything to JJ.  

Jen comes to the station, which appears to be in disarray.  She is trying to get a comment on the man Nicole stabbed.  No one seems to want to talk.  Abe and Valerie run into Theo in the square; Theo complains about his biology class.  Valerie invites Theo over for dinner and says she would like to look at his books and see if he could help him like biology a little bit better.  Valerie excuses herself and Abe asks Theo what happened; he wants to know why they seem to be getting along better all of the sudden.  Jen finds Valerie on the bench and sits down with her; Jen asks about the bug she found in her purse.  Valerie says it was just someone who thought she was keeping a secret; then she admits she actually is keeping a secret.  She says its just private, that’s all.  Jen says she understands.  Jen asks if this thing with her and Abe is serious and they laugh; Valerie says she guesses it would be somewhat serious.  Jen goes into the diner; a waitress sits down and tells her she has a scoop for her; her boyfriend, she says, works down at the dock and says there is some shady stuff going on down there.  

Brady is looking for Nicole.  He figures out that she probably went over to Chloe’s and takes off after her.  Nicole shows up at Chloe’s door; she tells her she is taking her daughter home now.  After some persuasion, Chloe agrees to let her come in and at least see Holly.  Chloe touches a nerve when she asks Nicole if she really thinks Daniel would want his child to be raised by Deimos, in a house where murder is as common as taking out the trash.  Brady shows up just as their voices start escalating.  Things get ugly and Brady drags Nicole out of the room; he tells her she have Chloe telling a judge she attacked her in her own home.  He tells Nicole it was like wrestling an alligator, getting her out of there; she said it’s just that she wants to be with Holly so bad. Brady assures her that she will be with Holly; she just has to go about it the right way.  

Brady tells Nicole, her problems are his problems; he tells her she will get her daughter back and asks her to believe him.  She says she is trying to.  He says he is in it for the long-haul; they hug.  Deimos rounds the corner; he doesn’t look happy.