03-13-2017 (Monday) The Next Step

Deimos asks Nicole what her plan is; he says she needs her help.  She says she doesn’t need his help and doesn’t want him anywhere near her or her baby.  Deimos asks what the hell is going on between Nicole and Brady; she tells him she TRUSTS Brady, and he is her friend.  Deimos offers to put her on his private plane right now and take her to safety; she tells him she doesn’t want anything from him.  She tells him he is not even part of the equation; she is leaning on Brady, alone.  She reminds Deimos that he is the reason she is in this mess in the first place; Deimos orders Brady to leave so he can speak to Nicole alone.  Brady refuses, but Nicole says it’s okay; she tells him to make it quick.  He admits he’s made mistakes, but says he never meant to hurt her; she says yet he did.  He tells her that she will come to see that he is not a threat to her; he promises to always look out for her and Holly.  She tells him that she knows he loves her, in his own way, but reiterates that she cannot let him anywhere near her daughter now.  She tells him that she does NOT love him anymore; he tells her, if she really feels that way, he has no reason to protect her anymore, adding that she will be sorry.  She tells him that is exactly why she doesn’t love him anymore and can’t be with him; Brady tells her to go wait outside.  Deimos swears he loves her; Nicole tells him that what they had what not love.  She tells him he is not  man, he is a monster; she and Brady leave.

Abigail goes to the club to make sure everything is set for the benefit tomorrow; Chad tells her she’s been doing a hell of a job lately.  He says they are polling higher than ever.  He goes shopping and buys Thomas a tiny catcher’s mitt; Gabi sees him in the square and starts a conversation.  They reminisce; old footage, of a meeting in the park between the two, plays.  As Abigail takes off her coat and goes over the plans for the benefit, Dario cannot take his eyes off of her; she questions if he is listening, and he assures her she has his full attention.  After she finishes reviewing her list, she asks if he wants another dance lesson; she chooses a tango.  Gabi and Chad continue their conversation, laughing about her teaching him how to pitch; Jennifer happens by and sees them.  She looks suspicious.  As Dario and Abigail dance, she tells him he is a natural; he says she’s a very good teacher.  Dario turns into Chad, as he dips her; the dance becomes very seductive, and her final turn brings Abby face to face with Dario again.  She gets nervous, tells him that was great, and excuses himself.  Jennifer calls Chad on the apparent feelings still between he and Gabi; he admits that they do still care about each other.  Jen tells Chad if he breaks her daughter’s heart, she will hurt him.  She leaves.

Eric tries to write Nicole a letter of apology; he starts over several times, then crumples it up and throws it away.  Maggie texts Eric, asking him if he would come to the hospital to talk to a patient of hers; a man, who got in a wreck… the car he hit flipped over and the other driver was seriously injured and might not make it; he was drunk.  He tells his mom he doesn’t appreciate why she called him; she says she knows, but that man is going through something no one understands better than Eric – she begs him to talk to him.  He almost leaves, but then changes his mind; he goes over and tells the man that a little over a year ago, he got drunk, drove a car, and killed his best friend.  The man asks how he lives with that; Eric admits it’s a struggle.  Maggie lets the man know that the other driver is going to be alright; he is in recovery now and will survive.  The man is relieved; Eric pats him on the shoulder.  The man tells Eric thank you; Maggie tells Eric he should consider helping others in this same way.

Jennifer comes to meet Eric in the part; she says she’s glad he texted her.  He tells her that he has been thinking and, if it is still available, he will take that job at the Horton Center; she is thrilled and tells him he won’t regret it.  He says he has to go; she smiles.  Jen and Maggie talk at Brady’s Pub; Maggie is so happy that Eric has changed his mind.  Eric finishes his letter to Nicole and puts it in an envelope; then sticks it in a little wooden treasure box, apparently full of other letters he has written to her.  Gabi gives Dario a hard time when she realizes that he has seen Abigail again; he admits that he’s lied to Abby about being a bad dancer.  Chad shows Abby the catcher’s mitt he bought for Thomas; she says it will at least make a good teether.  Chad looks over the list of stolen artifacts, saying Deimos will be pissed, but he deserves it for kidnapping him and Gabi.  Abigail asks if he is sure he wants to keep provoking Deimos; Deimos tears up the motel room after Nicole and Brady leave.

03-10-2017 (Friday) THE NEW SON, Tripp

Steve tells Kayla, Raymond says he has proof that his son is alive; he explains how it appears to be true.  He says he went to tell Joe, but Jade wouldn’t let him leave her side.  She says there is time; they will tell him together.  As he practicing his speech for Joey, Joey happens to step in the door; he hears everything and asks, “what?”  Steve explains; he asks if they know his name.  Steve says, “Tripp Nolton.”  Joey asks what happens when this boy, his brother, finds out he killed his mom.  They say they will help him get through this; Joey asks what they are going to do, lie to the boy about how his mom died?  He leaves.  Steve asks Kayla how she is; he says she has been through enough because Ava, and he isn’t going look for this boy, or to do anything, until he knows she’s okay with this.  Kayla tells him, even though she never wanted to hear Ava’s name again, but she understands why he would need to go search for his boy; he says this is the kind of thing that almost destroyed them before, going off on a search and leaving her behind.  She says, but this time, he’s not leaving her behind… her eyes are wide open and she loves him unconditionally, “come rain or come shine.” She says they are doing this as a team; he hugs her.

Kate goes to see Eduardo; she returns his gifts and tells him she doesn’t want anything from him.  He puts his head down.  He tries to give her another gift; he tells her he is optimistic when it comes to her, and says he can’t return this gift because it’s specifically made for her.  It’s a charm bracelet with the initials of her kids and grandkids; he puts it on her wrist, with a seductive story about why he chose a bracelet and goes on to compliment her, successfully seducing her.  She says there must be something wrong with her; she needs to see a doctor.  Then she backs up and says this will never work between them; he says he is a patient man.  He says from now on, when he sees something that reminds him of her, he will just buy it and save it; she says he’ll have a lot of unclaimed gifts of his hands.  He tells her she trusts him with everything that matters, she’s just too afraid to admit it… he says she’s scared of what she feels for him.  She says she doesn’t get scared and leaves.

Deimos calls to check with his men; he yells at them and tells them they better find Nicole and that baby.  Chloe shows up at Deimos’ and tells him that she isn’t leaving until she gets her baby back; she calls him a monster.  He laughs; he tells her, “you stole your best friend’s baby, Chloe… who do you think is the monster.”  They have words back and forth and he tells her that there is nothing he won’t do to make sure Nicole gets her daughter, reiterating NOTHING; Chloe looks frightened now.  Maggie comes into the room and Deimos lets go of Chloe; Maggie tries talking to Chloe, telling her that she pushed Nicole into doing this and now neither one of them may ever see Holly again.  Chloe goes to the club where she orders a glass of wine; she says she hasn’t really drank in a while and needs to ease back into it.  She mentions having been pregnant; he introduces himself and says it’s nice to meet her, telling her he knows about Nicole taking her baby.  He says his friend, Rafe, will find her; she says Nicole has friends that will help her though, mentioning Deimos.  Eduardo says he  knows Deimos; they drink to the day that Deimos gets what’s coming to him.  Eduardo offers to help Chloe bring her baby home.

Maggie tells Deimos that he better stay out of this now, or he will answer to her; she tells him he cannot bully Chloe like that.  They talk and Maggie realizes he really loves Nicole.  He gets a call, says they better be right, and runs out the door.Brady asks Nicole what she is going to do.  He says she can’t run forever; she says if it means being with her daughter, that’s exactly what she is going to do.  She says when Daniel died she thought the dream of having a child died with him; this isn’t the way she imagined it, but she says, when she holds Holly next to her heart, it’s like Daniel is close to her again.  Brady says he understands; he tells her he would do the same for his son.  Nicole says Holly is all she has left; he tells her that’s not true because she has him.  She smiles.  Brady says they need to get some place safer until they can figure things out and come up with a plan; he tells her he is going to go with her.  She says she can’t ask him to do that; he says he is volunteering.  She says he could go to jail; he says they won’t get caught.  He tells her he’ll make sure Tate is taken care of, assuring her that it won’t be for long; he tells her she is worth it.  When they open the door to leave, Deimos is standing there.

03-09-2017 (Thursday) Belly Dancers

Sonny meets with Paul; Paul tells him about Deimos trafficking stolen artifacts from around the world, mostly from war-torn countries.  He says if they can prove it, they can send Deimos back to prison for a long, long time; they hack his email, and say it is the saddest email account they have ever seen.  Sonny says maybe they need to go “old school” to catch him; he says he needs to get close up and personal.  Paul worries that might be dangerous.

Chad fills Abby in on the new plan to use Deimos’ stolen goods for the benefit of DeMira Enterprises; she reminds him that it’s still a crime – he says yeah, but it’s a victimless crime.  He says he is thinking that they can turn it into something to do more good with; Abby says okay, just asking him to be careful. Gabi comes to pick up Abby for the belly-dancing class.

Andre calls and gives Chad the name of Deimos’ antiquities dealer, telling him the guy is in town right now.  They decide to meet with him.  Chad tells the man he could make him a better offer than Deimos Kirakis made him, adding that he would like to begin returning the stolen goods because some of the rewards are more than the value of the item.  The man tells Chad that he cannot betray Deimos Kirakis.  Chad asks why he would want to work with a man like that, and asks for one more minute; he gets up and grabs a folder… Abby and Gabi come back, still dressed in their bell-dancing outfits; they man comes out, saying he really needs to go, but then changes his mind when he sees the girls and thinks Chad has hired them as a surprise to get him to do business with him.  Abby plays along; she talks Gabi into performing for the man.  They go in and do a quick dance, all around the man as his sits in a chair and then run out of the room; the man stands up and tells Chad he will break with Kariakis and come work exclusively with DeMira.  They shake hands.  Chad thanks the girls for their help and says he can’t wait until they’ve drained Deimos of all of his cash flow; he and Abby kiss.  Gabi excuses herself.

Mr. Michaels takes Kayla out of the room, with the needle still at her neck; Jade hears him and comes out of her room.  She asks him what he thinks he is doing; he tells her he is trying to make things better for the two of them.  He says he needs another liver, so they can have another chance; she tells him if he loves her he wouldn’t hurt someone that means so much to her.  She says if he does this, she doesn’t want him in her life at all; he puts the syringe down.  Steve grabs him, and the man is handcuffed; Steve hugs Kayla.  Jade hugs Kayla and tells her she is so sorry he did that to her; Kayla says that she has nothing to be sorry for, adding, she was the only one who could get through to him.  Jade says, even though she still loves her dad, they are her family; Joey takes her back to her room.

Steve tells Kayla about his visit from “that creep Raymond” and the guy told him that he had made a mistake when he said the baby he and Ava had together was dead; he tells her the boy is alive and looking for him.  Her jaw drops.V

alerie finds Eli sitting at the pub; he is angry with her because his father is now dead and he’ll never have a chance to meet him.  He asks what kind of a mother does that.  She does her best to explain why she didn’t ever tell him, saying David was restless and didn’t like being tied down to anyone or any place.  She apologizes for hurting him and says they should go back home and talk about this; he tells her he is not going back, because this is where his family is.  Julie comes in; Eli asks his mother if he is going to tell her the news, or if he should.  He almost doesn’t, but he tells Julie that he is actually Eli’s son; Julie asks Valerie if this is true, and she admits it is.  Julie looks at Eli and says, yes, she can see David’s face in his face; she is thrilled, but then asks how she didn’t know until now.  Valerie says she and David broke up and got back together so many times, and when she found out she was pregnant, she was alone; she met a man who offered to take care of her and her baby.  Julie asks if this man was good to Eli; he says he was his hero.  Julie yells at Valerie and says she can’t do this right now, and runs out.  Eli follows her; in the park, he asks Julie if she’s okay.  They talk; she tells him that she can see he is strong and sensitive, and a good man.  He asks how she knows that; she says when you have lived this long, you just know things.  She tells him, she believes he is a gift from God; this morning, she says, he heart was so empty, but now looking at him, it is so full.  They hug.

03-08-2017 (Wednesday) Blind Trust

The man Steve is meeting with tells him that a young man contacted him about an “adoption” he had done; that young man is Steve’s son, with Ava.  Steve questions the validity of this supposed son; and asks if the young man knew his adoption was on the black market.  The man said he wasn’t threatening at all; just wanted information.  Steve said he thought this guy didn’t keep records; he said he found the birth certificate child and assures Steve that his son is very real and very much alive.  He says he put him off temporarily, but he though he should alert Steve; this boy is very determined to find his parents, he says.

Joey tells Jade she can’t get up, or she’ll burst her stitches.  He goes to see what’s going on; Kayla is using a defibrillator on Mr. Michaels.  He comes around, but Kayla tells him he had a blood clot…he accuses her of botching the surgery on purpose.  She tries to calm him and tells him she’ll get him something to help him relax; she turns her back to get the medication and he becomes agitated, rips out his IV and gets up, grabbing her from behind and holds a syringe at her neck.  Steve happens to step in the door; considering his options, he remains quiet and motions to Kayla to be quiet.  Kayla looks a little concerned.

Abigail comes into the club and tells Dario she wants to do another fundraiser, and she wants to do it there, at Club TBD; he stares at her with obvious desire.  Abby goes on about how she wants to decorate, takes out a tape measure to see how tall the banner can be, loses her balance and Dario catches her, as if they were dancing; they have an awkward moment, staring at each other face to face.  Dario doesn’t want to let go of her; they kiss.  Oh wow.  Wait… no.  That’s his fantasy; Abigail tells him he has to let go of her and laughs; Dario apologizes and lets her go.  He then makes up a ‘girlfriend’ when Abby asks if he’s seeing anyone; she says he should bring her to the fundraiser.  He says he doesn’t want her to know he can’t dance; Abigail offers to teach him how to dance.  After she leaves, his assistant asks him why he let Abby believe she was teaching him how to dance, when he has seen Dario “cut up the dance floor” before.  Dario tells him to quit asking questions and get back to work.

Gabi comes over to meet with Chad, but then gets uncomfortable when she sees no one else is there; she tells him it is just too hard for her to be alone with him.  He apologizes. He tells her that he knows how important her friendship with Abigail is and he was hoping they could still be friends too; she says of course they can, they just should be meeting alone because they both know something could happen.  He agrees.  Chad tells Andre about the photos Gabi saw and he says Deimos must have smuggled the antiques in from somewhere.  Chad suggests they find out what country they came from and return them; he says the reward money should be massive.  Andre suggests, rather than returning the items, that they try to sell them, themselves, for a profit; Chad thinks about it for a while and then agrees, so long as Andre isn’t planning on lining his own pockets.  Gabi goes to see her brother; she asks if she can rent the club one night a week for her business.  He tells her she can have any night she wants and mentions Abby having just put down a huge deposit for a party she and Chad are throwing; Gabi tells Dario he is blushing talking about Abby.  He starts to tease her about Chad.

03-07-2017 (Tuesday) "Tiffany"

Kayla tells Jade’s dad that he should appreciate what his daughter is doing, and be grateful for it.  She suggests that maybe this could be a new start for them; he says maybe so.  Jade is nervous, but says she feels like she has to do this; he is her father after all.  Jade asks Joey if he could put his arms around her, even though she knows it’s over; Steve walks in the room, surprised to see them hugging.  Steve talks to Joey out in the hall about whether Jade understands they are just friends, and tells him he needs to be careful about sending mixed messages.  Jade is taken into surgery; her dad thanks her on the way.  Jade is restless after surgery; she tries to talk; a code blue comes over the speaker, for her father’s room.  She jumps out of her bed and goes running.

Lucas is eating lunch when Justin comes in and says he thought he went with Adrian; Lucas says he thought Justin went with her.  Justin realizes she’s “done it again.”  Adrian is in a hotel room, sleeping on the couch; Anne comes to see her and she slams the door in her face and runs into the bathroom, sick to her stomach.  Anne continues knocking Adrian lets her in and says she just needs to rest; this will pass.  Anne says she isn’t going to leave her alone; Adrian insists, as her boss, that she go.  Lucas tells Justin that Adrian probably just wants to “gut it out on her own” since this is her last treatment before surgery; he says they should respect her wishes.  Anne calls and tells Lucas that Adrian needs help; they both go to the Salem Inn.  Lucas suggests broth as something she might be able to stomach and offers to go get it; while he’s gone, Kayla breaks down talking about the surgery and she and Justin end up kissing.  She thanks him for making her feel better.  Lucas shows up with the broth, but Adrian says there’s no way she eat that now.  She asks them all to please just leave her to do this alone for now; they concede.

Tiffany comes back with a couple of bags from the store, and hands Nicole back her change; Nicole tells her to keep it, but she insists on returning it.  However, she grabs the room key off the bed and pockets it.  She tells Nicole she got her some bubble bath too; Nicole is so grateful.  While Nicole bathes, Tiffany and her boyfriend sneak back into the room; he grabs the bag of money and she takes the baby, car seat and all.  Nicole comes back out of the bathroom and sees the empty bed; she starts screaming, “oh my god, my baby.”  She runs out the door and into an alleyway, where she sees the two thieves; she tells them to give her, her baby.  They drop the car seat and take off with the bag; Holly starts crying.  Nicole tells Holly she is so sorry for trusting the wrong person.  She makes it back to the hotel room and says she can’t believe they took all her money and food, but is so grateful she got Holly back; she starts crying at the thought of losing her.  Nicole begins to wonder if maybe Chloe would have been a better mother for Holley; Nicole decides that she needs to keep moving.  She puts on a basesball cap and takes Holly out of that motel room.

Steve is called to meet with some guy, at a café somewhere; they man wants to talk about Ava Batalli.  

03-06-2017 (Monday) Nicole On the Run

Chloe comes into the station, frantic; Hope tells her she needs to try to keep it together.  She says not until they find her child.  Hope assures her the department is doing everything they can, but tells her she has been restricted from field work for now.  Claire returns from another first date; she is on the phone with the guy, telling him it’s okay… anyone can forget their wallet at home.  She walks in the door to see Theo and Claire asleep together, on the couch.  Theo wakes up and she tells him he just had another bad date; he says she will find someone, adding, any guy would be lucky to be her boyfriend.  Claire wakes up after hearing this, and rolls her eyes.  She gets up and offers a few phony friendly words; Ciara says, “whatever.”  Theo asks if she wants to go to the pub to get something to eat; Ciara declines and they leave.  

Hope comes by to visit Ciara; she notices Ciara is down.  She tells her mom she’s trying to date again, and confides that the guy she’s in love with is giving her dating advice; she admits that she thinks about him all the time.  Her mom says when you are crazy about someone, that’s what happens, because we have very little control over our feelings.  Ciara asks if Hope thinks there is any chance for Theo and her, admitting it might be wrong to wish for them to break up, especially with Claire being family.  Hope tells Claire that she always kind of thought that she and Theo would end up together; she understands him and they have a special connection.  Ciara asks if Claire and him even seem right together; the look tells her exactly what she thought.  Hope asks what happened with them anyway.  Ciara tells her; Hope says everything will work out as it should.  Ciara says she really just wishes Claire would stop rubbing it in her face – like she thinks she’s going to steal her boyfriend – Hope says Claire might have insecurities of her own and suggests Ciara give her the benefit of doubt.  Theo begins to realize how shallow Claire is when she is so obsessed with her video blogging that she tells him she doesn’t have time to listen to his problems right now.

Eric recalls his conversation with Jen; she knocks on his door.  She says she’s surprised he wanted to see her again; he apologizes for how he treated her the last time.  He tells her he cannot accept the job.  She tries a different proposal and he ends up yelling at her again, telling her to stop being so stubborn.  She gets a message about Nicole; Eric asks what.  Jen says she is in big trouble; she tells him about the surrogacy and Holly’s birth.  She also tells him about Deimos Kiriakis, who he apparently doesn’t know, and about Nicole’s relationship with him, the custody battle and loss; he can’t believe it all.  He feels so sorry for Nicole, but then says it doesn’t matter because Nicole shut him out of her life and he can’t blame her.  He talks about how many lives he’s ruined; Jen points out that he can’t accept responsibility for everything from that point forward.  She tells him, at his core, he is the kindest, most generous man she knows; she tells him she won’t quit believing in him and neither will his family.  He says he can’t be around anyone right now, especially not her.  Eric looks like he is going to kiss her, but then turns and walks away.  She leaves frustrated and says he knows where to find her if he changes his mind.Nicole prays for a little luck, now questioning what she’s done.

Nicole calls the baby’s doctor and tells him she needs some special formula as they are trying to switch Holly from breast milk; he tells her he can do that for her.  She gets a visitor at her motel door; a neighbor needing to borrow a towel.  The girl invites herself in and sees Holly; she makes a big deal out of how much they look alike.  She asks about the baby’s father and Nicole gives her the same story of abuse; the girl says she gets that.  Nicole sits down and says she would anything for this little girl; anything.  Nicole feels very comfortable with Tiffany, her motel neighbor, and asks her to go get some baby supplies for her; without even thinking, she pulls out her duffle bag, which she has filled with money and hands the girl cash to go shopping with.  (This could be turn out bad.)

Brady goes to see the baby’s doctor and demands that he tell him anything he might know about where the baby is right now.  Although he refuses at first, Brady intimidates him and he admits that he did speak to her earlier today; he asks if he should go to the authorities.  Brady says no, he doesn’t want him to, but asks, if she contacts him again, to call him; the doctor agrees and asks Brady to do the same.  Brady calls someone else and says he needs to see them right away.  Brady meets with Paul and gives him a phone number, asking him to trace the call; he says to let him know where it came from, and no police.  He meets Chloe in the park next and they argue over what is right, casting a few insults at each other; she asks him why he always sides with Nicole and then answers, herself, that it’s because he is in love with her again.  Brady tells Chloe how he feels about Nicole has nothing to do with the fact that this baby is hers; he tells Chloe that she is being cruel.  He says he is going to find her; she says he better, and when he does, he better do the right thing.

03-03-2017 (Friday) The Book Fair

Abby tells Chad their donation will be successful in helping the foundation put four books in the hands of every child that comes to the book fair being sponsored by the Horton Center; they tell each other how wonderful they are and kiss again.  Hope comes to see Abby and Chad; she tells Chad, even though his father is alive, she regrets shooting him.  He tells her all he wants to do is focus on the future; the past is the past, he says.  She says she admires the two of them and how they’ve gotten through all of this; then warns them to be prepared because the families have been fighting for so long, and with the Hernandez’ now in the mix, “all bets are off,” she says.  They thank her for the warning and she says goodbye.  Abby tells Chad she finally thinks of the mansion as her home; they kiss again.  Kate and Andre come in to the mansion, complaining about Hope having been there.  Abby steps forward and tells them that this is her and Chad’s house and they can decide who is welcome there.  They then invite the two of them to move back into the mansion if they would like; Andre readily accepts, saying its always been his home, but Kate hesitates.

Hope goes to see Rafe at the station and brings him a cup of coffee and a muffin; Roman brings out her badge and gun and welcomes her back to the force.  Roman then announces his retirement.  Hope asks if it’s because of her; he tells his sister he is just ready for a change.  Gabi meets with Kate; she asks her opinion about her new consulting business.  They discuss Chad and Abby.  Personally, Kate says, she couldn’t give up going after the man the heart wanted and listen to what the brain was telling her; Gabi says maybe she should practice what she’s preaching, pointing to Eduardo, who is standing behind Kate.  Gabi apologizes to Kate for interfering, saying she called to tell her dad they were meeting; she says she has to go, gets up and leaves.  Eduardo tells Kate that he would like to just spend the day with her, having fun; she says she can’t.  He tells her he will be waiting at the club for her, if she changes her mind, and awkwardly walks away.

Deimos hears Brady on the phone, leaving Nicole a message, and asks if he thinks he is the only one who can fix this; Brady tells him he needs to take a step back from the situation before he makes things worse for Nicole.  They get in a little tussle.  Brady leaves; he tells Maggie he is afraid, if he doesn’t find Nicole, someone is going to get hurt; a man listens.  Deimos sulks at home and says, if he loses Nicole, there is going to be hell to pay.  Nicole meets with an old acquaintance of hers; a former ‘anonymous source’ from her days as a reporter.  She tells him she needs his help, adding that the life of this child depends upon it.  The man gives Nicole keys to another motel room…he asks about the report of kidnapping.  She tries to explain, but then he says it might be best he doesn’t know.  Nicole gets worried that her cell phone may allow the police to track her, so she fries it in the microwave.

At the Book Fair, Chad asks Gabi if they can talk; he asks her what she remembers seeing in the safe when the lifted the Orwell, specifically in the pictures.  She tells him what she recalls were in the photos, mostly old artifacts, she says… a vase, a statue of a horse, etc.   Andre questions Abby about leaving Chad and Gabi  alone together… Abby tells Chad the press wants him to give a statement about children’s literacy and their donation; he goes up to speak.  Ariana runs up to him, asking him to read to her; he takes her and sits down on the stage with her and a book.  Gabi stands behind him as the reporters take pictures; they look somewhat like a family.  Andre tells Abigail that should make it obvious; she needs to figure out how to keep them apart.  Eduardo has a drink at his bar; Kate walks in, and immediately turns back around and exits.  He senses her and turns around, but not in time to see her.

03-02-2017 (Thursday) A DESPERATE DECISION

Chad tells Abigail he is tracking Diemos’ holdings; he says, Deimos thinks he’s won the war, but he plans to strike back before he makes his next move.  Abigail tells Chad she doesn’t agree with starting things up again; Chad swears he just wants to disarm Deimos, to end things for good.  Abby says then they need to find his Achilles’ heal.  He says Titan is trafficking stolen goods; he says Gabi saw pictures of them and a book with an inventory.  He asks if its okay for him to talk to her and see what she remembers; she says of course, their lives are very connected, and she’s glad they are.  She tells him she understands everything that happened in the meat locker and asks if they can just not talk about it anymore; Chad tells her he not only loves her, he likes her.  They kiss.  Abigail suggests that DeMira Enterprises could make a donation to sponsor a foundation that supports reading to children and getting books to children in poverty and orphanages, etc.; he tells her it’s a great idea.  She thanks him for asking permission to talk to Gabi, adding that she trusts him completely and knows he is loyal.  He thanks her for distracting him from worrying about Deimos and Dario; they decide to watch a movie but then Chad says he can think of something better to do.  They start kissing again.  A very intimate scene plays, as Chad and Abigail begin to make love on the couch, with soft music in the background.

JJ and Lani say they had a nice time tonight; Gabi sees them from across the square.  When Lani gets a phone call, Gabi approaches him and acts slightly childish about their being together; she admits she is still a little angry about what happened.  She apologizes.  He asks if she’s seeing anyone and she becomes noticeably uncomfortable; he warns her against the feelings she has for Chad (his sister’s husband).  She hears enough, puts her hands up and walks away.  JJ says they need to schedule a rematch before she leaves; she tells him that she has decided she has some pretty good reasons to stay.  They kiss.

Deimos goes to Chloe’s to find her out cold on the bed, and the baby gone; he shakes his head, saying Nicole should have let him handle it.  Nicole walks into a motel room, carrying the baby in her car seat.  The motel manager asks Nicole why she is wearing sunglasses after dark; she looks guilty as hell.  She makes up a great story about being an abused wife and her husband having become jealous of the baby; she tells him she is in hiding, fearing for her life.  The man says he understands; she thanks him and he leaves the room.  Nicole tells Holly she has enough money now to get them new identities; they are finally going to be together.  Holly starts crying and Nicole finds it difficult to console her; Nicole damns Chloe for what she’s done.

Sonny asks Brady to meet him at the pub; he tells him he is planning to take control of Titan away from Deimos.  He tells Brady that he is next on the list to run things anyway; Brady says his grandfather will not sit by idly and watch him challenge his decision to put Deimos in control.  Sonny tells Paul that he can’t believe Brady said he had to “think about” helping him get Titan away from Deimos; Paul tells Sonny he agrees Deimos is dangerous and needs to be dealt with, but he’s worried about the way he is going about it.  Paul shares a moment from his career where he had to make himself remain calm; Sonny says he knows what he’s doing.  Paul says he wishes he could believe that; he says he doesn’t want to see Sonny get hurt.  Sonny assures him he will be fine.  Paul sees Sonny and Lani, at a table in the square; he tells JJ about Sonny’s plan to take Deimos down.  He asks JJ if he could possibly talk to him; JJ says he’ll see what he can do.  Sonny sees Gabi and tells her that he is going to do whatever he has to, to end this war for good; she worries this might be more than he can handle.  Sonny asks if he’s too nice a guy; she laughs, saying, “well you are nice.”  He changes the subject to her and Chad, saying he doesn’t want her to get hurt; she says it’s too late for that.  

Brady goes to Chloe’s and finds Deimos standing over Chloe; he assumes at first, Deimos has done something to her, but soon figures out what really happened.  Chloe comes to.  Brady tells Chloe he is going to go find Nicole, letting her believe that Deimos was probably in on the kidnapping.  She tells him she will let him handle it, but calls the police immediately after he leaves; Nicole, now holding a more content Holly, sees the alert on the news.  When the manager brings a room service menu back, Nicole worries he may have seen the Amber Alert.  She decides she has to find another “safe place” and leaves the room; Deimos tells Brady that he is worried, if she is arrested, she’ll never see that child again.

03-01-2017 (Wednesday) A New Plan

Abby calls Gabi to meet her in the square, to talk about what happened between her and Chad; Gabi looks frightened.  She apologizes and says they didn’t know what they were doing; it was the hypothermia.  Abby interrupts her and says no need to apologize; she says she is glad he had a friend and wasn’t alone.  Gabi tells Abigail she honestly wants her and Chad to be happy and would never stand in the way of that; Abby says she knows.  They reach for each other’s hand and smile at one another.  Abbi tells Gabi that she signed them up for belly dancing classes; they toast to girl time.  

Chad thanks Dario for the rescue; he reaches out to shake his hand.  Dario accepts, but looks angry.  Chad says he hopes they can put their problems behind them and start to work together.  Dario tells Chad there’s no way their families will ever work together; they will always be in separate corners.  Deimos rounds the corner and says, “truer words were never spoken.” Dario wants to kill Deimos; Chad holds him back.  After Deimos leaves, they talk and Dario says he hopes Chad doesn’t hurt Gabi, or Abby; Chad asked when he started caring so much about his wife.  Dario comes home to find Gabi eating rocky-road ice cream; he asks if it’s because of Chad.  She admits it sucks being in love with him.  Dario admits that he is in love with Abigail.

Chad is trying the fix the damage that has been done by the press recently; Abby offers to make a call to an old friend she used to work with, who can help.  She comes back to tell Chad that her friend is not only going to get rid of the bad press, but will put out some good press too; Chad offers her a job.Anne says her goodbyes to Chloe, then asks why she’s really leaving; when Chloe mentions being Holly’s mother, Anne reminds her that she isn’t this baby’s mother.  However, Ann claims she doesn’t care less about Nicole Walker, saying what she needs is some advice regarding Lucas; she claims, at first, it’s a thank you for helping her get this job, then admits that she has the ‘hots’ for him, a “major crush.”  Chloe laughs.  She tells Chloe she needs some wisdom; Chloe tells her their relationship didn’t exactly end on a high note – Anne brings up that Chloe cheated on him.  Chloe’s expression changes, but she forgives the statement and tells Anna to get Lucas a box of oatmeal-raisin cookies from the bakery.  

Nicole tells Brady that she just feels lost; there is nothing she can do about Chloe taking her baby away from her.  Brady does his best to console her.  Deimos tells someone on the phone to go to the Salem Inn and “implement” their plan, if Chloe puts up a fight, he tells them, ‘they’ can handle her any way they wish.  He calls a little later to say, “it’s go time.”  Brady sits down with Nicole on the park bench and tells her that he will be there as long as it takes to get Holly home; Nicole thanks him, saying she doesn’t know how to go on without her baby and brings up Daniel and a bunch of ‘what ifs.’  Brady then tells her Eric has been released from prison; she is stunned.  He tells her Eric has been through hell too; she says he should be.  She gets a little angry, but he calms her down; they hug and Nicole leaves.  She goes to Chloe’s, wearing a long coat, chloroforms her and takes Holly.  

Jennifer goes back to see Eric; she brings him an offer for a job, as a counselor, at the Horton Center.  She tells him her aunt, Maggie, understands being an addict and knows it can be forgiven and overcome.  He tells her he isn’t going back to Salem, but she persuades him to change his mind.  

02-28-2017 (Tuesday) Romance is in the Air

Steve brings Kayla a flower at work; she kisses him.  He suggests they find an empty room and do a little honeymooning; she tells him he needs to “scadaddle” because she has work to do.  Hope and Rafe try to decide where to go for dinner; he suggests they order in.  She says okay.  They end up deciding to make dinner themselves though, and end up in a flour fight.  Rafe tells Hope she’s crazy; they kiss.  After making dinner, they make love.  Kayla goes in to see a patient who is being difficult; it’s Jade’s father.  He tells her just to let him out of there; she looks at his records and tells him he is not going anywhere.  Kayla calls Jade and tells her that her dad is in the hospital and that he is very sick; Jade goes to see him.  He asks her if she will get tested to see if she could be a liver donor.  She tells him to go to Hell and walks out.  Joey simply shrugs.

Sonny is released and meets with Victor; he says he wouldn’t have been taken if Deimos hadn’t kidnapped Gabi and Chad.  He says “Uncle Vic” made a mistake, giving Deimos too much power; he asks who might take his position when he screws up again.  He suggests himself; Victor concedes.  Sonny says he wants it in writing; they shake on it, as Victor throws in “at least temporarily.”

The Restraining Order stuns Nicole; Chloe calmly explains that Holly needs protection from her.  She reminds her that she tried to assault her in the courtroom; she tells Nicole to read the paper and please abide by it.  She says their friendship is over and she needs to leave; she is almost (appearing) to cry… Nicole is sobbing, asking why.  Chloe tells her that she fears Nicole will let Deimos back in; she done it too many times already, she says (I agree).  She opens the door and tells Nicole to leave; Nicole begs her to listen to her one more time.  She recounts their friendship, the conditions of Chloe becoming pregnant, her appreciation for what Chloe did, but then ends with her taking it away… because she might go back to someone she never wants anything more to do with.  She begs her not to take away her happiness; Chloe stands firm and callously tells Nicole that she will call the police to enforce the Restraining Order if she doesn’t leave.  She opens the door; Nicole walks out, still sobbing.  Chloe almost cries as she leans up against the inside of the door; Nicole tries to catch her breath, leaning on the outside, then walks away.

Deimos asks Brady if he is in love with Nicole; he says yes, but as a friend.  Deimos insinuates it’s more; he tells Brady to admit that he wants something a lot more.  Brady tells Deimos what happened has nothing to do with his feelings for Nicole; Deimos says he is going to ‘fix’ things.  Brady tells him he can’t fix it; he tells him he thinks Nicole is better off without him in her life.  Brady sees Nicole in the square; she tells him about the Restraining Order.  He hugs her and tells her he is there; he promises her she will never be alone.  

Jade asks Kayla about the donation procedure; she explains.  Jade agrees to take the test to see if she is even a match.  Steve meets with Sonny and Paul; they discuss what steps need to be taken against Deimos.  Paul asks Sonny if he is sure he wants to make Deimos his enemy.  Sonny says he is taking control, one way or another.  Deimos contemplates how to get Nicole back; Brady offers words of encouragement to Nicole.  He affirms again that he will always be there for her; she says she knows that, though she has never been sure why.  He stares at her, then says, “I’m your friend; that’s why I’m here and that’s why I’ll always be here.”  She thanks him for being her rock.

02-27-2017 (Monday)

Brady asks Nicole to meet him in the square; she has just finished packing up her office.  She hangs up the phone to find Deimos standing there; he says he is not going to let her do this.  She tells him to get out of her way; he apologizes for bribing the judge.  He asks her what she wants to do next regarding Chloe; she points out how many times he has lied to her and says he will never change.  She tells him she doesn’t want his help.  Nicole meets Brady and tells him about Deimos showing up at the office while she was packing; he tells her about Chloe moving to New York.  She tells him that she will just have to find a job there and move herself; she would follow Holly to the ends of the earth, she says.

JJ and Loni make plans for their date; Gabi walks in and hears them.  She suggests to JJ that he not drink so much this time.  She asks why he called her there; he says he needs to ask more questions about the kidnapping.  He believes she knows something that she’s not telling him about her family and their business dealings.  Rafe comes in and tells Gabi to start talking; he says he knows about the Orwell device, and that Deimos stole it – he tells her about Drew and what they’ve learned about the kidnapping.  Rafe tells her he knows his dad was involved; JJ adds that what they really want is Deimos.  Dario walks into the room; he asks Gabi to come see him when shes done.  Gabi goes to the club to talk to Dario; he makes her a business offer… money to start her own company.  He tells her he, and their father, want to be her first clients; they want her to “clean up their act.”  She jokes about not being a miracle worker, but agrees to the deal, so long as she gets to make all the decisions.

Marlena asks Jennifer to meet her at the pub; she tells her about Eric.  Jen tells her she saw him at the hospital a couple of days ago; she said he wouldn’t say much.  Marlena tells her he is not doing well.  She tells her that Erik still has feelings for her; she wants to know if Jen will try talking to him.  She agrees.  Jennifer shows up at Eric’s; the door is unlocked.  She goes in and calls for him; he comes around a corner and tells her she should never have come there.  He tells her she has to go; she asks about the tattoo on his back.  He says it’s an eagle, Native American, and represents spiritual healing, but it doesn’t seem to be working; he asks if his mother sent her there.  She skirts the question; she figures out that he is the one who found Hope and cared for her.  She hugs him; he stands quite stiff.  Marlena talks to Rafe; she tells him if Jennifer can’t talk Eric into coming home, she’s not sure what will.  Jennifer tells Eric she cares about him; he says he doesn’t care about anyone.  She grabs him and kisses him; he relaxes and kisses her back.  She leaves but tells him that she is going to be back.

Deimos calls Brady for a meeting; Brady tells Nicole he says it’s about business.  He tells Nicole not to do anything stupid; she says she won’t, but her expression says otherwise the minute he turns around.  She heads off.  She shows up at Chloe’s; Chloe allows her to come in, but when Nicole tells her of her plans to move to New York with her, Chloe serves Nicole with a Restraining Order; she says she knew if she didn’t do it, Nicole would never give up or leave her alone.  She tells her that she will never see her or Holly again.

02-22-2017 (Wednesday)

Marlena walks into Eric’s house; he is speechless… she just hugs him.  She tells him his dad told her he was out.  Says she is not surprised about what he did for Hope; and tells him it is time now for him to come home.  He snaps at her; he is not going home.  Eric says he doesn’t belong in Salem; Marlena reminds him that he was pardoned.  He gets mad and says he didn’t want to be pardoned, he didn’t ask for it; he belongs in prison.  No matter how hard she tries to convince him, Eric tells Marlena he is not changing his mind; she says she is sorry then, because she isn’t leaving there without him.  I guess she’s moving in!  He talks her into leaving, but she says she isn’t giving up on him; she will love him until he loves himself again.  Marlena calls someone and asks to talk to them, in person, about Eric.  

Hope is enjoying her freedom, in the park; she tells Rafe she fears it might be her last, saying she is still worried something might go wrong.  Rafe assures her it is over; and says it was worth the wait.  They go into the café, where they see…xx … Andre walks in the door with a young Asian girl, smiling and laughing.  Hope looks frightened.  Apparently, it’s the new District Attorney; Hope excuses herself.  Andre gets up to talk to Rafe once she leaves, saying he’s “sorry” he missed Hope… he asks if Rafe is wondering what he is doing there with the DA; Rafe simply says he better not be making any under handed deals to send Hope back to prison, or he will regret it.  Andre thanks him for that information and says, “who knows how it’s going to turn out for Hope,” gets up and goes back to his table.  

Andre is by Chad’s bedside when he wakes up; he tells him that Abby is the one who found him, adding that she stayed by his bed all night.  He also tells him that he wasn’t breathing when Abby found him… Gabi wakes up to find her dad next to her, he tells her everything is okay.  He asks her what she remembers; she tells him that her memory got fuzzy and confused – she isn’t sure.  She recalls telling Chad that she was glad she was with him.  Eduardo makes it clear that it would not be good if she was with Chad; she angrily tells him she is not with Chad, and turns over.  Andre tells Chad that he needs to know about their father – that he was apparently in custody but then slipped away.  Chad asks if Hope is free; Andre says, “we’ll see.”

Just as Chad is reflecting upon his close-encounter with Gabi, Gabi steps through his hospital door.  Still in her gown, she just says, “hey” and asks how he’s feeling.  She pretends not to remember anything, as does he, until he admits that he remembers she told him she loved him; then she says she remembers him saying the same.  They stare at each other awkwardly for a few moments; she asks if he remembers anything after.. he says trying to stay warm, then kissing her.  They discuss what that means.  Dario interrupts and when Gabi comes back in, she tells Chad that she realizes none of it meant anything; it was just a “moment” that’s all – he has to think about his wife and son, her best friend and they have to live with that.  They agree that they were not in their right minds in that locker and Gabi says they don’t need to ever talk about it again. Andre brings in Chad’s lunch tray; Gabi passes him on her way out.  

Eduardo brings Ariana to see Gabi; she is smiling so cute (growing up).  Chad tells Andre he has to be honest with Abby and tell her everything that happened in that locker; otherwise, he says, he would be a hypocrite, since he has demanded such honesty from Abigail.  The DA announces that Andre DeMira wishes to drop all charges and move on with their lives; she tells the court that the “people” agree.  The judge tells Hope she is free to go.  Rafe meets Hope in the park and has a picnic basket with wine sitting on the park bench, waiting for her; she kisses him.  He says there is more; he gives her a box of graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate.  She cries; says it’s been a long year. He welcomes her to the rest of her life.

02-24-2017 (Friday) The Funeral

Brady tries to talk to Chloe at a table in the pub; she is short and cold with him.  He becomes frustrated and tells her that Nicole has dumped Deimos; he says she is done with him, for good, so there is no reason to keep her daughter from her now.  Chloe says Nicole could get back together with him anytime; she has done it before.  He stresses again that Holly is Nicole’s daughter; he begs her not to go back to Chicago.  She tells him she’s not; she is moving to New York, instead.  Maggie says goodbye to Holly; Brady calls to talk to Nicole.  

Abby come back into Chad’s hospital room and lays down on the bed with him, as he is sleeping; he wakes, and says what a nice surprise.  They talk about what got them into this mess; she promises not to do any more private investigating, and they agree not to take each other for granted ever again.

Eli introduces himself, just as Valerie’s son; he tells Julie he is sorry for her loss and asks if he can stay.  She says of course and goes back in the chapel. Eli looks at his mother and says, “she seems like a nice person to me.”  They go in and sit down.  Julie speaks first; she says David inherited all her worst traits, being brash, opinionated, etc., and admits that they had a hard time getting along with each other, though they loved each other.  She admits regretting not being close these past few years, calls their fights stupid, and then mentions her grandson, Scotty; Eli gets uncomfortable.  Valerie looks at him apologetically.  

After the funeral, they talk, and Valerie explains to her son the relationship she had with David; she says she didn’t know she was pregnant until he was gone.  He says it must have been awful for her; she tells him, no… he was the best thing that ever happened to her.  JJ asks Loni out on a date; she agrees, to JUST a date.  She realizes she has lost her cell phone and goes back to the church to look for it.  Eli is there, talking to his father’s coffin.  Abe finds Valerie crying in the park; she tells him she doesn’t think her son is ever going to forgive her.  He sits down by her and hugs her as she sobs.  

02-23-2017 (Thursday) Goodbyes

Claire is on her phone again, complaining about some other girl who thinks she’s a star and posts every boring minute of her life; Ciara snaps at her, letting her know that she is not much better.  Claire is offended; she asks Ciara how she could be so mean.  Ciara reminds Claire that their aunt Julie’s son’s funeral is today and they need to be there for her. They get in a fight and Theo comes in and breaks it up.

Valerie says her goodbye’s to Abe; and he tells her even though he will miss her, he is glad they reconnected.  He offers to escort her to David’s funeral today; she says that isn’t necessary.  He says he would like to be there for her…she says he doesn’t need to.  She asks if Theo might be there; Abe says Theo is sorry to see her go, which surprises her.  She heads to work.  Doug tells Julie it is time to head over to the church to say goodbye to David; Julie stands up and says she isn’t going.  Marlena asks why; Julie says she doesn’t deserve to go to her son’s funeral.  She talks about having given him up for adoption when he was born and even though they found each other again, she doesn’t feel she was ever a good mother to him.  Ciara gets to the pub and consoles Julie reminding her that when he mom wasn’t there, she was there for her.  Claire reminds her that she always kept him in her thoughts and prayers, and put his ornament on the tree at Christmas; they head to the funeral.  

Dario asks his dad if Gabi is going to be okay; then asks how much she knows about the war.  Eduardo says, enough to know why she was taken hostage.  Dario slips away when Kate walks in, pissed off at Eduardo for keep the secret from her about kidnapping Sonny.  She says the “beat him to a pulp” and he apologizes; he says the guard will be punished or dismissed.  He promises her everything is okay now; she tells him he couldn’t be more wrong.  He tells her that he still believes they were meant to be together; she turns around and walks away.  

Abby apologizes to Chad for making things so difficult, by her leaving and staying gone; he tells her that he thinks he is the one who needs forgiveness.  Valerie comes in and interrupts; he tells Abby they need to finish this conversation later.  When Abby comes back, she says she thought of how empty her life would be if he wasn’t around.  He brushes her hair from her face.  He tells her he kissed Gabi; she look surprised at first, and then relieved.  She says she knows the cold can make you delirious and make you do things you wouldn’t normally do – she was truly afraid something more might have happened – she tells him, he’s good.  She leaves and goes to the park, where she stands in front of her memorial statue and says there’s no way she could have ever expected him to love her again after being gone for so long; she has a little hissy-fit tempter tantrum and breaks the statue.  Dario finds her and sits down with her; she confesses everything to him… he makes up a story about hearing Chad calling out Gabi’s name (when it was the other way around) and tells Abby her marriage is in trouble.  He obviously wants her for himself; she hugs him and tells him she is so grateful to have such a good friend.  

At the funeral home, Valerie talks to David’s coffin, saying she should have told him and Eli the truth; Abe walks in.  He apologizes for interrupting her private moment; Julie comes in and hugs her, saying how different things might be if they had stayed together.  Valerie looks hurt; Abe hugs Julie.  Valerie’s son, Eli, shows up at David’s funeral; Valerie asks what he is doing there.  He tells her he is there bury his father; she looks completely dumbfounded.  He tells her he knows that David was his father; she hushes him as Julie comes over to say they are ready to get started.  She introduces herself to Eli and asks who he is; he stares at his mother, shaking her head, behind Julie.