04-28-2017 (Friday) A Stranger in the House

Joey sees Jade and asks how the move is going; she says she’ll get the rest of her stuff soon.  He says no rush; he tells her this is for the best though.  Not for her, she mumbles.  She tells him (after he leaves) that someday he will love her as much as she loves him.  Tripp comes into the Pub and sees Kayla and Brady kissing at a table; he looks annoyed.  He apologizes for interrupting, and admits that it’s strange to see a married couple getting along so well.  She brags about how well he handled the pressure today and Tripp admits that he may have an interest in becoming a doctor.  He tells them he has an undergraduate degree from Arizona State University already; says he put himself through.  They tell him they are proud of him.  

He talks about the videos his mom left him, and then says if he’s having dinner with his father, starts tearing up and says he can’t do this; he calls him “pops” and says he’d like to be friends, but this is too much for him.  He leaves.  Kayla goes after him.  She tells him she knows this is hard for him and he is still processing everything, but she says she feels like his friend and she wants to know what Steve could do to fix this; he says he just doesn’t think he can ever let go of the fact that his father killed his mother.  She goes back in and tells Steve Tripp is struggling, but she believes he will let go of his mother’s death and want to be a part of the family.  Jade tells Tripp that Mr. Johnson is basically a good guy; he says he seems like a good dad too… until you throw in the part about him killing his mother.  Jade agrees she would have a hard time forgiving something like that, but she says this is different; he can’t imagine ever being one big happy family.  Steve thanks Kayla for trying; he says if he gets his son back, it will be because of her.

Abigail rounds the corner and sees Gabi kissing Eli, pretty passionately now.  She is obviously irritated.  When she catches Gabi walking home, she tells her that she left Chad so they could be together, so she is a little bit miffed that Gabi’s now going after her cousin.  Gabi reminds her that she lined them up in the first place; Abigail says that she wants her to be with Chad and Gabi says that is not going to happen.  Funny.  Gabi reminds her that she and Chad only got together because they thought she was dead; Abigail says she knows that and doesn’t feel betrayed.  She’s only leaving because Chad’s heart isn’t wholly in their marriage.  Gabi tells Abigail that she is difficult to figure out; she summarizes everything Chad has been through with her and how he has done everything humanly possible to prove his love to her.  Abby brings up her “front row seat to the Chad and Gabi yearning for each other show” and says trying just isn’t good enough for her anymore.  

Gabi says Chad loves Abigail and needs her; Abby says he was “trying” and she needs more than for her husband to try.  Gabi says she needs to stop trying to play God and stop making decisions for her and Chad; she gets a phone call and walks away.  Abigail talks to Eli for a minute and excuses herself.  Eli tells Gabi he has the antidote for her broken heart and he kisses her again.Nicole tells Brady everything is perfect; he calls it Heaven on Earth.  The masked man wanders through their home; he kicks a toy on the floor and it makes noise.  Brady goes to check it out; he finds the toy going off, but no one near it.  He looks around the room, but sees nothing; the masked man is hiding around the corner.  He comes back in and tells Nicole the car must have a mind of its own; Nicole tells Brady she’s hungry.  As Brady and Nicole talk, right on cue, Holly starts crying; Nicole goes to get her.  The masked man is standing there, holding Holly; he points his gun at Nicole.  Brady comes in and stands by Nicole; Holly starts crying.  Brady rushes the man and gets shot in the stomach; Nicole pulls the mask off of the man.  It’s Xander; he says, “surprise.”

Paul tells Sonny he talked with a guy who has some information; he wants an incentive.  Sonny says he’ll get the money; Paul is going to handle the transaction.  Together, he says, they will get Deimos.  Paul describes some guy who has been seen working for Deimos; Sonny says he knows who that is.  Sonny calls this man and gently threatens him about going again his Uncle Victor; he says his only hope is to tell him why Deimos is in Manatoba.  He tells Sonny he is there for Nicole and the kid.  Sonny gets an address and calls for the company jet.

04-27-2017 (Thursday) How to Save a Life

Tripp questions Kayla about his mother’s murder; he says something just doesn’t seem right.  Kayla does her best to skirt around the truth; the conversation is interrupted by Roman, dropping a tray and falling to the floor, gasping.  Kayla says it seems like he is having an allergic reaction; she sends Tripp to her car for her medical bag.  He doesn’t respond to the ‘epi’ injection; Kayla decides to do an emergency tracheotomy… Tripp is on the ball, getting her everything she needs.  Tripp is thoroughly impressed with Kayla’s work; he tells her, “you were awesome.”  He may have found his calling.  Roman thanks his sister for saving his life; she tells him she couldn’t have done it without Tripp.  Roman says he owes Tripp one.

Tripp tells Kayla he was fascinated by the whole thing; she suggests he may want to consider a career in medicine, and admits that she was always a little disappointed that her kids didn’t want to go into medicine.  She invites him to join them for a family dinner tonight and he accepts.  Tripp goes in to see Roman; he apologizes for taking a swing at him and says he owes him one.  Roman tells him they all help each other and nobody is keeping score.

Eli thanks his mother for taking care of Gabi; Valerie invites the two of them to dinner.  He tells her that he is still angry she let him grow up without his father and leaves.  Gabi apologizes for him, saying he is just having a hard time; Valerie asks Gabi if she would tell Julie about this app that will help remind her when to take her meds.  Gabi says Julie doesn’t need anything like that; as “she doesn’t miss a trick.”  Valerie tells her she feels like that woman is trying to alienate Eli from her; she can tell Julie has been given Gabi a hard time too.  Abe says he is going to talk to Raines and having Lani take off this case; she protests, saying this is her job.  Eli comes in with a report of the drug; it’s a synthetic, called “halo.”  Causes erratic behavior and loss of memory; Lani says with a drug like that, so many people could be hurt.  She refuses to back out of the investigation.  Abe tells her she is stubborn; she sarcastically ponders whom she got that from.  She tells her dad, he can’t talk to JJ about this, though; she says she is doing this one solo.  He tells her just not to take too many risks.  Eli tells JJ about the drug; he tells Eli they need to get this guy.  He says he wants to keep Lani out of this one though.  

Lani gets another call from Snake; he sets up another meeting for tomorrow.  She packs her bag and starts to leave her room; JJ is standing there and asks if she’s going somewhere.  She tells him she is being discharged; she tells him her dad is driving her home and she promised Kayla she would take it easy.  He tells her he doesn’t ever want to see her hurting like that again.  Gabi runs into Abe; he tells her he is sorry about her father.  She tells him thank you and asks if she can talk to him about Eli and his mom; he tells her to sit down.  She explains what she has seen, says, “Julie doesn’t help” and suggests that together they think of something.  Eli and Gabi meet later; after talking for a while, he makes his move to kiss her.  She is receptive.

When Brady’s phone goes off, with a notification from the bank, Nicole worries that means the police or Deimos has found them.  He promises her that is not what it means, but he says he is going to get dressed and go see this guy at the bank.  Brady tells her they will handle whatever problem comes their way; she goes to look online to see what is happening in Salem.  She notices them missing prostitutes; Brady tells her they are safe and he leaves.  Somebody is looking through the window at Nicole.  She cleans up her dishes and goes to the room; Brady walks back in and hear her scream.- they come out laughing.  The water faucet broke and squirted her in the face; he tells her he just bought the local hardware store, Elkhorn Hardware.  She asks if he can be happy selling people hammers and toilets; he says he would much rather run an honest business than listen to Deimos make another shady deal.  He tells her she is going to work there too; he says he’s going to coach the kids’ soccer team, because he won’t be in Hong Kong.  He tells her he is so looking forward to this, a normal life, and a wife that loves him.  She says that is exactly what she wants too.  They kiss and race each other to the bedroom; somebody is still watching through the window.  As Brady and Nicole discuss how they have everything they want now, and no worries, a masked man with a gun comes through the front door.  

04-26-2017 (Wednesday) What happened to Lani??

Lani wakes up, on the park bench, nylons torn, dirty and with her hair all messed up; she calls JJ.  When he gets there, she tells him she cannot remember what happened.  JJ tells her they need to go to the hospital to check for evidence, in case she was raped… Kayla tells her it doesn’t appear that she was sexually assaulted.  She does say there is some unknown chemical in her body though.  JJ says he never should have let her meet with that guy; she snaps at him, that he didn’t “let” her do anything.  Kayla tells JJ that Lani has still been through a trauma and may need some time to recover, even with her police training; he says he will take care of her.  Her phone rings; it’s Snake.  She plays it cool, and asks what happened to her; he says all in good time.  He tells her to wait for his next set of instructions; she says okay.  JJ comes in the room and hears her on the phone; she lies and says it was her dad.  He tells her Kayla wants her to stay until they can identify the substance that’s in her system; he tells her to focus on getting better, and let him take care of everything else.

Kayla and Steve meet; she asks him if these lunch dates are going to be a regular thing.  Steve says they can be if she wants them to; she says he makes it hard to go back to work.  Steve goes to see Joey.  Tripp and Jade tell Joey that she is moving in with him; he asks Tripp if he is sure he wants to take her on.  He says she has a lot of baggage; Tripp says he does too.  He tells Joey she is the closest thing he has to a friend in this town.  Joey tells Jade that he isn’t sure how he feels about her living with Tripp; she asks if he wants her to stay.  He says it’s complicated and confesses that he is worried about what she knows; she promises she wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt him.  He says he knows she wouldn’t, on purpose.  Steve offers to take her shopping for some things for the new place; he promises Steve that she will never tell Tripp what happened with Ava.  She says she wants to help Tripp see what a great family they are; she says she is sorry Kayla hates her now.  Steve says Kayla doesn’t hate her, she just worries; Jade kisses Steve on the cheek and tells him it’s really good to have him on her side, especially since they are going to be family soon.  He isn’t sure what to think about that; she leaves.  Tripp comes to see him and thanks him for the can opener; they start talking and the subject of abuse fathers comes up again.  Tripp says he doesn’t want to talk about it, but Steve still shares a story from his past; he tells Tripp he was angry at the world.  He tells him all that saved him was a woman who loved him no matter what; he tells Tripp he isn’t giving up on him, and never will.  He leaves.  Kayla meets with Steve again and he tells her about Jade moving in with Tripp; she is concerned.  Steve is frustrated that Tripp won’t listen to him; he says he grew up with a father who pushed him around and he can’t tell him what to do.  Kayla says she can.

Chad is calling Abigail; he tells her he still considers her a part of the family, and the business, and asks her to call him back.  She is sneaking into the mansion; she goes up and sees Thomas, and writes Chad a note.  The nanny meets Chad at the door, on her way out, and tells him that Abby took the baby and left about an hour ago.  He says that’s fine; he reads Abby’s note and crumples it up.Abigail meets her mom for lunch.  She tells her mom that she got the job as the new Salem PD receptionist; Jen tells her she is very proud of her.  She also tells her that Chad is never going to give up on her.  She tells her that Eric suggested she give her the space to find herself; Abby questions how close of friends she and Eric are.  Jennifer says there are some feelings there, but they are both still figuring things out, rebuilding their lives after addiction almost ruined them.  Abby wishes them the best, saying she wants her to be happy; Jen tells Abby that’s what she wants for her too.  Anne sees Lucas and questions where Adrian is; he tells her she went to see her kids.  She offers to help him get his mind off of her for a bit, by buying him French fries.; he agrees to sit with her for a few minutes.  Jen is appalled when she sees them sitting down at a table together.  

When he leaves, Jen asks Anne if she is going after her brother; Anne says no, but Jen tells her she is going to keep an eye on her.  Kate comes in and tells Chad they need to be more proactive about their acquisitions; he says he is not doing anything illegal.  She tells him Abigail has left him twice now; he doesn’t owe her a thing.  He asks her if she thinks they can really get away with this; she says she knows people and he reluctantly concedes.  Abigail walks in to hear Kate say, “that’s my boy.”  She opens the door and sees them toasting to “making money the old fashioned way… stealing.”  Abigail comes in when Kate walks out; she tells him she accidentally heard them talking about stealing artwork.  She asks if this is the legacy he wants to leave for his son; he tells her she doesn’t have the right to make decisions for him anymore.  She congratulates him on his new big business deal and leaves angry.

04-25-2017 (Tuesday) Going Undercover

Paul and Sonny tell Hope and Rafe, it’s only a matter of time before Deimos cracks because of his obsession with Nicole.  Sonny says his “monumental ego will never allow him to let her go.”  Victor asks Deimos if he has seen Sonny; Deimos says not since he left this morning.  Victor asks Deimos why he’s smiling; he tells Victor about his conversation with Maggie, and the phone call he received afterward.  He says Nicole is the woman he loves, he is going to find her and bring her back and in time, she will realize he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her.  Meanwhile, Nicole and Brady are about to make love; he carries her into the bedroom and lays her gently on the bed.  Holly interrupts them and Brady puts her back to sleep; Nicole tells him there is nothing more sexy than a man holding a baby.  While talking to Holly, Nicole refers to Brady as “daddy”; she apologizes.  He thinks she is crying because Daniel is gone; he tells her he would never try to replace Daniel.  She tells him these are tears of joy because she never thought she’d be able to tell Holly that.  She feeds Holly, gets food all over her, goes to shower and they decide to pick up where they left off earlier; back to the bedroom they go.The commissioner tells JJ and Lani that six girls have disappeared in the last two months down by the docks; he says he got a tip about a pimp who calls himself “Snake” and tells them to check for priors, and past associates; Lani mentions a girl she brought in last week, named Dolly, who mentioned more than once that her pimp was a real snake.  She says she will try to have Dolly set up a meeting.  The girl agrees to help; she says all the girls are afraid they will be the next to vanish.  JJ doesn’t like it, but Lani is going to meet with Snake, pretending to be a potential ‘new girl.’  Roman tells JJ that he is familiar with this character, “Snake.”  He warns him to be very careful. JJ tells Lani that he doesn’t want her going undercover; she tells him she is not leaving those poor girls alone.  She is going to the meeting, she says.  She dresses up and goes to meet Snake; I recognize the actor as a former pimp from One Life to Live.  He tells Lani she has beautiful eyes and invites her to go get a drink; JJ watches as they walk away.  He takes her to a room and tells her she has to pass a test; he pours he a glass of champagne.  She starts to get woozy as she finishes her second sip; he sits her down on the bed.Abigail runs into Dario; she tells him she has an interview.  He is surprised it happened so fast; she says right place, right time.  He offers to be a reference, although he knows his name doesn’t carry much value around there; she thanks him.  He tells her best of luck and she goes on her way; he watches her longingly as she leaves.  Abby walks into the station; Hope seems surprised to see her.  Abigail says she is applying for the receptionist position and it would be the first time she’s gotten a job on her own that wasn’t handed to her by someone.  Hope tells her she’s proud; Abby says the same of Hope, saying she’s the perfect example of survival.  She hugs JJ when she sees him and asks if he would mind her working there; she jokes that he shouldn’t put in a good word for her and he tells her it wouldn’t help because Commissioner Raines doesn’t like him. She’s not impressed when she tells him JJ is her brother.  Abigail charms the commissioner, of course, and gets the job.Paul tells Sonny he is moving into a room at the new Horton B&B, fully staffed kitchen downstairs; he asks Sonny to move in with him.  Sonny says no, lovingly, telling him he is just not ready to live together yet; he says, when he is though, he wants Paul to move in with him, into the mansion.  Deimos hires a private jet; he tells Victor he doesn’t trust any of their pilots these days.  Victor tells him if he does anything to harm Brady or the children, there will be hell to pay; he says he doesn’t care what he does to Nicole.  Deimos tells Sonny he is going on a business trip to Quebec and tells him not to screw up Basic Black while he’s gone; Victor tells Sonny that the man Deimos claimed to be meeting with is on sabbatical for a month.  Sonny verifies this and calls Paul; they think this trip may have something to do with the antiquities Deimos is moving.

04-24-2017 (Monday) Earth-day Celebration

Deimos is on the phone demanding that Nicole be found and brought back with her daughter; Maggie is all dressed up to go to the earth-day celebration.  She tells him, if he finds Nicole, she is never going to take him back and asks what the point is.  She says if he truly loved Nicole he would put her needs before his own; she tells him to think about how he felt when someone cost him the person he loved more than anything in this world, and points out that Nicole loves that baby more than she ever loved him.

Theo sees Wyatt at celebration he and Ciara are volunteering at; he accuses Wyatt of not even really caring about the environment.  Ciara steps up in defense of Wyatt; she tells Theo to back off Wyatt and they leave.  Claire comes up and accuses Theo of being jealous when he says he doesn’t want to hang out of Wyatt anymore; she says he was acting funny at the loft last night too.  He insists he is just worried about his grade in biology and walks away.  Wyatt compliments Ciara for her knowledge about the environment; he says one of the things he likes most about her is how smart she is.  Chad comes into the Pub and sees Theo; he asks what’s wrong.  He says he is having trouble in his biology class; Theo asks if Chad is okay.  He says he’s fine; Theo says he looks sad.  Chad tells him that Abigail left him and he can’t change her mind; he says she doesn’t know what she wants, but she is sure it isn’t him. Wyatt asks to talk to Theo; he reminds him that being with her wasn’t his idea.  He recalls a conversation between him and Theo, where he was talking about sucking at picking out girlfriends; Theo says he knows a girl who sucks at being a girlfriend, and suggests maybe they should get together.  Wyatt asks if he could coach him, to make her like him; he says if he does, he needs to treat her right.  Back to the present, Wyatt asks Theo why it makes him so mad to see him with Ciara, when he was the one who suggested it.  Claire tells Ciara she is happy for her, saying she thinks that Wyatt could be the one; Ciara shrugs her shoulders.  She says they are having fun.  Claire tells her she is happy to see her happy; Theo tells Wyatt he is worried that Ciara will hate him if she ever finds out that he lied to her about knowing Wyatt; he says Wyatt can never tell her what he did.

Eli apologizes to Gabi, for taking his grandmother’s side earlier; she apologizes for talking harshly to his grandmother.  He says he is learning that his family is complicated.  He asks her out to lunch, noting that the “third time is a charm.”  She accepts.  They go to the Club; Gabi gets freaked out when she sees Deimos walk in.  She goes over and confronts him for all the things he has done; he denies knowing what she’s talking about.  She calls for security and tells him to get out of her club right now; Deimos is removed.  Eli apologizes for taking so long on his phone call, but then says it was work, and he needs to bail.

As beautiful as everything is, Abigail tells Chad this is not her “thing” – she asks if he doesn’t know her at all; he isn’t sure what to say.  He tells her he is willing to try anything to convince her he loves her; she asks if it’s only because she finally decided she is through.  He looks confused and asks her why she waited until they were recommitting to each other, to tell him that she changed her mind.  She says she just finally came to her senses, got her self-esteem back, and realized that she deserves to be loved by her husband, with his whole heart.  He says they can work at it; she says they can’t.  She deserves a commitment that can’t be shaken, and she says he can’t give her what she wants because she needs an undivided heart.  He says he hopes she will change her mind; she says she has changed her mind enough, and now she is doing something about it.  He says this isn’t what he wants though; she takes the paper with his vows on it and sticks it back in his pocket.  She leaves.  She goes to visit Maggie; Maggie invites her to go with her to deliver muffins to the police station, the hospital and to the earth-day celebration.  Abby says it would be nice to get out and see some people.  Abby sees a flyer at the police station, advertising a job opening; she fills out an application. Chad runs into Gabi and she tells him she saw them in the square earlier; he tells her it didn’t go the way he wanted it to.  She says she’s sorry; he tells her he’ll get over it, then tells Gabi she will be alright too; she looks at him, unsure.  She tells him she is okay; she’s getting her business up and running, and is meeting new people; she says maybe she will fall in love again.  He says he hopes so, because he wishes her nothing but the best; she says she wishes him the same thing, and leaves.

Nicole comes out into the living room, soaking wet; she says she turned the bathroom into a steamroom for Tate’s cough.  Brady says he would have done it, but Tate asked for her; Nicole says she is glad he loves her.  Brady goes to put Holly down; he tells Nicole she is absolutely beautiful.  She laughs and says she feels like a wet rag; he says she doesn’t look like one, adding that he always thinks she’s beautiful.  Brady and Nicole start getting intimate and a knock comes on the door; it just the package, via messenger, with their new passports and IDs.  Nicole tells him that she doesn’t really want to move now; she says Scooter isn’t going to turn them in and it’s so beautiful there.  He agrees; he says they will hold on to those in case of an emergency.  Deimos gets a call; his men have seen Brady and the kids.  Brady comes out, saying all is quiet in the kids’ room; Nicole tells Brady that she needs him to know she meant it when she said she loved him last night.  She says he has been there for her, her whole life and he is her best friend, but she doesn’t just love him like a friend; she loves him like the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with.  They kiss again and head to the bedroom.

04-21-2017 (Friday) Not Giving Up

Abigail makes phone calls at Brady’s Pub, looking at job listings, and for a new place to live; Dario sits down at the table with her.  Abby recalls telling Chad goodbye, kissing him for the last time, and walking out the door.  Chad is apparently having the same memory; he jumps up when he hears someone enter the room, hoping it was Abby.  It’s Sonny; he says he heard about Abby leaving him, from Gabi.  Sonny suggests Chad just step back and give Abby time and space; he says that’s what she needs most right now.  Dario offers his help to Abigail.  Abby tells Dario that he has already helped her tremendously; she says he brought her back from the brink twice.  She says she wants to stand on her own to feet, and she needs him to believe she can; she reaches out and touches his hand.

Jen comes in to talk to her; she asks Abigail if she is sure she has given this enough time.  She’s worried Abby is pushing herself too hard, and that getting a job and living on her own will be too much for her to handle.  Abby tells her mom that she needs to let her do this; she promises she’ll be okay.  Jennifer hugs her and leaves. Eric finds Abigail, sitting on the park bench; he asks if she’s okay.  She tells him not really… she talks about her marriage, her mother, and how stressful everything is.  Eric says her mom might blame herself for what happened at Shady Hills; Abby asks if that means she is always going to want to take care of her.  She says she doesn’t want to hurt her by pushing her away; he says she needs to find a gentle way to help her take a step back.  She says her mom thinks she made a mistake by leaving Chad, but she did it for herself; she thanks him for listening.  He tells her he is always there to listen, if she needs to talk.

Kate talks to Chad; she tries to tell him this is for the best.  She says Abigail was never good enough for him anyway and he should be with the one he loves, meaning Gabi.  She says Abigail has already moved on, and he should move on too; he asks what she means.  Kate tells him that she saw Abigail with Dario just now; clearly she has moved on.  He doesn’t believe her.  Abigail stops by to get a few things real quick; Chad asks her if she would go with him for just a moment.  He wants to show her something.  He takes her to the square, where he has paid to have it cleared out; there is one table set up with a beautiful dinner setting.  He tells her that he believes their love is the kind people write about; he just needs her to let him prove it.  He says he is committed to their marriage and their future.  He pulls out the vows he said at their renewal; he says the words came from his heart.  He says he didn’t say them for her mom, or the other guests; he wrote them down because he wanted her to know how he felt.  He gives it to her and says he wants her to have them, so she can read them and hold them close to her.  They kiss.

Doug comes to visit Julie in the hospital; she apologizes for worrying him.  He says he sat with her for a while, while she was sleeping; he says she seemed agitated and asks if she was having a bad dream.  She says more like a nightmare, named Gabi Hernandez.  He asks if she might have exaggerated her symptoms a little bit; she admits, maybe a little bit.  She says Gabi is a “man-eater” and she has to look out for the men in this family; Doug shakes his head.  After Valerie tells Eli and Gabi that Julie is fine and Gabi determines that it was all an act, Gabi asks to talk to Julie.  She tells Eli she is going to apologize, for her part in this; Doug excuses himself to let the two of them talk.  Julie is pissed; Gabi tells Julie she wants to do the right thing… Julie says then she should stay away from her grandson, like she told her to.  Gabi tells her that Eli is a grown man, and if he wants to spend time with her, it’s his choice; she says he makes her forget about Chad and she enjoys spending time with him.  Julie, obviously agitated, tells her if she hurts either Eli or Abigail, she will have to answer to her.  

Sonny comes to the hospital to see his grandma; he ends up telling Eli all about Gabi and Nick, how he stalked her and tried to rape her.  He says Julie knew all of this, but still made Gabi out to be the bad guy; he says she did the same thing with Gabi and JJ.  Julie ignored the fact that JJ cheated on Gabi; Eli thanks Sonny for the information.  Sonny tells him he just can’t let Julie make Gabi out to be something she’s not; Gabi comes out of Julie’s room.  Eli apologizes to Gabi; she smiles, and says she owes him an apology too.

Kate comes to the club to talk to Dario; she questions his feelings for Abigail, telling him she has seen them together.  She says she thinks they would be good together.  He reminds her that Abby is a married woman; not for long, Kate says.  He tells her that Abigail says she needs space right now; she wants to be alone, for now.  Kate says if he gives her what she needs, time and space, she just might come around; she tells him that she is going to look out for him.  She thinks he has a chance at happiness with Abiail.  Jennifer tells Eric that she is worried about Abigail; she is frustrated that Abby won’t let her help.  Eric tells Jen that she needs to give Abby the space to do this on her own; he says he believes she is ready and she will be fine.  He asks Jen to trust him; she says she does.  He hugs her.

04-20-2017 (Thursday) From Brother to Brother

Jade can’t believe Joey told her to move out; she tries to talk him out of it by bringing up the sonogram.  She says he loved her, he was ready to spend his life with her… he says but then there was no baby, and his feelings changed.  Hope calls Kayla; she says Tripp told her he didn’t want anything to do with Steve, and she didn’t want to make him stay in jail for the night.  

Kayla goes in to talk to Tripp; he makes a comment about the grumpy guy he tried to punch being a “total tool” and Kayla tells him that tool would be her brother.  He apologizes; he says he must be crazy, like his mother.  Kayla ends up making him realize that she understands, and actually cares; he says he doesn’t understand why she cares.  She tells him, she’s a pretty good judge of character and she thinks he’s a pretty good guy.  She says the second Steve found out he was out there, he tried to find him, and she asks him not to leave town.  Julie comes in to talk to Hope; she tells her Gabi is after Eli and she wants Hop e’s support in stopping the relationship.  She can’t imagine if a romance develops, then goes wrong; she says Gabi is liable to shoot him like she did Nick.  She says Eli is all she has left of David and Gabi is bad news; she says she has to put a stop to it.  Hope tells her to butt out; Julie is offended and says she won’t bother Hope again.  

Hope tells Rafe what happened with Tripp; he says if anyone can get through to him, it’s Kayla.Tripp goes home and tells Joey what happened; Joey offers to make him a club soda to settle his stomach.  Tripp thanks Joey for being so “chill” about all this; he says he guesses they should get to know each other.  They both say they’ve always wanted a brother.  Tripp tells Joey he is going to stay in Salem and he’s going to start looking for his own place tomorrow; Joey tells him the placed next door is for rent.  Jade comes out and tells Tripp that Joey told her she had to move out; he tells her if he gets a place, she can move in with him.  She hugs him. 

Eli finds Gabi sitting in the square; he says she looks like she could use some cheering up.  They go get ice cream and then take a walk; Eli gets a phone call and walks away for a moment.  Gabi sits down on a bench; Julie happens to come by and starts talking shit to Gabi.  Gabi stands up for herself and starts (slightly) yelling at Julie; when Eli comes back, she immediately grabs her chest and says she is having a heart attack. Valerie comes in to take care of Julie; she’s annoyed that Valerie is her doctor, but consents to treatment.  Valerie runs tests and finds that she did not have a heart attack.  She suggests maybe it was a panic attack, or she forgot to take her medication; Julie apologizes to Eli.  Valerie says she wants to keep her overnight for observation; she is going to get to the bottom of this.  Gabi realizes Julie faked it.

Steve goes to visit his sister; she tells him she is taking a trip to Scottsdale, to go “glamping” with the boys.  She says she is looking forward to some wonderful downtime with her sons; she asks what’s going on with him.  He tells her that the son he had with Ava is alive and here in Salem; he says he thinks he has messed things up with him.  She says to give him time, and not to give up on him; she mentions Joey and how nice it would be for him to have a brother.  Steve’s face shows concern; she asks if there’s any reason for them to be at each other’s throat.  He doesn’t answer.

Kayla, Steve, Rafe and Hope have dinner at the Pub; Steve tells them about the videos Ava left for Tripp and his reaction to them.  Kayla tells Steve she took him back to the apartment; Steve thanks her for taking care of him.  Steve is afraid he went too far by showing Tripp pictures of the room (shrine) Ava built; he’s afraid he “blew things sky high.”  Kayla says she talked to Tripp about him tonight; she says, he agreed to think about things.  Steve tells her she’s the best.  Steve and Kayla discuss Jade’s addiction; she tells Steve her plan worked.  Jade tried to take a bunch of the placebos and Joey knows now she was trying to trick him.  They wonder whether Jade might turn against Joey and tell Tripp that he killed Ava.

04-19-2017 (Wednesday) A Secret Meeting

Paul meets Marlena in the park; he has something for her.  He hands her an envelope and leaves, telling her to trust him.  It’s a letter from John; she goes to a motel, as directed, and waits in a room.  John walks in; she can’t believe he’s really there.  He says, “it’s nice to see you doc” and she hugs him, as she is crying tears of happiness.  He tells her it’s okay and apologizes for all the cloak and dagger stuff; she asks how long they have.  He says they are just going to make the best of it; they kiss.  After making love, they talk; she asks him if he is safe.  He says he can’t tell her anything and asks how she is; she says she misses her husband.  He apologizes and says he will get home as soon as he can; she kisses him again, as “motivation.”

Paul goes to see Sonny; Sonny tells him how frustrated he is with his new job at Basic Black.  Paul says he has information that will help them take down Deimos; this news perks Sonny right up.  He shows him an email, mentioning a delivery of artifacts to the “homestead.”  Sonny says he must have found another dealer; they figure he’s having them shipped to Greece.  Paul does some more checking; Sonny tells Paul that he is no longer afraid of Deimos, adding, as long as Paul is by his side, he feels like he can do anything.  Paul smiles.  He tells Sonny, he never thought he would be happy again after his career ended; now he has a whole new life.  He tells Sonny he is going to be a great CEO; they hold hands.

Jade asks Joey if he’s still mad at her for drinking with Tripp; he says he’s just disappointed.  She asks what she can do to make up for it; Joey doesn’t respond.  Kayla stops by with a refill on Jade’s medication; she tells her to be sure she follows the directions this time.  She brings groceries too, puts them away and walks out the door.  Jade dumps about four pills in her hand and starts to take them; Kayla comes back in the door and says, “stop.”  Joey comes back in and asks what’s going on; Kayla tells him she thinks Jade is trying to stay sick so he’ll keep taking care of her.  Kayla leaves; Joey asks Jade if what she said is true.  She admits that it was, in way; she says when he is taking care of her, she feels so close to him.  She tells him she loves him again; he reminds her that he does NOT love her and tells her he thinks she needs to move out.

Tripp meets with the man in charge of his money; he says he will be in touch.  Tripp celebrates by offering to buy a round of drinks for everyone in the Pub; Steve tells him he should do himself a favor and say no to that money.  Tripp says Ava’s father owes him; he tells Steve he wants his videos back that his mother made for him.  Steve tells him that he needs to tell him a little more about his mother; he says, he left a few things out.  They sit down at a table and Steve proceeds to tell Tripp that he loved his mother once; he says she was a free spirit.  He says they were going to get married, but he was abducted right before the wedding – she thought he left her at the altar.  Then, her father took him away from her, Steve tells Tripp; he can only imagine what that did to her.  He says the next time he saw her, she was out of her mind.  Tripp asks how he can trust anything he says; Steve shows him a picture of Ava’s secret room (which she held Kayla hostage).  He sees that is the work of a troubled mind, but struggles with comparison to the loving mother in the videos he watched.  He brings up his adoptive father, who used to beat him; Steve says his dad used to beat him too.  

Steve tells Tripp he wants to be a father to him... a good one; he says he can be a part of their family, if he wants to.  He pleads with him again to turn down the money; Tripp asks if he would be done with him, if he does take it.  Steve says he will never be down with him; he is his son, no matter what.  But, he tells him, that family took that sweet, young woman in those videos and turned her into something that could create that room; he doesn’t want to see the same thing happen to him.  Steve invites Tripp to come over and join them for pizza; Tripp says, “not tonight.”  He needs to think, he says.  After he leaves, Tripp gets obnoxiously drunk and orders another drink; Roman refuses to serve him anymore and Tripp gets upset.  He stands up and knocks his glass of the table; it breaks on the floor.  Roman tells him to back up; Tripp takes a swing at him.  Roman turns him around and pins him down over the table; he takes him down to the station.  He tells him a night in jail might do him some good.

04-18-2017 (Tuesday) Alone Again

Brady screams, “what the hell” and Hillary and Scooter look up, in shock, asking what he is doing.  He tells Hillary that he thought she was Bridgette, claiming he has trust issues; he apologizes and closes the door.  When turns around, he finds Nicole.  At home, she asks if he saw anything; if it looked like they were having a good time.  She tells Brady about Scooter’s attempt to blackmail her; Brady gets upset.  She calms him down, admitting that she was actually going to go through with what Scooter wanted, after considering shooting him first.  But then, she says, she couldn’t do it; instead she found Hillary and gave her the costume and told Scooter she was waiting for him in a room.  She wanted to spice up their marriage, and she just told Scooter that his wife was the one waiting for him.  She says he was surprisingly on board with it, because he is still in love with his wife; Brady is impressed that she could be so compassionate and reasonable and wise.

Nicole admits that her first instinct was to shoot Scooter and frame Hillary for it; Brady says, “look who evolved.”  He tells her she created magic tonight, even though it’s strange how she did it.  She says she did it for them; they hug.  Someone walks by the door; Brady goes to check it out.  It’s Scooter; he comes in and says thank you to Nicole.  He says, because of her, they are back on track; he says she was right… it was a fantasy, not her.  He apologizes for the way he acted; Brady tells him he needs “good faith” – Nicole says they don’t want to run; he says they don’t have to.  He tells Brady he is afraid of him; Nicole thanks him and asks him to leave them alone now.  He says their secret is safe with him and tells her they are going on a second honeymoon and going to couples therapy; Nicole says that’s smart.  He leaves.  Nicole thanks Brady for being there; he says there’s no place he would rather be.  She tells him he is her rock; she says he means a lot to her, seemingly wanting to say she loves him… and then she does.  Brady smiles.

Ciara comes home with Wyatt; Claire and Theo are kissing on the couch, as usual.  Ciara introduces them; Wyatt makes a big deal out of how nice their apartment is.  Claire makes a big deal out of how good looking Wyatt is, and what a catch Ciara is for him.  She suggests, if things go well, they could possibly get an apartment together; Ciara tells her she’s pushing things a bit.  Wyatt says he has to go return a book to the library and will meet Ciara at the Pub later.  He tells Claire it was nice to meet her, holding out his hand to shake hers; Claire hugs him and tells him it was super nice to meet him too.  After he leaves, she tells Ciara how happy she is for her; Ciara talks about how much they have in common and Claire says she was really lucky to meet someone like that on a dating site.  Ciara leaves; Claire excitedly tells her to have fun with Wyatt.  Then she asks Theo why he is acting so weird now.  He claims he is just nervous about a biology exam he has coming up; he tells her he is going to study and leaves the apartment.

Jade comes downstairs, and says Theo seems jealous.  She complains about there not being any juice; Claire asks her what she means about Theo being jealous.  Jade says its obvious; he doesn’t like that Wyatt guy.  She asks about Theo’s relationship with Ciara and Claire gets annoyed; she says he is with her now - that was “forever ago.”  Jade smirks.  Right.  Claire suddenly notices her subscriber numbers are going down online; she reads a few bad reviews about her music.  She muses about how she will ever get famous; Jade says she could always “go the Kim K route” (which Claire thinks means reality show).  Jade corrects her, saying, “sex tape.”  She says she would never sink that low; Jade carries on and Claire says it’s no wonder she’s single.  Claire leaves.  At Brady’s Pub, Wyatt and Ciara try to decide what to do for their next date; when Ciara goes to refill her cup, he looks at his phone for notes about her favorite hobbies.  He tells her he was checking the ice skating rink for hours; she gets excited, saying she loves to skate.  He says he used to play hockey when he was little.   Ciara can’t believe how much they have in common.

Chad and Gabi bump into each other in the park.  Gabi tells Chad that Kate told her Abby bailed on their vow renewal; she says she is sorry and asks why.  He tells her that Abby doesn’t think he loves her enough, because he is still in love with HER.  She tells him he’s not the type of guy to give up so easy and says he should not give up on his marriage; she says he has worked too hard to save it up until now and he should go back home to his wife, saying she’s the one he should be with.  She leaves.  She runs into JJ; he questions what she and Chad were talking about.  She tells him; she says she loves Chad, but she will not come between him and Abigail, not now, not ever.  She then meets Dario along the way and tells him she told Chad that he needs to fight for his marriage.  

Dario asks Abigail if she really thinks Chad is in love with Gabi; she says she wishes she could say no, but yes, she does.  She says she can’t be with a man who’s heart is divided; she wants her husbands undivided affection and asks if that’s wrong.  He reminds her that she says she was going to give Chad time to get over his feelings for Gabi; he asks if she thinks she gave him enough time.  She asks why he’s taking Chad’s side, saying he is supposed to be the one she can come to for support; she says she is standing on her own two feet for the first time in a long time.  She says she doesn’t know why she ever thought she could make it work out; she hates having their son living between two parents but she says she couldn’t go on like that forever.  Abby says it almost feels like a relief; Dario says she’s covering.  She says he’s right, laugh-cries and says she really feels like crawling under the covers and never coming out; but she says one day she will look back at this and realize it is the beginning of her brand new life.

Abby goes home “to pack” and tells Chad that she wants to do this as amicably as possible; Chad begs her not to go.  He reminds her of all the plans they have made; he asks if they can just take it one step at a time.  She says she has to go; he tells her he is not going to be with Gabi… he’s going to be there, waiting for her to come home to him, again.  Abby steps out of the door and cries.

04-17-2017 (Monday) Loving and Leaving

Eric calls Chloe; he says he needs to talk to her about Holly.  Chloe agrees to meet him; he tells her he wants to help her, to atone for what he’s done to her.  She tells him she doesn’t need his help, and leaves.  Eli texts Gabi and says he would like to take her out on a real date; Dario gives Gabi a hard time about dating Eli, calling him a rebound.  She says at least when she’s with him, she has ten minutes where she doesn’t think about Chad.  Andre and Kate talk; she insists that Gabriella is the right “strong and independent” woman for Chad.  He laughs and says she is a narcissist, like Kate; he says she is needy and a business transaction is a business transaction.  Kate throws a glass of wine in his face; he stands up and violently kisses her.  She slaps him across the face.

Abigail says letting Chad go is the kindest, most loving thing she can do; she acknowledges that Chad and Gabi have an undeniable connection, being able to communicate without even using words.  She says his vows were touching and sincere and beautiful, but she thinks he belongs with Gabi.  She tells him she went through his year book and she realized the unbreakable bond he and Gabi share; she says, if he didn’t know Gabi could catch that vial, he probably would have gone to her first; she tells him to admit it and he screams at her to stop.  She says they would still be together if she had decided to just stay dead, like she thought about doing; and she tells him he can’t just “process” his feelings, sweetly calling him Honey.  She tells him she wants him to be happy and if she thought she could make him happy, she wouldn’t leave him; she takes off her ring.  Chad starts crying and shaking his head no; He asks, what about Thomas… she says he can’t use their son to make their marriage work.  He asks her if this means she is going to just abandon him, again.  She tells him she deserves to be loved with a whole heart, and Gabi does too; she says she is doing this for herself because she can’t share him anymore.  She leaves the room; Chad falls to the couch, crying.

Jen nervously pushes Thomas through the square in his stroller; Andre assures her everything will be fine.  She feels like she needs to get back to Abigail.  She goes to see Eric; he reaches out to comfort her.  She says it feels good to be in his arms again.  Andre comes home and asks where Abigail is; Chad says she is gone and she’s not going to change her mind.  Andre tells him to make her change her mind; he says DeMira’s never give up.  Kate tells Gabi this is her chance; she says Abigail can’t make Chad happy and she thinks Gabi can.  She runs into Chad walking through the park.  Dario finds Abigail, crying on bench in the square and comforts her; she tells him it’s over between her and Chad.

Brady asks Nicole what she wants her new name to be, suggesting Lisa or Lois; she cringes and says definitely not, it’s too much like Lolita.  Hillary brings over some muffins.  She tells Nicole that her husband has started working out again and she thinks it’s because of her.  She says she thinks is infatuated with her; admitting that their marriage is “on the rocks” and says she’s afraid it’s too late.  Nicole suggests she fix her self up and make him a romantic dinner; Hillary says it’s worth a shot and thanks Nicole.  Nicole receives a package; she tells Brady she ordered something for the kids.  He goes to make dinner; she opens the box… it’s a skirt and bra, with a note from Scooter.  He says he can’t wait to be with “Locker-room Lolita” tonight.  Nicole sighs.  Brady comes out and Nicole tells him she is going to go for a walk; he offers to go with her but she says she wants to be alone.  Brady notices something on the floor; it’s a pair of lace panties.  He calls a girl they met to baby-sit the kids and goes to look for Nicole.  Brady finds the name of a motel on Nicole's computer and goes there; he opens a room door and sees a blonde woman, dressed like a cheer-leader, on the bed kissing Scooter.

04-14-2017 (Friday) The Vow Renewal

Kate says it’s now or never, encouraging Gabi to tell Chad how she feels.  Gabi says she can’t hurt them like that; Chad goes on his way.  Kate says alright, but no matter what happens, she says, she knows that Gabi and Chad belong together.  Abigail realizes that Chad has always been in love with Gabi, as she continues to read the notes written in Chad’s high school yearbook; it’s always been Gabi, she says.  Andre comes in and she tells him she was wrong.  She shows him the yearbook and tells him when he rescued her first, it wasn’t because he loves her more… it was because he trusted her more; she says they had some kind of secret code so she knew what he wanted.  Andre assures Chad loves her; she says he loves Gabi too.  Andre concedes but says that was in the past and he has agreed to leave it in the past; she says she could tell he wanted to run after her last night when she walked into and out of the Pub.  She says, if he really loves her, then she has to step aside; he tells her she is good for Chad.  He says Chad loves her; she is his future.  Chad wants to be with her and she shouldn’t punish him for wanting to do the right thing, even though he has feelings for Gabi.

Brady asks Nicole where she wants to go next, suggesting Italy or Argentina; he asks her what’s wrong when she doesn’t appear to be listening to him.  He tells her the next two weeks will go by before she knows it; she tells him they don’t have two weeks.  He asks what she isn’t telling him; she says she just can’t sleep and she’s scared all the time.  He says he will take care of her; he says he has selfish reasons.  Brady suggests they take the kids and go to the Farmer’s Market; he says it’s beautiful outside.  She asks if he would mind if she just got some sleep while he takes the kids; she knows Scooter will be knocking on the door any second.  He does; he says he won’t stopping coming until he gets what he wants.  She says that’s a problem because there’s no way in hell she is going to sleep with him; he says then he is going to tell his wife all about Nicole Walker.  She still tries to talk him out of it, but has to tell him he’s “sick” and he throws out what she did with all of those guys; she says okay then, but not until Brady goes out of town again.  He says he wants her tonight; after the commercial break, Brady is back and Scooter is gone.  She tells Brady they need to go tonight; he says that’s too risky and tells her to just relax, saying he’ll handle Scooter.  When Brady goes to get Holly, who is now crying, Nicole tells herself she is going to have to give in to Scooter; she shivers.

Gabi runs into Eli (literally), as stares at her phone; he asks what’s wrong, and she says she losing Chad forever and she’s still in love with him.  They sit down and talk; she explains about Abigail’s supposed death, falling for Chad, and Abby’s return.  Eli asks how Chad feels about her now; she says he has openly admitted loving her, as well as Abigail.  But he is committed to Abigail, she adds; Eli says if that’s what he wants, she can’t change his mind.  As he comforts her, he grandmother, Julie, approaches them and says he is there to meet with her; she’s giving him some of his father’s things and would like to do it in private.  Gabi excuses herself; Eli tells his grandma that was rude; she doesn’t care.  She says she could dish out worse.

Abigail comes out in a beautiful peach gown, with a bouquet; Andre and Kate, Jennifer and JJ, make a beg deal out of how beautiful she is.  Chad asks if she is ready; she says, “absolutely.”   They ask everybody to join hands; Chad starts by talking about when he first fell in love with her, and thought he lost her, saying he was lost without her… he says she was a light at the end of a tunnel for him and when she was gone, he was surrounded by darkness.  He talks about how lucky he is because she found her way home and it’s not dark anymore; he takes out the ring and says with this, they start a new beginning, and says he “chooses” her to be his wife now and forever.  As Abby starts to say her vows, and mentions how Chad “saved” her… always saved her, and realizes that she can’t let him keep doing that.  She asks everybody to let her talk to Chad alone for a minute, and tells him she can’t be his wife anymore; he starts to cry and asks why.  She says he needs to be with Gabi.

04-13-2017 (Thursday) The Downfall of Deimos Begins

Chad wakes up in the morning and tells Abigail that he has a meeting with Lucas; he kisses her goodbye, saying next time he sees h*r, they will be saying their vows again.  Jennifer shows up with Abigail’s dress; Abby tells her mom that she believes after today, everything is going to be okay and they are going to be really happy.  Chad and Lucas show Rafe and Hope some evidence they have of Deimos’ illegal activities; Rafe and Hope tell him they will be glad to help take Deimos down.  Kate goes home; Dario goes with her, bringing gifts his father had bought for her while they were apart, and wanted her to have.  She cries about having pushed him away.  She cries more as she looks through all of the gifts, jewelry, scarves, a crystal vase and notes full of romanticism.  She throws and breaks the vase and sobs even more.  Jen and Abigail go down to the living room, where they find Kate picking up the pieces of crystal off of the floor; Abby asks if this is protest to their vow renewal.  Kate assures her it’s not, takes her bags of “pointless gifts” and goes to her room, saying she will be back down for the ceremony.  Jen tells Abigail she needs some pictures of Chad from his teen years for a slideshow she is putting together for the ceremony; Abby says she has a box full of old photos. 

Gabi sees JJ in the square, carrying a cake box; she tells him, it’s okay, she knows Chad and Abigail are renewing their vows.  He asks her about the Pub yesterday; she says that wasn’t about them, that was about her dad.  He tries to comfort her, but she leaves, saying she is not talking to him about this now or ever.   JJ shows up with the cake just as Jennifer is walking out the door; Abigail is looking through the picture box.  He tells her that he noticed how upset she was about Gabi’s dad getting arrested, how she looked for Chad’s reaction, and how Chad reacted when Gabi walked into the Pub last night; Abigail gets angry with him and tells him to stop talking to her about all that, saying she can’t do it and to leave her alone.  She apologizes; she tells him she knows the feelings Chad and Gabi have for each other are not going to disappear.  She also says she has to learn to live with that because it’s her fault they fell in love; besides she says, she is the one he wants to spend his life with and be committed to.  She thanks her brother for being there; he says he always will be.  She tells him she needs to go change her outfit though and tells him he can show himself out and she will see him again soon.  She starts going through Chad’s old yearbook; she sees his baseball pictures and a note from Gabi.  For some reason, it bothers her when she reads “tugging my ear in your honor” and she recollects Chad tugging on his ear before throwing the leftover antidote to Gabi.

Dario comes back to the Pub to find his computer guy here; he says he has good news for him.  The man tells Dario, their “first hack was a success,” saying he scored several million; Rafe comes in and asks what they are talking about.  Dario tells the man to email him, and the man leaves; Rafe asks again what that was about.  Dario says he is carrying on the business for his father; Rafe says he has to make sure that GDR Corp only handles legal business transactions from now on.  He tells him he doesn’t want to have to arrest someone else from his family.  Gabi shows up and tries to end the fight between her brothers; she says her dad told her to come talk to them, because he knew they would be fighting over this and that’s not what he wants.  She tells Dario their dad wants him to forgive Rafe; Dario says it’s not going to happen.  Rafe leaves.  At the station, Hope thanks Rafe for leaving her spying out of the report; he told the commissioner she just happened to be walking by and jumped in to help.  Hope tells Rafe she is sorry for the way they caught his father; he says it would have been an issue if he was committing a federal crime.

Kate talks to Gabi in the park; she tells her that she should fight for Chad if she loves him.  Gabi says she can’t do that because Abigail is her friend; Kate says she needs to quit being so noble.  She says she needs to tell him that she loves him before it’s too late; Gabi says it’s already too late.  Kate says not if she really loves him.  Gabi says she knows she is pushing her to fight for Chad because she didn’t fight for her father; she says Chad is married and he and Abby have a child together; she says she can’t do that.  She says she has to go and leaves.  Kate follows her, insisting she has to stop the ceremony; she says Chad will be miserable because Abigail is wrong for him.  Chad happens into the square.  Hope makes plans with Rafe for later tonight; she says she’ll run him a bubble bath.

Dario’s accountant asks if Deimos has any clue that the funds are missing yet; Dario says he knows, he just doesn’t have any idea who took them.  Jen talks to Hope about Abigail’s need to prove to everyone else that her and Chad are still very strong with a future brighter than ever.  She says she thinks mostly Abigail needs to prove it to herself; Abigail sits talking to herself (to Thomas) and says she has to face the truth, no matter how much it’s going to hurt.  Kate turns Gabi around and says it is as if the Gods have brought the two of them together; she tells Gabi to go let Chad know how she feels or she will regret it for the rest of her life.

04-12-2017 (Wednesday) The Big Decision

Eli comes into the conference room, where Lani happens to be; she tells him she will try to “make nice” professionally.  He asks about ‘personally’ and says they will be at Chad and Abigail’s party together tonight; she says they should probably keep their distance so she doesn’t “meddle” in his business.  He apologizes for his prior reaction; she accepts his apology.  

JJ tells Abby and Chad about Gabi's father;  he explains how he hired some thugs to steal tr\easury bonds and was caught red handed.   Chad thinks about all Gabi has gone through recently; Abi notices the concern on his face and asks if he’s okay.  He says he’s he just feels terrible for Gabi; Abigail says she’ll text her.  Chad says she might want to Dario too; she decides not to, saying they had “words at charity event”.  JJ tells them he just wanted to let them know about this in private.  Chad and Abigail get a little sidetracked discuss renewing their vows; Chad asks JJ to take his sister to the Pub, saying he will be there later.

Chad meets with Dario; Dario tells him, he plans on turning his father’s company, GDR, into the most successful business in the city.  Chad tells him to be careful because he doesn’t want Gabi getting hurt again; Dario says maybe Chad should start focusing on his wife, instead of his little sister.  He says Abigail deserves a man who loves her, and only her; Chad asks Dario if he is in love with his wife.  Dario says he knows Abby has given her heart to him; he just hopes he doesn’t end up breaking it into a million pieces.  

Sonny and Paul talk; Sonny gets a message from Lucas.  Says he’s taking Ari tonight to give Gabi a break.  Paul says his sources tell him Deimos set up Eduardo.  Paul worries Sonny might be next; Sonny says he can handle himself.  Paul says he can’t imagine his life without Sonny in it and tells him he loves him, seriously.  Sonny seems surprised for some reason; he smiles and says he loves Paul too.

Ciara seems surprised when Wyatt actually shows up for their second date; she wonders if maybe he is too good to be true.  They decide to go to a concert he mentions is coming up in a couple of weeks; happens to be one of her favorite bands.  He asks her, in the meantime, if she would want to go fishing; she smiles and says she would love that… he mentions a little island up the river he likes.  It happens to be the island where her family has a cabin; she says she’ll take him up there sometime.  He then says he wants her favorite type of latte` and goes to get them each one; he comes back and says he feels really lucky.  Ciara smiles.  Wyatt drops her off at home; kisses her on the cheek and texts someone, thanking them for all the information on Ciara, saying it is working like a charm.

Claire is getting frustrated because she got less than 500 views on her last two videos; she compares herself  to Ariana Granda, who gets millions of views within hours.  He tries to comfort her, assuring her that she will make it; he says she is “off the charts, amazing.”   Theo then tells Claire he is ready to “go through with it;” he wants them to be together forever.  Claire hesitates a bit at the word “forever.”  She says forever is a long, long time, and they are so young.  He says if they are going to make love, that should mean forever.  He tells her, he is “all in” and she smiles; he tells her he has thought of where they should go and asks if she trusts him.  He ties a blindfold over her eyes.  Theo surprises Claire by taking her to a motel where he has rose pedals on the bedspread, in the shape of a heart .  He tells her he loves her; and they start getting undressed.  We are not shown them making love, but they do end up, naked, in the bed together, talking about how good it was.

At the Pub, Abigail and Chad thank all of their friends for coming to celebrate with them tonight, saying tomorrow is going to be a very small, family affair.  Chad tells Abigail how much he loves her and they all toast to them.  Gabi walks in the door of the Pub; she turns around and leaves when Abigail sees her.  Eli goes to check on her.  He finds her sitting on the park bench; he tells her what her dad did, is not a reflection on her.  Eli puts his arm around her as she sobs; Julie sees them and does not look happy about this.  Sonny shows up and Eli excuses himself; Gabi tells Sonny, she loves Chad and Abigail so much; she can’t be the one to tear apart that family, she says.  

At home, Chad tells Abby that they need to talk; he says he ran into Dario earlier.  He asks her if she and Dario have feelings for each other.  He tells her that Dario confronted him about how bad he treats her, and he could see it all over his face that he loves her.  She tells Chad that’s why they got in a fight.  She says Dario was a friend to her when she first came back; she thinks he may have just misunderstood her friendship.  She swears she doesn’t feel anything for him; she apologizes to Chad about Dario and goes to put Thomas to bed, saying she’ll see him upstairs.  In bed, Chad tells her none of that stuff matters.  This time tomorrow, he says, she’ll be his wife again… he ends up falling asleep, while she is talking.  She finds a ring box on the floor, by his coat jacket; she looks at it, and smiles. JJ, Paul and Eli are still at the Pub; they talk about who Deimos might go after next.  They say they can’t let him hurt anyone else; JJ suggests they all make a vow to consolidate their power in the future to take Deimos down.  They toast to that.

04-11-2017 (Tuesday) Where Do We Go From Here?

Kayla tells Steve they will get through to Tripp somehow; he will see that his mother was not a Saint, she says, saying the truth will win.  Steve says they can’t tell Tripp “the truth” just as Joey is telling Tripp it’s not like he thinks it was.  Jade comes down the stairs; she makes an excuse getting Tripp to leave the room for a minute and tells Joey that he cannot tell Tripp the truth.  She offers to tell Tripp what good people his parents are, because she’s not family; she says he might believe her.  Kayla asks Steve how he thinks Tripp tracked down Ava’s cousin Angelo; Steve gets up and says he is going to track him down himself.  Jade gets Joey to leave so she can talk to Tripp alone; Tripp doesn’t believe anything she says and leaves angrier than before.  Jade leaves too; when Kayla returns, she finds Joey at the loft.  He tells her they both left before he got back.  Tripp isn’t necessarily happy when Jade walks into the bar behind him; she asks him to buy her a drink.  He reminds her that she just had part of her kidney removed, and asks her what she wants.  He buys her a beer; Kayla comes in and tells her to put it down.  Tripp gets mad at Kayla, asking who she thinks she is talking to her that way, and leaves the bar.  

Steve talks to Ava’s cousin; he listens as the man tells him what a coward he thinks he is, and how he got the agency to cover his ass when he set up Ava and threw her out like garbage.  He says Tripp will never believe anything that comes out of his mouth again.  Steve tells Angelo to stay away from his family; Angelo reminds Steve that Tripp is his family too.

Eric has lunch with Marlena; he tells her that he spent the night with someone at the hospital, helping them stay sober.  She says he looks happy; he says he is.  She asks him about Jennifer and he tells her that he has decided it isn’t a good time; back in his office, as Eric dozes off, he has a dream about Nicole (an old memory).  Nicole and Brady come out of the kitchen, laughing, with cupcake batter splattered all over them; they clean each other up with a paper towel.  Brady then pulls Nicole close and kisses her cheek; her mind flashes back to Scooter doing the same yesterday, and she pulls away.  He apologizes for overstepping boundaries; she tells him it’s not him.  

Marlena goes to see Victor… he says he sees Eric went crying to mommy.  She tells him to kick a man when he is down, is beneath even him; she tells him Eric is sorry for what he did.  Victor doesn’t think he seems sorry enough; she tells Victor he’s just an old bull who has nothing left but snorting at the ground.  He says Eric needs to start respecting his son’s heart better; she tells Victor not to talk about her son anymore, adding that he could do well to keep an eye on his brother, Deimos.  She leaves.

Brady goes to set up new IDs for him and Nicole; while he is gone, Scooter shows up and starts making more threats.  Nicole stands up to him, tells him no and insists he leave.  Brady gets back and tells her it’s going to take about two weeks for the new IDs.  He says they’ll make the best of it while they are there.  He tells her they have each other and they will just ignore the neighbors; he leaves the room.  Holly shows up when Brady steps out of the room; she tells Nicole that she and Scooter have been fighting.  She says he compares her body to those porno sluts, and says it feels like he’s cheating on her; she asks Nicole if she knows anything.  After talking to Nicole, she says, she knows she is strong enough to stand up to Freddy; she says she is going to the shooting range.  She finds it to be a great stress reliever and invites Nicole to do; Nicole declines.  When Hillary runs into the bathroom, crying, Nicole picks up her gun; she puts it back and Hilliary leaves.  Nicole searches for a gun store on the internet.  Brady comes out; she says she is planning their future.  He tells her she seems more like her old self again; she says she is starting to feel more like her old self.

04-10-2017 (Monday) Tripp Gets to Know His Mother

Steve comes back and says he couldn’t find Tripp; Joey says he didn’t say anything about staying out over night.  Kayla says they will find him; Steve complains that he couldn't find him.  Joey tells his dad, Tripp needs to know the truth; he says Tripp needs to know he is the one who killed Ava.  Tripp watches the videos of his mother; she warns him not to trust people that just want to get close to him so they can hurt him.  Ava tells Tripp how much she loved him before he was even born, saying she plans to give him these recordings on his 21^st birthday.

Victor asks Deimos why he is smiling; Deimos says he is just focused on Titan right now, and all goes well, they could be saying goodbye to one of their rivals. Rafe and Hope listen, but hear nothing now; they are watching as Eduardo paces back and forth nervously.  Kate waits at the Club for Eduardo to show; she tells Gabi it looks like she might have been stood up.  A man comes to meet with Eduardo; he has stolen bonds.  Eduardo says they look good; he shows the man some other type of certificate, which is apparently counterfeit.  He tells the man these will be very useful; the man says he is counting on that.  They make the exchange; Rafe and Hope record it.  Rafe comes around the corner; Eduardo tells Rafe that he was just picking up papers a colleague has been holding for him – Rafe tells him he knows he has a hundred million dollars worth of “t” bonds in there and asks him not to lie to his face.  He says he was hoping to catch Deimos doing something illegal, not his dad; Eduardo says he must have gotten a tip from Deimos.  He tells Rafe this is  a set-up; Rafe doesn’t buy it.

Eduardo asks his son to just look the other way this one time; he says they could donate the bonds to charity.  Rafe says he can’t just forget about his oath or his integrity; he arrests his father and tells him his rights.  Deimos brags to Victor about how he set up Eduardo; Victor says he would love to see the look on Eduardo’s face when he realizes he’s been set up.  Dario gets a call, at the Club, and tells Gabi their dad has been arrested; now Kate knows why he hasn’t shown up for their date.

Tripp comes back angrier than before; he Steve and Kayla that he knows who they really are.  They ask what that means; he tells them they are liars, showing them the videos Ava made for them.  He says he got them from her cousin; he says she does not look like the worst person in the world, nor did she look unstable.  Steve says he can’t take his mother’s words at face value; he says she was a cunning manipulator, who may have loved Tripp in her own way, but… Tripp cuts him off saying she never got that chance, because he murdered her.  Joey begins to tell Tripp there’s something he really needs to know, but Steve stops him.  He tells Tripp that he will never get to know the real Ava Batalli; almost crying, he says he’s afraid he will never get the chance to know him either, and he leaves.  Tripp gives the discs to Kayla and says they can see for themselves what she told him; they go to the diner and watch them on a laptop.  Steve says he doesn’t know how he can he discredit a dead woman who leaves a performance like that; back at the loft, Joey tries to talk Tripp into staying.  Tripp asks him if he has something else he wants to tell him; he tells Tripp Ava kidnapped his mom and bashed her over the head, says she lied all the time and was “messed up.”  Tripp starts to leave, saying he can never forgive Steve for smothering his mother to death; Joey says if he stays, he will tell him the truth about what really happened.

Eli is impressed that Rafe would arrest his own father and compliments him; Rafe says he was just doing his job.  Dario comes to the station and asks Rafe what the hell he did… Rafe says he has turned a blind eye so many times he couldn’t do it again.  He says he hates it and would rather go to jail himself than send his father there, but he had to do his job.  He tells her the Federal authorities are going to be there tomorrow to pick him up; he apologizes to his sister, who cries as he hugs her.  Dario goes in to talk to his father; he tells him he is sorry for pushing him to get the business up and going so fast.  Eduardo tells Dario he is proud of him and asks him to look out for his sister, saying Gabi isn’t as strong a she pretends to be.  Dario says none of them are and leaves the room; Gabi comes in to see her father.  She is angry because he had promised her he was done breaking the law; he says he’s done his best.  She says his best was playing with Ariana and being there for them; she says she forgave him for leaving them before, but doesn’t think she can forgive him for leaving Ariana.

Kate comes to see Eduardo; he tells her he was “detained” as he holds up the cuffs.  She tells him she is sorry they wanted so long to say how they feel; he says he loves her after they kiss.  She says she loves him too; an officer comes in to take Eduardo.  He stops and tells his kids that he is so sorry he let them all down again; he says he tried really hard to be the kind of person they already are.  Deimos gets the call that Eduardo has been arrested; Victor congratulates Dario, but warns him that Gabi and Hope are “off limits” and says Dario and Rafe will probably be coming after him

04-07-2017 (Friday) Is It Too Late?

Deimos is on the phone giving orders to someone when Maggie walks into the living room; she asks Deimos what that was about.  He tells her that the younger generation in this family (meaning Sonny and Brady) have been handed everything on a silver platter and don’t appreciate it.  He tells her that he gave Sonny a very important position in the company, and he is being temperamental and sensitive.  Then he mentions Brady, and then Nicole – and it all comes back to her.  Maggie tells him that being cut-throat and ruthless is what cost him Nicole; she says you can’t force someone to love you.  He says that may be right, but you can make them respect you.  She tells him he has alienated everyone who is important to him; he says if he forces Victor to chose between him and the family, Victor will pick them every time.  

Maggie talks to Hope, in Hope’s office; she says it seems like Deimos became more obsessed with Nicole since she left.  She says she is afraid of what he might do next?  When Sonny gets home, Magagie talks to him; he tells her about the company being in trouble.  She tells him she needs to prove that he knows what he is doing at Titan; Sonny thanks her for her support.  Paul tells Sonny that he is one of the best people he knows, and he doesn’t want to see him sink to Deimos’ level.  Sonny tells him he hears him, but doesn’t change his mind.  Sonny thanks him, but says it’s too late for that. 

Rafe and Hope prepare to catch Deimos at his meeting in the alley an hour from now; Hope tells Rafe the bug isn’t currently working though.  She brings up the robbery they need to look into; Rafe tells her he doesn’t want her involved in that.  She says they agreed to take Deimos down together, and asks if he is going back on his promise.  He tells her that he has said before he doesn’t want her at that meeting.  They agree to just eavesdrop on the meeting; they prepare.  They hear Eduardo say, it’s him and he’s wondering where in the hell Deimos is.  Rafe and Hope look at each other with surprise; Deimos finds and crushes the bug.  He says now it will be easier for him to set her up; he laughs that he is having her eliminate one of his enemies for him.

Brady tells Nicole to go take a bath; he says he will take care of the kids.  She needs some time to herself; when she comes out of the bathroom, her neighbor “Scooter” is sitting in her room.  He says he saw “Freddy” leave with the kids; he then tells her that he knows who she really is, and if she doesn’t want him to tell, she is going to have sex with him if she wants her secret to remain safe.  After he says Tate and Holly will both go into “the system” if he turns her in, Nicole almost gives in, but then they hear the door.  Brady is back; when he realizes the asshole was there, and he says he is going to brake his legs.  Nicole stops him, reminding him that he could blow their cover; Brady hugs her and says she will have everything she wants, she just needs to trust him.  She says she does; they hug.

Maggie talks to Hope, in Hope’s office; she says it seems like Deimos became more obsessed with Nicole since she left.  She says she is afraid of what he might do next?  When Sonny gets home, Magagie talks to him; he tells her about the company being in trouble.  She tells him she needs to prove that he knows what he is doing at Titan; Sonny thanks her for her support.  Paul tells Sonny that he is one of the best people he knows, and he doesn’t want to see him sink to Deimos’ level.  Sonny tells him he hears him, but doesn’t change his mind.  Sonny thanks him, but says it’s too late for that.  

04-06-2017 (Thursday) "Bugged"

Eduardo and Dario talk; Dario tells him that the business is in the “red” so far, they may have to shut down.  Dario says they might be able to rebuild smaller, elsewhere; Eduardo says he won’t even hear of that.  He says he has an idea for how to make some quick cash and tells Dario he will be back.  Dario asks what this idea is, but Eduardo doesn’t really want to tell him.Sonny confronts Deimos, and laughs at him for being all beaten up.  Deimos tells Sonny he is going to eliminate his enemies one at a time; he says he is going to be starting with him.  He assigns him as the new “head of Basic Black,” which confuses Sonny; he says he doesn’t know anything about fashion.  He asks Deimos if this is a joke, putting the gay nephew in charge of fashion; Deimos tells him it’s no joke and gives him his first assignment.

Rafe texts Sonny; Sonny tells him he’ll be right there.Kate tells Chad that the business they recently acquired from Deimos is becoming extremely profitable; she says they have found some really rich buyers.  Chad mentions having the buyers all return the items to their original owner, as he looks over at Abigail; Kate says they should rethink that strategy.  When Abby overhears Kate bad-mouthing her again later, she lets Kate have it; she tells her that this is her house, and if she hears her talking crap about her again, she will be out.

When Kate sees Eduardo in the square, she tells him that she doesn’t approve of him being with Chloe; Eduardo says he likes Chloe and he doesn’t care.  He says he thinks it’s funny that she was making out right in front of the security camera last night, asking if she was trying to make him jealous; she pretends not to know what he is talking about.  Eduardo almost talks her into giving them another try; you can see it in her eyes.  But she turns and walks away, turning back to look at him again.

Gabi and Abby run into each other in the park; they laugh about how trying to stay away from each other isn’t working very well.  They agree they should be able to handle seeing each other; Abigail mentions Gabi’s date with Eli, and Gabi says yeah, but it’s new so we’ll see where it goes.  Abigail tells Thomas they are going home; she mentions that they are a family and no one is going to get in the way of that.   Kate then talks with Gabi; she asks her how her business is going.  Gabi says she didn’t think it would be so hard; Kate says she will help her get some new clients.  Gabi asks why she wants to help; she says she just wants to see her successful, in business and in love.  

Abigail strolls into the square with Dario; they are laughing as they talk and he tells her that he is donating the entire evening’s profit to the fundraiser.  He isn’t taking anything out of it; she thanks him, telling him he is a very generous person – although be it, a terrible businessman.  They laugh again; Gabi and Kate turn and look at them.  It seems to give them each hope; Kate brings up the fact.  Kate asks if she wants her help or not; she tells Kate she appreciates that she wants to help, but she needs to get her own life straight first, adding that her dad misses her.  Kate tells her, the offer still stands; Gabi walks away.  Kate stops Eduardo and asks him if they can really talk; they make a date to meet later at the Club.

Sonny tells Chad that it is time for him to finish Deimos; he asks Chad for his help to stop him once and for all.  They make a toast and drink to their mutual desires; Rafe and Hope hear Deimos talk about a robbery; makes an appointment to meet them at a specific location.  Hope tells Rafe, “we got him.”

04-05-2017 (Wednesday) The Decision

Abigail wakes up on the bed, and finds a sprig of Lavendar on the pillow next to her; she calls out, asking Chad where he is.  She comes down the steps and finds more Lavendar on the ground; she walks into the front room to see Chad and Gabi, naked together on the couch.  She screams, and wakes up for real.  She goes down the stairs and finds Chad in that room, working; she is relieved.

JJ sees Gabi in the square with Eli; he tells her he is fine with it, although his attitude shows otherwise.  He wishes her well, and goes on his way; when Eli comes back, she is in tears.  She tries to say it’s because they didn’t put marshmallows in her hot chocolate; he sees through the faced and suggests something else is going on.  He offers to help her ‘not’ think about whatever it is that has her upset; they continue playing some interactive mobile video game.  JJ sees his sister in the park; he asks her what’s going on.  She tells him she is a little worried about Chad’s feelings for Gabi still; he says if Chad hurts her, he will have to answer to him.

Theo goes to talk to Chad; he says he has a problem he needs advice about.  They sit down to play a game of Chess and Chad asks him what he needs to talk about; Theo says, “sex.”  Not that he doesn’t know where everything goes, he says; he needs to know more about the timing of it.  He tells him about his almost-encounter the other day; he says he thinks maybe someone (up above) is telling him to wait.  He tells Chad, Claire wants it to happen soon, but he’s just not sure.  Chad tells him to take his time and to make sure; he also suggests that he and Ciara could come up with some sort of a signal, if he didn’t want her walking in on them again.  He thanks Chad for his advice, and says he is more sure than ever now about what he wants to do.

04-04-2017 (Tuesday) Misty Circle

Trip talks about the fact that he will never get to meet his mom; Ciara, Claire and Joey assure him that Ava was a dangerous person, and that “Steve” did what he did because he had to.  Claire decides she wants pizza; Theo and Joey go to pick it up.  Tripp says he needs to run an errand and tells them to save him a piece; he meets with some man, who knew his mother.  He tells him, he wants to know the truth about his mother; this man tells Tripp that his mother was a victim, and that Steve can’t be trusted – he says he doesn’t believe there was ever a hit put out on her – and he gives him something, from his mother.  

Theo grabs his wallet out of his backpack; Ciara gets anxious, remembering the letter she put in it.  She doesn’t have any idea that Claire has taken it out; after the boys leave, Claire tells Ciara they need to talk.  She apologizes to Ciara for the things she said the other day; then proceeds to brag about how much she and Theo want to have sex.  She says she’s glad Ciara interrupted them the other day though, saying they want their first time to be extra special, and that wouldn’t have been.  She lets her know that they are going to go somewhere else for their first time; she apologizes again when Ciara gets noticeably uncomfortable.  Theo tells Joey that he and Claire are going to have sex; Joey tells him not to rush it, and not to let any woman force him into it if he isn’t ready yet.  Theo considers what Joey says.

Kayla and Steve have dinner at Brady’s Pub; they talk about Tripp believing Steve killed his mother.  Steve says they just can’t have him finding out the truth, that his brother killed her.  Kay and Steve go to see the boys; Joey and Theo just got back with the pizza.  Joey tells him that Tripp said he had an “errand” to run; they wonder what he could have to do.  The papers the man gave to Trip are an accounting of his trust fund; Tripp can’t believe the amount of zeros.  The man tells him, he will get it in payments; he then gives him a couple of recordings Ava made for him when she was pregnant, and tells him that his mother was not the monster everyone says she was.

Rafe notices the spy equipment on Hope’s phone; he asks her what she’s up to.  Ciara comes on and sits down; Rafe gets a phone call and steps away from the table.  Ciara talks to her mom about ihe letter she wrote Theo; she says, she is worried she may have ruined their friendship because Theo hasn’t said anything to her about the letter and he can hardly even look at her now.  Hope tells Ciara just to give it time; Rafe comes back and Ciara leaves.  Hope talks Rafe into helping her listen to all the recordings.

Nicole tells Brady, again, that he needs to take Tate and go back to Salem; she says this isn’t right.  He could go back and solidify his story about taking Tate on vacation; he wouldn’t get in trouble that way.  He holds her face, and tells her, again, that he is not going anywhere; he asks her to see this his way and says he wants to be there.  She says okay.  He tells her, one way or another, he is going to win her over.  They prepare to have their neighbors over for dinner; Scooter and Hillary arrive.  They sit down, they have some wine Hillary goes to check on the roast she brought over; Scooter tells Nicole he can’t get over the feeling that he knows her from somewhere.  He excuses himself for a moment and goes to the other room.  Holly spits up on Nicole; she turns and quickly changes her shirt (right in the living room); Scooter comes back in and sees her from behind.  He realizes where he recognizes her from; he calls her “Misty Circle.”  She tells him he has her confused with someone else; his wife walks back in with Brady; Hillary asks who her husband thinks she is.  Nicole hesitates to answer.