John receives a disturbing text message
At the Horton house, Abigail carried Thomas into the living room and took a seat next to Jennifer on the couch. Jennifer winced in pain as she leaned forward to take a closer look at Thomas. Abigail expressed concern, but Jennifer insisted that she was getting better every day.
Abigail observed that it certainly didn't seem like Jennifer was getting better. "Well, you don't really know how I'm feeling," Jennifer dismissively countered before popping a pain pill in her mouth and gulping it down with a sip of tea. Abigail argued that it was obvious that Jennifer wasn't feeling well. Abigail added that Jennifer had been distracted lately, too.
"I have not been distracted, and I really don't want you accusing me of that," Jennifer defensively replied. Abigail forged ahead, wondering if Jennifer had sought alternative treatments for her back pain yet, such as physical therapy. "Honey, just because you work at a hospital does not mean you are some kind of medical expert. I do not need your advice," Jennifer snapped.
Jennifer quickly apologized, explaining that she was simply on edge because her baby girl was about to get married, and there were "about three thousand" things left to do before the ceremony. Jennifer stressed, however, that she was perfectly capable of handling anything Abigail wanted to throw at her.
J.J. went to the DiMera mansion to let Chad know that Ben had not yet cleared customs or been in contact with Clyde, meaning that he was probably still in the country. "Now, if you could send the bloodhounds out --" J.J. started to suggest, but Chad interrupted and revealed that he had already done that but was no closer to finding Ben than the cops were.
J.J. insisted that he and Chad needed to warn Abigail about Ben's escape right away. Chad pointed out that J.J. was the one who had decided to keep the news from Abigail in the first place, but J.J. explained that he had only chosen to delay the announcement because he had hoped that Ben would quickly be taken back into custody. "[But] that's not happening, [so] my sister needs to know to watch her back," J.J. added. Chad protested that he was watching Abigail's back, with the help of guards who were keeping an eye on her at all times.
Chad stressed that, while he didn't like lying to Abigail, he was trying to give her a great wedding day because that was what she deserved, especially after everything she had been through. "It won't be much of a wedding day if she's dead, Chad!" J.J. pointed out. Chad insisted that he never wanted to hear J.J. say anything like that again. Chad added that J.J. was the one who had previously reasoned that Ben wasn't stupid enough to return to Salem, of all places. "Yeah, but [even] if he's not stupid enough, he's [still] crazy enough," J.J. countered.
Chad urged J.J. to keep quiet until after Abigail's wedding day, maintaining that he didn't want the news to ruin it. Chad added that, while he was just as worried about Abigail as J.J. was, he was sure that Ben wasn't a real danger to her. "Yeah, 'cause I'm sure a couple of months in an institution completely cured him of his urge to murder people," J.J. sarcastically agreed, prompting Chad to clarify that Ben wasn't a real danger to Abigail because he wasn't going to get a chance to get anywhere near her. "I will make sure of that," Chad vowed.
Before J.J. could respond, Abigail entered the mansion, with Jennifer in tow, and wondered what was going on. Dodging the question, Chad greeted Abigail with a kiss and quickly started discussing wedding details with her and Jennifer. J.J. paced around the living room while Jennifer went over the guest list, predicting, when she reached the end, that Anne was going to be highly offended that she hadn't made the cut. Abigail revealed that Anne had already sent over a melon baller, of all things, as an engagement gift. "Okay, well, we know what she can do with that," Jennifer muttered.
Jennifer wondered if Chad really didn't have anyone at all to add to the guest list. Jennifer quickly realized that her question had probably sounded insensitive, but Chad dismissed her concern and confirmed that the only family member he wanted at the wedding was Theo, who was already on Abigail's list. Nodding, Jennifer excused herself so she could return home and start contacting the people on the guest list to find out how many of them would be able to attend the wedding. Abigail offered to handle the task herself, fearing that Jennifer might already have enough to deal with, but Jennifer insisted that she was never too busy for Abigail or J.J.
"She's taking this all really well," Chad observed after Jennifer exited the mansion. "Yeah, she is...but someone else isn't," Abigail replied as J.J. completed another trip around the living room. Abigail asked J.J. to tell her why he was acting weird, but he laughed off her concern and joked that he was acting no weirder than usual. "It's just, uh, he'd rather have, um, Godzilla for a brother-in-law than me, but we're working on it," Chad added.
Unconvinced, Abigail continued to question J.J., reminding him that she knew him really well and had been able to tell when he was lying for most of his life. After exchanging a look with Chad, J.J. hesitantly replied that, while he wanted Abigail to have the wedding of her dreams, he was more concerned about her having a happy life. Abigail assured J.J. that she would, prompting him to concede that Chad was certainly a step up from her last fiancé. Taken aback, Abigail wondered why J.J. would even say such a thing to begin with. "Ben is completely out of all our lives, so --" Abigail began to add.
"No, he isn't!" J.J. blurted out. Ignoring Chad's attempt to stop him, J.J. forged ahead, revealing that Ben had escaped and could be anywhere at that time. Chad tried to assure Abigail that Ben would never risk returning to Salem, but she thought that was exactly what Ben would do. Abigail wondered how Chad and J.J. could have kept something like that from her for as long as they had. Chad apologetically explained that he had simply been trying to avoid ruining Abigail's wedding day. Muttering that it was a little late for that, Abigail insisted that she and Chad needed to take Thomas and leave right away.
Brady went to the Salem Inn to see Summer, who assured him that she was happy with her new accommodations. Brady got straight to the point of his visit, producing an envelope that contained the results of Summer's DNA test. "Turns out Daniel [ran it but] died before he could share the results with you," Brady explained.
Summer was reluctant to open the envelope, noting that its contents would either give her "an insta-family" or confirm that she was all alone in the world -- and she wasn't sure how she felt about either possibility. "When I was little, I thought that I wanted to find my birth parents. And then I thought, 'I'm all grown up. What do I need with a mother, and what does she need with me?'" Summer recalled.
Revealing that he had been just a baby when his mother had died, Brady admitted that he would give just about anything to have her back. "You're looking for peace, right? Maybe that [envelope] will give it to you," Brady suggested. Brady offered to give Summer some privacy, but she asked him to stay. "If I'm going to open this envelope, I want you here with me," Summer explained.
The results of the DNA test confirmed that Maggie was indeed Summer's biological mother; however, Summer quickly decided that she didn't want to spring the news on Maggie right away. "Her son just died. He was a doctor; he was perfect in her eyes. And then there's me. [If] you introduce me now, what can you say? 'This is Summer. She hasn't done a single thing right in her life'?" Summer reasoned.
Brady tried to assure Summer that Maggie would be thrilled to learn that she had another daughter, but Summer maintained that she wanted Maggie to get to know her -- and grow to like her -- before learning the truth. "This is my decision. This is going to change my life, and I need to do it my way," Summer insisted.
After his confrontation with Deimos, Victor returned home and found Maggie waiting for him in the study, fidgeting anxiously. Maggie wanted to know where Victor had been, and although he was evasive at first, he eventually revealed, after she questioned his trust in her, that he had just finished making sure they would never have to worry about Deimos again.
Later, Brady arrived and asked Victor if Maggie was around. "She went shopping...which means we'll see her in a couple of hours, or maybe a couple of days," Victor answered. Brady showed off some new pictures of Tate and agreed to send them to Victor's cell phone so Victor could choose one to print and display on his desk. Brady wondered if Victor was looking for a replacement for an image of Philip, prompting Victor to admit that he had expected Brady to be pleased to hear that Philip had been ousted from Titan. Brady said he wasn't pleased but also wasn't surprised. "I knew he'd let you down sooner or later," Brady explained.
"No more than you did," Victor countered. Brady mused that, while he wasn't defending Philip, there might be a reason that everyone always ended up disappointing Victor eventually. "You want everybody to see [things] your way, and when people fail to tow the line, you just say goodbye," Brady continued, but Victor disagreed, pointing out that he had recently offered to give Brady another chance. Victor wondered if Brady had given any further thought to the offer. Brady admitted that he was flattered to know that it was still on the table. "But the answer is still no," Brady added.
"Brady, don't be an idiot," Victor started to protest, but he backed down when Brady explained that cutthroat acquisitions and mergers simply didn't appeal to him anymore. Meanwhile, Maggie returned home and cheerfully greeted Victor and Brady, wondering if they were really having what seemed to be a civil conversation. "Aside from the fact that he called me an idiot a couple seconds ago," Brady confirmed.
Victor excused himself, knowing that Brady had something to discuss with Maggie. Brady told Maggie a bit about Summer and suggested that she might be a good fit for Maggie's volunteer program at the hospital. Maggie pointed out that Summer wouldn't get paid for the work. Nodding, Brady explained that Summer didn't have much experience and needed something she could later use to get her foot in the door with potential employers.
Maggie wanted to know why Summer was inexperienced, but Brady claimed that he wasn't sure. "Well, Brady, how much do you know about her? I mean, is she trustworthy? Because if she isn't, should I --" Maggie started to ask, but Brady interrupted and stressed that he wanted Maggie to get to know Summer because he had a feeling that Maggie was going to like Summer a lot. Meanwhile, at the Salem Inn, Summer grooved to the beat of a song while going through a box filled with random items she had stolen from people, pausing only to increase the volume in an effort to drown out the sounds of a visitor who was pounding insistently on her door.
Gabi went to the town square to hand Arianna off to Marlena, who had agreed to babysit for a while so Gabi could attend a meeting. Gabi tried to express her gratitude, but Marlena stressed that she would always be happy to help because she knew that being a single parent was hard. Gabi said she had grown up without a father and had always felt a void in her life as a result. "She's gonna remember Will, isn't she?" Gabi worriedly asked. "Of course she is. We'll make sure she does," Marlena assured Gabi.
While passing through the town square, Paul spotted and called out to Henry, the teenager who had previously crossed paths with him after being the victim of homophobia at a party. Paul wondered if Henry was going to press charges against the guy who had attacked him. "Uh...not worth it," Henry replied with a shrug, prompting Paul to wonder why. "Um...I drank too much. You know, gave Brian the wrong idea. I knew he was a jerk, and I -- I should have been more careful," Henry explained. Paul protested that Henry had nothing to be ashamed of and wasn't to blame for what had happened to him.
Henry admitted that he wasn't a baseball fan; in fact, he thought it was the most boring sport that had ever been invented. "But when you came out [in that article], and you had so much to lose... Everybody called you a hero," Henry mused, prompting Paul to clarify that not everyone had felt that way about what he had done. "Still... I mean, it almost gave me the guts to come out to my parents," Henry continued.
Henry explained that his father was a minister and his mother was the director of the church choir. Paul said he understood because he had also been convinced that his family would never be able to accept him for who he really was; however, his mother's response to the truth had been that she had known all along. "Look, even if they don't embrace it, do you want to live a lie forever?" Paul asked.
Henry didn't respond, but Paul forged ahead, promising to provide moral support if needed when Henry decided that he was ready to have that conversation with his parents. Henry thanked Paul and said he would keep that in mind. After Henry left, Paul contacted Sonny and left a voicemail message, explaining that he had just been thinking about Sonny and wanted him to feel free to call if he ever felt like talking.
Gabi met with Nicole and Theresa at Edge of the Square and was surprised to learn that they wanted her to ditch Kate and work for them instead. Gabi admitted that she would love to do that because Kate was driving her crazy. Gabi pointed out, however, that she was under a contract. Nicole insisted that contracts were made to be broken.
Noting that there were thousands of models in the world, Gabi wondered why Nicole and Theresa were determined to hire her. Nicole said Gabi was a terrific model, and Theresa agreed, adding that being able to "stick it to Kate" was just a bonus. Nicole stressed that, as a former model, she would never make Gabi work grueling hours or starve herself.
Gabi predicted that Kate would make her life miserable if she chose to walk away from Basic Black and join Nicole and Theresa's company. Nicole argued that Kate was already making Gabi's life miserable. Theresa added that what Kate wanted wasn't as important as what Gabi wanted. Gabi admitted that she wasn't sure how to answer that question.
Paul soon arrived and joined the group. "Paul, I have a question for you: what's the hardest workday you've ever had, hmm? Twelve hours doing bench presses and suicides that would kill most mortals? Or is it a trip down the runway, listening to Kate Roberts' voice echoing in your head?" Nicole asked Paul, who wondered if he could plead the Fifth. Theresa said Paul would be able to speak freely if he weren't under a contract with Kate. "And if you're worried about [breaking] your contract, then --" Theresa started to add.
"Oh, no. Kate's broken the contract about a hundred times," Paul replied. Nicole and Theresa stressed that they were more professional than Kate -- and a lot nicer, too. "Well, that's not saying a heck of a lot," Paul pointed out. Gabi said she was convinced and would join Nicole and Theresa's company if they could get her out of her Basic Black contract, and Paul said he would, too. "Consider it done," Theresa said. "[But] our contract's ironclad. We won't be letting you out, so you better be sure," Nicole warned. Gabi said she was, adding that Nicole and Theresa had always been great to her, and she would never stab either of them in the back.
While Deimos was tending to his wound in his room at the Salem Inn, Kate arrived and wondered what was going on, entering through the door he had left ajar when he had gone to get a first-aid kit. Kate guessed that Victor had caused the wound, and she insisted on helping Deimos clean and bandage it.
After Kate finished the task, Deimos kissed her, and when she responded, he ripped open her blouse and threw her onto the bed. Kate pressed her hand firmly against Deimos' wound to get him off her, insisting that, while she had wanted him to continue, she hadn't wanted him to do that. Deimos apologized, and Kate conceded that his long stay in prison had probably left him with a skewed idea of romance.
"Kate, if I had to wait thirty years, it would be worth it to be with someone like you," Deimos assured Kate before picking up where he had left off with her, making sure to treat her more gently than before. After Kate and Deimos finished having sex, she wondered if he was going to let Victor's payback slide. "Absolutely not," Deimos insisted.
Kate wondered if Deimos and Victor had ever gotten along with each other. "No. He always seemed to follow our father's lead. Let's just say I was never the favored son. Apparently, it would have been better for both of them if I had never been born," Deimos replied.
Kate said she was very glad Deimos had been born. Kate added that, while she understood Deimos' need for revenge, it wasn't worth the trouble, because she knew Victor better than Deimos did, and she knew that seeking revenge against him was just going to lead to an endless cycle of retaliation and misery that, in the end, wouldn't give Deimos back the thirty years he had lost, anyway. Deimos said he would never be able to forgive Victor. "Then don't. You can hate him, but get revenge by living well. Turn your back on him. Let me help you forget," Kate suggested.
Eduardo visited John and revealed that he had discovered an interesting connection between Deimos and Ilya Petrov. John thought that was impossible because Deimos had been in prison for the past thirty years. "And Petrov's been dead since --" John started to add. "Since maybe never," Eduardo concluded. Eduardo explained that he had learned that Petrov had set up one of the shell corporations that had been used to fund the agency that had trained John and Eduardo to be assassins. Eduardo added that Petrov's money had been funneled into one of Deimos' investment accounts.
Confused, John wondered why Eduardo had started investigating the agency again. Eduardo clarified that he had actually been investigating Deimos, who was seeing Kate. Eduardo explained that Kate had dumped him because she had gotten sick of his secretive nature. Eduardo continued that he was trying to look out for Kate because Philip had told him some concerning things about Deimos. Eduardo said he planned to get information that was "damning" enough to open Kate's eyes and make her see who Deimos really was.
John revealed that he had been considering taking the agency down. Eduardo insisted that it would be crazy of John to try such a thing, but John suspected that Eduardo had been entertaining the same idea. Eduardo admitted that he was getting tired of looking over his shoulder all the time -- and having to constantly walk away from people he cared about. Eduardo wondered where he and John could start if they decided to take down the agency. "With Deimos Kiriakis," John suggested.
Later, in the town square, Eduardo watched Kate and Deimos as they did some window-shopping. Meanwhile, John received a text message from someone, along with a picture of Marlena and Arianna. "We'll trade them for you and Eduardo," the message read.
Steve paced his living room, making phone calls, while Kayla worked on her computer. Kayla informed Steve that there was no proof that Ava had faked her leukemia. Nodding, Steve said the clerk at the hotel in Jakarta did not remember Steve or Ava, but he was hoping a witness would turn up. Hoping to jog Steve's memory, Kayla urged Steve to tell her everything he remembered about his time with Ava. Steve was reluctant to talk about his conversations with Ava.
"I would take it back if I could, but if I did, you might have ended up dead, and that is not a chance I was willing to take. So please, don't think about it. It's not worth it," Steve said. Kayla stressed that she was only concerned about finding evidence against Ava. Steve said that Ava mostly talked about her fantasy life with Steve. Playing devil's advocate, Kayla said a lawyer could argue that Steve had encouraged Ava's obsession with him.
Steve took Kayla's hands gently in his, and said, "You know what was the most exciting, dangerous moment of my life? The first time you let me kiss you. Really kiss you. The first time I took you in my arms. The first time I dared to believe that I could be loved by you. That was my baptism, Sweetness. And it's still the biggest thrill of my life." Steve told Kayla that no one in the world held a candle to Kayla or their relationship. Sniffling, Kayla returned her focus to investigating Ava.
Kayla asked about the key that Steve had found in the hotel. Shrugging, Steve said he was not sure. Steve offered to examine the room that Kayla had been held in, and Kayla said she would join him. Steve said no. Steve explained that he did not want to subject Kayla to that environment again. Nodding, Kayla handed Steve the address of her imprisonment. Steve told Kayla he loved her, and he left.
When Joey returned home, Kayla informed him that Steve was examining the room where she had been held captive. Joey offered to assist Steve, but Kayla asked Joey to stay with her. When Joey asked Kayla if she forgave Steve, Kayla said she wanted to concentrate on clearing Steve of the murder charges. Kayla asked Joey if he forgave his father, and Joey nodded. Joey said he was lucky to have a father that protected him. Joey was worried that Steve would be sent to prison.
In the enclosed room that had held Kayla, Steve stared at a drawing of a snake on the wall. In the neck of the snake was a keyhole. Steve pulled the key he had found from his pocket and inserted it into the wall. With a click, a door opened. In the room beyond the door was a spiral staircase. At the bottom of the staircase was a dark room filled with a shrine to Steve. The pictures plastered across the wall included several with Kayla's eyes removed. With a flashlight in one hand and his phone recording the scene in the other, Steve looked around the darkened basement and saw a picture of Kayla with the word "DEATH" written in red across her face.
Steve continued to video the items in the room until he was interrupted by the sound of Kayla walking down the stairs. Steve begged Kayla to leave, but she pushed past him. Kayla stared in disbelief at the wall of photos on the shrine. Kayla asked Steve if he had taken photos, and Steve explained that he had filmed everything and would film their exit. Steve stressed that they needed to leave to preserve the evidence. As Kayla turned to leave, she saw the threatening photos of her on the wall. Upset, Kayla hugged Steve, who quietly told her, "You survived."
In the DiMera library, Abigail begged Chad to leave town with her and Thomas. J.J. and Chad disagreed, but Abigail was adamant that she needed to cancel the wedding and leave town to protect her son. Chad stressed that the mansion was safe, and J.J. assured Abigail that the police were searching the town for Ben. When Abigail asked why the men were pushing her to stay, J.J. and Chad agreed that the police in Salem were more motivated to find Ben than police in any city that Abigail could run to.
"No one will take this day from us. And no one will ever take our son. No one will ever take another minute of your happiness. I promise you no one will ever hurt you," Chad said as he gripped Abigail by the shoulders.
In his hotel room, Eduardo met with John to talk about the text message they had received asking them to offer themselves in exchange for Marlena and Arianna.
At the police station, Rafe updated J.J. and Chad on the status of Ben's disappearance. The trail from the psych facility went cold along a bus route. Upset, J.J. and Chad argued about Abigail's safety. Rafe calmed the men down, and Chad left in a huff. As Rafe and J.J. returned to work, a frantic Gabi ran into the precinct, babbling in Spanish. Rafe asked Gabi to tell him what was wrong.
After taking a deep breath, Gabi explained that Marlena had been watching Arianna and had failed to meet her in the square as planned. Gabi said she was worried that something terrible had happened. Upset, Gabi threw herself into J.J.'s arms. J.J. and Rafe assured Gabi that everything was likely fine. J.J. offered to walk Gabi around the park, and Rafe promised to make calls to find Marlena. After J.J. left with Gabi, Eduardo walked into the police station and told Rafe that he needed to talk to Gabi about her daughter. Rafe demanded answers about Arianna.
Eduardo led Rafe into the interrogation room and showed him the text about Marlena and Arianna. Confused, Rafe demanded answers. Eduardo instructed Rafe to protect Gabi and tell her that everything would be fine. Eduardo promised to return Arianna to Gabi. Worried, Rafe barked at Eduardo to explain what had happened, and Eduardo asked Rafe to trust him. Rafe ordered Eduardo to tell him what was happening.
"My work in security is not what you think," Eduardo said. "You're a thief?" Rafe asked. "No. I'm an assassin. I kill. I used to kill. I was trained. I was trained as a teenager. I was brainwashed into a life I did not choose," Eduardo said. Eduardo explained that the agency he had worked for had imbedded the assassins in normal lives then pulled them out when they were needed. As Eduardo looked into Rafe's stunned face, Eduardo added that the agency was why he had left Rafe's mother and Paige's mother. Eduardo swore that he had cut all ties before he had moved to Salem.
Eduardo said that the agency had taken Arianna to force him to return to service, and he intended to make the exchange. Rafe was upset that Eduardo had endangered Arianna by returning to Salem. Upset, Eduardo said he had believed that he had cleared the agency from his life. Frustrated, Rafe announced he would go with Eduardo to meet with the kidnappers, but Eduardo warned Rafe that he might make matters worse. Rafe refused to back down.
In the DiMera living room, Abigail held Thomas and promised to keep him safe. When Jennifer arrived at the mansion, she expressed her unease about the house. Emotional, Abigail asked Jennifer not to talk about the mansion. Jennifer smiled and listed the benefits to living in the mansion. Abigail asked Jennifer not to be fake. With her buttons pushed, Jennifer argued that Abigail should stand up to Chad and let him know that she did not want to live in the mansion. Abigail defended her decision. Noting Abigail's anxiousness, Jennifer pressed Abigail to talk to her. Abigail said she was overwhelmed by everything.
In his hotel room, Deimos texted Kate and thanked her for their tryst. There was a knock at the hotel door, and Deimos opened it to find an old associate, Petrov. Petrov demanded the formula for the serum. Deimos handed the formula to Petrov, and Petrov delivered a briefcase of money to Deimos for services rendered. With an air of anxiousness, Petrov quickly left.
While Deimos counted the money in his briefcase, John knocked on the hotel door. Deimos hid the money then opened the door. John walked in and demanded to know why Deimos had met with Ilya Petrov. Deimos played dumb, but John yelled at Deimos to tell him everything he knew.
When Deimos asked John to back off, John noted that money from an agency's shell corporation had been wired into Deimos personal account. Deimos denied any connection to an agency or Petrov. When John asked Deimos to show his personal finances, Deimos refused. John said he did not care about Deimos or his money, but he wanted to track down Petrov. Narrowing his eyes, Deimos told John to leave before things escalated.
"Tell Petrov he won. I'll turn myself over," John said. Deimos said he did not understand what John was talking about. John responded that if Marlena or the girl were hurt, there would be a bloodbath. After John left, Deimos frowned.
In the park, Gabi searched for Arianna, panicked. J.J. attempted to calm her, but Gabi was sure that something was wrong. As Gabi looked around, she saw one of Arianna's toys on the ground. Clutching the stuffed bird to her chest, Gabi wondered aloud what had happened to Arianna and Marlena. Quietly, J.J. asked Gabi to show him the bird. Gabi explained that Arianna always had the bird on her stroller. J.J. assured Gabi that they would find Arianna and Marlena.
At the Dimera mansion, Abigail was startled to hear a noise in the hallway. As Chad entered the living room from the kitchen, Abigail begged Chad to investigate the noise. After a quick search with the staff, Chad told Abigail that the first floor and cellar were clear. Chad hugged Abigail close. Chad said he had not told her about Ben because he had not wanted to upset her. Abigail nodded and hugged Chad.
In his hotel room, Eduardo retrieved his gun from his safe. With a sigh, Eduardo stared at the clip full of bullets. Slowly, Eduardo loaded the clip into the gun.
Philip entered the Kiriakis mansion just as Maggie was saying goodbye to Victor. Before Philip could tell Victor what was going on, Victor got a brief phone call. When he hung up, he threatened Philip, "I'll have your head for this." Victor excoriated Philip for stealing the Topit's disease formula, but Philip reminded his father, "You told me, in order to earn your forgiveness, that I would have to go to Deimos and convince him that I'd walked away from you." Philip's reasoning did not pass muster with Victor.
Philip pointed out that he'd only risked the formula to keep Deimos from hurting Victor. Victor testily accused his son of having poor judgment and playing both ends against the middle. Philip suddenly realized that he didn't want Victor's forgiveness.
Shawn entered the Edge of the Square, looking for Belle, who soon appeared from the back room. Shawn gave her a hard time about opening her law practice in a nightclub -- and for purchasing said nightclub with stolen money to buy their teenage daughter, Claire. Belle hotly retorted that she hadn't stolen the money, but Shawn argued that it was dirty money -- DiMera money. Belle reminded Shawn that the money had belonged to Sami, who'd wanted Belle to have it. Shawn contended that he wanted Claire to work for what she got in life.
Reminding Shawn that they were getting a divorce, Belle asserted that she didn't care where the money had originated as long as Claire could live her dream. Shawn declared that Belle reminded him of Philip. Shawn reminded Belle that she was the one who'd cheated on him. Stung, Belle pointed out that Shawn had been "detached...moody, and dismissive" before then. When Shawn responded with sarcastic blame, Belle tried to keep her voice from shaking as she ordered him to leave. On his way out, Shawn warned his wife that if she moved on with Philip, Shawn wouldn't allow her to take Claire with her.
Philip was shambling through Horton Town Square while someone watched him from behind some plants. Philip got a call from Belle, requesting him to meet her in the park, so he headed in that direction. Philip was waiting on a bench when Belle arrived. Reminding Philip that he'd wanted to know where they stood, Belle kissed him to demonstrate her response. As the spy lurked in the bushes, Belle declared that everything had changed, and she no longer wanted to fight her attraction to Philip. Without warning, the lurker surged out from behind the bushes and punched Philip hard in the face.
Theresa tiptoed into the condo she shared with Brady and surprised him by covering his eyes with her hands and kissing him on the neck. Before they could take it any further, Summer entered without knocking. Brady advised an annoyed Theresa that Summer's DNA test had shown that Summer was, indeed, Maggie's daughter. Brady continued that Summer didn't want to say anything until she'd gotten to know Maggie.
Brady and an extremely edgy Summer headed to the hospital and waited near the nurses' station for Maggie to arrive. As Summer flipped through a design magazine and commented on a fabulous room featured in it, Brady blew her away by informing her that Maggie had designed the room for his grandfather's house. Maggie arrived, full of excitement about a hospital worker whose daughter had just had a little girl.
When Brady introduced Maggie and Summer, Summer pretended not to remember running into Maggie in the square. Maggie lamented losing a charm off of her bracelet during the encounter, and Summer wished Maggie luck in finding it. Maggie acknowledged that she missed her son, Daniel, and Summer admitted that she did, as well. Since she thought Summer wanted to work at the hospital as a volunteer, Maggie asked about Summer's experience working at hospitals. Summer confessed that she'd only been in hospitals as a patient.
A concerned Maggie asked Summer about that, but a testy Summer didn't want to discuss it. Maggie gently asked Summer to reveal a little about herself, but that only made Summer more uncomfortable. "This was a big mistake. Let's just forget about it, and I'm so sorry I bothered you," Summer declared as she walked out, leaving a bemused Maggie and Brady in her wake. As he walked Maggie to the elevator, he apologized for Summer's behavior, but Maggie said she was only concerned for the obviously troubled Summer.
Meanwhile, Theresa was trying with little success to get some work done.
When Brady caught up with Summer outside her hotel room, she was still agitated from her encounter with Maggie. Brady urged her to calm down and reminded her that, like it or not, Daniel connected Summer and Brady.
Brady took Summer back to the apartment and confided that he would never understand why he'd survived the accident but Daniel hadn't -- but Brady did know that Daniel would want Summer to get to know Maggie. Placing her hand on Brady's chest, Summer asserted that he was a good man, just as Daniel had been. Theresa entered and tried to hide her displeasure with Summer's presence. Summer issued a hasty apology before hurrying out. Theresa's irritation and jealousy finally boiled over as she declared, "Summer is not your problem, and it's not your job to save her!"
Maggie returned to the Kiriakis mansion and declared that meeting Brady's friend had been "weird" because the woman had bolted during the interview. Victor seemed hopeful that Summer was pretty enough to cause Brady to dump Theresa. Observing Victor's double whiskey, Maggie asked about his meeting with Philip. Victor declared that they'd cleared the air -- and he cautioned Maggie never to mention Philip's name again. Maggie pointed out that Victor and Deimos had put Philip between a rock and a hard place. Victor somewhat reluctantly contended that he should have Philip put in jail for what he'd done.
In Andre's hideout, Chase dreamed of sirens blaring. Unable to sit still, he paced around the tiny room before giving up and heading out.
In Horton Square, Abe urged Theo to talk about his feelings regarding Stefano. As Theo was fumbling his way through describing how much he missed his nonno, Ciara passed by and distracted Theo. Though Abe pushed his son to talk about it, Theo made an excuse and hurried away.
Later, Abe entered the police station and asked a distracted Shawn for the DiMera file. Shawn covered and handed the paperwork over to Abe.
Ciara wandered into the park outside the square, where some kids who remembered her from the warehouse party offered her a swig from a flask in a paper bag. Under peer pressure, Ciara took a couple of long draws from the bottle, but when the guy who'd given her the flask put his arm around her, Ciara instantly became uncomfortable and told the guy to let her go. Theo showed up and sternly repeated Ciara's warning. The other kids left, hurling insults in Ciara's direction. Realizing how upset his friend was, Theo opened his arms to her, and she welcomed his embrace.
After a moment, Claire insisted that she was fine, but Theo didn't buy it. Gently, Theo guessed that Chase had been unable to control his feelings for Ciara, and he'd taken things too far. When Ciara turned her back and didn't answer, Theo's presumption was confirmed. Ciara was adamant that her mom could not know what had happened, because she feared Hope would blame herself. Theo only wanted to help Ciara, who asserted that the only way to help was to forget they'd ever discussed it. A bewildered Theo watched her walk away.
Chase wandered into the square and spotted a newspaper, whose headline about Andre's arrest explained where the DiMera scion had been. When Ciara walked by, Chase stood as still as a statue before carefully following her.
An irritable Joey was pacing around the house, under orders from his mom not to leave. Claire showed up and declared that something bad had happened to Ciara. Claire clammed up until Joey questioned her, and she reluctantly admitted that Chase had raped Ciara. Joey wanted to find Ciara, but Claire was determined to make Chase pay for what he'd done. Theo showed up, and when he learned that the others knew what had happened to Ciara, he declared that they had to help her by talking to his dad. Claire asserted that Ciara didn't want that, but she had an idea about how to help Ciara -- with the guys' help.
When Ciara returned to the Horton house, the phone was ringing. When Ciara picked it up, Chase's aunt informed a stunned Ciara that Chase had never arrived in Chicago. Meanwhile, Chase was on the front porch, peering through the windows. Claire suddenly tapped him on the shoulder. Chase had barely registered his surprise when Theo and Joey grabbed him, clapping a hand over his mouth to keep him from calling out.
A little later, Theo escorted a disconcerted Ciara into the warehouse where the rave had been -- and where she'd been held captive. After a long walk, they reached Claire and Joey, who were standing watch over Chase, whom they'd bound to a chair with zip-ties. Claire explained, "We found him. Now you can do whatever the hell you want to this piece of scum."
Belle wanted to call the cops and report that Philip had just been assaulted, but she was surprised to learn that the assailant was actually a cop himself -- and no stranger to Philip, who referred to the man as Commander Chilton. Although she was reluctant to do so, Belle agreed to leave so Philip could talk to Chilton privately.
Once the coast was clear, Philip pointed out that Chilton had no jurisdiction in Salem. "Do you think I care about the law right now?" Chilton countered. Philip tried to explain what had happened to Chilton's daughter, but Chilton found it hard to believe that his daughter had died due to circumstances that had been completely out of Philip's control.
Chilton grabbed Philip and started to threaten him, but Deimos interrupted, wielding a camera phone that was recording the confrontation. Assuming that Deimos was just a passerby, Chilton warned him that it would be in his best interest to turn off the device and walk away. Unfazed, Deimos said he planned to email the video to his good friend Commissioner Felton.
Deimos wondered what would happen to Chilton once the video was added to his already questionable record with the Chicago Police Department. Chilton dismissively predicted that it wouldn't matter, and Deimos conceded the point but hinted that he also knew things about Chilton that weren't in the man's record yet. Deimos warned that it would be in Chilton's best interest to leave Salem and never bother Philip again.
After Chilton left, Deimos mused that it was a good thing that he had shown up in time to save Philip. "Is this where you tell me you own me?" Philip guessed, but Deimos said that was way too dramatic for his taste. Deimos explained that he had helped Philip because Philip had kept his word and delivered the formula for the serum that had been developed for Caroline. Deimos added that he had also deposited a substantial sum of money into Philip's bank account in the Caymans. Confused, Philip wondered what the catch was. "No catch. You said you wanted to work with me. Well, you passed the test. You're hired," Deimos replied.
At the abandoned warehouse near the pier, Joey encouraged Ciara to do whatever she wanted to do to Chase, who was powerless to stop her. Ciara seemed overwhelmed at first, but she soon steeled herself and asked her friends to give her some time alone with Chase. Theo was reluctant to comply, but Joey was confident that Chase wouldn't be able to break free from his bindings, and Ciara agreed, assuring Theo that she would be fine.
Once she was alone with Chase, Ciara revealed that she still had his Little League statistics, which she had glued to the back of her journal the summer he had been named the team's starting pitcher. "I was so proud of my new brother. I loved you, Chase! How could you do this to me?" Ciara demanded to know. Chase said he hadn't meant to hurt Ciara, adding that she had responded positively to his kiss at first.
"And then I said no. I tried to pull away, and I said no! What, you couldn't hear me? You couldn't feel me trying to fight and get away?" Ciara countered. Chase explained that he hadn't been able to stop himself when Ciara had asked him to. Chase stressed that he hadn't meant to hurt Ciara, but she wasn't satisfied with that. Picking up a steel bar that had been left on the floor of the warehouse, Ciara angrily ordered Chase to verbalize exactly what he had done to her. "I raped you!" Chase acknowledged with regret, avoiding eye contact with Ciara.
"You raped me! You knew exactly what you were doing, and you raped me!" Ciara agreed, commanding Chase to look at her. As Chase complied, Ciara wished that he and Aiden had never entered her life. "You ruined everything! Now I can never... That was my first time!" Ciara added, and Chase quietly admitted that it had been his first time, too.
Chase said he was sorry, and when Ciara countered with a sarcastic reply, he conceded that there was nothing that he could say that would ever make up for what he had done to her. Ciara agreed, stressing that Chase was a disgusting creep who had no excuse for his actions. "So, what are you gonna do now?" Chase asked nervously.
Ciara crept toward Chase, twirling the steel bar menacingly. "Are you worried? You feeling helpless? Like the one thing that you want in the world right now doesn't matter? Just hoping that you can stay still and not make anything worse? Like maybe, if you're lucky, you'll survive. And I haven't even laid a finger on you, let alone ripped your clothes off and then, like, forced myself on you!" Ciara shouted, swinging the bar forward. Chase flinched as it passed inches above his head and struck the floor-to-ceiling pole that was directly behind his chair.
Chase apologized again, tearfully wondering if there was anything he could do to make things better. "Just shut up!" Ciara spat before adding, more calmly, that Chase would never be able to take back what he had done. Ciara declared that Chase was a monster, just like his father. Keeping his eyes shut tightly, Chase begged Ciara to go ahead and do whatever she planned to do to him. "Whatever it is, I just want it to be over," Chase added.
"Too bad," Ciara replied. After making Chase sweat for a few more seconds, Ciara tossed the steel bar aside and contacted Hope, who was at the police station with Gabi, waiting for news about Marlena and Arianna. Ciara asked Hope to hurry over to the abandoned warehouse near the pier. Hope promised to be there soon then ended the call and asked J.J. to stay with Gabi for a while. Meanwhile, Ciara informed Chase that he would never get to hurt another person the way he had hurt her.
When Hope arrived, she was surprised to see that Chase was tied up. Hope started to free Chase, but Ciara told her not to. "Chase raped me," Ciara revealed. Stunned, Hope turned to Chase for confirmation, but he remained silent, fighting back tears of remorse while trying not to look at her. Hope wanted more details, so Ciara told her when the rape had occurred and explained that she had kept quiet about it at first because she hadn't been able to admit the truth to Hope. "But I know that he needs... He's sick, and I can't let him do this to anyone else," Ciara concluded.
Hope called the police station and arranged for a nearby patrol unit to be sent to the abandoned warehouse. Sobbing, Ciara wondered if she was to blame for what had happened because she had responded to Chase's kiss at first. Hope insisted that saying no and asking Chase to stop had been enough to get the point across, and anything that had happened afterward hadn't been Ciara's fault.
Turning her attention back to Chase, Hope angrily demanded to know how he could have done such a thing to Ciara. Chase tearfully admitted that he didn't know how to answer that question. "I'm a monster," Chase quietly added as two cops burst into the warehouse. Hope instructed one of the cops to arrest Chase for first-degree sexual assault. Chase offered another apology to Ciara as he was being freed from the chair and handcuffed.
"I never meant to hurt you. You're the greatest part of my world. I love you!" Chase shouted as the cops dragged him away. Ciara lunged forward, angrily telling Chase to shut up, but Hope stepped in front of her and gave her a hug, assuring her that everything was going to be okay. Later, at the Horton house, Hope praised Ciara for the bravery she had shown during the hospital examination. Ciara guessed that it wouldn't do any good because she had waited too long to get checked out, but Hope reasoned that, at the very least, it was good that Ciara had gotten tested for STDs and pregnancy.
Ciara knew she would have to get tested again later, just to be safe, because the rape had happened fairly recently. Ciara said she was really only worried about contracting HIV or getting pregnant, since Chase had claimed that he had been a virgin beforehand. Ciara wondered if Hope believed Chase's claim, prompting Hope to admit that she didn't know what to believe anymore. Hope stressed, however, that she would have believed Ciara if Ciara had told her about the rape right after it had happened, because she would always believe Ciara.
Hope encouraged Ciara to talk to a counselor, and Ciara claimed that she would. "Look, I'll survive. That's what they call them, me: survivors of rape," Ciara added. Meanwhile, someone knocked on the front door. When Hope opened it, she found Theo, Joey, and Claire standing outside.
The teens were relieved to learn that Ciara was with Hope and was safe, since they had grown concerned when they had returned to the abandoned warehouse and discovered that it was empty. Although they didn't tell Hope about that part, she still guessed that they might have been with Ciara and Chase earlier. "Earlier when? Like, today?" Joey evasively asked. Claire jumped in, claiming that she and the guys had been with Ciara earlier but hadn't seen Chase lately. Nodding, Hope promised to mention the visit to Ciara but added that the teens had arrived at a bad time.
After Hope said goodbye and shut the door, Claire asked the guys if they thought that Chase had been arrested. "Guess we'll find out soon enough," Joey replied with a shrug. Theo told Joey and Claire he needed to check the messages on his cell phone and would catch up with them afterward. After Joey and Claire left, Theo sent Ciara a text message then took a seat on the ground and watched the front door, waiting to see if it would open. When it finally did, Theo stood to greet Ciara, who informed him that Chase was in jail. "Good. Are you? Good?" Theo wondered. Ciara remained silent but reached for Theo's hand and held it tightly.
At Edge of the Square, Philip dodged Belle's questions about his earlier encounter with Chilton but assured her that the cop would never try to go after him again. Belle mused that Philip was a sketchy character, prompting him to vow that he had changed his ways and would never let his shameful past affect her. Belle offered to get Philip some ice for his jaw, but he wanted a kiss instead, so she complied, unaware that Claire had just entered the club.
Rafe went to the Salem Inn to see Eduardo, who pointed out that he had asked Rafe to stay with Gabi and keep her safe. Rafe assured Eduardo that Gabi was safe. Surprised to find John in Eduardo's hotel room, Rafe wondered how he had gotten involved in the mess. John explained that he, too, had once been a part of the agency, and that Arianna wasn't the only person who had been kidnapped.
Eduardo soon received a phone call from someone who, using a voice-distorting device, instructed him and John to immediately head to the address they were about to be given via a text message. "If we detect any sign of the police, the woman and the girl die," the person added before hanging up. John and Rafe recognized the address as that of an abandoned warehouse near the airport.
Rafe wanted to call for backup, but John insisted that he and Eduardo needed to handle the situation on their own, for Marlena and Arianna's sakes. Rafe backed down but warned that he would call for backup if he didn't hear from John and Eduardo within the next hour. "If you don't hear from us in an hour, it'll be because we're dead," Eduardo predicted.
John and Eduardo soon arrived at the abandoned warehouse and cautiously started to look around. They seemed to be the only ones in the building at first, but a canister and two cups were waiting for them at the far end, and as they approached the items, someone greeted them through a nearby speaker, again using a voice-distorting device. The person instructed John and Eduardo to fill the cups with the contents of the canister and drink every drop of it, but John insisted on being given proof of life first.
An elevator door opened near the entrance, revealing a masked individual as well as Marlena and Arianna. John and Eduardo each instinctively took a step forward, but snipers, perched on a catwalk, fired warning shots at their feet, stopping them in their tracks. "Drink. Now. You'll have time to see them released," the distorted voice promised. "Time before what?" Eduardo wondered, but he didn't receive an answer.
John wasn't able to detect the scent of poison in the canister. "If they wanted us dead, we'd already be," Eduardo reasoned before filling a cup and handing it to John. Eduardo poured the remaining contents in the other cup, and he and John simultaneously began to drink the unknown liquid. Meanwhile, at the police station, Rafe told Gabi about what was going on and assured her that everything was going to be okay.
While passing through the town square with Theo, Ciara insisted that the suit he was wearing didn't make him look weird at all; in fact, it was perfect for a wedding, and he looked great in it. Theo tried to get Ciara to reconsider her decision to skip the event, but she thought she would just ruin the celebratory mood. After opening up to Theo about what had happened during her earlier confrontation with Chase, Ciara admitted that she felt like she wasn't going to get the payback she deserved.
At the police station, Justin warned Hope that there wasn't much of a case to be made against Chase, who had only confessed to the victim's mother, of all people. Justin added that if the case went to court, Ciara would be the one on trial, not Chase. In an effort to avoid that, Justin suggested that it might be best for Hope to let him work out a plea bargain in which Chase received a reduced sentence in exchange for a signed confession.
Hope went to a conference room to see Chase, who was handcuffed to a chair. "Okay, here she is to tell me how big of a piece of crap I am all over again," Chase tiredly guessed, prompting Hope to warn him to drop the attitude. Chase impatiently demanded to know what Hope wanted. Hope explained that she wanted Chase to admit what he had done once again the following morning, during his arraignment, so it would be on record.
Chase assured Hope that he wouldn't back out. "I don't really care what happens to me, Hope. I'll go to jail. Who knows -- I mean, it might make up for what I did...and what my dad did. A little bit, anyway," Chase muttered. Hope conceded that Chase and Aiden had hurt her and Ciara. "But you didn't ruin us. You can't. Ciara and I are too strong for that," Hope stressed before leaving the room and slamming the door shut.
At the DiMera mansion, Jennifer was on the phone with Maggie, who had decided to skip the wedding because Victor wasn't feeling well. Jennifer assured Maggie that Abigail would understand. After Jennifer ended the call, Julie guessed that with Ben on the loose, Abigail was probably a bundle of nerves at that time. Abigail joined the other women in the foyer and stressed that she wasn't going to let that -- or anything else -- ruin her wedding.
"I'm not worried about Ben, because he would never show his face here and risk getting caught. He's a million miles away by now; it just stands to reason, right?" Abigail added, receiving a forced smile from Adrienne and a skeptical nod from Julie in response. Abigail excused herself so she could check on Thomas, and Chad followed her to the nursery to make sure she was all right. Abigail confirmed, once again, that she wanted to go through with the wedding, so Chad went to find out what had happened to the best man and the maid of honor, who were both missing in action.
Abigail rejoined Jennifer, Adrienne, and Julie, who were working on flower arrangements in the living room. Jennifer dropped a stem of flowers on the floor and knelt, with great effort, to pick it up. After placing the flowers on a nearby table, Jennifer walked over to her purse and started rummaging through it. Before Jennifer could find what she was looking for, Adrienne approached and asked if she was all right. Jennifer closed her purse and confirmed with a smile that she was getting better every day.
Later, in keeping with tradition, Julie presented Abigail with something old: a small, folded piece of paper. "You know, I thought just my participation would cover that, but then...then I remembered this. This was written by your great-grandfather, Tom Horton. And you may not be aware of this, [but] he was not only a beloved doctor [and] a wonderful man of science, he was also an artist. He was a poet, with a pen name: Norm De Plume. His best poems, of course, were about Grandma...and about love. And he gave this one to Doug and me when we were first married, and we want to share it with you," Julie explained.
Abigail unfolded the paper and read the poem aloud: "The only one who really knows is the one you first danced with in perfect time, the time your heart said yes." Touched, Abigail thanked Julie and gave her a hug. Adrienne stepped forward to contribute something borrowed: a locket on a chain. "I asked my mom to send this to me. Inside, there's a picture of your father when he was a baby. And since everyone's always saying how much Thomas looks like Jack, I want you to wear this close to your heart today to know that your father is with you," Adrienne explained.
Fighting back tears, Abigail joked that it was a good thing that she hadn't done her makeup yet. Jennifer had the other two parts of the tradition covered but wanted to give those to Abigail in private, so Adrienne and Julie left the room to take care of some last-minute wedding details elsewhere. Jennifer produced a shiny new penny, explaining that it was meant to go in Abigail's shoe as a good-luck charm. Abigail appreciated the gift but couldn't resist teasing Jennifer for fulfilling her obligation in the cheapest possible way.
Finally, Jennifer handed Abigail a small, round sheet of paper that was covered with swirls of blue crayon marks. Abigail had drawn the makeshift bouquet of violets as a child, and Jennifer had saved the drawing with the intention of giving it back to Abigail on her eventual wedding day. Predicting that Abigail and Chad were going to be very happy together, Jennifer said that was all she had ever wanted for her little girl.
When Adrienne and Julie returned, they had Doug and Lucas with them. Lucas observed that the place looked great -- and Adrienne looked even better. Julie stressed that mention of Ben's name was strictly forbidden for the rest of the day, and Lucas said he was fine with that because just thinking about Ben was enough to give him the creeps.
While no one was paying attention to her, Jennifer quietly retrieved her bottle of pain medication and popped a pill in her mouth. Meanwhile, Eric entered the mansion and greeted everyone, his eyes fixed solely on Jennifer, who couldn't be sure if he had caught her or not. "The place looks great, Jen. You must be in high spirits," Eric guessed.
Chad went to the police station in search of Rafe but found Gabi instead. Gabi told Chad about what had happened to Marlena and Arianna. Stunned, Chad offered to cancel the wedding so Abigail could be with Gabi for support, but Gabi insisted that she didn't want him to do that because she wanted something good to happen that day. After Chad left, Gabi tried to contact her mother, but her aunt answered the phone and surprised her with the news that her mother had left for Salem two weeks earlier.
Chad found Theo and Ciara in the town square and asked Theo to fill in for Rafe as his best man. Chad said he had wanted to ask Theo all along but had gone with Rafe instead because he hadn't wanted to put that kind of pressure on Theo. Chad continued that something had happened that was going to prevent Rafe from being able to attend the wedding. Theo said he would accept the responsibility only if Ciara agreed to accompany him to the event, claiming that he would be too nervous without her there for moral support. Ciara protested that she wasn't dressed for a wedding, but Chad and Theo insisted that she looked perfect.
Chad returned to the DiMera mansion and found Abigail in the nursery, modeling her wedding dress for Thomas. Abigail was horrified that Chad had caught her in her wedding dress before the start of the ceremony, but he dismissively insisted that he didn't believe in that silly superstition, anyway. "Life is what we make it, and we are gonna make it awesome," Chad added after taking a moment to admire Abigail's beauty.
Chad told Abigail that Gabi and Rafe weren't going to be able to attend the wedding, but he kept the details vague, assuring Abigail that he would explain everything later. "Theo is gonna step in for me. As for maid of honor...I don't know. You're on your own," Chad apologetically added. Abigail said she would give the job to Jennifer, and everything would be just fine.
Chad presented Abigail with a gift: Thomas' birth certificate. Chad said he had gotten the birth certificate processed with the help of someone at the county clerk's office in Mammoth Falls, where Thomas had been born. "Since we weren't married, um, I had them enter Thomas' name as Deveraux. You're the best of both of us, and my last name hasn't done any -- hasn't done any good things for me through my life, so I didn't want him carrying it around the rest of his," Chad explained. Thomas cooed a bit, and Chad took that as the child's way of agreeing with his reasoning.
In the living room, Ciara assured Theo that he was going to do a great job as Chad's best man. Theo wondered if Ciara was going to celebrate her impending birthday with a party. Ciara said she wasn't really in the mood after everything that had happened lately. Theo argued that turning eighteen was a big deal and needed to be treated as such, but he failed to change Ciara's mind.
Changing the subject, Ciara urged Theo to follow her so they could find out where he would need to stand during the ceremony. Ciara wobbled a bit as she rose from her chair, and when Theo grasped her wrist to keep her steady, she recoiled and told him not to touch her. Ciara rushed off, and Theo followed her out to the garden. Theo tried to apologize, but Ciara assured him that he had done nothing wrong.
Ciara admonished herself for her "stupid" reaction to Theo's attempt to help her. Theo reasoned that it was understandably going to take some time for things to get better, but Ciara insisted that she wanted to just forget about "that freak" and move on with her life. "You were right. When my birthday comes around, I am gonna throw the biggest party that this place has ever seen," Ciara declared.
When Theo and Ciara returned to the mansion, Chad told the minister to go ahead and start the wedding ceremony. Doug, who had been warned not to trip earlier, did just that as he was walking Abigail down the aisle, eliciting good-natured laughs from everyone. At the end of the aisle, Abigail turned to face Chad -- and screamed in horror when she glanced over his shoulder and saw Ben standing out on the terrace, staring at her through the window.
At the abandoned warehouse near the airport, John and Eduardo finished drinking the unknown liquid and waited expectantly for Marlena and Arianna to be set free. On the opposite end of the warehouse, an elevator door opened again, revealing the captives. Marlena assured John and Eduardo that she and Arianna were fine.
Satisfied, John and Eduardo glanced at each other and silently agreed to make a move, but when they each took a step forward, the snipers fired more warning shots at their feet. "Move and you die. All of you," the distorted voice promised. The exit door swung open, and John instructed Marlena to flee with Arianna, assuring her that he and Eduardo would be fine.
"Now what?" Eduardo loudly asked after the exit door closed behind Marlena and Arianna. "Now, you go with these men," the distorted voice answered as two armed men advanced toward John and Eduardo. Meanwhile, shots rang out from an unknown location, prompting everyone to take cover. "Looks like someone's got our back," John told Eduardo after they dove behind a dumpster. "Rafe?" Eduardo guessed.
John and Eduardo retrieved their guns and tried to help out, doing their best to resist the effects of the drug cocktail they had been forced to drink. Eduardo eventually noticed a sniper that was trained on Rafe. With no ammunition left to take down the sniper, Eduardo jumped in front of Rafe just in time to shield him from the approaching bullet.
Rafe took out the sniper and told J.J. and Lani to hold their fire after realizing that no other threats remained. Rafe rushed over to Eduardo, who was bleeding from a bullet wound on the right side of his abdomen. Lani called for an ambulance while Rafe tried to tend to Eduardo, assuring him that everything was going to be okay. "What happened to him? What happened to him? Where's John?" Eduardo weakly muttered.
Gabi met Marlena and Arianna at the hospital and was relieved to hear that a pediatrician had given Arianna a clean bill of health. Marlena assured Gabi that Arianna hadn't found the experience terribly traumatic because she hadn't fully comprehended the danger that they had been facing. Gabi was eager to take Arianna home, and Marlena was equally eager to find out how John was doing, but before they could leave the hospital, a cop approached and informed them that Rafe had just instructed him to keep them at the hospital and not let them out of his sight for even a moment.
John awoke and found himself chained to a pole in a dimly lit room that contained a gurney, a bed, and a bunch of medical equipment that looked particularly menacing. A door opened at the far end of the room, and an elderly man slowly entered with the aid of a cane. "Who the hell are you?" John demanded to know. "Those who know me call me Yo Ling. But you may know me better as Timothy Robicheaux," the man hoarsely replied.
Still struggling against the effects of the drug, John muttered that it had to have been a hallucinogenic, since he could swear he had just heard the man claim to be his father. "Oh, you heard right. Do you recognize me? Look closely. The eyes? These are your eyes," Yo Ling said as he stopped in front of John.
