In the park, Kristen accused John of spying on her and Brady. Ignoring her, John picked up Kristen's flowers and asked, "So did you just dump Brady or are you going to marry him tomorrow?" Kristen yanked the flowers away from him and ordered him to go away. John asserted that they both knew that wasn't what she really wanted. "Why don't you tell me what you think I want, and I'll tell you if you're right," Kristen suggested with a seductive swagger of her shoulders.

A soccer ball slammed into the wall nearby, interrupting John and Kristen's conversation, and two little boys chased after it. While John returned the ball to the kids, Kristen flashed back to losing her baby years earlier. With John's back still turned, she removed something from her purse on the bench and held it behind her back.

When the boys left, John noticed the expression on Kristen's face and asked if she were all right. "You know, there was hope for us a long time ago, but it's so dead. It's never coming back, is it? I've done what I had to do. Now it's time to move on," Kristen stated. Stroking her arm, John said, "I don't think that you have moved on. And Brady...doesn't have to know." Holding John's gaze, Kristen surreptitiously dropped the folded piece of paper from her purse onto the ground behind her.

After a long, lingering look, Kristen smacked John across the face. "I'm going to marry Brady tomorrow. Nothing's going to stop me," she declared confidently. After Kristen stalked off, John rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "Yeah, that went well," he said to himself. John started to leave but spotted the piece of paper that Kristen had dropped.

John picked the paper up and unfolded it, revealing a confirmation from the Salem Inn. He wondered aloud whether Kristen had dropped it accidentally or on purpose -- although it didn't matter, because either way, he had what he needed. "So after tonight, Brady and Kristen will be finished -- forever," John declared, stuffing the confirmation into his jacket pocket.

Nick waited in an alley for Vargas, who scared Nick by sneaking up on him and clapping a hand on his shoulder. When Vargas asked what Nick had for him, Nick produced a duffel bag full of cash. Vargas was quite pleased when he counted the money. He offered a stack of bills to Nick as "commission," but Nick declined. Nick assumed that their business was concluded, but Vargas reminded him menacingly, "[Tripling my money] was a few days of work for you. I kept you alive for a few years. So this right here? This is a good start, see, but you and me, we're not finished, man. Not even close."

At the police station, Hope checked in with the guard outside Rafe's room and then informed Gabi that Rafe was safe. Gabi recounted the phone call she'd overheard E.J. making the night Rafe had been attacked, but Sami vehemently maintained that E.J. hadn't beaten Rafe up. Hope agreed, pointing out that whoever had attacked Rafe had been trying to kill him. Gabi reminded Sami that it wouldn't be the first time that E.J. had tried to kill Rafe.

"Everything is different now," Sami asserted. Incredulous, Gabi recounted, "Rafe tries to protect you, and E.J. goes after him. Rafe tries to protect Nicole, and E.J. goes after him. There's a pattern, Sami!" Hope suggested that perhaps Sami should leave, but Gabi continued that Rafe had put his life on the line to protect Sami and Sydney -- but the DiMera money and power were obviously more important to Sami than Rafe's life.

Sami reminded Hope that Gabi was pregnant and emotional -- and looking for someone to blame. Gabi interjected that she blamed herself, because Rafe would never have been in that alley if she hadn't asked him to get her a muffin from Martha's. Hope's ears perked up, and she began looking through the case file on her desk. Softening, Sami tried to reassure Gabi that it hadn't been her fault.

Hope informed Gabi and Sami that the police had not found anything from the bakery at the scene. Gabi's expression clouded as she remembered Nick arriving at the Brady Pub with a bag from Martha's Muffins. Sami caught it and asked what was wrong. "What's wrong is that the DiMeras had my brother beaten up and that no one's going to do anything about it," Gabi spat, then turned and left.

Sami told Hope that E.J. had sworn he hadn't had anything to do with the attack on Rafe. "And E.J.'s never, ever lied to you before, right?" Hope said, adding, "E.J. could have a bullet-ridden corpse at his feet and a smoking gun in his hand, and you'd still buy that he was innocent." As Hope left to pick up Ciara, she urged Sami to keep her own children safe. After Hope had gone, Sami tried to convince herself, "It couldn't have been E.J."

Ciara was alone in Horton Square, looking at her picture of Kristen and Sy, when Nicole found her. Nicole asked what Ciara had, but Ciara firmly replied that it was private. Caroline showed up just then with Johnny in tow and chided Ciara for running ahead. Ciara quickly stashed the envelope back in her backpack.

Johnny and Ciara played together on a bench, and Caroline and Nicole caught up while watching the kids from a table in the café. Caroline explained that Paula, the kids' regular babysitter, had taken Sydney and Allie for ice cream. The women agreed that what had happened to Rafe was horrifying. Nicole informed Caroline that Eric had given last rites to Rafe, and Caroline corrected her that the church had started calling it the sacrament of the sick.

Nicole expressed her gratitude that Eric had been there for her at the hospital. Caroline said that she hadn't been surprised when Sami had fallen for Rafe because he was a lot like Eric -- plus they were both "killer handsome." Nicole gasped with mock shock, but agreed because she thought that Eric and Rafe were both good men. Caroline declared, "That's why I think Sami is an idiot." She quickly retracted it, adding that Nicole was lucky because she and Eric were just friends.

Later, Johnny put something back into his backpack and demanded, "Come on, Ciara. I showed you my secret. What's in the envelope?" Clutching the sticker-covered envelope tightly, Ciara told Johnny that he couldn't see it because it wasn't for boys. Johnny distracted her and tried to grab the envelope, but she gripped it fiercely. "No, don't look! You can't look!" Ciara shrieked as they tussled for the envelope.

Caroline rushed over and demanded to know what was going on. She chided the children, but Ciara insisted that Johnny had started it by trying to steal her things. Johnny eyed Ciara's backpack while Caroline fixed Ciara's hair.

When Hope arrived to pick Ciara up, Johnny said, "Bye, Ciara. I'm sorry I made you mad!" He snickered to himself as Hope and Ciara left.

Hope took Ciara back to the police station, where the document that Ciara had stashed was still hidden in the bookcase. The little girl whined that she hated it there, but Hope reassured her that they would go out for pizza in a little while. Hope answered her phone when it rang. "What prisoner? No, I never received any paperwork on that," Hope said as she hurried to her computer, while Ciara pulled one of the stickered envelopes out of her backpack.

Brady ran into an upset Marlena in front of the Brady Pub and asked her what was wrong. Blinking back tears, Marlena whirled on Brady and angrily declared that she didn't want to discuss it with him. As she started to storm off, Marlena ran smack into Eric, who could immediately tell that she had been crying. He pulled his mother into his arms and glared at Brady. "So what have you done now?" Eric asked Brady.

Inside, Marlena assured her son that although things weren't going well, she was not giving up on John. Eric offered to take Marlena home, but she wanted to wait to see if Caroline had any news about Rafe. Brady wanted to, as well, because he hadn't gotten a chance to go to the hospital yet. "Well, of course you haven't, because you're busy making the biggest mistake of your entire life," Marlena declared.

Brady maintained that John was the one in the wrong, but Marlena argued that John was only acting out of love for Brady. When Brady suggested that John was jealous of what Kristen and Brady had, Marlena burst out laughing. Turning to Eric, Brady pointed out that in the Bible, Paul said that love was patient and kind -- not envious, angry, or resentful. "My dad is none of those things, and if you knew what was good for you, you would give up on him just like I have, Marlena," Brady declared. Refusing to take the bait, Marlena left.

Eric urged Brady to stop making judgments about John, since the same things could be said about Brady. Brady bristled. "I'm not speaking to you as a priest but as your brother: I think you're an idiot," Eric declared. Brady stated softly, sincerely, that he hadn't intended to hurt Marlena. He added that it didn't feel like he was pushing people away; it felt like they were pulling away. Brady implored Eric to go to the wedding.

"I can't do that to my mother. I'm sorry," Eric asserted before getting up and leaving. Eric brushed right past Nicole as she walked in with only a quick greeting. Nicole asked Brady, "What was that all about?" Brady didn't want to talk about it, so Nicole produced a wedding gift from her bag. She made a joke about the size of the wedding, and Brady's mood darkened again. He declared, "If my dad and his wife don't want to see me get married, then that's fine. I don't really give a damn about them."

An understanding Nicole stroked Brady's hand, noting, "But you do care about your brother. Is he coming?" Without answering the question, Brady got up and left -- forgetting Nicole's gift. She called after him but remarked to herself that perhaps she could get something better.

Nicole went to St. Luke's and told Eric that she would like to repay him for everything that he'd done for her. She asked if he were attending Brady and Kristen's wedding, but Eric replied that he was not. Nicole pointed out that Brady wouldn't have any family there besides Victor and Maggie if Eric didn't go. "Brady will be fine. He's got Kristen," Eric asserted.

When Brady arrived at the DiMera mansion, Kristen rushed into the foyer to kiss him and thank him for giving her some time to think. "Now I know for sure what I really, really want is to marry you," she declared between kisses. She added that she was certain that the next day would be the happiest day of her life. Observing Brady's downcast mood, Kristen asked what was wrong. He admitted that he had seen his dad. Brady suspected that John had been following them earlier and asked if Kristen had seen John, as well.

Kristen claimed that although she had seen John, she had ignored him. Brady confided that he had also run into Marlena, who had obviously been crying but who was refusing to give up on John. Kristen expressed her hope that after the "wedding drama" was over, John and Marlena would fall back in love. Brady seemed skeptical that was what Kristen really wanted, but she assured him that she could afford to be generous because she was about to get everything she'd ever wanted.

After Brady got a phone call, he reluctantly informed Kristen that he had to leave. She promised to keep the champagne chilled for him, and Brady teasingly urged her not to change her mind again. After Brady had gone, Kristen declared, "I'm not going to change my mind, Brady, because if I did, then John and Marlena might end up back together. We can't have that, now, can we?"

When Marlena went back to the pub, Caroline had returned with Johnny. "I can't shake the feeling that Kristen is calling all the shots and there's nothing anything can do to stop her," Marlena confided to Caroline. "I don't know how much more of her manipulations you can take," Caroline said sympathetically. Meanwhile, Johnny was looking at the picture he'd swiped from Ciara's backpack. He quickly stuck it back in his backpack before anyone else saw it.

At Common Grounds, Will and Sonny looked at a map on Sonny's phone, comparing the location of the parking garage from which Nick had a receipt to the alley where Rafe had been attacked. Will concluded that Nick hadn't really had time to beat Rafe up and make it back to the garage, but Sonny wasn't so sure. Will didn't buy that Nick would have hurt Rafe that badly just to keep him from telling Gabi that Nick was homophobic.

"I don't think anyone knows what Nick might do if he was backed into a corner," Sonny asserted. He pointed out that Nick the computer genius could have fabricated the receipt. Sonny wanted to know if Will were going to talk to Hope about it, but Will wanted to talk to Gabi first to find out if she could prove or disprove Nick's alibi. Sonny and Will left for the hospital together.

E.J. approached Nurse Carla outside Rafe's hospital room and asked how Rafe was doing. She was reluctant to give out information to E.J., since he wasn't family. When E.J. pointed out that he was on the board and his family had donated a great deal of money to the hospital, Carla relented and informed him that Rafe's condition had not changed.

A man carrying flowers appeared in the hallway nearby and made eye contact with E.J. The man walked away, and E.J. followed.

Nick arrived at the hospital and asked Carla where Gabi was. Carla replied that she hadn't seen Gabi in a while. Although he was startled, Nick played it cool when E.J. greeted him. After an uncomfortable exchange, E.J. urged Nick to take good care of Gabi. Nick countered that it was not really E.J.'s concern, pointing out, "Besides, you know the arrangement that I have with Will. That matter is settled."

Just then, Gabi emerged from the elevator. She seemed dismayed when she saw E.J. and Nick talking. After encouraging Gabi to call him if she needed anything, E.J. left. Nick asked where Gabi had been, and she explained that she had gone to see Hope -- and Gabi had learned that the police hadn't found a bakery bag at the crime scene. She reminded Nick that he had gotten her the same kind of muffin that Rafe was supposed to have been taking to her.

Gabi added that Rafe had told her that he'd had something important to tell her about Nick. She asked if Nick knew what it was, but he lied that he had no idea. "Wait -- you don't think that I had anything to do with what happened to Rafe, do you?" Nick asked worriedly.

Will and Sonny arrived just then and asked how Rafe was doing. Nick replied that there had been no change, but he and Gabi needed to step outside to talk privately. As Nick led his reluctant wife away, the man with the flowers rounded the corner again. He stuffed the bouquet into a wastebasket and left. Sonny and Will agreed that what they'd witnessed between Gabi and Nick had been "a little off." Will noted that they could try to follow Nick and Gabi to find out what was going on, so Sonny and Will hurried out.

Sami sat alone at Common Grounds, sipping coffee and remembering some of the angry things that E.J. had said about Rafe -- and the violent things that E.J. had done to Rafe. E.J. arrived and startled Sami out of her thoughts. He greeted his fiancée with a kiss but quickly observed that something was bothering her. Sami got right to the point. "I want you to be straight with me: Did you have something to do with what happened to Rafe?" she asked.

As they walked through the square together, Nick tried to convince Gabi that the business with the muffins had merely been a coincidence. He insisted that when he had passed the bakery, he'd thought about all the times when Gabi had craved one of the muffins from there. Gabi pointed out, "The only reason that Rafe would have to, you know, go through that alley was if he had already stopped at the bakery and got me a muffin."

Just then, the mysterious man from the hospital showed up and greeted Nick by name. "It's funny; I recognized you even from behind. It's been a while, hasn't it?" the man said. When Gabi recognized the man from the pub, he somewhat sardonically noted that it was nice to be noticed. A clearly edgy Nick tried to escort Gabi away, but the man stopped them. His hand in his pocket, he pointed what looked like a gun at them.

"You and I, we have a lot of catching up to do. Looks like you've been busy. Don't you think we should go somewhere a little bit more private?" the man asked after eyeing Gabi's pregnant belly. Gabi asked Nick what was going on. "Jensen and I need to have a little talk. I'll catch up with you later," Nick told her as he tried to steer her out of the square -- but Jensen wouldn't hear of it. "I'm sure the pretty woman would love to hear all the things I have to say," Jensen declared ominously.