Days of our Lives Recaps: The week of November 30, 2015 on DAYS

Joey played cupid for Steve and Kayla. Brady resigned from Titan, and he and Theresa moved into their new house. Rafe stopped Hope from making a big mistake while she was questioning Dr. Malcolm. Belle agreed to help Sami. Shawn left Salem. Chad tried to save Abigail. Ben set the cabin on fire and left Chad and Abigail to die.

Rafe and Chad get a tip about Ben

Monday, November 30, 2015

by Mike

Hope followed Steve back to his room at the Salem Inn to continue interrogating him about Bo's captors. When Steve realized that Hope wasn't going to give up, with or without his help, he reluctantly advised her to search for Claudia, the woman who had pretended to be Britta Englund's daughter in order to lure Bo to Mexico. Steve promised to send Hope the information he had on Claudia.

Hope tried to convince Steve to team up with her, but he declined, opting to stay in Salem because he knew his family needed him to make them his top priority. Hope insisted that she was doing what she had to do for her family, adding that Shawn and Ciara needed her to avenge Bo's death. Steve argued that Hope's kids needed her -- in the flesh -- more, and he warned that she was considering heading down a road that could lead her to some things she wasn't ready to face. Hope left after stating that she would happily take that risk.

At the Brady Pub, Claire wondered why she and Shawn hadn't gone with Belle to see John and Marlena. Shawn hesitantly replied that he and Belle had agreed that it would be best for her to have some private time with John and Marlena first. Unconvinced, Claire said she knew that something was wrong because Shawn and Belle had been uneasy around each other lately and hadn't had a real conversation with each other in months.

Shawn conceded that he and Belle needed to talk soon, but he insisted that their conversation could wait because it had been a really long time since Belle had last seen John and Marlena. Claire abruptly backed down and apologized for giving Shawn a hard time. Shawn joked that Claire was simply payback for all the trouble he had caused his parents over the years, adding that, compared to him, she was a dream.

Shawn went to check on Caroline, and after he left, Ciara entered the pub and sat down at Claire's table. Claire didn't notice Ciara at first, prompting Ciara to guess that something was wrong. "Not really. I just think my parents are splitting up," Claire explained, adding that Shawn and Belle never even talked to each other anymore -- except in a fake way whenever she was around. Ciara complained that she hated how parents often tried to hide things from their kids. "Don't you just wish grownups would act grown-up?" Ciara mused.

Meanwhile, Caroline asked Shawn if Belle was going to be staying in Salem for a while. Wanting to make sure that Caroline didn't hear the news from someone else first, Shawn hesitantly admitted that he and Belle had been having problems lately. Caroline assured Shawn that all marriages were destined to hit a rough patch eventually, but he clarified that he was talking about more than just a rough patch. "I don't know if I can even be around her anymore," Shawn added.

Shawn wasn't sure what Belle was planning to do, but he informed Caroline that he was planning to head back home after Bo's funeral. "Heading home sounds a little like running away," Caroline observed. Caroline insisted that Shawn needed to stay and work things out with Belle. Shawn explained that he and Belle had already tried to do that, and he added that he didn't want to give her or Claire false hope. Shawn allowed for the possibility that everything that had happened had been his fault, but when Caroline tried to get him to elaborate, he said she didn't need to know the details. "It's just... It's just over," Shawn sadly concluded.

At John and Marlena's townhouse, John jumped to the conclusion that Shawn was to blame for his and Belle's marital problems, but Belle clarified that everything that had happened had been her fault. Belle explained that when she and Shawn had started drifting apart from each other, they had decided to settle in a small town, assuming that doing so would give them time to focus on each other and their marriage.

"But Shawn was busy all the time -- he was never there -- and Claire was getting all grown-up and didn't really need me, so I did something really stupid. I got involved with a man, and... What they say about small towns is true -- there are no secrets," Belle added with a weak chuckle. Marlena acknowledged that Belle and Shawn had a lot to work through but advised that they needed to remember how they had once felt about each other. "When we were soul mates? I thought we were. Now I think we were just dumb kids," Belle replied.

Marlena received a text message and apologetically halted the conversation so she could read it. "Is it her?" John asked, causing Marlena to tense. Laughing, Belle guessed she knew exactly who John was talking about. "You know, I come here, and I tell you that I just had an affair and that I'm probably getting a divorce, and Sami still upstages me, and she's not even here!" Belle joked with a hint of bitterness.

After apologizing for making light of the situation, Belle wondered if Sami was all right. Marlena hesitantly replied that Sami was in a bit of trouble, and John elaborated that it was financial trouble. "Wouldn't have anything to do with her last name, would it?" Belle asked. Marlena thought it would be best to keep the details from Belle, who took that as confirmation that her suspicion was correct. "I mean, it makes perfect sense; [if] you marry into the DiMera family, what could possibly go wrong?" Belle sarcastically mused.

At the DiMera mansion, Andre ended a phone call after receiving confirmation that all of Stefano's funds had been transferred out of his bank in Hong Kong -- and that the bank had no way of tracking where those funds had gone afterward. Andre started to urge Stefano not to give up hope yet, but Stefano interrupted and warned Andre not to bother trying to placate him.

Andre insisted that he'd had no idea what Sami had been planning -- and that he would have alerted Stefano if he had known. Andre maintained that he had only tried to deal with Sami on his own because Stefano had recently suffered a heart attack and hadn't needed the extra stress. Andre laughed off the idea that he had been trying to swindle Stefano and take control of the DiMera empire, but Stefano thought that was exactly what Andre had been trying to do. "And it was stupid -- and dangerous," Stefano growled.

Andre insisted that he knew, better than anyone else did, that it would be suicidal to try to cross Stefano. Andre added that Stefano wasn't the only one who cared about the importance of famiglia, stressing that it meant the world to him that he and Stefano were connected through blood -- and that he would never betray family. "How sincere that sounds. And how out of character," Stefano observed. Andre maintained that he was only trying to help Stefano, and he promised that they would find a way to discover the weakness in Sami's plan -- and they would then use that weakness to exact their revenge.

Later, Stefano contacted someone and instructed that person to find out if Sami had left the country -- and, if so, where she had gone. "With all my money," Stefano angrily muttered after ending the call. Meanwhile, Andre ran into Belle in the park. Guessing Belle had returned to Salem for Bo's funeral, Andre grabbed her hand and asked her to accept his sincerest condolences. Belle freed her hand from Andre's grip and stressed that she never wanted to have anything to do with him. Andre chuckled as he watched Belle walk away.

Ciara returned home just as Hope was loading her gun. Hope quickly hid the weapon behind her back, tucking it under the waistband of her pants and covering it with her shirt. Ciara didn't notice because her attention was focused on the suitcase Hope had left near the couch. Hope explained that she was headed out of town for a while to take care of something.

Ciara protested that Hope couldn't miss Bo's funeral, but Hope insisted that her mission was really, really important. Ciara wondered if it had anything to do with Bo. Hope dodged the question, not wanting to give Ciara any details. Ciara tearfully wondered if Hope was really going to make her go to the funeral alone. Backpedaling, Hope hugged Ciara and clarified that she had simply been preparing for a trip -- one she wouldn't take until sometime after the funeral.

Later, Hope had another vision of Bo while alone in the living room, toying with her gun. Hope apologetically explained to Bo that she wanted to make his captors pay but couldn't leave Ciara yet. Bo assured Hope that he understood. "If you can't get to Claudia, make her come to you," Bo advised before disappearing.

Steve went to Kayla's office and informed Kayla that Hope was still determined to go after Bo's captors. Kayla offered to try talking to Hope herself, but Steve thought that would be a bad idea because Hope was still upset that he had told Kayla about her plan. "Great. Just one more thing that I can do nothing about," Kayla complained with a sigh. Steve reasoned that Kayla was entitled to fall apart if she wished to do so, since she had just gotten her family through the worst Thanksgiving ever. Kayla insisted that she didn't want Steve to feel sorry for her, so he assured her that he didn't.

Kayla pointed out that she couldn't do anything about the mysterious messages she and Steve had been receiving lately, either. Steve suggested that he and Kayla might not have to do anything about the messages, since they didn't seem particularly threatening. Kayla agreed that it seemed like the messages were just intended to push her and Steve together. "So, great -- it's not a threat; it's just...weird," Kayla mused, and Steve added that it was also local, since the sender was obviously aware of their day-to-day activities.

Steve and Kayla remained unable to think of any possible suspects, but Kayla hated the idea of handling the matter passively, so she suggested that she and Steve could stage a public fight instead of just waiting for the next message to arrive. Steve joked that he didn't think it would be possible for Kayla to convince people that she was upset with him, but she countered that he had been turning her world upside down since the moment he had returned to Salem. Realizing that Steve was just pushing her buttons, Kayla observed that he seemed to enjoy doing so, and he admitted that she might be right about that.

Steve wondered if Kayla could remember a time when they had gotten along with each other. Kayla claimed that she couldn't, but Steve said he could, adding that when they'd had problems in the early stages of their relationship, they had always sorted them out over long walks together. Kayla said she couldn't do that because she had a reception to go to later, during which she would need to charm some important, wealthy people into donating money to the hospital. Steve wondered if Kayla was up for that kind of event, and she confirmed that she needed to stay busy.

Kayla tried to print something, but her printer was out of paper. Muttering that she had just filled the printer with paper recently, Kayla excused herself so she could grab another pack of paper from the supply closet. "Looks like we'll take that walk, after all," Steve mused as he followed Kayla out of the office.

While helping Kayla retrieve a box from the highest shelf in the supply closet, Steve suggested that they could tag-team their stalker with frequent text messages from each of them. Kayla agreed, and as she grabbed a couple packs of paper from the box, the door to the supply closet shut behind her and Steve. When Steve tried to open the door, he discovered that it was locked. Joey stood on the other side of the door, watching for passersby as Steve called out for help.

Ben returned to the cabin after burying Wendy's body, complaining that it had been a difficult task because the dirt had been like cement. Abigail insisted that it had been unnecessary for Ben to kill Wendy, but he disagreed, asserting that he couldn't afford to take chances on anyone he didn't trust -- or anyone who didn't trust him.

Observing that Abigail was looking at him like he was a bad person, Ben stressed that he wasn't, arguing that a bad person wouldn't have said verses at Wendy's grave to commend her soul unto heaven. Abigail pointed out that Wendy might have had a family, but Ben countered that he had killed Wendy in an effort to look out for his family. "She would have told the cops, [and] they would have called the FBI, and then all three of us would have been in trouble. We'd all be under fire. You ever hear about Waco? Ruby Ridge?" Ben wondered.

Before Abigail could respond, Ben realized that, in those examples, the people who had been under siege had doomed themselves when they had decided to stay and fight instead of making a run for it when they'd had the chance to do so. Ben insisted that he and Abigail needed to immediately flee the small town in which they were hiding, before its tight-knit community started to notice Wendy's disappearance.

Abigail protested that the baby was too weak and wouldn't survive the move to a new location. "I find it interesting that you're already using our child to get what you want," Ben mused. When the baby started to fuss, Ben blamed Abigail, who suggested that the baby simply wanted his father. After Ben took the baby from Abigail, she began trying to reason with him, but he insisted that she had only herself to blame for everything that had happened. "I loved you. I would have done anything for you, but you kept lying, over and over again, and you kept having sex with Chad," Ben added.

"[Our child] deserves better than you. He doesn't deserve a lying, cheating, selfish whore of a mother like you," Ben spat. Abigail insisted that Ben couldn't harm her because the baby wouldn't survive without her. Ben conceded that Abigail was right but maintained that he and the baby were leaving immediately, with or without her. Abigail reluctantly agreed to go with Ben, but when he handed the baby back to her so he could start packing, she happily observed that it was snowing quite hard outside, meaning they would have to stay at the cabin for a while longer. "First thing in the morning, we are disappearing -- forever," Ben stressed.

Chad went to the police station and informed Rafe that he had checked every hospital within a fifty-mile radius, and none of them had treated a woman matching Abigail's description recently. Rafe reported that he hadn't gotten any leads from the APB, either. Chad started to take his frustrations out on Rafe but apologized when Rafe reminded Chad that he was risking alienating the one person who was actually trying to help him.

A short time later, Rafe received a call from someone who had recently spotted a man matching Ben's description in Mammoth Falls -- along with a midwife named Wendy Taylor. Rafe contacted the Mammoth Falls police department and asked them to check every hotel, bed-and-breakfast, and cabin in the area. Chad was eager to head to Mammoth Falls, but Rafe reported that there was a monstrous snowstorm headed right for that town, and, as a result, the roads leading into it were closed. Rafe said that Chad had done everything he could possibly do, and he needed to leave the rest up to the police in Mammoth Falls.

"No. I'm not leaving it up to someone else, Rafe. No. I'll take that bastard out myself," Chad insisted as he stormed off.

Steve and Kayla grow closer

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

by Spalding

Steve walked with Kayla to the supply closet, unaware that Joey was following them. Once his parents were in the closet, Joey closed the door and locked them in. As Steve and Kayla called out for assistance, Joey walked away. Since Kayla had left her phone at her desk and Steve's phone was out of power, Steve started to bang on the door. Kayla noted that Steve's effort was useless, since they were in the administrative wing late in the day, and the janitor would not be around until the end of the evening.

Frustrated, Steve banged against the door with his shoulder, knocking over a bottle of floor cleaner in the process. As Steve wrestled with the door, the timer on the lights in the closet ended, leaving the couple in the dark. Kayla was frustrated that she was missing her fundraiser. As Kayla grew woozy, Steve realized that the floor cleaner he had spilled was giving off fumes. Both Steve and Kayla moved to sop up the chemicals with towels. Steve gently guided Kayla to the corner. Kayla giggled as Steve mopped up the fluids and placed the towels in a plastic bag.

After a few moments, a panicked Kayla started to bang on the door and plead for help. As Kayla started to hyperventilate, Steve calmed her down. The fumes accumulated, and the two grew punchy. Steve talked about his new partnership with John. Kayla laughed when Steve mentioned that the new business was going to be called "Black Patch." Steve said he and John were the two amigos. Laughing, Kayla pointed out that there should be three amigos. Steve's smile fell away. Steve noted that Bo should have been the third amigo.

Shivering, Steve noted that the room was turning cold. Kayla explained that the heat was turned down in the evening to save energy. Steve put his jacket around Kayla's shoulders then rubbed her hands to warm her up. As Steve put his arms around Kayla, she smiled shyly. Kayla looked into Steve's eyes, and they kissed. The kiss grew more passionate, and Steve pushed Kayla against the shelf, knocking over more supplies. As the moment grew more heated, an orderly opened the door to the closet.

Blushing furiously, Kayla explained that they had been locked in the closet. Kayla handed Steve his jacket, and she rushed out of the closet into the hallway. Steve gave the orderly a fist bump as he walked past him. Steve chased after Kayla and assured her that she had scored points with the orderly. Laughing, Kayla thanked Steve for distracting her. As Steve reached out and touched Kayla's face, he said, "You're welcome, Sweetness."

Around the corner, Joey smiled and texted someone, "Success!" The mystery person texted back, "Excellent!! Time for the next step." Joey peeked around the corner at his parents as they walked together down the hall.

At the nurses' station, Fynn commented to Nicole that he had taught Daniel everything he knew. Nicole nodded skeptically, and Daniel agreed with Fynn as he walked over and joined the conversation. Fynn joked that Daniel was hopeless with women. Smiling, Nicole objected and said that Daniel was everything a woman would want.

After Nicole left for a meeting, Daniel noted that he had seen how Fynn had looked at Nicole. Fynn responded, "C'mon who wouldn't?" Daniel reminded Fynn that there was no competition to win Nicole.

After surgery, Fynn and Daniel bickered about who had been the more impressive surgeon. When Daniel commented that a nurse could have done Fynn's job, nurse Mona overheard and gave Daniel a withering look. When Daniel attempted to backpedal his comment, Mona scowled more. Daniel awkwardly backed away. Alone with Mona, Fynn introduced himself. Fynn asked Mona to show him around Salem.

After changing in the lounge, Daniel told Fynn that he would need to make up to Mona for his thoughtless comment. When Fynn suggested that Daniel should take Mona out to dinner, Daniel declined, noting that it would be inappropriate. Fynn asked Daniel if he was happy to spend the rest of his life with one woman. Daniel smiled. Fynn said he could not imagine settling down. Laughing, Daniel said life with Nicole was not boring.

As Theresa started to leave the Kiriakis mansion, Brady arrived home. Theresa explained that she had packed up her and Tate's belongings in preparation of her move out of the house. Theresa added that she would pick up Tate in the morning. When Theresa said goodbye, Brady explained that he had rented a townhouse for her and Tate. Theresa thanked Brady for his help. Theresa promised that she would work with Brady on a visitation schedule. Brady apologized, but Theresa assured him that she appreciated all Brady had done for her.

"Well, at least you'll be out of the line of fire. I mean Victor's not easy on his best day," Brady said. Overhearing, an annoyed Victor asked what Brady was talking about as he walked down the hall. Victor opened the door for Theresa, and she hurriedly left. When Victor commented, "Good riddance," Brady bristled. Victor reminded Brady that Theresa was a gold digger. Brady disagreed. Victor looked over his notes for Bo's funeral, and Brady suggested that Victor use his Thanksgiving toast for the eulogy.

When Brady asked Victor if Bo would have thrown Theresa out of the house, Victor growled that he did not want to talk about Theresa. Victor offered to think for Brady because Brady could not be trusted to make decisions about women. Brady asked Victor not to meddle in his life. When Brady pointed out that Victor's actions meant that Tate would be moving out of the house, Victor countered that Brady should sue for full custody. Brady refused.

Victor said he did not trust Brady's judgment if he refused to see the real Theresa. Brady shook his head no. When Brady refused to dump Theresa, Victor told Brady to choose between Theresa and his job and family. Brady offered to discuss the matter after the funeral, but Victor stressed that he would not change his mind. Nodding, Brady thanked Victor for letting him stay in the mansion.

"As much as I think this is your grief talking, I think it's about time that I grew up a little bit and leave home," Brady said. Victor told Brady that he would always be welcome in the house. Brady countered that he would not abandon Theresa.

Theresa wheeled her suitcase through the town square, and she smiled when she saw Anne sitting at the caf. Theresa invited Anne to join her for a drink. With a raised eyebrow, Anne gruffly asked Theresa if she was joking. Theresa said she had texted Anne all day. When Theresa asked if she could stay with Anne for a few days, since Anne was living in her old apartment, Anne turned her attention to her phone.

"So, I'm sorry, you're asking me for a favor?" Anne asked. Smiling, Theresa said yes. Anne countered that they were no longer friends. Theresa was surprised. Anne noted that Theresa had been too busy to spend time with her until she had been kicked out of her house. Anne warned Theresa that she would not let Theresa manipulate her. Theresa apologized, but Anne did not want to hear it. Anne reminded Theresa that she had helped her with Theresa's business questions then Theresa had abandoned her again when she was no longer any use to Theresa. Anne said she was done then she walked away.

Theresa chased after Anne. Theresa apologized for angering Anne, and she noted that she had been overwhelmed by Tate and work. As Theresa started to ramble on about her life, she stopped suddenly. Theresa apologized for being a lousy, self-absorbed friend. When Theresa promised to make it up to Anne, Anne held her breath and walked away.

At the police station, Gabi dropped off turkey sandwiches for the evening shift officers. J.J. said hello. Gabi asked if J.J. was there for class. J.J. said he was at the station to use the resource center. J.J. invited Gabi to join him for a drink. When a giggling Gabi asked if he was asking her out on a date, J.J. said that he was not ready to date. Gabi admitted that she was not looking for anything serious either.

J.J. and Gabi walked over to the pub. As they perused the menu, Gabi talked about when she had worked at the pub. J.J. asked Gabi if she wanted to return to school. Gabi shook her head no. Nodding, J.J. said he could not return to school, either, because of Paige. After some awkward small talk, Gabi noted that the situation felt like a first date. The two laughed. J.J. and Gabi drank wine and talked about music.

Nicole met with Kate at the Brady Pub to talk about Basic Black. When Kate worried about finding a spokesperson, Nicole nodded at Paul, who was siting at the bar. Kate explained that she had worked with Paul at Mad World, but she had butted heads with him because of his history with Sonny and Will.

"I thought that was the worst that could happen to my grandson," Kate said wistfully. Shaking off her emotion, Kate confirmed that Paul had been a professional and that his contract was likely up for renewal at Mad World. Kate and Nicole approached Paul, and Nicole pitched the spokesperson job to Paul. When Paul noted that most of the clothing lines were for women, Kate looked over at Gabi.

Kate interrupted J.J. and Gabi's drinks to ask Gabi about whether she had considered the offer for a modeling job. As Gabi started to apologize for not calling, Kate noted that the offer was rescinded. Kate made a new offer for a spokesperson job with Paul.

Excited to get started, Kate, Nicole, and Paul took over the table. J.J. moved to the next table and smiled awkwardly over at Gabi. Kate, Nicole, Gabi, and Paul discussed the logistics of the upcoming campaign. When Theresa entered the pub, she was confused as she listened to the discussion. When Kate mentioned traveling to London, Gabi turned around and asked J.J. if he had lived in London. Smiling, J.J. said he had.

Theresa interjected to say that she had new designs, and Kate asked Theresa to send them to her. Theresa noted that she had a dress in mind for Gabi and that she would design a suit for Paul. With a nod, Kate agreed and added that they needed to send Gabi to a stylist. J.J. leaned over and whispered to Gabi that he would talk to her later. Before Gabi could respond, J.J. left the pub.

Gabi chased after J.J. into the square, and she apologized for her rudeness. J.J. assured Gabi that he understood, but he was not interested in the fashion world. Chuckling nervously, Gabi said she was not seriously asking J.J. to attend her events for Basic Black. J.J. suggested that he would like to hang out with Gabi in the future, and she agreed. J.J. awkwardly hugged Gabi.

Daniel met up with Nicole at the pub. When talk turned to Fynn, Nicole assured Daniel that she could handle Fynn. Daniel said he liked Fynn and that he was a good man. Nicole's eyes went wide as she looked at the door. Fynn entered the pub with Mona. As they sat in a booth, Fynn asked Mona if she was sure that she wanted to eat at the pub for her birthday. Smiling, Mona said the clam chowder was her guilty pleasure.

While Theresa walked through the town square, Brady called out to her. Noting the look on Brady's face, Theresa asked what was wrong. Brady explained that Victor had issued an ultimatum and that he was moving into the townhouse with Theresa. Theresa beamed. When Brady mentioned that he would also be looking for a job, Theresa's mouth fell open, and she was unsure of what to say.

Brady peeked into the grocery bag that Theresa was holding, and he commented on the junk food she had purchased. Theresa laughed as she said that she could only afford the cheap food, and Brady smiled at her. Brady told Theresa to head to the Salem Inn and talk to Don about a suite. Brady took the bag of groceries and asked Theresa to order room service. Theresa promised to pay Brady back because she did not want to be a "charity case." Brady told Theresa that he had faith in her talent.

Salem gathers to say goodbye to Bo

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

by ChickenGrrl

At the police station, Claudia waited at Hope's desk. Hope frostily greeted the woman and said she was Bo Brady's wife. Claudia politely asked about the reward that had been offered for information about the men who'd kidnapped Bo. Ignoring the question, Hope stated that Steve Johnson had informed the police that Claudia had lied about being Britta Englund's daughter to send Bo to the location where his captors had been waiting. Whipping out her handcuffs, Hope arrested a stunned Claudia, read her Miranda rights, and dragged her into the interrogation room.

Claudia insisted she hadn't known what the men had intended to do to Bo. Hope declared that Claudia was under arrest for accessory to kidnapping and accessory to murder. "But no one died!" Claudia protested. Her voice full of icy rage, Hope explained that Bo had died of cancer as a result of the kidnapping because he hadn't gotten the treatment he'd needed. Hope asserted that the only way Claudia could get out of the trouble she was in was to start talking about the men who'd paid her to lie to Bo.

"I know you want justice for your ex-husband, but I would rather die in prison than have those men after me," Claudia contended. "You want to know what they did to me for talking to Steve Johnson?" Claudia added, holding up both hands and revealing that she was missing her right thumb. Unmoved, Hope demanded to know what the man who'd cut off Claudia's thumb had looked like. Rafe entered and confirmed that Hope was doing things by the book. He offered Claudia something to drink, but she complained that she couldn't do anything with her wrists in the handcuffs.

While Hope stepped aside, Rafe removed Claudia's handcuffs and got her some water. He pointed out that unless the police knew what Claudia knew, they couldn't help her. Claudia immediately admitted to Rafe that after she'd talked Steve, a man had cornered her to get her and demanded she divulge what she'd told Steve. The man hadn't believed her when she'd claimed she'd lied to Steve, and that was when the man had taken out a knife.

A sympathetic Rafe asked if Claudia could describe the man who'd cut off her thumb. "I could never forget that face," Claudia said through clenched teeth. Rafe left to get the sketch artist. "What he said about keeping me safe -- do you want the same thing?" Claudia asked Hope, who'd been observing silently while Rafe had talked to Claudia. Hope just took off her glasses and stared at Claudia.

As a uniformed cop escorted Claudia out, presumably to a holding cell, Rafe reminded Hope that it was time for Bo's funeral. Hope was more concerned with avenging Bo's death -- with or without Rafe's help. Rafe gently pointed out that Hope's kids needed her, and at last Hope agreed. She got her purse and strode out.

Chase visited his father's grave and told Aiden about Bo's funeral, which many people plus nearly every police officer in the area would attend. Chase added that he hadn't had a funeral for Aiden because no one would have shown up. "Everyone in this town hates your guts, and because of you, they hate me, too," Chase lamented. "No, they don't. Not everybody," Ciara assured Chase as she appeared behind him.

Ciara apologized to Chase for "going off on" him and acknowledged that one couldn't choose their parents or how much they loved them. She added that since her dad had died, she understood how Chase was feeling. After Chase expressed his sympathy to Ciara, she asked him to accompany her to her dad's funeral. Chase sullenly pointed out that everyone there would only picture Aiden and what he'd done when they saw Chase. Ciara assured Chase that she wanted him to be there regardless of what everyone else thought.

Kayla, Roman, and Caroline were gathered at the Brady Pub before Bo's funeral. Kayla said Kimberly was stuck at the airport and probably wouldn't make it in time for the funeral. As Caroline went into the kitchen, Steve arrived. He tried to tell the others that he'd rented an SUV so more of them could ride together, but he broke down before he could finish. Kayla tried to comfort him with a hug. "I need you today," Steve said a little later as he took Kayla's hand. Kayla agreed, "I need you today, too."

Later, Bo's friends and family and some police officers congregated at the gravesite, where chairs had been arranged for the mourners. Hope took Ciara's hand as pallbearers Roman, Shawn, Steve, Rafe, Abe, and John carried Bo's casket and solemnly set it above the open grave. Chase arrived and sat in the back row as Father Louis began the eulogy. Caroline clutched the hand of a grim-faced Victor for strength. At the end of the service, Bo's immediate family, beginning with Caroline and Victor, placed a red rose on the casket. Instead of participating, Chase stood by to embrace Ciara when she and Shawn were finished.

Finally, Hope stood with her rose and stood for a long while in front of the casket. She was still there, holding the rose closely to her, after the other mourners had filed out. Slowly, Hope placed her rose on top of the others, and as her hand rested there for a moment, a vision of Bo appeared beside her and placed his hand over hers. The two beamed wordlessly at one another until Bo removed his hand and disappeared. Hope's expression transformed from one of grief to one of steely determination before she walked purposefully away from the gravesite.

After the funeral, everyone gathered at the Brady Pub. Marlena expressed heartfelt sympathy to Victor. In a corner, Chase and Ciara remarked on how quiet and sad the pub was. "Ciara, I don't think I can be here," Chase said. Ciara thanked him for going with her. After they hugged, Chase slipped out. As Caroline and Victor looked through a photo album, Victor affirmed, "[Bo] lived his life the way he wanted to. Caroline regretted Victor sending Bo to look for the drug for her, adding that the drugs had given her visions to help him, but they hadn't told her that he'd been sick.

Victor thought that the drugs hadn't caused Caroline's visions but perhaps the visions had been "a special kind of communication between a mother and a son who love each other very much." Victor urged Caroline not to blame herself for Bo's death but rather to hate the "bastards" who'd kept Bo from his family. Ciara knelt next to Caroline's chair and observed that the pub was really quiet, and Ciara didn't know where her mom was. Caroline assured Ciara that Hope would be all right.

Caroline stood up, marched over to the bar, and announced, "If my son Bo were here today, you know what he'd say? He'd say this party's tanking!" The tension broken a bit, the group chuckled. Caroline continued, "Victor reminded me -- Bo lived the life that he wanted... I think we should celebrate that." She declared that they should tell stories and listen to music while celebrating the time Bo had spent with them.

Caroline turned to Roman behind the bar and ordered, "Set me up!" Laughing, Roman poured his "Ma" a very generous shot of Irish whiskey then poured one for himself. Raising her glass, Caroline toasted, "To Bo Brady, a great man who loved his family more than life itself!" The others echoed, "To Bo!" Caroline downed her shot, impressing everyone in the room, which quickly filled with boisterous laughter.

Theo approached Ciara and told her that he was sorry about her dad, whom Theo had really liked. Ciara acknowledged that Theo understood how she felt. "I still miss my mom, but it does get better," Theo assured Ciara. She kissed him on the cheek and told him that if he said it, she believed it. Ciara headed over to see how Claire was doing. Claire expressed regret that she'd never really gotten to know her grandfather.

Shawn pulled Claire aside and informed her that Belle was going to move back to Salem with Claire, and Shawn was returning to Maine later that night. Claire flipped out, but Shawn reassured her that they would see each other frequently. Shawn tried to engage his daughter in a rendition of "Who's on first?" Claire participated for a moment but maintained that she couldn't do it when her dad was leaving that night. Putting his arms around Claire, Shawn assured her, "I love you, okay? Never forget that."

Belle left the pub and wandered into Horton Square. She got a text message from Sami that read, "Guess what, little sister? It's [your] lucky day," followed by a smiley face. Belle scoffed, "Yeah, right."

Steve headed back to Bo's grave and stared down at the huge spray of red flowers that had adorned Bo's casket. As Steve began to cry, Kayla arrived and embraced him from behind. They clung to each other as they sobbed. "You know he loved you like a brother," Kayla said, sniffling. "I guess I'm on my own now," Steve said sadly. Kayla reassured him that he didn't have to be alone, adding softly, "I think my brother would be happy to know that something good came out of today."

Hope returned to the police station, where a uniformed cop handed her the sketch artist's depiction of the man whom Claudia had described. Gazing at the picture of a balding man with a beard, Hope vowed, "I don't care what your name is. I'll get you." Meanwhile, a man who very closely resembled that sketch was enjoying a cocktail in Horton Square.

Rafe arrived at the station and remarked that Hope had never shown up at Bo's wake. Hope showed the picture to Rafe before she headed off to run it through the database. On her way out, Hope paused and cautioned Rafe against trying to stop her from what she intended to do. "I don't think the Packers' defensive line could stop you," Rafe quipped. Hope declared, "I could really use your support right now, because I am not going to rest until I get justice for my family."

Chad arrived at the office of the Mammoth Falls Midwifery Service and found it empty. Chad spied a photo of Wendy holding a newborn then began to search the office. After checking behind books and knickknacks on the shelves, Chad flipped through the planner and address book on the desk. He found a pad of paper and a pencil and started to write a note then he noticed the impressions left on the paper when the previous page had been written on. Chad grabbed the pencil and used the side of the lead to highlight the marks until he revealed Ben's phone number. Chad ripped the top page off and rushed out.

At the cabin, Abigail tried to soothe her crying newborn, to no avail. She fretted because she didn't know what the baby needed, but Ben coldly reminded her that they were snowed in. Abigail noted hopefully that the paramedics could probably get through, and the baby needed to be in a hospital that was equipped to care for preemies. "We're his parents, and we have to give him what he needs. Ben, you're his father. You need to put aside whatever you want and take care of your son," Abigail said as firmly as she could manage.

Disregarding Abigail's pleas, Ben took his son out of her arms and cradled him. Abigail gasped and pointed out that Ben was still holding the gun. Ben turned his back on Abigail and, in baby talk, told the infant that if he put the gun down, Abigail might try to run away, and the boy didn't even have a name yet. Abigail assured Ben that he could name the boy anything he wanted, but she didn't want Ben to take him away. "Ben, remember when you told me what it was like after your mom died? You don't want that for our son, do you?" Abigail asked.

Ben's expression changed as he recalled how, when he and Jordan had been on the run, she had never let him pick his own name, but he'd always wanted to call himself "Colin." Abigail said she liked the name, too, and she and Ben could name their son that. "Get us out of here, Ben, please. Ben, can we call 9-1-1? Can we get him to a hospital?" Abigail implored. When the tiny infant wouldn't stop crying, Ben handed him off to Abigail, who gently bounced the little one and tried to calm him.

Abigail placed the baby in a dresser drawer lined with blankets. When she turned away, Ben was right next to her, pointing the gun in her face. Although clearly terrified, Abigail asserted that their son needed her to survive -- to feed him and for her love. Staring Ben right in the eye, Abigail contended that he wouldn't be able to take care of the infant without her.

As Ben reclined on the bed, staring into space, Abigail observed that the gun was on the bedspread next to him and not in his hand. She moved very slowly toward him and quietly asked if he were thinking about what she'd said. Tentatively, as if fighting repulsion, Abigail inched her way to the bed and started to sit next to Ben, but he exploded. "Don't you touch me!" he bellowed, snatching up the gun and jumping off the bed. After leveling the gun at Abigail's face, Ben turned his head away as he warned her, "Do not even come near me. God! I can't even stand to look at you anymore."

Abigail cowered against the wall, never taking her eyes off the pistol. She moved away from the bed and toward the center of the room as she reminded Ben that he needed her to feed the baby. Ben snarled, "Why should I believe one word that comes out of your lying mouth? All you've ever done was sneak around behind my back. Well, that is never, ever going to happen again. I'm taking my son, I'm leaving, and I'm going to make sure that he never knows what a lying slut his mother was!" Sniveling, Abigail begged Ben not to shoot her. Just as Ben cocked the gun, Chad burst through the door.

Hope interrogates one of Bo's captors

Thursday, December 3, 2015

by Mike

Marlena ran into Belle at the pub and surmised that something was bothering her. Not wanting to let Marlena know that something was going on with Sami, Belle claimed that she was just upset because she couldn't do anything to help Shawn cope with the loss of his father, since she always seemed to just make things worse when she was around him. Marlena doubted that was true, but Belle said it felt like it was.

Marlena offered to cancel her scheduled meeting so she and Belle could catch up over cups of coffee. Belle seemed eager to accept the offer until she received a text message from Sami, instructing her to go to the park and wait there. Belle asked for a rain check and excused herself, leaving Marlena looking a bit concerned.

Shortly after Belle arrived at the park, a woman approached her. Belle recognized the woman as Marin, one of Sami's old friends, although it had been years since Belle had last seen Marin because Sami had stopped hanging out with Marin and another old friend, Jamie, after dropping out of high school and giving birth to Will. Belle recalled that Marin had attended one of Sami's weddings, and Marin joked that she actually might have attended two -- or ten. Belle thought Sami would be happy to see Marin again, but Marin clarified that Sami wouldn't be joining them.

Marin explained that she was a certified public accountant and had been helping Sami manage her money since Sami had asked her to set up a college savings account for Will years earlier. Marin added that when E.J. had grown estranged from his father, she had helped him establish some offshore bank accounts. Nodding, Belle guessed that Marin was the one who had established the offshore bank account that Belle had found out about earlier -- the one that was in her name and contained two hundred fifty million dollars.

Confirming the suspicion, Marin explained that Sami and the kids had been forced to leave the country kind of abruptly, and Sami had decided that Belle would be the best person to entrust with the money while they were gone. Marin stressed that no one else knew Belle had the money -- and it would stay that way as long as Belle kept her mouth shut, meaning she had no reason to fear that having the money would put her in danger. Belle wanted to know how Sami had acquired the money, but Marin only knew that it had been withdrawn from several different accounts.

"Oh, my God, Sami, why me?" Belle wondered with a groan before realizing that Sami had probably chosen her because, aside from Marin, she was the only friend Sami had. "She loves you. She knows she was pretty awful to you growing up. She thought it would mean something that she turned to you -- you know, sisterhood, the bond that --" Marin began. "Could get me killed or, likely, disbarred? Tell her I would have preferred a greeting card," Belle testily concluded.

Belle started to walk away, but Marin stopped her and stressed that Sami really needed her help. "Can she count on you?" Marin wondered. Belle pointed out that she hadn't really been given a choice in the matter, since the money was already in her account. Marin said she could transfer it elsewhere, although she added that she didn't really have any other viable options available. Sighing, Belle agreed to help Sami.

At John and Marlena's townhouse, Marlena called Sami and left a voicemail message for her, stressing that it was safe for her to return the call because John had confirmed that none of their phones had been bugged. Marlena added that she and John would keep Sami and the kids safe if they returned to Salem. Marlena also suggested that it might be best for Sami to return the money she had stolen from the DiMeras -- before anyone else got hurt.

Later, Belle returned, and when Marlena again guessed that something was bothering her, Belle snapped that she wasn't twelve years old anymore, meaning she could handle her problems on her own and didn't need to tell Marlena about every little thing that was going on in her life. Marlena watched with concern as Belle retreated to her bedroom.

Ciara returned home and found Hope sitting in the living room, staring at a sketch artist's rendering of Malcolm. Ciara suggested that it was too soon for Hope to go back to work, but Hope disagreed, stressing that she needed to track down the people who had held Bo hostage because he would still be alive if they hadn't done that.

Ciara pointed out that Hope couldn't be certain of that -- and it didn't matter, anyway, because punishing those people wouldn't change the fact that Bo was dead. Ciara complained that Hope was obsessed with finding Bo's captors and didn't care about anything else anymore. "This has taken over your life, and I hate it! I can't stand what it's doing to you!" Ciara added before storming off, ignoring Hope's attempts to stop her.

Jennifer went to the police station to talk to Rafe about Abigail, admitting that she was growing concerned because she hadn't heard from Abigail lately -- not even after she had left Abigail a message about Bo's death. Jennifer could tell that Rafe shared her concerns, so he confirmed that he had been searching for Abigail and had learned that she and Ben had recently been spotted in Mammoth Falls.

Jennifer wanted to head up to Mammoth Falls immediately, since it was only an hour north of Salem, but Rafe explained that it had been hit with a major snowstorm that had rendered the roads impassable. Rafe assured Jennifer that Abigail was probably fine and just couldn't use her cell phone because service was spotty up in the mountains. Rafe added that Ben wasn't likely to hurt Abigail because she was carrying his child. Rafe promised to contact Jennifer as soon as he had more to report.

At the Martin mansion, Julie checked on Malcolm, who confirmed that he had rested comfortably in one of the suites the previous night. Julie apologized for the lack of homey touches in Malcolm's room, explaining that she and her husband had recently purchased the property but had fallen behind on their efforts to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast because of a recent death in the family. "I don't know if you had a chance to look at the newspaper I left under your door. There was a lovely article in it about Bo. He was a bit of a local hero here, and... It's a shame you'll never have a chance to meet him," Julie added.

While preparing some tea, Julie noted that she had heard from Doug that Malcolm was thinking of relocating to Salem. Nodding, Malcolm said he found the place quite tranquil and the people quite nice. "Well, I could tell you some stories," Julie replied with a laugh. Meanwhile, Jennifer arrived to see Julie, who had asked for her help with something earlier. Julie led Jennifer to the foyer for some privacy and explained that she had wanted to consult with a public relations professional before starting a PalPage account for the Martin mansion because she was a social media virgin and didn't want to unintentionally commit some sort of awful faux pas.

Hope arrived at the police station in time to overhear Rafe asking someone to try to get the GPS coordinates for Chad's cell phone so he could track Chad down once the snowstorm ended. When Hope questioned the order, Rafe asked for her take on Ben. Hope was reluctant to answer, pointing out that her instincts hadn't been that great lately. Hope wondered what was going on, and Rafe replied that Jennifer was worried about Abigail. Rafe quickly added that he probably shouldn't have even said anything to Hope because everything was likely fine.

Hope was too preoccupied to press for more details, revealing that she had identified the man Claudia had described to the sketch artist -- Seth Malcolm, a man who was from Wales but had last resided on the Yucatn Peninsula, where Steve had found Bo. Hope added that, according to flight manifests, Malcolm had arrived in Salem two nights earlier and was likely still in town. Hope had already instructed someone to check Malcolm's credit card activity, but she admitted that the whole thing seemed almost too easy. Rafe agreed and urged Hope to be careful. Hope promised that she would be but added that she felt like Bo was guiding her hand.

"I want this scum erased from the face of the earth. I will not have Bo's death be in vain," Hope stressed. Rafe understood but suggested that the risk might be too great. Hope asserted that, for the sake of her sanity, she had to take that risk, because she couldn't go on with her life until she had avenged Bo's death. As Rafe continued trying to talk Hope out of going after Malcolm on her own, she checked her tablet computer and saw the Martin mansion's new PalPage account, complete with some photographs Julie had just uploaded -- including one of Malcolm. Rafe insisted on going with Hope to the Martin mansion, and she didn't bother trying to object.

After Rafe and Hope left, Lani received confirmation that the roads leading into Mammoth Falls had been reopened. Rafe had instructed Lani to head up there as soon as it was safe to do so, but before she managed to leave the police station, J.J. arrived and asked to see Rafe. Lani explained that Rafe had left earlier, and she added that she was also headed out. When J.J. realized that Lani was on her way up to Mammoth Falls to check on Abigail, he insisted on accompanying her. Lani reluctantly agreed to let J.J. tag along but warned that if she ended up getting in trouble for doing so, he would have to take his share of the blame.

At the cabin, Ben kept his gun pointed at Chad while complaining about how Abigail had cheated on him with Chad. Ben contemplated killing Chad and Abigail as punishment for what they had done to him. Ben ordered Abigail to hand over Colin, and after she complied, he argued that Colin was a poor, innocent child who needed to be spared from ever knowing anything about his "lying slut" of a mother and the man who had ripped apart their happy family. Ben added that he and Colin could just disappear and start fresh elsewhere, like he had done a dozen times before, and no one would ever find them.

Chad warned that Ben wouldn't be able to do that because Rafe knew all about what Ben had done, and he was on his way to Mammoth Falls to apprehend Ben. Ben believed that he could disappear before Rafe arrived, since Rafe would have to wait for the snowstorm to clear, but Chad protested that Ben couldn't survive with a newborn in the middle of a snowstorm. Ben took that as an insult because Chad had been tough enough to survive the snowstorm himself, but Chad pointed out that he hadn't been traveling with a premature baby.

Chad advised Ben to turn himself in and cut a deal, reasoning that Clyde had enough money to ensure that Ben would have the best available legal representation. "So I can be like a DiMera and never pay? Mm-mm," Ben replied. Trying a different approach, Chad guessed that Ben, who had grown up without a mother, wouldn't want Colin to go through the same thing. Scoffing, Ben mused that he was getting a lecture in selflessness from a guy who had always put himself first.

Conceding the point, Chad admitted that it was easy to see why everyone had been convinced that he had murdered multiple people. Chad added, however, that the cops hadn't been able to make any charges stick, despite plenty of evidence against him, because his father had known how to work the system. Chad offered to use Stefano's power to help Ben, stressing that his goal was to get everyone out of the cabin alive -- including Ben, because Colin needed a father. Chad explained that everyone believed that Aiden had been the serial killer, meaning the cops wouldn't have enough evidence to tie Ben to the murders -- as long as Ben didn't kill anyone else.

"The choice is yours, okay? Do you want your son to remember you as a man who got acquitted on bogus charges, or a monster who killed his mother?" Chad wondered. Chad urged Ben to put down the gun, and Abigail gently tried to help Chad reason with Ben. Ben told Abigail that he had wanted nothing more than to make a good life with her, and she assured him that it wasn't too late for him to do that. Ben disagreed with Abigail, insisting that it was far too late for them, but she clarified that she had meant that it wasn't too late for him to have a good life with Colin -- if he made the right decision.

Relaxing slightly, Ben handed Colin back to Abigail, but his temper flared again when he caught her making eye contact with Chad. Ben started shouting at Abigail, and Chad seized the opportunity to try to grab Ben's gun. After a brief struggle, Ben struck the back of Chad's head with the butt of the gun, knocking Chad out. "I should have dealt with this a long time ago. Whatever you two have going on, it's not love; it's a sickness, [and] the only way to cure it is to kill it. Even you wouldn't climb into bed with a dead man," Ben told Abigail before grabbing a nearby piece of rope and tightening it around Chad's throat.

Hope and Rafe took Malcolm to the police station for questioning. When shown photographs of Bo and Claudia, Malcolm claimed that he had never seen either of them before, but Hope didn't buy that -- and when he stuck to his story after being asked more questions, she lunged forward and started shaking him as she insisted that he was going to tell her what she wanted to know, one way or another. Rafe pulled Hope off Malcolm and explained to him that she was just distraught because she had recently lost her husband. Suggesting that it would be best to start over, Rafe politely offered to get Malcolm some coffee, and Malcolm accepted.

After Rafe left the room, Hope pulled out her gun, prompting Malcolm to guess that he was getting a good-cop, bad-cop routine. Hope clarified that she wasn't the bad cop -- she was "a grieving widow with a kick-ass aim." Hope emptied the chamber of the gun as she asked if Malcolm could guess what her favorite game was. "It's Russian," Hope hinted as she returned one bullet to the chamber.

Hope reassembled the gun and pointed it at Malcolm's head, wondering if he was ready to talk yet. Malcolm remained silent, holding his breath. Rafe returned just as Hope pulled the trigger, and she lowered the gun and watched numbly as Malcolm nervously exhaled, relieved that nothing had happened.

Ben leaves Chad and Abigail to die

Friday, December 4, 2015

by ChickenGrrl

Brady led Theresa into the new townhouse he'd rented, where the electricity hadn't been turned on and there was no furniture yet, except a crib in the nursery for Tate. Theresa and Brady agreed that it wasn't the Kiriakis mansion -- but that was a good thing. "Brady, I'm so grateful that we get to start again, all three of us," Theresa said. She asked Brady if she could paint the nursery. Brady agreed and suggested baby ducks. Theresa was touched that he'd remembered what she'd told him while they'd waited on her pregnancy test results.

Brady apologized for the way he'd treated Theresa and for not believing her. Theresa suggested that they decorate the living room in a jungle theme, and when Brady started to freak out, she laughed and assured him that she'd been teasing. Theresa remarked that she loved the fireplace and dreamily noted that she could almost feel its heat. Brady wrapped his arms around her from behind and murmured, "Me, too."

Theresa turned around and kissed Brady, and the moment quickly turned amorous. They began pulling off each other's clothes and gradually moved down to the floor, among the moving boxes. They made slow but passionate love by candlelight, on the floor. Afterward, as they leaned against a stack of boxes, Brady got a text message from Victor, who wanted to finalize Brady's exit from Titan.

Theresa regretted Brady losing his job, but he maintained that couldn't have allowed Tate to grow up in an environment where his mother was being mistreated. Theresa playfully suggested that Brady could take a more active role at Basic Black, and perhaps even replace Kate. Brady asserted that Theresa could handle Kate and have a successful collaboration. Theresa asked if she could order some furniture, and Brady assured her that he trusted her judgment.

Brady headed to the Kiriakis mansion to sign his exit papers. Victor asked if Brady were absolutely sure about what he was doing. Brady reminded his grandfather, "You told me I had to choose between Theresa and you. I've made up my mind; I'm not about to change it." Victor predicted that Brady would ultimately realize that he'd made a mistake, but Brady countered that Victor was the one who'd made a mistake.

Brady added that he understood that when Victor had lost his temper, he'd been grieving over Bo, but Brady thought Victor should apologize to Theresa. Victor scoffed, maintaining that he'd only been speaking the truth. "Mark my words: this woman is going to be your downfall," Victor warned. Brady asserted that he owed it to his son to make things work with Theresa. Victor reminded Brady that he had turned out all right after being raised by a single father. Brady pointed out that he'd become an addict, living under his grandfather's roof -- and his thumb.

"I'm a father now, and I'm done letting you control my life," Brady added. Victor reminded Brady that Brady had returned to drinking and drugs when he'd been with Theresa before -- and she had nearly killed Brady's father. Brady acknowledged that Victor didn't understand how Brady could forgive Theresa, and Brady understood that Victor was only trying to protect him out of love, but Brady needed to live his own life -- and that required putting some distance between him and Victor. Brady signed the papers and handed the file to Victor, who wished Brady luck.

After Brady left, Victor threw the file on the desk and spat, "Damn trollop!" Victor phoned his son and left a message: "Philip, call me as soon as you get this message. I need you to come back to Salem right away."

When Brady returned to the townhouse with takeout, Theresa had the baby with her while she set out plates on the floor. After joking about who was going to learn how to cook, Brady noted wryly that he needed to look for a job. He admitted that his dealings with Victor had been tough, since Victor had been there for Brady through some rough times -- but still Brady knew that he'd made the right move. Brady took Tate out of his seat and snuggled him, while Tate looked around, inspecting the new place.

Roman entered the Brady Pub on the pretense of wanting another slice of pecan pie, but Caroline knew that he was really there to check on her. She reassured her son, "I'm stronger than you think." Ciara showed up just then and confessed that she was worried about her mom. Ciara complained that she'd found Hope obsessing over "work stuff."

Roman and Caroline tried to reassure Ciara that her mom's behavior had nothing to do with Ciara, who cried, "I thought Mom and were supposed to help each other through this! I swear, it's like I don't even know who she is anymore! Grandma, I feel like I'm going to lose them both." Caroline explained that everyone had their own way of dealing with grief, and Hope's was obviously throwing herself into work.

Caroline urged Ciara, "You should try to talk to your mother again, because a hug from you might be the gift she needs right now." A grateful Ciara hugged Caroline. As Roman rose to walk Ciara out, he remembered that he'd found a money clip fat with cash, which he assumed belonged to Victor. Caroline promised to return the money to Victor. After Roman hugged his mother, he escorted Ciara out.

Caroline had remained cheerful while Roman and Ciara had been there, but as she cleared the table, the grief showed on her face. Suddenly, she had a vision of Victor on a sofa, clutching his chest in obvious agony. Caroline dropped the plate she was carrying, and her hands flew to her worried face.

Ciara headed to her dad's grave and placed a bouquet next to the large casket spray atop the marker. Crying, she said she'd convinced herself that she could live without him, but he'd finally returned, and she would have to live without him forever. "I'm so sorry I gave up on you. Why did you have to die?" Ciara asked pleadingly.

In the interrogation room at the police station, Rafe walked in as Hope began a game of Russian roulette with a terrified Dr. Malcolm. Rafe managed to wrest the gun away from Hope, who protested angrily that she was trying to get Malcolm to talk. Yanking on Malcolm by the lapels, she demanded that he tell them whom he was working for. Rafe pulled Hope off of Malcolm and shoved her out the door.

Rafe assured Dr. Malcolm that they weren't after him; they were after Malcolm's boss -- and if he told them what had happened with Bo's imprisonment, Malcolm could walk out of there. "Oh, I'm going to walk out of here, all right. You dragged me down to the police station, you advised me not to contact an attorney, and then your partner assaults me. I may not know much about your criminal justice system, but if I choose to act like a litigious American, I can assure you I won't be the one who ends up in jail, detective."

Rafe apologized for Hope, who was clearly out of her mind with grief. Rafe tried to prevent Malcolm from leaving, but Malcolm threatened to call his lawyer and tell him exactly what had just happened. Rafe reluctantly let Dr. Malcolm go. On his way out, Malcolm warned Rafe, "You'll still be hearing from my attorney, copper."

When Dr. Malcolm walked into the squad room, Hope was angrily punishing her desk. She warned Malcolm not to return to the bed and breakfast, though he was disinclined not to. In a threatening whisper, Hope declared that she would get the answers she needed -- no matter what. Unconcerned, Malcolm strolled out.

Rafe returned to the squad room and silently returned Hope's gun. "Next time you offer to help, remind me to tell you to go to hell," Hope hissed. Rafe pointed out that Hope couldn't get information out of a dead guy, but she insisted she hadn't planned to kill Malcolm. Hope snapped that Malcolm had been just about to crack when Rafe had walked in and ruined everything. Rafe countered, "Do you want Ciara to have any parents at all?"

Rafe said gently that he was sorry for what Hope was going through. When she became argumentative, he lowered his voice but angrily warned her that if Internal Affairs got involved, he wouldn't be able to protect her. Hope insisted that she would be worried about her entire family while Malcolm and the person responsible for killing Bo were walking around free. "Why did Malcolm come to Salem? Oh, that's right -- we'll never find out, because he's not here anymore," Hope noted snidely.

Hope asserted that they didn't have forever to find out what had happened -- and she had promised Bo that she would get justice for him. "That's not what he wanted," Rafe said. Softening, Hope tearfully begged Rafe to tell her what exactly Bo had told him. A reluctant Rafe revealed that Bo had asked him to look out for Hope. Slamming her fists against Rafe, Hope cried, "Why didn't you tell me?" She added through mournful tears that she didn't need anyone to look after her. Pulling her close to him, Rafe asserted that Hope was one of the strongest people he knew.

Hope insisted that what she'd gone through was nothing compared to what Bo had endured, and nothing would stop her from getting justice for him. Rafe said he was there for Hope, but if she endangered herself, he would have to tell Roman. Hope argued with him, but Rafe said he refused to let her ruin her life. "Don't you understand? How can you ruin what's already been destroyed?" Hope cried, burying her face in her hands. Putting his arm around Hope, Rafe assured her that, despite her heartbreak, her life was not destroyed, and she still had a lot to live for.

Rafe encouraged Hope to get help, but she refused. "This is my grief. It's mine. I will not share it with anyone," Hope insisted sorrowfully. Her tone shifting to anger, Hope asserted that the only thing that could help her was finding out who was responsible for Bo's death -- and she absolved Rafe of his promise to Bo to take care of her.

His shoulders slumping helplessly, Rafe insisted that he'd also made the promise to Hope because he cared about her a great deal. Hope pulled on her jacket and warned Rafe to "back the hell off." As Hope headed for the door, Rafe demanded that she turn over her gun. Challenging him with a hard stare, Hope reminded Rafe that he wasn't her superior. She turned and marched out. Rafe appeared about to cry as he picked up the phone and dialed Roman. "Listen, we've got a big problem," Rafe stated.

Hope returned home and unloaded her revolver as she gazed solemnly at a photo of Bo. Ciara arrived a bit later and found her mom cleaning her service weapon. "Hey, Mom, about earlier -- can we talk?" Ciara asked hesitantly. Hope put her arms around her daughter and reassured her, "Yes, I would love that, honey." Before they could begin talking, however, Roman knocked on the door. He asked Ciara if he could speak with Hope, so Ciara headed upstairs. Roman confirmed that he'd talked to Rafe.

In Horton Square Malcolm made a phone call: "I hate to tell you this, but I was picked up by the police this evening... Yes, it seems that they know of my involvement with Bo Brady... Of course, I kept my mouth shut! It was rather a harrowing experience, though... I had to make sure that they wouldn't detain me by threatening legal action... No, they don't know I'm connected to you, although they did want to know who I was working for... Well, what would you have me do?" Rafe peered around some bushes, apparently eavesdropping on Malcolm's phone call.

At the cabin, Ben straddled a barely conscious Chad and tugged hard on a rope he'd wrapped around Chad's neck. As she held on to a wailing baby Colin, Abigail begged Ben not to kill Chad. Hysterical and desperate, she warned Ben that Stefano would kill him if Ben killed Chad, and she wanted Colin to have a father. Ben furiously ordered Abigail to make the baby stop crying. Finally Ben stopped choking Chad and pointed the gun at Abigail.

Chad urged Ben to let Abigail and Colin go, since Chad was the one Ben wanted to kill. Ben removed the rope from around Chad's neck and used it to bind Chad's hand behind him. Ben ordered Abigail to swaddle Colin tightly to get the boy ready to travel. While Abigail wrapped a fussy Colin in some sheets and an afghan, Ben forced Chad onto the bed. "I hope you're coming with us," Abigail said. Ben snapped that he would never leave his son. When Abigail said that she and the baby were ready, Ben held out the chain handcuffs he'd held her with and ordered her to cuff herself to Chad.

Confused and frightened, Abigail stammered, "I thought you were letting us go." Ben repeated his order and shoved the cuffs toward Abigail while keeping his gun aimed at Chad. Abigail firmly refused, reminding Ben that Colin needed to be fed every two hours, and there would be no open stores that sold formula -- and Colin would die. Ben picked Abigail up despite her screams of protest and threw her onto the bed next to Chad. "Come to your lover now. That's what you always wanted!" Ben shouted.

Chad cautioned Ben that the baby needed breast milk and would get sick without it. Ben handcuffed Abigail to the bed and chained her ankle to Chad's. Sobbing, Abigail implored, "Ben, please! I love you! Don't do this, Ben, please!" His gun pointed at Chad and Abigail, Ben calmly maintained that he and the baby would be fine -- plus Ben was very good at disappearing. "But you will not be fine," Ben warned, picking up a bottle of lighter fluid that had been left next to the wood stove.

Ben began to pack his and the baby's things, his back to the bed. Attempting to appeal to Ben's previous feelings for her, Abigail reminded him about how they'd met, when he'd told her that he loved her the first time, and when he'd asked her to move in with him. "I always felt like you were unlike any man I've ever been with. You were so sweet and charming," Abigail said, adding that she had fallen more in love with him every day they'd been together. Ben appeared to soften a bit at the memories.

Meanwhile, Chad furtively looked around for a way to escape and used his watch to try to cut through the rope binding his hands. Abigail asked what had happened to the kindhearted man who'd wanted to be a social worker. "That guy's gone. You destroyed him," Ben said coldly. He walked to Abigail's side of the bed and said that all he'd wanted was for her to love him, but she had ruined everything -- with Chad. Sobbing, Abigail apologized and insisted that she hated herself for what she'd done.

Ben shouted that Abigail had lied to him, because it couldn't be any clearer to him that she wanted to be with Chad. "So now you can be, forever and ever," Ben said, taking out a metal cigarette lighter, flicking open the lid, and watching the flame burn. Chad tried even more urgently to free himself. As Ben squirted lighter fluid all over the bed, a panicked Chad and Abigail pleaded with him to stop.

"Colin needs me, Ben! You don't even have a car seat!" Abigail implored. "This is all your doing, Abigail, not mine," Ben replied. When the lighter fluid container was empty, Ben tossed it aside and picked Colin up. He grabbed his bag and headed for the door -- but first he turned and flicked open the lighter, ignited it, and tossed it onto the bed. The bedding immediately started to go up in flames.

Chad and Abigail backed away as the blaze grew and struggled even more desperately to get free, begging Ben not to leave them. As he gently bounced baby Colin, Ben stared at Abigail as he said, "Say goodbye to your ex-mama. Bye, Mama!" Ben left, closing the door behind himself, while Chad and Abigail frantically screamed for him to return and free them.