Days of our Lives Recaps: The week of August 5, 2013 on DAYS

Kristen managed to elude Eric and Daniel before they could speak to her. Jennifer made a bold move to get back together with Daniel, but her terms infuriated him. Marge visited Sami in jail. Marlena had a fight with Kristen and attacked her. Nicole continued to hide her feelings for Eric. Chad learned that he was dying.

Monday, August 5, 2013

by Mike

At the Horton house, Jennifer told Brady that if he decided to give Kristen another chance, he needed to go into the relationship with his eyes wide open. Brady thanked Jennifer for her honesty, and she excused herself so that she could get back to work. Brady admitted that he would probably be tempted to commit some sort of felony if he were forced to work with Anne every day.

Jennifer jokingly replied that the thought had crossed her mind, adding that her new assistant also inspired felonious thoughts. Brady guessed that it was probably difficult for Jennifer to work with Daniel every day, but she pointed out that she and Daniel were both professional adults. Brady stressed that Daniel loved Jennifer, but she insisted that, while she didn't want to lose Daniel, she had to do what was best for J.J.

At the park, J.J. guessed that Theresa's mystery man was some loser whom she had met at a dive bar, but she insisted that he was wrong. Theresa bragged that her mystery man was an extremely successful and well-known member of Salem who had a very prestigious job, but before she could elaborate on the man's career, J.J. interrupted and said that he didn't care. Theresa observed that J.J. had seemed interested a few minutes earlier.

J.J. wondered why Theresa was hanging out with him instead of her supposedly wonderful mystery man. Theresa reminded J.J. that he had promised to get some cocaine for her, dismissively adding that sending a boy in to do a man's job had clearly been a mistake. "Oh. So next time you need a fix, why don't you call your amazing new boyfriend and leave me the hell alone?" J.J. suggested before walking away.

J.J. returned to the high school, where Rory deduced that J.J.'s date with Theresa hadn't gone well. J.J. claimed that he had simply decided that Theresa wasn't his type. Meanwhile, Bev approached J.J., who asked if she would like to hang out with him later that night. Bev eagerly accepted J.J.'s offer as Cole, Bev's supposed boyfriend, jealously watched them.

After Bev left, Cole warned J.J. to stay away from her. J.J. confidently stated that Bev wasn't interested in Cole, and he urged Cole to get over it. "He should know he's screwing with the wrong guy, okay?" Cole told Rory after J.J. walked away.

At the hospital, Theresa rushed into Jennifer's office and started to offer an excuse for her extended absence, but Jennifer interrupted and revealed that she knew that Theresa had never made it to the human resources department earlier. Theresa claimed that she had been helping her family at the Brady Pub, but Jennifer was unmoved.

Sick of dealing with Theresa, Jennifer cryptically stated that Theresa was no longer going to be her problem. Jennifer placed a phone call to Anne, who agreed to meet Jennifer and Theresa in Jennifer's office. "You're getting exactly what you wanted. I am not gonna inconvenience you anymore with my little pesky requests for you to get your job done...'cause you're not gonna have a job anymore," Jennifer told Theresa after ending the call.

Theresa protested that if she lost her job, she would have to return to Los Angeles, where she would be greeted with a lot of legal stuff that she would prefer to avoid dealing with. Theresa added that her parents would be upset with her, but Jennifer suggested that Theresa should have considered those things before she had decided to try to win the award for the worst employee of the year.

Theresa theorized that Jennifer would be easier to get along with if she had a man in her life. "You think it's hell working for Anne? You are so uptight and prissy all the time, it's no wonder you can't hang on to a man! I mean, seriously, how can anyone stand to be around you? I mean, you're -- all the time, you don't laugh, you don't smile, you don't know how to have any fun, and it is a total downer just to be in your presence," Theresa snapped at Jennifer.

Anne, who had overheard Theresa's rant about Jennifer, interrupted and wondered if everything was all right. Jennifer nodded and abruptly excused herself, leaving Anne to deal with Theresa alone. Anne noted that Theresa and Jennifer seemed to be at odds with each other. "Yeah, that's 'cause she's a miserable human being," Theresa blurted out before realizing that she probably shouldn't have said that to Anne.

Theresa started to apologize, but Anne interrupted and said that she completely agreed with Theresa's assessment of Jennifer's character. Anne sweetly stated that she understood that it was always difficult to get acclimated to a new work environment, and she offered to help Theresa take care of the paperwork that Theresa had been neglecting so that Theresa could officially be added to the hospital's payroll.

Theresa wondered if Anne was saying that Theresa wasn't going to be fired. Anne confirmed Theresa's suspicion. "Now that I've seen you in action, I can say unequivocally that you are exactly the type of assistant that Jennifer Horton needs," Anne added as she handed Theresa a pen.

At the high school, J.J. asked Bev if she had figured out what she wanted to do with him later that night. Completely serious, Bev replied that she had been thinking about having a Twilight movie marathon in her basement. "Um...or maybe we could find a party," J.J. suggested, and Bev quickly agreed that his idea was much better.

Meanwhile, J.J. received a phone call from Theresa, who apologized for her earlier behavior. J.J. guessed that Theresa was only apologizing because she didn't know anyone else who could get drugs for her. "Oh, come on, J.J. Let me make it up to you. We could hang out later. You won't be sorry," Theresa suggestively stated. J.J. grinned as he glanced at Bev, who was standing nearby.

In Rafe's room at the hospital, Nicole told Rafe that she was glad that he was all right, since she didn't have many friends in Salem and couldn't afford to lose any of them. Rafe wanted to know what Nicole had been up to recently, so she informed him that most of her time had been spent working on the St. Luke's Academy project. Rafe said that he had read about what had happened at the reception in the newspaper.

"Sami Brady strikes again. You must be thanking your lucky stars you got rid of that woman. I mean, everything she touches goes straight to hell," Nicole mused before proceeding to rant about the disastrous reception. Nicole told Rafe that things between her and Eric had gotten weird after she had blamed Sami for ruining the event. Rafe guessed that the tension between Nicole and Eric was driving her crazy.

Nicole claimed that the situation was driving her crazy because Eric was her boss, but Rafe seemed unconvinced. "What are you thinking? Because thinking I know what you're thinking, but not really knowing what you're thinking, is making me even crazier, so why don't you just tell me what you're thinking? Especially since, as you just pointed out, it's making me crazy in general," Nicole impatiently urged Rafe.

After stressing that he wasn't accusing Nicole of anything, Rafe observed that it was obvious that she cared -- really cared -- about Eric. Nicole confirmed Rafe's suspicion, pointing out that, like him, Eric had been a good friend to her -- a friend who had given her a job and a place to live. Rafe laughed as he noted that Nicole was getting defensive, and she apologized.

"Look, I'm just -- I'm just protective of my friends -- all two of you," Nicole dryly stated. Nicole told Rafe that she had almost lost him and Eric recently, and she proceeded to tell Rafe about Eric's apparent poisoning incident. Eager to do something to alleviate the boredom of hospital life, Rafe suggested that he could help Eric and Daniel with their investigation, but Nicole asked him to refrain from talking to Eric about the matter.

Nicole explained that Eric had been reluctant to discuss the situation with her, and she admitted that it was none of her business. "Never stopped you before," Rafe pointed out. Later, after Nicole left, Jennifer visited Rafe, who said that he was grateful for everything that Daniel had done for him. Rafe told Jennifer that she was lucky to have Daniel in her life.

Jennifer seemed to have an odd reaction to Rafe's statement, and he wondered if he had said the wrong thing. "No. Uh, you said something really wonderful...and really right, because I have let so many things get in the way that I have lost sight of the big picture. And you know what? I'm really lucky to have Daniel in my life. So thank you. Thank you for helping me to remember to count my blessings," Jennifer told Rafe, who also thanked her, admitting that she had made him feel useful for the first time in months.

In Mason's office, Mason told Eric and Daniel about the woman who had locked herself in the bathroom after spilling coffee on the evidence that Mason had collected from the hotel room where Eric had apparently been poisoned. Mason said that he would need access to the bathroom in order to determine if the evidence could be salvaged. Guessing that the woman was simply scared, Daniel tried to coax her out of the bathroom.

Daniel assured the woman that no one was upset with her and pointed out that she couldn't spend the entire day locked in the bathroom. Kristen quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper and slipped it under the door. "I'm too embarrassed," Daniel read aloud as he picked up the note. Daniel stepped aside so that Eric could try to convince the woman to leave the bathroom.

As Kristen scrambled to think of a way out of her predicament, she nervously backed herself into a shelving unit, sending several items crashing to the floor. Fearing that the woman could be injured, Daniel, Eric, and Mason decided to force their way into the bathroom. Daniel eventually managed to pick the lock on the bathroom door, but when he opened the door, the bathroom was empty.

Eric struggled to figure out why the woman had chosen to climb out of a second-story window instead of facing him, Daniel, and Mason. "Well, Mason's getting close to figuring out what happened to you in that hotel room, right? And now some mysterious woman just -- just comes in here and destroys every shred of evidence he collected? Do you really think that's a coincidence?" Daniel asked.

Eric told Daniel and Mason about the woman whom he had encountered at the hotel near the state capitol, recalling that she had acted skittish that night. Eric said that he had been unable to stop thinking about the woman at the hotel, and he wondered if that was because she had somehow been involved with what had happened to him there.

Eric described the hotel visitor as a very attractive woman with short, dark hair who had seemed worldly and sophisticated, leaving Mason certain that they were talking about two completely different women. Mason couldn't remember his visitor's name, which he had written on a piece of paper that had gotten ruined when the woman had spilled coffee on his desk, but he reasoned that she was simply a clumsy woman who had never meant to destroy the evidence. Mason determined that the evidence could not be salvaged, but Daniel refused to stop looking for answers.

At the DiMera mansion, Kristen -- who was no longer wearing her disguise -- carried her garment bag into the foyer and placed it on a nearby table. Before she could hide everything, Kristen received a visit from Brady, who wondered why she hadn't called him earlier. Kristen explained that she had just returned home a few minutes earlier.

Brady observed that Kristen seemed jittery, but she blamed excessive caffeine consumption for her behavior. Still suspicious about his earlier conversation with Kristen, Brady admitted that he believed that she was hiding something. Kristen maintained that she had met with a client earlier, but she realized that Brady suspected that she might be having an affair with someone. Kristen assured Brady that he had nothing to worry about.

Kristen blamed her nervousness on her earlier meeting with her client, which could have cost her one million dollars if it had gone badly. "So the fact that you're not wearing your bracelet anymore -- is that not supposed to faze me either?" Brady wondered as he eyed Kristen's naked wrist. Kristen realized that she had lost the bracelet during her earlier visit to St. Luke's, and she promised to locate it right away.

Brady arranged to meet Kristen at the coffeehouse later, stressing that she would only be allowed to order decaffeinated coffee. Kristen laughed and apologized for being distracted earlier, assuring Brady that she wanted to be present when she was with him because she loved him. "Oh, my God. I am walking the straight and narrow. No one's ever gonna know that I defrocked your priest, okay? But why does doing the right thing have to be so damn complicated?!" Kristen shouted after Brady left, groaning with frustration as she stared at the ceiling.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Nicole tried to talk to Daniel about Eric's mysterious poisoning incident, but he was only willing to tell her that he and Eric were pursuing a few leads that had not yet yielded results. Changing the subject, Nicole told Daniel about her earlier encounter with J.J. Nicole was certain that J.J. had been hiding something, and she urged Daniel to warn Jennifer about the situation.

Daniel said that, while he would love to warn Jennifer about what was going on with J.J., doing so would be a surefire way to lose her for good. Later, after Nicole left, someone rang the doorbell. Daniel opened the front door and found himself face-to-face with Jennifer, who surprised him with a kiss.

At the Brady Pub, Nicole ran into Brady, who warned that he didn't want to hear that getting back together with Kristen had been a bad idea. Nicole promised that she wouldn't try to talk Brady out of reuniting with Kristen if he agreed to help her with Eric.

At St. Luke's, Kristen entered Eric's unoccupied office and started to search for her missing bracelet. Kristen quickly located the bracelet, but as she crawled under a desk to pick it up, Eric entered the room and wondered what she was doing.

In a holding cell at the police station, Sami received an unexpected visit from Bernardi's widow, Marge, who gloated about the fact that Sami was suffering behind bars. Sami called out for help from the guards, but no one responded. Marge shrugged and suggested that the guards were probably taking a break. Sami wondered how Marge had gained access to the holding cell.

Marge explained that everyone who worked at the police station had loved Bernardi and had been quite willing to let her spend a few minutes alone with the woman who had killed him. Marge started to rummage through her purse, making Sami even more nervous than she had previously been. "Oh, relax! Do you think every woman carries a gun in her purse? I'm not like you," Marge condescendingly stated.

Marge produced a photograph of her son, Timmy, which she wanted Sami to have as a constant reminder of what Sami had done. Sami insisted that she had never meant to take Timmy's father away from him and that she had only been trying to protect Rafe, but Marge was convinced that the video of Sami's argument with Bernardi had indisputably proven that Sami had intentionally killed Bernardi.

Marge wondered why Sami had hated Bernardi enough to kill him. Sami insisted that she hadn't hated -- or even known -- Bernardi. Sami said that she couldn't explain why she had once argued with Bernardi, although she wished that she could. Sami maintained that she hadn't known the identity of the man whom she had shot in Rafe's hospital room until after she had pulled the trigger.

Marge remained skeptical, noting that Sami had always been a liar and a troublemaker. Marge gloated that not even Roman or E.J. would be able to get Sami out of her latest predicament. Marge was certain that a jury would convict Sami as soon as they watched the incriminating video, but Sami asserted that evidence would eventually surface that would prove that she was innocent.

Disgusted that Sami was apparently starting to believe her own lies, Marge decided that Sami didn't deserve to have a photograph of Timmy. "I hope you never see your children again," Marge told Sami before walking away. Later, Sami told E.J. about Marge's earlier visit. E.J. questioned the guards, who claimed that there was no record of Marge's visit. E.J. was also informed that the surveillance cameras weren't working properly.

When E.J. shared the results of his quick investigation with Sami, she sighed and summarized that the guards were covering for Marge. "Abraham told me he personally vetted every single person assigned to this floor. If anything happens, it's on their heads, and let me tell you something -- Internal Affairs is gonna be the last thing that they need to worry about," E.J. assured Sami.

As E.J. tried to comfort Sami, he received a phone call from Justin, who wondered if she was all right. E.J. reported that Sami was at the end of her rope. "Tell her to hang in there, because we did it. We got the court order to exhume the body," Justin announced. Elated, E.J. ended the call and gave Sami the good news. Sami breathed a sigh of relief, hopeful that her nightmare would soon reach its conclusion.

At the courthouse, Justin placed a phone call to someone and said that he had obtained a court order that would allow him to exhume Joseph Bernardi's body. "That is never going to happen," Marge, who had received a warning about the court order from someone earlier, announced as she entered the room.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

by Spalding

Theresa called J.J. and asked him to meet her in the square. J.J. was reluctant to ditch his date, Bev, but he relented to Theresa's demand. J.J. informed Bev that he needed to talk to his mother about permission to join Bev at a party that night and that he would call her later.

In the park, Nick called an employer about a job interview, but the human resources representative hung up on Nick. Frustrated, Nick walked to the town square and ran into Theresa. As Theresa helped Nick gather the papers that he had dropped, she noticed information about stocks. With a glitter in her eye, Theresa asked Nick to join her for coffee so that they could talk about the exciting world of the stock exchange.

As Nick and Theresa walked away together, J.J. watched and shook his head. After grabbing a cup of coffee, Nick and Theresa headed toward the tables in the square to sit down. The Department of Corrections called Nick's cell phone, and he excused himself to take the call. Once Nick was gone, J.J. approached Theresa and asked her why she had ditched him in favor of Nick.

Theresa explained that she had changed her mind. J.J. told Theresa she was an idiot if she pursued Nick. When Theresa asked why, J.J. explained that Nick was his cousin that had been sent to jail for murder after stalking a woman. J.J. continued that Nick had married the first woman he had met after he left prison and that he would owe alimony to his wife and her baby once the marriage was annulled. As Theresa wrinkled her face, J.J. cackled.

"You think he's rich, don't you?" J.J. asked. J.J. explained that Nick had lost his job and was broke. Theresa begged J.J. to help her ditch Nick, but J.J. refused. J.J. noted that he was no longer interested in hanging out with Theresa, and he told her never to call him again. After J.J. left, Nick returned and admitted that he was between jobs. Devastated, Theresa blurted out, "Oh, my God! He wasn't kidding. You're a broke, ex-con loser!"

At the Kiriakis mansion, Jennifer passionately kissed Daniel when he opened the front door. As the kissing grew more heated, Daniel suggested that they find a more private place. The two rushed over to Daniel's apartment and made love. Afterward, Daniel asked Jennifer what had changed.

"I realized I don't want to risk losing you again. I couldn't stay away for a day, for an hour," Jennifer said. Jennifer told Daniel she loved him and that she would never take him for granted again. With a smile, Jennifer hurriedly dressed and left for work.

At the hospital, Maxine greeted Jennifer with a handful of messages, and Maxine informed her that J.J. was waiting in Jennifer's office. Jennifer flipped through the messages and her jaw dropped in astonishment. Jennifer announced that she had won a PR award. Maxine congratulated Jennifer on her award and hugged her as Daniel walked out of the elevator.

When Jennifer left for her office, a smiling Daniel sidled up next to Maxine and asked her about her conversation with Jennifer. Maxine admitted how happy she was about the news. When Maxine noted how pleased that it was not the woman from a nearby hospital, Daniel's face contorted in confusion. Suspicious, Maxine asked Daniel what news he had been talking about.

J.J. greeted Jennifer when she arrived in her office. Noticing his mother's smile, J.J. asked Jennifer why she was in a good mood.

In the jail, E.J. informed Sami that Justin had secured the order to exhume Joe Bernardi's body. Sami worried aloud about Marge and the guards bothering her, but E.J. reassured Sami that she would be safe in her cell. When E.J.'s phone rang, he excitedly handed it to Sami. Sami was elated to hear Johnny on the other end of the line. When Johnny asked Sami if she would be returning home soon, Sami asked Johnny to be in charge of hugging and kissing his sisters.

After hanging up the phone, Sami broke down in tears and thanked E.J. for the phone call. E.J. promised to get Sami out of jail. Feeling better, Sami asked E.J. what the new date of their wedding should be. E.J. explained that he had never cancelled their wedding plans because he had faith that Sami would be cleared. Smiling, Sami noted that her next wedding would be "the last, best, most important one."

At the courthouse, Marge confronted Justin about his plan to exhume her husband's body. Justin explained that he had requested the exhumation because there was evidence that the shooting had not been the cause of Joe's death. When Marge demanded justice, Justin promised that justice would mean finding the truth about what killed Joe. Marge swore that her husband had not been on the take because she had no money to her name.

Grinning widely, Marge informed Justin that there would be no exhumation because she had ordered Joe cremated to save money. Marge laughed and expressed how much she wanted to see the look on Sami's face when she learned the news about the cremation. After Marge left, Justin confirmed that Joe's body had been cremated, and then he called E.J. and informed him of the bad news.

When E.J. worried aloud that there had been a cover-up, Justin explained that he believed Marge had cremated her husband for legitimate reasons. Sami broke down in tears when E.J. informed her of the cremation.

At the Brady Pub, Nicole asked Brady for a favor. Nicole explained that Eric had shut her out of his life, and she was concerned about Eric's health. Brady informed Nicole that Eric was doing well. Concerned, Brady asked Nicole why she could not talk to Eric directly. Nicole explained that she did not want to give Eric the wrong impression.

When Brady asked Nicole if Eric was aware of her feelings, Nicole admitted that E.J. had made a comment that had raised Eric's suspicions. Brady suggested that E.J. had done Nicole a favor by tipping off Eric. Brady urged Nicole to come clean with Eric and admit her feelings to him. Nicole refused. Nicole explained that she did no want to ruin her friendship with Eric or lose her job. Nicole added that she was terrified that Eric would ask the bishop to transfer him to another church.

Brady said that Eric would not judge Nicole and that Eric would work to salvage his relationship with Nicole. Nicole disagreed. Brady asked Nicole if her plan was to protect Eric by lying to him even though Eric already knew the truth about her feelings. Shrugging, Nicole admitted that was her plan.

At the rectory, Kristen crawled under Nicole's desk in search of her bracelet. As Kristen found the bracelet, Eric entered the office. Eric asked Kristen why she was in his office. Kristen informed Eric that she had dropped her bracelet when she had stopped by earlier to drop off a check. Suspicious, Eric asked Kristen what she was hiding. Cornered, Kristen explained that she had dropped by the rectory in the hopes of talking to Nicole.

Smiling nervously, Kristen explained that she had wanted to warn Nicole to stay away from Brady since Nicole's affair with Brady was over. Startled, Eric's jaw dropped open. "Oops," Kristen said. Kristen assured Eric that Nicole's affair with Brady had just been about sex and was over.

After Kristen left, Eric sat quietly at his desk. Nicole entered and asked Eric if she was interrupting him. Eric admitted that he had been thinking of Nicole. As Nicole started to apologize for criticizing Sami, Eric interrupted and said that he wanted to talk to Nicole about Brady.

Kristen returned to the DiMera mansion to change clothes. Brady greeted a half-dressed Kristen at the door. As Brady zipped up Kristen's dress in the doorway, Father Matt interrupted and asked to talk. Kristen and Brady escorted Father Matt into the living room. Father Matt informed Kristen that Bishop White was pleased by Kristen's contribution to the scholarship fund and wanted to invite Kristen to help pick the scholarship recipients.

Kristen asked Father Matt what the work would entail, and he explained that Kristen would have to read essays and work with Eric to pick the recipients. "The last thing I need to do is spend more time with Father Eric," Kristen announced.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

by Mike

At the hospital, Maxine told Daniel that she had been congratulating Jennifer earlier because Jennifer had won an award for outstanding work in the field of public relations. Maxine could tell that Daniel was hearing the news for the first time, so she wondered if there was something else that Jennifer needed to be congratulated for.

Daniel tried to backpedal, but Maxine wasn't fooled, quickly deducing that he had reunited with Jennifer. Maxine was thrilled to learn that Daniel and Jennifer had worked things out, and she promised that she wouldn't share the news with anyone else yet. Before walking away, Maxine mused that it was odd that Jennifer hadn't mentioned the reunion during their earlier conversation.

In Jennifer's office, Jennifer told J.J. that she was in a good mood because it was obvious that he was finally starting to get his life back on track. J.J. admitted that he hadn't enjoyed fighting with Jennifer, who pointed out that they had been doing a lot less of that lately. "Yeah, yeah. It's -- it's been better, yeah. It's seems easier now that it's just us, you know? Just the family," J.J. replied.

Jennifer remained silent as J.J. changed the subject, informing her that he was planning to hang out with Will later that day. Meanwhile, J.J. received a phone call from Theresa, but he chose to ignore it, claiming that he didn't recognize the caller's number. Jennifer reminded J.J. that he had mentioned something about asking for a favor earlier, prompting J.J. to explain that he had been hoping that she would allow him to go out later that night with a girl whom he had met at school.

J.J. innocently added that, while he was aware that he was no longer grounded, he still wanted to get Jennifer's approval before making plans for the evening. Jennifer granted J.J.'s request and grinned as she asked if he and the girl were going on a date. Embarrassed, J.J. shrugged and stammered that there was a possibility that Rory would also be in attendance.

Jennifer was eager to meet the girl, so J.J. agreed to take her to the Horton house that night for a brief visit before Jennifer's book club meeting started. Jennifer joked that she wanted to make sure that the girl was actually in high school, unlike the previous girl whom J.J. had invited to the house. J.J. excused himself and left the office, running into Daniel on his way to the elevator. J.J. cheerfully noted that he hadn't seen Daniel lately.

Realizing that Jennifer hadn't told J.J. that she had reunited with Daniel earlier, Daniel went to her office and demanded an explanation. Jennifer said that, while she was thrilled that she and Daniel were back together, she didn't feel the need to announce the news to the entire world yet. Jennifer started to point out that J.J. had been making a lot of progress lately, but Daniel interrupted and implied that she was wrong about J.J.

Jennifer tried to probe Daniel for additional information, but he refused to elaborate and dismissively urged her to forget about J.J. Daniel's statement offended Jennifer, but he claimed that he had simply been trying to say that he wanted them to focus on having a conversation about their relationship. As Daniel grew increasingly frustrated, Jennifer tried to explain that she wanted them to keep their relationship a secret for a while.

Jennifer didn't want to push J.J. into accepting her relationship with Daniel right away, fearing that doing so could jeopardize the progress that J.J. had recently made. Jennifer tried to make the idea of having a secret relationship with Daniel sound romantic, but he reminded her that his relationship with Chloe had started in a similar manner. Jennifer insisted that her relationship with Daniel would be completely different than his relationship with Chloe had been, but he failed to see the distinction.

Daniel wondered if Jennifer really believed that it would be romantic to trash the honesty of their relationship and lie to J.J. and Abigail about it. Jennifer admitted that she might not have fully considered all of the details yet. "You're damn right you haven't, because if you had, you'd have known there is no way in hell I would agree to this," Daniel snapped before storming out of the office, slamming the door behind him.

Later, Maxine delivered some documents to Jennifer's office. Maxine tried to get Jennifer to reveal that Jennifer and Daniel had reunited, but Jennifer was unwilling to take the bait. Disappointed, Maxine reluctantly left the office.

At the Brady Pub, Theresa wondered how Caroline was doing. Caroline said that she had been spending her days worrying about and praying for Sami, prompting Theresa to sarcastically reply that she had been doing the same things. Changing the subject, Theresa asked about Nick, and Caroline confirmed that he had once worked at the pub as a busboy and dishwasher.

"Oh, my God, he really was a busboy? What a total loser. I mean, I guess I should have seen that one coming -- that's all there really is in this town, right?" Theresa mused. Caroline advised that if Theresa, who had arrived in Salem with a huge chip on her shoulder, wanted to be happy, she was going to have to change her attitude. Theresa countered that it wasn't her problem that some women seemed to dislike her, noting that men seemed to get along with her quite well.

Caroline recognized Theresa's hostility as a form of self-destructive behavior, leading Theresa to assume that Caroline had been talking to Kimberly, who had a habit of spewing similar psychobabble at Theresa. "I am so tired of everybody in this family judging me all the time, telling me how to act. Why can't you guys just leave me alone?" Theresa snapped. Eager to avoid another lecture, Theresa started to leave.

"Stephanie, please stay!" Caroline begged Theresa, who immediately softened and gently corrected Caroline's mistake. Caroline shook her head sadly and admitted that, while her medication seemed to be working well, she still had a tendency to say the wrong name when she was upset about something. Theresa assured Caroline that it was common for people to make such mistakes in the heat of the moment.

Theresa apologized for her earlier snarky behavior, admitting that she had clearly crossed a line. Theresa explained that she simply had a tendency to get defensive when people tried to point out the fact that she was a loser. After insisting that Theresa wasn't a loser, Caroline observed that Theresa was starting to sound a lot like Kimberly, who had often resisted Caroline's attempts to lay down the law. Caroline blamed Kimberly and Theresa's behavior on the Brady temper.

After leaving the pub, Theresa reluctantly returned to the hospital so that she could get back to work. Theresa spotted Daniel, who was trying to get rid of his tickets to the symphony, since Jennifer didn't want to be seen in public with him. When Theresa greeted Daniel, he spontaneously offered the tickets to her. Theresa smiled and eagerly accepted the offer, assuming that Daniel was asking her to go with him, but her smile faded when she realized that he was giving her both of his tickets.

After Daniel left, Theresa started to toss the tickets in a nearby trashcan, but she changed her mind when she saw how much the tickets were worth. "If I scalp these, I could get some quality product. Yeah. From a grown-up dealer," Theresa mused before exiting the hospital again.

At the park, Will was sitting on a bench, staring at a textbook, when Maggie greeted him. Maggie suspected that she might have interrupted Will's studies, but he shook his head and admitted that he had been having trouble concentrating anyway. Guessing that Will was worried about Sami, Maggie took a seat next to him and advised that Sami wouldn't want him to spend his days feeling anxious and miserable, since that wouldn't solve anything anyway.

Maggie urged Will to focus on positive things, like his life with Arianna and Sonny. "Yeah, he's been...great," Will stated with the slightest hint of hesitation when Maggie mentioned Sonny's name. Maggie's suspicions were aroused, and she wondered if Will and Sonny were having problems. Will assured Maggie that his relationship with Sonny was solid, adding that Sonny had simply been busy with the Common Grounds renovation project lately.

Maggie pointed out that Will and Sonny would have more time to spend together once the renovation project ended. Will agreed, but he reminded Maggie that things would still be hectic for the next eighteen years because of Arianna. Maggie was confident that Sonny understood that Arianna was always going to be Will's little girl. "Yeah, he does...and that's what worries me -- he's too understanding for his own good," Will admitted.

Maggie reminded Will that it had been Sonny's idea for Gabi and Arianna to move into Will and Sonny's apartment in the first place. After conceding Maggie's point, Will explained that he still wanted Sonny to be able to have a life. Will admitted that Sonny technically had a life with Will and as a business owner, prompting Maggie to wonder what was missing.

"Well, for example, there was this hiking trip that he really wanted to go to, but he ended up passing because of me, and because of the baby, and because of what Mom's going through. So I just feel like I'm holding him back," Will admitted. Maggie advised Will to refrain from making assumptions about Sonny's feelings, urging him to instead talk to Sonny about those feelings or wait for Sonny to express those feelings himself.

Meanwhile, J.J. arrived, and Maggie acknowledged him with a brief, tense greeting before abruptly excusing herself. After Maggie left, Will commented on the obvious tension, prompting J.J. to explain that she was upset because Jennifer and Daniel were no longer dating each other. J.J. quickly changed the subject, stating that it was awful that Sami had been locked up like some sort of drug lord.

J.J. said that he would be happy to babysit Arianna if Will ever wanted to visit Sami. Will eyed J.J. skeptically and asked if he even knew how to change a diaper. "Uh, no, but you learned, so how hard could it be?" J.J. jokingly replied. Changing the subject again, J.J. casually asked about Theresa and her unbelievably bad attitude. Will admitted that he didn't know Theresa very well and had not yet had a chance to welcome her back to Salem.

Will knowingly observed that it seemed like J.J. had already gotten to know Theresa fairly well. J.J. explained that Theresa was Jennifer's assistant at the hospital, adding that Theresa was extremely lazy. Meanwhile, Bev arrived and greeted J.J., who introduced her to Will. Will urged J.J. to take Bev to Sonny's new nightclub when it opened. J.J. wondered if he and Bev would be allowed to drink at the nightclub.

Will said that he would have to give J.J. and Bev wristbands that designated that they were underage, but he assured them that they would still be able to have fun at the club. After Will left, J.J. told Bev that Jennifer wanted to meet her before their date that night. Bev was nervous about the meeting, but J.J. knowingly assured her that Jennifer would like her much better than the last girl whom Jennifer had assumed that J.J. had been interested in.

Bev was pleased to hear that Jennifer was going to be hosting a book club meeting later that night, since that meant that Bev and J.J. could stay out longer and get into more trouble than they would have otherwise been able to. "Oh. I just had the best idea. Tonight is gonna be so epic!" J.J. declared with a laugh as he received a sudden burst of inspiration.

At the DiMera mansion, Brady wondered why Kristen had refused to work with Eric. Kristen quickly backpedaled and apologized for hastily declining Father Matt's offer, claiming that she had simply been taken aback. Kristen promised to give the matter some further consideration before making a final decision. As Brady escorted Father Matt to the front door, Kristen quietly chastised herself for making such an idiotic remark.

When Brady returned, he raised more questions about Kristen's odd reaction to Father Matt's proposal. Kristen reasoned that working with Eric would be complicated, since Marlena would absolutely hate the idea, but Brady dismissed the concerns. Brady suggested that working with Eric would be the perfect way for Kristen to gain Eric's approval, giving them an ally in their quest to eventually earn John and Marlena's approval, as well.

"Did you get a PhD in optimism when I wasn't looking?" Kristen asked with a laugh. Brady shook his head and said that he simply trusted Kristen and Eric. Brady reasoned that he and Kristen had been given a second chance and owed it to themselves to do everything that they could possibly do to ensure that they would not encounter the same resistance to their relationship that they had previously encountered.

Kristen placed a phone call to Father Matt and told him that she had changed her mind. Father Matt wanted Kristen to meet him at St. Luke's right away, so Brady reluctantly said farewell to Kristen and left the mansion. After Brady left, Kristen placed a phone call to someone else. Later, Chyka arrived at the mansion and greeted Kristen, who wondered if her working closely with Eric could cause him to remember what she had done to him.

Chyka insisted that if Eric had not yet remembered what had happened to him, he never would. "Would you stake your life on it?" Kristen wondered as she grabbed Chyka's jacket collar. Chyka confidently assured Kristen that he was positive that it would be safe for her to work with Eric.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady cheerfully greeted Maggie and warned her that he had some shocking news that he wanted to share with her. After Maggie braced herself, Brady informed her that he had reunited with Kristen. Brady insisted that Kristen had changed, but Maggie suspected that Brady was simply addicted to love, as he had once theorized. Brady dismissed Maggie's concerns, assuring her that his eyes were wide open and that he would know if Kristen started playing him again.

At St. Luke's, Eric bluntly asked Nicole if she was sleeping with Brady. Nicole reluctantly admitted that she had been sleeping with Brady, but she stressed that their fling had ended after a brief period of time. Nicole demanded to know who had been gossiping about her private life. Eric explained that Kristen had accidentally revealed the information to him, but Nicole wasn't convinced that Kristen had simply made an innocent mistake.

Eric was surprised that Nicole had felt the need to keep such important information from him in the first place. Eric admitted that, while the situation was none of his business, he had never realized that Nicole still had strong feelings for Brady. Nicole shrugged and said that she and Brady had always had undeniable chemistry. Nicole reasoned that it had always been obvious that she and Brady would eventually find their way back to each other.

Eric regretfully informed Nicole that Kristen had made it clear during her earlier visit that she wanted Nicole to stay away from Brady. Nicole scoffed and assured Eric that she had no intentions of getting into a fight with Kristen over Brady. Confused, Eric reminded Nicole that she had previously stated that she had feelings for Brady. "Yeah, well...for, like, a few days, sure. But then Brady said he wanted to jump back in bed with that witch, so I moved on. No biggie," Nicole dismissively stated.

Eric found it hard to believe that Nicole could treat someone with such indifference shortly after sharing an intimate relationship with them. Nicole shrugged and said that was how she had always treated men, citing her relationship with Eric, whom she had dumped for Lucas, as a prime example. Eric said that he had assumed that Nicole had changed in the years following that incident, prompting her to wonder what had given him that silly idea.

Nicole said that, deep down, she was a shallow person, but Eric disagreed. "Oh, come on. When you first got back into town, I was still getting over Daniel. And a few months later, I'm going after Vargas. And two weeks ago, I'm with Brady. No one can ever accuse me of the 'everlasting love' thing," Nicole dismissively stated. Eric refused to believe that he was hearing a description of the real Nicole, but she insisted that he was.

"Look, I'm easy. Easy come, easy go. And the second a guy thinks that I care about them, poof! I move on to the next one," Nicole summarized. Eric started to ask a question about his relationship with Nicole, but before he could finish his sentence, Father Matt entered the room, and she seized the opportunity to abruptly excuse herself. Alone in the hallway outside Eric's office, Nicole muttered that it had been necessary for her to make Eric believe the things that she had said about herself earlier.

Back in Eric's office, Father Matt announced that the bishop had asked Kristen to help Eric select the St. Luke's Academy scholarship recipients. Eric had some concerns about the idea, but he reluctantly agreed to work with Kristen, acknowledging that it seemed like she had been trying to change lately. Later, Kristen entered the office, and Father Matt quickly excused himself so that she and Eric could start working on the project together.

Eric hesitantly handed a stack of applications to Kristen, who acknowledged that it was going to be awkward for them to work together. Eric agreed and suggested that he and Kristen could try to look at the opportunity as a new beginning, extending his hand as a sign of good faith. When Kristen accepted his hand, Eric paused for a moment, apparently sensing something that he didn't completely understand.

Kristen asked if Eric was all right, but before he could respond, he received a text message and released her hand so that he could read it. Eric explained that he had taken Caroline to the pharmacy earlier, and she had apparently left her medication in his car. He excused himself so that he could deliver the medication to her at the pub. After Eric left, Nicole reentered the office and demanded to know what Kristen was doing there.

"I'm your new boss," Kristen announced as she handed Nicole the stack of applications and asked her to make a copy of each one.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

by Mike

In Rafe's room at the hospital, Rafe was staring at his arm, trying desperately to move it, when Justin entered the room and asked how Rafe was doing. Rafe admitted that he was eager to start walking again, but Justin advised him to be patient and focus on accomplishing smaller goals, like sitting up and moving his arms, before attempting to walk.

Justin wondered if he could ask Rafe some questions about Bernardi. Kate, who had entered the room in time to hear Justin's request, strongly objected to the idea, but Rafe insisted that he was well enough to answer Justin's questions. After Kate reluctantly left the room, Rafe revealed that, while he and Bernardi had maintained a friendly working relationship with each other, they had never really been friends outside of the police station.

Rafe couldn't recall anything that had ever made him suspect that Bernardi might have been a dirty cop. When Justin asked Rafe to be a character witness at Sami's trial, Rafe admitted that, while he was certain that she wouldn't have shot Bernardi unless she'd had a good reason to do so, he was concerned about the video of her argument with Bernardi. Justin said that the argument had been about an unrelated matter, but he refused to elaborate.

In Kayla's office, Kayla received a visit from Adrienne, who needed a friend and had hoped that Kayla would be able to understand why Adrienne had given the video of Sami's argument with Bernardi to the police. Kayla made it clear that she didn't understand why Adrienne had thrown Sami under the bus in order to protect Sonny from paying for a crime that the police hadn't even been aware that he had committed in the first place.

Adrienne maintained that the video would have eventually surfaced, and the police would have eventually learned that Sonny had known about it all along. Adrienne admitted that she was paying for her actions, revealing that Justin had barely said a single word to her since the day that Sami had been arrested. Adrienne pointedly wondered what Kayla would have done if Sami and E.J. had asked Stephanie to commit a crime for them.

Kayla claimed that she didn't know what she would have done, but Adrienne refused to believe that. After bitterly thanking Kayla for offering her a shoulder to lean on, Adrienne started to leave, but Kayla stopped her. Kayla reluctantly conceded that, while Adrienne's decision had created a mess for the Brady family, she understood why Adrienne had made that decision.

Adrienne was relieved to finally hear someone admit that they understood why she had done what she had done. Kayla said that Adrienne would see a lot of other friends at Jennifer's book club meeting later that night, but Adrienne insisted that she couldn't attend the meeting. As Kayla started to urge Adrienne to reconsider, Kate barged into the office and announced that Justin was badgering Rafe.

Kayla followed Kate to Rafe's room and quickly ended his interview with Justin. After Justin left, Rafe tried to find out when he would be able to get back on his feet, but Kayla kept her answers vague. When Kayla excused herself, Kate followed her to the waiting area and handed her a flash drive that contained a list of candidates for the role of Rafe's physical therapist, complete with rsums and letters of recommendation.

"Listen, Kate, this has got to stay between us. Truly. This is a teaching hospital -- state-funded. If I have to start answering questions about this --" Kayla started to say, but Kate interrupted and promised that no one would ask questions about the situation. Kate stressed that she simply wanted what was best for Rafe, adding that hiring an outside source to handle his physical therapy was the only way for her to fulfill that desire.

Kate convinced Kayla to promise that even if the physical therapist occasionally worked with other patients at the hospital, caring for Rafe would always be the physical therapist's top priority. Impressed with Kate's tenacity, Kayla declared that Rafe was a lucky man. After Kayla left, Kate muttered that luck had nothing to do with it.

Kate returned to Rafe's room and urged him to talk to her about his feelings instead of constantly pretending to be brave. "I can barely move my arms. Can't move the rest of my body at all. What if I never walk again?" Rafe wondered. Kate was confident that Rafe could learn how to cope with that fate if necessary, but she assured him that he wouldn't have to, since he was going to have the best physical therapist that he could possibly have.

In Kayla's office, Kayla placed a phone call to Seth Burns so that they could discuss the physical therapists that Kate had recommended. Kayla said that one physical therapist in particular -- Jordan Ridgeway -- had stood out, and Seth granted her the authority to offer Jordan the position.

In the waiting area, Justin ran into Adrienne, who asked if he could spare a few minutes to talk to her. "Not really. I don't have much time. Getting my client out of jail -- there's a clock ticking on that," Justin pointedly stated. Adrienne wondered if Justin was saying that their marriage could wait until the timing was more convenient for Justin.

Adrienne insisted that she and Justin needed to talk about their marriage, which she wasn't ready to give up on, right away. Unwilling to continue the conversation in the middle of the hospital waiting area, Justin reluctantly led Adrienne to a secluded section of Horton Town Square, where he dismissively encouraged her to talk. Adrienne wondered if Justin was even going to bother to listen to, let alone engage in a conversation with, her.

Justin shrugged and pointed out that he hadn't gone anywhere yet, prompting Adrienne to remind him that he had moved out of the Kiriakis mansion. Justin countered that Adrienne had known exactly where to find him when she had decided to make a drastic decision without confiding in him first. Justin recalled that Adrienne had previously claimed that she wanted their marriage to survive the recent events that had occurred.

Adrienne stressed that she had meant what she had said earlier, but Justin wasn't convinced. "You didn't act like a partner, Adrienne. You went off on your own and hung me out to dry," Justin summarized. Adrienne insisted that hurting Justin had never been a part of her plan, adding that she had simply been scared. Adrienne explained that she had been under the impression that Justin had known about the video, as well as Sonny's decision to hide it, all along and simply hadn't cared.

Justin insisted that he would never put work above his own family. "But you did. Maybe you didn't realize what you'd done, but it happened because of who you're in bed with at work. Now, how long are you gonna punish me for being right?" Adrienne demanded to know. Justin observed that Adrienne didn't seem to have any respect for his judgment. "As long as you're in E.J.'s pocket, I don't," Adrienne confirmed. Offended, Justin told Adrienne that they were done, prompting her to wonder if he meant that he was done with the conversation or their marriage.

Elsewhere, Chad overheard a conversation between Abigail and Cameron, who were planning to have lunch together later that day. When Chad greeted Cameron and Abigail, she asked if Chad was okay. Chad admitted that the Common Grounds renovation project had left him feeling slightly worn out lately. "Well, it's up there on the stress list -- right next to death and job loss," Abigail noted.

After joking that she could always be counted on to lighten the mood, Abigail excused herself so that she could check on the availability of a few of the college courses that she was interested in taking during the impending fall semester. After Abigail left, Cameron assured Chad that, despite what her oddly timed comment about death had implied, he hadn't told her about Chad's medical concerns.

Cameron wondered how Chad was feeling. Chad replied that he felt like he looked -- fine. "And I can see that you haven't wasted a minute moving in on Abigail," Chad observed. Ignoring the comment, Cameron asked if Chad had made an appointment with the specialist yet. Chad reported that he was waiting for the specialist to return his earlier phone call.

Chad was confident that he would soon have good news to report to Cameron, who hoped that Chad was right. Chad doubted Cameron's sincerity, crassly implying that a brain tumor would be one way to eliminate the competition for Abigail's affections. Cameron insisted that he would never wish for something bad to happen to Chad. Meanwhile, Chad received a phone call from the specialist, who arranged to meet with him right away.

As Abigail returned, Chad ended the call and abruptly excused himself, claiming that he had to take care of some things for the renovation project. Abigail commented on Chad's recent odd behavior as she watched him walk away, but Cameron dismissed her concerns. A short time later, Chad found himself agreeing to an MRI in Dr. Landrum's office.

After finishing the test, as he anxiously waited for Landrum to return with the results, Chad thought about some fond memories that he had made with Abigail. When Landrum reentered the office, Chad nervously braced himself for the news, but Landrum remained silent as he glanced back and forth at his notes and computer screen.

In the park, Abigail and Cameron enjoyed their picnic and reminisced about their first date, when he had spontaneously quit his job as a stripper after realizing that it had been making her feel uncomfortable. Cameron assured Abigail that he had never regretted that decision, and he promised that he would do a lot of other things for her if she ever gave him the chance. Later, as Abigail helped Cameron wipe some chocolate off of his lower lip, he leaned in and kissed her.

In Marlena's townhouse, someone approached Marlena while she was napping on the couch. Marlena groggily muttered John's name, but when she opened her eyes, she found Kristen hovering over her. "Oh, Marlena, this is so sad. John's not coming back, because he's done with you. I, however, am just getting started," Kristen warned Marlena. Marlena gasped as she woke up and realized that she had been having a nightmare. Marlena vowed that she wouldn't let Kristen ruin her day.

At the Brady Pub, Brady ran into Eric, who barely acknowledged Brady before attempting to leave. Brady guessed that Eric's behavior had something to do with Kristen, prompting Eric to clarify that he was actually upset about Brady and Nicole's recent fling. Brady dismissively stated that the fling hadn't meant anything. Eric angrily demanded to know how Brady could just throw Nicole away and expect her to get over it.

"Hey, let me fill you in -- she kicked my butt to the curb a couple times. Even when she knew I was in love with her, all right? But that has nothing to do with what happened recently. She's a grown woman now, okay? And we have a relationship. It's complex, but it's honest," Brady replied. Eric insisted that, despite Brady's willingness to believe otherwise, Nicole was upset about what had happened.

Brady promised to talk to Nicole later, stressing that he wanted to be honest with everyone. Eric countered that Brady wanted to be honest with everyone except Eric, who had only learned the truth because Kristen had accidentally revealed it to him. Brady said that he was sorry that he hadn't told Eric about the fling himself, prompting Eric to guess that Brady wasn't sorry that it had happened in the first place.

Meanwhile, Marlena entered the pub and warmly greeted Eric and Brady. After a brief discussion with Brady and Eric about Sami's predicament, Marlena asked for an update on each man's life. Eager to avoid telling Marlena that he was going to be working with Kristen, Eric excused himself after evasively stating that Brady had some news to share with Marlena.

After Eric left, Brady informed Marlena that he had reunited with Kristen. "Brady, what has made you forget everything you know in your bones? Everything that you saw with your own eyes? Everything you felt when she broke your heart? What made you forget all of that?" Marlena demanded to know. Brady assured Marlena that he hadn't forgotten anything, adding that a long conversation with John had created a clearer picture of the facts.

Brady told Marlena that, while he wasn't sure if he and John had actually reconciled, he was sure that he was going to give Kristen another chance. Brady said that he had wanted Marlena to hear the news directly from him. "Thank you. I'd like you to hear this from me -- I think you have lost your mind. Brady, you listen to me, because this is a professional opinion. Kristen is a sociopath with heavy traits of borderline personality disorder. She has not, can -- look at me! -- cannot, and will not ever change. That's the pathology. She will be this person until the very day she dies," Marlena summarized.

Brady wondered if Marlena really believed that she was capable of objectively diagnosing Kristen. "I will not argue with you about this. I will just warn you, and warn you, and warn you. Pull your hands -- pull your whole body -- out of this fire, or you will end up with charred stumps. I want you to save yourself while you still can," Marlena said before walking away.

At St. Luke's, Nicole started laughing hysterically when Kristen claimed that she was Nicole's new boss. Nicole cheerfully determined that the last shreds of Kristen's sanity had finally vanished, but her smile faded when Kristen revealed that the bishop had asked Kristen to help Eric select the St. Luke's Academy scholarship recipients.

"Bishop White? Wants you? Near children? Many of whom haven't had their shots yet?" Nicole asked incredulously. Kristen suggestively bragged that she and Eric were going to be spending a lot of time together in the near future. Nicole vowed to stop Kristen, who had already ruined Brady's life, from also ruining Eric's life. "It's too late for that," Kristen cryptically replied.

Kristen innocently clarified that she would never have a chance to ruin Eric's life because Nicole, in a tacky attempt to recreate some sort of Thorn Birds fantasy, had already ruined it. Kristen claimed that people had been whispering that Nicole was Eric's charity case and wasn't really qualified for the secretarial position at the church. Nicole insisted that she was overqualified for the position, prompting Kristen to wonder why Nicole had not yet moved on to a better opportunity.

Kristen expressed pity for Eric, predicting that Nicole's pathetic obsession with him could only end badly. Nicole struggled to comprehend why Kristen, whom she believed was clearly psychotic, was free to coexist with the sane, law-abiding citizens of Salem. Ignoring Nicole's comment, Kristen warned her to stay away from Brady. Nicole guessed that Kristen was worried about Nicole's connection to Brady, but Kristen denied the accusation.

Kristen insisted that Nicole meant absolutely nothing to Brady, but Nicole doubted that Kristen would have warned Nicole to stay away from him if Kristen had truly believed that. Kristen smiled and observed that Nicole didn't seem to view her as a threat. When Nicole confirmed the suspicion, Kristen advised her to reconsider, promising to take her down when she least expected it.

Unfazed, Nicole gloated that Brady had been extremely eager to ditch Kristen's bed for Nicole's bed. Kristen warned that very bad things would start to happen to people if her relationship with Brady ever ended again, adding that Nicole, in particular, would suffer an unimaginable amount of pain. "You should seriously be on a government watch list," Nicole dryly observed.

Kristen confidently replied that nothing and no one would ever be able to stop her. Noticing a slight change in Nicole's expression, Kristen guessed that her threats were finally starting to sink in. "You have no idea what I'm capable of," Kristen warned, snapping her teeth at Nicole. Satisfied that she had made her point, Kristen steered the conversation back to the scholarship applications that she wanted Nicole to make copies of.

Nicole reluctantly agreed to work with Kristen but refused to be her personal slave. Nicole warned that she planned to closely watch Kristen, who returned the warning. Meanwhile, Eric entered the office, and Kristen innocently assured him that she and Nicole had gotten off to a great start. After handing Nicole a stack of applications and sweetly asking her to alphabetize them, Kristen left, promising to return the next day.

Nicole slammed the stack of applications down on Eric's desk, shaking her head with disbelief as she wondered how the bishop could possibly believe that it would be a good idea to let Kristen work at the church in any capacity, especially one that involved kids. Eric shared Nicole's apprehension, but he suggested that it would be best for them to give Kristen a chance.

Nicole pointedly reiterated that Kristen was going to be working with kids. "Why don't you give that a minute, let that sink in. That twisted brain...with kids. Does the church really need that kind of help?" Nicole asked Eric, who urged her to stop holding back so that he could find out how she really felt about the idea. "I hate her. And I'm sorry, God, or -- or Jesus, or whoever has this place wired, but I do," Nicole admitted.

Eric wondered if Nicole hated Kristen for who Kristen was or if she simply hated Kristen because Brady wanted to be with Kristen. With a hint of defensiveness, Nicole admitted that she might be slightly jealous of Kristen's relationship with Brady. Eric conceded that, as Nicole had predicted earlier, a lot of people were probably going to be extremely unhappy about the bishop's decision, including Marlena.

Nicole stressed that, while she would grudgingly learn to live with Kristen's daily presence at the church, she wouldn't enjoy a single moment of it. After Nicole left, Eric muttered that he wasn't going to enjoy seeing Kristen every day, either.

At the DiMera mansion, Kristen briefly considered disposing of the flash drive that contained a copy of the video of her drugging and seducing Eric, but she decided that it would be best to keep it until she was absolutely certain that she would no longer need it. As Kristen placed the flash drive back in her purse, she received a phone call from Brady. Before Brady could tell Kristen about his earlier conversation with Marlena, someone rang the doorbell. After promising to call Brady back later, Kristen abruptly ended the call and opened the front door.

"Oh, Marlena! I was so hoping to see you today," Kristen cheerfully informed her visitor.

Friday, August 9, 2013

by Mike

In a secluded section of Horton Town Square, Justin theorized that going behind his back and giving the video of Sami's argument with Bernardi to the police might have been Adrienne's way of intentionally sabotaging their marriage. Justin doubted that Adrienne could have possibly believed that her actions would have had a positive impact on their relationship.

Adrienne denied the accusation and insisted that Justin couldn't possibly know what she had been thinking or feeling lately, since he had spent the previous week living at his old club. Justin said that he had simply needed some time to process everything that had happened recently. Adrienne wondered how much time Justin was going to need, and he replied that he didn't know.

Unsatisfied, Adrienne started to list random lengths of time in an effort to get Justin to commit to one of them, certain that he had to have some sort of time frame in mind. Losing his patience, Justin loudly and angrily reiterated that he didn't know. Hurt, Adrienne admitted that she couldn't believe that Justin had chosen to talk to her in that manner.

"And I can't believe you pushed away Sonny and me like this, but you have. And it seems like you just can't stop," Justin replied. Adrienne countered that Justin had been pushing her away since the moment that he had started working with E.J. Adrienne wondered why Justin was furious with her when Sami and E.J. were the ones who had lied to the police and convinced Sonny to obstruct justice.

Justin maintained that Adrienne should have talked to him about the video instead of taking matters into her own hands. "I am the only one in this whole scenario who made sure the truth came out! I'm sorry I didn't come to you first, and I'm sorry if what I did was hurtful or embarrassing to you in any way, but I am not sorry that I managed to protect our son, and I don't think that I should be the one who's the -- who's the bad guy here! Damn it, it's just not fair!" Adrienne tearfully shouted before walking away.

In Landrum's office, Landrum silently scribbled on a notepad as Chad stared at him expectantly. Chad wondered if Landrum could finish making notes after revealing the results of the MRI. Chad suspected that Landrum might not know what was wrong with him, but Landrum finally looked up from the notepad and assured him that the results were conclusive. Later, a visibly shaken Chad exited the office.

In the park, a shocked Abigail noted that she and Cameron hadn't been doing a lot of kissing lately, and she wondered what she had done differently that day that had suddenly prompted him to remedy that issue. Cameron remained silent, so Abigail tried to laugh off his apparent inability to think of a single reason that he would want to kiss her. Cameron apologized and claimed that he was distracted because he had been having a bad day.

Abigail admitted that she still wasn't sure if she wanted to be with Cameron or Chad. Cameron claimed that he wasn't trying to pressure Abigail into making a decision right away. After stressing that she had enjoyed the kiss, Abigail spontaneously kissed Cameron again. Chad passed through the park in time to witness the intimate moment, but he quietly walked away before Abigail or Cameron could see him.

After Chad left, Abigail pulled away from Cameron and apologized for sending him mixed signals. Meanwhile, Cameron received a text message from Chad, who asked to meet him at the Brady Pub right away. Cameron excused himself, stating that he needed to meet with a patient, and Abigail assured him that she would soon choose the man whom she wanted to be with. Cameron urged Abigail to take her time.

Cameron's patience impressed Abigail, who mused that it almost seemed like he was trying to push her toward Chad. Cameron claimed that he simply wanted Abigail to be happy. After Cameron left, Abigail muttered that it was time to talk to Chad. Meanwhile, as Chad was headed toward the pub, he received a text message from Abigail, who wanted to see him right away. Chad muttered that Abigail had apparently made her decision.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady stared at his cell phone as he tried to talk himself into contacting John. Victor entered the room and advised Brady to learn how to have quieter mumbled conversations with himself so that other people wouldn't overhear them. Victor predicted that Brady, who was making the same stupid mistake with the same disturbed woman all over again, would be engaging in plenty of conversations with himself in the future.

Brady didn't believe that Victor was qualified to talk about Brady's situation, but Victor countered that he had once been Brady. Victor admitted that, like Brady, he had once had a homing instinct for women who were completely wrong for him -- like Kate, Vivian, and Nicole -- because he had mistakenly assumed that women like Maggie were boring. Victor added that he hadn't known true happiness until he had married Maggie.

Brady asserted that Kristen wasn't like Vivian. "I agree. Vivian was just evil. Kristen is also deranged," Victor dryly replied. Unamused, Brady insisted that he wasn't as gullible as Victor seemed to believe that he was. Victor wondered what Brady and Kristen did together when they weren't having sex with each other. Brady avoided the question, refusing to discuss his personal life with Victor.

"Because you have nothing with this woman except sex. That and making your father's life miserable. Which not only makes you gullible, it also makes you stupid," Victor concluded. Victor said that he had promised Isabella that he would always look after Brady, adding that he intended to keep his promise. Victor said that Brady needed a woman who was willing to get into the trenches with him, just like Madison had before she had died.

Brady insisted that his eyes were wide open and that he could take care of himself. After thanking Victor for his concern and telling him to mind his own business, Brady stormed out of the mansion. Later, Justin arrived to pick up a suit. Victor admitted that he wasn't accustomed to worrying about Justin, who had usually been the member of the family who had known how to use his brain.

"Now you and Brady are both in bed with the DiMeras, and the only one acting like the man of the Kiriakis family is your wife," Victor summarized. Justin refused to discuss his marriage with Victor, who wondered if Justin would prefer to talk about the fact that Justin had helped E.J. dump Stefano. Victor guessed that Justin probably felt like the king of the mountain.

Justin asked if Victor was seriously feeling sorry for Stefano. "Oh, just because I hate the man doesn't mean I can't relate. E.J. would be nothing but a shyster with a posh accent if it weren't for Stefano," Victor summarized. Justin wondered how Victor believed that Justin would have turned out if he hadn't had Victor in his life. Victor shrugged and said that he just knew that he didn't respect what Justin had helped E.J. do to Stefano.

Victor added that he also didn't like the fact that Adrienne had been forced to protect Sonny because Justin hadn't been willing to do so himself. Justin refused to let Victor suggest that Justin would have disregarded Sonny's welfare in order to protect Sami. Justin said that he was defending Sami because she was innocent and was Bo's niece, but Victor countered that he couldn't care less about Sami or her family ties.

Victor stressed that he only cared about his own family, including Justin, who challenged Victor to prove it with a show of respect for Justin. "Justin, sometimes you ask for too much, and this is one of those times," Victor replied before walking away.

At the DiMera mansion, Marlena refused to let Kristen get away with sinking her hooks into Brady again. Kristen grinned mischievously and mused that Marlena was completely unaware of all of the things that Kristen had already gotten away with. Marlena agreed to humor Kristen, inviting her to elaborate.

Kristen warned that Marlena would be much happier if they left that topic alone, but Marlena insisted that leaving the topic or Kristen alone wouldn't help Brady. "I'm not talking about Brady. He's your stepson. I meant your bio son," Kristen cryptically clarified. Kristen revealed that she was going to be working with Eric at the church.

Marlena insisted that Kristen needed to be kept far away from children, churches, and especially Eric. Marlena refused to let Kristen ruin Brady and Eric's lives, but Kristen doubted that Marlena was truly concerned about protecting two grown men who could walk away from Kristen at any time. Kristen theorized that Marlena's outrage was really just about what Marlena had lost.

Marlena admitted that she had no idea what Kristen was talking about. "John. And the fact that the great love affair of the last twenty-five years is history," Kristen said, emphasizing her final word in a singsong voice. Marlena insisted that her relationship with John wasn't relevant to the conversation, but Kristen disagreed. Kristen said that she had heard that John had left Salem and was considering moving his company to Europe.

Kristen guessed that Marlena was upset that her relationship with John was in tatters while Kristen's relationship with Brady was back on solid ground. Marlena clarified that she was upset about the fact that Kristen had reunited with Brady and still didn't care about him at all. Marlena observed that Kristen only seemed to care about punishing Marlena and John.

"Not John. I don't care the slightest bit what John says or what he does. Oh, except for the fact that he seems to want nothing to do with a tired, old, worn-out loser like you," Kristen clarified. In response, Marlena wrapped her hands around Kristen's neck and started to shake her furiously. After a brief struggle, Kristen pushed Marlena away and observed that the subject of John's departure was apparently still a sore point for her.

Marlena warned that Kristen would never be able to win the game that Kristen was playing. "I already won, you idiot! John split, Brady's mine, and now I've got this fabulous new relationship with Eric that I'm nurturing. I'm sort of in bed with all the men in your life, aren't I?" Kristen mused. Marlena grabbed Kristen's arm and warned her to stay away from Marlena's family.

As Marlena and Kristen started to struggle again, Brady arrived and ended the fight. Brady ordered Marlena to leave, insisting that she couldn't continue to treat Kristen that way. "I can, and I will. I will do whatever it takes to keep my family safe. Whatever it takes!" Marlena vowed before leaving the mansion. Kristen tried to feign innocence and blame the incident on Marlena, but Brady wasn't fooled.

Brady said that if he and Kristen were going to give their relationship another chance, she had to learn how to resist pushing his family's buttons. "You know what? Just listen to me for a second, Brady. If I have to take flak from you every time I defend myself or stand up for myself, then maybe you should just leave my house and leave my life!" Kristen angrily replied.

Brady started to leave, but he abruptly changed his mind and passionately kissed Kristen instead. As Brady and Kristen started to make love, she silently recalled seducing Eric. Kristen hesitated for a moment before forcing herself to forget about the memory.

In Will and Sonny's apartment, E.J. recorded a video of Will and Arianna to share with Sami later. Will asked E.J. for a copy of the video, dryly stating that he'd be careful about sharing it with the wrong people. E.J. assured Will that he was aware that Sonny had never intended to send the video of Sami's argument with Bernardi to Adrienne's cell phone.

Will nodded and reported that Sonny had been doing everything that he could possibly do to help Sami. Knowing that Common Grounds was being renovated, E.J. wondered where Sonny was. "I don't know. He said he had to do something, and he didn't want to tell me what it was," Will revealed. E.J. promised that he and Justin were going to do everything that they could possibly do to get Sami released from prison.

Will was confident that E.J. would keep his word, since working for E.J. the previous year had taught Will that E.J. would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. "To be honest, um, back then, it -- it kind of really made you a pain in the ass, but now I'm glad you're like that, because, you know, if Mom's gonna beat this, we need to prove that Bernardi was a crooked cop. And if anybody can do that, I think that's -- that's you," Will said.

Later, after E.J. left, Will received a visit from Abigail. Abigail started to ask if Will had ever been equally interested in two people at the same time, but she stopped herself when she realized that she already knew the answer to that question. After a moment of confusion, Will realized that Abigail was referring to his relationships with Sonny and Gabi.

Will clarified that, while he and Gabi had always had a connection to each other and had made a baby together, he had always known that he belonged with Sonny. Abigail envied Will's certainty about the man whom he was meant to be with, since she had no idea who she was supposed to choose. Will jokingly advised Abigail to do a study on Chad and Cameron's respective good and bad qualities and compare the results in a spreadsheet. After Abigail left, she wondered why Chad had not yet answered her earlier text message.

In a holding cell at the police station, Sami was doing sit-ups when she received a visit from Sonny. Sami said that she was glad to see Sonny, who found that very hard to believe, since he was the reason that she was locked in a cell. Sami insisted that Sonny couldn't blame himself for her predicament, pointing out that he had been incredibly supportive of her and Will.

Sonny struggled to understand why Sami was treating him with such kindness. Sami simply stated that Will loved Sonny, adding that she also loved Sonny. Sonny sighed as he sadly leaned his head against the bars of the cell. "You know, [Will's] torn up about this whole thing. And he said that you wouldn't have been involved with that guy, Bernardi, if you weren't trying to help him. And I don't know what to say to him, because...he's right," Sonny admitted.

Sami asked Sonny to convince Will that what had happened to her was not Will's fault. Sonny quietly explained that Will believed that he should have stepped up and taken responsibility for shooting E.J. years earlier. "He wasn't given that choice. He was just a kid, and he had a lot to deal with, learning to live with having done something horrible like that to someone else. I wasn't a part of those decisions then, but if I had been, I would have done exactly what Lucas did. I would have helped Will, and to hell with everyone else. And ultimately, that is what your mother did, giving that video to Abe. She was just helping you," Sami admitted.

Sonny couldn't believe that Sami was seriously defending Adrienne. "I'm never gonna be Adrienne's biggest fan, but she would walk into a burning building for you. So do yourself a favor -- hell, do me a favor -- and don't throw that away," Sami advised Sonny. Later, after Sonny left, E.J. arrived and showed Sami the video of Will and Arianna.

Sami enjoyed the video, but she lamented the fact that she was missing a lot of precious moments in the kids' lives. E.J. promised that Sami would soon be released from prison, explaining that he had already made a similar promise to Will earlier. Sami tried to find out what E.J. was up to, but he was only willing to say that he believed that the truth about Bernardi would be revealed one way or another.

Later, Sami received a visit from Marlena, so E.J. seized the opportunity to excuse himself. After E.J. left, Marlena observed that, despite Sami's attempts to make everyone believe otherwise, it was obvious that Sami wasn't fine. Sami admitted that every passing moment made her feel less confident about getting released, but Marlena assured her that E.J. would stop at nothing to free Sami.

At the Horton Town Square, Sonny spotted Adrienne and hesitantly approached her, reminding himself that Sami's earlier advice had been solid. After getting updates from Sonny on the Common Grounds renovation project and Arianna, Adrienne revealed that she had talked to Justin earlier. "Sonny, I'm afraid I'm gonna lose him," Adrienne admitted as she started to sob.

Sonny was sincerely sorry to hear the news, but Adrienne conceded that she had handled the situation poorly and was simply paying for her actions. Adrienne quickly changed the subject, acknowledging that it wasn't right for her to talk to Sonny about the problems that she and Justin were having. Adrienne urged Sonny to engage in some small talk with her about his life, tearfully explaining that parents enjoyed hearing about the little things, especially when they didn't get to talk to their kids very often.

"Well, you know what? You're not gonna have to worry about that anymore, because you're gonna hear all of it. Because I miss talking to you, and I miss spending time with you. And I'm just like you -- I think the little day-to-day things are what matter most," Sonny assured Adrienne. Adrienne tearfully stated that she loved Sonny, who returned the sentiment as he gently wiped a tear from her cheek.

Later, Sonny returned to the apartment and greeted Will, who wondered where Sonny had been earlier. Sonny vaguely stated that it didn't matter and that he was just happy to be back home. Sonny tightly hugged Will, who said that he had missed Sonny, and Sonny returned the sentiment as he kissed Will.

At the Brady Pub, Chad pointedly got Cameron to admit that he had been with Abigail when he had received Chad's text message earlier. Chad accused Cameron of viewing Chad's earlier meeting with the specialist as the perfect moment for Cameron to make a move on Abigail. Cameron said that Chad was being paranoid, but Chad countered that even paranoid people had real enemies.

Cameron insisted that his relationship with Abigail hadn't changed and that he wasn't Chad's enemy. Cameron wondered what the specialist had told Chad earlier. Chad reluctantly agreed to share the results with Cameron after stressing that no one -- not the DiMera family, or Abigail, or Will, or Sonny -- could know about the results. Chad said that he didn't want anyone's pity.

"You were right about the brain tumor. Turns out I'm dying," Chad admitted. Chad shrugged and added that the good news was that Cameron was going to be left with a clear shot at Abigail. Before Cameron could respond, Chad abruptly walked away.

In a secluded section of Horton Town Square, E.J. met with an unidentified person about proving that Bernardi had been a dirty cop.