Days of our Lives Recaps: The week of August 12, 2013 on DAYS

Sami and Kate learned the gruesome truth behind Stefano's actions against Rafe. E.J. asked for Rafe's help to free Sami. The book club members who met at Jennifer's house accidentally ate the doughnuts that J.J. had spiked with marijuana. Kristen told Jennifer that she might be pregnant. Daniel had second thoughts about his decision not to be with Jennifer.

Monday, August 12, 2013

by Mike

At the high school, Abe and Theo ran into Marge and Timmy. After Theo and Timmy excused themselves so that they could greet a friend who was standing nearby, Marge said that watching Timmy try to cope with the loss of his father had been breaking her heart. Abe revealed that he knew how Marge felt, since Theo's mother had died the previous year.

Marge was sorry to hear that, but she was quick to point out that, unlike her and Timmy, Abe and Theo had never had to deal with the added pain of knowing that someone was trying to destroy their memories of their deceased loved one. Marge asked Abe to promise that he would protect Bernardi's reputation, but she walked away without waiting for a response.

In a secluded section of Horton Town Square, E.J. handed an unidentified man a brown paper bag that contained approximately fifty thousand dollars. "That cash -- all of which is in unmarked bills, by the way -- has to be found by the police in Detective Bernardi's house. They'll be shocked, of course, but forced to admit that their colleague is on the take. Find a good place to hide it, will you? The kind of place a clever, corrupt police officer would put it. After that, I want you to call the police. Give them an anonymous tip," E.J. instructed the man.

The man wondered why E.J. was targeting a cop who had just received a hero's funeral. E.J. simply stated that he was saving someone's life. E.J. handed the man a detective's business card and instructed him to give the anonymous tip to that specific detective. After promising to do so, the man left so that he could handle the matter right away.

In a holding cell at the police station, a guard handed a tray of food to Sami. Declaring that she was starving, Sami eagerly bit into a hamburger and even allowed herself to admit that it wasn't the worst thing that she had ever tasted. When Sami picked up the napkin that had been included with her meal, she was horrified to discover a note -- "You are a dead woman!" -- written in red ink on the other side.

Fearing that she had just been poisoned, Sami quickly dropped the tray of food on the floor, knelt beside the toilet, and induced vomiting. When the guard returned to find out what was going on, Sami claimed that she had panicked when she had choked on a piece of food. As she started to pick up the scattered pieces of her uneaten meal, Sami discreetly tucked the napkin under her mattress. The guard offered to get Sami another tray of food, but she declined the offer, explaining that the incident had caused her to lose her appetite.

Later, E.J. arrived as a janitor was cleaning Sami's cell. Sami gave E.J. her phony explanation about choking on a piece of food, but after the janitor and the guard left, she revealed the truth to him and showed him the threatening note. E.J. contacted Abe, who arrived a short time later. E.J. showed the note to Abe, who promised to investigate the matter right away.

After Abe left, E.J. received a text message from the man whom he had met with earlier, who informed him that the task had been completed. Before Sami could question E.J. about the message, Abe returned and announced that, while he had been unable to get the mayor to agree to place her under house arrest, he had managed to convince the mayor to agree to provide her with meals from outside sources. Abe said that he had personally chosen three guards who would deliver the meals to Sami on a rotating schedule. Unsatisfied, E.J. revealed that he was going to ask Justin to request a new bail hearing based on the latest incident.

Meanwhile, Abe received a phone call from someone and abruptly excused himself. Curious, Sami wondered what was going on, and E.J. shrugged unknowingly.

At the Brady Pub, Hope received an unexpected phone call from Bo as she and Julie were leaving to attend the book club meeting. Hope was initially pleased to hear from Bo, but her smile quickly faded as he started to speak. "Bo, please, will you at least call Ciara before you leave? Brady, she misses you so mu -- I am trying, believe me. I love you, too. Be careful, okay? Bye," Hope said before ending the call.

Concerned, Julie wondered what was wrong. Hope sighed and admitted that, while she had never been thrilled about Bo's idea to leave Salem, she had been supportive of it because she had assumed that he would only be gone for a few months and that he would be his old self again when he inevitably returned home. Julie pointed out that Bo had been gone for a lot longer than Hope had originally anticipated.

"Oh, tell me about it. A lot longer. And now he just told me he's going undercover. That's what he was just telling me. Which means I don't know when I'll hear from him again," Hope revealed. Julie suggested that she and Hope could skip the book club meeting, but Hope insisted that she needed to maintain her routines, which were the only things that were keeping her sane.

At the Horton Town Square, J.J., Rory, and Bev were sitting at a table together, discussing their plans for the evening. Rory discreetly passed a prescription pill bottle -- presumably filled with marijuana -- to J.J., who announced his intention to test its contents later that night. As J.J. pocketed the bottle, Bev confirmed the time that she would be meeting him at the Horton house that night.

Rory wanted to tag along, but J.J. declined the request because he wanted Jennifer to believe that he and Bev were going on a real date. J.J.'s statement made Bev wonder if he was trying to say that they weren't going on a real date, so he smoothly backpedaled and noncommittally clarified that the night was going to be about two teenagers having some good, wholesome fun. J.J. ended his statement with a wink for good measure.

Satisfied, Bev changed the subject and noted that some weird woman was standing nearby, staring at J.J. "All right, we gotta split up now, man. She's dying to narc on me," J.J. quietly informed Bev and Rory when he realized that Bev was talking about Nicole. Rory and Bev quickly walked away, but before J.J. could do the same, Nicole approached him.

Nicole wondered if J.J. and his friends had been planning their next heist earlier. J.J. was confused, so Nicole clarified that she had heard about his recent arrest for shoplifting. J.J. claimed that the arrest had been nothing more than a simple misunderstanding, but Nicole wasn't convinced. Nicole guessed that J.J. was still shoplifting and that he had been trying to hide one of his stolen items in his pocket during their last encounter.

"Um...yeah. Yeah, I just -- I just boosted a TV. You know, lucky those flat screens are so thin," J.J. sarcastically replied as he patted his pants pocket. Nicole warned that she could cause a lot of problems for J.J. "Oh, I'm scared now. Because everybody believes what you say? Oh, like telling the cops that my mom pushed you down those steps? How'd that work out for you?" J.J. pointedly asked before walking away. As Nicole retrieved her cell phone from her purse, she quietly muttered that things hadn't worked out well for her in the aforementioned situation, adding that things weren't going to work out well for J.J., either.

In the park, Theresa sold someone the symphony tickets that Daniel had given her earlier, adding an extra eighty dollars to her asking price at the last minute when she realized just how badly the man wanted them. As the man walked away with the tickets, Theresa told him to have fun. "You have your kind of fun, and I'll have mine," Theresa quietly muttered as she stuffed the cash in her purse.

Theresa shredded the envelope that the tickets had originally been stored in, but before she could toss the pieces into a nearby trashcan, Daniel stopped to greet her as he was jogging through the area. Daniel recognized the envelope and wondered if it was the one that he had given to Theresa earlier. When Theresa confirmed the suspicion, Daniel asked her about the tickets, and she reluctantly admitted that she no longer had them.

Therese apologetically claimed that she had given the tickets away because she had realized that she would not be able to attend the event. Theresa conceded that she should have returned the tickets to Daniel, but he shook his head and insisted that they had been hers to give away. Theresa thanked Daniel for understanding, claiming that she had tried to hide her change of plans from him because she had assumed that he would have naturally wanted to know why she had decided to skip the event. Theresa turned away from Daniel and stated that she didn't want to burden him with her problems, but he took the bait and invited her to confide in him.

Theresa said that she had always idolized her cousin, Sami, who had always seemed cool and unstoppable to Theresa. "The idea of somebody like her...just in prison for maybe the rest of her life -- I just feel so sad about it, you know? So worried. And then she's got those kids that she has to worry about all the time, and -- I don't know, I'm sure she misses them a lot. Anyway, that's why I gave the tickets away, 'cause I just -- I don't know, the idea of me sitting in a concert hall jammed full of people -- I don't know, I -- I couldn't handle it," Theresa claimed.

Daniel invited Theresa to accompany him on a walk through the park so that they could continue to talk about the situation. As Theresa eagerly accepted the offer, she received a phone call from Kayla. Theresa wanted to ignore the call, but she was forced to answer it when Daniel pointed out that it might have something to do with Sami's case. Theresa reluctantly greeted Kayla, who angrily demanded to see her right away.

After saying farewell to Theresa, Daniel received a text message from Nicole, who asked him to meet her outside the Brady Pub. When Daniel arrived, Nicole told him about her earlier encounter with J.J. Nicole urged Daniel to warn Jennifer that something was going on with J.J., but he was reluctant to do so, since he and Nicole had nothing concrete to support their suspicions about J.J.

Nicole was planning to attend the book club meeting, so she decided to personally share her concerns with Jennifer after the meeting. Daniel was surprised to learn that Jennifer had invited Nicole to the meeting. Nicole explained that she and Jennifer were developing a friendship with each other. Nicole groaned with frustration as she admitted that she hated the fact that J.J. was interfering with Daniel's happiness.

Daniel hugged Nicole, who accidentally dropped something on the ground when she wrapped her arms around him. When Daniel picked up the item -- a comic book version of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland -- Nicole was forced to admit that she hadn't had time to read the actual novel, since she had just received her invitation to the meeting two days earlier.

In Kayla's office at the hospital, Kayla reminded Theresa that Theresa had moved to Salem to avoid jail time after Theresa's lawyer had managed to convince a judge that moving jurisdictions would be a good way for Theresa to avoid the temptations of her old life in Los Angeles. Theresa protested that she had only been arrested because an undercover cop had conspired to entrap her.

Ignoring Theresa's point, Kayla reported that she had talked to Jennifer earlier, and Jennifer had complained about Theresa's job performance. "So if I can't convince Jennifer that you are worthy of a second chance, you are heading back west, serving time for a drug bust," Kayla summarized. Kayla handed Theresa a notepad and instructed her to craft a written apology for Jennifer, which Kayla planned to deliver at the book club meeting.

Later, Theresa went to a secluded section of Horton Town Square, where she made another attempt to contact J.J., who had been ignoring her phone calls. Theresa recorded a voicemail message for J.J. to inform him that she had decided to take her business elsewhere. As Theresa ended the call, a man approached her and sold her a vial of cocaine.

At the Horton house, Adrienne was the first to arrive for the book club meeting. Adrienne offered to help Jennifer with the preparations, but Jennifer reported that she had already accomplished most of the tasks and only needed to finish baking the doughnuts. Unsurprised, Adrienne admitted that she had actually arrived early because she had really needed to see a friendly face.

As she helped Jennifer with the doughnuts, Adrienne revealed that Justin was furious with her because of the role that she had played in Sami's latest predicament. Jennifer was confident that Justin would eventually forgive Adrienne, who didn't share Jennifer's optimism. Adrienne admitted that the good news was that she and Sonny had apparently reconciled earlier that day. Jennifer reported that she had been having her own problems with J.J. since his return to Salem, but she optimistically added that she had recently seen some real improvements in his behavior.

Later, J.J. greeted Jennifer, who was alone in the kitchen, powdering the doughnuts. As Jennifer tried to decide what to do with the leftover dough, J.J. casually mentioned that he and Bev were planning to hang out with some friends later that night. J.J. suggested that he could make another batch of doughnuts to share with his friends, but Jennifer warned that they weren't easy to make. Jennifer offered to make the doughnuts for J.J. herself, but he assured her that he had retained everything that she had taught him years earlier about making them.

Jennifer excused herself so that she could finish getting ready for the meeting, leaving J.J. to handle the next batch of doughnuts on his own. After Jennifer left, J.J. received a phone call from Rory. J.J. told Rory about Nicole's earlier ambush and admitted that it would probably be a bad idea for him to walk around with marijuana in his possession that night. "Look, don't worry, man. I -- I think I know another way to get it there," J.J. assured Rory, grinning mischievously as he inspected the bowl of leftover dough.

Later, after finishing the doughnuts, J.J. placed them in a brown paper bag. The doughnuts were irregularly shaped, but J.J. muttered that no one was going to care about what the doughnuts looked like anyway. Meanwhile, Adrienne entered the kitchen and informed J.J. that Jennifer needed him to carry an extra chair downstairs. After J.J. left, Adrienne curiously inspected the doughnuts that J.J. had made.

Meanwhile, Bev arrived and greeted Jennifer, who introduced her to Hope, Julie, and Adrienne. Hope wondered how J.J. and Bev had met each other. J.J. explained that he had met Bev at summer school, and she added that they had been instructed to read A Farewell to Arms and had bonded over their mutual love of Hemingway. Julie suggested that A Farewell to Arms could be the book club's next choice and that Bev and J.J. could join them for the discussion of the novel.

J.J. evasively stated that he needed to retrieve the doughnuts from the kitchen so that he and Bev could leave, but before he could escape, Jennifer asked to talk to him for a moment. Jennifer pulled J.J. into the foyer and enthusiastically approved of Bev, who seemed like a really sweet girl to Jennifer. Jennifer hoped that J.J. and Bev would have a lot of fun on their date, and he predicted that it would definitely be an enjoyable evening.

Meanwhile, Adrienne went to the kitchen to retrieve the book club's tray of doughnuts. Adrienne didn't want J.J.'s friends to tease him about the irregularly shaped doughnuts that he had made, so she decided to secretly give him the batch of doughnuts that Jennifer had made instead. Seconds after Adrienne finished placing Jennifer's doughnuts in J.J.'s brown paper bag, he entered the kitchen, retrieved the bag, and said farewell to Adrienne.

Elsewhere, Hope told Jennifer about Bo's earlier phone call. A short time later, Kayla arrived and handed Jennifer the letter of apology that Theresa had written earlier. Meanwhile, Nicole arrived with a bottle of wine for Jennifer. As Jennifer happily informed everyone that Nicole had agreed to join the book club, Nicole sighed as she eyed a photograph of J.J.

As Jennifer offered everyone a glass of wine, she wondered what they had each thought about the book. "Well, where Alice says, 'What's the good of a book without conversation or pictures?', I felt her pain. But then, you know, I got into it," Julie jokingly stated. Meanwhile, Hope received a phone call from someone and excused herself, apologetically explaining that she was going to have to work that night.

After Hope left, Jennifer told Kayla that she had read Theresa's note and would be willing to give Theresa another chance as a favor to Kayla. Kayla hugged Jennifer, who, in the process of wrapping her arms around Kayla, almost knocked over an open bottle of wine that had been placed next to the tray of doughnuts, but Nicole managed to catch the bottle. Jennifer thanked Nicole for saving the doughnuts, which were the highlight of the evening. "Forget the doughnuts -- this is a twenty dollar bottle of wine," Nicole dryly replied, causing everyone to laugh.

At the courthouse, Hope met Abe, who had just obtained a warrant to search Bernardi's house. Abe received a phone call from Marge, who had been informed of the latest development from a friend at the courthouse. Abe apologetically explained that he had to do his job, but Marge wasn't convinced that it was his job to prove that Bernardi had been some sort of monster.

Marge reminded Abe of the promise that he had made to her earlier, overlooking the fact that he had never actually made a promise to her in the first place. As Abe tried to explain that he couldn't ignore the tip that he had received, Marge angrily ended the call. "All right, let's go -- we have a reputation to destroy," Abe said with a sigh as he and Hope left the courthouse.

At the park, J.J. laughed as he told Rory about the skillful way that Bev had managed to charm Jennifer earlier. Rory mocked Bev's claim that she and J.J. had bonded over their mutual love of Hemingway. "What was I supposed to say? 'We bonded over our mutual love of weed'?" Bev asked. Before the group could enjoy the doughnuts, Daniel jogged through the area.

"Hey, buddy. Staying in shape? You know, that's a good idea, now that you're back in the dating scene, you know? Got to keep the ladies interested," J.J. pointedly stated as he greeted Daniel. Daniel countered that, for Jennifer's sake, J.J. might want to start thinking about how he was living his own life instead of worrying about how Daniel was living his.

After Daniel left, J.J., Rory, and Bev started to eat the doughnuts. Bev and Rory were suspicious about the fact that they had not yet started to feel the effects of the marijuana, but J.J. insisted that the drug would kick in eventually. Meanwhile, at the Horton house, after raising their glasses to toast to the fictional Alice, each lady raised a doughnut to toast to Alice Horton.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

by Spalding

In the woods, J.J., Bev, and Rory sat on the ground and ate donuts they thought were laced with marijuana. As they ate, Rory talked about his course schedule at school. When J.J. commented that the subject was boring, Bev remarked that she was not high. Rory agreed. J.J. was confused, and then he remembered that there was another batch of donuts at his house.

At the Horton house, Jennifer's book club had gathered in the living room. Nicole, Adrienne, Julie, Jennifer, and Kayla nibbled on the marijuana-infused donuts and discussed the book Alice in Wonderland. Nicole joked that book club was not as boring as she had feared it would be. Julie admitted that she was bored by cruises. Jennifer grabbed more donuts from the kitchen, and the group descended on the plate as if they were starving.

Nicole was a basket of emotions from laughter to tears and finally to sulky paranoia. Kayla worried aloud that no one at the tea party in the book was CPR certified and that the dormouse perished in the teapot because of that. While the group laughed about the pronunciation of Shih Tzu, Nicole went to the bathroom. Giggling, Julie pulled handcuffs out of her purse and explained that she had learned a trick from a magician on the last cruise she had taken.

After clamping the handcuffs on her own wrists, Julie asked Jennifer for a paper clip to help her escape. As Julie struggled to free herself from the handcuffs, Nicole returned from the bathroom. Ravenous, the group grabbed a bunch of food from the kitchen and ate while Julie struggled with the handcuffs. Jennifer called Hope to ask for a handcuff key. Noticing Julie's giggle, Hope suggested that Julie had drunk too much wine. Hope promised to send a squad car with a key.

When J.J. arrived home, he could hear the book club women laughing in the living room from the front porch. As J.J. sighed, a police officer appeared behind him and asked to be admitted to the house. Nervous, J.J. promised the officer that he would tell his mother to tone down the party. Jennifer opened the front door and offered the officer a donut. As the color drained from J.J.'s face, the officer declined the offer and handed Jennifer the handcuff key.

J.J. followed his mother inside the house. When J.J. spied the leftover donuts on the coffee table, he offered to clean up. J.J. whisked away the plates and hurriedly shoved the donuts down the garbage disposal in the kitchen. J.J. called cabs for all the ladies and sent them home. Before Nicole left, she raised a suspicious eyebrow and told J.J. that she thought he was up to something.

When J.J. returned to the living room, he found Jennifer staring at an old photo album. Jennifer gushed over how proud she was of J.J. and said that she believed J.J. had turned a corner in his life. J.J. told Jennifer to head to bed. Once Jennifer was gone, J.J. muttered, "They all went down the rabbit hole."

Gabi visited Rafe at the hospital. Rafe was restless and grumpy. When Rafe begged Gabi to ask Sami to visit him, Gabi explained that Sami was still in jail. Worried, Rafe asked Gabi to send Sami a message for him. Gabi told Rafe that he could send the message himself.

In the square, Kate saw Stefano laughing with Cecily. Kate thought about her conversation with Chad, and she angrily approached Stefano. Stefano sent Cecily away so that he could talk to Kate. Kate demanded to know why Stefano had lied to Chad. Stefano swore that he had not sent an officer to kill Rafe. Kate said she did not believe Stefano, but her face appeared unsure. Kate said that Stefano was jealous of Rafe.

"You're a soulless whore, and I don't give a damn who you sleep with," Stefano bellowed. Stefano knocked a vase of flowers to the ground, and he stomped off.

Kate walked to the hospital, and a nurse gave her an envelope from Kayla. Inside the envelope was a note from Kayla about the physical therapist that she recommended for Rafe. Kate examined the rsum for a therapist named Jordan Ridgeway. Kate called Kayla to thank her, but Kayla's mouth was full of peanut butter, so her voice was muted. Confused, Kate blamed a bad phone connection and hung up.

Kate entered Rafe's room, and she informed him about her conversation with Stefano. When Rafe asked Kate if she believed Stefano, Kate nodded. "He swore he did not send that man to kill you," Kate said. Rafe scowled.

At the jail, Sami worried aloud about why Abe had left so suddenly after his phone call. E.J. stood quietly listening to Sami wonder aloud if Abe's phone call had been about her case. E.J. thought about his meeting with Finn and his instructions to plant evidence implicating Bernardi as a dirty cop. Noting E.J.'s stillness, Sami asked E.J. why he was so calm. E.J. said he was optimistic. Suspicious, Sami asked, "What did you do?"

E.J. evaded Sami's question and urged Sami not to read too much into his body language. When Gabi arrived, E.J. excused himself to run errands. Sami thanked Gabi for visiting. Smiling, Gabi noted that she had a visitor for Sami. Gabi held up her phone and played a video from Rafe.

In the video, Rafe told Sami that if she claimed Bernardi had attempted to kill him, then Rafe believed Sami. Rafe thanked Sami for saving his life, and he apologized for the pain that Sami was going through in jail. Overwhelmed, Sami asked Gabi to pause the video. Sami turned her back to Gabi and wiped away tears. When Gabi finished playing the message, Rafe urged Sami to listen to E.J. because he was a good lawyer and would protect Sami.

In the Bernardi home, Abe and Hope searched the house for evidence that Joe had been on the take from Stefano. Abe showed Hope the death threat that someone had sent Sami. As Hope gasped in disbelief at the note, an officer alerted Abe and Hope to a hidden panel with a steel box. Abe opened the box to find personal documents and photos but no evidence that Joe was a dirty cop.

After searching the Bernardi house, Hope returned to the police station with Abe and they bumped into E.J. E.J. asked about the search at the Bernardi house, and Abe was suspicious because he had not told anyone about the search. E.J. explained that he had seen the search warrant request at the courthouse. When E.J. asked what they had found, Abe admitted that they had found nothing useful. E.J.'s face twitched and Abe noted that E.J. appeared surprised by the news. After E.J. left, Abe wondered what E.J. was hiding.

Hope went down to the jail cells to visit Sami. Anxious, Sami asked Hope about Abe's phone call. Hope said the call had been about a lead on Sami's case but that the lead had not panned out. Hope warned Sami not to let E.J. break the rules for her because it might backfire and hurt Sami's case.

Outside the Brady Pub, E.J. met with Finn to ask about the planted evidence. Finn explained that he had planted the money, and if it was not in Bernardi's house, then someone had found it before the police had searched the house.

Nearby in the park, Stefano met with a man named Rand. Rand handed an envelope of $50,000 to Stefano and noted that he had retrieved it from Joe Bernardi's house. Laughing, Stefano remarked that E.J. mistakenly believed that Stefano's bribes were heftier than they actually were. When Stefano returned to the square, E.J. confronted him about covering Joe Bernardi's tracks. Smiling, Stefano asked E.J. if he would have trouble sleeping, knowing that Sami was in jail.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

by ChickenGrrl

As Will went into the kitchen at the Brady Pub to say hello to his great-grandmother, Brent walked in the front door and greeted Sonny. Brent spread the latest blueprints of his designs on a table so that he and Sonny could look them over. Brent confessed that he was really looking forward to his vacation at Bryce Canyon, and Will returned from the kitchen just in time to overhear Brent asking if Sonny had given any more thought about accompanying Brent on the trip.

Sonny reminded Brent that they had already talked about how Sonny couldn't take any trips for a while. Will emerged from behind the bar as Chad walked in the door. Chad agreed that the designs looked great. "The best thing you did was bring Brent on to this project," Chad declared. "We make an awesome team," Sonny concurred, and Will looked pained.

Sonny excitedly described another spot he'd seen for a future club if their current one turned out to be a success. Chad pointed out that they should take things one day at a time, but Brent didn't think they should pass up an opportunity to expand. When Will said that he had to leave to take Arianna's sun hat to Gabi in the park, Chad offered to do it, since he was going that way and he wanted to see the baby. After Chad left, Brent noted that Chad had seemed a little down.

Once they were alone, Will confronted Brent about asking Sonny to go on the trip to Bryce Canyon again when Sonny had made it clear that he wasn't interested and wouldn't go without Will. "Do me a favor? Stop asking him, okay? Back off," Will ordered. Brent calmly explained, "Look, I don't know you very well... But I was hoping to get to know you better if you and Sonny would come on this camping trip with me and some of the other guys."

Will wanted to know why, if that were the case, Brent had invited Sonny while Will hadn't been present. Becoming testy, Brent and insisted that he and Sonny had always been just friends and would never get involved, because Sonny wasn't Brent's type. Although Will didn't buy it, Brent admitted that he was envious of what Will and Sonny had.

Sonny was a bit bemused when he saw Brent leaving. Will confessed that he had attacked Brent for asking Sonny about the trip again, and he hoped Brent wasn't too upset about it. Sonny reassured Will that Brent was a good guy and wouldn't be upset. "You know, we share a lot of friends, and I think it'd be cool if one of them just happened to be gay," Sonny noted lightly. Will agreed.

Sonny reassured Will, "I just want you to know that no guy or girl -- gay, straight, or indifferent -- is gonna come between us. I know how lucky I am." Grinning, Sonny grabbed Will by the shirt and pulled him across the table to kiss him.

In the park, Cameron sent a text message asking Chad to call him because the two needed to talk. Gabi entered the park just then with Arianna and heard Cameron heaving dejected sigh. She asked if Cameron were all right, but he insisted that he was fine. Cameron knelt down to look more closely at Arianna and exclaimed with a grin that she was growing very quickly. Although she acknowledged that Rafe still had a lot of physical therapy ahead, Gabi hoped that her brother was back on his feet soon. Cameron reassured her that Rafe was tough and committed.

Gabi guessed that Cameron had been upset about Abigail earlier, but Cameron maintained that wasn't the case. When Arianna began babbling and wiggling, Cameron first asked Gabi's permission, then lifted the infant out of her stroller. Beaming, Cameron held Arianna tenderly and cooed compliments about how beautiful she was.

Chad arrived just then with Arianna's sun hat and looked very uncomfortable when he saw Cameron holding the baby. Gabi was grateful that Chad had dropped off the hat. She offered to let Chad hold the baby, but he declined and left quickly. Cameron returned Arianna to her mother and departed, as well.

Cameron chased after Chad and caught up with him outside the square. Chad apologized for sounding so self-pitying about his illness the night before, but Cameron understood. Chad admitted that since he wasn't close to his family, his first instinct was to talk to Abigail about what he was going through, even though he didn't want anyone, especially her, to know about it because he didn't want their pity.

Cameron declared that he didn't pity Chad; he hated what Chad was going through and wished that he could do something to help. Cameron guessed that the next step was chemotherapy and asked if Chad planned to do it. "Damn straight. I'm going to do whatever I have to do to beat this thing," Chad declared.

In bed with Brady at the DiMera mansion, Kristen awakened from a bad dream about her encounter in the hotel room with Eric. Brady wondered why she had been tossing and turning, but Kristen just claimed that she had been dreaming that she was finally with the right man. After she kissed him, Brady pulled away, and Kristen asked if he thought they'd made a mistake.

Kristen worried that Brady was playing her, but he assured her that he wasn't. Brady thought that even though they had both acted impulsively, they should continue to take things slowly, because he wanted to commit to her. Kristen confessed that she already knew that she wanted Brady "now and forever" -- but she was all right with taking things slowly. Kristen reluctantly stated that she couldn't spend all day in bed with Brady because she and Father Eric had to interview scholarship candidates at the rectory.

Brady wanted to take Kristen on a date later to celebrate their reunion, and she happily accepted. After Brady headed for the shower, Kristen fretted about what she had done to Eric but quickly snapped out of it. "No, this will work. Brady and I are going to be happy. It's gonna work," she told herself.

At St. Luke's, Daniel informed Eric that since all the evidence that Mason had collected had been ruined, it was unlikely they would ever know what had happened to Eric the night he'd gotten so sick. Unconcerned, Eric said that they could just chalk it up to God working in mysterious ways. Daniel pointed out that if it hadn't been random, whoever had tried to harm Eric could try again.

Observing that Daniel seemed troubled, Eric reminded Dr. Jonas that anything he shared with Eric would be private. Daniel admitted that he was feeling so confused and conflicted about something that it was making him reexamine some of his earlier life choices. He explained that when he'd arrived in Salem, he had still been grieving the death of his wife. He had gotten involved with someone who'd been in a committed relationship, and people had been badly hurt.

Daniel continued that after that, the tables had been turned, and he had experienced the effects of infidelity from the other side. Daniel said that he was blessed to have a son from that union, but he feared that his poor judgment in the past had caused him to shortchange Parker. Daniel declared that he was determined to live his life more openly and honestly with no more lies or secrets so he could set an example for Parker.

Eric guessed that Daniel's epiphany had something to do with Jennifer. Daniel admitted that Jennifer had proposed something that he knew would be a mistake, but he might lose her if he didn't go along with it. Eric said that he found that in times like that, prayer guided him in the right direction. Daniel admitted that although that wasn't normally his "thing," he was willing to give it a try. Kristen arrived outside and overheard as Eric suggested that Daniel listen to what his gut was telling him.

When Kristen entered, she explained to a curious Daniel that she and Eric were going to be working together. Kristen wondered if she and Eric should send Nicole out for sandwiches if they had to work through lunch, but Eric said they would just order in. After thanking Eric for listening, Daniel left.

Kristen and Eric met with a little girl named Sarah. Kristen praised Sarah for her good grades and well-written application statement. Sarah's mom, Mrs. Ferrari, admitted that she wanted her daughter to have the best education possible, so she hoped that Sarah would be eligible for a scholarship. Eric and Kristen sort of finished each other's thoughts during the interview, and Sarah's mom wondered if the two were old friends. Eric explained that he and Ms. DiMera were just getting to know one another.

A little later, Kristen called Mrs. Ferrari back into the office while Sarah was touring the school. Eric informed Mrs. Ferrari, "We are happy to welcome your daughter into our scholarship program." Mrs. Ferrari was elated. She confessed that the scholarship would really help because she had just learned that she and her husband were expecting another child. Kristen pulled out her cell phone while Mrs. Ferrari was telling Eric about taking a home pregnancy test. Suddenly a look of horror crossed Kristen's face.

J.J. was on the phone with Rory as he arrived outside the front door of the Horton house. J.J. informed Rory that he had disposed of all the evidence after Jennifer and her book club had gotten high on J.J.'s pot-laced doughnuts the night before. Meanwhile, Abigail was just sitting down with her tablet -- and a doughnut -- to read the latest news about Sami. J.J. walked in the door, spotted Abigail about to take a bite, and frantically ordered her not to eat it.

Jennifer entered just then, and neither she nor Abigail could figure out why the doughnut had sent J.J. into such a panic. As he wrested the offending pastry away from his sister, J.J. lied that he had sneezed on it. Jennifer admitted to J.J. that she was ashamed and embarrassed about drinking too much with the book club women the night before. J.J. guiltily reassured her that it was all right, and Jennifer vowed that it would never happen again.

Abigail showed her mom the news article about Sami. "I just feel awful for everyone," Abigail said. After J.J. headed upstairs, Jennifer wondered why Sami's situation was affecting Abigail so much. Abigail reluctantly admitted that she had been hiding something. After swearing her mom to secrecy, Abigail confessed that she had known about the video of Sami attacking Bernardi before it had been made public.

An incredulous Jennifer didn't believe that either Will or Sonny would ask Abigail to conceal evidence, but she quickly realized that it had to have been Chad. Jennifer asserted that Abigail needed to call a lawyer about why she'd been keeping the video a secret, but a shocked Abigail pointed out that a lot of people would be hurt if they did that. "And you will go to jail," Jennifer countered. Abigail tearfully apologized for making her mom's life more complicated. Jennifer promised to make some phone calls from work -- and they would handle it together.

In the kitchen later, Abigail was pleasantly surprised as she ate something that J.J. had made for her. "I know you're my big sister, but I hope it's okay if I look out for you, too, sometimes," J.J. said. Abigail was touched. She filled J.J. in about what was going on about the video, ending with their mom's plans to call a lawyer. After teasing his sister about being the one in trouble for a change, J.J. reassured her that he would always be there for her.

J.J. added that the three of them were a family, so they had to stick together -- and not listen to anyone else. Abigail agreed in part, but pointed out that Jennifer had really been struggling after her breakup with Daniel. J.J. was sure that their mom would be fine. "Mom finally realizes that things are a lot better without Daniel Jonas," J.J. declared, to Abigail's disgust.

At Brady's behest, Daniel met Brady in Horton Square. Brady asked if Daniel still had the symphony tickets, but Daniel replied that he had given them away. With a grin, Daniel guessed that Brady had a date, and Brady admitted that he did -- with Kristen. Daniel wanted to know if Brady and Kristen were still keeping their relationship a secret. Brady said that they just weren't telling everyone yet. Daniel said that he was happy for Brady, but urged his friend to be careful. Brady assured Daniel that his eyes were open.

Jennifer went to her office and called a lawyer from her desk. While she was on hold, she fantasized that Daniel entered and declared that he would help her fix whatever she was worried about -- and he was willing to be with her in secret. He shoved everything off of the desk, then lifted a shocked Jennifer onto it, kissing her. Jennifer snapped back to reality.

Near the nurses' station a bit later, Jennifer repeated the lawyer's words back just for clarification, "Great, so you're saying that the focus is off my daughter at this point in terms of the case against Sami Brady... Oh, my goodness, that's such a relief." When Jennifer hung up, Daniel was at the nurses' station, going through some patient files.

Jennifer asked if he had reconsidered about not being able to do what she'd asked. Daniel replied that he was actually even more resolved than before. "What you're asking, wanting us to sneak around, keeping our relationship a secret, so that your son isn't traumatized by my presence in your life -- I won't do it. I can't do it," Daniel declared gently.

Brady showed up at the rectory door and asked Eric if Kristen were there. Meanwhile, Kristen was inside, checking her calendar. "I'm late. I'm really, really late. It's not possible. It can't be," Kristen whispered worriedly to herself.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

by Mike

At the park, Nicole took a break from reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland so that she could work on her tan for a while. Shortly after Nicole closed her eyes, someone approached her. Nicole opened her eyes and found herself staring at a wet, shirtless Eric, but when he started to speak, she realized that he was really just a wet, shirtless stranger. The man informed Nicole that she needed to leave the area.

Confused, Nicole pointed out that the area was supposed to be open to the public. The man explained that, while the area was normally open to the public, it was being closed for the day so that a special ceremony could be held in honor of the one-year anniversary of the explosion. Nicole thanked the man for the information, explaining that she had a friend who had lost someone in the explosion.

In the hallway outside Eric's office at St. Luke's, Eric and Brady argued about Marlena's reaction to the news that Brady had reunited with Kristen. Brady accused Marlena of being judgmental, but Eric defended her right to be upset. Eric reasoned that Marlena didn't need anything else to worry about, since dealing with Sami's arrest and John's departure had already been stressful enough. Brady shrugged and optimistically stated that the good news was that things couldn't possibly get any worse.

Meanwhile, inside the office, Kristen tried to assure herself that she had probably gotten her dates mixed up. "I can't be pregnant with Eric's baby," Kristen quietly muttered as Eric and Brady entered the room. Brady could tell that something was wrong with Kristen, but she simply claimed that the task of choosing the scholarship recipients had left her feeling overwhelmed.

Kristen tried to excuse herself, but Brady stopped her and asked Eric for some privacy. After Eric left, Brady wondered what had happened between Kristen and Eric. Kristen feigned ignorance as she silently recalled seducing Eric, prompting Brady to clarify that it had seemed like Eric had been in a bad mood earlier. Brady assumed that Eric and Kristen were having trouble getting along with each other, but she assured him that everything was fine.

Satisfied, Brady excused himself so that he could answer an important phone call. After Brady left, Eric returned and told Kristen that he needed her to help him conduct one final student interview. Still eager to leave, Kristen started to protest, but Eric assured her that the interview would only take thirty minutes to complete. Kristen reluctantly agreed to help Eric, conceding that nothing could change in the following thirty minutes anyway.

During the interview, the potential student, Hayley, remained silent as her guardian -- who was also her second cousin -- explained that Hayley's mother had died six months earlier. Hayley's cousin revealed that Hayley's grades had started to suffer after her mother's death. Eric tried to talk to Hayley, but his questions were met with more silence. Eric excused himself so that he could talk to Hayley's cousin in the hallway, leaving Hayley alone with Kristen. Kristen assured Hayley that they didn't have to talk unless Hayley wanted to talk. Hayley wondered what had led Kristen to believe that Hayley didn't want to talk.

"I don't know. I just assumed. I mean, I think I understand. I mean, I think I do understand what you're going through. When I was about your age, I lost most of my family, too, honey. For a long time, it was just my brother and me. And we were mad -- so mad, and we were sad, too. 'Cause we felt that we'd been cheated out of something, you know, that was important, and we had been cheated out of something, just like you have. I didn't want to talk, 'cause I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, words wouldn't come out anyway, you know? I thought maybe I would just start screaming bloody murder...and crying, and then I'd be freaking out, and everybody around me would be freaking out. Do you kind of feel like that, too?" Kristen asked, and Hayley silently nodded as tears streamed down her face.

"Look, I know it sounds really crazy, but things are gonna get better. You're not always gonna be so mad. You're not always gonna be so sad. You're gonna realize that the people that you lost are still with you. They're in your heart. They want you to be happy. They want you to feel safe. It's gonna get better. I promise you, Hayley," Kristen assured Hayley. As Hayley wrapped her arms around Kristen, Eric returned and quietly observed the scene.

After knocking on his office door to announce his presence, Eric informed Hayley that her cousin was waiting for her in the hallway. Hayley smiled at Kristen and silently walked away. Eric realized that Kristen had managed to get Hayley to trust her because she had been able to relate to what Hayley was going through. Kristen wondered how Eric managed to get kids to trust him, observing that he seemed to have an obvious affinity for kids.

Eric guessed that Kristen was trying to say that it was odd that he was able to relate to kids, since he didn't have any of his own. "I don't know if I was gonna say that at all. You shouldn't just jump to the conclusion that I was gonna say that. I don't know if I was gonna say that. So can we please just not talk about this right now? In fact, let's not talk about this ever again, okay?" Kristen defensively replied.

Kristen quickly apologized for snapping at Eric, vaguely explaining that she was simply confused and worried about all of the recent changes that had occurred in her life. Kristen cited her reunion with Brady as one change, but she repeatedly alluded to other changes, prompting Eric to try to figure out exactly what she was talking about. "I'm talking about all these circumstances -- oh, God, I can't -- I can't talk right now. I have to go," Kristen said as she abruptly exited the room.

At the Brady Pub, Nicole approached Brady as he was ending a phone call. Nicole hesitantly started to explain that she had been reminded of something earlier, and Brady quickly guessed that she was talking about the anniversary of the explosion. Brady revealed that he had just finished a phone conversation with Madison's sister. Nicole wondered if Brady was aware that a memorial ceremony was being held in the park later that day.

Brady nodded and informed Nicole that only the victims' immediate family members had been invited to attend the ceremony. Brady said that he had been thinking about Jack Deveraux's family members, all of whom were probably having a rough day, and that he had also been thinking about Madison, who would want him to continue to live his life. Brady and Nicole laughed as they reminisced about Madison.

Nicole couldn't resist the urge to point out that Madison had possessed all of the great qualities that Kristen was devoid of. Nicole's comment bothered Brady, who admitted that he had originally expected her to be the person in his life who would be most likely to relate to Kristen. "She has been wounded by life, by things she couldn't control, and hurt by the people that were supposed to love her in the world. And now she's trying to get another shot at happiness and turn her life around. Does this sound familiar to you?" Brady pointedly asked Nicole.

"All right, fine. We are a lot alike. Which is even more reason for you to listen to me. She is a man-eater. And you look in those big eyes, those sad eyes, and you say, 'Aw.' But she will eat you up and spit you out -- again," Nicole warned Brady. Brady assured Nicole that his eyes were wide open, but she was clearly skeptical. "Nicole, you don't have to trust her -- I do. If you're my friend, you will trust the fact that I won't let anybody, including Kristen, screw up my life again. End of story," Brady insisted before exiting the pub.

In Rafe's room at the hospital, Rafe demanded to know why Kate believed that Stefano had not ordered Bernardi to kill Rafe. Kate tried to change the subject, but Rafe refused to drop the matter. Admitting defeat, Kate sighed and clarified that she wasn't trying to suggest that there wasn't a connection between Stefano and Bernardi. "Because clearly there is," Rafe matter-of-factly added.

Frustrated that she seemed willing to believe Stefano, Rafe reminded Kate that they were both aware that Stefano was capable of murder. Rafe scoffed at Kate's implication that Stefano considered lying to be worse than committing murder. Kate clarified that she was only inclined to believe Stefano because he had given his word and invoked the DiMera code of honor, which was something that he took very seriously.

"His word? His word? Screw his word, okay? It is worth nothing, and he's worth nothing! He is nothing more than a lying, homicidal psychopath, and I have zero doubt that he sent Bernardi here to try and kill me," Rafe countered. Kate made another attempt to change the subject, wondering if Rafe was excited about starting his physical therapy sessions.

"I heard that they have assigned you a therapist, and he is supposed to be the very, very best," Kate revealed, but Rafe stubbornly remained silent. Undeterred, Kate reached for a nearby photograph of Arianna and asked if Rafe would like to talk about the recent visit that he had received from his niece. Rafe softened and admitted that, aside from the fact that he had been unable to hold Arianna in his arms, he had enjoyed seeing her.

Kate assured Rafe that he would soon be holding, hugging, and going on adventures with Arianna. Meanwhile, Maxine entered the room and announced that Rafe would soon receive a visit from his physical therapist. Kate took the hint and excused herself. Kate passed through the waiting area on her way to the elevator, oblivious to an attractive young woman who was scribbling something on a patient's chart nearby. Back in Rafe's room, Maxine warned Rafe that the first days of physical therapy were always painful. Maxine confidently assured Rafe that things would eventually get better.

In a holding cell at the police station, Sami asked the guard if he had heard any new information about her impending bail hearing. The guard reported that he had only heard that someone would be delivering some of Sami's clothes to the police station later that day so that she would have something to wear to the courthouse.

The guard started to walk away, but Sami stopped him and thanked him for treating her fairly. After revealing that Roman had once saved his life, the guard assured Sami that she would always be safe on his watch. The guard left, but he later returned to deliver a garment bag to Sami. Sami smiled as she inspected the contents of the garment bag.

At the DiMera mansion, E.J. was talking to someone on the phone, warning that if they couldn't do the job that he had paid them to do, he would be forced to find someone else to handle the task. As E.J. ended the call, Justin barged into the living room and demanded to know what was going on. Sensing that he was about to get a lecture from Justin, E.J. evasively stated that he was busy, but Justin refused to be dismissed.

Justin revealed that he had heard about the anonymous tip that the police had received about Bernardi, as well as E.J.'s stunned reaction to the news that nothing incriminating had been found during the search of Bernardi's house. E.J. didn't understand why Justin was upset, so Justin pointed out that Abe and Hope could be asked about the search during their respective testimonies at Sami's trial.

Justin believed that Hope and Abe's statements about the search could be detrimental to Sami's case. "The only thing they found was a metal box, the contents of which makes Bernardi look like Saint Joseph, so please stay out of this and let Sami's team of allies take care of everything from now on!" Justin requested. E.J. denied the request, insisting that he wasn't going to rest until Sami was proven innocent.

As E.J. poured himself a glass of whiskey, he admitted that he was most concerned about the kids, who were struggling to understand why it was taking such a long time for Sami to complete her business trip. Justin understood and insisted that he was doing everything that he could possibly do to reunite Sami with her kids, but he added that he needed E.J.'s cooperation.

"By the book, right?" E.J. bitterly summarized, and Justin confirmed that following the rules would be the only way to save Sami. Changing the subject, E.J. handed Justin a folder, vaguely describing it as Melinda Trask's next move. "How did you -- damn it. By the book from this moment forward!" Justin stressed after reading the contents of the folder.

Later, at the courthouse, Sami thanked E.J. for her dress -- the same one that she could be seen wearing in the portrait that was hanging in the living room of the DiMera mansion. E.J. predicted that the dress would serve as a good-luck charm. Meanwhile, the judge entered the room and started the hearing.

"Your Honor, since Ms. Brady's incarceration, there have been not one, but two threats on her life -- two separate incidents. This cannot be tolerated. We ask the court to do everything in its power to protect the safety of my client. Your Honor, she's not a flight risk. All she wants to do is prove her innocence [and] clear her name so she can get back to her home to take care of her children. So I ask therefore, respectfully, to have your prior decision rescinded and to allow my client to be free on bail in the safety of her home with her family," Justin emphatically stated.

"Your Honor, we understand the court's concern about my client fleeing, so we present the passports of Ms. Brady and Mr. DiMera, as well as this certified document verifying the self-impoundment of the DiMera private jet. May I also remind the court that the children involved --" Justin started to add, but Melinda interrupted and insisted that the children didn't matter.

Melinda pointed out that Sami and E.J. had previously fled Salem, leaving their children behind, and that they had done so without the use of their passports or their private jet. After promising to consider each attorney's argument, the judge moved on to the second motion that Justin had filed. Melinda quickly stressed that the state was opposed to Justin's second motion.

Justin explained that he had filed his second motion -- a request for a closed trial -- because he was concerned that if the trial remained open to the public, the gallery attendees could have an adverse effect on the impartiality of the jury. The judge pointed out that every attorney wanted to make that argument. "But not every defendant has cause. And I think once you see what's inside this folder, you will share my concern," Justin replied as he produced the folder that E.J. had shared with him earlier.

"Those are personal emails from four different members of the Salem Police Department, each one describing an organized effort to pack the gallery with uniformed officers," Justin explained as the judge inspected the contents of the folder. Justin described the move as a blatant and coordinated effort to turn the jury against Sami, adding that Melinda had been included in all of the correspondence.

Melinda reminded Justin that it was illegal to access the personal emails of private citizens without a warrant, which she was certain that he had not obtained. Justin explained that one of the officers who had been involved in the correspondence had voluntarily given him a copy of it. Melinda demanded to know who had given Justin the emails, but he refused to divulge the person's identity, stressing that he needed to protect their safety.

Outraged, Melinda started to complain about the public's rights, but Justin interrupted and countered that the public's rights were secondary to Sami's rights to protection and a fair trial. Melinda tried to say something else, but the judge impatiently stopped her and ordered a brief recess so that he could consider both of Justin's motions. After the judge left, E.J. quietly praised Justin's performance as Melinda fumed nearby.

Sami was concerned that E.J. wouldn't be able to attend a closed trial, but he assured her that Justin had already appointed him as the second-chair counsel to address that problem. A short time later, the judge returned to announce his rulings. The judge granted Justin's request for a closed trial. Melinda immediately objected, and the judge dismissively noted her objection before moving on to his second ruling.

"The second motion, regarding bail -- denied. The court's view [is that] extraordinary measures have been taken to ensure the defendant's safety, and given the defendant and her fianc's blatant disregard for honoring prior bail agreements, I can't in good conscience allow for it. That's all," the judge stated before exiting the room. E.J. quickly assured Sami that everything was going to be all right.

After gloating for a moment, Melinda handed Justin the prosecution's witness list, bitterly stating that she hoped that he hadn't already stolen it off of her clerk's laptop. As Melinda exited the room, Justin read aloud the names that were on the list -- someone from the forensics department, the coroner, Abe, Hope, Roman, Sonny, Adrienne, Kate, Will, and Rafe. Meanwhile, the guard escorted Sami out of the room.

Justin was most interested in the person who wasn't on the list -- Marge. E.J. realized that Melinda didn't want to put Marge on the witness stand because she was afraid that Justin would cross-examine Marge. Justin agreed and guessed that Marge might be hiding something about Bernardi.

E.J. suggested that Stefano's money might be in Marge's account or in an account that had been opened for Timmy, but Justin was concerned about going there. "Justin, Samantha's life is on the line here. We go wherever we have to go," E.J. insisted. Meanwhile, Sami was returned to her holding cell, where she received a visit from Kate, who said that they needed to talk about Stefano.

At the hospital, the attractive young woman whom Kate had crossed paths with earlier stood in the doorway to Rafe's room and quietly watched as he desperately tried to move his right arm. Rafe eventually noticed the woman and wondered if she was a new addition to the hospital. The woman confirmed Rafe's suspicion, but before she could introduce herself, E.J. interrupted and asked to speak to Rafe privately.

At St. Luke's, Eric told Nicole about the impressive way that Kristen had handled the interviews. Nicole tried to remind Eric that Kristen was a snake, but he ignored her protests and left the room. "Hello? Is anybody up there paying attention to what's going on down here? I mean, someone needs to get busy, for heaven's sake, and have the scales fall from the eyes of at least one of those idiot brothers! Come on, already!" Nicole exclaimed as she stared at the ceiling, clearly frustrated.

At a pharmacy, Brady greeted Kristen as she was reaching for a pregnancy test.

Friday, August 16, 2013

by ChickenGrrl

A pretty young woman entered Rafe's hospital room and began to introduce herself, but E.J. knocked on the door and ordered the woman to leave. After first checking with Rafe, the woman agreed to wait outside. Once E.J. and Rafe were alone, E.J. announced that he hoped the two of them could work together to help Samantha. Rafe acknowledged that he felt terrible that Sami was in jail because she'd saved his life, but he'd been unconscious when she'd fired the gun, so he didn't see how he could help.

E.J. pointed out if the two of them could figure out why Bernardi had been in Rafe's room, they had a good chance of freeing Sami. E.J. asked Rafe to review every case that he and Bernardi had worked on together. Rafe argued that although he had thought of little else, he hadn't remembered anything that would help. E.J. wondered, "What if you were able to reflect back on what happened, and maybe you were able to recall that Bernardi would stop at a bank or a safety deposit box on occasion while you were on duty together?"

E.J. explained that he would then ensure that Hope found something. Anger crept into E.J.'s voice as he described how Sami's family had to read about her being a cop killer in the paper every day and the cruelty that Johnny and Allie were surely enduring at school, while dirty cop Joe Bernardi had been given a hero's eulogy. Rafe understood that E.J. was desperate to help Sami, but he refused to help E.J. plant false evidence to prove her innocence.

"The only crime that she committed was saving your sorry life!" E.J. bellowed. Rafe pointed out that it would be nearly impossible to clear Sami if the cops found out that E.J. had planted evidence -- plus it wasn't exactly wise for E.J. to be shouting his plan in the middle of a hospital, where people could hear him. E.J. accused Rafe, "I think that your tremendous ego is so bruised that you're willing to punish Samantha by having her spend the rest of her life in prison. Well, I hope you rot in this bed for just as long."

A miserable Sami was crouched on the floor of her cell, between the head of her bunk and the wall, when Kate arrived and announced that they needed to talk about Stefano. Sami wasn't the least bit interested in anything Kate wanted to discuss, but Kate was determined to try to help Sami. Kate described how Stefano had sworn on the DiMera family name that he had not sent Bernardi to kill Rafe, and she knew he would not have done that unless he had been telling the truth.

Sami was incredulous. Kate pointed out that even though he had intentionally humiliated her when he'd dumped her, Stefano still felt that he owned her. She continued that he did everything for a purpose, so she thought he had invoked the DiMera name because he was playing a game that he didn't want them to know the rules to. "Something's missing here, Sami, and we need to figure out what it is," Kate declared.

Kate suggested that Sami recount everything that had happened in Rafe's room that night. Sami reluctantly consented to try to reenact the events with Kate, with Kate acting as Sami, Sami posing as Bernardi, and Sami's bunk standing in for Rafe. Sami stood next to the bunk with her back to Kate and held up her arm as if she were wielding the razor. Kate wondered why Bernardi had used a razor, noting that it would have been very messy.

As Sami posed near the head of the bunk, Kate asked if Sami were standing in exactly the same position that Bernardi had been. Sami realized that Bernardi had been a foot or two closer to the foot of the bed. As she took a couple of steps sideways, Sami remembered that Bernardi had been holding the sheet in his other hand. Kate asked if Sami thought that Bernardi had been pulling down the sheet to slit Rafe's throat.

Since Rafe had been warm enough for Sami to step into the bathroom for a cool washcloth, Sami mused that the sheet had been positioned toward the center of his chest. Kate and Sami agreed that it didn't make much sense, then, for Bernardi to move the sheet down from there in order to slit Rafe's throat. Sami posed by the bed again, and then moved her arm in the arc that Bernardi's would have if he had lowered the razor.

Sami's hand fell in the center of the bunk, where Rafe's hips would have been. Eyes wide, she turned and looked at Kate, who appeared equally stricken. "Oh, my God!" both women exclaimed simultaneously. Sami thought they should tell someone, but Kate pointed out that no one would likely believe them. "You're right. I'm sure that's what Stefano wanted and I have a hard time believing it. So it doesn't change anything," Sami acknowledged.

Kate guessed that Stefano had probably wanted her to figure out the truth. Sami asked Kate to leave because she hadn't been in a very good mood when Kate had gotten there -- and their revelation hadn't helped. On her way out, Kate stated sincerely that she was sorry and she hoped Sami could beat the charges. "My God, that would have been a waste," Kate whispered to herself.

Rafe was alone when the young woman stopped by his room again. Again, before she could introduce herself, someone knocked on the door. Kate walked in and tried to dismiss the woman, but the woman explained that she needed to speak with Mr. Hernandez about his physical therapy. "I'm quite sure that can wait until his physical therapist is here," Kate said. "She is. I'm your physical therapist," the woman told Rafe, to Kate's obvious displeasure.

When E.J. visited Sami, she told him that she and Kate had figured out that Stefano really hadn't sent Bernardi to kill Rafe. "Stefano's instructions were not for Bernardi to slit Rafe's throat. He wanted him to slit something else, something to make sure that Rafe didn't have sex with Kate -- or anyone else -- ever again," Sami explained, disgusted. "Frankly, right now, I wish he'd finished the job before you shot him," E.J. snarled.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Daniel was reading the news about the day's memorial for victims of the previous year's tunnel explosions while watching Parker play. As he viewed the accompanying image of Jack, Daniel considered calling Jennifer but sent her a text message instead. Parker seemed to sense his dad's conflict because he got up from the floor and walked over to Daniel, who gratefully accepted a hug.

A little later, Maggie returned from taking Parker to the back yard to build a fort with the nanny, and she wondered why Daniel wasn't with Jennifer. When she learned that Daniel had only sent Jennifer a text message, Maggie chastised her son for reaching out in such an impersonal way. Daniel told Maggie that it was none of her business. Maggie countered that Daniel, Jennifer, and J.J. would remain miserable until Daniel and Jennifer could figure out a way to help J.J.

Jennifer, Abigail, and J.J. gathered nearby after the memorial service in the park was over. They agreed that the governor's words about Jack had been very nice. Jennifer confided that after Jack had died, she had wondered how she would get through the next day, yet somehow the three of them had made it through an entire year. She added that she was fortunate because she got to see Jack in the faces of her kids every day.

Jennifer got a text message from Daniel and read it privately. "Know this day is difficult...also know your children will give you the love and support you need," the message read. While J.J. wandered off to find Sonny and Adrienne for a ride home, Abigail revealed that she had learned from her lawyer that there was a small chance she'd have to testify before the special prosecutor. Jennifer was relieved that he daughter wasn't facing criminal charges.

When J.J. returned, Jennifer declared that J.J.'s father would have been very proud of him. She kissed both kids goodbye and then left for the hospital. J.J. thanked Abigail for helping Jennifer survive after their dad died. J.J. admitted that he had been scared to return to Salem, but Abigail assured him that their mom had been relieved that he'd been somewhat protected from everything.

Back at the Horton house, Abigail sent a text message to Daniel to tell him about the memorial. Upset, J.J. protested, "I can't believe you're talking about him today of all days, Abigail." Abigail asserted, "Look, J.J., Mom needs him, so you need to just get over yourself and think about what's best for her."

Later, after Abigail had gone, J.J. and Rory hung out. J.J. declared that it was time for them to get back into business. Rory said that he thought they were supposed to lie low for a while. J.J. explained, "Not anymore. The cops have lost interest, so there's no reason why we can't start dealing again."

At St. Luke's, Nicole complained to Eric about having to work with Kristen, whom Nicole despised. Although Nicole's grumbling clearly irked him, Eric assured her that it would only be for a few more days -- and besides, Kristen had seemed a bit distracted earlier. Nicole snapped, "Your scholarship program is funded and administered by a sociopath, and if you don't wake up and see Kristen for who she really is, she could destroy both of us!"

Eric was alone in the office, on the phone with his mother, when Maggie stopped by. As Eric put down the phone, he remarked that his mother had never hung up on him before after he'd informed her that he would be working with Kristen. Maggie asserted that Eric had to be very nave if he believed that things would work out well with Kristen and Nicole working in such close proximity.

Eric maintained that Nicole had changed a lot since she'd started working there, and Kristen seemed downright maternal with the children. Noting skeptically that Kristen hardly struck her as the maternal type, Maggie said that it would take more than Kristen's word for to make Maggie believe that Kristen had changed. Eric agreed, but added, "Today I just saw this flash of human frailty. There's just something about her I just can't quite put my finger on. It makes me very, very uneasy."

Nicole stopped by the hospital and was surprised when she ran into Daniel, because she thought he would be with Jennifer at the memorial. Daniel maintained, "Today is really the day when I need to keep my distance." Aware that Jennifer's son was ruining things for Daniel and Jennifer, Nicole threatened to talk to "that little punk" and put him in his place.

As he observed Nicole's irritation escalate quickly, Daniel guessed that she was really upset about something else, perhaps something at work. Nicole admitted, "Someone...who should be run over by a truck -- twice." Daniel easily deduced that it was Kristen.

Back at the Kiriakis mansion later, Daniel was carrying Parker around by the ankles when Brady walked in. For Parker's benefit, Daniel joked that little boys had to be held upside down at least once a day. "I will remember that if Kristen and I ever... A guy can dream, right?" Brady said sadly. He continued that he almost wished that he and Kristen were still sneaking around so that people couldn't offer their judgments. Frowning pensively, Daniel asked if Brady were sure about that. "I'm beginning to realize there's a big difference between secrecy and privacy," Brady stated.

Kristen was in the drugstore with her hand on the pregnancy test she intended to buy when Brady startled her. Kristen lied that she had run out of tissue because she'd been overcome while interviewing a scholarship applicant earlier. After explaining that he was there to pick up a prescription for Caroline, Brady demanded to know why Kristen was lying to him. Kristen admitted that she was lying, and Brady deserved to know the truth.

After Brady and Kristen went to Horton Square for coffee, he asked again why she'd lied to him. Kristen turned the tables on him by pointing out that he was acting like that day wasn't the anniversary of Madison's death. Brady admitted that he hated thinking about losing Madison -- and he hated talking about it. He quipped that men watched sports so they didn't have to talk about their feelings. Kristen said that one of the best things about getting back together with Brady was getting to enjoy how much she liked him.

After Brady left, Kristen purchased the pregnancy test. She promptly ran right into Jennifer and spilled the contents of her pharmacy bag on the pavement in the square. Mouth agape, Jennifer stared at Kristen, who grabbed the test and bolted. Jennifer followed and caught up to Kristen just outside the gate. Noting that Kristen and Brady had always wanted to have a baby, Jennifer asked why Kristen was so upset.

"Oh, my gosh. Brady isn't the father, is he?" Jennifer asked, aghast. Kristen confessed that when she'd believed that she and Brady were over for good, she'd been with a man in a committed relationship, but only once. Jennifer thought that Brady would understand, but Kristen explained that she had given Brady her word that she'd been completely faithful to him while they were apart. "If he found out that I was lying to him yet again, it really would be completely over for good," Kristen said.

When Jennifer asked, Kristen confirmed that -- if she were actually pregnant -- it wasn't Brady's. "You have always wanted to be a mother, and I know that you would never end this pregnancy, so maybe Brady would understand," Jennifer said hopefully. Kristen declared glumly that she was sure Brady would never understand.

Jennifer offered to wait around until Kristen got her test results, and a grateful Kristen accepted. Jennifer stepped away to call her office and let them know that she would be late. Meanwhile, Kristen picked up the pregnancy test and was gazing at it -- just as Nicole walked up.