Family and friends lashed out at Will when the article was published. Sami asked E.J. for help with board. Eve had no choice but to accept Jennifer's offer. Hope and Aiden agreed to remain as friends. Kristen was granted bail. Clyde pressured Kate to help him make contacts in Salem.

Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday

by Mike

At the Horton house, J.J. entered the living room while Jennifer and Hope were discussing Daniel's involvement in Kristen's apprehension. With a wink, J.J. suggested that Jennifer needed to go over to the hospital to check on Daniel. Jennifer said Daniel had seemed fine when she had seen him the previous night. "The conversation's closed, right?" J.J. guessed, and Jennifer confirmed his suspicion.

Changing the subject, Hope wondered if Jennifer had stuck to the plan to go on a date the previous night. Surprised, J.J. tried to probe for additional details, but the doorbell rang before Jennifer could answer any of his questions. Undeterred, J.J. followed Jennifer to the foyer as he continued to fish for more information, such as the name of the guy she had agreed to go out with. Jennifer revealed that the man in question was Aiden, but she added that there was more to the story, and she promised to explain everything later.

When Jennifer opened the front door, J.J. was surprised to see Aiden standing outside. Jennifer invited Aiden in and asked him to wait in the living room, explaining that she needed to finish talking to J.J. about something first. Jennifer and J.J. went outside, and she clarified that she and Aiden had simply made plans to have dinner together -- as friends. Jennifer added that if she and Aiden had decided to go on an actual date instead, J.J. would have had to accept that decision. J.J. understood but explained that he was aware that Daniel was the man Jennifer really wanted to be with.

Jennifer confirmed the suspicion but added that she and J.J. both had to find a way to accept the fact that Daniel didn't want to see her again, because Daniel had made that very clear when he had seen her the previous night. "You two drive me nuts," J.J. admitted before hugging Jennifer and adding that he just wanted her to be happy. J.J. excused himself so he could run some errands before meeting up with Paige later. Jennifer wondered how Eve felt about Paige's decision to take a one-year deferral from Stanford, and J.J. replied that Eve wasn't thrilled about it.

Meanwhile, back inside, Aiden tried to talk to Hope about Daniel's citizen's arrest of Kristen, but Hope kept her responses short. Aiden said he was glad Daniel was okay, since they were starting to form a friendship. Aiden added that he liked Daniel and that they actually had a lot in common with each other. "Yeah, apparently you do," Hope somewhat curtly agreed.

When Jennifer returned, Hope started to excuse herself, but Aiden insisted that he was the one who needed to leave, since he was the one who had intruded. Hope pointed out that Aiden had obviously visited Jennifer for a reason, but he didn't bother to reveal what that reason was, instead promising that he would return later -- but only after calling to make sure it was okay to visit.

After Aiden left, Jennifer wondered what was going on with Hope. Hope explained that she was just having difficulty adjusting to the fact that, after being gone for only a week, she had returned to Salem to find that Jennifer and Aiden were suddenly dating each other. Jennifer clarified that she and Aiden had planned their outing as nothing more than friends, and Hope apologized for the misunderstanding.

Jennifer curiously observed that it seemed like the idea of her dating Aiden had really bothered Hope. Hope claimed that she just didn't want Jennifer to give up on Daniel too hastily. Jennifer said that, based on her last encounter with Daniel, she'd be foolish not to give up on him. Hope was sorry to hear that. Meanwhile, Jennifer received a call from the hospital, so Hope excused herself so Jennifer could answer the call.

Hope tracked Aiden down outside the Brady Pub and admitted that she had been under the impression that he had scheduled a date for the previous night with Jennifer. Aiden clarified that it hadn't been a real date, and he innocently stated that he had no idea why Hope had assumed otherwise. "Oh, actually, I think you do, Mr. Jennings," Hope mused after Aiden walked away.

At the Brady Pub, Theresa considered contacting Brady to find out how he was handling the news about Kristen's return and subsequent arrest, but Eve arrived before Theresa could make the phone call. Theresa complained that Eve should have had the decency to spring for a more expensive meal in exchange for whatever favor she was about to ask Theresa to do for her.

Eve admitted that she did need a small favor -- she wanted Theresa to finally reunite with Paige. Theresa wanted to know what had prompted the sudden change of heart, so Eve irritably explained that Paige had decided to take a one-year deferral from Stanford in order to stay in Salem for a while longer. "So she's suddenly doing what she wants instead of what you want. Hmm. The nerve of that girl," Theresa dryly observed.

Theresa complained that she had been doing favors for Eve lately but hadn't been getting anything in return. Eve disagreed, pointing out that she had kept quiet about what had really happened to John. Theresa insisted that Eve didn't know anything, but when Eve threatened to talk to the police about the incident, Theresa backed down and agreed to help Eve change Paige's mind about the deferral. Theresa declared that she hated Eve. "I know. I don't care. I just want you to do what you do best, and that is...stir up trouble," Eve replied.

At the Horton Town Square, Marybeth sarcastically praised Paige's brilliant plan to spend the freshman year of college at Salem University instead of Stanford. Marybeth guessed that Paige had decided to stay in Salem because of J.J. Paige warned that, while she wanted to maintain her friendship with Marybeth, that wouldn't be possible if Marybeth continued to badmouth J.J. all the time.

Marybeth said she was just trying to look out for Paige, adding that guys like J.J. never changed. Meanwhile, Paige received a text message from Eve, summoning Paige home so they could talk about something. Marybeth guessed that the conversation would be about J.J. "She's worried that you're over the moon about this drug-dealing user who got kicked out of boarding school and, according to Rory, was hooking up with girls, like, one after another. [...] Paige, J.J. is gonna get tired of playing the nice-guy role and revert to type, and when he does, you're gonna be the one who gets hurt," Marybeth predicted. Paige ignored the warning and walked away.

Later, while Eve was doing some shopping, Marybeth approached and started a conversation with her about Paige's decision to take a one-year deferral from Stanford. Eve assured Marybeth that nothing was written in stone yet. Meanwhile, Marybeth spotted J.J. at the opposite end of the town square, talking to someone Eve didn't recognize. "That's Rory. He could play a very exciting dual role as Dumb and Dumber. [...] He was, like, the lamest guy at our high school -- next to J.J., that is," Marybeth explained.

Meanwhile, Rory excitedly revealed that his mother had found someone who had been able to get him off the Salem University waiting list. J.J. was surprised that being accepted into Salem University had meant that much to Rory. "No, it doesn't, but the party does. So, tomorrow night, we are gonna celebrate the fact that, in this country, someone with my horrible grades, SAT scores lower than -- than my bowling average -- and absolutely no discipline can still get into college," Rory replied.

J.J. said that, while he would be willing to check with Paige to make sure, he didn't think that Rory's planned party for the ages was the sort of thing they would be interested in attending. "What is your thing -- bingo at the church hall?" Rory asked. Meanwhile, Eve approached and wondered who J.J.'s friend was. Rory smiled and introduced himself to Eve, who sweetly asked him to give her some time alone with J.J.

After Rory left, Eve said she was deeply disappointed with J.J. for going back on his word to refrain from encouraging Paige to stay in Salem. J.J. assured Eve that he hadn't encouraged Paige to take the deferral, but Eve wasn't sure she could believe him, since she was starting to suspect that he had a lot in common with Jack. J.J. warned Eve not to go there. "See, that -- that's it, right there. You have his infamous Deveraux fire. J.J., I'm really trying hard to like you, son. Don't give me a reason not to, okay?" Eve warned before walking away.

After Eve left, Rory rejoined J.J. "Wow! I'll say what I only thought at graduation, man -- Ms. Larson is smokin'! I can't decide who's hotter -- her or your mom," Rory mused. J.J. irritably told Rory to shut up. Rory optimistically stated that he had gotten the impression that Eve really liked him. "Oh, yeah? Well, uh, unfortunately, she really hates me," J.J. replied.

When Paige returned to her cousin's apartment, no one else was home. Before Paige could contact Eve to find out where she was, someone started knocking on the apartment door. Paige opened the door and found Theresa standing in the hallway. Theresa explained that Shane had sent some stuff to her, including a gift for Paige -- a Stanford tee shirt.

Theresa quickly turned to conversation to Paige's relationship with J.J. Theresa stressed that she knew J.J. really well, but Paige said she already knew about their history -- and didn't care. Paige warned that she wasn't interested in hearing Theresa trash J.J., but Theresa clarified that she actually thought it was really cool that Paige and J.J. were dating.

Theresa explained that she was glad Paige was finally having some fun, thanks to J.J. Theresa admitted that she really missed the wild parties she'd had with J.J., and she said she wanted the young couple to feel free to call her if they ever broke down in Tijuana, got arrested, or got into some other sort of crazy trouble while partying. Theresa added that, unlike Eve, she wanted Paige to be able to have fun and be a party animal, like J.J.

Theresa abruptly excused herself, and she paused for a moment in the hallway to laugh about how fun it had been to mess with Paige. Later, Eve returned and cheerfully greeted Paige. "I'm going to ask you a question, and I want the truth -- did you send 'Aunty Theresa' here to talk to me?" Paige demanded to know.

At the DiMera mansion, Sami informed Kate that she had arranged for the kids to attend an amazing, top-rated sleep-away camp they had been begging to go to. Sami hadn't shared the news with E.J. yet, but she said the kids would nevertheless be leaving later that day. "It's good for them to be out of the house before all hell breaks loose," Sami added.

Kate thought that had already happened, and before Sami could clarify the statement, E.J. entered the living room and wondered what the women were plotting. Sami innocently claimed that she and Kate had simply been discussing business matters. E.J. -- who was wearing casual clothes -- expressed skepticism, but Kate ignored him and changed the subject, observing that it didn't look like he was dressed for court.

E.J. said he wasn't going to be in court that morning because he wasn't going to lift a finger to help Kristen. Sami expressed skepticism, reminding Kate that they both knew just how much E.J.'s word was worth. Sami told E.J. that she and Kate needed to get back to work. E.J. took the hint, and after instructing Kate to remember the conversation they'd had the previous night, he excused himself so he could go jogging.

After E.J. left, Sami asked Kate to clarify his comment. "Oh, don't worry about it -- he just thinks Stefano's gonna have someone kill us," Kate dismissively explained. Kate was sure E.J. had been bluffing, but Sami wasn't as confident. Kate said she knew Stefano and had an accurate sense of how far he could be pushed before reaching his breaking point, and she assured Sami that he wasn't really ready to put a hit out on them yet. Kate added that not even Stefano wanted to have a conversation with his grandchildren about how he'd had their mother and grandmother snuffed out.

"Do you think other families have conversations like these?" Sami mused. Ignoring the question, Kate changed the subject and asked Sami to elaborate on the cryptic comment she had made before E.J.'s earlier interruption. Sami told Kate about the article that was about to be published, grudgingly admitting that, while it wasn't exactly flattering, it was the truth, and nothing but. "We hate 'the truth, and nothing but,'" Kate grumbled.

Kate vowed to sue the writer and make their life a living hell. Sami insisted that Kate couldn't do that, and she reluctantly revealed that Will was the author of the article. Kate realized that was why Will had asked her lots of questions about the takeover during one of their recent conversations.

Kate and Sami decided to split up to do some damage control before the board members figured out that Stefano and E.J. had been tricked into making the women their proxies. Kate warned Sami that the board members might not even be the biggest problem they would have to deal with. "If this article comes out and Stefano is publicly humiliated, that hit man that E.J.'s been talking about might become a reality," Kate elaborated before exiting the mansion.

Sami contacted Shin and warned him about the impending article. Shin appreciated the warning and agreed with Sami's assertion that the article didn't change what she and Kate had accomplished since taking over the company, but he added that he and the other board members would feel better if they knew Sami and E.J. had reconciled their differences. Sami claimed that she wouldn't still be living with E.J. if they hadn't reconciled. Sami also assured Shin that she and Kate had everything under control and that they intended to keep the profits rolling in. Satisfied, Shin ended the call.

In Will and Sonny's apartment, Sonny was reading the newspaper when Will returned home. Sonny wondered how Will's gym workout had gone. "The exact same as yesterday," Will replied, but Sonny knowingly pointed out that there had been one notable difference -- Will had left the apartment thirty minutes earlier than usual.

Sonny guessed that Will had been trying to avoid Abigail -- who had arranged to pick up and spend time with Arianna that day -- because Will felt guilty about including Abigail in the article about Sami. Will reminded Sonny that Abigail's name hadn't been mentioned in the article, but Sonny wasn't sure she would appreciate the distinction. Will argued that it had been necessary to reveal E.J.'s infidelity in the article because that was what had started Sami's revenge scheme.

Changing the subject, Sonny -- who hadn't been able to talk to Will the previous night because Will had fallen asleep before Sonny had returned from the club -- wondered how Will's conversation with Sami had gone. Will reported that Sami had been furious, and Sonny observed that Will didn't seem worried about that. Will shrugged and reasoned that Sami was getting what she deserved for trying to destroy Abigail's life.

Sonny was shocked to learn that Sami had threatened Will the previous night. Will dismissively stated that Sami had made an empty threat, joking that, in case Sonny hadn't noticed yet, she had a tendency to lash out at people when things didn't go her way. Sonny argued that Sami hadn't hurled empty threats at E.J., but Will maintained that she would never really do anything to hurt her own son -- on purpose, at least.

Will added that he had simply reported the truth. Sonny countered that Sami -- and others -- might argue that things didn't need to be made into cover stories just because they were true. Confused, Will said he had been under the impression that Sonny had been on his side in the matter. "I am...up to a point. [...] It's not like I haven't expressed certain reservations before. I told you from the very beginning [that] you should have given her a heads-up about the article so she wouldn't have been so shocked. I just think that maybe you should have taken your time to think this through," Sonny replied.

"Well, it's a little late now, isn't it? The online edition of that article is probably posting as we speak. So...thanks...for the mixed signals, Sonny. It's great to know that I have your support...up to a point. And what a perfect way to start this day," Will countered before retreating to the bedroom to shower and change his clothes.

When Will returned to the living room later, Sonny was sitting on the couch, looking at something on his laptop. Will said he had just spent some time thinking about all the things Sonny had done for him in the past, and he apologized for snapping at Sonny earlier, acknowledging that it hadn't been his finest hour. "Married couples fight -- especially when one of them is a jerk," Sonny jokingly reasoned.

Will laughed and admitted that living in such close proximity to perfection was hard sometimes. "I wouldn't know," Sonny joked again. Sonny stressed that he was supportive of Will, and he never wanted Will to doubt that. Sonny added that he was simply worried that there might be some fallout from the article, and he didn't want that fallout to hurt Will.

Changing the subject, Sonny said he had been checking the True Vista website for the online edition of Will's article, but it hadn't been posted yet. Sonny wondered if Sami might have done something to stop the article from being published. Will contacted the magazine and learned that the article was still scheduled for publication in the near future -- after some final changes were made to it. Sonny was curious about the changes, but Will only vaguely explained that he had made some tweaks to the article and that the published version would therefore be slightly different than the version Sonny had read.

Meanwhile, Kate arrived and said that, while she loved Will, she could easily strangle him at that particular moment. Will maintained that he had simply told the truth, but Kate countered that he had jeopardized what she and Sami had worked hard to achieve. Kate added that she had never suspected that Will could be such a deceitful person. "After years of watching you and Mom and Dad operate...what did you expect?" Will wondered.

Sonny suggested that Will was being a bit harsh, but Kate admitted that she and Will's parents hadn't been good role models. Kate stressed that, unlike Will's latest move, none of her actions had ever been done with the intention of hurting others. Will guessed that Sami would probably say the same thing, but she and Kate had both repeatedly ended up hurting the people they claimed to love, anyway.

Kate decided to leave, and before she did, Will stressed that he was sorry she had gotten dragged into the whole mess. Will added that he wanted Kate to know he loved her. Kate said she loved Will, too -- she was just surprised they had turned out to be quite similar.

While strolling through the park with Arianna, Abigail spotted Ben, who had removed his shirt and was stretching in preparation for a jog. Abigail quietly watched Ben until Arianna started fussing, alerting him of their presence. Ben put his shirt on and apologized for disappearing from the club the previous night without saying goodbye to Abigail. Abigail admitted that she had feared that her comments about Clyde might have upset Ben, and Ben jokingly agreed that he couldn't stand the fact that she was a nice person who tried to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Ben wondered if he could hang out with Abigail and Arianna for a while, and Abigail happily accepted the offer. Ben tracked down a nearby balloon vendor and purchased a balloon for Arianna, but when he returned to give it to her, she was asleep. Ben admitted that he was glad Arianna was asleep, since he wanted to kiss Abigail and wouldn't have felt comfortable doing so in front of the child. As Ben started to kiss Abigail, she quickly forgot about the balloon she had been in the process of securing to Arianna's stroller, and it floated away. Ben promised to purchase another balloon for Arianna later, and he and Abigail continued to kiss.

E.J. jogged through the area and paused when he spotted Abigail and Ben kissing on a nearby park bench. E.J. watched the couple for a few moments before they noticed he was standing there. Abigail suggested to Ben that it was time for them to take a walk with Arianna, but E.J. stopped them. E.J. told Ben that the fling with Abigail had ended months earlier and that he simply wanted her to be happy.

E.J. stressed that he didn't want things to be awkward when he bumped into Ben or Abigail in the future, and she agreed. Satisfied, E.J. excused himself and jogged off. Ben guessed that Abigail was probably proud of him, jokingly acknowledging that, given his track record, it was a miracle that he hadn't just knocked the living daylights out of E.J.

When E.J. returned to the DiMera mansion, Sami told him about her plan to send the kids to sleep-away camp, and he agreed that it sounded like a good idea. E.J. guessed that Sami was planning to throw him out while the kids were gone, but she assured him that she planned to allow him to continue living in the mansion, as long as he was being honest about his decision to cut ties with Kristen.

E.J. suspiciously wondered why Sami was suddenly acting different. Sami claimed that everything was fine, and E.J. accepted the answer and walked away, but when he was out of earshot, he muttered that he knew Sami too well, and she was definitely up to something.

^ back to the top

by Spalding

In the Brady Pub, Hope accused Aiden of wanting her to think that he was dating Jennifer. When Hope asked why, Aiden admitted that he had misled Hope because he liked Hope but that he was not interested in starting a relationship. Hope gently grasped Aiden's hand and joked, "And this is your way of letting me down easy?"

"You are a married woman," Aiden said. "And I'm also a grown woman. I don't go off the deep end because of one dance, Mr. Jennings," Hope countered. Hope joked that if anyone had the wrong idea about her relationship with Aiden, it was not her. Aiden stammered that he did not have the wrong idea either. When Aiden remarked that the ruse with Jennifer had been all for nothing, Hope agreed. Aiden made an awkward excuse and left.

In the town square, J.J. lamented to Rory that Eve hated him. Overhearing the conversation, Mary Beth commented that she hoped Paige would change her mind about J.J. Mary Beth argued that J.J. had ruined Paige's chance at Stanford. Angry, J.J. told Mary Beth that Paige had made the decision to defer Stanford and that he had not known about the decision until after it had been made. Mary Beth grunted and left. When Rory noted that J.J. should go to the party without Paige and find another girl, J.J. shook his head. J.J. swore that he had changed and that he was not the guy that he had been when he'd first arrived in Salem.

In their apartment, Eve and Paige argued about J.J. and why Theresa had stopped by the apartment. Bluffing, Eve said she would call Theresa and yell at her for warning Paige not to get involved with J.J. Not fooled, Paige argued that calling Theresa was part of Eve's plan. Paige added that Stanford had called her to inform her that Eve had called and told the admissions office that Paige was reconsidering her deferment. Paige warned Eve not to bother calling admissions again because she had confirmed with them that she wanted to defer for a year. Paige reminded Eve that she had deferred Stanford for her mother, not her boyfriend.

"I want to be here for you while you're dealing with that lawsuit. I want to help you because I love you," Paige said. "Next time, why don't you ask me what I want and why I want it," Paige added then left. Alone, Eve shook her fists in frustration.

At the hospital, Eric informed Jennifer that he needed to reschedule his photo shoot so that he could testify against Kristen. When Eric asked Jennifer about Daniel, Jennifer avoided the subject and noted that Daniel did not want to talk to her. Jennifer apologized to Eric for believing that Kristen had changed and befriending her when she had first returned to Salem. Eric informed Jennifer that the cardinal had offered to reinstate Eric as a priest but that he had turned the church down. She was surprised, but Eric closed the subject by firmly stating that his decision was final.

In the Kiriakis living room, Daniel reunited with Parker. While Daniel and Parker played with toys, Brady entered the room. Brady thanked Daniel for returning Kristen to Salem. Daniel warned Brady to steer clear of Kristen. Nodding, Brady said he had submitted a written statement to the grand jury in order to avoid seeing her. Brady promised Daniel that he would never forgive Kristen.

When Maggie and Victor returned home, they happily hugged Daniel and thanked God for his safe return to Salem. Victor and Brady talked to Parker while a tearful Maggie hugged her son. Maggie and Daniel stepped into the foyer to talk, and Daniel told Maggie what had happened with Kristen. When Maggie asked about Jennifer, Daniel said that he had pushed Jennifer away, but he asked Maggie to help Jennifer with the lawsuit.

In the living room, Victor cheerfully told Brady how wonderful it was to see Kristen in jail. Victor alluded to handling Kristen if the court system did not. Brady warned Victor not to go after Kristen. After Daniel collected Parker and left, Brady promised Victor that he would be okay. Nearby, Maggie smiled. Brady admitted that when he had learned that Kristen was at the police station, he had headed there to see her, but Marlena had stopped him. Brady said that he had instead gone to an A.A. meeting.

Beaming, Maggie told Brady that she was proud of him. Brady swore that Kristen was not worth his sobriety. Smiling, Brady announced that he needed to go to an A.A. meeting. Maggie hugged Brady tightly, and Victor added that he was proud of Brady as well. After Brady left, Victor said that the only good thing about John's injury was that it had woken Brady up from his drinking. Victor asked Maggie about her conversation with Daniel, and Maggie admitted that Daniel had asked her to help Jennifer fight Eve. Maggie said she would handle Daniel's request.

At the park, Daniel set Parker down on the grass as Paige walked by. Paige said hello, and Daniel introduced Paige to Parker. Paige apologized to Daniel for her mother's behavior toward him. Smiling, Daniel told Paige not to apologize. Nervous, Paige explained that she did not want Daniel's opinion of Eve to color his opinion about whether Paige was good for J.J. Daniel assured Paige that he believed she was a perfect fit for J.J., regardless of Eve's behavior.

J.J. spotted Daniel, Parker, and Paige and walked over to say hello. When Daniel said he wanted to do "something normal," J.J. invited Daniel and Parker to hang out with him and Paige. Daniel and J.J. chatted until the hospital paged Daniel. Paige offered to babysit Parker so that Daniel could go to the hospital. J.J. happily agreed. Daniel said goodbye to his son and left. When Paige asked if J.J. minded babysitting, J.J. noted that he would do anything for Daniel and that he owed a debt to Parker.

Paige asked what J.J. meant, and J.J. explained that the last time he had watched Parker, Parker had almost been injured. J.J. said he worried that Paige would not like him if she knew about the type of person he had been. Paige promised J.J. that she would not leave him and encouraged him to continue to be honest with her. With a sigh, J.J. said he did not know what he had done to deserve Paige. With a grin she responded that he was a good man and would someday make a great father.

At her apartment, Eve called Stanford about Paige's deferment, but the admissions official informed Eve that they would only discuss the matter with Paige. Annoyed, Eve switched to the other line to answer another phone call. On the line was Eve's lawyer, and he asked her to meet with him to talk about the lawsuit. Eve bristled at a request for more money, but the lawyer explained that he needed the money to continue researching the case. Worried about losing the lawsuit, Eve promised the lawyer that she would get him his money.

At the precinct, Kristen waited in Hope's office for her attorney but was dismayed to find Nicole enter the office, demanding to talk. Nicole informed Kristen that she had testified for the grand jury already. Nicole added that she had been mistaken when she had allowed Kristen to leave town. Angry, Nicole accused Kristen of ruining Brady's life. With a smirk, Kristen noted that Eric's name could have been cleared if not for Nicole's actions in destroying the evidence.

Incensed, Nicole argued that she had been on Eric's side. Kristen said that Nicole's actions were worse than anything she had ever done because Nicole had loved Eric. Fuming, Nicole leaned toward Kristen as an officer and Kristen's lawyer entered the office. The officer pulled Nicole away from Kristen while Kristen smiled smugly. As Nicole walked out, Kristen yelled that she and Nicole were a lot alike.

Aiden stopped by Jennifer's house to talk. When Jennifer opened the front door, she babbled about Jack's journals that she had found that referred to starting a foundation for the military. Aiden asked Jennifer to talk privately. Once inside the living room, Aiden admitted that he had mistakenly given Hope the impression that he and Jennifer were more than friends. Aiden apologized if he had caused any problems. With a raised eyebrow, Jennifer noted that he could not have caused any problems because Aiden and Hope were just friends.

Stumbling on his words, Aiden agreed that he was just friends with Hope. When Aiden asked to reschedule going to see the play, Jennifer noted that the play had closed. Aiden laughed and promised that he would be better organized in court. As Aiden commented that they needed to talk about the case, the doorbell rang. Jennifer rushed to answer the door, and Aiden sighed with embarrassment and dropped his head in his hand.

Jennifer opened the front door to find Maggie. When Jennifer commented that she was meeting with her lawyer, Maggie walked into the house and announced that she had an offer for Jennifer and Aiden. Maggie informed her that she and Victor had drawn up a plan to split the settlement with Jennifer. Jennifer resisted the offer, noting that she had a strong case, and Aiden reminded Jennifer that the case could be drawn-out. Jennifer asked Aiden to draw up a document as "an insurance policy."

Brady met with Hope at the pub to discuss the grand jury. Hope advised Brady that Kristen had hired a good lawyer and that there was the possibility that Kristen could escape justice. Brady seethed.

In his room, Eric searched through a shoebox for an official photo of him as a priest to provide to the grand jury. After locating the photo, Eric noticed a stack of photos of him and Nicole kissing. Eric imagined that Nicole was seated next to him on the bed, talking about when the photos had been taken. Eric kissed Nicole then awoke from his daydream, alone. Tears in his eyes, Eric put the photos of Nicole back in the box and closed the lid.

After grabbing the photo he needed for the grand jury, Eric went to Club TBD and ran into Daniel, who was fixing a cup of coffee. Daniel asked Eric about the suit he was wearing, and Eric explained that he planned to testify for the grand jury. Eric informed Daniel that the cardinal had cleared Eric and offered him the opportunity to return to the priesthood. When Eric mentioned that he had not accepted the offer, Daniel asked him if he was in love with Nicole. Eric shifted his eyes away. "Love? I hate her, Daniel," Eric said.

Eve answered the door to her apartment and was surprised to find Jennifer and Aiden standing in the hallway. When Jennifer said that she had an offer, Eve invited them into the apartment. Aiden advised Eve to invite her lawyer to review the document. Jennifer told Eve that the document needed to be reviewed and signed that day or else they would go to court. Jennifer reminded Eve that she had regretted rebuffing Jennifer's original offer, and she cautioned Eve to think carefully about whether to sign the document.

At the hospital, Nicole saw Daniel working on paperwork, and she tentatively approached him. Nicole said hello, and Daniel ignored her. Nicole informed Daniel that she had testified to the grand jury and that she hoped her testimony would help put Kristen in prison. When Nicole asked if Daniel was giving her the silent treatment, Daniel asked Nicole what she had done to Eric. Confused, Nicole shook her head in bewilderment.

At the Brady Pub, Brady sat at the bar and ordered a water. The bartender, recognizing Brady, asked him if he also wanted a vodka on the rocks. With a long sigh, Brady stared at the bartender.

In the courthouse hallway, Kristen waited with her lawyer outside the courtroom where the grand jury was hearing testimony. The lawyer explained to Kristen that the grand jury was waiting for a witness and that Kristen could either sit in the courtroom and listen to the witness' testimony, or Kristen could return to the station. Annoyed, Kristen opted to return to the police station. As Kristen rose to leave, she ran into Eric, who was arriving at the courthouse to testify.

^ back to the top

by ChickenGrrl

Sonny was at home, on the phone with Will, and the two were discussing how surprising it was that Will's article hadn't been posted online yet. Sonny was worried about Abigail's potential humiliation if people realized that she was the one who'd had the affair with E.J. Will had to hang up to take another call.

Just then, Abigail returned with Arianna. After Sonny put the baby down for a nap, Abigail gushed about how much she enjoyed spending time with her goddaughter and how precious and sweet Arianna was. Sonny observed that Abigail seemed happy, and she acknowledged that she finally felt like the whole "mess" with Sami and E.J. was behind her. As Abigail left to run errands and check in with her mom, Sonny thanked her for watching Arianna. It seemed as if he might warn her about Will's article, but Sonny asked her to pass along his good wishes about the lawsuit.

Sonny had just refreshed the magazine's website -- again -- when Will returned home. He informed Will that the article still wasn't up. Sonny pointedly added that he'd wanted to tell Abigail about the article, but he knew that it wasn't his place. Will called Abigail, who was in Horton Square, and told her that TruVista magazine had just hired him, and his first story -- a cover story -- would be published that day. A proud Abigail congratulated her cousin and promised to look for the article online.

Before Will could warn her about the article's contents, Abigail had to hang up to take a call from her mom. Will promised Sonny that he would call Abigail back in a few minutes. When Arianna started crying a little later, Will and Sonny realized that neither of them had remembered to buy diapers, so Will hurried out to get some. After Arianna had gone back to sleep, Sonny sat down with his tablet to look at the TruVista website -- and found that the article had finally been posted.

When Will returned with the diapers, Sonny handed his husband the tablet and demanded, "How the hell could you do that, Will?"

In Horton Square, Abigail saw that Will's article was online and sat at a table to read it. She was stunned when she saw that the cover page had a photograph of E.J. and Sami, ripped in two, with the headline: "A Business Affair: Sordid Details of DiMera Takeover," above Will's byline. "Will wrote about Sami and E.J.?" Abigail remarked curiously.

At the hospital, Daniel confronted Nicole about Eric's decision not to return to the priesthood because of his hatred of her, when Eric otherwise didn't hate anyone or anything. Although Nicole admittedly didn't really understand it, she tried to explain to Daniel that Eric felt his inability to forgive her disqualified him from being a priest again. "Kristen raped him, humiliated him, and turned his life into a nightmare, and I'm the reason he can't be a priest anymore?" Nicole wondered aloud, her voice breaking.

An exasperated Daniel expressed disbelief that his returning Kristen to Salem would not help Eric in the long run. Nicole assured him that getting justice absolutely mattered. She added that she had done everything she could in Rome and the grand jury room to help Eric, and she would continue to try to fix things. "Daniel, please, we can still find a way to be friends, can't we?" Nicole implored. Daniel stated flatly that they were not and never would be friends.

Daniel continued angrily that he had pushed aside his own feelings of disgust and disillusionment because they paled in comparison to what Nicole had put Eric through. Daniel reminded Nicole how, even though he had stuck up for her, she had repeatedly lied to him and used him, not to mention what she'd done to Eric. Hurt, Nicole wondered if Daniel intended to despise her until the end of time. Daniel clarified that he felt sad and bereft because he had lost a friend forever.

In Paige's cousin's apartment, Eve was furious that Jennifer and Aiden wanted her signature on the settlement offer right away, before she'd had a chance to mull it over. Aiden and Jennifer advised Eve to get her lawyer there to read it immediately -- because it wasn't as good a deal as the previous one had been. Jennifer pointed out that if they went to trial, Eve could end up with nothing. Eve grudgingly dialed her lawyer's number.

When Eve's lawyer arrived, he informed her that the offer was, indeed, worse than the last one. Aiden informed Eve that she wouldn't receive royalties from the book until the first edition's run had been exhausted. He continued that, although she would get some of the money from the movie, she would have no say in who would write, direct, or produce it -- but there would be a one-time payment from Victor and Maggie Kiriakis to compensate her for that. Aiden pointed out the rider at the end, but Eve snapped that she'd already read it. Privately, Eve's lawyer advised her to take the money, because the odds at trial would not be in her favor.

Finally, Eve grabbed a pen and resentfully scratched her signature on the last page of the document. After the lawyers had gone, Jennifer stayed behind to reiterate the requirements in the rider: Eve could not speak about Jack, the book, or the movie in public -- or there would be no money. Fed up, Eve assured Jennifer that she understood the terms. When Eve demanded her money, Jennifer promised that the first check would arrive "very soon." Eve complained that she needed the money to live on. "I know you do. I really hope it makes you very happy. My guess is it won't," Jennifer said as she headed out.

At the Brady Pub, Brady declined the bartender's offer to get Brady his usual -- a vodka on the rocks -- and instead asked for just a glass of water. Brady quickly drank the water and was headed out when Theresa arrived. After checking in the back, Theresa reported to Brady that Caroline was taking a nap. Before Brady left, Theresa expressed her sympathy about Kristen's return.

Theresa was surprised when Brady didn't seem eager to exact his revenge on his ex, but he said that he needed to focus on helping his dad get better. Brady added that he was getting doctors who specialized in comas to consult on John's case, and Daniel and Kayla were helping get the other doctors to Salem. Theresa acknowledged that it would be easier for Brady to focus on that if he knew that Kristen would be sent to prison for the rest of her life. "Everyone should pay for their crimes, don't you think?" Brady said.

After Brady left, Theresa ordered a shot of vodka. She got a text message from Eve that demanded, "Get the hell over here." Theresa downed the shot and headed out.

While Paige and J.J. were babysitting Parker in the park, Marybeth arrived and asked sarcastically if the kid were J.J.'s. An annoyed Paige pulled Marybeth aside and lambasted her for the "lame [and] mean" question. Marybeth warned Paige that J.J. wasn't really a good guy, insisting, "Anyone who walks around town, telling everyone how much they've changed, hasn't changed one bit... He only wants one thing from you, and when you give it to him, you get dumped. And then where will you be? No J.J. -- and no Stanford, either."

After Marybeth stomped away, J.J. assured Paige that he could defend himself. "Then why didn't you?" Paige asked. J.J. maintained that he was still trying to respect Paige's friendship with Marybeth. Paige acknowledged that Marybeth had been hard on J.J., as had Rory and Bev. J.J. reminded Paige that he and Bev weren't friends anymore -- and that nothing had happened between him and Bev. "Just with the girls in England," Paige blurted then she quickly apologized.

J.J. got a text message from his mom, requesting that he go home. Paige assured him that she could watch Parker until Daniel got back. She kissed J.J. to demonstrate that everything was all right between them, but after he left, she looked uncertain.

Aiden and Jennifer were drinking champagne when J.J. arrived at the Horton house. After Aiden left, Jennifer told J.J. about the settlement. She threw her arms happily around her thrilled son.

When Daniel arrived to pick up Parker, Paige explained that J.J. had gone home after getting a message from his mom. Paige added that she had finalized her deferment to Stanford and would be attending Salem University for her freshman year, so she would be available to babysit Parker whenever Daniel needed. Paige said that she would understand if Daniel didn't want her to, however.

Daniel assured Paige that what had happened between him and her mom was not an issue; he was just glad that Paige and J.J. had each other. Daniel noted that the hospital worked with Salem U premed students and offered to talk to the people who ran the program for Paige. Paige was touched and grateful. Paige got a text message from J.J., letting her know that the lawsuit had been settled. Ecstatic about the good news, she grabbed her purse and headed for home. Daniel seemed just as happy, and before he realized what he was doing, he had almost dialed Jennifer's number. He put his phone away and hugged Parker instead.

When Theresa arrived at Eve's, Eve silently handed her the settlement agreement. After reviewing the document, Theresa declared that it was great because it was "a load of money." Eve complained that there had been a lot more money on the table before Jennifer had snatched it away from Eve and Paige. "God, she is such a bitch!" Eve screamed furiously. She ranted about Jennifer's vindictiveness and how Jennifer was probably bragging about her triumphs to all the Hortons and even Daniel.

Theresa's eyes lit up when she realized that her sister was still into Daniel, but Eve insisted that she was hardly interested in Jennifer Horton's ex-boyfriends. Eve grumbled that she couldn't even focus on having her surgery to fix her voice so she could start all over again, because Paige was staying in Salem -- because Theresa hadn't been able to change Paige's mind about J.J. Eve continued that even though she was stuck there, J.J. Deveraux had to go. Theresa remarked with a chuckle, "Have you not noticed that J.J. is all over Paige like a cheap suit? I mean, you'd have to give him a lobotomy to get him away from her."

Changing the subject, Eve noted that Theresa might still have a relationship with Brady if it hadn't been for his dad's unfortunate accident. Theresa hotly reminded her sister of their deal that the topic was off-limits after Theresa had donated blood for Eve's surgery. Eve playfully needled Theresa for more information about what had really happened the night of the accident. As she stormed out, Theresa threatened to tell her friends at the hospital to give Eve too much anesthesia if Eve didn't drop it.

Paige was positively giddy when she arrived home. Eve confirmed that what J.J. had said was true. "It's fantastic! Maybe now we can all be friends?" Paige said with a hopeful squeal as she hugged her mom. "Yes, I'm sure we can," Eve said unconvincingly.

Daniel was packing up Parker's things to head home when Theresa showed up at the park. She teased Daniel about being "doctor dad by day, bounty hunter by night," but Daniel didn't find it amusing. Theresa explained that she'd hoped Daniel would continue being a hero by helping Brady, who was trying to find a specialist to perform a miracle for John, and she was worried that Brady was setting himself up for a fall. Theresa asked Daniel what he thought John's chances were of emerging from the coma.

"Just how worried would you be if John could come out of that coma?" Daniel wondered. He pointed out that Theresa had been very uneasy since John's accident. Theresa insisted that she had merely been worried about Brady. Daniel maintained that he knew Theresa pretty well, and she was always looking for an angle, so he found the situation very curious.

Jennifer and J.J. were still celebrating when Abigail ambled numbly into the house. Jennifer jumped up excitedly to tell her daughter about the settlement, but Abigail was clearly upset about something, so Jennifer and J.J. asked what had happened. "I didn't think that it could get any worse, but it has," Abigail admitted tearfully.

Outside the grand jury room at the courthouse, Kristen and her lawyer were just about to leave when Eric showed up to testify. Before Eric could head inside, Kristen stopped him to remark about how unfair it was that he'd had to walk away from everything he loved and the good work he'd done. An incredulous Eric growled that the grand jury wanted to talk to him about things that were unfair. After Eric went in, Kristen changed her mind about returning to the police station and demanded that her lawyer get her into the grand jury room, since he'd told her that she had a right to be present when witnesses testified.

Eric sat in the witness stand, an enlarged photo of him in his vestments on an easel near the judge. Kristen and her lawyer entered as the prosecutor, Melinda Trask, stated that she wanted to ask Eric about the night he'd been drugged in his hotel room. "You mean the night that I was raped," Eric clarified, never taking his eyes off Kristen. The judge warned Kristen's lawyer not to allow Kristen to cause a distraction. The lawyer stated that they reserved the right for her to give rebuttal testimony.

As Kristen and her lawyer sat down, Trask questioned Eric about his memories of the night in the hotel. Eric explained that, because of the drugs he'd been given, he had no actual memories of the events, but he'd been forced to relive every horrible detail because it had all been recorded on video. Eric continued that pieces of the memories had started to return a few weeks after the incident. Trask asked whether Eric had seen Kristen after the video of the two of them having sex had been made public.

Eric stated that he had tracked Kristen down before she'd left town, and even though she hadn't admitted to anything, she had let him know that she'd wanted to punish his mother, whom Kristen hated. Trask asked if Kristen had said anything else. "Yes: she had no regrets. My world was lost to me, and she had no regrets," Eric replied. Eric stepped down from the stand and left the courtroom. The judge asked if Kristen wished to take the stand, but Kristen declined.

Just as Brady arrived at the front door of the Kiriakis mansion, Nicole caught up with him. She explained that she wanted to make sure he was all right, since Kristen had returned. Brady invited Nicole in and thanked her for checking on him. Nicole reassured Brady that even though he had only submitted written testimony to the grand jury, her testimony and Eric's would ensure that Kristen was "dead in the water." Nicole admitted that she'd seen Kristen, who had mentioned Brady and Eric.

At first, Brady wanted to know what Kristen had said, but he changed his mind because he didn't even want to hear Kristen's name. He added that he only wanted to focus on helping his dad get better. As Brady and Nicole were discussing his search to find a doctor to help John, the doorbell rang. Brady answered it and found Eric on the doorstep. Eric started to tell Brady about his grand jury testimony, but when Eric saw Nicole, he fell silent. Brady pointed out that they all wanted the same thing: to see Kristen put away. "I watched the jury today. Kristen isn't getting out of it this time," Eric said.

After the grand jury had gone, the judge read the list of charges against Kristen in the indictment, which included assault, battery, hindering an investigation, evading arrest, violating a person's civil rights, invasion of privacy, conspiracy, illegal use of restricted pharmaceuticals, and rape. Kristen entered a plea of not guilty. Trask stated, "The state requests bail not be granted. The defendant is a flight risk with means. There should be no equivocation on this matter." The judge replied, "Not so fast there, counselor. We need to have a lengthy discussion on this very point."

^ back to the top

by Mike

At the Horton Town Square, Jordan ran into Lucas, who had just returned from a business trip. Lucas had seen Sheryl during the trip, but she had only been interested in talking to him about business matters -- and Jordan. Lucas reported that Sheryl had asked him to give Jordan and Rafe her very best wishes. Jordan sadly admitted that she and Rafe were no longer together.

Confused, Lucas noted that it had seemed like the couple had been in a good place before he had left town. Lucas wondered if Sami and E.J.'s breakup had changed things between Jordan and Rafe. Jordan explained that Rafe's one-night stand with Kate was what had done that. Lucas skeptically suggested that Kate was just trying to stir up trouble with outrageous lies, but Jordan clarified that Rafe had admitted it was true.

Elsewhere, upon request, Kate met with Clyde, who wanted staffing referrals for a business he was interested in establishing in Salem -- one that was more of a carry-over than a start-up. Kate offered to arrange for Clyde to talk to someone in her company's human resources department, but he declined. Clyde said he would rather talk to Kate, since she had likely paid close attention to certain things while she had been married to Stefano.

Clyde explained that he wanted Kate to put him in contact with some discreet professionals who could help him out. Kate wondered what Clyde wanted to hire the discreet professionals to do. "Just a little work...off the books. [...] We don't need to get bogged down with specifics. Distribution. It would help if some of them had good people skills, you know? Knew how to manage a crew," Clyde replied.

Clyde could tell that Kate understood what he was asking for, but she refused to continue the conversation. Before Kate could leave, Clyde casually mentioned that he had been thinking about having a chat with their mutual friend, Rafe, because he wanted to know why Rafe and Jordan's relationship had ended. Clyde said he might even tell Rafe about how Kate had tracked him down in Poplar Bluff out of concern for Jordan.

Clyde added that if Kate agreed to give him the referrals he had asked for, he wouldn't need to talk to Rafe at all. Kate reluctantly agreed to help Clyde, who sweetly thanked her and said he looked forward to working with her and seeing what they could accomplish together.

Ben ran into Rafe in the park, and he admitted that he owed Rafe an apology. Rafe insisted that Ben didn't owe him anything, and he reiterated that he would have done the same thing if he had been in Ben's shoes. Ben clarified that he wasn't sorry he had hit Rafe -- he was just sorry he had lost control. Ben acknowledged that he had a temper and that he needed to find a way to keep a lid on it.

Rafe probed for information about Clyde, but Ben wasn't interested in talking about the man. Undeterred, Rafe explained that one of his recent conversations with Jordan had gone relatively well until he had mentioned Clyde, at which point she had quickly shut down. Rafe wanted to know why Jordan had reacted that way, but Ben was only willing to suggest that she might not have wanted to give Rafe another chance to hurt her.

After Ben left, Rafe went to the Brady Pub to meet with Lucas, who had asked to see him. Lucas wondered how Rafe could have blown things with a once-in-a-lifetime find like Jordan. Rafe admitted that he didn't know how to answer that question. Rafe said he had made a stupid mistake that he wished he could take back.

Lucas encouraged Rafe not to give up hope, explaining that he had seen Jordan earlier, and she had seemed sad but not angry, which meant there might still be a chance of reconciliation. Later, after Rafe left, Kate arrived to meet with Lucas, and she wondered how things had gone with Sheryl in Houston. "Sheryl hates my guts. It was a barrel of laughs. Thanks," Lucas replied.

Lucas casually wondered if Kate had any news to report, other than her big corporate takeover. Kate admitted that she had been extremely busy lately. "Too busy to break up, uh, Jordan and Rafe? Really? You're not [too busy] for that, are you? I cannot believe that you did that. It's unbelievable. It's not enough that you have to kill every relationship that I get into. No, no -- now you gotta branch out, right? I mean, it's like you're only happy if everyone you truly care about is miserable," Lucas mused.

Suspecting that he knew exactly when the one-night stand had occurred, Lucas wondered how drunk Rafe had been on that particular night. Kate found the question offensive, and she argued that nothing would have happened with Rafe if his relationship with Jordan had truly been as solid as Lucas had assumed. Lucas maintained that Rafe and Jordan had been good together and that neither of them wanted to give up on the relationship.

Lucas urged Kate to leave Rafe and Jordan alone and let them work things out on their own. "Well, that's not happening," Kate muttered. Kate advised Lucas to focus on Will instead of worrying about Rafe's love life, and she walked away after telling him to check the TruVista website to find out what she was talking about.

Ben ran into Jordan in the town square, but before he could tell her about his earlier encounter with Rafe, she showed him Abigail's PalPage profile, where people were posting horrible things. Ben quickly excused himself. Later, Clyde approached Jordan while she was sitting on a bench, staring at her cell phone. Jordan started to leave, but Clyde stopped her and said he had been sorry to hear about her breakup with Rafe.

Jordan snapped that the matter was none of Clyde's business. Clyde wondered if Jordan was always going to treat him hatefully, and she replied that he had certainly earned her hatred. Clyde agreed but insisted that he was trying to repair the damage he had caused. Clyde suggested family therapy sessions with a local female psychiatrist he had heard good things about, reasoning that Jordan might feel more comfortable talking to a woman.

Jordan asked if Clyde was being serious. Clyde urged Jordan not to dismiss the idea without first giving it a shot, adding that therapy had done wonders for him and that he was willing to air the family's dirty laundry if it would help them put everything behind them. Jordan wondered if Clyde really thought she would ever be able to put what had happened behind her, and she walked away without waiting for an answer. Later, Jordan ran into Rafe, but she walked away without saying a word to him.

At the DiMera mansion, Sami was reading the online edition of the TruVista article. "Well, it's not very flattering, [but] I'd rather be Hillary than Monica. Now, Little Miss Abby Deveraux can answer for herself," Sami muttered derisively. Meanwhile, E.J. entered the living room and demanded to know what Sami had done. Feigning ignorance, Sami turned off her tablet computer and set it aside as she waited for E.J. to elaborate.

E.J. revealed that he had just talked to Shin. Sami reminded E.J. that he wasn't supposed to be talking to board members, but he clarified that Shin had contacted him to tie up a few loose ends in a business deal they had conducted a few months earlier. E.J. added that Shin seemed to be under the impression that E.J. and Sami were working well together -- in all areas.

Sami insisted that the things she had told Shin had simply been for show, but E.J. skeptically noted that she had told Shin much more about their supposedly happy home life than she had needed to. Sensing an opportunity, E.J. urged Sami to give him another chance. "Look, we're in the same room together, and I am not throwing things or setting the house on fire. [...] That's all you're gonna get," Sami replied.

Meanwhile, E.J. received a text message from someone, and after reading it, he asked if Sami knew anything about an article that had been posted on TruVista's website. Without waiting for a response, E.J. reached for Sami's nearby tablet computer so he could access the website. Sami snatched the device out of E.J.'s hand, but not before he managed to turn it on and discover that she had already found and read the article.

E.J. feared that Sami might have had something to do with the article being published, but she assured him that, while she had known about it beforehand, it hadn't been her idea, and she had tried to stop it from being published. E.J. guessed that Sami had tried to bribe the publisher, and he complained that she should have asked for his help instead, since he knew of better ways to deal with such situations.

Sami doubted that E.J. would have had better luck than she had, but she reasoned that it no longer mattered, anyway. E.J. realized that Sami had already started doing damage control and that that was the real reason she had made Shin believe that she and E.J. had reconciled their differences, as well as the real reason she had sent the kids to sleep-away camp.

E.J. complained that Sami should have warned him about the article, but she said she had been too busy putting out fires. Sami insisted that E.J. would have done the same thing if he had been in her shoes. E.J. wanted to read the article, so Sami reluctantly handed over her tablet computer. E.J. vowed to sue if he found even a single inaccuracy or mistake in the article, but Sami grudgingly assured him that it had been well researched and well written.

"'By William Horton'? Your son wrote this? [...] This is certainly a side of William we haven't seen in quite some time," E.J. angrily observed. Sami pointed out that the article had been the first assignment the publisher had given to Will, and she suggested that writing it might have been his only choice, but E.J. wasn't convinced. Sami continued to defend Will, explaining that the article had been his big break.

"Oh, it was his big break, was it? Do you have any idea how much damage this is gonna do to us? And poor --" E.J. started to respond, stopping himself only when it was already too late. "Say it! Oh, yeah, you say it. Say her name -- 'poor little Abigail,'" Sami bitterly concluded for E.J. Sami reminded E.J. that there wouldn't have been an article to write if he hadn't slept with Abigail in the first place. Another bitter argument ensued, and as E.J. wearily exited the mansion, Sami hurled a glass at him. The glass shattered against a wall as Sami vowed to get a restraining order against E.J.

At the Horton house, Jennifer and J.J. read Will's TruVista article with a mixture of outrage and disbelief. "Oh, that S.O.B., man," J.J. muttered as he paced the floor, seething with anger. "How could he write this about you? This is cruel. You're his cousin! And I'm not trying to defend Sami, but she doesn't even deserve this. How -- how could Will write this about people he is supposed to love?" Jennifer wondered.

Abigail admitted that she was more concerned about how the article was going to affect the people she loved. As Abigail fretted about how Jennifer's coworkers would react when they read the article, J.J. stormed out of the house without saying goodbye, slamming the door behind him. Jennifer thought it would be best to let J.J. blow off some steam, but Abigail feared that he might get himself into trouble because of her mistakes.

Abigail sent J.J. a text message, and he replied that he was taking a walk and that there was no reason to worry about him. Abigail was skeptical, but Jennifer assured her that J.J. knew better than to do something stupid. "I bet you said the same thing about me, too," Abigail mused. Abigail tried to apologize for what had happened, but Jennifer insisted that it wasn't Abigail's fault that the affair had been made public.

Jennifer contacted Maxine and learned that the news hadn't spread through the hospital yet, but Abigail checked her PalPage profile and realized that it definitely was spreading. Meanwhile, Ben arrived to check on Abigail, and he wondered how Will could have done such a thing to her. A short time later, a reporter and photographer arrived and knocked on the front door.

Jennifer told a surprised Ben how to sneak Abigail out of the house through the back entrance, explaining that she had once been a teenager herself. Abigail didn't want to hide, but Jennifer reasoned that it would only be for a few hours, until they figured out what they were going to say to the press. Jennifer asked Ben to keep Abigail out of sight for a while. "I know how to do that. Done," Ben assured Jennifer.

Ben took Abigail to a secluded section of the park, explaining that his place was a bit farther away but was another option if she wanted to be indoors instead. "No, no, no -- this is not how or why I want to see your place," Abigail replied. Abigail reiterated that, while she was embarrassed, she wasn't willing to hide, and she had only fled from the press because Jennifer had begged her to.

Abigail said she didn't want Ben to worry about her, adding that she was only worried about how the matter would affect her mother and brother. Ben admired Abigail's strength, observing that, while he had been running practically his entire life, she was willing to stay and face her problems head-on. Abigail said she'd understand if Ben wanted to run from her train wreck of a life, but he assured her that she wasn't a train wreck and that he wasn't going anywhere.

In Will and Sonny's apartment, Sonny demanded to know why Will had been willing to make certain adjustments to the TruVista article. Will explained that his article would not have been featured on the cover of the magazine if he hadn't taken his editor's notes to heart. "Well, congratulations. There's your name -- on the cover," Sonny bitterly observed as he pointed to the online edition of the article.

Confused, Will wondered what Sonny had expected him to do. "Have some integrity," Sonny tersely replied. Will admitted that his editor had actually made some relevant suggestions and that the article was in much better shape with the changes than it had been beforehand. Will questioned why the changes were bothering Sonny.

"You haven't figured it out yet? I understand you love writing and you're ambitious, but I didn't realize you'd sell your soul," Sonny snapped. As Will started to read the article, Sonny blamed himself for neglecting to stop his husband from writing it, keeping his voice low to avoid disturbing Arianna. Sonny said he had known all along that the assignment would only lead to trouble, and he admitted that the whole thing was his fault.

Distracted, Will ignored Sonny's comments. "Oh, my God -- Abigail's name is in this," Will realized, his eyes widening in horror as he continued to read the article. Will wondered why his editor had changed the article without his permission. Confused, Sonny wondered if Will was saying that the addition of Abigail's name wasn't the adjustment Will had made to the article to get it featured on the cover of the magazine.

Will insisted that he never would have done something like that to Abigail. Will added that he had never even uttered Abigail's name, let alone written it. "It was my mom. [...] It had to be. You remember when she came in here all mad? She had just met with the editor. Zoe must've given her a chance to comment -- for balance -- and...[Mom] must've outed Abigail out of pure vengeance," Will realized.

Sonny apologized for jumping to the wrong conclusion, and he acknowledged that he should have known better. Will bitterly agreed, rebuffing Sonny's attempt to embrace him. Sonny pointed out that Will had vaguely mentioned earlier that adjustments were being made to the article, and he wondered how he could have been expected to know that those adjustments hadn't involved adding Abigail's name to the text.

"Because I have a shred of decency. Do you really think I would do anything to get on the cover? [...] Do you think I'm that desperate?" Will wondered. Sonny clarified that, while he didn't think that Will would do anything to get on the cover of a magazine, he had thought that Will might have convinced himself that it would be okay to reveal Abigail's name because it was true that she had slept with E.J.

Sonny stressed that he was sorry, but Will snapped that being sorry didn't fix anything. Sonny acknowledged that Will had worked really hard on the article and that it was important to Will because it was a big break. Sonny said he had thought that Zoe might have given Will an ultimatum, but Will insisted that if she had, he would have let her scrap the article before he would have agreed to include Abigail's name in it.

Will suspected that Sonny didn't believe him, but before Sonny could respond, someone knocked on the apartment door. When Sonny opened the door, J.J. barged in and stormed over to Will. "Hey, you son of a bitch. What did my sister ever do to you?" J.J. demanded to know. Sonny started to defend Will, but Will stopped him. Will explained that, while he had written the article, his draft hadn't included Abigail's name.

After exchanging a meaningful look with Sonny, Will decided not to tell J.J. how the magazine had gotten Abigail's name, reasoning that it didn't matter how it had happened because the damage had already been done. J.J. agreed and angrily added that Will hadn't even made it difficult for the magazine to identify Abigail as the woman E.J. had slept with.

"'The young woman in question worked at University Hospital. She was a close friend of the family who frequently spent time with the DiMeras and their children.' You wrote that? Now, how frickin' hard is it to get to Abigail from that?" J.J. pointedly asked. Will insisted that he had tried to protect Abigail, and he reminded J.J. that her family and friends had already known about the affair before the article had been published.

"Well, how about acquaintances from school? People from the hospital? Frickin' Theresa Donovan? People on PalPage? Now, how the hell do you think you can put this out there and not expose Abigail to the entire world?" J.J. demanded to know. Will apologized for inadvertently hurting Abigail, explaining that he had originally written the article to protect her from Sami.

"Oh, like this? You know, I am not one to talk about hurting a mom, and I hate what Sami has done to Abigail, but this is a hell of a thing to do to your own mother, who you claim to love. You know, I'm lucky enough that my mom and I have been able to get past all the things that I have done to her, but I don't see how you can get past this. No, this really sucks, Will," J.J. replied before storming out of the apartment.

Will contacted Zoe to confront her about the unauthorized change to his article, and Sonny listened to Will's end of the conversation, which was fairly civil. "Well, you sure told her," Sonny sarcastically observed after Will ended the call. Will wondered if he should have yelled at Zoe instead, and Sonny confirmed that yelling would have been a good start.

Will said that Zoe had been very apologetic about the matter, and he pointed out that she was his boss. Will explained that Zoe had planned to warn him about the change but had gotten sidetracked due to a family emergency. Sonny sarcastically agreed that he hated when that sort of thing happened, but Will countered that Sonny needed to try to cut the woman some slack. Will argued that it wouldn't have been fair for Zoe to leave Abigail's name out of the article once Sami had revealed it, and he added that the decision had ultimately been Zoe's to make, anyway -- not his.

Conceding the point, Sonny apologized again for jumping to the wrong conclusion, and he added that he knew Will was sorry for what had happened. Will thanked Sonny for not telling J.J. about Sami's part in the matter. Sonny reasoned that doing so would have just made things worse. Sonny assured Will that they would get through the ordeal, and he gave Will a quick kiss before excusing himself so he could make a quick trip to the club.

At the Horton house, Jennifer threatened to charge the reporter and photographer with trespassing if they didn't leave right away. Undeterred, the photographer took pictures while the reporter asked Jennifer to address rumors that Abigail was pregnant. Meanwhile, J.J. returned home and added his own threats of bodily harm. The intruders agreed to get off the Horton property, but they made it clear that they weren't going anywhere.

In Will and Sonny's apartment, Will recorded his tenth voicemail message for Abigail, begging her to call him back so he could explain everything. As Will ended the call, someone knocked on the apartment door. Assuming the visitor was Abigail, Will rushed to greet her but found E.J. standing outside instead. Meanwhile, Sonny barged into the DiMera mansion to confront Sami, musing that she had really done a number on her son.

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by ChickenGrrl

Roman entered the courtroom where Kristen's bail hearing was about to begin and took a seat next to Melinda Trask just as Judge Thorpe banged his gavel. Trask reiterated her objection to bail, pointing out that Ms. DiMera was a proven flight risk. Trask continued that the charges against the defendant included flight from prosecution, and the police had spent considerable resources over the previous ten months, trying to find and capture the defendant. Trask concluded that the defendant would use the vast resources of the DiMera family to flee the jurisdiction. She urged the judge to deny bail.

Don Lerner, Kristen's lawyer, announced that Kristen would like to address the court, and the judge cleared it. Addressing Judge Thorpe, Kristen insisted that she had been on her way back to Salem when she'd been abducted and taken there. She continued that she couldn't wait for everyone to hear the truth, especially the people she cared about, most of whom lived in Salem. "On my word, I have no intention of going anywhere," Kristen attested.

Judge Thorpe reminded Trask that bail was structured to provide incentive to ensure that defendants showed up for trial. Trask argued that the DiMeras' wealth and connections made it impossible to set a financial incentive to deter flight. "Your objection is noted for the record. Bail is set at one million dollars, cash only. The defendant is required to surrender her passport. She will be fitted with a tracking device," Judge Thorpe declared, banging his gavel to conclude the proceedings. Roman leaned over to Melinda and whispered, "Stefano bought that judge."

While Kristen was waiting for her ankle monitor, Roman perched on the edge of the table and asked how she'd managed to buy the judge. Kristen noted that perhaps the judge had simply seen that she had returned to Salem of her own free will. Observing that E.J. hadn't shown up, Roman said, "He did give Sami his word that he was done with you." With a shrug, Kristen remarked, "Well, we all make promises, don't we? Sometimes, they're just so darn hard to keep."

A little later, a uniformed cop secured the monitor to Kristen's ankle. He warned her that she would be arrested if she attempted to remove the device. Lerner arrived after Kristen's bail check had cleared and handed her an envelope containing her belongings. Kristen grabbed it eagerly and fished out her phone. "Now that I'm free, I know exactly where I want to go," she said.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady was on the phone, trying to reach a specialist about John. The doctor's assistant finally put Brady through to Dr. Aquino. Brady offered to fly the doctor to Salem by private jet, but the doctor wouldn't even listen to Brady's pleas.

At the hospital, Daniel arrived at the nurses' station as Anne was reading Will's article on her tablet and doing a happy dance. Daniel guessed that Anne was celebrating because they'd cancelled Christmas. As she handed the tablet to Daniel, Anne told him that her suspicions that there had been something "fishy" about Abigail's resignation had been correct. "Abigail Deveraux was E.J. DiMera's secret lover. Someone has been very naughty!" Anne gloated in a singsong voice, just as Theresa rounded the corner.

Theresa looked worried until she heard what Anne and Daniel were actually talking about. "You dance on people's graves for exercise, don't you?" Daniel grumbled as he handed the tablet back to Anne. After Daniel walked off, Anne spotted Theresa and excitedly asked if she had read the article. Anne bragged that Sami Brady had asked her about the hospital's morality policy, so Anne had actually had a hand in taking down "that prissy, sanctimonious little prig." Anne wondered why Theresa hadn't joined her in rubbing it in Daniel's face, but Theresa said she couldn't care less about Daniel.

Although she didn't think Jennifer was there, Anne suggested that they check Jennifer's office to make sure she had read the article. Theresa insisted that she had too much to do, and besides, she didn't feel like piling on to Abigail. Brady showed up just then and overheard. He asked what was going on with Abigail. A few minutes later, Anne had gone, and Brady had finished reading the article, which he proclaimed "a train wreck."

Theresa explained that she had declined to rub it in because she knew how it felt to be gossiped about, and Brady thanked her for that. As he got out his phone to send text messages to Sami, Jennifer, and Abigail, he declared that none of them had deserved that article. Theresa asked if E.J. had deserved it, and Brady asserted that E.J. deserved whatever he got. Observing that Brady seemed stressed and distracted, Theresa asked if it were because of Kristen.

Brady insisted that he wasn't worried about Kristen because she was in jail. He explained that the leading expert in coma recovery had refused to even look at John, because after reviewing the charts and talking to the other doctors, the doctor felt there was no hope. Theresa expressed her sympathy and reassured Brady that he'd done everything he could have to get John back. After advising Theresa that the annulment papers should arrive soon, Brady announced that he was going for a run to clear his head. "At least John Black's never waking up," Theresa muttered bitterly after Brady had gone.

When Abigail returned to the Horton house, Jennifer told her that family members had been calling to check on Abigail. Abigail said that she would return the messages after the two of them wrote a press release about the article. With Jennifer's help, Abigail wrote, "The legacy of the DiMeras speaks for itself... Anyone who knows E.J. and Samantha as well as I do would certainly agree that they are absolutely meant for each other." When the doorbell rang, Jennifer warned Abigail not to answer it without checking to see who was there first.

Abigail was surprised to find Daniel on the doorstep. "I couldn't stay away... I wanted to make sure you're okay," he explained. Abigail acknowledged that she was so embarrassed that it was hard to face the people she respected. Daniel reassured Abigail that the people who really knew her wouldn't judge her, and the scandal would probably blow over in a week or two. With a comforting hug, Daniel urged Abigail to remember that she had people who cared about her. When Abigail's phone chimed, she said that she'd gotten a lot of voice and text messages, half of which had been from Will.

Abigail headed back into the living room and said that she had to go deal with Will. She promised to go out the back and avoid the press. Jennifer said that she would send out the press release right away. There was a moment of awkwardness after Abigail had gone until Jennifer asked how Daniel was. Touching his bruised ribs, Daniel assured Jennifer that he was fine, and he thanked her for rescuing him. The doorbell rang again, and Daniel volunteered to take care of any reporters who might be there while Jennifer finished sending out the press release.

Jennifer was sitting at her computer when Daniel returned from the door a moment later and declared that he'd gotten rid of the reporters by boring them with a "no comment." Chuckling, a pleased Jennifer said that she was already getting a positive response from the press release. Daniel pulled up a chair next to her to read what she'd written. He told her that she was very good at her job. Looking at Daniel intently, Jennifer fretted, "We both know what Kristen is capable of, and you could have been killed."

Daniel reminded Jennifer that everything had worked out and that Kristen would have to face what she'd done to Eric. Jennifer berated herself for believing that Kristen had been her friend. Daniel urged Jennifer not to beat herself up, and he reminded her that Kristen was very good at manipulation. He added that Kristen had wanted to be Jennifer's friend, and Jennifer's opinion had mattered a great deal to Kristen. Daniel headed out somewhat abruptly, but before he closed the door behind himself, Jennifer thanked him for stopping by.

A little later, Anne arrived with a box of Abigail's things from her office at the hospital. Anne began to say something negative about Jennifer missing work, but Jennifer asserted that she would be at work first thing the next morning. "Really? So you're ready to hear what everyone is saying about your little principessa?" Jennifer declared that she was and always would be proud of her daughter.

"She made a mistake, and she has taken responsibility for that mistake because she's a decent young woman, and she has nothing to be ashamed of," Jennifer asserted. "Of course! What was I thinking? It's so very admirable to sleep with someone else's fiancé," Anne remarked snidely. Jennifer maintained that Anne, who fed on other people's misery and loved to stir up trouble by hurting people, should be ashamed. She slammed the door in Anne's face.

Theresa was telling a nurse that she hoped Brady would be able to find some peace after John was moved to a long-term care facility. Daniel expressed skepticism that Theresa knew what Brady was feeling. Theresa snapped that she had just talked to Brady, so she was more attuned to what he was thinking than Daniel was. "And, by the way, not really a fan of the third degree, so how about you and I go back to our lovely policy of staying the hell away from each other?" Theresa added. Daniel wondered what had happened to change Theresa's mood since he'd last seen her. Theresa warned him, "You know who else you might want to avoid? Jennifer and her family. That is one hot mess of a scandal."

Brady stopped in the park during his run to catch his breath. He removed his earbuds, peeled off his shirt, and sat on a bench, wiping away sweat with the shirt. Just then, Kristen showed up, and she stood there, beaming at a stunned Brady.

A livid E.J. barged into Will and Sonny's apartment to confront Will about the article, but Will asserted that every word he'd written had been true. E.J. pointed out that Will had gotten information from E.J. under the guise of helping Sami and E.J. reconcile. "You knew I was a writer," Will reminded E.J., who countered that Will had not been a journalist before. E.J. continued that ethical journalists let people know when they were on the record. "What you did was treacherous to the core. You're a disgusting little snake," E.J. growled through gritted teeth.

Will tried to order E.J. to leave, but E.J. made himself comfortable on the couch. Will emphasized that he'd been given an assignment to write about his mom, E.J., and what had happened, and he'd thought the readers deserved the truth. E.J. asked if Will even knew where Johnny and Sydney were, but Will maintained that E.J. had shielded the children from much worse. E.J. said that the moment Sami had heard about the article, she'd made sure to protect them -- the same way she and Lucas had always protected Will.

Will argued that his parents had been at war over him for years. E.J. reminded Will that Sami had stolen evidence to keep Will from going to prison and that Lucas had gone to prison for the crime that Will had committed -- and that Will could still go to prison for it. Will insisted that it didn't excuse his mom's behavior or give her the right to destroy Abigail. E.J. countered that Will had done a pretty good job of that with the article. Will insisted that he had shielded Abigail's identity in the article. He stunned E.J. with the news that Sami had given Abigail's name to the editor.

Will pointed out that if he had told the real story of Sami and E.J.'s relationship, Sami could have gone to prison for attempted murder. "Not without my testimony," E.J. countered. Will declared that Sami and E.J. were both crazy. "If you two had just kept it to yourselves, I might have backed off, because you two...you two deserve each other," Will asserted. He reiterated his order for E.J. to leave. E.J. mused, "And what about the consequences, William?"

Will asserted that what they were talking was about an article in a magazine, not life and death. E.J. declared that Will's actions had appalled and disgusted him, because Will had shown no consideration for whom he might hurt, especially his own brother and sisters. "You can say what you like about me. I put my family first. You, evidently, do not. I wonder if whatever awards and accolades you get for this article will be worth the deadly price you are likely going to have to pay," E.J. added before he left.

Abigail was walking through Horton Square when E.J. spotted her. He grabbed her by the arm and whisked her to the park outside the gates. E.J. acknowledged that there had probably been repercussions from the article for Abigail. She calmly insisted that she was already bored with it, but E.J. didn't buy it. He urged her to let people believe the assumption that he had been the aggressor. Abigail refused, declaring that she had known exactly what she'd been doing, and she needed neither E.J.'s sympathy nor his help.

At the DiMera mansion, Sonny confronted Sami about what she'd done to Will. Sami pointed out what Will had done to her, to Kate, to his brother and sisters, to E.J., and to the business. When Sonny mentioned Abigail, Sami warned him, "[If] one more person talks to me about poor little Abby, I swear to God, my head is going to explode!" Sonny criticized Sami for not warning Will that she'd given Abigail's name to Will's editor. Sami countered that Will hadn't warned her about the article to give her a chance to shield his siblings from the fallout. Sonny complained that Sami was going after Abigail but giving E.J. a pass.

Sami reminded Sonny that she had gotten E.J. arrested and taken over his company. "I'm burning E.J. to the ground," Sami declared. Sonny maintained that E.J. had seduced Abigail. Sami argued that Abigail was a grown woman who'd known full well what she'd been doing and who had not cared who got hurt. Sonny accused Sami of destroying Abigail's life. Sami pointed out that Abigail had merely lost an entry-level position at the hospital -- and Abigail was the one who'd broken the hospital's rules. Sonny argued that Will had written the article to stop Sami from going even further with her revenge.

"What Will did is so much more damaging to Abby than anything that I did. He put this in motion, Sonny," Sami contended. Sonny acknowledged that he knew that, but he maintained that someone else would have written the article if Will hadn't. Sami quietly pointed out that Will had gotten details and insider information that no one else would have been able to get because they had all trusted him. "He had that knife because we gave it to him, and then he used it to stab me in the back," Sami said.

Marlena arrived just then and asked to speak privately with Sami. As Sonny left, Sami urged him gently, "Be there for Will. This is only going to get worse." While the phone rang incessantly in the background, Marlena joked, "What's new?" Marlena noted that she hadn't known a lot of the information in the article, and she wondered why Sami hadn't gone to her. Sami pointed out that Marlena had a lot on her plate with John in a coma and Kristen back in town, plus Sami hadn't wanted to hear how foolish she'd been to marry E.J. or what an innocent victim Abigail was.

Marlena said that she was very sorry about everything that had happened. She guessed that Sami had known about E.J.'s affair but had married him anyway. "Yes. Everything Will wrote in that article is the truth, so thank you for stopping by, Mom," Sami said quietly. Marlena asked how she could help Sami.

Grasping her mom's hand, Sami declared confidently, "I've got this. But if I want to hold together the shreds of my life, I'm going to have to [take] these calls." Marlena reassured her daughter, "I will be here if I can help in any way at all." Nodding at her mom, Sami finally silenced the ringing phone by answering it, and Marlena left.

A little while later, Marlena went to the apartment to see Will, who told her that she was too late if she wanted to chew him out and call him a "reckless idiot." Marlena said that she only wanted to understand how Will could have hurt his mother, Kate, and Abigail by writing the article. Will insisted that everything he'd written was true, but Marlena didn't understand why he'd made it public. Will explained that he had tried to talk to his mom about what she'd been doing, but she'd been determined to destroy E.J. and Abigail. "Someone had to stand up to her and tell her 'no', because clearly you never did," Will concluded.

Will quickly apologized, but Marlena understood that he'd merely been feeling attacked, so he was lashing out. Will explained that he'd felt the only way to stop his mom was by doing something big. "Something like the cover of TruVista with your name on it?" Marlena wondered. Will asked if that were really what she thought of him, but she asserted that none of it made sense to her. Will admitted that he'd wanted to create something that he could be proud of.

"I got the cover with my very first article, and not one person near me has had one thing nice to say about it," he complained. Marlena acknowledged, "We can't talk about this. Maybe it's just too soon." Changing the subject, Will asked about John, but Marlena said that John was the same. Will was hopeful that Marlena would get some good news soon. Without another word between them, Marlena left.

At the Brady Pub a little later, Roman thanked Marlena for meeting him and explained that he'd wanted to talk to her in person. "It's about Kristen," Roman began.

On the phone with Sonny later, Will proudly said that the response to his article had been so great that the website had even crashed once, and Zoe had gotten a call from two local news stations to interview him once the story had gone national. Will added that he was meeting with Zoe the next morning to go over some of his new story ideas. "That's great," Sonny said without much enthusiasm. Will noted that he would be able to pitch in more toward rent bills soon.

As Sonny was insisting that he didn't care about that, Will suddenly had to hang up because there was someone at the door. Will opened it and found Abigail outside.

Sami continued answering and returning one phone call after another, pacing around the living room as she tried to convince the board that everything with her and E.J. was fine and that her son's editor had blown the story completely out of proportion. As the stress began to get to her, Sami poured herself a glass of whiskey. She hung up from a particularly stressful phone call and took a drink while she blinked back tears of frustration. She turned and saw E.J. standing in the living room, glaring at her. Sami reluctantly told her husband, "I thought I had it handled. I had warned them, but the entire board is freaking out. Everybody wants to talk to you, and everything is falling apart. You have to help me."

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