Post by STLUEE on Jan 7, 2014 15:19:38 GMT -5
Nicole was in her office at the television station, watching the footage of Brady's disastrous interview-turned-intervention on her laptop, when Miles barged in and announced that he had just seen Eric exiting the building. Miles assumed that Nicole had just finished conducting an interview with Eric, but she revealed that she had been unaware of Eric's presence in the building. Nicole guessed that Eric had returned to retrieve his cell phone, and she wondered why he had left without completing his task or saying anything to her.
Meanwhile, Miles -- who had taken a seat at Nicole's desk when she had walked away from it to pour a cup of coffee for herself -- laughed gleefully as he viewed the footage that Nicole had been watching earlier. Miles knew that the television station couldn't air the footage, since it didn't fit the narrative of one woman wronging two innocent brothers that Nicole was trying to sell to the audience, but he admitted that he thought that it was a shame that they would never be able to show everyone just how much of a train wreck Brady really was.
Nicole angrily closed her laptop as she insisted that Brady had been fine until Kristen had entered his life. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the start of every flippin' country song -- come on. But there aren't that many where the woman does two brothers, and one of them just happens to be a priest. Now, can you get me the cleaned-up version of that from the ex-fiancé?" Miles dismissively asked Nicole, who was confident that Brady would be able to give her a better interview the next time that they met to discuss his relationship with Kristen.
Miles reminded Nicole that he also needed her to interview Eric right away. Nicole sighed impatiently and asked Miles to let her handle her story the way that she wanted to handle it. Miles agreed to do so, but he warned that Nicole needed to get the story finished quickly. Nicole groaned with frustration as Miles exited her office.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady contemplated taking a drink of whiskey for a moment before deciding to pour it into a container of ice instead. When Brady turned away from the bar, he was surprised to find Victor and Maggie standing in the living room doorway. "Granddad, I, um -- I'm sure Maggie's told you, but, uh, I wanted -- I wanted to tell you myself -- I had a slip-up. It wasn't really a slip-up; it was more of a bender. It's been going on since before New Year's Eve, and, uh, if -- if -- if it hadn't been for Nicole and Daniel, I might have, um -- hell, if it hadn't been for them, I don't know if I would -- if I would be alive today," Brady admitted to Victor.
Brady promised that he wasn't going to use cocaine anymore, and he added that he was also going to stay away from alcohol, despite the fact that alcohol addiction had never been a problem for him. "You're an addict, Brady. An addict is an addict. Now, if you don't admit this, you are still putting your life at risk," Maggie firmly warned Brady, who assured her that he was aware that she held that philosophy.
Maggie agreed to drop the subject, admitting that she was simply pleased that Brady had chosen not to give in to temptation and consume the drink that he had poured for himself earlier. Brady assured Maggie that he had decided that he didn't want the drink and that he was committed to getting and staying clean. Brady braced himself for a lecture from Victor, whom he was certain that he had disappointed, but Victor simply wanted to know how he could help Brady. Brady said that he wanted to stay busy, so Victor promised to help him return to work at Titan.
Victor said that he was proud of Brady, who scoffed and insisted that Victor was going too far and didn't need to say that sort of thing. "Don't tell me what to say. I am proud that you realized you made a mistake and you're correcting it," Victor reiterated. Brady thanked Victor and Maggie for their support and promised to accompany Maggie to a meeting later that day, explaining that he first wanted to rest for a while because he was still feeling the effects of his earlier drug use. Maggie and Victor remained stationary, so Brady added that he didn't want them to feel like they needed to hover around him or put their lives on hold because of him.
Victor and Maggie took the hint and left the living room. In the foyer, Victor grabbed his coat as he acknowledged that Brady wasn't the only male in the Kiriakis family who needed to make amends. Confused, Maggie reminded Victor that he had already apologized to Eric earlier. "One apology down, one to go," Victor replied as he exited the mansion.
Eric was standing outside the Brady Pub, thinking about the things that he had heard Nicole say to Daniel at the television station earlier, when Marlena greeted him and asked if everything was all right. Eric claimed that he had simply been distracted because he had just realized that he had left his cell phone in Nicole's office earlier. Marlena wondered if Nicole was still using her position at the television station to help Eric clear his name.
Eric nodded and wondered if that was going to be a problem for Marlena. Marlena admitted that, while she understood that Nicole's intentions were good, she was worried about how others might perceive the situation due to Nicole's history with Eric. Eric asserted that people were going to judge him based on all of his actions, regardless of Nicole's involvement, and he reminded Marlena that he simply wanted to get back to being a priest again.
Marlena smiled sympathetically and asked if Eric was still waiting for the results of the latest round of tests that Daniel had performed. Eric nodded and optimistically reported that he would probably receive the test results soon. Marlena wondered if there was anything that she could do for Eric. Eric shook his head, thanked Marlena for her offer, and started to walk away, but he quickly changed his mind and decided to ask her to pray for him.
Later, Nicole tracked Eric down at the pub to give him his cell phone. Nicole wondered why Eric hadn't said anything to her during his second visit to the television station, and he replied that he hadn't wanted to interrupt her private moment with Daniel. Before Nicole could respond, she received a text message from Miles, and she irritably muttered that he needed to calm down. Eric guessed that Nicole's boss was pressuring her to pressure Eric into doing an interview with her. Nicole told Eric not to worry about the matter, reasoning that it was more important for them to focus on Brady.
Nicole proceeded to tell Eric about what had happened with Brady earlier. Eric wasn't sure if it would be wise to believe that Brady had truly decided to stop using drugs for good, but Nicole felt certain that what had happened earlier had scared Brady into finally realizing that he needed help.
At the Horton Town Square, Marlena met with Victor, who thanked her for agreeing to see him and admitted that he owed her and Eric a profound apology. Marlena wondered if Victor really believed that she wanted an apology from him. Victor reiterated that he knew that Marlena was owed an apology, and he invited her to take a seat at his table so that he could give her what she was owed.
After considering Victor's offer for a moment, Marlena reluctantly took a seat across from Victor, who admitted that his actions had been vicious and inexcusable. Victor said that he had hurt a lot of people whom he had never wanted to hurt, and he assured Marlena that he was profoundly sorry. Victor hoped that Marlena would be able to forgive him, but she insisted that the damage that he had caused was irreparable and that she would never forgive him for causing it.
"You can't forgive yourself, can you, Marlena? You were just as driven as I was -- willing to do anything to bring Kristen down. We may have crossed different lines, but make no mistake, Marlena -- you were right there with me," Victor countered as he and Marlena eyed each other. "You know what? Even if I were to forgive you, it wouldn't last -- you would still show your same true colors. I don't need to stick around for a second act. I find you completely unforgivable," Marlena calmly replied before walking away.
Later, Marlena visited Nicole at the television station. "I have no right to question your motives here. After what I did to my son, I have no rights at all. Eric wants to be a priest. I can't help him. Maybe you can -- maybe this story can -- so I need you to do it," Marlena admitted.
At Club TBD, Ciara unenthusiastically retrieved a box of thank-you cards from her backpack to prove to Hope that she had remembered to pack them. Hope gently reminded Ciara that writing a thank-you card was the polite thing to do after receiving a gift from someone. "So...I'd have to write these even if my presents were lame?" Ciara sullenly asked Hope, who confirmed the suspicion.
Hope wanted to know why Ciara was being moody, so Ciara admitted that, while their holiday celebration had been wonderful, she wasn't the least bit ready to return to school. Hope optimistically pointed out that it was going to be fun for Ciara to see all of her friends and teachers again. "Yeah -- so great. So special," Ciara sarcastically agreed, prompting Hope to warn that too much excitement could be hazardous to Ciara's health.
Ciara dismissively pointed out that the school was just a school, but Hope countered that it was a school that Ciara had begged to attend and had previously loved attending. Guessing that Ciara's indifference had something to do with the fact that Eric was no longer a presence at the school, Hope wondered if Ciara's classmates had been teasing her about Eric. "Is there really a video so awful that he could go to jail?" Ciara worriedly asked.
Hope firmly assured Ciara that Eric wasn't going to go to jail because he had done nothing wrong. Ciara insisted that Eric was "the best," and Hope smiled as she agreed with Ciara's sentiment. Satisfied, Ciara confirmed that she was ready to return to school, and she and Hope quickly exited the club.
Later, Hope went to the Kiriakis mansion to see Brady, who assured her that, while the holidays had been rough, he had recently turned a corner and was going to be all right. Brady guessed that Hope's visit had something to do with Kristen, and she confirmed his suspicion, explaining that the police had followed a lead to a man who had recently smuggled a woman out of Salem on his boat. Hope added that, while the police had ultimately found the woman and determined that she wasn't Kristen, the fact that they were still receiving tips about Kristen's case meant that there was still hope that Kristen would eventually be found.
Brady guessed that Hope wouldn't have gone to the trouble of tracking him down just to deliver news about a dead-end lead. Hope confirmed Brady's suspicion and admitted that she had also recently received a phone call from John, who had asked her to check on Brady for him. Brady told Hope to let John know that there was no reason to worry about him and that he would contact John later.
Brady wondered how John was doing, and Hope replied that John was doing well and had been researching his family history during his stay in Europe. Brady nodded and recalled that John had mentioned something about the research during their last conversation with each other. "It turns out that your dad wasn't Colleen Brady's son," Hope revealed, stunning Brady.
"Colleen was so desperate to find the son she had with Santo, and the people at the orphanage took total advantage of that," Hope explained, adding that Colleen's real son had apparently died at some point. "Your poor dad -- he still has no idea who his birth parents are. He's back to square one," Hope summarized, and Brady quietly muttered that he knew the feeling. Brady realized that the discovery meant that he was not biologically related to the Bradys or the DiMeras. "Hey, the Bradys aren't big on blood one way or the other," Hope assured Brady, adding that, like her, he would always be a part of the Brady family.
Hope suggested that it might be best for Brady to discuss the matter with John, but Brady insisted that he didn't want to talk to John because he was still harboring anger toward John -- anger that he suspected he would always harbor. Later, after Hope left, Brady received a visit from Eric, who revealed that Nicole had told him about Brady's deception earlier. Brady admitted that he shouldn't have lied to Eric and everyone else, and Eric shrugged as he reasoned that lying to loved ones was simply part of the struggle.
"Brother, you have no idea about my struggle. You want honesty? Can you handle honesty? When I look at your face, I see you on top of Kristen. I know -- I know the litany, man. I know she drugged you, you were raped -- I understand, [but] not really. I understand in my head, but I can't shake the picture. I can't forgive you. I -- that may be unfair, but I can't do it. That's the way it's gotta be," Brady explained, adding that he needed to put some distance between himself and Eric. Eric nodded sadly and exited the mansion.
Later, Eric ran into Hope at the Brady Pub. Eric told Hope about his earlier conversation with Brady, and she hugged him as he admitted that he doubted that his relationship with Brady would ever be the same again. Meanwhile, at the Kiriakis mansion, Brady took a drink of whiskey as he struggled to get the images from the video of Kristen and Eric out of his head.
Sonny entered his and Will's apartment and found Gabi pacing around the living room. When Sonny asked Gabi to tell him what was wrong, she launched into a panicked, frantic recap of what had happened earlier. Gabi's convoluted ramblings were difficult for Sonny to follow, but when she mentioned that Abigail was with Hope on Smith Island, he interrupted and assured her that he had just seen Hope at the club earlier.
Gabi calmed down a bit and started to explain everything to Sonny in a less confusing manner. Gabi was upset to learn that Sonny had known all along that Kate had been sending people text messages from Nick's cell phone, and she complained that her accomplices should have kept her in the loop about the murder that they were covering up to protect her. Sonny shrugged and suggested that Gabi might have simply forgotten about that particular detail of the cover-up, but she insisted that she wouldn't have forgotten such an important detail, and she vowed that she was going to have a long talk with Kate and Sami later.
Gabi grabbed her cell phone and composed a text message for E.J. to let him know that Hope wasn't on Smith Island. When E.J. didn't immediately respond to Gabi's message, she started to panic again, fearing that E.J. wouldn't be able to convince Abigail to keep what had happened earlier from Hope. "E.J. can talk a dog off a meat truck if he wants to, okay? We have to have faith in him," Sonny assured Gabi, who hoped that he was right, since Abigail could be extremely stubborn and refuse to let go of things until all questions were answered satisfactorily.
Sonny reasoned that E.J. would simply have to turn on the charm, which E.J. was more than capable of doing. Gabi guessed that E.J. was going to have to use all of his talents to keep Abigail quiet. Gabi doubted that Abigail would trust E.J. after everything that had recently happened with Chad, but Sonny remained confident that E.J. was the right person for the task at hand -- convincing someone to believe a lie.
On Smith Island, E.J.'s sudden appearance startled Abigail, who backed away from him as she nervously glanced around to see if anyone else had followed her. E.J. laughed and assured Abigail that he was alone, and he gently grabbed her arm as he explained that he needed to talk to her about something before she entered the Horton cabin. "Uh, no. No. I -- I've seen that movie before," Abigail said as she pulled away from E.J.
E.J. wondered if Abigail truly believed that she was in some sort of danger. Abigail claimed that she wasn't worried, but she insisted that she still wasn't going anywhere with E.J. Abigail wanted to know how E.J. had tracked her down, but he dodged her question, promising to explain everything once they were in the warm comfort of his boat. As Abigail continued to question E.J.'s motives, he received a text message from Gabi. Abigail was shocked to learn that E.J.'s cell phone was operational on Smith Island. "It's a global tri-band; it gets a stronger signal," E.J. explained as he read the text message.
Abigail observed that the rich really did live different lives than the rest of the population, and E.J. dryly agreed that the rich lived in a very exotic world -- a world that she could see much more clearly from his boat. Abigail once again refused to leave with E.J., although she added that he was welcome to stay as long as he didn't mind saying whatever he had to say to her in front of Hope. E.J. shrugged and pretended to accept Abigail's terms.
E.J. followed Abigail into the empty cabin, which she observed was still warm. E.J. innocently suggested that Hope and Ciara might have gone for a walk shortly before Abigail had arrived. Satisfied with E.J.'s explanation, Abigail pointed out that Hope and Ciara's absence would give him plenty of time to explain why he had followed Abigail to Smith Island. E.J. replied that he simply wanted to talk to Abigail about Gabi and Nick.
E.J. claimed that Gabi had asked him to talk to Abigail on her behalf because Gabi had done something embarrassing and didn't want to be the one to tell Abigail about it. Abigail wasn't convinced, reasoning that Gabi's embarrassment didn't explain why Nick had suddenly ceased communication with everyone, and she insisted that if he had done something to hurt Gabi, he needed to be held responsible for his actions and his family needed to help him make amends and turn his life around. E.J. assured Abigail that Gabi wasn't in any danger, but Abigail remained suspicious, insisting that nothing about the situation made sense to her.
Deciding to try a different approach, E.J. agreed with Abigail, complaining that helping Gabi was a thankless task and that he was sick of doing so. Claiming that he was going to reveal everything to Abigail, E.J. proceeded to explain that Gabi had gotten into a very public argument with Nick in the town square after finding out that Nick had arranged for her to receive the modeling offer in New York as a way of trying to tear her away from her family and make her totally dependent on Nick. E.J. claimed that he had arrived in the town square just in time to defuse the situation.
Abigail insisted that Hope needed to know about what Nick had tried to do to Gabi. "You don't think I'd want Nick hauled into jail? After what he did to William, I'd be happy to see that bastard locked up. Anyway, that wasn't what Gabriela wanted, and she was adamant, so I persuaded Nick to take advantage of the job offer that he had in New York -- make a fresh start. Leave Salem. Not come back. Nick Fallon's not a threat to Gabriela -- or anybody else, for that matter," E.J. assured Abigail. E.J. concluded that Gabi felt partially responsible for the situation and simply wanted to move on with her life and never think of or hear about Nick again.
"So let me get this straight, E.J. -- Gabi freaks out and comes to you. You then hop on your -- your Bat Boat, or your -- your Phoenix Boat, or whatever it is you DiMeras keep on hand --" Abigail started to summarize, and E.J. interrupted to clarify that he had used a simple speedboat to travel to Smith Island. "Great. So you hop on your modest little boat and come speeding out here because -- why, because Gabi is upset? Why are you running errands of mercy for your would-be stepson's roommate? Don't you have an -- an empire to run or something?" Abigail skeptically asked.
E.J. clarified that Gabi was the mother of Will's child, not Will's roommate, and he added that he would always make time for his family. Abigail still wasn't convinced, prompting E.J. to observe that she was completely relentless and that her relentlessness was very familiar to him. "Wait -- of course. Okay. It isn't really your family, but it is Sami's, right? That's why you're here -- Sami said 'jump,' so you --" Abigail guessed, but E.J. interrupted and stressed that Sami couldn't make him do anything that he didn't want to do.
Abigail shrugged and reasoned that it didn't matter why E.J. was really on the island or who had really sent him there, since he could do nothing to stop her from telling Hope everything once Hope and Ciara returned from their walk. E.J.'s calm response prompted Abigail to suddenly realize that Hope and Ciara weren't really on Smith Island as she had previously believed. E.J. confirmed Abigail's suspicion and revealed that he had learned Hope's whereabouts when he had received a text message before they had entered the cabin. E.J. explained that he was simply trying to stop Abigail from sharing her suspicions with Hope at some point in the future.
Abigail gathered her belongings and started to leave, but E.J. blocked her path and insisted that he couldn't let her do that. Abigail remained convinced that Gabi had to have some other reason for wanting to prevent Abigail from talking to Hope about Nick's actions, so E.J. sighed and revealed that Gabi had slept with Nick twice after their marriage had ended. E.J. concluded that Gabi felt like she had inadvertently encouraged Nick's behavior.
"Gabi slept with a man who she used to be married to? So -- so what? There's no big shame in that. If she's feeling ashamed, then that -- wait. Oh, my God. Oh, my God -- of course! Oh, my God, I am such an idiot! Of course! That's why you're here -- it's you! It's you! It's not Nick -- it's you! Gabi's sleeping with you! Maybe Nick found out, and he got really upset. You didn't just happen to be there when they fought -- it was about you, wasn't it? You're sleeping with Gabi!" Abigail reasoned.
E.J. reminded Abigail that he was engaged to Sami, but Abigail was certain, based on his earlier reaction to her comment about him following Sami's orders, that he and Sami were having problems. E.J. reiterated that, just as Gabi had told him earlier, Abigail was relentless when she got an idea stuck in her head. "Was that pillow talk?" Abigail wondered. E.J. insisted that he and Gabi had never shared a pillow and that he and Sami were just fine, but Abigail was still skeptical, insisting that there was no other reason for him to be in the middle of the situation with Gabi, who was Abigail's best friend and knew that she could tell Abigail anything.
E.J. sighed impatiently and insisted that Abigail was being absurd, but she pointed out that he wouldn't be the first man who had cheated on a fiancée, and she reminded him that he had previously warned her that he was a bad man. E.J. replied that, while it was true that he was a bad man, the notion that Gabi -- a young woman who had a child -- would sleep with him was just as absurd as the notion that he would sleep with her. "Okay, wait, wait, wait -- she is not that young, all right? She's as old as I am. And secondly, it is not that ridiculous that she would want to sleep with you, E.J., because any woman with a pulse would want to sleep --" Abigail blurted out, stopping herself only when it was already too late.
Abigail started to excuse herself, but she remained stationary, and she and E.J. gazed at each other for a moment before starting to kiss.
. . .
Soap Central
Meanwhile, Miles -- who had taken a seat at Nicole's desk when she had walked away from it to pour a cup of coffee for herself -- laughed gleefully as he viewed the footage that Nicole had been watching earlier. Miles knew that the television station couldn't air the footage, since it didn't fit the narrative of one woman wronging two innocent brothers that Nicole was trying to sell to the audience, but he admitted that he thought that it was a shame that they would never be able to show everyone just how much of a train wreck Brady really was.
Nicole angrily closed her laptop as she insisted that Brady had been fine until Kristen had entered his life. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's the start of every flippin' country song -- come on. But there aren't that many where the woman does two brothers, and one of them just happens to be a priest. Now, can you get me the cleaned-up version of that from the ex-fiancé?" Miles dismissively asked Nicole, who was confident that Brady would be able to give her a better interview the next time that they met to discuss his relationship with Kristen.
Miles reminded Nicole that he also needed her to interview Eric right away. Nicole sighed impatiently and asked Miles to let her handle her story the way that she wanted to handle it. Miles agreed to do so, but he warned that Nicole needed to get the story finished quickly. Nicole groaned with frustration as Miles exited her office.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady contemplated taking a drink of whiskey for a moment before deciding to pour it into a container of ice instead. When Brady turned away from the bar, he was surprised to find Victor and Maggie standing in the living room doorway. "Granddad, I, um -- I'm sure Maggie's told you, but, uh, I wanted -- I wanted to tell you myself -- I had a slip-up. It wasn't really a slip-up; it was more of a bender. It's been going on since before New Year's Eve, and, uh, if -- if -- if it hadn't been for Nicole and Daniel, I might have, um -- hell, if it hadn't been for them, I don't know if I would -- if I would be alive today," Brady admitted to Victor.
Brady promised that he wasn't going to use cocaine anymore, and he added that he was also going to stay away from alcohol, despite the fact that alcohol addiction had never been a problem for him. "You're an addict, Brady. An addict is an addict. Now, if you don't admit this, you are still putting your life at risk," Maggie firmly warned Brady, who assured her that he was aware that she held that philosophy.
Maggie agreed to drop the subject, admitting that she was simply pleased that Brady had chosen not to give in to temptation and consume the drink that he had poured for himself earlier. Brady assured Maggie that he had decided that he didn't want the drink and that he was committed to getting and staying clean. Brady braced himself for a lecture from Victor, whom he was certain that he had disappointed, but Victor simply wanted to know how he could help Brady. Brady said that he wanted to stay busy, so Victor promised to help him return to work at Titan.
Victor said that he was proud of Brady, who scoffed and insisted that Victor was going too far and didn't need to say that sort of thing. "Don't tell me what to say. I am proud that you realized you made a mistake and you're correcting it," Victor reiterated. Brady thanked Victor and Maggie for their support and promised to accompany Maggie to a meeting later that day, explaining that he first wanted to rest for a while because he was still feeling the effects of his earlier drug use. Maggie and Victor remained stationary, so Brady added that he didn't want them to feel like they needed to hover around him or put their lives on hold because of him.
Victor and Maggie took the hint and left the living room. In the foyer, Victor grabbed his coat as he acknowledged that Brady wasn't the only male in the Kiriakis family who needed to make amends. Confused, Maggie reminded Victor that he had already apologized to Eric earlier. "One apology down, one to go," Victor replied as he exited the mansion.
Eric was standing outside the Brady Pub, thinking about the things that he had heard Nicole say to Daniel at the television station earlier, when Marlena greeted him and asked if everything was all right. Eric claimed that he had simply been distracted because he had just realized that he had left his cell phone in Nicole's office earlier. Marlena wondered if Nicole was still using her position at the television station to help Eric clear his name.
Eric nodded and wondered if that was going to be a problem for Marlena. Marlena admitted that, while she understood that Nicole's intentions were good, she was worried about how others might perceive the situation due to Nicole's history with Eric. Eric asserted that people were going to judge him based on all of his actions, regardless of Nicole's involvement, and he reminded Marlena that he simply wanted to get back to being a priest again.
Marlena smiled sympathetically and asked if Eric was still waiting for the results of the latest round of tests that Daniel had performed. Eric nodded and optimistically reported that he would probably receive the test results soon. Marlena wondered if there was anything that she could do for Eric. Eric shook his head, thanked Marlena for her offer, and started to walk away, but he quickly changed his mind and decided to ask her to pray for him.
Later, Nicole tracked Eric down at the pub to give him his cell phone. Nicole wondered why Eric hadn't said anything to her during his second visit to the television station, and he replied that he hadn't wanted to interrupt her private moment with Daniel. Before Nicole could respond, she received a text message from Miles, and she irritably muttered that he needed to calm down. Eric guessed that Nicole's boss was pressuring her to pressure Eric into doing an interview with her. Nicole told Eric not to worry about the matter, reasoning that it was more important for them to focus on Brady.
Nicole proceeded to tell Eric about what had happened with Brady earlier. Eric wasn't sure if it would be wise to believe that Brady had truly decided to stop using drugs for good, but Nicole felt certain that what had happened earlier had scared Brady into finally realizing that he needed help.
At the Horton Town Square, Marlena met with Victor, who thanked her for agreeing to see him and admitted that he owed her and Eric a profound apology. Marlena wondered if Victor really believed that she wanted an apology from him. Victor reiterated that he knew that Marlena was owed an apology, and he invited her to take a seat at his table so that he could give her what she was owed.
After considering Victor's offer for a moment, Marlena reluctantly took a seat across from Victor, who admitted that his actions had been vicious and inexcusable. Victor said that he had hurt a lot of people whom he had never wanted to hurt, and he assured Marlena that he was profoundly sorry. Victor hoped that Marlena would be able to forgive him, but she insisted that the damage that he had caused was irreparable and that she would never forgive him for causing it.
"You can't forgive yourself, can you, Marlena? You were just as driven as I was -- willing to do anything to bring Kristen down. We may have crossed different lines, but make no mistake, Marlena -- you were right there with me," Victor countered as he and Marlena eyed each other. "You know what? Even if I were to forgive you, it wouldn't last -- you would still show your same true colors. I don't need to stick around for a second act. I find you completely unforgivable," Marlena calmly replied before walking away.
Later, Marlena visited Nicole at the television station. "I have no right to question your motives here. After what I did to my son, I have no rights at all. Eric wants to be a priest. I can't help him. Maybe you can -- maybe this story can -- so I need you to do it," Marlena admitted.
At Club TBD, Ciara unenthusiastically retrieved a box of thank-you cards from her backpack to prove to Hope that she had remembered to pack them. Hope gently reminded Ciara that writing a thank-you card was the polite thing to do after receiving a gift from someone. "So...I'd have to write these even if my presents were lame?" Ciara sullenly asked Hope, who confirmed the suspicion.
Hope wanted to know why Ciara was being moody, so Ciara admitted that, while their holiday celebration had been wonderful, she wasn't the least bit ready to return to school. Hope optimistically pointed out that it was going to be fun for Ciara to see all of her friends and teachers again. "Yeah -- so great. So special," Ciara sarcastically agreed, prompting Hope to warn that too much excitement could be hazardous to Ciara's health.
Ciara dismissively pointed out that the school was just a school, but Hope countered that it was a school that Ciara had begged to attend and had previously loved attending. Guessing that Ciara's indifference had something to do with the fact that Eric was no longer a presence at the school, Hope wondered if Ciara's classmates had been teasing her about Eric. "Is there really a video so awful that he could go to jail?" Ciara worriedly asked.
Hope firmly assured Ciara that Eric wasn't going to go to jail because he had done nothing wrong. Ciara insisted that Eric was "the best," and Hope smiled as she agreed with Ciara's sentiment. Satisfied, Ciara confirmed that she was ready to return to school, and she and Hope quickly exited the club.
Later, Hope went to the Kiriakis mansion to see Brady, who assured her that, while the holidays had been rough, he had recently turned a corner and was going to be all right. Brady guessed that Hope's visit had something to do with Kristen, and she confirmed his suspicion, explaining that the police had followed a lead to a man who had recently smuggled a woman out of Salem on his boat. Hope added that, while the police had ultimately found the woman and determined that she wasn't Kristen, the fact that they were still receiving tips about Kristen's case meant that there was still hope that Kristen would eventually be found.
Brady guessed that Hope wouldn't have gone to the trouble of tracking him down just to deliver news about a dead-end lead. Hope confirmed Brady's suspicion and admitted that she had also recently received a phone call from John, who had asked her to check on Brady for him. Brady told Hope to let John know that there was no reason to worry about him and that he would contact John later.
Brady wondered how John was doing, and Hope replied that John was doing well and had been researching his family history during his stay in Europe. Brady nodded and recalled that John had mentioned something about the research during their last conversation with each other. "It turns out that your dad wasn't Colleen Brady's son," Hope revealed, stunning Brady.
"Colleen was so desperate to find the son she had with Santo, and the people at the orphanage took total advantage of that," Hope explained, adding that Colleen's real son had apparently died at some point. "Your poor dad -- he still has no idea who his birth parents are. He's back to square one," Hope summarized, and Brady quietly muttered that he knew the feeling. Brady realized that the discovery meant that he was not biologically related to the Bradys or the DiMeras. "Hey, the Bradys aren't big on blood one way or the other," Hope assured Brady, adding that, like her, he would always be a part of the Brady family.
Hope suggested that it might be best for Brady to discuss the matter with John, but Brady insisted that he didn't want to talk to John because he was still harboring anger toward John -- anger that he suspected he would always harbor. Later, after Hope left, Brady received a visit from Eric, who revealed that Nicole had told him about Brady's deception earlier. Brady admitted that he shouldn't have lied to Eric and everyone else, and Eric shrugged as he reasoned that lying to loved ones was simply part of the struggle.
"Brother, you have no idea about my struggle. You want honesty? Can you handle honesty? When I look at your face, I see you on top of Kristen. I know -- I know the litany, man. I know she drugged you, you were raped -- I understand, [but] not really. I understand in my head, but I can't shake the picture. I can't forgive you. I -- that may be unfair, but I can't do it. That's the way it's gotta be," Brady explained, adding that he needed to put some distance between himself and Eric. Eric nodded sadly and exited the mansion.
Later, Eric ran into Hope at the Brady Pub. Eric told Hope about his earlier conversation with Brady, and she hugged him as he admitted that he doubted that his relationship with Brady would ever be the same again. Meanwhile, at the Kiriakis mansion, Brady took a drink of whiskey as he struggled to get the images from the video of Kristen and Eric out of his head.
Sonny entered his and Will's apartment and found Gabi pacing around the living room. When Sonny asked Gabi to tell him what was wrong, she launched into a panicked, frantic recap of what had happened earlier. Gabi's convoluted ramblings were difficult for Sonny to follow, but when she mentioned that Abigail was with Hope on Smith Island, he interrupted and assured her that he had just seen Hope at the club earlier.
Gabi calmed down a bit and started to explain everything to Sonny in a less confusing manner. Gabi was upset to learn that Sonny had known all along that Kate had been sending people text messages from Nick's cell phone, and she complained that her accomplices should have kept her in the loop about the murder that they were covering up to protect her. Sonny shrugged and suggested that Gabi might have simply forgotten about that particular detail of the cover-up, but she insisted that she wouldn't have forgotten such an important detail, and she vowed that she was going to have a long talk with Kate and Sami later.
Gabi grabbed her cell phone and composed a text message for E.J. to let him know that Hope wasn't on Smith Island. When E.J. didn't immediately respond to Gabi's message, she started to panic again, fearing that E.J. wouldn't be able to convince Abigail to keep what had happened earlier from Hope. "E.J. can talk a dog off a meat truck if he wants to, okay? We have to have faith in him," Sonny assured Gabi, who hoped that he was right, since Abigail could be extremely stubborn and refuse to let go of things until all questions were answered satisfactorily.
Sonny reasoned that E.J. would simply have to turn on the charm, which E.J. was more than capable of doing. Gabi guessed that E.J. was going to have to use all of his talents to keep Abigail quiet. Gabi doubted that Abigail would trust E.J. after everything that had recently happened with Chad, but Sonny remained confident that E.J. was the right person for the task at hand -- convincing someone to believe a lie.
On Smith Island, E.J.'s sudden appearance startled Abigail, who backed away from him as she nervously glanced around to see if anyone else had followed her. E.J. laughed and assured Abigail that he was alone, and he gently grabbed her arm as he explained that he needed to talk to her about something before she entered the Horton cabin. "Uh, no. No. I -- I've seen that movie before," Abigail said as she pulled away from E.J.
E.J. wondered if Abigail truly believed that she was in some sort of danger. Abigail claimed that she wasn't worried, but she insisted that she still wasn't going anywhere with E.J. Abigail wanted to know how E.J. had tracked her down, but he dodged her question, promising to explain everything once they were in the warm comfort of his boat. As Abigail continued to question E.J.'s motives, he received a text message from Gabi. Abigail was shocked to learn that E.J.'s cell phone was operational on Smith Island. "It's a global tri-band; it gets a stronger signal," E.J. explained as he read the text message.
Abigail observed that the rich really did live different lives than the rest of the population, and E.J. dryly agreed that the rich lived in a very exotic world -- a world that she could see much more clearly from his boat. Abigail once again refused to leave with E.J., although she added that he was welcome to stay as long as he didn't mind saying whatever he had to say to her in front of Hope. E.J. shrugged and pretended to accept Abigail's terms.
E.J. followed Abigail into the empty cabin, which she observed was still warm. E.J. innocently suggested that Hope and Ciara might have gone for a walk shortly before Abigail had arrived. Satisfied with E.J.'s explanation, Abigail pointed out that Hope and Ciara's absence would give him plenty of time to explain why he had followed Abigail to Smith Island. E.J. replied that he simply wanted to talk to Abigail about Gabi and Nick.
E.J. claimed that Gabi had asked him to talk to Abigail on her behalf because Gabi had done something embarrassing and didn't want to be the one to tell Abigail about it. Abigail wasn't convinced, reasoning that Gabi's embarrassment didn't explain why Nick had suddenly ceased communication with everyone, and she insisted that if he had done something to hurt Gabi, he needed to be held responsible for his actions and his family needed to help him make amends and turn his life around. E.J. assured Abigail that Gabi wasn't in any danger, but Abigail remained suspicious, insisting that nothing about the situation made sense to her.
Deciding to try a different approach, E.J. agreed with Abigail, complaining that helping Gabi was a thankless task and that he was sick of doing so. Claiming that he was going to reveal everything to Abigail, E.J. proceeded to explain that Gabi had gotten into a very public argument with Nick in the town square after finding out that Nick had arranged for her to receive the modeling offer in New York as a way of trying to tear her away from her family and make her totally dependent on Nick. E.J. claimed that he had arrived in the town square just in time to defuse the situation.
Abigail insisted that Hope needed to know about what Nick had tried to do to Gabi. "You don't think I'd want Nick hauled into jail? After what he did to William, I'd be happy to see that bastard locked up. Anyway, that wasn't what Gabriela wanted, and she was adamant, so I persuaded Nick to take advantage of the job offer that he had in New York -- make a fresh start. Leave Salem. Not come back. Nick Fallon's not a threat to Gabriela -- or anybody else, for that matter," E.J. assured Abigail. E.J. concluded that Gabi felt partially responsible for the situation and simply wanted to move on with her life and never think of or hear about Nick again.
"So let me get this straight, E.J. -- Gabi freaks out and comes to you. You then hop on your -- your Bat Boat, or your -- your Phoenix Boat, or whatever it is you DiMeras keep on hand --" Abigail started to summarize, and E.J. interrupted to clarify that he had used a simple speedboat to travel to Smith Island. "Great. So you hop on your modest little boat and come speeding out here because -- why, because Gabi is upset? Why are you running errands of mercy for your would-be stepson's roommate? Don't you have an -- an empire to run or something?" Abigail skeptically asked.
E.J. clarified that Gabi was the mother of Will's child, not Will's roommate, and he added that he would always make time for his family. Abigail still wasn't convinced, prompting E.J. to observe that she was completely relentless and that her relentlessness was very familiar to him. "Wait -- of course. Okay. It isn't really your family, but it is Sami's, right? That's why you're here -- Sami said 'jump,' so you --" Abigail guessed, but E.J. interrupted and stressed that Sami couldn't make him do anything that he didn't want to do.
Abigail shrugged and reasoned that it didn't matter why E.J. was really on the island or who had really sent him there, since he could do nothing to stop her from telling Hope everything once Hope and Ciara returned from their walk. E.J.'s calm response prompted Abigail to suddenly realize that Hope and Ciara weren't really on Smith Island as she had previously believed. E.J. confirmed Abigail's suspicion and revealed that he had learned Hope's whereabouts when he had received a text message before they had entered the cabin. E.J. explained that he was simply trying to stop Abigail from sharing her suspicions with Hope at some point in the future.
Abigail gathered her belongings and started to leave, but E.J. blocked her path and insisted that he couldn't let her do that. Abigail remained convinced that Gabi had to have some other reason for wanting to prevent Abigail from talking to Hope about Nick's actions, so E.J. sighed and revealed that Gabi had slept with Nick twice after their marriage had ended. E.J. concluded that Gabi felt like she had inadvertently encouraged Nick's behavior.
"Gabi slept with a man who she used to be married to? So -- so what? There's no big shame in that. If she's feeling ashamed, then that -- wait. Oh, my God. Oh, my God -- of course! Oh, my God, I am such an idiot! Of course! That's why you're here -- it's you! It's you! It's not Nick -- it's you! Gabi's sleeping with you! Maybe Nick found out, and he got really upset. You didn't just happen to be there when they fought -- it was about you, wasn't it? You're sleeping with Gabi!" Abigail reasoned.
E.J. reminded Abigail that he was engaged to Sami, but Abigail was certain, based on his earlier reaction to her comment about him following Sami's orders, that he and Sami were having problems. E.J. reiterated that, just as Gabi had told him earlier, Abigail was relentless when she got an idea stuck in her head. "Was that pillow talk?" Abigail wondered. E.J. insisted that he and Gabi had never shared a pillow and that he and Sami were just fine, but Abigail was still skeptical, insisting that there was no other reason for him to be in the middle of the situation with Gabi, who was Abigail's best friend and knew that she could tell Abigail anything.
E.J. sighed impatiently and insisted that Abigail was being absurd, but she pointed out that he wouldn't be the first man who had cheated on a fiancée, and she reminded him that he had previously warned her that he was a bad man. E.J. replied that, while it was true that he was a bad man, the notion that Gabi -- a young woman who had a child -- would sleep with him was just as absurd as the notion that he would sleep with her. "Okay, wait, wait, wait -- she is not that young, all right? She's as old as I am. And secondly, it is not that ridiculous that she would want to sleep with you, E.J., because any woman with a pulse would want to sleep --" Abigail blurted out, stopping herself only when it was already too late.
Abigail started to excuse herself, but she remained stationary, and she and E.J. gazed at each other for a moment before starting to kiss.
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