Post by STLUEE on Apr 29, 2014 16:38:46 GMT -5
soap central:
At the hospital, Jordan received a text message from Rafe while she and Marlena were discussing a mutual patient. Marlena noted that Jordan and Rafe had seemed very happy when they had attended Will and Sonny's wedding together.
Jordan confirmed that she and Rafe had been -- and still were -- happy together, but she added that the relationship was still relatively new and that she was not yet accustomed to talking about it. "I must admit, I rue the day that my daughter let him slip through her fingers. Rafe is quite a guy. But I don't have to tell you that," Marlena guessed. Jordan smiled as she agreed with Marlena's assessment of Rafe's character.
At the DiMera mansion, E.J. was on the phone with someone, receiving the bad news that the surveillance cameras at the ferry landing site had been inoperable on the day of his first encounter with Abigail on Smith Island. Annoyed, E.J. ended the call and stared at the incriminating photograph of him and Abigail for a moment before suddenly realizing that it had actually been taken on the day of their second trip to Smith Island.
E.J. quickly placed a phone call to one of his employees and asked for the exact dates that the DiMera boat had gone to Smith Island in January. After receiving the requested information, E.J. circled one particular date on his legal pad and placed another phone call to the first person he had talked to earlier. "Yes, it's E.J. DiMera. I have another date for you -- January 17th. The surveillance cameras were operational that day? Good. I need a photograph of every single person who boarded that ferry after four o'clock," E.J. told the person.
In Will and Sonny's apartment, Arianna woke up and started to cry while Gabi was sitting in the living room, reading Aiden's printed draft of the custody agreement they had discussed earlier. Gabi set aside the document and went into her bedroom to attend to Arianna. Meanwhile, Will returned home and found the document laying on the couch.
When Gabi emerged from her bedroom with Arianna a short time later, Will was in the middle of reading the document. "What is this, Gabi? How could you try to take our daughter away from me?" Will wondered. Gabi reached for the documents, protesting that if she had wanted Will to see them, she would have shown them to him herself. "Don't you dare act like I did something wrong here. This is my apartment, and that is my daughter," Will pointed out, prompting Gabi to interrupt to stress that Arianna was their daughter. "And you are trying to cut her out of my life! How could you do that to me? To her?" Will demanded to know.
Gabi claimed that she would never, ever keep Will and Arianna apart, since she knew how much they loved each other. "No. No, that's -- that's just why you had your lawyer lower my -- my visits to every other weekend -- just for the hell of it. Every other weekend!" Will angrily countered, prompting Gabi to shush him because she believed that he was scaring Arianna. Will lowered his voice and once again demanded to know how Gabi could have done such a thing to him. Gabi reiterated that she would never, ever keep Will apart from Arianna.
"If that's how you truly feel, then I know how this language got into this document -- it was Nick. That bastard! I knew he'd try something like this -- I knew it!" Will said as he grabbed his keys and started to exit the apartment. Gabi stopped Will and assured him that Nick had not had anything to do with the contents of the document. Will wondered if Gabi really thought that he was dumb enough to believe that. Will reminded Gabi that he knew that Nick had accompanied her to her meeting with her lawyer, but she claimed that Nick had only provided moral support.
Gabi said that her lawyer had drafted the custody agreement on his own and had called it a "starting point." Gabi added that she had been shocked herself when she had first read the custody agreement, and she added that her lawyer had explained that the custody agreement that E.J. drafted for Will would probably look similar because that was just the way that negotiations worked. Will clarified that his proposed custody agreement would look nothing like Gabi's because E.J. knew that Will would never try to keep Arianna out of Gabi's life. Gabi once again claimed that she would never try to keep Arianna out of Will's life, either.
Gabi reminded Will that he was the person who had asked for a custody agreement in the first place. Gabi promised that the final custody agreement wouldn't look like the one that Will had discovered. "Yeah, it sure as hell won't," Will agreed. Gabi revealed that she needed to run some errands, and she added that, while she had originally planned to take Arianna with her, she could tell that Will would probably prefer to spend some time with Arianna himself. Will confirmed the suspicion, and Gabi excused herself after handing Arianna to Will and assuring him that everything was going to be okay.
After Gabi left, Will placed a phone call to E.J. and asked to see him at the apartment right away. A short time later, Will opened the apartment door, expecting to see E.J., but he found Marlena standing outside instead. Marlena told Will that she had been under the impression that he had wanted to see her that day, and when he confirmed that she had not misunderstood, she wondered why he seemed surprised to see her. Will claimed that he was simply concerned about the timing of Marlena's visit, since he had just put Arianna down for a nap a few moments earlier. Marlena shrugged and reasoned that she would just have to settle for seeing Will instead.
Will presented Marlena with a thank-you gift from him and Sonny -- a photograph of the three of them together at the wedding, in a frame that was similar to the one that Lucas had received. Touched, Marlena thanked Will for the gift -- just as E.J. entered the apartment through the door that had been left partially ajar. Marlena took E.J.'s arrival as confirmation that something was wrong, but E.J. vaguely clarified that he and Will simply had something that they needed to discuss with each other. "Oh. Well. All righty then. Go right ahead. Don't let me interrupt," Marlena said as she took a seat on the couch.
As E.J. reviewed the custody agreement, Will reported that Gabi had stated earlier that the custody agreement that E.J. drafted for Will would probably look similar. E.J. confirmed that it was pretty standard for lawyers to ask for more than they hoped to secure for their clients. Will wondered if that meant that he had overreacted earlier. "I didn't say that," E.J. vaguely clarified as he glanced at Marlena, who encouraged him to go ahead and say what was on his mind, since she had no intention of leaving.
E.J. set aside the document and asked Will to reveal everything that he knew about Gabi's meeting with her lawyer. Will confirmed that Nick had been present at the meeting, although he added that Gabi had claimed that Nick had not had any say in the custody agreement. "Well, not in her presence, he didn't," E.J. guessed. E.J. conceded that there was no way to know what Nick had said to Gabi's lawyer behind her back. Marlena allowed for the possibility that Nick hadn't said anything to Gabi's lawyer at all, but Will was fairly certain that Nick had definitely said something to Gabi's lawyer.
E.J. urged Will to keep things in perspective, pointing out that they were just getting started with the custody proceedings. Will nodded and agreed that things could get a lot worse before the matter was resolved. "No, it won't. Look, my job is to protect your interests, and that is exactly what I'm going to do. Nicholas Fallon is not an issue," E.J. assured Will. Meanwhile, in E.J.'s study at the DiMera mansion, the photographs that E.J. had requested earlier started to get faxed to him -- starting with one that showed Percy among the crowd of ferry passengers.
In the park, Abigail stepped in to stop Ben and Nick's altercation from escalating into a fistfight. Abigail asked Nick to leave, and once she was alone with Ben, she demanded an explanation for what had just happened. Ben said that he had intervened because Nick had been "hassling" Abigail. "And by the way, you're welcome," Ben irritably added.
Abigail warned that if Ben was waiting for her to thank him for what he had done, he would be waiting for a very long time. Abigail clarified that she had simply been having a disagreement with her cousin, and she guessed that Ben surely knew how family arguments could get sometimes. "I don't, actually," Ben vaguely replied. When Abigail pressed for more of a response, Ben pointedly stated that if she was waiting for an apology, she would be waiting for a very long time. Ben started to walk away, ignoring Abigail's attempt to stop him.
At the Brady Pub, Nicole quietly stated that she was grateful that Rafe had agreed to help her, especially since she knew how much he hated to get involved in such things. Nicole promised that she wouldn't tell anyone about whatever it was that Rafe was planning to do to Liam. "Whoa, whoa, whoa -- what did you think I was gonna do, break his legs?" Rafe asked.
Rafe clarified that he wasn't planning to do anything illegal. Nicole claimed that she had never suspected otherwise and that she had been joking earlier. "Well, you weren't, obviously. But that's okay, because I care about you, and I want to help. I'm not gonna judge you -- you know that -- but I need to know the truth. Oh, God, what have you done now?" Rafe wondered.
Nicole evasively apologized for once again taking advantage of Rafe's friendship, stating that it had been wrong of her to use him in an effort to take the easy way out of a situation. Rafe assumed that was Nicole's way of saying that she wasn't going to tell him what was really going on, and she regretfully confirmed that she couldn't. Rafe was worried about Nicole, but she assured him that she would figure out how to deal with the matter on her own.
Rafe said that he had been trying to tell Nicole earlier that he knew exactly what she needed to do -- she needed to tell Eric the truth. Rafe reasoned that honesty was almost always the best policy. Nicole agreed and excused herself after thanking Rafe for being "such an amazing friend, as usual." Rafe returned the sentiment and wished Nicole luck.
After Nicole left, Jordan entered the pub and apologized for keeping Rafe waiting. Rafe understood, since his job had been keeping him busy lately, too. Jordan wondered how Gabi was doing, and Rafe replied that his sister had "lost her mind." Jordan reasoned that love had a way of doing that to people, but Rafe argued that Gabi's relationship with Nick wasn't built on love. Jordan predicted that Gabi would eventually realize that, but Rafe was doubtful.
Jordan assured Rafe that Gabi looked up to him and valued his opinion. "Just like your brother looks up to you," Rafe mused. Jordan started to say something, but Rafe interrupted and assured her that he wasn't planning to grill her about Ben again. Rafe revealed that Ben had approached him earlier to issue a warning. Jordan sighed and apologized, explaining that Ben could sometimes be a bit of a "hothead." Rafe said that he had picked up on that himself, but he added that he was pretty good at reading people, and he could tell that Ben was just concerned about Jordan.
Jordan insisted that Ben had no reason to be concerned, since she was fine -- great, even. Rafe was glad to hear that, since he had assumed the same thing, but he mused that it seemed like Ben wasn't convinced of that fact. Rafe explained that Ben had wanted to make sure that Rafe understood that Ben wouldn't be willing to stand back and watch Jordan get hurt. Rafe believed that he deserved to know where Ben's concerns stemmed from. "It's because I told him that I'm in love with you," Jordan blurted out.
At Club TBD, Ben thought about his earlier encounter with Nick. "You're wrong, Abigail -- that guy's trouble," Ben muttered to himself. Later, Abigail entered the club and confronted Ben for leaving before they had finished their earlier conversation. Ben unapologetically stated that he had needed to get back to work right away. Abigail took a seat at the bar and stubbornly declared that she would wait until Ben was done with his shift.
As Abigail watched Ben work, she impatiently wondered how long he expected to be able to think of ways to keep himself busy so that he wouldn't have to talk to her. Abigail guessed that Ben believed that he had a good justification for threatening Nick earlier. Ben clarified that he hadn't threatened Nick, but Abigail disagreed, stating that Ben had literally scared Nick away.
"He should have been scared, the way he was treating you. No guy should ever talk to a woman like that," Ben insisted. Abigail reiterated that Ben had misunderstood the situation, adding that Nick had simply been trying to make a point. "So was I," Ben countered before turning away from Abigail.
While Nicole was in the town square, contemplating her next move, she bumped into the bank employee who had interrupted her earlier confrontation with Liam. The woman was glad to see Nicole, since Liam had dropped a photograph in the bank's safe deposit vault that the woman had been hoping to return to him. The woman handed the picture to Nicole, assuming that the woman pictured in the photograph was related to either Nicole or Liam. Nicole nodded and thanked the woman for returning the picture.
After the woman left, Nicole eyed the image of Jennifer and recalled an earlier threat that Liam had made about finding someone who would believe what he told them about Nicole's misdeeds. "Oh, my God -- he's talking about Jennifer," Nicole realized.
Elsewhere, Maggie called out to Nick as he was passing through the area. As Maggie and Nick conversed, she deduced that he was upset about something, and she encouraged him to talk to her about whatever it was that was bothering him. Nick claimed that everything was fine, but Maggie wasn't convinced. "Okay, I'll -- I'll admit, you know, um, sometimes, people in this town treat me like crap, and even though I'm used to it, sometimes it -- it gets to me," Nick explained. Maggie agreed that no one deserved to be treated dismissively or worse, and she said that she was sorry that Nick was still dealing with such treatment.
"It's cool. I mean it, all right? You know, it's -- it's not gonna change, so there's no point in stressing over it, right? And besides, I'm -- I'm gonna get everything I want, and that's all that matters," Nick cryptically replied. When Maggie pressed for more details, Nick claimed that he had simply meant that he was going to build a good and happy life for himself in Salem. Nick assured Maggie that everything was going his way and that there was no reason for her to worry about him. Nick abruptly excused himself after receiving a phone call, and Maggie watched with concern as he walked away.
Later, Nick met with Gabi, who told him about what had happened when Will had discovered the custody agreement earlier. Gabi admitted that she didn't blame Will for reacting the way that he had, and she added that she hadn't even realized that Aiden was going to include half of the things that were in the document. "Well, you know, it's -- it's honestly all standard verbiage, you know? It's -- it's totally commonplace. [Aiden] explained --" Nick started to say, but Gabi interrupted and said that, while she had heard Aiden's explanation and had relayed it to Will, she didn't believe that it was necessary for things to be that cutthroat.
"Look, Gabi, don't worry about it, okay? Will doesn't want a fight, right? And if things go as smoothly as we hope, you got a great lawyer, and you got me. Come here. You're gonna get everything that you want, all right? I promise. Everything that you and Arianna deserve. I will not let you down -- not after everything that we've been through together. You believe me, right?" Nick asked, and when Gabi confirmed that she did, he leaned in to kiss her.
Nick continued to kiss Gabi as he whispered that he would give anything to be alone with her at that particular moment. Before Gabi could respond, Percy interrupted with his signature greeting and said that he needed Nick to sign off on a document that had been due the previous day. Nick apologized to Gabi, stating that he wanted her to know that she was his priority and was more important than anything else. Gabi beamed with happiness, and Nick walked away to attend to the business matter.
When Nick returned a short time later, he observed that Gabi's smile had faded. "I know you're worried about how things are gonna turn out. I'm confident -- things are gonna work out, all right? For you, for Ari, and for us. Trust me," Nick assured Gabi.
In Daniel's apartment, Daniel told Eric that it seemed unlikely that Theresa had been "calling the shots" in the scheme to drug Daniel, if she had been involved at all. Daniel explained that Theresa -- who wasn't exactly the world's greatest actress -- had seemed genuinely confused and surprised when he had confronted her about planting the prescription pills in his apartment.
Daniel wondered if Eric had ever met Anne Milbauer. "I've had the distinct pleasure," Eric dryly confirmed. Daniel explained that he had originally suspected that Theresa and Anne were working together, but he was no longer certain of that because they usually concocted "elementary school"-level schemes. Daniel added that he couldn't think of a reason for Anne to leave Theresa in the dark about planting pills in his apartment if the women were really working together.
Daniel couldn't think of anyone else who hated him enough to do such things to him, and he hoped that no such person existed, but he admitted that it was starting to seem likely that he had another enemy. Eric suggested that it was time to get the police involved, but Daniel didn't want to do so because Roman and Hope were related to Theresa, whose level of involvement in the case was still unknown. Daniel hoped that someone else would be able to help him figure out who was responsible for drugging him, although he didn't know who that person might be.
Eric offered to do whatever he could do to help Daniel, but Daniel didn't want to keep Eric from anything important. Eric explained that he was free for a while because Nicole was working on a story and Jennifer was out of the office. Daniel clarified that Jennifer had actually gone to Smith Island earlier, and he added that, while he would like to be there with her, she could probably use the peace and quiet. Later, as Eric and Daniel were discussing the case -- and Daniel's growing concerns that Theresa was involved, but only as a secondary party -- Eric suddenly realized that he knew exactly what their next move needed to be.
Nicole went to the Horton house to see Jennifer, but she found Maggie there instead. Nicole frantically asked if Maggie knew where Jennifer was. Concerned, Maggie wondered if Nicole was all right, and Nicole admitted that she was not, although she didn't offer any additional details. Nicole said that she had already tried to call Jennifer and had been unable to reach her. Maggie offered to leave a message for Jennifer about Nicole's visit, but Nicole insisted that she had to talk to Jennifer right away. Maggie somewhat reluctantly revealed that Jennifer had gone to the Horton cabin on Smith Island.
At the Horton cabin, Jennifer was surprised to see Liam, who said that he had followed her there to talk to her about something. Liam claimed that he had spotted Jennifer boarding the ferry earlier and that a dockworker had pointed him in the direction of her family's cabin. Jennifer was in a hurry to catch the next ferry back to Salem, so she suggested that she and Liam could talk on the way.
Jennifer started to leave, but Liam blocked her path and begged her to hear him out. Concerned that something was wrong with Liam, Jennifer offered to get him a glass of water, but he laughed and said that water wasn't going to help the situation. Confused, Jennifer urged Liam to tell her what was wrong. "You know what's wrong, Jennifer. You know!" Liam snapped.
Liam said that, in spite of what had happened between him and Jennifer, he had still wanted to be someone she could count on as a friend. Jennifer confirmed that she and Liam were friends, but he wasn't convinced that she meant that, since she had pushed him away every time he had tried to offer her his support after Daniel's scandal at the hospital. Liam complained that Jennifer never seemed to think about anyone other than Daniel, whom her whole world seemed to revolve around. "If I were you, I'd be concerned about [Daniel] being a lying addict after those pills showed up in his place," Liam told Jennifer, who wondered how he had found out about that.
Jennifer assumed that Liam had overheard something at the hospital, but he revealed that she was wrong. "What does it take to convince you? My God, I worked so hard to make everything just right! I thought when you found those pills, you'd take care of telling the world who the real Daniel is, but no -- it's like -- it's like you still believe in him, no matter what I do!" Liam snapped at Jennifer, who was shocked to realize that Liam was the person who had been behind everything that had happened to her and Daniel recently.
Liam reasoned that Jennifer had left him with no other options, since she had tossed him aside for Daniel -- a man who, according to Liam, had repeatedly hurt her and was going to eventually break her heart again. "How could you do this to him? You drugged him! You could have killed him! Or one of his patients! Answer me -- why did you do that?!" Jennifer demanded to know. Liam started to sob as he replied that he had just wanted Jennifer to love him, since she had meant everything to him.
Jennifer gently reminded Liam that they had only gone on a few dates with each other. "But we were having such a good time! You -- you -- you kept saying so! You know, you said you'd never go back to [Daniel], and then -- bam! You were my last chance, you know that? After what I went through with Debra, I told myself -- I told myself, 'Three strikes, and you're out.' Before Debra, I -- there was -- you know, it doesn't matter. She's the same; you're all the same. But when I met you, I -- I thought things -- things were finally turning around for me, you know? I was -- I was gonna let go of, um...all the -- the pain and ugliness. And then...I didn't know what else to do," Liam explained.
Liam admitted that he had initially lashed out at Jennifer with the smear campaign but had ultimately realized that it wouldn't get him anywhere. Liam added that he had never wanted to punish Jennifer -- he had simply wanted her to realize that Daniel wasn't the right guy for her. "It's your fault things got so out of hand, you know? It's -- it's your blind faith that this guy walks on water. Look, the -- the checkbook, the protein drinks, the pills -- I had to keep upping the ante, don't you see? So you'd see that Daniel's the wrong guy for you," Liam elaborated.
Jennifer gently theorized that Liam had followed her to Smith Island to admit his wrongdoing because he felt guilty about his actions. Jennifer observed that Liam was in a lot of pain and seemed to be worried that it would never go away. Jennifer assured Liam that, with the right help -- help that she could help him acquire -- the pain could go away. Jennifer guessed that Liam just wanted the whole thing to be over. "Yes, I want it to be over," Liam tearfully agreed. Jennifer suggested that she and Liam could board the ferry together and talk about everything on the ride back to Salem, where she could help him get the help that he needed.
"It's too late for me. It's too late for you, too," Liam replied as he retrieved the gun that he had tucked behind his waistband earlier.
At the hospital, Jordan received a text message from Rafe while she and Marlena were discussing a mutual patient. Marlena noted that Jordan and Rafe had seemed very happy when they had attended Will and Sonny's wedding together.
Jordan confirmed that she and Rafe had been -- and still were -- happy together, but she added that the relationship was still relatively new and that she was not yet accustomed to talking about it. "I must admit, I rue the day that my daughter let him slip through her fingers. Rafe is quite a guy. But I don't have to tell you that," Marlena guessed. Jordan smiled as she agreed with Marlena's assessment of Rafe's character.
At the DiMera mansion, E.J. was on the phone with someone, receiving the bad news that the surveillance cameras at the ferry landing site had been inoperable on the day of his first encounter with Abigail on Smith Island. Annoyed, E.J. ended the call and stared at the incriminating photograph of him and Abigail for a moment before suddenly realizing that it had actually been taken on the day of their second trip to Smith Island.
E.J. quickly placed a phone call to one of his employees and asked for the exact dates that the DiMera boat had gone to Smith Island in January. After receiving the requested information, E.J. circled one particular date on his legal pad and placed another phone call to the first person he had talked to earlier. "Yes, it's E.J. DiMera. I have another date for you -- January 17th. The surveillance cameras were operational that day? Good. I need a photograph of every single person who boarded that ferry after four o'clock," E.J. told the person.
In Will and Sonny's apartment, Arianna woke up and started to cry while Gabi was sitting in the living room, reading Aiden's printed draft of the custody agreement they had discussed earlier. Gabi set aside the document and went into her bedroom to attend to Arianna. Meanwhile, Will returned home and found the document laying on the couch.
When Gabi emerged from her bedroom with Arianna a short time later, Will was in the middle of reading the document. "What is this, Gabi? How could you try to take our daughter away from me?" Will wondered. Gabi reached for the documents, protesting that if she had wanted Will to see them, she would have shown them to him herself. "Don't you dare act like I did something wrong here. This is my apartment, and that is my daughter," Will pointed out, prompting Gabi to interrupt to stress that Arianna was their daughter. "And you are trying to cut her out of my life! How could you do that to me? To her?" Will demanded to know.
Gabi claimed that she would never, ever keep Will and Arianna apart, since she knew how much they loved each other. "No. No, that's -- that's just why you had your lawyer lower my -- my visits to every other weekend -- just for the hell of it. Every other weekend!" Will angrily countered, prompting Gabi to shush him because she believed that he was scaring Arianna. Will lowered his voice and once again demanded to know how Gabi could have done such a thing to him. Gabi reiterated that she would never, ever keep Will apart from Arianna.
"If that's how you truly feel, then I know how this language got into this document -- it was Nick. That bastard! I knew he'd try something like this -- I knew it!" Will said as he grabbed his keys and started to exit the apartment. Gabi stopped Will and assured him that Nick had not had anything to do with the contents of the document. Will wondered if Gabi really thought that he was dumb enough to believe that. Will reminded Gabi that he knew that Nick had accompanied her to her meeting with her lawyer, but she claimed that Nick had only provided moral support.
Gabi said that her lawyer had drafted the custody agreement on his own and had called it a "starting point." Gabi added that she had been shocked herself when she had first read the custody agreement, and she added that her lawyer had explained that the custody agreement that E.J. drafted for Will would probably look similar because that was just the way that negotiations worked. Will clarified that his proposed custody agreement would look nothing like Gabi's because E.J. knew that Will would never try to keep Arianna out of Gabi's life. Gabi once again claimed that she would never try to keep Arianna out of Will's life, either.
Gabi reminded Will that he was the person who had asked for a custody agreement in the first place. Gabi promised that the final custody agreement wouldn't look like the one that Will had discovered. "Yeah, it sure as hell won't," Will agreed. Gabi revealed that she needed to run some errands, and she added that, while she had originally planned to take Arianna with her, she could tell that Will would probably prefer to spend some time with Arianna himself. Will confirmed the suspicion, and Gabi excused herself after handing Arianna to Will and assuring him that everything was going to be okay.
After Gabi left, Will placed a phone call to E.J. and asked to see him at the apartment right away. A short time later, Will opened the apartment door, expecting to see E.J., but he found Marlena standing outside instead. Marlena told Will that she had been under the impression that he had wanted to see her that day, and when he confirmed that she had not misunderstood, she wondered why he seemed surprised to see her. Will claimed that he was simply concerned about the timing of Marlena's visit, since he had just put Arianna down for a nap a few moments earlier. Marlena shrugged and reasoned that she would just have to settle for seeing Will instead.
Will presented Marlena with a thank-you gift from him and Sonny -- a photograph of the three of them together at the wedding, in a frame that was similar to the one that Lucas had received. Touched, Marlena thanked Will for the gift -- just as E.J. entered the apartment through the door that had been left partially ajar. Marlena took E.J.'s arrival as confirmation that something was wrong, but E.J. vaguely clarified that he and Will simply had something that they needed to discuss with each other. "Oh. Well. All righty then. Go right ahead. Don't let me interrupt," Marlena said as she took a seat on the couch.
As E.J. reviewed the custody agreement, Will reported that Gabi had stated earlier that the custody agreement that E.J. drafted for Will would probably look similar. E.J. confirmed that it was pretty standard for lawyers to ask for more than they hoped to secure for their clients. Will wondered if that meant that he had overreacted earlier. "I didn't say that," E.J. vaguely clarified as he glanced at Marlena, who encouraged him to go ahead and say what was on his mind, since she had no intention of leaving.
E.J. set aside the document and asked Will to reveal everything that he knew about Gabi's meeting with her lawyer. Will confirmed that Nick had been present at the meeting, although he added that Gabi had claimed that Nick had not had any say in the custody agreement. "Well, not in her presence, he didn't," E.J. guessed. E.J. conceded that there was no way to know what Nick had said to Gabi's lawyer behind her back. Marlena allowed for the possibility that Nick hadn't said anything to Gabi's lawyer at all, but Will was fairly certain that Nick had definitely said something to Gabi's lawyer.
E.J. urged Will to keep things in perspective, pointing out that they were just getting started with the custody proceedings. Will nodded and agreed that things could get a lot worse before the matter was resolved. "No, it won't. Look, my job is to protect your interests, and that is exactly what I'm going to do. Nicholas Fallon is not an issue," E.J. assured Will. Meanwhile, in E.J.'s study at the DiMera mansion, the photographs that E.J. had requested earlier started to get faxed to him -- starting with one that showed Percy among the crowd of ferry passengers.
In the park, Abigail stepped in to stop Ben and Nick's altercation from escalating into a fistfight. Abigail asked Nick to leave, and once she was alone with Ben, she demanded an explanation for what had just happened. Ben said that he had intervened because Nick had been "hassling" Abigail. "And by the way, you're welcome," Ben irritably added.
Abigail warned that if Ben was waiting for her to thank him for what he had done, he would be waiting for a very long time. Abigail clarified that she had simply been having a disagreement with her cousin, and she guessed that Ben surely knew how family arguments could get sometimes. "I don't, actually," Ben vaguely replied. When Abigail pressed for more of a response, Ben pointedly stated that if she was waiting for an apology, she would be waiting for a very long time. Ben started to walk away, ignoring Abigail's attempt to stop him.
At the Brady Pub, Nicole quietly stated that she was grateful that Rafe had agreed to help her, especially since she knew how much he hated to get involved in such things. Nicole promised that she wouldn't tell anyone about whatever it was that Rafe was planning to do to Liam. "Whoa, whoa, whoa -- what did you think I was gonna do, break his legs?" Rafe asked.
Rafe clarified that he wasn't planning to do anything illegal. Nicole claimed that she had never suspected otherwise and that she had been joking earlier. "Well, you weren't, obviously. But that's okay, because I care about you, and I want to help. I'm not gonna judge you -- you know that -- but I need to know the truth. Oh, God, what have you done now?" Rafe wondered.
Nicole evasively apologized for once again taking advantage of Rafe's friendship, stating that it had been wrong of her to use him in an effort to take the easy way out of a situation. Rafe assumed that was Nicole's way of saying that she wasn't going to tell him what was really going on, and she regretfully confirmed that she couldn't. Rafe was worried about Nicole, but she assured him that she would figure out how to deal with the matter on her own.
Rafe said that he had been trying to tell Nicole earlier that he knew exactly what she needed to do -- she needed to tell Eric the truth. Rafe reasoned that honesty was almost always the best policy. Nicole agreed and excused herself after thanking Rafe for being "such an amazing friend, as usual." Rafe returned the sentiment and wished Nicole luck.
After Nicole left, Jordan entered the pub and apologized for keeping Rafe waiting. Rafe understood, since his job had been keeping him busy lately, too. Jordan wondered how Gabi was doing, and Rafe replied that his sister had "lost her mind." Jordan reasoned that love had a way of doing that to people, but Rafe argued that Gabi's relationship with Nick wasn't built on love. Jordan predicted that Gabi would eventually realize that, but Rafe was doubtful.
Jordan assured Rafe that Gabi looked up to him and valued his opinion. "Just like your brother looks up to you," Rafe mused. Jordan started to say something, but Rafe interrupted and assured her that he wasn't planning to grill her about Ben again. Rafe revealed that Ben had approached him earlier to issue a warning. Jordan sighed and apologized, explaining that Ben could sometimes be a bit of a "hothead." Rafe said that he had picked up on that himself, but he added that he was pretty good at reading people, and he could tell that Ben was just concerned about Jordan.
Jordan insisted that Ben had no reason to be concerned, since she was fine -- great, even. Rafe was glad to hear that, since he had assumed the same thing, but he mused that it seemed like Ben wasn't convinced of that fact. Rafe explained that Ben had wanted to make sure that Rafe understood that Ben wouldn't be willing to stand back and watch Jordan get hurt. Rafe believed that he deserved to know where Ben's concerns stemmed from. "It's because I told him that I'm in love with you," Jordan blurted out.
At Club TBD, Ben thought about his earlier encounter with Nick. "You're wrong, Abigail -- that guy's trouble," Ben muttered to himself. Later, Abigail entered the club and confronted Ben for leaving before they had finished their earlier conversation. Ben unapologetically stated that he had needed to get back to work right away. Abigail took a seat at the bar and stubbornly declared that she would wait until Ben was done with his shift.
As Abigail watched Ben work, she impatiently wondered how long he expected to be able to think of ways to keep himself busy so that he wouldn't have to talk to her. Abigail guessed that Ben believed that he had a good justification for threatening Nick earlier. Ben clarified that he hadn't threatened Nick, but Abigail disagreed, stating that Ben had literally scared Nick away.
"He should have been scared, the way he was treating you. No guy should ever talk to a woman like that," Ben insisted. Abigail reiterated that Ben had misunderstood the situation, adding that Nick had simply been trying to make a point. "So was I," Ben countered before turning away from Abigail.
While Nicole was in the town square, contemplating her next move, she bumped into the bank employee who had interrupted her earlier confrontation with Liam. The woman was glad to see Nicole, since Liam had dropped a photograph in the bank's safe deposit vault that the woman had been hoping to return to him. The woman handed the picture to Nicole, assuming that the woman pictured in the photograph was related to either Nicole or Liam. Nicole nodded and thanked the woman for returning the picture.
After the woman left, Nicole eyed the image of Jennifer and recalled an earlier threat that Liam had made about finding someone who would believe what he told them about Nicole's misdeeds. "Oh, my God -- he's talking about Jennifer," Nicole realized.
Elsewhere, Maggie called out to Nick as he was passing through the area. As Maggie and Nick conversed, she deduced that he was upset about something, and she encouraged him to talk to her about whatever it was that was bothering him. Nick claimed that everything was fine, but Maggie wasn't convinced. "Okay, I'll -- I'll admit, you know, um, sometimes, people in this town treat me like crap, and even though I'm used to it, sometimes it -- it gets to me," Nick explained. Maggie agreed that no one deserved to be treated dismissively or worse, and she said that she was sorry that Nick was still dealing with such treatment.
"It's cool. I mean it, all right? You know, it's -- it's not gonna change, so there's no point in stressing over it, right? And besides, I'm -- I'm gonna get everything I want, and that's all that matters," Nick cryptically replied. When Maggie pressed for more details, Nick claimed that he had simply meant that he was going to build a good and happy life for himself in Salem. Nick assured Maggie that everything was going his way and that there was no reason for her to worry about him. Nick abruptly excused himself after receiving a phone call, and Maggie watched with concern as he walked away.
Later, Nick met with Gabi, who told him about what had happened when Will had discovered the custody agreement earlier. Gabi admitted that she didn't blame Will for reacting the way that he had, and she added that she hadn't even realized that Aiden was going to include half of the things that were in the document. "Well, you know, it's -- it's honestly all standard verbiage, you know? It's -- it's totally commonplace. [Aiden] explained --" Nick started to say, but Gabi interrupted and said that, while she had heard Aiden's explanation and had relayed it to Will, she didn't believe that it was necessary for things to be that cutthroat.
"Look, Gabi, don't worry about it, okay? Will doesn't want a fight, right? And if things go as smoothly as we hope, you got a great lawyer, and you got me. Come here. You're gonna get everything that you want, all right? I promise. Everything that you and Arianna deserve. I will not let you down -- not after everything that we've been through together. You believe me, right?" Nick asked, and when Gabi confirmed that she did, he leaned in to kiss her.
Nick continued to kiss Gabi as he whispered that he would give anything to be alone with her at that particular moment. Before Gabi could respond, Percy interrupted with his signature greeting and said that he needed Nick to sign off on a document that had been due the previous day. Nick apologized to Gabi, stating that he wanted her to know that she was his priority and was more important than anything else. Gabi beamed with happiness, and Nick walked away to attend to the business matter.
When Nick returned a short time later, he observed that Gabi's smile had faded. "I know you're worried about how things are gonna turn out. I'm confident -- things are gonna work out, all right? For you, for Ari, and for us. Trust me," Nick assured Gabi.
In Daniel's apartment, Daniel told Eric that it seemed unlikely that Theresa had been "calling the shots" in the scheme to drug Daniel, if she had been involved at all. Daniel explained that Theresa -- who wasn't exactly the world's greatest actress -- had seemed genuinely confused and surprised when he had confronted her about planting the prescription pills in his apartment.
Daniel wondered if Eric had ever met Anne Milbauer. "I've had the distinct pleasure," Eric dryly confirmed. Daniel explained that he had originally suspected that Theresa and Anne were working together, but he was no longer certain of that because they usually concocted "elementary school"-level schemes. Daniel added that he couldn't think of a reason for Anne to leave Theresa in the dark about planting pills in his apartment if the women were really working together.
Daniel couldn't think of anyone else who hated him enough to do such things to him, and he hoped that no such person existed, but he admitted that it was starting to seem likely that he had another enemy. Eric suggested that it was time to get the police involved, but Daniel didn't want to do so because Roman and Hope were related to Theresa, whose level of involvement in the case was still unknown. Daniel hoped that someone else would be able to help him figure out who was responsible for drugging him, although he didn't know who that person might be.
Eric offered to do whatever he could do to help Daniel, but Daniel didn't want to keep Eric from anything important. Eric explained that he was free for a while because Nicole was working on a story and Jennifer was out of the office. Daniel clarified that Jennifer had actually gone to Smith Island earlier, and he added that, while he would like to be there with her, she could probably use the peace and quiet. Later, as Eric and Daniel were discussing the case -- and Daniel's growing concerns that Theresa was involved, but only as a secondary party -- Eric suddenly realized that he knew exactly what their next move needed to be.
Nicole went to the Horton house to see Jennifer, but she found Maggie there instead. Nicole frantically asked if Maggie knew where Jennifer was. Concerned, Maggie wondered if Nicole was all right, and Nicole admitted that she was not, although she didn't offer any additional details. Nicole said that she had already tried to call Jennifer and had been unable to reach her. Maggie offered to leave a message for Jennifer about Nicole's visit, but Nicole insisted that she had to talk to Jennifer right away. Maggie somewhat reluctantly revealed that Jennifer had gone to the Horton cabin on Smith Island.
At the Horton cabin, Jennifer was surprised to see Liam, who said that he had followed her there to talk to her about something. Liam claimed that he had spotted Jennifer boarding the ferry earlier and that a dockworker had pointed him in the direction of her family's cabin. Jennifer was in a hurry to catch the next ferry back to Salem, so she suggested that she and Liam could talk on the way.
Jennifer started to leave, but Liam blocked her path and begged her to hear him out. Concerned that something was wrong with Liam, Jennifer offered to get him a glass of water, but he laughed and said that water wasn't going to help the situation. Confused, Jennifer urged Liam to tell her what was wrong. "You know what's wrong, Jennifer. You know!" Liam snapped.
Liam said that, in spite of what had happened between him and Jennifer, he had still wanted to be someone she could count on as a friend. Jennifer confirmed that she and Liam were friends, but he wasn't convinced that she meant that, since she had pushed him away every time he had tried to offer her his support after Daniel's scandal at the hospital. Liam complained that Jennifer never seemed to think about anyone other than Daniel, whom her whole world seemed to revolve around. "If I were you, I'd be concerned about [Daniel] being a lying addict after those pills showed up in his place," Liam told Jennifer, who wondered how he had found out about that.
Jennifer assumed that Liam had overheard something at the hospital, but he revealed that she was wrong. "What does it take to convince you? My God, I worked so hard to make everything just right! I thought when you found those pills, you'd take care of telling the world who the real Daniel is, but no -- it's like -- it's like you still believe in him, no matter what I do!" Liam snapped at Jennifer, who was shocked to realize that Liam was the person who had been behind everything that had happened to her and Daniel recently.
Liam reasoned that Jennifer had left him with no other options, since she had tossed him aside for Daniel -- a man who, according to Liam, had repeatedly hurt her and was going to eventually break her heart again. "How could you do this to him? You drugged him! You could have killed him! Or one of his patients! Answer me -- why did you do that?!" Jennifer demanded to know. Liam started to sob as he replied that he had just wanted Jennifer to love him, since she had meant everything to him.
Jennifer gently reminded Liam that they had only gone on a few dates with each other. "But we were having such a good time! You -- you -- you kept saying so! You know, you said you'd never go back to [Daniel], and then -- bam! You were my last chance, you know that? After what I went through with Debra, I told myself -- I told myself, 'Three strikes, and you're out.' Before Debra, I -- there was -- you know, it doesn't matter. She's the same; you're all the same. But when I met you, I -- I thought things -- things were finally turning around for me, you know? I was -- I was gonna let go of, um...all the -- the pain and ugliness. And then...I didn't know what else to do," Liam explained.
Liam admitted that he had initially lashed out at Jennifer with the smear campaign but had ultimately realized that it wouldn't get him anywhere. Liam added that he had never wanted to punish Jennifer -- he had simply wanted her to realize that Daniel wasn't the right guy for her. "It's your fault things got so out of hand, you know? It's -- it's your blind faith that this guy walks on water. Look, the -- the checkbook, the protein drinks, the pills -- I had to keep upping the ante, don't you see? So you'd see that Daniel's the wrong guy for you," Liam elaborated.
Jennifer gently theorized that Liam had followed her to Smith Island to admit his wrongdoing because he felt guilty about his actions. Jennifer observed that Liam was in a lot of pain and seemed to be worried that it would never go away. Jennifer assured Liam that, with the right help -- help that she could help him acquire -- the pain could go away. Jennifer guessed that Liam just wanted the whole thing to be over. "Yes, I want it to be over," Liam tearfully agreed. Jennifer suggested that she and Liam could board the ferry together and talk about everything on the ride back to Salem, where she could help him get the help that he needed.
"It's too late for me. It's too late for you, too," Liam replied as he retrieved the gun that he had tucked behind his waistband earlier.
