Due to the Memorial Day holiday, Days of our Lives did not air. There will be no "lost" episodes as a result of this scheduling change.
Regular programming will resume on Tuesday, May 27, and resume where the Friday, May 23 episode concluded.
Sonny and Will cleaned up their apartment after Arianna's first birthday party. Victor called Sonny and proposed a business meeting at the Kiriakis mansion. Will said he would take a walk with Arianna, and Sonny left to meet Victor.
In the DiMera living room, E.J. and Sami discussed Nick's murder and whether Lucas could have shot Nick. Sami wondered aloud if they should postpone their wedding while the investigation into Nick's murder was ongoing. E.J. was defensive and countered that they would have a small wedding with the justice of the peace. E.J.'s phone beeped, and he checked the text message on it from his contact at the police station. E.J. confirmed that the police were holding Lucas as a suspect. Worried, Sami left for the station, and E.J. stayed behind to deal with a business call.
At the police station, Hope swore to find the gun that Lucas had thrown in the river in order to match it to the ballistics report. Lucas stressed that he was innocent and did not need a lawyer. An officer handed a copy of the ballistics report to Hope. After reading the report over, Hope noted that she needed a search warrant. As Hope left, Sami pushed past her and asked Lucas why he did not have a lawyer.
Alone in Hope's office, Lucas confided to Sami that he had been questioned a second time because the police had found evidence that Lucas had been at the scene of the crime. Sami asked Lucas whether he had shot Nick. Lucas denied that he had shot Nick but admitted hat he had found Nick in the park after Nick had been shot.
When Sami asked why Lucas had not called the police, Lucas explained that he had been holding a gun and could not have called the police. Reading between the lines, Sami theorized aloud that Lucas had planned to shoot Nick to protect Will. Overcome, Sami hugged Lucas and thanked him for protecting Will.
An officer entered the office and asked Lucas why he was still at the station. Confused, Lucas asked if he could leave. The officer noted that Lucas could not leave town but that he was free to leave the station. When Lucas started to ask a question, Sami told Lucas to shut up, and she ushered him out of the office.
At the hospital, Brady overheard Nicole asking after Daniel at the nurses' station. Suspicious, Brady asked Nicole what had happened. Ignoring the question, Nicole asked Brady if he had seen Daniel. Worried, Brady urged Nicole to talk to him before her life imploded. Angry, Nicole said that she wanted to talk to Daniel because she had seen Brady drinking with Theresa.
"Theresa is no good for you," Nicole said. "Well you were no good for me either. And you were no good for E.J., Daniel, Lucas, let's not even talk about Victor. You haven't been good for anybody, and I give you about five minutes before your happiness with Eric blows up in your face," Brady said. Furious, Nicole said that she would do whatever it took to spend the rest of her life with Eric. Nicole urged Brady to stop drinking and see that Theresa was a train wreck. Unfazed, Brady argued that they would see whose life would implode first.
In the town square, Daniel and Eric ran into one another. When Daniel asked Eric if he had talked to Nicole, Eric said he had. Daniel said he was sorry. "Not as sorry as I am," Eric responded. When Daniel said that no one felt worse than he did about the situation, Eric stared dumbfounded. Roman interrupted and asked Eric for help. Eric agreed, and while Roman answered a phone call, Eric told Daniel that he had promised Nicole that he would not talk to Daniel until Eric knew how he felt about everything.
"At least Nicole told you the truth. I guess it's got to be pretty painful. You're probably not too happy with me either right now," Daniel said. "I'm not happy at all," Eric countered. Daniel said that the truth was painful and that he was happy that the truth was out. When Daniel mentioned how he felt about Nicole, Eric bristled and said he did not want to hear about how Daniel felt about Nicole. Roman returned, and Eric left with him. Concerned, Daniel texted Nicole and asked her to meet him at the pub.
In her apartment, Theresa called in sick to work so that she could get ready for her date with Brady. Theresa thought about when she had seen J.J. kissing Paige in the park. Curious, Theresa looked up the Salem High senior class photos and discovered Paige's name. As Theresa stared at Paige's photo, there was a knock at the door. Theresa opened her front door and found a tipsy Brady, knocking back a bottle of champagne. When Theresa added that Brady was early and that she was not dressed, Brady noted that she did not need to be dressed for the party. Brady swept Theresa up in his arms.
Brady and Theresa stripped to their underwear and kissed on the couch. As the moment grew heated, Brady reached for a bottle of vodka and took a gulp. Concerned about the pace of Brady's drinking, Theresa asked what was wrong. Brady stressed that he was fine but that he had talked to his father earlier. Theresa pulled away and noted that Brady needed to slow his drinking so that they could enjoy their evening together. Then Theresa suggested a pick-me-up.
Smiling, Brady wondered aloud about cocaine. With a frown, Theresa corrected him and said that she had meant coffee. Theresa went to the kitchen to brew a pot, and Brady reminded Theresa that she had her drug dealer's name on speed dial. Theresa nodded and said she had deleted the number. With a sigh, Brady wondered aloud if Theresa had the phone number somewhere other than her phone.
In the Horton living room, J.J. thanked Paige for agreeing to allow Bev and Rory to study with them. With a smile, Paige noted that they were alone, since Bev and Rory had failed to show for the study session. Paige and J.J. talked about history class, but with their close proximity, they started to kiss rather than study.
In the park, Bev and Rory studied. Bev was relieved that she did not have to study with Paige. Rory agreed and added that Paige made him feel stupid. With a grin, Rory suggested that they get high. Bev rolled her eyes and look at her papers. Mixed in with her notes was an old copy of her negative STD test results. With a smile, Bev suggested that she would imply to Paige that Bev had been tested for STD's after she had hooked up with J.J. and that the test results had been positive.
When Bev and Rory knocked on the Horton front door, a disappointed J.J. stopped kissing Paige and answered the knock. After studying for a bit, Rory went out to the car to get snacks, and J.J. joined him. While alone, Bev told Paige that she wanted to be friends with J.J. As Paige nodded, Bev asked her if she would be friends with her. When Paige stared in silence, Bev added that she and J.J. had only been friends. Paige asked about when Bev had been rude to her at the club, and Bev explained that she had been in a bad mood and protective of her friend.
Outside the house, Rory told J.J. that Paige acted like she was superior to everyone. J.J. defended Paige. As Rory sighed, J.J. gave Rory an ultimatum stressing that Rory was either nice to Paige, or he should leave. Rory said he would gladly leave because J.J. had been a horrible friend ever since he had met Paige. Rory walked inside and collected his stuff to leave, with J.J. close behind. Bev loudly pleaded with Rory to stay and followed him to the door. At the front porch, Bev whispered for Rory to continue with the plan in five minutes.
Bev returned to the living room and asked to talk to J.J. privately. Bev and J.J. stepped outside, and Bev pleaded with J.J. to help Rory. Bev explained that Rory had been afraid that he would not graduate. As J.J. sighed, Bev noted that Rory was likely in the park, getting high. J.J. agreed to head to the park and find Rory.
While Paige studied in the living room, Rory called her phone from the park and asked her if he had left his textbook at the house. Paige reached over to the couch and grabbed a textbook. When Paige grabbed the textbook, Bev's STD test results fell out. As Bev returned, she smiled when she saw that Paige had found the test results. Bev acted upset and asked Paige what she was doing.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Victor told Sonny that he had been impressed by Sonny's work at the club. When Sonny said that he was happy working at the club, Victor countered that he had an offer that Sonny would not want to refuse. Sonny opened the envelope to reveal an offer for Sonny to take over a start-up company in Indonesia. As Sonny shook his head in shock, Henderson interrupted to announce that the police had arrived with a search warrant.
Will wheeled Arianna in the stroller over to the DiMera mansion. When Will asked about the present that Sami had left at the mansion, E.J. noted that Sami was running late. Suspicious, Will noted that Sami had been on her way home when he had last spoken with her. When E.J. avoided the question, Will asked if E.J. intended to keep secrets from him like Sami. With a defeated grimace, E.J. explained that the police were questioning Lucas at the station about Nick's murder.
Upset, Will blamed himself because Lucas had been a suspect based on his conviction for shooting E.J. Grabbing Will by the shoulders, E.J. looked him in the eye and ordered Will not to feel guilty because it did not help Lucas. When Will mentioned that he had planned to go to the club for Gabi's photo shoot, E.J. urged Will to continue on to the club.
As E.J. stepped out of the room to find the missing birthday present, E.J.'s phone buzzed with a text message. Will looked at the phone and saw a message that read that a search warrant had been issued for the murder weapon. There was a follow-up text noting that the police were searching the Kiriakis mansion. Panicked, Will gasped. E.J. returned to the living room with the present for Arianna, and he asked Will if he was okay. Will said that he had to leave. E.J. reminded Will that telling the police that Lucas had not shot E.J. would not help the situation.
At the pub, Daniel met with Nicole and told her that he had spoken to Eric. When Nicole asked what they had talked about, Daniel admitted that Eric had appeared angrier with Daniel than Nicole. Daniel added that Eric had been tense but that Roman had interrupted them. As Nicole stared with her mouth open, Daniel stepped away to take a phone call from the hospital.
At the table, Nicole noted aloud that neither Eric nor Daniel knew what the other one had been talking about. Dumbfounded by her luck, Nicole lit into Daniel when he returned to the table. Nicole argued that Daniel had betrayed her because he had promised not to talk to Eric until Nicole had said it was okay. Nicole added that Eric was in an emotional state. When Daniel asked if Eric had mentioned being reinstated as a priest, Nicole shifted uncomfortably and said that Eric had not said anything yet.
Nicole said that Eric would eventually ask Daniel to see the papers but that for the moment, Daniel needed to stay out of the situation. Angry, Nicole rose to leave. Daniel grabbed her wrist to stop her. Daniel apologized to Nicole and wished her the best with Eric. Nicole begged Daniel to give her space and not tell Jennifer about the situation. With a nod, Nicole said goodbye.
In the park, Roman urged Eric not to marry Nicole because she was poison. Indignant, Eric told Roman that anyone opposed to the marriage could go to hell.
Outside the pub, Nicole answered a phone call from Eric. Eric asked her to meet him at her hotel. When Nicole asked what was wrong, Eric hung up the phone.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Victor greeted Hope in the foyer. Hope handed a search warrant to Victor and asked for a key. Nodding, Victor told Hope to look around and that Henderson could provide her with a key to anything in the mansion. While Hope and an officer headed upstairs with Henderson, Victor sighed. In the living room, Sonny frantically called Will and left a voicemail.
Upstairs, Hope opened the gun box in Victor's cabinet. Hope pulled out the pistol that Sonny had taken the night of Nick's murder, and she placed it in an evidence bag. When Hope walked downstairs, a cheerful Victor asked her if she had found what she had been looking for upstairs. Hope noted that Victor knew why they were there. Victor disagreed. After Hope and the officer left, Victor returned to the living room.
"The next time you want a man murdered, you come to me," Victor growled to Sonny.
In the town square, an emotional Will sat with his daughter. Will told Arianna that he needed to do something. Fighting tears, Will told Arianna that he loved her.
Eric returned to the hotel and told Nicole that they should elope and leave Salem. Overwhelmed, Nicole hugged Eric and told him that he would not regret his decision.
Sami returned home and informed E.J. what had happened at the police station. "Lucas had every intention of murdering Nick so that Will could be with his daughter," Sami said. When Sami noted that the police had let Lucas go, E.J. toasted to eliminating Lucas from the list of suspects. Sami wondered aloud who had shot Nick.
Hope returned to the station and ordered a ballistics report on the gun she had retrieved from the Kiriakis mansion. As Hope walked into her office, she found Will waiting for her. Will confessed that he had killed Nick Fallon.
J.J. searched the park in vain for Rory. Meanwhile, at the Horton house, Paige found Bev's STD test results inside a textbook, just as Bev had intended. Bev returned to the room and feigned outrage that Paige had violated her privacy. Paige acknowledged that she'd seen what the paper was and asked if Bev were all right. Bev insisted that she was fine and ordered Paige not to mention it to J.J. "What's J.J. got to do with this? [...] Should he know about it?" Paige asked, puzzled. Bev insisted that J.J. wasn't the reason she'd taken the test.
When J.J. returned without finding Rory, Bev said that she would go look for Rory. First she asked J.J. to get a soda "for the road" for her. J.J. went into the kitchen. Bev urged Paige not to jump to conclusions without knowing the facts. She reiterated her request for Paige not to say anything about the test to J.J., since it didn't have anything to do with him. As soon as J.J. returned with the soda, Bev left.
J.J. was curious as to what had been going on between Paige and Bev. Paige reluctantly admitted, "I accidentally saw a medical test belonging to Bev for STDs... She told me over and over that it didn't have anything to do with you." Paige concluded that Bev had been playing games with her. A peeved J.J. tried to reassure Paige, but she wanted to just drop it. "The stuff that Bev wanted me to think, even while it wasn't true, it kind of hit home about how different we are," Paige said.
Paige explained that she'd kept her nose in a book and played it safe all through school, so she wasn't as experienced as J.J. J.J. assured Paige that although he wasn't a virgin, he and Paige had never hooked up. Paige said that she wasn't worried about that because he was the same kind of person she'd thought he was when she'd heard him playing his music. She explained that her view of the world was skewed because her dad had left when she'd been younger, and men had lied to and used her mom since then -- but J.J. wasn't like that.
Paige leaned over and kissed J.J. passionately then quickly pulled away and gathered her things. She explained a bit breathlessly that she wouldn't be able to stop if she kissed J.J. again, and then they would both flunk their finals the next day. Although he joked that it might be worth the risk, J.J. walked her to the door. Paige promised that they would have plenty of time together when finals were over. With something like awe, J.J. watched her leave.
Marlena entered the Brady Pub and overheard Aiden discussing auction business on the phone. After teasing him that the auction had taken over his life, Marlena asked Aiden why he hadn't followed up with her about the referral he'd requested. Aiden explained that his issue had resolved itself. When Roman arrived, Aiden was a bit surprised to learn that Marlena and Roman had once been married -- and were still friends. Aiden thanked Roman for "taking one for the team." Roman joked that the entire parish owed him one.
Aiden explained for Marlena that the fundraiser's biggest donor, Gisele Van Hopper, had refused to attend unless Roman went as her date. Marlena burst into peals of giggles. She couldn't resist teasing Roman mercilessly about his date with Gisele. After Aiden left for a meeting, Marlena wondered why Gisele wasn't worried about people thinking of her as needy or manipulative. She warned Roman that Gisele had become "somewhat of a man-eater" since the divorce. Roman suggested lightly that Marlena was jealous. Marlena giggled again at the very idea.
At Theresa's apartment, Brady swilled from a bottle of vodka and asked his hostess if she still had the phone number of her drug dealer. He admitted that he'd experienced some bad times with cocaine in the past. Theresa agreed, noting that it was important to get the best stuff if one were going to use. Brady listened intently as Theresa began reminiscing about what a perfect high it had created to drink a little and do a little coke.
Theresa added that she understood why Brady didn't want to take the risk again. Brady suggested that Theresa call her dealer to get some coke if she wanted it, although he probably wouldn't do any. He tossed a hundred dollar bill on the coffee table and headed out to get some more vodka. As soon as Brady left, Theresa picked up the phone.
Soon, the drug dealer arrived with a vial of cocaine for Theresa. When the dealer couldn't break Brady's big bill, Theresa simply bought another vial's worth of coke.
Brady shambled through Horton Square, carrying a bottle of vodka, with his shirt half unbuttoned and mostly untucked. He spotted himself in a store window and grimaced. As Brady took out his phone to send a text message to Theresa that he would see her the next day, John appeared. Brady pronounced the look on John's face when he'd seen the booze "judgmental." John maintained that he wasn't judging, but it was obvious that Brady had drunk enough for one night.
Brady declared that it would be great for just one family member not assume that he couldn't handle himself. Taking the bottle out of the bag, Brady proposed that John be that family member. Brady took a drink and handed the bottle to John. John took the bottle and poured its contents into a planter then he left without another word.
Brady returned to Theresa's with two bottles of vodka and joked that he'd decided to stock up. Pointing to the two vials of coke on the coffee table, Theresa admitted she'd had the same idea. Brady sat down to assess the cocaine then opened a bottle of vodka and took a drink from it. Theresa explained that she hadn't done any of the coke because he had been undecided about it. Brady mused, "What's wrong with a little bit, you know? Just a little. Couldn't hurt, could it?"
After Brady and Theresa had finished the first vial, Brady declared that he felt good. Theresa grabbed him and kissed him, and he reciprocated by throwing her onto the couch and climbing on top of her. The remaining coke on the table distracted him, though, so Theresa assured him that she could get plenty more.
At the Kiriakis mansion, a stern Victor told Sonny, "The next time you want a man killed, you come to me. Sonny, I know what happened. If you wanted Nick Fallon dead, you didn't have to do it yourself." Sonny was taken aback when Victor revealed that he knew Sonny had taken a gun and then replaced it. Sonny realized that Victor had offered him the job in Indonesia to protect Sonny. Victor asserted that Sonny needed to leave right away because the gun Sonny had taken was a collector's item, which ballistics would quickly connect to the crime.
"I threw the cops off the scent for now, but even the Salem P.D. is not going to miss this one," Victor added worriedly. Sonny was anxious to find Will instead of following Victor's recommendation and leaving town. Victor deduced that Will, not Sonny, had been the one who had killed Nick. Sonny wouldn't confirm or deny anything. Victor pleaded with his nephew to let him help Will and Sonny, but Sonny rushed out.
At Club TBD, a photographer snapped pictures of Gabi as she posed on the bar. As Gabi got down to take a break, she wondered aloud where the male model was. Abigail arrived to observe the photo shoot and spied Ben looking after Arianna nearby. Grinning, Abigail told Ben that he seemed like a "natural-born manny." Ben explained that he was watching Arianna because Will had to do something.
The photographer complained to Gabi that they would have to reschedule if the other model didn't show up soon. He spotted Ben across the club and stopped talking. At the photographer's behest, Gabi approached Ben and asked if he would substitute for the model who hadn't shown up. She informed him that the gig paid five hundred dollars. "Sorry, Gabi, I'm not interested," Ben replied. The girls tried to change his mind, but Ben reiterated that he simply wasn't interested.
Ben spotted someone walking in the door and remarked that the guy looked like a model. With a disappointed sigh, Gabi remarked, "Oh, I know him. After the shoot, we're going to talk about international politics -- or his hair." After Gabi left to get back to the shoot, Abigail wondered aloud why Ben had turned down such a lucrative job.
A clearly agitated Sonny hurried into the club and asked if Abigail or Ben had seen Will. Ben explained that Will had dropped Arianna off a little while earlier to go somewhere, but Will hadn't said where he was going. Abigail and Ben asked why Sonny seemed so upset. Without answering, Sonny hustled back out.
When Gabi was finished, Abigail explained as much as she could about why Sonny had been there. Gabi thanked Ben for taking such good care of Arianna. She grabbed Arianna's stroller and headed for home. Abigail remarked that the photo shoot had been a nice diversion for her. Ben asked if she wanted to stick around and extend the diversion a bit. He put on some music and went behind the bar to make her a drink.
Abigail took a sip and asked how Ben had known that it was her favorite. "I got Sonny to tell me," Ben confessed. Abigail asked how Ben liked his bartending gig. He admitted, "It's not exactly my life's ambition, but this is a cool place. Salem's okay. I'm always finding new things I like about it."
Outside the club, Sonny answered a call from Victor, who wanted to have Sonny taken to the airport right away. Sonny said that he couldn't go anywhere because he hadn't been able to find Will. Although Victor was anxious to get Sonny out of town, he reluctantly admitted that Will was at the police station. A freaked-out Sonny hung up and rushed away.
Gabi and Arianna arrived home to an empty apartment. With a kiss, Gabi told her daughter, "Guess it's just us girls, huh? Are you tired? 'Cause I know I'm tired. So we'll tell Daddy and Sonny all about our fun night tomorrow, okay? It was fun, wasn't it? Life is getting better -- for all of us."
At the police station, Will told Hope, "I came here to confess. I killed Nick Fallon." Hope ordered him not to say another word. Hope quickly got on the phone and requested Commander Carver's presence in the interrogation room right away. Hope advised Will that he needed a lawyer, but he refused. Abe entered and asked what was going on. Will repeated his confession, and again Hope ordered him to stop talking. She told Abe that Will was refusing to call an attorney, so Abe read Will his Miranda rights.
After Will confirmed that he understood his rights, he requested that the police not tell anyone that he had been there. Abe reluctantly agreed that Will had a right to privacy. As everyone took a seat at the table, Hope turned on a recording device. Will stated for the record that he had waived his right to an attorney. Hope reminded him that he'd already given a sworn statement that he was innocent. Will admitted that he had lied, but he wanted to tell the truth because he felt like he'd been lying his whole life.
Will attested that he had done everything on his own, he hadn't conspired in advance with anyone, and no one had known that he'd taken the gun and gone after Nick. Will described how frustrating it had been, for both him and Sonny, to know that Nick would not have stopped until he had gotten Gabi back and taken Arianna away from Will. Will continued that Sonny had shown up at home with a gun he'd taken from his Uncle Victor's house, but the guys had agreed that Sonny couldn't use it. They had put the gun on the top shelf of the closet until Sonny could sneak it back into the mansion.
"And as far as Sonny is concerned, that's where the gun stayed until after the murder," Will added. He described what had happened with the custody agreement, concluding, "Nick had been playing us the whole time, and that creep who'd killed a man, terrorized women, and who was ready for my great-grandmother to take the rap for something he had done -- he was going to have the final say on what was going to happen to my little girl... He said that I wasn't fit to be a father. He thought that he had the right to make that decision."
Will continued that he had retrieved the gun, screwed on the silencer, and had gone to the park and shot Nick. Upon questioning from Abe, Will explained that he'd hidden the gun in the park before going to the hospital. Afterwards, he'd retrieved the gun, wiped off the prints, removed the silencer, and put it back in the backpack then an unsuspecting Sonny had returned the gun to the mansion. Hope wanted to know why Will had confessed to the shooting when it had appeared that he would have gotten away with it.
Will explained that it had been awful to know that he'd killed his own cousin. "Coming here, it's just something that I had to do," Will added. Abe wanted Will to confirm that no one else had known what Will had been up to that night, and Will complied. Hope said that they had enough to hold Will overnight, but they wouldn't arrest him until the next morning to keep it from getting out.
Suddenly, they could hear Sonny's voice booming in the hallway, demanding to see his husband. Abe and Hope agreed to give Will and Sonny a few minutes. As Hope and Abe stepped outside, Sonny charged into the room. When the door closed, and Will and Sonny were alone, Sonny asked, "My God, Will, what have you done?" He was incredulous when he learned that Will had confessed. After reassuring Sonny that the police knew nothing except that Sonny had taken the gun from Victor's, Will explained that people had been sacrificing for him his whole life. "I can't keep having people do things for me. Do you understand?" Will asked, stroking Sonny's face.
Hope and Abe reviewed the ballistics report on the gun they'd taken from Victor's. Noting that it wasn't a perfect match for the bullet they'd tested, Hope voiced her suspicions that Victor had done something to the gun. Abe and Hope wondered if, despite his confession, Will had really killed Nick.
Will advised Sonny, "In the morning, I'm going to be arrested, okay? And then this whole nightmare will be over for everybody." Sonny argued that the nightmare was just beginning. "How am I supposed to live without you? Can you explain that to me? And Ari?" Sonny demanded, his eyes filling with tears. "Gabi wants you to be part of Ari's life, and I will know that the two of you are looking after her," Will said, just as Hope and Abe returned.
A panicked Sonny begged Will to let him call E.J., but Will insisted that lawyers would only drag things out and make it harder than it needed to be. "Now, if you love me, if you love me the way that I love you, you will make this promise to me," Will said. Sonny reluctantly gave his word. He kissed and embraced his husband then Hope led Will out. Sonny looked utterly devastated.
J.J. said goodbye to Jennifer as he started to leave the Horton house. Jennifer was surprised that J.J. was already leaving, since she had been under the impression that his final exam was scheduled for that afternoon. J.J. confirmed the suspicion and explained that he wanted to talk to Daniel about something first.
J.J. wondered if Jennifer believed that there was a chance that Daniel would still be at the apartment, but she remained silent. Concerned, J.J. wondered if things between Jennifer and Daniel were okay. Jennifer nodded and vaguely stated that Daniel simply had a lot on his mind. "Well, what now?" J.J. asked. Jennifer remained vague, replying that life was sometimes complicated. "Especially yours and Daniel's," J.J. agreed.
Changing the subject, J.J. repeated his earlier question about Daniel's whereabouts. Jennifer replied that Daniel was "probably" at his apartment. J.J. took that as confirmation that Jennifer didn't know where Daniel was, and he wondered if she and Daniel were fighting again. Jennifer reiterated that she and Daniel were fine, and she vaguely clarified that she was simply giving him some time to figure out how to solve a certain problem.
In Daniel's apartment, Daniel recalled his earlier encounter with Nicole, during which she had told him goodbye with a hint of finality. Daniel muttered that Nicole only sounded that way when she was up to something.
Meanwhile, Eric entered Nicole's hotel room with a suitcase. Nicole nervously wondered if anyone had seen Eric carrying the suitcase around town. Eric laughed as he assured Nicole that no one was aware that they were planning to elope that day. Relieved, Nicole went back to packing her own suitcase as her cell phone started to ring. Eric glanced at Nicole's phone and announced that Daniel was trying to contact her.
Nicole wanted to let the call go to voicemail, but at Eric's urging, she reluctantly answered it instead. After informing Daniel that she couldn't talk at that time, Nicole ended the call. Eric observed that Nicole had been particularly abrupt with Daniel, so she explained that she simply hadn't wanted to have an awkward conversation with Daniel in front of Eric -- especially not on her and Eric's wedding day.
Eric stressed that Nicole didn't have to protect him. "I understand Daniel not being able to get over you. I have the same condition," Eric added with a smile. Nicole clarified that she wasn't trying to protect Eric and that it would simply be weird for her to talk to Daniel about his feelings for her while Eric was in the room. Eric nodded and took that as a good opportunity to excuse himself, since he had been planning to visit St. Luke's and say some goodbyes before leaving Salem, anyway.
After Eric left, Nicole placed a phone call to Daniel and apologized for hanging up on him earlier. Nicole claimed that Eric was with her and that it was simply a difficult time for both of them. Daniel demanded to talk to Eric, but Nicole told Daniel to back off, promising that there would be plenty of time for him to talk to Eric later. Daniel suspiciously wondered if Nicole was trying to keep him from talking to Eric.
Nicole reminded Daniel that he had previously promised that he would give her and Eric some time to work things out. Daniel clarified that he wasn't breaking that promise and that he simply wanted to be sure. Nicole wondered what Daniel wanted to be sure of, but instead of answering her question, he simply replied that he was headed over to her hotel room.
As Nicole protested that Daniel couldn't do that, his doorbell rang. Daniel demanded to know why Nicole was refusing to let him visit her, so she replied that she had just heard his doorbell and knew that he had a visitor that he needed to attend to. Nicole added that she would head over to Daniel's apartment instead, and she abruptly ended the call before Daniel could find out when she would be visiting him.
Daniel slammed his cell phone down on a table and opened the apartment door, where he found J.J. standing in the hallway. "Whoa. Dude, you look -- you look stressed. What -- what's going on?" J.J. wondered. Daniel assured J.J. that everything was -- or would eventually be -- fine. J.J. revealed that Jennifer had told him that Daniel was facing some sort of problem. J.J. wondered if there was anything that he could do to help Daniel.
Daniel appreciated the offer but said that there was nothing that J.J. could do to solve the problem. J.J. stressed that he would be happy to help, since he owed Daniel for the great advice about being honest with Paige. J.J. reported that he had tried that approach a couple of times and that it had worked really well both times. Daniel muttered that honesty was usually the best policy, and J.J. said that he was starting to realize that.
Meanwhile, someone knocked on the apartment door, and when Daniel opened it, he found Nicole standing in the hallway. J.J. abruptly excused himself, and after he left, Nicole bitterly stated that she couldn't understand why Daniel had gone out of his way to help his "best bud" J.J. Deveraux but had refused to lift a finger to help her. Daniel started to respond, but Nicole interrupted and added that, while he had ultimately done her a favor when he had forced her to tell the truth, his actions had also changed things between them -- permanently.
Nicole claimed that Eric knew the truth and hadn't turned his back on her yet. Nicole added that she and Eric needed privacy so that they could try to work things out. Nicole stressed that she didn't need Daniel constantly interfering and badmouthing her to Eric, but Daniel protested that he had never said a negative thing about her to Eric. Daniel guessed that Nicole was hiding something from him, so she confirmed his suspicion and blurted out that she and Eric were planning to leave Salem.
"Our friendship, Daniel -- it's over," Nicole added. Nicole insisted that, while she was responsible for her own actions, it had been her mistake to make, and Daniel had not had any right to take charge of the situation after learning her secret. Daniel argued that he could have told Eric the truth himself but had instead allowed Nicole to be the one to do so. Nicole countered that Daniel had forced her to tell Eric the truth and that she might lose Eric forever as a result of Daniel's interference.
Daniel wondered if Nicole truly believed that she could have lived with her lie for the rest of her life, never knowing if Eric would have been happier as a priest. Nicole claimed that she could have and that it had been her choice to make regardless. "What about his choice? What about him? What about the people -- all the people -- that you hurt because you didn't come forward with the truth?" Daniel countered.
"You know what? You don't get to demand answers or explanations or anything else from me, Daniel -- not anymore! You stay away from me, and you stay away from Eric, because you're only gonna make things worse!" Nicole tearfully snapped before storming out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
Eric visited Jennifer at the Horton house to inform her that he was resigning from his job at the hospital. Jennifer thought that Eric was kidding at first, but she quickly realized that he was being serious. Jennifer guessed that Eric had gotten a better offer, and he vaguely confirmed that "something like that" had happened, although he added that he couldn't elaborate yet. Jennifer suggested that she, Daniel, Eric, and Nicole could go out to dinner together to celebrate Eric's new gig, but Eric suggested that it would be best for Jennifer to talk to Daniel about that idea first.
Confused, Jennifer said that she had been under the impression that Daniel and Nicole had worked everything out already. Eric vaguely reiterated that it would be best for Jennifer to talk to Daniel about the matter. Eric tried to excuse himself, but Jennifer suspiciously observed that he was acting really mysterious. Eric replied that the only thing that Jennifer needed to know was that he valued their friendship.
Meanwhile, Jennifer received a phone call from Daniel. Jennifer offered to let Eric talk to Daniel, but Eric declined the offer and showed himself out of the house. Daniel offered to take Jennifer somewhere for lunch, and she happily accepted the offer. Jennifer wondered if Daniel was all right, and he cryptically replied that he would be. As Daniel continued to talk to Jennifer, he noticed that J.J. had left a set of keys behind earlier.
As Nicole was passing through the town square, she bumped into a woman, and as they apologized to each other for not paying closer attention to their surroundings, they realized that they knew each other from the television station. Ignoring Nicole's protests, the woman knelt to pick up something that Nicole had dropped during the collision. When the woman realized that the item was a plane ticket, she probed for details about the trip, refusing to return the ticket until she got the information she wanted. Nicole reluctantly revealed that she was eloping that day with Eric.
After Nicole and her coworker parted ways with each other, J.J. emerged from behind a nearby vendor's cart. A short time later, Daniel arrived to return J.J.'s keys. J.J. wondered if Nicole had visited Daniel earlier to share her big news. Confused, Daniel wondered what J.J. was talking about. "Oh, you don't have to keep it quiet, man. I heard her talking to a friend of hers, and she was all happy because she's eloping today with Eric Brady," J.J. explained.
Later, J.J. went to the hospital to pick up some fliers for a blood drive that his school was planning to hold before graduation. Jennifer excused herself so that she could retrieve them from her office. Before Jennifer left, J.J. casually commented that the news about Eric was "pretty crazy." Confused, Jennifer wondered what J.J. was talking about. "Well, the guy's eloping today -- with Nicole. Wait, you -- you don't know, either? Yeah, Daniel looked pretty freaked out, too," J.J. explained.
Nicole returned to her hotel room and assured herself that everything was going to be all right. Nicole sent Eric a text message to let him know that she was waiting at the hotel and was anxious to leave right away. Eric, who was in the garden outside St. Luke's, replied that he had one more thing to do before returning to the hotel. "Heavenly Father, I'm about to be a married man today. Sure wasn't a part of my plan. I have to think it was part of some greater plan of yours. I hope that means you're gonna bless our marriage. I promise it's gonna be grounded in love...honor...and trust," Eric vowed as he held his rosary and stared at a statue of Jesus in the garden.
Meanwhile, someone knocked on Nicole's hotel room door. Assuming that Eric had arrived, Nicole excitedly opened the door -- but she found Daniel standing in the hallway instead.
At the DiMera mansion, Sonny entered the living room while E.J. and Sami were discussing a shareholders' meeting that was two weeks away. "I got your message. What's this about?" Sonny asked. Confused, Sami stressed that she had asked to see Sonny and Will, and she wondered where Will was. Sonny evasively surmised that Sami hadn't heard from Will yet, and she confirmed the suspicion.
E.J. explained that he had decided that it would be a good idea for him, Sami, Sonny, and Will to sit down together and compare notes pertaining to the night of Nick's murder. Sami added that, while it seemed like Lucas was off the hook, the police obviously had their sights set on someone else, and it was important for the group to figure out who that person was.
Sonny remained silent but flashed Sami a look that aroused her suspicions. Sami questioned Sonny about the look, and he evasively claimed that he was simply tired because he hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the previous night. "Why?" E.J. wondered as his own suspicions were aroused. Concerned, Sami wondered if something had happened to Will.
Sonny stressed that Will had made him promise not to say anything to anyone. Neither E.J. nor Sami was willing to accept that answer, so Sonny reluctantly revealed that Will had confessed to killing Nick. Sonny struggled to maintain his composure as Sami and E.J. started bombarding him with questions without giving him much of an opportunity to answer any of them.
Sami wanted to go down to the police station right away, but E.J. grabbed her and insisted that she couldn't barge into the police station and start "ranting and raving and beating on the furniture" until they knew exactly what had happened. After Sami calmed down, E.J. probed -- more patiently than before -- for additional details. Sonny elaborated that Will had confessed the previous night to killing Nick with a gun that Sonny had sneaked out of the Kiriakis mansion. "You gave my son a gun?" Sami asked as she glared at Sonny.
"No, I didn't. I wanted to use it myself," Sonny regretfully replied. Sami groaned and declared that Sonny and Will were both nuts. "Nick talked Gabi into getting full custody of Arianna. What was I supposed to do, Sami? What was I suppose -- I didn't know what to do! Will's the one that talked me down from shooting Nick in the first place, 'cause he said that it was gonna make things worse," Sonny explained.
Sonny continued that he had hidden the gun on the top shelf of the closet and had sneaked it back into the Kiriakis mansion the following day, after Nick's death. Sonny concluded that he had assumed that everything would be fine -- until the previous day, when the police had suddenly arrived at the Kiriakis mansion with a search warrant. E.J. sighed as he realized that the police already had the gun in their possession.
E.J. wondered if Sonny had anything else to reveal. Sonny remained silent as he nervously rubbed his temples, so E.J. repeated the question a bit more urgently. "Will is determined to take responsibility for this. He said that his dad took the fall for him years ago, and he doesn't want anything like that to ever happen again," Sonny explained. Sami snapped that Will needed to stop thinking that way because it was madness to do so.
After calming Sami down again, E.J. announced that they were headed to the police station. Sonny offered to drive, but E.J. clarified that Sonny wouldn't be accompanying him and Sami. E.J. advised Sonny -- who was still wearing the previous day's clothes -- to do them both a favor and go home to shower and change into some fresh clothes.
"I want to see my husband," Sonny firmly stated. E.J. argued that he already had enough to worry about, since he was going to be busy preventing Sami from smashing up the police station. "You got that right," Sami unapologetically confirmed. Sonny acquiesced and said that he would head over to the police station as soon as possible. Sonny begged E.J. to do everything he could possibly do to help Will until Sonny arrived.
Rafe and Jordan went to Will and Sonny's apartment to drop off Arianna's birthday present. Gabi teased Rafe for missing Arianna's birthday party, and he reminded his sister that he had been busy with work on that particular day. Jordan gently shushed Rafe and warned him that Sonny often worked late and was probably still asleep. "Actually, Sonny's not here; Will isn't, either. They were both gone when I woke up. I have no idea where they are," Gabi clarified with a shrug.
Gabi showed Rafe and Jordan some digital copies of the photographs from the previous day's photo shoot. Jordan and Rafe congratulated Gabi, who admitted that she was starting to believe that she could actually make a career out of her modeling gig. Gabi excused herself and went to the kitchen to prepare cups of coffee for Rafe and Jordan. While Gabi was distracted, Rafe and Jordan quietly talked about the fact that Gabi seemed surprisingly fine, despite what had happened to Nick a few days earlier. "Maybe she's realizing that having him out of her life -- no matter how it happened -- is a good thing," Rafe reasoned.
A short time later, Gabi returned with the drinks, and Jordan took Arianna into Gabi's bedroom to play with the new stuffed animal Rafe and Jordan had purchased for her. Rafe observed that it seemed like Gabi was doing well, and she confirmed that she felt better than she had before. Gabi admitted that she had been confused since Nick's return to Salem. Rafe argued that Nick had wanted Gabi to feel that way, and she conceded that Rafe might be right about that. "You know, I never wanted this to happen to him...but I can -- I can see things so clearly now. I -- I know what I want," Gabi added.
Rafe took that as a good opportunity to mention that E.J. had shown him a copy of the new custody agreement, along with its addendum that stressed that Rafe would always be a part of Arianna's life. Rafe was happy to hear that Gabi and Will had worked things out and that the matter would soon be settled. Rafe hugged Gabi and told her that he was proud of her.
After Rafe and Jordan left the apartment, they went to the park, where they shared some playful moments as they imagined what Arianna's future might look like. Rafe joked that he'd had a lot of practice with that game because he'd been forced to imagine what Jordan's life had been like before they had met each other, since she didn't like to talk about her past.
Rafe admitted that, while Jordan drove him crazy sometimes, she also made him very happy. "I was just -- just drifting before I met you. Now I feel like I'm home. You know, Gabi, Will, Sonny -- they've all worked their problems out, and Arianna has a network of people around her to give her a good life. Today, I am a happy man," Rafe declared before kissing Jordan.
Sonny entered his and Will's apartment and, after getting cleaned up, found a note from Gabi -- "Out getting groceries. Let's all take Ari to the baby swings later. Love you both" -- but she and Arianna returned while he was reading it. Sonny said that he wanted to talk to Gabi about something, and when she asked him where Will was, he replied that he would explain everything during their discussion. Somewhat concerned, Gabi asked Sonny to wait for a moment so that she could go to her bedroom and place Arianna in the child's crib.
While Gabi was gone, Sonny sadly traced his thumb across a heart that she had drawn on the note. When Gabi returned, Sonny advised her to sit down, but she declined the offer and urged him to tell her what was going on. "Will's not here because...he went to the police station last night and confessed to killing Nick," Sonny explained. Stunned, Gabi sank into a nearby chair as she stared at Sonny in disbelief.
Sonny hoped that E.J., who was with Will at the police station, would be able to keep the situation from getting any worse than it already was. "Will confessed, okay? What could be worse than that, Sonny?" Gabi wondered, and Sonny admitted that he didn't know the answer to that question. Sonny added that he had been unable to stop Will from doing what Will had been determined to do.
After stressing that he and Gabi needed to stay strong for Arianna's sake, Sonny excused himself so that he could go to the police station to see if Will was still there. Confused, Gabi wondered if there was any other place that Will could be at that time, prompting Sonny to clarify that Will might already be in front of a judge. Sonny promised to keep Gabi posted on what was going on. "Oh, my God, Will. What have you done?" Gabi fearfully muttered after Sonny left the apartment.
"You know, Mommy loves you so much. And Daddy loves you, too. He'd do anything for you. The last thing I ever wanted, honey, was for you to grow up without one of us. And Nick never understood that -- he never did. Little girls -- they need their daddies, and now --" Gabi told Arianna, her voice trailing off as she started to get emotional. Gabi paced the floor with Arianna in her arms, reiterating that she, Will, and Sonny each loved the child very much.
At the police station, Hope was digging through a pile of photographs when Abe entered her office and asked if she was ready for what she needed to do. "How do you prepare yourself to arrest a kid you've known since birth?" Hope replied as she shook her head sadly. Abe guessed that Hope had been poring over the case file because she didn't want to believe that Will had killed Nick, despite Will's insistence that he had.
Hope somewhat incredulously wondered if Abe was trying to say that he believed Will's story. Abe shrugged and pointed out that Will had possessed the means and the opportunity to kill Nick, adding that there was no doubt that Will had also possessed the motive to commit the crime. "Nick made sure of that," Hope acknowledged, sighing as she conceded Abe's point.
Hope reluctantly followed Abe into a conference room, where Will had been waiting alone, thinking about his wedding day. Hope slid a document across the conference table to Will, explaining that it was a copy of the statement he had made the previous night. "William Horton, you're under arrest for the murder of Nick Fallon," Abe added.
Will was eager to sign the document right away, but Hope insisted that he needed to read every single word and check every single punctuation mark first to make sure that the statement was completely accurate. While Will was doing that, Hope pulled Abe aside and asked him to call the assistant district attorney. After Abe left the room, Hope watched closely as Will read the document.
When Will finished reading the document, he asked Hope for a pen. Hope hesitated, wondering if the statement was completely accurate. Will confirmed that the statement was a verbatim account of what he had said, but Hope was more concerned about whether it accurately reflected what he had done. "I know you don't want to believe this. You're family. But what's written here is what happened. The pen?" Will replied.
Hope reluctantly handed her pen to Will, but before he could sign the document, Abe reentered the room with the assistant district attorney, who immediately instructed Will to put the pen down. Will was confused, so Abe explained that the district attorney was concerned because Will hadn't been properly represented during his confession. Will pointed out that he had waived his right to an attorney, but Abe reasoned that the district attorney was taking precautions for Will's protection -- and their own protection, since they didn't want the case to get thrown out because of a technicality.
"What case? I'm pleading guilty!" Will reminded everyone, but when they remained silent, he sighed and told them to go ahead and send in the first public defender they could find. As if on cue, E.J. and Sami entered the room, and E.J. announced that he would be representing Will and would need a few minutes of privacy to confer with his client.
Sami demanded to know why Hope hadn't called her the previous night to let her know what had happened. Will explained that he had told Hope to keep the matter private, and she added that she had been forced to respect his wishes because he was an adult. As Hope, Abe, and the assistant district attorney left the room, Will protested that he didn't want a lawyer, but E.J. reminded Will that the assistant district attorney had taken that choice away from Will.
Meanwhile, Sami reached for Will's written statement, ignoring his attempt to stop her. "Look, I don't know what's written on this, but I can tell you one thing for sure -- you are signing it over my dead body!" Sami insisted. E.J. urged Sami to calm down and give him a moment to talk to Will without her acting like "the Greek chorus." Sami reluctantly handed E.J. the document and stepped aside so that he could talk to Will.
E.J. recalled that Will had visited the DiMera mansion the previous night and had seemed happy at that particular time. E.J. wondered what had happened afterward that had prompted Will to confess to killing Nick. Will explained that he had seen -- and subsequently deleted -- some text messages that E.J. had received from the DiMera family's contact within the police department.
Will said that the text messages had revealed that the police had obtained a search warrant for the Kiriakis mansion. "I knew they were going to find the gun. It was the gun that I used to shoot Nick. I took that gun...I pointed it at Nick, and I pulled the trigger -- just like I did with you all those years ago. Except this time, I killed a guy," Will matter-of-factly concluded as Sami stared at him in disbelief.
Sami couldn't believe that Will was talking about what had happened years earlier, and she argued that no one cared about what Will had done as a kid. "Do you have any idea what it was like walking around knowing that my dad was in prison because of something that I did?" Will asked. Sami incredulously wondered if Will was trying to make up for that with a confession to a crime that she was positive that he hadn't actually committed.
"You and Grandma are in this knee-deep because you are still trying to take care of poor little weak Will," Will replied. Sami insisted that no one thought that about Will. "Well, they won't anymore," Will countered. Sami protested that Will's rationale was just crazy. "I...said everything that is on that piece of paper, and the police know it, and the D.A.'s office know it, and no amount of your maneuvering, [Mom], or your power, [E.J.], can stop this. It's done," Will matter-of-factly concluded. "The hell it is," Sami replied.
Meanwhile, Abe entered Hope's office and found her once again poring over the case file. Abe assured Hope that he understood how frustrating it was to go over the case file repeatedly -- especially since, despite her best efforts, nothing ever seemed to change. "You're right -- nothing's changed," Hope cryptically agreed before grabbing her keys and a notebook and rushing out of the room.
A short time later, Sonny entered the room as Abe was ending a phone conversation with someone at the district attorney's office, updating them on what was happening with Will. Abe greeted Sonny, who explained that the guard who was posted outside the room where Will was being held had refused to let Sonny see Will. Abe reported that Will was with E.J. and Sami at that moment. Sonny clarified that he was already aware of that and just wanted to know if Will was going to let E.J. defend him. "Well, [Will] may not need a defense if he goes ahead and signs that confession. I have to tell you, he seems determined to do that," Abe replied.
In Will and Sonny's apartment, Gabi grabbed her purse -- which she hooked over her shoulder, along with another bag -- and asked if Arianna was ready to leave. Meanwhile, someone knocked on the apartment door. When Gabi opened the door, she found Hope standing in the hallway.
At the hospital, J.J. stunned his mom with the news that Eric and Nicole were about to elope. Jennifer guessed that had been why Eric had resigned and why it had seemed like he had been saying goodbye. "Something about this is bugging you," J.J. observed. Jennifer pointed out that she was close with both Eric and Nicole, and she couldn't figure out why they hadn't told her or Daniel that they were eloping. J.J. acknowledged that Daniel had been even more upset than Jennifer.
Eric was enjoying a moment of introspection on a bench outside St. Luke's when Marlena arrived. "I was going to tell you later, but I'm happy to tell you in person. Mom, everything's about to change," Eric announced happily. Marlena alluded hopefully to Eric returning to the priesthood, but he stated firmly that wasn't going to happen. Marlena assured Eric somewhat unconvincingly that she only wanted him to be happy, so if marrying Nicole made him happy, he had Marlena's blessing. After making his mom swear not to tell Sami or Roman, Eric divulged, "Nicole and I are eloping -- today."
Marlena sank down onto the bench but asked if she could throw Eric and Nicole a party so the family could celebrate. Eric admitted that they would be gone indefinitely. Marlena wanted to know what was driving Eric away. Eric assured her that nothing was driving him away; he had forgiven her for what had happened at Brady's wedding and the things she'd said about Nicole. Marlena reminded her son that he'd been gone for years the last time he'd left.
Eric reassured Marlena that they would always be together, even if they were apart. "All right, I'm not going to try to talk you out of this, but I don't understand it. If it's not Sami, for once, and it's not me -- why? Why do you have to go?" Marlena asked, as Eric wiped away a tear that rolled down her cheek. She wondered if it were E.J., but Eric asserted that E.J. couldn't hurt him anymore. Eric urged his mom not to turn her back on Sami, no matter how bad things got. Marlena assured him that she never would.
Eric asked his mom to also check in on Jennifer. "Jennifer? What's going on with Jennifer?" a puzzled Marlena asked. Eric hedged that Jennifer was carrying a lot because of Nick's murder and everything that had happened on Smith Island. Eric noted, "You know I couldn't have gotten through last year without you all." Marlena acknowledged wryly, "Well, you could've done without some of my help, I guess." Eric assured Marlena that he'd always known she loved him. A tearful Marlena embraced her son.
Marlena went to the Horton house later, looking for Jennifer, but J.J. advised her that his mom wasn't home. Marlena explained that she needed to talk to Jennifer about Eric.
In her hotel room, Nicole was zipping her suitcase closed when someone knocked on the door. Assuming it was Eric, she excitedly rushed over and opened the door but found Daniel instead. An irritated Nicole tried to slam the door on him, insisting that they were finished talking, but Daniel charged past her into the room. With the door still ajar, Daniel revealed that he knew Nicole and Eric were eloping to Las Vegas. "At least you thought you were. But that ends right here," Daniel declared.
Daniel deduced that Nicole hadn't told Eric the truth because Eric would never have agreed to go with her if he'd known. After angrily accusing Daniel of wanting her and Eric to break up all along, Nicole insisted that she had told Eric, and he had forgiven her. Daniel wanted to call and congratulate Eric, but Nicole ordered him not to. She declared that she and Eric were going to Las Vegas, and Daniel couldn't do a thing to stop them.
Daniel was suspicious because Nicole wanted to leave town without him talking to Eric, but Daniel had been able to tell in the square that Eric had wanted to tell him something before Roman had interrupted them. Seeing the fear in Nicole's eyes, Daniel realized that she had never told Eric the truth. Daniel got out his phone to call Eric. Finally, Nicole admitted that she had tried to tell Eric, but she hadn't been able to go through with it because she had been unable to bear the thought of how he would have looked at her afterwards.
"I couldn't do it. I couldn't hurt him like that. So, no, I didn't tell him the truth," Nicole confessed tearfully. Daniel reiterated that Eric had been upset and had clearly wanted to tell Daniel something when they'd seen each other. As a miserable Nicole reluctantly admitted she'd told Eric that Daniel was in love with her, someone arrived outside the door -- and stayed in the hallway to listen.
Daniel's outrage intensified as Nicole maintained that she'd had to tell Eric something to explain the tension between her and Daniel. "Why didn't you tell him that I killed somebody, or that I was cooking meth in my spare time? Something!" a furious Daniel demanded. Nicole explained that she had wanted Eric to stay away from Daniel. "Don't you see who he is to me and who I am to him? I was his first; he was my last. He was the last person I loved with no strings, no hidden plan," Nicole elaborated.
Nicole admitted that she had messed things up back then because she had been too stupid to realize what a gift Eric had been. Nicole continued that when Eric had returned, she had respected who he'd been, although it had been difficult for her to accept that the church had been where he'd belonged. Nicole reminded Daniel that she had done everything she could have done to get the evidence to clear Eric's name because she'd wanted so much to help him. She continued that after she'd gotten the proof, Eric had already made his decision.
"He wanted me. He was in love with me," Nicole said. She explained that they had found each other again, the people they had been when they'd first fallen in love. Nicole insisted that Eric had put everything that had happened to him with Kristen behind him. "Eric loves me, Daniel. Can't you see that? So no, I just -- I didn't want to cause him any more pain, so I destroyed the evidence. Eric's happy. I'm happy," Nicole concluded. "Are you?" Daniel asked skeptically.
As Nicole tearfully begged Daniel not to say anything to Eric, a thunderstruck Jennifer turned away from the door. Daniel announced his intention to take Nicole to Eric and wait until it was clear that she had told Eric the truth. "I cannot live with myself to let you go on with this lie," Daniel asserted. Nicole reminded Daniel of all the times he'd lied, but he pointed out that those lies had been to protect others, not himself. Daniel insisted that making Nicole tell the truth was his way of protecting her, because every lie had a way of getting out -- but if she refused to tell Eric, Daniel would do it.
Nicole glumly consented to go with Daniel because she knew it would be better for Eric to hear the truth from her. She told Daniel that Eric was at the church. As they were headed out, Daniel got a text message from the hospital, alerting him that they needed him in the emergency room because of a huge car accident. Nicole promised that she would still tell Eric. "I believe in you. But I will check with both [of you] later," Daniel said.
After Daniel left, Nicole broke down. She fished her phone out of her purse and dialed Eric, who was still in the garden outside St. Luke's. Eric declared that he was on his way, and he couldn't wait to get married. Tears streamed down Nicole's cheeks, and her silence made Eric worry that something had happened. Finally, she managed, "Daniel's out of his mind; that's what happened... Just sit tight. I'll come to you." She grabbed her purse and headed out.
Just as Eric was hanging up, a clearly upset Jennifer arrived in the garden. "Don't say anything. Just listen to me," she instructed Eric.
When Jennifer returned home a while later, J.J. informed his mom that Dr. Evans had just been there to talk to Jennifer about Eric.
Nicole arrived at St. Luke's and found Eric staring morosely at the statues. Nicole said brightly, "Hi, honey. There's been a change of plans. We need to leave town now. I booked us on an earlier flight, and I'll explain in the car." She grabbed Eric by the hand to lead him away, but he remained rooted to the spot. Eric's eyes were dark when he finally turned to look at Nicole.
Carrying Arianna in her arms, Gabi gathered up the diaper bag and her purse to leave, but before she could open the door, Hope knocked on it. Hope explained that she was there on police business -- because Will had just confessed to killing Nick. Gabi calmly admitted that Sonny had informed her earlier, but she still needed to take Arianna to the park for some sunshine and fresh air. Hope explained that she needed to confirm some details from Will's statement.
While Hope inspected the closet, she informed Gabi that Will was determined to sign his confession. Gabi seemed relieved that he hadn't done so yet. Hope said that although Will had insisted he didn't want a lawyer, E.J. and Sami were with him. Hope warned Gabi that once Will signed the paper, there was nothing more anyone could do for him.
Later, Hope and Gabi sat on the couch and played with Arianna. Hope declared that Arianna looked very pretty. Gabi explained that Arianna was wearing the first dress that Will had bought for his daughter, back when she'd been far too tiny to wear it. She reminisced about how quickly Arianna had grown and how much she had changed. Hope and Gabi agreed that some things about children never changed. "Maybe that's why they always feel like our babies, and why it's so hard for us to let them go," Hope mused.
Hope returned to the room a bit later in time to hear Gabi telling Arianna, "You'll always be my little girl. You know we love you so much, sweetheart, no matter what. Remember that, okay? Siempre." Hope said that she would have to send over a forensics team later. "No, you don't," Gabi said then explained for a puzzled Hope, "I just -- I wanted to spend as much time as I could with her." Hope acknowledged that she would want the same thing, and Gabi apologized. "We should go," Hope said. Gabi picked up Arianna, grabbed her things, then left with Hope.
Lucas was surprised when he showed up at the police station at Hope's behest and found Sonny and Abe in Hope's office instead. After Abe left, Sonny and Lucas agreed that they both would have known if Will had actually killed Nick because Will was such a terrible liar.
In the interrogation room, Will was determined to sign his confession despite his mom's protests. E.J. emphasized that they could still fight and win, even if the police pressed charges -- but once Will signed the confession, it was over. Will maintained that he wanted to step up and take responsibility for once in his life. E.J. and Sami insisted that Will's responsibility was to Arianna and Sonny, and E.J. could argue in court that a lot of other people had wanted Nick dead.
Will countered, "The only reason it even got this far is because I never stood up before. When Nick blackmailed me for shooting E.J., I let it happen, just like I let Dad take the punishment for what I'd done." Will was obviously worried that Lucas was going to get blamed for Nick's murder, as well. E.J. cautioned Will not to mention anything about the earlier shooting.
Abe entered and informed Will that Lucas was there. Will said that he didn't want to see his dad -- or anyone else, for that matter. Abe reluctantly told E.J. and Sami that they had to leave if that was what Will wanted. While Abe took a phone call, Sami whispered to Will, "What your father did for you all those years ago, he is prouder of that moment than anything else he has done in his entire life. He wanted to make that sacrifice. You really want to take that away from him?" She added that Will owed it to Lucas to talk to him before Will did anything else.
Will agreed to see his dad. As Abe went to get Lucas, Will instructed E.J. and Sami to leave. "I don't want you double-teaming me or getting into a fight with Dad," Will said. E.J. opened his briefcase and put Will's confession inside. He commanded Will not to sign anything without letting E.J. review it first.
When Lucas entered, E.J. and Sami left. Lucas wordlessly put his arms around his son. "I love you, and nothing you ever do will change that," Lucas declared quietly. Will admitted that he finally understood that. "Well, you are a dad," Lucas pointed out, adding, "You'd do anything for your kid...[and] so would I. That's why I had a gun on me, and that's why I made a plan to meet with Nick." Lucas explained that he'd only intended to scare Nick, but Nick had already been shot when Lucas had arrived.
"I killed him... I did it, Dad, and I need to step up," Will asserted. Lucas was incredulous that Will didn't intend to fight, but Will insisted that it would be best for everyone. Lucas argued, "Really? That's gonna be best for everyone? Because there's a man in that other room who loves you, who would die for you. He'd do anything for you!" Will declared that he would do anything for Sonny, as well. Lucas reminded Will that he also had a daughter who needed him. "If I stick around, sooner or later, they'll pay," Will maintained.
Lucas pleaded with Will to take everyone's advice and fight. Will maintained that he had listened to Lucas, E.J., and Sami, and he understood what they were trying to say, but it needed to stop. Will stuck his head into the hallway and called to the guard, "Tell Abe Carver to bring me the confession. I'm ready to sign."
An anxious Sonny was still waiting in Hope's office. Sami and E.J. arrived. E.J. wanted to know how the police had gotten Victor's gun. Sonny explained that it was a rare gun that had matched the ballistics report. "He would've destroyed it if he could've, but instead, he was offering me a job in Indonesia. He wanted me to relocate with Will, Gabi, and the baby...because he thought I shot Nick," Sonny divulged. A suspicious Sami wanted to know if Will were protecting Sonny.
Sonny asked incredulously, "Do you honestly think I would let Will go to prison for me? You know how much I love him." Sami apologized and embraced Sonny. They agreed that they were both very afraid for Will. E.J. reviewed Will's statement and asked when Sonny had seen the gun next after Will and Sonny had put it back in the closet. Sonny reluctantly admitted that when he'd gone home later that night, he'd found Will holding the gun.
Abe entered the interrogation room, accompanied by the D.A., with a new copy of Will's confession. "I'm ready to sign," Will announced. Sami, E.J., Sonny, and Lucas rushed in and implored Will not to sign the papers yet. Will declared that he had made his decision, and Abe informed the others that Will had formally waived his right to counsel.
Just as Abe escorted the D.A. out, Hope and Gabi arrived. Gabi urged Will not to sign the confession, but Will didn't want to hear it. Gabi told him, "I know that you didn't kill Nick -- because I did that."
