Nicole tries to reason with Chloe
At the hospital, Deimos sneaked into the hit man's room and kicked the side of his bed to wake him up. Deimos warned that if the man wanted to leave the hospital alive and well, it would be in his best interest to refuse to press charges or testify against Nicole. "If the case against my fiancée doesn't get thrown out, you and your family will be very, very sorry," Deimos stressed.
Jennifer went to the police station to try to find out what was going on at the docks, but J.J. refused to talk to her about the case. He guessed that Roman wouldn't be willing to talk to her about it, either. Hoping to leave with something, she started to ask about Nicole's case, but before J.J. could respond, Lieutenant Raines summoned him into one of the conference rooms.
Meanwhile, Brady raced past Jennifer, who wondered where he was going in such a hurry. "To put out a fire...I hope," he replied. Explaining that Nicole had disappeared after making bail, he guessed that she had gone to the Salem Inn to see Chloe. "Are Chloe and Nicole the fire that you are trying to put out?" Jennifer asked. Before rushing off, he vaguely confirmed, "Let's just say I hope I get to them before they kill each other."
J.J. informed Raines that the man Nicole had stabbed had regained consciousness. J.J. intended to question the man as soon as a doctor granted him permission to do so, but Raines insisted, "Screw his doctor! Go over there and make him tell you who put out the contract on Deimos Kiriakis." J.J. protested that he wanted the man's statement to be admissible in court. Ignoring the point, Raines complained that J.J. was too inexperienced to handle such a big case on his own. "I got you a temporary partner -- a loan-out from another department," Raines added as Lani stepped into the conference room.
Although he was clearly surprised, J.J. didn't object to the idea of having Lani as his partner. Satisfied, Raines left the conference room and ran into Jennifer in the hallway. She tried to question him about Nicole's case, but he stonewalled her. Forced to accept defeat, she left the police station in a huff.
Lani made it clear to J.J. that she was just as surprised about their new partnership as he was. She offered to turn down the assignment, but he knew that if she did that, Raines would blame him. He assured her that if she could handle working with him, he could handle working with her, too. "I think we learned our lesson. We'll be all about the job this time," she stressed. "Sounds like a plan," he agreed.
J.J. quickly got Lani up to speed on what was going on at the docks. She was surprised to learn that the Hernandez family was involved. He admitted that Gabi might be hiding important information about the case from him, noting, "I wasn't up-front with her, [so] I wouldn't blame her if she was the same with me." He hoped that Gabi wouldn't end up getting hurt as a result of her natural instinct to protect Eduardo and Dario.
As Gabi was passing through the town square, she overheard Chad's end of a phone conversation with Abigail. "You sounded like a husband," she observed after he ended the call. He somewhat apologetically explained that he had recently made a decision to start treating Abigail like his wife again.
Chad insisted on continuing his conversation with Gabi at Club TBD so he could buy her a drink. After they claimed a table, he started to explain the reasoning behind his decision, but she soon interrupted, assuring him, "I don't need an explanation -- or anything else. I'm glad you're happy. It's really what I want. And if you're leading up to telling me that your marriage is working out, then that's great. I mean that. With all my heart."
A short time later, Lani entered the club with J.J., who was upset to discover that Chad was having a drink with Gabi. "Abigail would freak to know you're out together," J.J. told Chad and Gabi, who both assured him that he was misinterpreting the situation. Chad stressed that he was working things out with Abigail, and Gabi added that she was truly happy for the couple.
After Chad left, J.J. apologized to Gabi for having jumped to the wrong conclusion. She told him not to worry about it. After he went to the bar to place an order, Lani asked if Gabi was okay. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Gabi replied. "I just feel for you. That's all," Lani explained before following J.J. to the bar.
J.J. soon received a phone call from Roman, who informed him that the hit man wasn't willing to talk about the stabbing. Lani didn't think it was unusual for a hit man to refuse to cooperate with a police investigation into a botched hit, but J.J. thought there was more to the story. "I think somebody got to him -- and I'll bet you I know who it is," he mused.
Abe and Valerie ran into Theo in the town square and wondered how things were going at his new apartment. "Claire took the longest shower in history this morning. The steam set off all the smoke detectors," he reported. Abe wanted to know how Theo's classes were going, so Theo reluctantly admitted that he was having trouble with his biology class because he wasn't the least bit interested in the subject, and the lecturer was painfully boring. "[But] I needed something with a lab, [and] it had to be this. It sucks," he complained.
Valerie invited Theo to have dinner with her and Abe later that night, promising that if he showed her his biology textbook and notes afterward, she would try her best to help him get more interested in the subject. He thanked her and accepted the offer. Satisfied, she rushed off to a scheduled meeting with Jennifer. After she left, Abe observed that Theo seemed to be getting along with her a lot better than he had when she had first arrived in Salem. Theo vaguely explained that because she had been really nice about stuff lately, he had decided that his initial concerns about her had probably been off base.
Elsewhere, Jennifer wondered if Valerie had made a decision about staying in Salem yet. Valerie admitted that she was still weighing the pros and cons. Jennifer guessed that Abe would be delighted if Valerie decided to stick around -- and Theo probably would be, too.
Changing the subject, Jennifer asked if Valerie had ever figured out who had planted a bug in her purse. Valerie confirmed that she had, vaguely explaining, "It was someone who thought I was keeping a secret." Jennifer assumed that meant that the whole thing had just been one big misunderstanding, but Valerie clarified that she actually was being secretive about one part of her life. "[And] because I aspire to be open and honest with people, I really regret that...that I can't, in this case, do that, because what I'm withholding is private, and...it's really nobody else's business," she added.
Jennifer admitted that she had recently kept a major secret herself -- one that had profoundly affected many lives. "[That was] what Abigail needed me to do," she explained. She stressed that, in her opinion, it was sometimes okay to keep secrets, especially if the point of doing so was to protect a loved one. Valerie thanked Jennifer for understanding.
Jennifer started to ask about Valerie's relationship with Abe but soon stopped herself, realizing that she was going against what she had just finished saying about respecting a person's right to privacy. Chuckling, Valerie stressed that she didn't mind and was, in fact, glad that Jennifer felt comfortable enough to ask her such things. "I don't know if I'd describe my relationship with Abe as 'serious,' but I do care a great deal for him, and I think he feels the same way I do. I mean, he's fun, and we're compatible, [and] he's a great friend, and, um, I am developing feelings for him [of a romantic nature]," Valerie admitted. Jennifer said that sounded pretty serious to her. She added that she was happy for Valerie and Abe.
Later, after Valerie left, a woman spotted Jennifer and recognized her as someone who worked at the Spectator. "I have a scoop for you. My boyfriend works down at the docks and says there's some interesting things going on down there," the woman revealed. Jennifer said she had heard similar rumors. When she asked for details about what was going on, the woman continued, "I've got three words for you: sha-di-ness."
At the Salem Inn, Nicole told Chloe, "The DNA results are back, and the science of it is [that] Holly is mine, [so] get the hell out of my way, because I'm taking my daughter home right now." Chloe countered that, according to the birth certificate, Holly was her daughter. Nicole warned that Chloe was fighting a losing battle, but Chloe disagreed.
Fearing that Nicole might run off with Holly if given an opportunity to do so, Chloe refused to let her see the child. "Fine. If you won't let me in, I am not leaving. I am gonna camp out here, and you're gonna have to step over my body every time you leave this room. And you know I'm serious. You know me," Nicole warned. Sighing, Chloe reluctantly stepped aside to let Nicole into the hotel room.
Nicole tried to reason with Chloe, admitting that she knew how easy it was to bond with a child during pregnancy. Nicole promised that Chloe would always be a part of Holly's life, just as they had originally agreed. "[But] if I have to go to court to fight you to raise my own child, then I will not be so generous. I am sorry, but you knew what you were getting yourself into," Nicole added.
"Yeah, I knew what I was getting myself into, but you haven't upheld your end of the deal," Chloe countered, insisting that she would never be able to live with herself if she handed Holly over to the person Nicole had turned into since their original agreement had been made. "[And] what do you think [Daniel] would want, huh? Do you think he would want his daughter being raised by a man like Deimos? You and I both know the answer to that," Chloe added.
As Chloe and Nicole continued arguing, Brady arrived to defuse the situation. He tried to convince Chloe to at least let Nicole hold Holly for a moment, but Chloe stood her ground. "You are making an enemy [of] the wrong people, Chloe," Nicole insisted. Chloe wondered if that was supposed to be a threat. "Oh, I'll show you a threat," Nicole spat as she lunged toward Chloe. Brady quickly stepped between the women and warned Nicole that attacking Chloe would only make things worse. "Let's go," he urged Nicole, but she refused to budge. Sighing, he dragged her out of the hotel room as she tearfully shouted, "I love you, Holly! Mommy loves you!"
Brady took Nicole back to the Kiriakis mansion and assured her that she would get Holly back eventually. "[But] you have to do this legally," he stressed. She reluctantly conceded that he was right. "I just don't know how long I can [stand to] be separated from my little girl," she tearfully added. She suggested that he could try to convince Belle to drop Chloe as a client, but he explained that he had already attempted to do that, and Belle had refused. He added that even if Belle did drop Chloe as a client, there were plenty of other lawyers out there who would be willing to take the case.
Nicole feared that Chloe might try to run off with Holly, but Brady vowed that he wouldn't let that happen. He urged Nicole to have faith that everything was going to work out, promising, "This fight has only begun. We're gonna win it. You'll have Holly back." She hugged him and thanked him for his support, admitting that he had managed to make her feel more hopeful about the situation. Deimos arrived home in time to witness the embrace.
At the Salem Inn, Chloe contacted Belle and told her about Nicole's earlier visit. "I think I know what Nicole's next move is gonna be, so we have to be ready," Chloe added.
In their Prague hotel room, Kayla, Marlena, Steve, Paul, and Rafe discussed their plan to trap Stefano. Marlena was certain that they could take advantage of Stefano's obsession with her and his megalomania. When Kayla expressed her concern that the plan could fail, Marlena shook her head no. "If we don't stop him, we will never be rid of him," Marlena said.
Paul disagreed with the group and insisted that they could not move forward until he called John to tell him about the plan. Rafe suggested that they use a controlled environment to draw Stefano out. When Paul reiterated his worries, Marlena said that she was confident that the group would protect her. Paul insisted on calling John, so Marlena pulled Paul aside to talk. Citing the likelihood that John would want to fly out and join them, Rafe said he could not wait. When Kayla noted that they would need to find an irresistible location, Rafe said he had an idea and left.
Across the room, Marlena thanked Paul for protecting her. Paul said he would not change his mind. Marlena reasoned aloud that she did not want Paul to call John because John would want to join the plan, not stop it. Marlena said she did not need John to protect her because she had Paul. As Paul raised an eyebrow, Marlena said that they needed to enact their plan "for the greater good." Paul agreed.
When Rafe returned, he showed the group a pamphlet for the music festival in town. The final event was a masquerade ball. Everyone agreed that Stefano would be drawn to the ball. Smiling, Rafe said he had confirmed that Rudolfo Maratti, an alias of Stefano, was on the guest list. Rafe explained that there were no tickets available as the masquerade was invitation only. Paul and Steve made calls about tickets, and Marlena offered to shop for a costume. In an alley in Prague, a man handed an invitation to a Mr. Maratti.
At the house in the woods, a groggy Hope woke up and found Eric sitting at her bedside. Eric explained that Hope's fever had gone down after he'd administered antibiotics, but her fever had spiked again. Eric confided that he was worried Hope was experiencing septic shock. As Hope groaned, Eric told her that he needed to obtain stronger antibiotics. Eric said he would talk to Roman and return home soon.
Shawn called Rafe in Europe to inform him that Commissioner Raines had authorized the use of excessive force on Hope. After telling Rafe, Shawn went to Ciara's loft to talk to her about the shoot to kill order from the police. Ciara was distraught when he arrived. Shawn assured Ciara that Hope was tough and that she would get through it.
In the house in the woods, a feverish Hope heard Ciara's voice calling out for her. Confused, Hope pulled herself out of bed and stumbled out of the house. Hope wandered down the snow-covered lane, calling out to Ciara.
At the Brady Pub, Claire spotted Ciara waiting at the bar for a takeout order. Claire asked about Hope. Ciara said she had no news. When Ciara asked Claire how she had heard about the shoot to kill order, Claire explained that a fan had informed her about the order when he had asked Claire who would play her in the film version of Hope's life. Ciara was disgusted.
Claire apologized and admitted that she was scared. Claire explained that she always saw Hope as a very capable person and did not think of her as vulnerable. Ciara said she felt the same way. With a hug, Claire promised Ciara that they would not lose Hope.
At the hospital, Julie lashed out at Jennifer for writing an op-ed about Hope. Confused, Jennifer pointed out that her column had been pro-Hope. Julie said that she understood that Jennifer's heart had been in the right place, but the column had unnerved Doug. Nearby, Eric sneaked off of the elevator, bundled up in a hoodie and ball cap. Eric eavesdropped as Julie talked about how desperate Doug was to hear from Hope.
Shawn arrived and interrupted Julie to tell her and Jennifer that there was a shoot to kill order on Hope. Noting the look on Shawn's face, Jennifer asked Shawn if he had heard from Hope. Shawn admitted that Hope had sent him an email asking him to trust her. Shawn showed the email to Julie, calming her down. As Julie sighed with relief, Shawn asked Julie and Jennifer not to tell anyone about the email and to trust Hope. Shawn's phone rang. Shawn answered the call and learned that Hope had been spotted on a country road.
After listening to Shawn talk to Julie and Jennifer, Eric slipped down the hallway and walked over to a nurse who was pushing a locked medicine cart. Eric stumbled into the nurse and asked her about the gift shop as he lifted the medicine cart keys off of the woman. After giving Eric directions, the nurse walked away, leaving the cart behind. Eric unlocked the cart and stole several bottles of antibiotics.
As Eric rounded the corner to leave, he saw Jennifer standing alone, and he approached her. Jennifer was surprised and delighted to see Eric. Eric explained that he had been pardoned, and he asked Jennifer not to tell anyone. As Jennifer smiled, Eric said he was just in town to talk to Roman. Eric caressed Jennifer's face with his hand. Quietly, Jennifer asked Eric if she would see him again, but Eric said he did not think so.
After Eric left, Anne arrived at the hospital with an envelope of papers for Jennifer to sign. Jennifer was horrified to learn that Adrienne had hired Anne. Furious, Jennifer called Adrienne's phone, but no one answered. Jennifer growled at Anne that she held a grudge and would not work with her. Anne explained that Lucas had championed her with Adrienne. Jennifer dismissed Lucas' recommendation.
As Julie returned to the nurses' station, she saw Jennifer barking at Anne. Julie urged Jennifer to give Anne a chance, since Lucas and Adrienne had decided to hire her. Julie asked Jennifer if Anne was smart and efficient. Jennifer grudgingly admitted that Anne was both smart and efficient but also very mean. With a sigh, Julie reminded Jennifer that people changed. Julie urged Jennifer to talk to Adrienne first. Grabbing the papers out of Anne's hand, Jennifer signed them, handed them back to Anne, and walked out of the hospital in a huff.
At the loft, Ciara returned home with her takeout and stood in the living room, staring at the floor. Theo emerged from his room, wrapped only in a towel. Blushing, Ciara said hello. Theo explained that he had just worked out. When Ciara asked Theo if he was okay, he asked Ciara if she was okay. Both admitted that they were worried about Hope. Theo assured Ciara that Hope would pull through. Worried, Ciara said that her father had been strong, too, but it had not helped to save him. As Ciara grew more emotional, Theo pulled her into a hug.
Claire entered the loft and saw her half-naked boyfriend hugging Ciara. With a frown, Claire quietly left the loft and stood in the hallway. Inside the loft, Ciara thanked Theo for his support. Noting that they were friends, Theo said Ciara did not need to thank him. While Theo went into his room to dress, Ciara went into her room.
Claire reentered the loft and looked around the living room. While Claire stood in the kitchen, Theo exited his room. Claire tersely noted that she had not known anyone was home because it was so quiet. When Theo urged Claire to talk to Ciara, Claire countered that she already had, and Ciara had been inconsolable. Claire added that she was also under emotional stress because Hope was her grandmother. As Claire squeaked out a few tears, Theo pulled her into a hug to comfort her. Claire smiled over his shoulder.
Theo assured Claire that Hope was tough, and they would get through the ordeal. As Claire nodded, Theo offered to take Claire out for hot chocolate. Claire readily agreed. After the couple left, Ciara returned to the living room and called out to Theo. Shawn called Ciara and informed her that he had talked to Commissioner Raines, and Raines was not backing down.
Out in the county, a squad car parked on a country lane. As two officers searched the area with flashlights, a half-frozen Hope lay huddled on the ground, murmuring Ciara's name. Eric found Hope before the police did, and he scooped her up and carried her back to his house. Once Hope was tucked under the blankets, Eric fed Hope the new batch of antibiotics. Eric begged Hope to stay put. Delirious, Hope nodded then passed out.
Adrienne was at the Brady Pub, choking down a piece of food that she didn't seem to like the taste of, when Jennifer stormed in and protested, "Anne Milbauer? Really? You hired Anne Milbauer?" Adrienne conceded that Jennifer and Anne had a rocky past. "'Rocky past'? Adrienne, she's a psychopath!" Jennifer insisted. Adrienne promised that Anne would be fired if she did anything to upset Jennifer; however, she urged Jennifer to at least give Anne a chance. "Okay, that's fine. But she works for you; she doesn't work for me," Jennifer stressed. Adrienne agreed to the stipulation.
Satisfied, Jennifer changed the subject, quietly revealing that she was working on a big story for the Spectator. "How big?" Adrienne wondered in an equally hushed tone. "Like, 'some of the most powerful people in Salem' big. There is something sketchy going down on the docks, and three of the most influential families in town are involved," Jennifer elaborated, leading Adrienne to conclude that the Kiriakis family was involved. Dreading the answer, Adrienne asked if Sonny was involved. Jennifer admitted that she wasn't sure about that; she only knew that Titan was definitely involved.
Adrienne wondered if the sketchiness at the docks was somehow related to the Titan ship that had recently sunk. Jennifer said she wouldn't be surprised if it was. "And someone is bribing port officials to look the other way on certain shipments [from China that are being] brought in for GDR Corp by Titan. And word has it the DiMeras are not very happy about this arrangement," she added.
Adrienne groaned at the thought of a war between the Kiriakis, DiMera, and Hernandez families, with her son potentially stuck right in the middle. She quickly collected her things, intending to head over to the Kiriakis mansion to see if she could find out exactly what was going on. "Are you sure you're up to it?" Jennifer asked with concern. "Oh, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be, right?" Adrienne dryly replied.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Nicole stared sadly at a picture on her cell phone. "What if this is the only picture I ever have of me and Holly together?" she fretted. Deimos tried to make her feel better, but Brady's words of comfort were more effective -- a fact that seemed to annoy Deimos.
Nicole soon excused herself, knowing that Deimos and Brady were about to start a family meeting. In the foyer, she ran into Maggie, who also offered assurance that everything was going to work out. Maggie encouraged Nicole to lean on Brady for support, reasoning, "He and Chloe have been close all these years, [so] maybe she'll listen to him."
Behind closed doors in the living room, Deimos showed Brady and Sonny the external hard drive that contained the files for the Orwell device. Deimos claimed that Andre had stolen the technology from its creator and therefore had no legal claim to it. He bragged that the device was incomprehensibly valuable, adding, "I mean, think about it: what would a country pay to possess absolute knowledge?"
Sonny didn't know the answer to that question; all he knew was that he wasn't comfortable with the device, which people had already tried to kill for, being out in the open. He carried it over to a wall safe that was hidden behind a hinged mirror and began to fiddle with the lock mechanism. Meanwhile, Arianna burst into the living room and shouted, "Daddy!" Sonny greeted Arianna with a smile and asked her to give him a couple seconds to put something very valuable in the safe. Arianna watched with interest as Sonny turned his attention back to the safe, opened it, and placed the external hard drive inside.
After Sonny closed the safe and put the mirror back in place, Arianna rushed over to give him a hug. Tate's nanny, Emma, soon entered the living room and apologetically explained that Arianna had dashed off while Tate had been getting his diaper changed. Sonny assured Emma that he didn't mind the interruption. He added, however, that he did need to get back to his meeting. He promised Arianna that he would take her to see her mother afterward. Satisfied, Arianna gave Sonny a kiss on the cheek then followed Emma out of the room.
As Deimos closed the living room door, Adrienne entered the mansion and greeted Arianna with a hug. "Where's your daddy?" Adrienne asked. "He's in an important meeting," Emma revealed, gesturing toward the living room. After Emma and Arianna went to check on Tate, Adrienne quietly approached the living room door and began to eavesdrop.
"From now on, if we're gonna move forward with the Orwell, we have to do it right. No more stealing, and no more violence," Sonny stressed. "There's not gonna be any need for violence. We've won. And once that key arrives on the dock tonight, there's nothing anyone can do to stop us," Deimos insisted. Brady wanted to know more about the key, so Deimos explained, "It's the final missing piece. The key is gonna activate the device, and once it's operational, the buyers are gonna be pounding down our door." Deimos assured Brady and Sonny that the DiMeras wouldn't be sinking another Titan ship in an effort to steal the key; in fact, they didn't even know anything about it. Sonny wondered when the key was expected to arrive at the docks. "10:00 p.m. Pier 119," Deimos replied.
The Kiriakis men suddenly heard a noise in the foyer. When Deimos opened the living room door, he found Adrienne on the floor, collecting the scattered contents of her purse. Deimos helped her to her feet as Sonny joined them in the foyer and asked if she was all right. "Oh, no, no, sweetie, I'm fine. My phone started buzzing, and it was in my purse, and I was digging around looking for it, and everything fell out," she explained with a chuckle of embarrassment. Deimos wondered what had prompted her unexpected visit. "Me? I was looking for a missing earring," she quickly replied. "You came here for a missing earring?" Deimos repeated skeptically. Nodding, she added that she had probably misplaced, not lost, it. "I mean, you know, chemo brain; I probably put it in the freezer," she continued with another awkward laugh.
When Adrienne abruptly excused herself, Sonny offered to escort her to her car. She declined, explaining that she knew, thanks to an earlier conversation with Emma, that he was in the middle of an important meeting. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and told him, for no apparent reason, to be careful. The warning seemed to puzzle Deimos a bit, but he didn't question it.
After Adrienne left, Deimos and Sonny rejoined Brady in the living room. With the door once again closed, Brady resumed the meeting, questioning the ethics of the seemingly unconstitutional Orwell device. "My job is to make piles of money for this family. I'll leave the ethics to you, all right, Brady?" Deimos dismissively replied. Sonny wondered how Deimos was planning to keep the DiMera and Hernandez families from attempting to reclaim the device. "I have it under control," Deimos vaguely promised. Brady wanted more details, but Deimos refused to elaborate, complaining, "You two are getting hung up on the details here! I'm looking at the big picture! We have the device; the key is on its way. Now, either you're with me on this, or you're against me!"
Sonny wanted Deimos' assurance that the device wouldn't be sold to anyone who wanted it for nefarious purposes. "In the right hands, this could do a lot of good: thwarting attacks before they happen, rooting out criminals while protecting the innocent..." Sonny mused. Deimos agreed to the stipulation and assumed that Sonny was on board. When Brady was prompted for his answer, he admitted, "I don't like the idea of owning something so potentially dangerous...but I like the idea of Andre or Eduardo owning it even less." Satisfied, Deimos shook hands with Sonny and Brady to seal the deal.
Later, Nicole found Deimos alone in the living room, looking at something on his tablet computer. She assured him that she was grateful to have him in her life and didn't blame him for what was happening with Chloe and Holly. He suggested that Chloe might be using her issues with him as a convenient way to hide the fact that she had grown attached to Holly and simply didn't want to give the child up.
When Deimos' cell phone began ringing, Nicole encouraged him to answer it, claiming that she was going to take a bath and try to relax. She waited until he turned his attention to his phone call then she sneaked out of the mansion. Meanwhile, the caller reported that everything was in place. "Good. Make it happen. Tonight we end this," Deimos replied before ending the call.
At the Brady Pub, Gabi told Abigail that she had tried to take a look at the computer in the back office of Club TBD, but Dario had caught her before she had managed to find anything noteworthy on it. "I told him I was looking at the weather," she continued. Knowing that Dario was already suspicious because he had recently caught Abigail in the office with Myron, Gabi stressed that it would be a bad idea to try to infiltrate the office for a third time. Abigail agreed that it would be best to take a different approach, but she didn't think that Chad would be willing to share anything he knew about the Orwell device, reasoning that he was too protective of both her and Gabi to involve them. Gabi assured Abigail that they wouldn't need Chad's help because they had a more valuable resource in Sonny, who was part of the Kiriakis family's inner sanctum.
The women quickly devised a plan, reasoning that it was okay to exploit Sonny because they were trying to protect him and the rest of their loved ones from harm. When Sonny arrived with Arianna, he set aside his keys on Gabi and Abigail's table so he could help Arianna remove her jacket. Abigail discreetly grabbed the keys and excused herself, claiming that she needed to take a phone call.
After sending Arianna over to a nearby table that had some crayons and a coloring book, Gabi casually asked Sonny about the man Nicole had stabbed, revealing that she had heard rumors about the man being someone Dario had hired to kill Deimos. "If there's something happening -- if there's trouble -- you need to tell me for Arianna's sake," she reasoned. Sonny promised that he would never let anything bad happen to Arianna.
"That's not an answer," Gabi protested. She tried to get Sonny to confirm that the DiMeras were involved, but he insisted that he couldn't tell her anything else. "[Just] stay out of it. We have the situation under control, and we're not giving that [control] up," he added with finality. Still not satisfied, she argued that if he told her what was going on, she might be able to help defuse the situation. Before he could respond, he received a text message. Abigail returned as he was checking his cell phone. He abruptly excused himself, and when he started looking around in search of his keys, Abigail knelt down and claimed that she had just found them on the floor.
After Sonny left, Abigail triumphantly revealed copies of the keys to the Kiriakis mansion. She wondered if Gabi had managed to learn anything about the Orwell device. "Just that it's very valuable, and that the Kiriakises have it," Gabi replied. Realizing that a safe was the logical place to store such an item, Gabi asked Arianna if she had ever seen a safe at the Kiriakis mansion. Arianna confirmed that she had. Gabi wondered if Arianna knew what was inside the safe. "Black box!" Arianna replied. Pleased, Gabi rewarded Arianna with some whipped cream for her cup of hot chocolate.
At the Horton Town Square, Chad revealed to Andre that a contact inside Titan had informed him that a Titan ship was going to be delivering important cargo to the docks later that night. "It has something to do with the Orwell. We're gonna be intercepting it," Chad continued. Impressed that Chad knew exactly when and where the delivery would be taking place, Andre admitted, "I should have learned by now not to underestimate you."
Chad expressed reservations about the shady way in which he and Andre were conducting business. Andre dismissively reminded Chad that both Eduardo and Deimos had stolen from them first. Nevertheless, Chad stressed, "No bloodshed, all right? We're gonna seize the shipment quickly and cleanly, and we're [only] doing it to protect our family." Andre was willing to accept those terms; in fact, he admitted that he was proud of Chad's moral standards -- and proud to have Chad as a brother.
At Club TBD, Eduardo stormed into the back office and angrily told Dario, "You don't even think about taking someone's life if there is any other possible solution to a crisis! If you can survive by doing anything else, you don't do it! You kill somebody, it's on you forever; gets down under your soul. Which is why, for the sake of this family, if anything like that has to happen, I will be the one to do it. I will do it! I already carry that weight; I've been carrying a mountain of it! The things I see at night when I close my eyes -- I will not have that for you!"
Dario tried to justify his actions, but Eduardo insisted that he didn't want to hear anything from Dario other than a confirmation that the order had been understood. "Understood," Dario muttered. Satisfied, Eduardo changed the subject, wondering if Dario had heard anything from their informant at the docks recently. Dario reported that a Kiriakis ship was going to be delivering something very valuable later that night, and he planned to be at the docks when the shipment arrived. He assured Eduardo that he would be careful.
Adrienne met with Jennifer in a secluded section of the town square and revealed what she had overheard at the Kiriakis mansion. Jennifer decided to head over to the docks to do some snooping. Adrienne tried to stop Jennifer, protesting that dangerous people were interested in the key that was being delivered to the docks later that night. "Right, which is why we have to find it first, so no one else ends up getting hurt!" Jennifer countered before rushing off.
When Jennifer arrived at the docks, she overheard a dockworker saying that the Titan shipment was being moved from Pier 119 to Pier 27. As she started to rush off to the new location, the dockworker discovered her and wondered what she was doing in such a dangerous place. She spontaneously began lashing out at him, ranting that he was just like her cheating boyfriend, who was going to be in a lot of pain when she found him. The dockworker rushed off in fear, not wanting to get on Jennifer's bad side.
Jennifer soon arrived at Pier 27 and found a stack of cargo crates in a small storage shed there. When she pried open one of the crates, she found something inside that made her gasp. Meanwhile, at the town square, Chad and Andre toasted to the future of the DiMera family. After taking a sip of Champagne, Andre began to choke. Outside Club TBD, Nicole found Dario, who had been badly beaten. At the Kiriakis mansion, Deimos calmly played a somber song on the piano.
At the police station, J.J. told Lani that his source at the docks had informed him that a Titan ship was scheduled to deliver something later that night -- something that was important enough to warrant an increase in security. He soon received a phone call from the source, who reported that the cargo had been delivered to Pier 27. After ending the call, he filled Lani in, and they rushed off to the docks to investigate.
At Pier 27, a man popped out of the cargo crate Jennifer had just pried open. After removing an oxygen mask and taking a few quick breaths of fresh air, he grabbed Jennifer and frantically exclaimed, in a British accent, "Listen, I've change -- I've changed my mind! I -- I -- I -- I -- I -- I don't want to do this!" She stared at the man, with his disheveled clothes and scraggly hair and beard, and incredulously replied, "Shane?"
As the man climbed out of the cargo crate, Jennifer continued, "Oh, my goodness! Shane, what in the world are you doing here?" Annoyed, the man protested, "No, no, no! Don't call me Shane! I'm not Shane; I'm Drew Donovan!" Shocked, Jennifer guessed that it had been decades since she had last seen Shane's twin brother. "Why are you here?" she asked again. "Why are you here? Who sent you?" he countered, eyeing her suspiciously. As she tried to assure him that no one had sent her, he looked around and wondered, "Wait a minute -- where -- where am I? You're -- you're not supposed to be here!"
Jennifer explained to Drew that he was in Salem, at the docks. "Who were you expecting?" she asked. "Deimos Kiriakis," he replied. She jumped to the conclusion that Deimos had kidnapped him. "No, no! Well, yes. I mean... You see..." he began before changing the subject, insisting that he needed to find a place to hide right away. "Well, I'd love to help you, but I can't. I'm here to find a key, and if I don't find it, some really bad things could happen to people, so I --" she started to explain. Meanwhile, somewhere nearby, a door slammed shut. Drew interrupted Jennifer, worriedly stressing, "They can't find me here, Jennifer! Please, I've gotta get -- you've gotta get me out of here!"
A man entered the storage shed a short time later and began looking around. When he noticed the open cargo crate, he contacted Deimos and reported, "We got a problem, boss." The man explained that the delivery had been moved from Pier 119 to Pier 27, and when he had arrived at the new location, he had found the cargo crate in a storage shed there. "But it's open, [and] the key is gone," he continued. Deimos ended the call in anger.
Shortly after the man left Pier 27, J.J. and Lani arrived and made the same discovery. Frustrated, they began making their way back to the police station. As they were passing through a secluded section of the town square, they discussed the timeline and determined that someone had beaten them to the pier by only a few minutes at most. Meanwhile, Jennifer passed through the area in a rush, carrying a bulging brown bag in her arms.
"Mom? What are you doing here?" J.J. asked. Jennifer claimed that she was on her way back to the Horton house with supplies for herself and Adrienne, who was helping her with a story for the Spectator. She wondered if J.J. and Lani were working on a case. "I can't tell you that," he replied. He wondered what the story was about. "I can't tell you that," she replied. "Well, that was productive," Lani muttered impatiently.
After J.J. and Lani walked away, Jennifer rushed over to Drew, who had been hiding behind a nearby bush the whole time. When she informed him that she had been talking to her son, J.J., who was a detective, he insisted, "No, no, no, no, no! You -- I -- I can't -- not the police! I can't go to the police!" She retrieved a bottle of water from the bag and handed it to him as she assured him that she wasn't going to take him to the police station. After he gulped down some of the water, she helped him to his feet and dragged him off to the nearby Salem Inn, promising that he would be safe there.
After checking into one of the hotel rooms, Jennifer told Drew that it might be a good idea to contact Shane and enlist the ISA's help. "Oh, screw the ISA! What have they ever done for me except ruin my life? No. And as for my dear, darling brother, we haven't spoken in years. Ha! I don't suppose he even cares that I'm in trouble," Drew replied. Jennifer tried to convince Drew to at least talk to J.J., assuring him that her son could be trusted, but he maintained, "No, Jennifer, no police! That is just not an option for me, don't you understand? I'm facing charges!"
"You committed a crime?" Jennifer asked in a hushed voice. "Well, I'm wanted by Interpol. It's -- it's very complicated -- and not my fault!" Drew insisted. She wondered if Deimos had blackmailed him into returning to Salem. "Oh, it's a very long, very unpleasant story," he replied with a weary sigh. "Oh, those are my favorite kind," she countered, clearly intrigued. Frustrated, he impatiently warned her that he was mixed up in something she really didn't want to be a part of, stressing, "I mean, the stakes could not be any higher! Oh, this is so much bigger than you would have realized when you started looking around those docks."
Jennifer once again began to explain that she had gone to the docks in search of a key. "Oh, well, you needn't worry about that," Drew replied with a chuckle. Getting frustrated herself, Jennifer insisted that she had to find the key because it was somehow related to something big that was about to go down in Salem -- and if she managed to be the first to break the story to the public, it could be the biggest scoop of her entire career. "That's just -- Jennifer, Jennifer, that's what I'm trying to tell you! I am the key!" Drew clarified.
Jennifer listened in stunned silence as Drew told her, between ravenous bites of a sandwich, about the Orwell technology he had developed -- technology that could change the world. He admitted, "No one was more surprised than me. I mean, you remember, I was always 'the bad twin'; I was the one who never measured up to Saintly Shane. But when I left Salem, I kind of stumbled into my calling. Turns out, I have this uncanny knack with computers -- computer science. So I fiddled around for a while, and then...bingo! One day, I came up with a game-changer."
Realizing the implications of the technology, Jennifer wondered if Drew had worried about what might happen if it fell into the wrong hands. "Back then, I didn't care. I mean, you know, I was never one to follow the rules," he admitted with a shrug. He continued that he had changed his attitude after falling in love with -- and ultimately marrying -- the woman of his dreams, Camila. "She made me realize the world wasn't ready for the Orwell, so I abandoned the project," he explained, sighing as he added that the DiMeras had swooped in at that point to steal the technology from him.
"That scourge of a family. Ha! Well, at least Stefano DiMera's dead and gone for good," Drew mused. "Yeah, about that..." Jennifer started to clarify. He prompted her to continue, but she changed her mind and told him, "Never mind. Let's just, um, continue with your story."
Drew explained that Deimos had tracked him down and had arranged to smuggle him into the United States after learning about his troubles with Interpol. "I wanted to say no, but then he threatened the one thing that matters to me in the world," he continued with a sigh. "Camila," Jennifer guessed. She wondered what Deimos was forcing him to do. "Well, finish the Orwell project, of course. Jennifer, this thing's gonna be worth millions -- no, I'm sorry, billions -- on the open market!" he replied.
Jennifer insisted that Drew couldn't let Deimos, of all people, gain control of the Orwell technology. "Well, you don't have to tell me that! That's why I'm here; that's why I'm with you! You -- Jennifer, you have to help me! You -- you -- you can't let him find me!" he stressed.
At the Brady Pub, Gabi contacted a friend she knew from prison. The woman quickly taught Gabi how to crack a safe. After Gabi ended the call, Abigail wondered how they were going to sneak into the Kiriakis mansion and retrieve the Orwell device without getting caught. Gabi knew, thanks to Sonny, that Henderson liked to take a sleeping pill around the same time every night and fall asleep while watching episodes of the Real Housewives series, so she decided that she and Abigail could wait for the sleeping pill to take effect then sneak past security and let themselves into the mansion, using their copies of the house keys.
While preparing to leave, Abigail received a phone call from Chad, who revealed that Andre had been taken to the hospital. Abigail promised to meet Chad there right away. Gabi insisted on moving forward with the plan on her own, certain that she wouldn't need anyone to watch her back. Abigail wished Gabi luck then rushed off.
When Abigail arrived at the hospital, Chad told her about what had happened to Andre. "He was right, Abby. I mean, I -- you know, I -- I told him that we couldn't retaliate, and I made him promise that he wouldn't go after Deimos, and -- and because of that, Deimos got to him first," Chad fretted. Abigail insisted that he couldn't blame himself for what had happened, reasoning that he had simply been trying to do the right thing.
A doctor soon approached Chad and Abigail and informed them that Andre was still unconscious but was breathing on his own. "Was it poison?" Chad asked. "It appears that way," the doctor confirmed. Adding that Andre's stomach had been pumped, the doctor said he was hopeful that only a bit of the poison had managed to work its way into Andre's bloodstream beforehand.
After the doctor walked away, Chad angrily guessed that Deimos was probably celebrating at that exact moment. He started to rush off to the Kiriakis mansion, vowing, "[I'm gonna] make that son of a bitch pay for what he did to my brother!" Abigail stopped him and made him promise that he would let the police handle the matter instead of taking a page out of his father's playbook. After he told her what she wanted to hear, she suggested that they could check on Andre. He said he would meet her in Andre's room after filling out a few forms at the nurses' station.
In Dario's room, a doctor informed Nicole, "His liver and kidney were both lacerated. We won't know how severely until we operate." Nicole wanted assurance that the damage could be repaired, but the doctor was only willing to promise, "We'll do our best." After the doctor left the room to prepare for the surgery, Nicole contacted Deimos, who said he couldn't talk at that moment. "Why? Are you plotting a hit on someone else?" she asked.
Confused, Deimos wondered what Nicole was talking about. She explained that Dario had been attacked outside Club TBD earlier that night, and although he had lost consciousness shortly after she had found him, he had managed to say one thing beforehand: "Deimos." She continued that she was with Dario at the hospital at that moment, waiting for him to undergo surgery that might or might not save his life.
Nicole demanded to know if Deimos was responsible for the attack. He dodged the question, promising her that they could continue discussing the matter once he arrived at the hospital. "No, I don't want you here!" she insisted. Sighing, he tiredly assured her that Dario had simply pointed to the most likely suspect. He added that he wasn't thinking about revenge at that time; in fact, he was focused solely on doing whatever he had to do to help her get Holly back. "Believe me, I don't give a damn about Dario Hernandez or anyone else. It's you -- you're who I care about, Nicole," he stressed.
After Nicole ended the call, she went to the waiting area to get a cup of coffee. Chad spotted her from the nearby nurses' station and approached her, asking, "Your fiancé send you to see if Andre was dead yet?" Confused, she wondered what had happened to Andre. Dodging the question, Chad wondered, "Why are you here?" She told him about what had happened to Dario. She claimed that Dario hadn't managed to say anything to her before losing consciousness, but Chad guessed, "No, no, no, he said something to you, didn't he? He said it was Deimos that did it."
"Deimos said it wasn't him," Nicole replied. "Yeah, like it wasn't him that tried to poison my brother," Chad countered. Nicole was shocked to hear that Andre had been poisoned, but she insisted that Chad couldn't be certain that Deimos was the guilty party. "You're smart, Nicole. What do you think?" Chad asked before walking away.
Nicole returned to Dario's room and admitted, "I don't know what to believe. I mean, did Deimos just lie to me? I mean, it can't be a coincidence that two of his enemies were wiped out at once." She conceded that Chloe might have been right about Deimos all along. Deimos entered the room as she continued, "Maybe I shouldn't be bringing my beautiful baby girl into that world. Daniel's daughter deserves better; I deserve better."
When Deimos made his presence known, Nicole snapped that she hadn't saved his life so he could turn around and take someone else's. "Did you poison Andre DiMera, too? Hmm? Who else did you try murdering tonight -- Eduardo? Kate? Don't even try to deny it, 'cause I know what you did! This hospital's filled with your victims! At least show me some respect by being honest with me!" she continued.
Deimos stressed that he was at war with people who had struck the first blows. Nicole insisted that there were other ways to fight back. "Oh, really? What ways? What, should I use my words? Should we talk it out? What?" he countered. He claimed that he was only doing what he had to do to protect Nicole and Holly, but she guessed that he really only cared about "that stupid device" -- and the money and power it would grant him. "Do you really think I want to bring my little girl into this world? Holly is Daniel's daughter. He's the best man that I have ever known; he is the love of my life!" she continued.
Deimos bitterly grumbled that he had heard that before. "And what am I?" he asked. "You're a murderer," Nicole tearfully replied. She conceded that Chloe had been right to keep Holly away from him. "You're the only thing standing in the way of Chloe giving me back my daughter. And when she sees that I have walked away from you, she will finally let Holly come home -- to me," she added before walking away.
Belle entered the Brady Pub in time to catch Chloe popping a pill in her mouth. Belle started to lecture Chloe about the dangers of taking medication -- even prescription medication -- in public at that time, explaining that the court needed to see her as a stable person who didn't need to turn to pills to take the edge off when things got stressful. Chloe clarified that she was taking medication to stimulate milk production so she could nurse Holly.
"You're trying to nurse Nicole's baby? Are you out of your mind?" Belle asked incredulously. She warned Chloe that nursing was a very intimate experience that could cause her to grow bonded to Holly. "I already am bonded," Chloe admitted. Nodding sympathetically, Belle said she could tell that was the case. She wondered what Chloe would do if the court ordered Holly to be returned to Nicole. "If that day comes, then we'll deal with that then. But for right now, Holly needs me, and I'm gonna take care of her the best way I know how!" Chloe insisted.
Belle maintained that Chloe needed to be careful. Chloe ignored the warning, musing that she was starting to feel something. Belle doubted that the medication could have stimulated milk production that quickly, but Chloe insisted that she recognized the feeling from when she had nursed Parker. When Chloe reached for Holly, Belle abruptly excused herself, not wanting to be present for the private moment.
Shortly after Belle left the pub, Nicole arrived and saw what Chloe was doing. As Chloe encouraged Holly, assuring her, "Mommy loves you so much," Nicole approached her in shock. "You have got to be kidding me. Give me my baby, you crazy bitch!" Nicole demanded.
At the hospital, Abigail urged Andre to wake up, stressing that she and Chad both needed him. She conceded that he wasn't a perfect person; she added, however, that he had shown he had a good heart when he had helped her fake her death at the risk of his relationship with his brother, and she would always be grateful to him for that. After leaving Andre's room, she returned to the nurses' station to look for Chad, but he was nowhere to be found.
After dropping Arianna off at Lucas' place, Gabi sneaked into the Kiriakis mansion and located the wall safe in the living room. With the help of a stethoscope, she quickly figured out the combination. She grabbed the external hard drive but scattered a few other items on the floor in the process. As she was returning them to the safe, Chad entered the room. She started to make up a story to explain what she was doing, but he could tell that she was lying. Noticing that she was holding something behind her back, he insisted that she needed to give it to him right away because it was rightfully his. She refused. As they were arguing, they heard footsteps in the foyer. They ducked into a nearby closet to avoid getting caught.
Deimos entered the living room and poured himself a drink at the bar. Sensing that something was amiss, he did a quick check of the room to satisfy his curiosity. After he left the room, Chad and Gabi emerged from the closet and bolted toward the exit. When they opened the living room door that led to the foyer, they found Deimos on the other side, blocking their path to the front door -- and holding a gun in his hand.
In the Brady Pub, a furious Nicole lashed out at Chloe when she saw Chloe attempting to breastfeed Holly. Chloe asked Nicole not to make a scene so that Holly could nurse in peace. Nicole told Chloe that she was sick. Shaking her head, Chloe said it was not sick to bond with "your baby." Nicole warned Chloe that bonding with Holly would make it more difficult to give her up. Chloe said that until the court made a decision about the baby, she had every right to nurse Holly.
Nicole stared at Chloe until Chloe noted that she was uncomfortable. After taking a deep breath, Nicole apologized and said she knew that Chloe wanted what was best for Holly. Nicole explained that she was jealous that she could not nurse Holly. Through tears, Nicole thanked Chloe for caring about Holly so much. Nicole asked Chloe not to forget that Holly was Nicole's baby. When Chloe said that she still planned to keep Holly away from Deimos, Nicole said she understood and agreed with Chloe.
Curious, Chloe asked Nicole if her wedding was off. Nicole said she was having second thoughts about spending her life with Deimos because Holly's safety was her first priority. Unsure, Chloe said she was worried that Nicole needed to work through some issues first. Nicole agreed. Softening, Nicole asked Chloe if she could hold her daughter. Chloe looked over at a nearby police officer and asked him to escort Nicole out because she was harassing her. Nicole argued that Holly was her daughter.
The police officer asked Nicole to leave, and he threatened to arrest her if she did not go. "You can go to hell," Nicole said to Chloe quietly. As Nicole walked out with the officer, Chloe grew teary-eyed. After a phone call, Nicole met up with Justin in the park. Nicole begged for Justin to help her get custody of her daughter. Nicole said that Chloe was breastfeeding Holly and shutting her out of Holly's life.
Nicole asked Justin to push the court to order a psychological evaluation of Chloe. Justin warned Nicole that she was playing into Chloe's hands because Chloe wanted Nicole to lash out and give Chloe ammunition to show that Nicole was an unfit parent. Justin advised Nicole to play it cool with Chloe. With a nod, Nicole agreed.
In Andre's room at the hospital, Abigail sat at Andre's bedside and begged him to fight. Andre groaned and opened his eyes. When Abigail asked Andre if he remembered what had happened, Andre mumbled that he believed something had been in the Champagne. Andre asked about Chad. Abigail assured Andre that Chad was fine, but he had disappeared. Andre cautioned Abigail to trust Chad's judgment. Unsure, Abigail said she needed to check on Chad. As Abigail turned to leave, J.J. walked into the room and said he wanted to question Andre.
Andre haltingly told his story, but he said he believed he had suffered an allergic reaction. J.J. said that Andre had been poisoned. Andre feigned surprise. J.J. added that Dario had also been attacked at the same time, and he did not believe that was a coincidence. J.J. said he knew that there was a problem with the Kiriakis, DiMera, and Hernandez families, and he wanted to help stop the violence.
After escorting J.J. into the hallway, Abigail asked him to back off of Andre. J.J. warned Abigail to think about the danger to her family. Upset, Abigail told J.J. that the three families were fighting over a camera-hacking program on a hard drive called the Orwell.
In the Kiriakis living room, Deimos held Chad and Gabi at gunpoint. Gabi hid the Orwell hard drive behind her back and lied that she had been at the house to look for some of Arianna's toys. Chad stood in between Deimos and Gabi and reasoned aloud that Deimos would not shoot them. Deimos countered that he could legally shoot intruders in his house. Angry, Deimos screamed that they needed to hand over the Orwell or else he would shoot them. Reluctantly, Gabi handed the Orwell drive to Deimos. Deimos asked for the key.
Confused, Chad asked Deimos what he meant. When Deimos continued to scream, a nervous Gabi pulled a key out of her purse and put it on the table. Deimos yelled that that was not the key he wanted. Chad stressed that he did not know what Deimos wanted. Unfazed, Deimos ordered Chad and Gabi to stop lying and give him the key. Chad begged Deimos to believe that they did not know anything about a key.
Chad argued that Deimos had the upper hand and that he would not risk Gabi's life over a key. Still pointing the gun at Chad's chest, Deimos argued that the key had been stolen by one of their families. Deimos said he planned to use Chad and Gabi as hostages in order to secure the return of the key. Chad pleaded with Deimos to leave Gabi alone, but Deimos refused. While Chad and Deimos yelled at one another, Gabi slipped off her necklace and dropped it on the living room floor as a clue for someone to find.
With his gun trained on Chad and Gabi, Deimos escorted the two to a secluded closet. Deimos said that if Chad and Gabi did not have the key, one of their family members likely did. Smirking, Deimos joked that Gabi should not have too much fun with Chad because he was a married man. Chad asked again for Deimos to release Gabi, but Deimos refused. Deimos ordered Chad and Gabi to hand over their phones then he took a photo of them for proof of life.
After Deimos locked Chad and Gabi in the closet, Chad explained that the key had to have been the shipment that had been expected at the docks. When Chad asked about the key that Gabi had given Deimos, she explained that it was a key to the mansion. Chad asked for specifics, and Gabi explained that she and Abigail had copied Sonny's key. Gabi told Chad that she and Abigail had eavesdropped on Chad, Dario, and Sonny at the club and had learned about the hard drive. As Chad dropped his head in frustration, Gabi continued that she and Abigail had planned to destroy the hard drive to save the families from a war.
With a sigh, Chad said he understood why Gabi and Abigail had felt like they had needed to protect their families, "especially in light of Andre and Dario." Concerned, Gabi asked what had happened to Dario. Chad told Gabi that someone had attacked Dario, and he was in surgery. Freaked out, Gabi started to bang on the door and scream for someone to let her out. Chad grabbed Gabi and held her tightly to calm her down. Changing the subject to distract Gabi, Chad asked how she had cracked the safe.
Calmed, Gabi smirked at Chad. Gabi wondered aloud if anyone in their families had the key. Chad suggested that Eduardo was the most likely candidate to know about the key. With a nod, Gabi said that if Eduardo knew where to find the key, then he would hand it over. Gabi added that she had dropped her necklace in the living room to leave as a clue. Sulking in the corner, Chad muttered. Reading Chad's face, Gabi asked him if he thought Deimos would kill them regardless.
In the foyer of the Kiriakis mansion, Henderson admitted J.J. and Abigail inside. J.J. asked Henderson if he had heard anything in the house that evening, but Henderson explained that he had taken a sleeping pill and had fallen asleep. J.J. asked Abigail to leave, and she reluctantly agreed once J.J. promised to tell her anything he learned about Chad. After questioning Henderson, J.J. spotted Gabi's necklace on the living room carpet. J.J. called Gabi and left her a voicemail about the necklace.
At the hospital, Eduardo ran into Kate and told her about the attack on Dario. Kate told Eduardo that Andre had been poisoned. The two agreed that the attacks were not a coincidence. Eduardo blamed Deimos. Kate suggested that the Hernandez and DiMera families stick together and provide a united front against their common enemy. When Kate asked for a strategy, Eduardo said he was too worried about Dario to think about a plan of attack. Kate reassured Eduardo that Dario was tough like his father and would pull through. Touched, Eduardo thanked Kate for her kindness.
Kate returned with coffee and a snack from the vending machine for Eduardo. When Eduardo told Kate that she could leave to be with Andre, Kate shook her head no. Kate explained that Abigail was with Andre, and Eduardo was stuck with her. Eduardo told Kate she was a good person. Smirking, Kate said, "Unless by good you mean a deceitful opportunist who only looks out for herself."
Eduardo shrugged and said he did not think that. When Eduardo attempted to explain again that he had made a mistake, Kate cut him off. Eduardo stressed that he did not see Kate as an opportunist and he was sorry he had doubted her. Kate said she had hoped that Eduardo would see that they had a special relationship. "We're two of a kind, and if we ever get around to trusting each other, we'd be unstoppable. That's the truth," Eduardo said.
After talking to Dario's doctor, Eduardo returned to Kate at the nurses' station. Smiling, Eduardo shared the good news that Dario was in recovery and doing well. Kate urged Eduardo to think about his son's good health. Eduardo and Kate's phones beeped with a text message from Deimos asking them to meet with him in Andre's hospital room.
In Andre's hospital room, Kate walked over to Andre's bedside as Eduardo lingered by the door. Andre asked about Dario. Eduardo noted that Dario had pulled through surgery and would recover. With a nod, Andre said he was surprised to see Eduardo in his room. Deimos entered the room with a bouquet of flowers and said he could explain. Upset, Eduardo growled a warning at Deimos. Deimos countered that he'd had to respond to the ship sabotage and his attempted murder. Andre reminded Deimos that he already had the Orwell. Deimos asked about the key. When Eduardo, Andre, and Kate said nothing, Deimos showed his photo of Gabi and Chad.
"If you ever wish to see them alive again, you will give me the damn key!" Deimos barked. Furious, Eduardo attacked Deimos. Kate intervened and warned Eduardo to back off. Deimos reminded Eduardo that violence was not the answer when he did not know where to find Gabi. Eduardo let go of Deimos. Angry, Andre struggled to get out of bed and screamed that he would rip Deimos limb from limb. Kate rushed over to Andre and placed a hand on his chest until he settled down.
Deimos announced that he would free Chad and Gabi once they handed over the key. Kate argued that they did not know anything about the key, but Deimos disagreed. Deimos decreed that they had 48 hours to locate the key, or they would never see Chad or Gabi again.
At the Salem Inn, Drew Donovan ranted to Jennifer about how he was the key to decode the Orwell device and how Deimos had threatened to hurt his wife, Camilla. Jennifer warned Drew not to scream himself sick. Cackling, Drew said he would make the Orwell device sick. Drew jumped onto the computer and got to work on creating a computer virus for the Orwell. After a photo of his wife popped up on the computer screen, Drew had second thoughts about betraying Deimos.
Jennifer suggested that she could text Drew's wife to let her know that he was okay. When Jennifer urged Drew to continue his work, Drew refused until he heard back from Camilla. Jennifer's phone beeped, and she gasped when she looked at the screen. As Drew rushed to Jennifer's side, Jennifer showed Drew the text message from his wife, and they texted Camilla back. Relieved, Drew returned to work. Jennifer's phone beeped again with a notification about the attacks on Andre and Dario. Jennifer urged Drew to hurry up and destroy the Orwell before it was too late.
