At Victor's new club, Rafe rushed in to break up a fight between Nicole and Serena. Eric and Daniel were close behind, and they held Serena and Nicole back, respectively. The women started hurling accusations at each other as the men struggled to figure out what had happened. A woman approached the group and claimed that she had seen the whole thing -- and, in her opinion, Nicole had indeed spilled a drink on Serena purposely.
Rafe interrogated the woman and quickly determined that she hadn't really seen much at all. Serena started arguing with Nicole again but soon decided to just drop the matter and go somewhere else with Eric instead. Eric glared at Nicole as he eagerly agreed to Serena's plan. Rafe apologized on Nicole's behalf, explaining that she could sometimes let her temper get the best of her.
After Eric and Serena left, Nicole started to complain about Rafe's lack of support, but Daniel pulled her aside and advised her to give Rafe a break. Daniel suggested that it would be best for him and Nicole to leave, so she reluctantly apologized to Rafe before following Daniel outside. "Why, Daniel? Why am I always the one that has to say 'I'm sorry'?" Nicole wondered, but Daniel didn't offer an answer.
When Daniel and Nicole returned to his apartment, she wondered if he truly believed, as he had said at the club, that she hadn't purposely spilled a drink on Serena. Daniel confirmed that he did, and Nicole gratefully hugged and kissed him. Daniel eventually pulled away and suggested that he and Nicole could retreat to her hotel room for a while, since Melanie could return at any moment. Nicole agreed and admitted that Daniel's support meant a lot, but when she started complaining that Serena was a psycho, she quickly realized that she didn't have his full support.
Nicole wanted to know that Daniel shared her feelings of hatred for Serena, but he wasn't willing to assign such a strong emotion to someone who had simply made a mistake. Daniel offered to track Serena down at the hospital the following day and tell her to stay away from Nicole, but Nicole insisted that she didn't need his help -- she needed him to be on her side. Daniel countered that what Nicole needed to do was accept the fact that Serena was going to be in Eric's life for the foreseeable future. Nicole stressed that the matter had nothing to do with Eric, but Daniel maintained that he wasn't willing to hate Serena just to please Nicole.
Nicole nodded and abruptly excused herself, ignoring Daniel's attempt to try to stop her. In the hallway, Nicole muttered that there was still one other person Serena hadn't managed to fool. Nicole went to a secluded section of the town square and placed a phone call to someone. "I've given it some thought, and I have decided...yes, I do want all the dirt you've got on Serena Mason. If you want to bring that bitch down, I am the right person for the job," Nicole assured her anonymous source.
In Eric's apartment, Eric ranted about Nicole for a while before eventually agreeing to Serena's plan to refrain from talking about Nicole for the rest of the night. Serena suggested that she and Eric could instead spend the night looking through his art collection and reminiscing about their days in the Congo. Eric liked the idea but hesitantly explained that most of his art pieces were in his bedroom.
Serena assured Eric that she knew he wanted to take things slowly -- and that she still wanted to see his art collection regardless. However, Serena soon found herself talking about Nicole again, so she decided to just go back to the Salem Inn and try to get some rest instead, since she didn't want to spoil the rest of Eric's night.
"Serena...we deserve to be happy... And I'm not gonna let that woman wreck what we could have," Eric vowed before showing Serena out. Serena paused in the town square to use her tablet computer to research Nicole's past. "Whoa. This is who I'm up against," Serena muttered as she stared at the screen in disbelief.
After receiving a text message from Daniel, Eric contacted the doctor, who hoped Nicole and Serena could eventually find a way to get past their animosity for each other. "Daniel, I know I shouldn't say this, but, frankly, I know Nicole. ... I know you're dating her now, but I have to be honest -- I think you're gonna be sorry for ever getting involved with that woman. She's poison," Eric warned Daniel. "I think you're right, Eric -- I think you shouldn't have said what you just did. Goodnight," Daniel replied before ending the call.
Kate ran into Abigail outside the Brady Pub and seized the opportunity to apologize for causing a scene at the press conference. Abigail believed Jordan was the one who deserved an apology, but Kate scoffed and insisted that would never happen. Abigail curiously mused that she didn't understand how someone like Kate could be jealous of someone like Jordan. Kate denied the accusation, clarifying that she simply didn't -- and never would -- like Jordan.
T and Ben nervously complained about all the money Sonny had lost to the new club that night. T hoped business would pick up again once interest in the new place died down. Ben agreed, admitting that he couldn't afford to lose his job. "Ah, relax. You don't have to worry about losing your job -- not as long as I'm dating your sister," Chad interjected as he entered Club TBD.
Ben rose to his feet in anger, but T held him back. Chad apologized and claimed that he had really only wanted to find out if Ben had patched things up with Jordan yet. Chad continued making vaguely antagonistic comments -- including one about Clyde buying Ben's silence -- until Ben finally ran out of patience and grabbed Chad's jacket collar -- just as Abigail arrived and demanded to know what was going on.
Ben let go of Chad's jacket and explained that Chad seemed to believe he could get away with saying whatever he wanted to say about Ben and Jordan. Chad innocently clarified that, while some of his remarks might have been worded poorly, he simply wanted Ben to smooth things over with Jordan because he knew Ben meant a lot to her. "Grow a pair and apologize," Chad advised before exiting the club.
Ben sighed and reluctantly admitted that Chad was right. Ben wanted to track his sister down and apologize right away, but Abigail suggested that he could postpone the search so they could instead go out and have some fun somewhere. T encouraged Ben to leave work early, since they didn't have any customers, anyway. Abigail gratefully promised to find someone for T to go on a date with so Ben could cover for T next time.
Jordan was sitting in her office, thinking about what Clyde had said earlier, when he suddenly barged in and admitted that it had been wrong of him to tell her about her mother's pregnancy in the foul, hurtful manner he had chosen. Clyde acknowledged that he wasn't always good at controlling his temper -- and that what he had done had gone far beyond the pale. "Well, it wasn't the first time," Jordan pointed out.
Clyde conceded the point and observed that Jordan was clearly hurting. Clyde claimed that he was sorry about that, and he stressed that he had only donated money to Jordan's charity project to make her happy -- although the possibility of impressing Ben had been an added bonus, of course. Jordan sarcastically observed that Clyde's noble efforts to right past wrongs sounded downright Christian.
Clyde insisted that he didn't want any trouble. "All right, well, guess what -- you're not gonna get any from me. But thank you for this little talk because it's great to be reminded of what Tammy Sue is capable of. I'm not sure why I ever tried to change. Tammy Sue was a -- Tammy Sue is a strong person who knows how to fight, and trust me, I will not forget that again," Jordan vowed before walking away. When Jordan returned to her office, Clyde was gone -- but Chad was waiting with a dress so he could take her out somewhere.
Clyde met with Jeremiah in the park. Jeremiah reported that Victor's truckers had decided to fight Clyde's truckers for control of the docks earlier that night -- and had lost badly because Clyde's truckers had been armed with chains and tire irons. Jeremiah predicted that Victor would finally get the message after seeing the extent of the injuries. "Oh, loud and clear. It's time for that old man to get out of my way," Clyde insisted.
Later, Clyde took Kate to Victor's new club to celebrate the overwhelmingly positive aftermath of the revelation that Clyde was the hospital charity project's anonymous donor. Rafe icily informed Clyde and Kate that they would have to sit at the bar because all the tables had already been taken. Kate observed that Ben and Abigail's table had room for more, so she and Clyde invited themselves to join the young couple instead.
The group was sharing a laugh when Chad and Jordan arrived a short time later. Jordan surveyed the scene before abruptly rushing back out of the club. Ben chased after his sister, and Abigail started to follow him, but Chad stopped her and insisted that she couldn't keep running to her boyfriend's rescue. Meanwhile, Ben caught up to Jordan outside, and she demanded to know what Clyde had done to him.
While Clyde and Kate were waiting for Ben and Abigail to return, Rafe approached their table and revealed that their drinks were on the house that night. Clyde tried to decline the offer, but Rafe insisted -- and added that after that night, Clyde and Kate would never again be welcome in the establishment.
Will caught up with Paul in a secluded section of Horton Town Square. Paul reiterated that he didn't think he could go through with the plan to reveal his sexuality in Will's article. Will guessed that Paul was concerned about family members learning the truth. "It would destroy my grandfather if he found out that his grandson was a -- a dousei ai," Paul insisted.
Will guessed that the unfamiliar word was the Japanese word for "homosexual," and Paul confirmed the suspicion. "But I might as well say that in English, though. I mean, my grandfather is never gonna understand. Not his grandson -- no way. ... In Japan, there are long traditions, customs -- there are expectations. And having your son or grandson hook up with another man is not one of them," Paul insisted.
Will understood but pointed out that Paul had been raised -- and would probably spend the rest of his life -- in America, where things were different. Speaking from experience, Will advised that Paul needed to give the Naritas a chance because family love ran deep -- and it could save Paul. "Oh, my God. What is that? Is that the title of your article? All you want is some puff piece -- 'Family Love: Everything Works Out in the End.' All you care about is your damn story!" Paul snapped incredulously.
"Paul, we're talking about your life here. To hell with the article! If you don't want me to write anything about you being gay, it's gone. I have plenty on you -- your life as a player, your career, your background, your sudden retirement," Will assured Paul. Paul apologized and admitted with a sigh that, while everything had seemed simple when he had originally agreed to reveal the truth about his sexuality in the article, it had all gotten overwhelming since then.
Will suggested that things might just appear that way, and he offered to talk it through with Paul to help put it all in perspective. Paul agreed but wanted to continue the conversation elsewhere. Will suggested heading back to his office at Sonix, but Paul said that place was too public. "If you want to talk, we're gonna go back to my hotel," Paul insisted. Will forced a smile and nodded in agreement.
A short time later, Will and Paul were sitting across from each other at a table in Paul's hotel room. Paul stressed that he hadn't been jerking Will around when he had agreed to share the details of his sexuality in Will's article. Will suspected that Paul had simply been struggling since then with doubts about whether doing so would be worth it in the end. Will reasoned that only Paul could make that decision. "Do you want to live your life being the person that you really are...or do you want to keep living a lie?" Will wondered.
Paul pondered the question and asked if Will had ever had any regrets about revealing to the world that he was gay. "Just that I didn't do it sooner. You know, it's funny when I think about how many people -- you know, when I told them, how many people -- they -- they took a second, and then they just said, 'Well, okay, then,'" Will recalled with a laugh. Paul doubted that the process would go as smoothly for him.
Will pointed out that Paul's life was already about to change in drastic ways, and he predicted that those changes would just make it harder for Paul to pretend with women in the future. Paul clarified that he'd never had to pretend with women. "Neither did I...until one day I realized that using another person is -- is unfair, not just to them, but to -- to both of us. I really hurt a lot of people, Paul," Will admitted.
"But how many people did you hurt by coming out?" Paul wondered. Will stressed that most people had been understanding, but he admitted that a few people had either been upset with him for not revealing the truth to them sooner or had taken a while to get accustomed to the idea and realize that he was still the same person he had always been. Paul still couldn't believe that things would work out as well for him.
Will conceded that things would be different for Paul -- who, unlike Will, was famous and lived in a very macho world in which some blowback would need to be expected -- but maintained that if the whole thing was played the right way, Paul could use the announcement to his favor, make a big difference in a lot of people's lives, and help a lot of kids who were struggling with the same internal hatred Will had once struggled with. "Sometimes it just takes one hero to stand up and say, 'I'm gay -- and it's okay,'" Will concluded.
Paul grinned and asked if Will could guarantee that Paul would meet the man of his dreams and live happily ever after if he announced to the world that he was gay. "I did. Why can't you?" Will reasoned with a shrug. Surprised, Paul wondered what Will was talking about. Will explained that he and the man he had told Paul about earlier -- the one whose support had been crucial when Will had been struggling to accept himself as a gay man -- had been together for a couple years.
Paul incredulously asked if that was the only relationship Will had ever had with a man. "Yeah, well, I -- I love him, you know? He's -- he's right for me," Will explained as he stood and moved away from the table. "Well, if he's so right, then why did you sleep with me?" Paul countered. Will stressed that what had happened between him and Paul shouldn't have happened.
Will started to say something else about his personal life, but Paul interrupted and guessed that Will was about to say it was off-limits. "Don't be a hypocrite, Will. I mean, you used your personal life to get me to announce to the world that I'm gay. I mean, you talk like you're some kind of expert, but besides me, you've only been with one guy," Paul pointed out as he stood and took a few steps toward Will.
"You say that like it's wrong somehow. I fell in love with the first man I got involved with. It was right -- for both of us. It still is," Will insisted. Paul once again wondered why Will had slept with him if that were the case, prompting Will to firmly reiterate that their one-night stand should not have happened.
"And you never say that you didn't want it to or that you didn't like it, and you never say that you don't want it to happen again," Paul pointedly observed as he closed the remaining distance between himself and Will until they were just inches apart from each other.
In Paul's hotel room, Paul called Will a hypocrite for not wanting to talk about his personal life when Will was pushing him to talk about his sexuality. Will was defensive. Paul walked closer to Will and asked him why he had not said that he did not want to sleep with Paul again. Will stood there in silence. Paul kissed Will, and Will kissed him back. As the two men started to take off one another's clothes, Will thought of his wedding vows to Sonny. Will stopped and pulled away from Paul.
Will said that it was wrong to sleep with Paul again. Paul was frustrated and sighed heavily. When Will suggested that they talk about the article, Paul growled that he was tired of talking about himself. Will reminded Paul that he had never had trouble talking to the press before and that Paul needed to stop running from himself. Angry, Paul accused Will of wanting a story rather than what was best for Paul.
"Are you saying that you won't do the article unless I sleep with you again?" asked Will. Surprised, Paul lashed out and petulantly wondered aloud what Will would do if he said yes. "Is that a reason to cross the line again?" Paul asked. As Will stared with his mouth open, Paul shook his head and apologized.
With a sigh, Paul said that Will had never mentioned that he was involved with another man. When Paul asked Will why he had cheated, Will explained that he had been flattered that someone like Paul had been attracted to him. Will stressed that he would accept whatever decision Paul made about coming out but that Paul needed to make a decision soon so that Will could write the article.
"You really think me coming out publicly could help people?" Paul asked. Will said he did. Will reminded Paul that things had turned out well for other gay athletes like Jason Collins and Michael Sam. Reluctantly, Paul agreed to come out in Will's article. Paul asked Will for time to think about what he wanted to say in the article. Will nodded. With a sad smile, Paul told Will that he was glad he had met him. Will agreed.
After Will left the hotel, Paul called his mother, Tori, and asked her to visit him in Salem with his grandfather. Paul's smile fell away as his mother denied his request. An agitated Tori said firmly that she was too busy to travel. Paul pleaded, but Tori said no and hung up the phone. With a sigh, Paul muttered to himself that his family would learn that he was gay in Will's article, just like everyone else.
At Sonny and Will's apartment, John and Marlena spent some time playing with Arianna until Sonny tucked her into bed for the night. When John said that he had hoped to see Will, Sonny noted that Will was consumed with the article he was writing. John nodded. Changing subjects, John told Sonny about his offer from the Salem Police Department. Sonny asked John if he would have to give up his company to join the force. John said no. Smiling, Sonny told John that he looked like he had already made up his mind about the job.
John turned to Marlena and said that the decision was his and Marlena's to make. Marlena countered that she wanted John to do whatever made him happy. With a grin, John wondered aloud what he had done to deserve Marlena. The happy couple kissed then left for the night.
As Sonny reviewed bills on his computer, Will returned home. Sonny was frustrated by the bills. Sonny informed Will that because of Victor's new club opening, Club TBD had lost money for the first time since it had opened. Will was surprised to hear that Victor had a club. Sonny explained that Victor had offered the club to him but that he had not accepted the offer because he did not want a handout. Will started to comment on the money that Sonny had lost and caught himself.
The comment had touched a nerve. Sonny argued about the money he had lost and how much he hated to have Will remind him of it. Defensive, Will countered that they were partners and that the expenses were not Sonny's responsibility alone. Sonny was frustrated and argued that his luck had run out. With a groan, Sonny wondered aloud if he had been lucky with Club TBD and whether he was doomed to failure. Before Will could calm Sonny down, Sonny marched into the bedroom.
Marlena and John stopped by Club TBD and were surprised to find that they were the only customers in the place. With a furrowed brow, Marlena told John that she was worried that something bad was going on between Will and Sonny.
In the Kiriakis living room, an employee named Damon spoke to Victor about trouble down on the docks. Someone had beaten another employee so badly that he had almost died. Damon wondered aloud who could have ordered the beating. Narrowing his eyes, Victor said that the culprit was likely Clyde Weston. When Victor explained that Clyde had expanded the drug trade into riverfront park, explicitly defying an agreement among all the drug dealers in the town, Damon bristled. Victor assured Damon that he would handle Clyde.
At Victor's club, Rafe told Clyde and Kate that their drinks were on the house but that they needed to leave the club because they were not welcome. When Kate asked Rafe if his request was because of Jordan, Rafe explained that as the manager, he had a right to refuse service. Clyde accused Rafe of acting out of jealousy over Kate. Rafe guffawed. Rafe said that he had stopped caring about Kate when she had invited Clyde to live in Salem. Kate cautioned Rafe to remember that she and Clyde had sway with the media and could hurt the club if he threw them out.
Across the room, Jordan told Ben that she was upset that Ben had grown chummy with Clyde. Ben argued that Clyde had changed. Jordan countered that Clyde was buying Ben's affection and that she did not believe Clyde was capable of changing for the better. When Ben asked Jordan why she was so sure Clyde was a lost cause, Jordan thought about Clyde's threat to tell Ben that she had killed their mother and unborn brother. Jordan backed off and told Ben that she was scared of losing him.
Nearby, Abigail and Chad argued about Ben. Chad called Ben a liar because he had been untruthful when he had first arrived in Salem. Abigail argued that Chad did not understand Ben. When Chad reminded Abigail that her previous DiMera boyfriends had been bad for her, Abigail swore that Ben was different. Chad added the he believed all the bad things he had heard about Clyde, and he did not understand why Ben had chosen to trust Clyde. Chad added that Abigail had not confided in Ben about her past relationships with Chad or E.J. until she had been pushed into talking to Ben. Abigail warned Chad that her relationship with Ben was not Chad's business.
Abigail and Ben joined Kate and Clyde at their table while they were talking to Rafe. Kate pointed out Chad across the bar and asked Rafe if he planned to kick out the DiMera as a bad element as well. With a sigh, Rafe walked away. Clyde took Kate's hand and told Ben that he would leave Ben alone with Abigail. A grinning Clyde escorted Kate to a table in the corner. Ben and Abigail talked about how Jordan appeared stressed.
At the bar, Rafe chatted with Jordan and Chad. Rafe pointed at a nearby table and offered to send a server over to them. Rafe spotted Victor enter the bar with Maggie, and he walked over to greet them. Victor was annoyed to see Chad in the club, and he announced his displeasure that Chad was spying for Stefano. Maggie cautioned Victor to remember that Chad was young and likely just at the club to enjoy his date with Jordan.
"What's worse than a DiMera?" Victor asked as his eyes spotted Clyde across the room. Victor asked Rafe to help him chase Clyde and Chad out of the club. As Rafe shrugged, Victor admitted that he did not have the temperament for the hospitality industry. Rafe told Victor about Kate's threat to turn the press against the club. Rafe asked Victor if he had any ammunition against Clyde.
While Kate went outside to take a phone call, Victor approached Clyde at his table. Victor warned Clyde that when he had attacked one of Victor's employees, he had attacked Victor. Victor stressed that his workers were his family. Clyde argued that Victor needed to get out of Clyde's way. Clyde added that the man at the docks was at fault for what had happened. As Victor narrowed his eyes, Clyde said that the beating had just been business.
Clyde suggested that Victor be content with his legal business and let his illegal business transfer over to Clyde. With a grin, Clyde wished Victor well in his retirement. Maggie interrupted to introduce herself and thank Clyde for his generous donation to the hospital.
On her way back to her table, Kate stopped to talk to Jordan and Chad. Kate pushed Jordan's buttons by commenting how lovely it was to see Jordan spend time with her family. Through gritted teeth, Jordan pointedly said that she was in the club to spend time with Chad. Kate commented that Jordan's dress looked even better on her than it had on the computer when Chad had ordered it. When Kate commented that Rafe's new job suited him, Jordan growled, "I wouldn't know." Kate walked on. Chad suggested to Jordan that they leave the club.
As Maggie and Victor left the club, Maggie stopped to say goodbye to Abigail. Victor walked over to Rafe and told him that he would handle Clyde. Rafe cautioned Victor not to do anything stupid.
On their way out, Abigail and Ben stopped by Clyde and Kate's table to thank them for the drinks. Clyde said, "I'm proud of you, son." Ben responded, "Goodnight, Dad." Clyde's face looked confused, and Ben hurried out with Abigail. Noting the strange look on Clyde's face, Kate asked what was wrong. Clyde explained that Ben had never called him "Dad" once in his life. Smiling, Kate told Clyde that she was happy for him. Clyde beamed. When Kate asked about Clyde's chat with Victor, Clyde said things were fine. Kate warned Clyde that the hate in Victor's eyes was rivaled only by the hate in Victor's eyes when he looked at Stefano.
Abigail and Ben walked through the town square on their way home. Ben marveled that he had called Clyde "Dad." When Abigail questioned why he was surprised, Ben explained that he had never called Clyde "Dad," even when he had been locked in his room as a child for refusing to call Clyde his dad. Ben shared his fear that Clyde had not changed and that Jordan was right. Abigail advised Ben to give Clyde a chance if Ben wanted to have a relationship with his father.
In the park, Chad and Jordan joked about how they needed to go on a date where no one knew them. Jordan thanked Chad for making her feel like Cinderella when he had bought her the dress. Chad promised that he would not let anyone hurt their relationship, including Clyde.
When Maggie and Victor returned home to the mansion, Maggie asked Victor about Clyde. Victor scowled. When Maggie asked Victor if he was jealous, Victor joked that he was. Seeing Maggie's face quiver, Victor assured Maggie that he was not jealous over Kate. Victor explained that he had a terrible gut feeling about Clyde. Maggie reminded Victor that Clyde had made a generous donation to the hospital.
As Paige and Daphne entered the student union at Salem University, Daphne revealed that she'd learned that Bev had, indeed, been out of town during the holidays and therefore couldn't have slept with J.J. Just then, J.J. and Rory showed up. J.J. greeted Paige cordially, but she was clearly not pleased to see him.
When Rory and J.J. walked away, Rory remarked on Paige's iciness toward her ex. Rory rambled on and on about how much more fun it would be to go to college parties, since J.J. was single again. J.J. cut Rory off, and Rory wanted to know what had happened to turn J.J. into "such a drag." J.J. admitted that he'd made the worst mistake of his life -- and then he'd repeated it.
Paige and Daphne tried to figure out whom J.J. had hooked up with if it hadn't been Bev. Daphne wondered if it had been someone J.J. had previously dated, and the light dawned in Paige's eyes. "Oh, my God, I don't know why I didn't think of her before!" Paige exclaimed as she hurried off.
Daniel was at home, asking Nicole by text message to call him so they could discuss the previous night, when Jennifer stopped by to talk to him about J.J. She admitted that she'd been worried about seeming presumptuous to ask for Daniel's help, but he reassured her that he didn't think that. Jennifer confided that J.J. and Paige were having problems.
Even though Jennifer didn't know what had happened and didn't need to know the details, she thought J.J. needed to talk to someone. Daniel offered to talk to J.J. for Jennifer while he was on campus later to set up a lecture. Jennifer was grateful that she could still count on Daniel, even after everything that had happened between them.
After a dream involving hypodermic needles, Theresa awakened with a gasp next to Clint, the guy she'd picked up in Horton Square the night before. When Clint said that as much as he would like to, he couldn't spend all day in bed with Theresa, she assumed that he was blowing her off. Clint clarified his intentions with a suggestion that they meet up later that day.
Brady and Melanie went to Club TBD so they could discuss whether they should date or not. Melanie admitted that the attraction that had arisen out of their friendship had surprised her, but the idea of being together seemed right, and she thought they should give it a chance. Brady agreed. Relieved, Melanie declared that they had "crossed the Rubicon" -- although she clarified that there was no pressure if things didn't work out between them.
With a laugh, Melanie confessed that she'd never put that much effort into making a decision before. Brady said it was good they had, because there was a lot at stake -- not to mention the "wild card," Theresa. Brady explained that he was worried that Theresa would lash out if she found out he was dating Melanie. Melanie agreed she was also concerned that Theresa would do so by saying something to Daniel -- so Melanie wanted to talk to her dad right away, before Theresa learned the truth.
Brady didn't think that was a good idea because he didn't want to hurt his good friend Daniel's feelings, but Melanie felt she owed it to her dad to be honest with him. Brady offered to go with Melanie, but she declined. Brady was holding Melanie's hand across the table when Jennifer walked in. After a moment of awkwardness, Melanie claimed that she'd just been complaining to Brady about work. After Jennifer walked away, Brady agreed that Daniel definitely needed to know before the whole town figured things out. Melanie left to talk to her dad.
Daniel tracked J.J. down at Salem University and asked, "Would you like to go to my place and talk?" An excited Rory assumed that he was invited, too, but J.J. quickly set him straight. Back at Daniel's apartment, Daniel asked if J.J. wanted to talk about breaking up with Paige. J.J. guessed that his mom had put Daniel up to it, but Daniel said that Jennifer was just worried that J.J. was keeping too much bottled up inside. He assured J.J. that whatever they discussed would remain private.
J.J. confessed that he would like to talk, but he had screwed up again and couldn't really talk about it yet. Daniel asked if there were anything he could do to help. J.J. maintained that there was no way to make things right with Paige -- who could never find out what had happened. Daniel suggested that J.J. could help alleviate Paige's pain as well as J.J.'s if he simply apologized for hurting her.
Paige went to the hospital and paced near the nurses' station until Theresa arrived for work. Keeping her tone friendly, Paige noted that Theresa hadn't visited much since Eve and Paige had returned from California. With a shrug, Theresa pointed out that she and her sister weren't very close. Paige asked if Theresa had been avoiding her because of what Theresa had done. Momentarily puzzled, Theresa finally guessed what Paige had meant. "Look, honey, don't blame me. It was your mother's idea," Theresa explained lightly.
Paige's eyes widened in shock. She was further horrified when Theresa went on and on about it as if it had been no big deal to either her or Eve. Theresa asked Paige not to say anything about it to Kimberly, even though in Theresa's estimation, Kimberly would have done the same thing when she'd been Theresa's age. Sickened, Paige started to leave, but Theresa maintained that Paige was overreacting. "You got a nice trip out of it, right? I mean, who wouldn't want to swap out Salem for California?" Theresa noted.
Theresa added that although she had exaggerated Grandpa Shane's condition, it had turned out great for everyone. "You were talking about Grandpa?" Paige asked, relieved but still nervous. Theresa suggested that Paige seemed stressed and perhaps should drop a class or two. Insisting she was fine, Paige asked, "When was the last time you saw J.J.?" Theresa was taken aback, but Paige wondered if perhaps Theresa and J.J. had hung out while Paige had been in California. Theresa reminded her niece, "He and I hate each other."
Before Theresa could question Paige about why she wanted to know, Clint showed up to see Theresa, and Theresa happily left with him.
J.J. ran into Rory outside the Brady Pub. J.J. explained that Daniel had advised him to apologize to Paige, even if he couldn't tell her what had happened in order to protect her. Rory remarked that Paige didn't seem like someone who needed protection. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Maybe she can handle more than I think she can," J.J. acknowledged.
Paige met back up with Daphne at Salem University and said that she no longer thought she was right about whom J.J. had slept with. After Daphne headed off for class, Cole greeted Paige. "You're exactly who I need to see," Cole said. He explained that he'd just gotten out of rehab, and he knew he owed her an apology for what he'd done to her when he'd put drugs in her purse. "It's okay," Paige said. Just then, J.J. arrived and grabbed Cole by the arm. "What the hell [are] you doing talking to her?" J.J. demanded.
When Brady arrived in Horton Square, he spotted Theresa smooching Clint. Clint stepped away to take a phone call, so Brady approached Theresa and asked if she were all right. "Let me guess -- you're going to ask if I really know that guy," Theresa predicted, admitting that she didn't know him, but all she cared about was that he was hot and great in bed. "You're such a piece of work," Brady commented, shaking his head. Theresa declared that fooling around with a stranger was far preferable to being with Brady, who was a "pathetic loser." "Thank God you're out of my life for good," Theresa added.
Melanie returned to Daniel's and told her dad that she needed to talk to him. Daniel guessed that it had to do with what had happened between Serena and Nicole, but Melanie hadn't heard about the women's "public disagreement." Daniel guessed that he wasn't going to like what Melanie wanted to tell him. After a lot of stammering and babbling, Melanie finally revealed tentatively, "Brady and I are going to start dating each other."
After a round of early-morning sex, Chad apologetically assured Jordan that he would never have taken her to the new club if he'd known Rafe was managing it. Jordan insisted that seeing Rafe hadn't bothered her. Chad noted that seeing Clyde had definitely bothered her, but Jordan didn't want to talk about her stepfather. Chad knew that it had to bother Jordan to see her brother being friendly with Clyde after everything Clyde had done to them. Jordan maintained, "I think it's important for Ben to think that Clyde is actually trying to change." Claiming she was running late, Jordan got out of bed to get dressed.
Later, Chad went to the square and called his assistant by phone. He asked her to cancel his meetings because there was something he had to do. Chad hung up and headed for the flower cart.
An annoyed Clyde met Jeremiah in the woods at Jeremiah's behest. "Kiriakis is pushing back," Jeremiah warned Clyde. He related a story to Clyde about something that had happened on the docks the previous night. "I guess I didn't make myself clear enough to Mister Kiriakis. Now we gotta make sure we really drive home the message," Clyde declared.
In the Kiriakis living room, Victor gleefully reviewed the impressive totals from his club opening the night before. He gave a lot of the credit to Rafe, who cautioned Victor that the number would probably taper off. Victor commented that it had seemed as if everyone had been having a good time except Jordan. "She was so miserable -- but then what can you expect when you've got Chad DiMera for a date," Victor added.
Rafe noted that Jordan's mood had probably had more to do with her stepfather's presence. Victor's cheer turned to irritation at the mention of Clyde, and he asserted that he was going to make sure Clyde understood that Salem was Victor's town. Rafe warned Victor against going after Clyde -- and against asking Rafe to do things he wasn't comfortable with. "I'm not going to ask you to get your hands dirty. I can take care of Clyde myself," Victor reassured Rafe. "What if you didn't have to? What if I went after him -- legally?" Rafe proposed.
On the phone later, Victor said, "You're sure he's there? Great. All right, I think I'll pay him a little visit." He was smiling wickedly as he hung up.
A little later, Clyde was in the park outside the square, whistling cheerfully while working on his tablet, when Victor strolled up. Victor wondered aloud why Clyde was so happy. Clyde acknowledged that he'd gotten a bit of bad news earlier, but he noted that it had only served to remind him how much he enjoyed a "good-spirited competition." Victor growled, "You really don't get it, do you, Weston? I'm not about to walk away and let you take over this town -- especially when you've got your people pushing product beyond all reasonable boundaries."
Clyde taunted Victor that he was only angry because he'd never thought as big as Clyde. "You go after my men again, you're going to regret it," Victor warned, but Clyde countered that Victor no longer had what it took and was living in the past.
Jordan was working in her office at the hospital when she ran across a press release about the revelation that Clyde had been the anonymous donor. She wadded up the paper and hurled it across the room -- just as Rafe walked in. Jordan apologized, but Rafe completely understood her anger when he saw the press release. Rafe's arrival seemed only to aggravate Jordan, but he explained that he was looking for any information that would put Clyde behind bars. Jordan reminded Rafe that she'd urged him to leave it alone.
Rafe asserted that it was no longer just about Jordan. "I've got the feeling that this guy's presence could end up hurting a whole hell of a lot of people," Rafe added, pleading with Jordan to help him take Clyde down. Recalling Clyde's threat to tell Ben everything if she ruined Clyde's chance with his son, Jordan maintained, "In all honesty, I don't know of anything that Clyde has done since he's gotten back to town that was illegal." Reminding Rafe that he had already gotten thrown off the force, she cautioned him not to make things worse.
Rafe declared that he could take care of himself, but Jordan said she didn't want him to get hurt. Rafe said that he was worried about Jordan -- not only because of Clyde but also because of Chad. "You have no right to be jealous!" Jordan retorted. Rafe insisted that he wasn't jealous; he just knew that Chad was bad news. Rafe declared that for the rest of his life, he would regret sleeping with Kate. "I just hope you know how much I loved you...how much I still do," Rafe said sincerely.
Rafe added that he hoped Jordan would forgive him or at least stop hating him one day. "Rafe, I could never hate you," Jordan said with tears in her eyes. Rafe gently touched her face then pulled her to him and kissed her passionately -- just as Chad walked in with a bouquet of flowers.
Theresa declared that hooking up with Brady had been the worst mistake of her entire life. Fed up, Brady took the hint and started to walk away after sarcastically encouraging Theresa to have fun screwing up her life even more than she already had. Meanwhile, a woman crossed through the town square with a baby in her arms, and Theresa started hyperventilating the moment she saw them.
Brady rushed back to Theresa's side to find out what was wrong with her. Meanwhile, Eve arrived and wondered what had happened. Theresa managed to vaguely explain that she had seen something, but Brady wasn't sure what could have caused such a reaction, and she wasn't able to pinpoint the cause, either. Theresa quickly recovered and insisted that she was fine -- or would be once Brady got out of her sight, at least.
After Brady left, Eve tried to get Theresa to tell her what was really going on. Theresa deflected, wondering why Eve cared. "Well, believe it or not, Theresa, I actually do care about you," Eve replied. Theresa insisted that Eve needed to stop worrying about her and instead focus on someone else, such as Paige. Theresa revealed that Paige had tracked her down earlier, and she warned that Paige was definitely still hung up on J.J.
"Okay...what did weird me out?" Theresa wondered after Eve left. Meanwhile, Clint approached and asked if Theresa was okay, explaining that he had just seen her talking to herself. Theresa claimed that she had never been better. While Clint was tempting Theresa into blowing off work so they could spend more time together, Anne arrived and insisted that Theresa needed to get back to work right away. Anne pointed out that Theresa was still on the clock at the hospital, and she warned that someone would eventually catch on and push for Theresa's termination if such antics continued.
Clint tried to tell Anne that Theresa wasn't going back to work that day, but Theresa agreed with Anne and abruptly excused herself after promising to talk to him later. As the women headed back to the hospital, Anne complained that Theresa needed to be checked into a mental hospital for being willing to spend more than two minutes with a goon like Clint, especially after being with men like Brady and Paul.
Theresa insisted that Clint was exactly what she needed because he was fun and liked her for who she was. Theresa added that, more than anything else, she liked the fact that Clint was the exact opposite of Brady. Theresa doubted that Clint could possibly be any worse for her than Brady had been.
Meanwhile, in the town square, Clint was on the phone with someone. "I've been doing more than keeping my eye on the Donovan broad -- I've made contact, if you get what I mean. No, we don't have a thing to worry about -- and if something happens, I know exactly how to handle the situation," Clint promised before ending the call.
Daniel thought Melanie was joking at first, but he quickly realized she was serious about her plan to start dating Brady. "Are you out of your mind?" Daniel asked incredulously. Confused, Melanie pointed out that Brady was a step up from Philip and Chad. Melanie added that she knew all about Kristen and Theresa already, and she argued that she had to be better for Brady than either of those women had been.
Daniel clarified that he wasn't worried about Melanie being good for Brady -- he was worried about Brady being good for Melanie. Daniel admitted that he would probably never think any guy was good enough for Melanie, but he added that it was too soon for Brady -- who had been sober for less than a year -- to dive into another relationship -- especially one that could really hurt him if it didn't work out.
Daniel also expressed concern about the age difference, but Melanie countered that she had at least as much life experience as Brady, since she hadn't exactly had an easy childhood. Daniel didn't like thinking about that, so he abruptly changed the subject, wondering if Melanie loved Brady. Melanie wasn't sure but argued that there was nothing wrong with trying to figure out the answer. Melanie added that she had put her heart in storage for a long time after her breakup with Chad but was finally ready to take a chance again. Daniel reluctantly conceded that Melanie deserved the chance to see where a romantic relationship with Brady might lead.
Later, Daniel went to see Brady at the Kiriakis mansion so they could get a few things straight. Daniel promised not to interfere but warned that he and Brady would have a problem if Brady broke Melanie's heart or did anything to hurt her in any way. Brady stressed that he was just as protective of Melanie as Daniel was, and he assured Daniel that he would never hurt her. Daniel vowed to hold Brady to that promise.
Meanwhile, in Daniel's apartment, Melanie told Maggie about her earlier conversation with Daniel. Echoing Daniel's concerns, Maggie explained that the conventional wisdom was that addicts needed to maintain their sobriety for at least a year before making any serious decisions, including the decision to pursue a romantic relationship with someone.
Melanie joked that Brady deserved time off for good behavior, but Maggie didn't think it would be wise for him to rush things. Melanie respected Maggie's opinion but stressed that she cared about Brady's sobriety just as much as he did -- and that she would never do anything to hurt him because he was one of the most important people in the world to her.
Later, Melanie went to the Kiriakis mansion to see Brady, who told her about Daniel's earlier visit. Brady feared that Daniel wasn't particularly happy with him but admitted that -- for the first time in a very long time -- he was happy, thanks to Melanie. Melanie confirmed that she was also happy, and she and Brady made plans to go on their first official date later that day.
Meanwhile, Daniel and Maggie lounged in his apartment, talking about his concerns. Daniel was worried that he wasn't doing enough to protect Melanie, but Maggie advised that parents eventually had to give kids the freedom to make their own decisions -- and just be there to support them if things turned out badly.
As Jordan and Rafe continued to kiss, Chad quietly walked away and tossed her bouquet of flowers in the first trashcan he found in the hallway. Meanwhile, Jordan pushed Rafe away and made it clear that their relationship was over for good. Rafe admitted that he had crossed a line but warned that Jordan's relationship with Chad was a big mistake. Jordan accused Rafe of disliking Chad simply because of the DiMera surname, but Rafe insisted that he disliked Chad because he knew the guy couldn't be trusted.
Rafe dared Jordan to look him in the eyes and tell him that she trusted Chad, but she rose to the challenge without flinching. Jordan complained that she was sick of Rafe acting like she was too dumb to make the right choices for herself. Rafe clarified that he didn't think Jordan was dumb -- he simply thought she was a good person who was letting a pro con her. Rafe predicted that Jordan would end up getting hurt in the end, but she assured him that she could take care of herself. "And for the record, nothing Chad does could possibly hurt me more than you did," Jordan added before walking away.
At Club TBD, Ben informed Abigail that he'd had to talk T down from the proverbial ledge earlier that morning because T had been worried about the new club stealing Sonny's business and leading to layoffs. Abigail was certain that T wouldn't have to worry about that, since he and Sonny were really close. Abigail was also certain that Ben wouldn't have to worry about getting laid off, not just because Sonny really liked Ben but also because Chad was dating Jordan. Ben didn't think the latter fact would stop Chad from going after him -- especially since Jordan had taken Chad's side over his in the past.
Ben admitted that unemployment would be preferable to having Chad in Jordan's life. Abigail pointed out that the bright side of unemployment was that Ben would be able to commit to being a full-time student in that case. Abigail guessed that Clyde would be happy to cover Ben's expenses, but she understood when Ben insisted that he would rather get a loan than take another penny from Clyde. Abigail started to excuse herself so she could get to work, but Ben stopped her and pulled her in for a kiss first -- just as Chad arrived. Chad watched for a moment before retreating to the back of the club.
Abe and John were sitting at a table, drinking coffee and discussing the recent wave of incidents at the docks, when Abe suddenly wondered if Marlena knew about John's decision to return to the police force yet. John confirmed that Marlena knew -- and that she was actually the person who had encouraged him to seize the opportunity. As the men continued to talk, Chad emerged from the back of the club and approached Ben at the bar. After observing that things still seemed to be going well for Ben and Abigail, Chad added that she was obviously much more experienced than she had been when he had taken her virginity.
Ben flexed his fingers as he warned Chad not to say another word. "I do not get why you're so upset, Benny. ... I was paying Abigail a compliment. I have nothing but good things to say about her -- and Jordan. But, from my experience, Abigail isn't nearly as good as your sister is in bed," Chad continued, prompting Ben to jump over the counter and start pummeling him.
Abe and John soon intervened, and when they demanded to know what was going on, Chad innocently claimed that he had simply been trying to talk to Ben -- and that Ben had started swinging at him in response. Ben insisted that Chad was lying, but Chad continued that Ben had been warned before about needing to learn how to control his temper. Chad advised John to talk to Rafe to learn more about Ben's other outbursts.
Abe escorted Chad to the hospital. Abigail and Jordan soon arrived and demanded to know what had happened. Chad explained that Ben had lost his temper again. Abigail suspected that Chad might have done something to provoke Ben, but Chad innocently maintained that he had simply been trying to start a conversation -- and that it had previously been established that it didn't take much to set Ben off.
Abe reported that, while there was a possibility that Chad might have a concussion, the doctor who had treated the injuries had no reason to believe that was the case yet. Abe added that Chad hadn't suffered any broken ribs. "Looks like I got off easy then, huh?" Chad joked, wincing as he pressed an icepack to his face. Abigail and Jordan tried to convince Chad to just forget about the incident, but he insisted that Ben needed to be taught a lesson, and he left the room after informing Abe that he wished to press charges.
At Club TBD, Rafe confirmed that Ben had a history of getting into fights with Chad. Rafe guessed that Chad had likely said something to provoke Ben, since Chad had used similar tactics with Rafe in the past, but John argued that the difference was that Rafe had known better than to take the bait. "Sorry, kid, but you got a history. You're not leaving me with any choice here. So why don't you stand up, put your hands behind your back -- let's go," John instructed Ben before retrieving a pair of handcuffs.
At Salem University, J.J. managed to punch Cole before Paige intervened and separated them. J.J. demanded to know why Paige was talking to a loser like Cole. Paige insisted that she could talk to anyone she wished to talk to, and she warned J.J. to never again try to tell her what to do. "I -- I just think that --" J.J. stammered, but Paige interrupted and stressed that she no longer cared about his opinion.
Paige shoved J.J. a few times as she insisted that her life was no longer any of his business. J.J. reminded Paige that Cole had once tried to plant drugs on her, but she countered that Bev had put Cole up to that task because Bev had been interested in J.J. -- and J.J. hadn't exactly done much to discourage that interest. Paige added that she at least knew what Cole was all about, which was more than she could say about J.J., who had totally had her fooled. J.J. warned that Cole was a player. "And who are you to talk?" Paige countered.
Paige shoved J.J. a couple more times as she stressed that he needed to leave her alone, adding that if he wanted to talk to someone who cared about his opinion, he would probably have more luck turning to the girl he had hooked up with. J.J. nodded and reluctantly walked away, but he kept Paige and Cole in his line of sight as he placed a call to Eve and insisted that they needed to talk right away -- in person. Eve didn't want to be seen in public with J.J., so he offered to head over to her place, but when she refused to let that happen, he decided that she would just have to meet him at the Horton house instead.
J.J. told Eve to park down the street from the Horton house and enter through the back door so no one would see her. Eve didn't like the idea, but J.J. assured her that they would have the place to themselves for a while -- and if anyone happened to find them together, she could just claim that she had gone there to chastise him for hurting Paige, since people would be able to buy that easily enough. J.J. ended the call and left after taking one last look at Paige and Cole, who were still talking to each other.
Paige apologized to Cole for J.J.'s behavior. Cole stressed that he hadn't intended to cause a fight between Paige and her boyfriend, even though he did hate the guy -- and the feeling was obviously mutual. Paige clarified that J.J. was no longer her boyfriend. Cole guessed that J.J. had hooked up with someone else, prompting Paige to wonder how Cole could have known that. "I didn't, but I know J.J.," Cole explained.
"You were right to dump J.J. I was with Bev when we first met him, and he started coming on to her from day one, even though he wasn't into her that much. Didn't matter to her, though -- pretty soon, she was all about him. You know, he took her away from me just because he could. That's how the guy operates," Cole added. Paige interrupted and protested that she didn't want to hear anything else about J.J. Cole apologized and conceded that talking about J.J. had probably really just been his way of talking about himself.
"Since I got out of rehab, I've been doing this thing where I'm trying to tell the people I hurt when I was using that I'm sorry. It's not a lot of fun. God... My mom... But the point is, what I was trying to say when J.J. came in is that I'm -- I'm sorry I tried to plant drugs on you. All I know is I -- I've gotta find a way to start over again. It's not easy trying to fit in. It's like...there really isn't a place for me anywhere," Cole admitted. Paige sympathized, guessing that it had to be hard for Cole to feel that way, and she advised him to give things some time to get better.
Paige started to excuse herself but first wanted to know if Cole was okay. Cole claimed that he was, and he started to walk away, but he soon changed his mind and admitted that he didn't really have anywhere to go. Cole explained that he couldn't stay at home all the time because he would go nuts if he did that, and he couldn't really hang out with his old friends, either -- especially since most of them no longer liked him, anyway, since he had "narced on" J.J. and Rory the previous year. Paige suggested that Cole could make new friends, but he countered that none of the good kids liked him, either -- and he thought they were stuck-up losers, anyway.
Paige wondered what Cole liked to do for fun. Cole explained that he had an app on his cell phone that turned his lyrics into music. Intrigued, Paige asked for a demonstration, so Cole whipped out his phone, thought of a quick line on the spot -- "I know this girl named Paige; she's way too cool to be my age" -- and handed her the device so she could listen to the results. Cole thought Paige was just pretending to be impressed, but she assured him that she was being genuine. Cole admitted that he and Bev had been completely wrong about Paige. "Weird how you think you can know people, but you don't at all," Cole mused, and Paige agreed.
When Eve sneaked into the Horton house, J.J. complained that it had taken her long enough to get there. Eve ignored the comment and revealed that Paige had recently grilled Theresa in an effort to figure out who J.J. had slept with. "Well, that's not the biggest problem you have to worry about right now. ... I saw Paige [talking] with a guy named Cole. ... She shouldn't be in the same room with that guy. ... You have to stop this before it goes any further!" J.J. insisted.
Eve placed a hand on J.J.'s chest and told him to calm down. After a brief pause, Eve pulled her hand away and started to excuse herself, but J.J. grabbed her arm and insisted that she needed to listen to him. "I know that you think that I'm the scum of the earth, and I probably am, but this guy -- he's much worse, Eve, even if he's not related to my mom. ... For starters, he's a drug dealer, and he's a user. He just got out of rehab; he's clean right now, but that will not last," J.J. warned Eve. Eve mused that J.J. might just be trashing Cole to turn her against the guy out of fear that Cole might actually like Paige.
"Okay, you think I'm bad for her? When he first met her, he tried to plant drugs on her. ... For God's sake, I know you hate me, but you need to hate him more right now. You need to watch out for your daughter, Eve. ... None of this is Paige's fault, but she could be the one that pays the price. She doesn't listen to a word that I say anymore, and I don't blame her, but she still listens to you, so you need to step up, damn it, and be the mother that you say she deserves. You can't let her get hurt again -- and with this guy, it'll be much worse," J.J. maintained.
Eve sighed and swore to J.J. -- at his request -- that she would take care of Cole. J.J. wanted to know what Eve planned to do, but she ignored the question and abruptly excused herself. J.J. grabbed Eve's arm and demanded an answer, insisting that they were looking at a disaster waiting to happen -- and that she was the only person who could stop it. Eve promised that she would be able to handle Cole -- especially if he was anything like J.J. "What, are you gonna have sex with him, too?" J.J. guessed.
Outraged, Eve tried to slap J.J. with her free hand, but he grabbed it and held her tightly in his grip as they locked eyes with each other.
At the Brady Pub, Aiden informed Hope that he'd gotten an offer on the house in Puget Sound, and he intended to close the door on his past and look toward the future. Hope asked how Chase had taken the news. Aiden explained that he'd just found out and hadn't had a chance to tell his son. Aiden added that he had to go to Washington to close the deal, which should be finished while the kids were on their class trip to San Francisco, and he wanted to find just the right way to tell Chase.
"Tell me what?" Chase's voice rang out, surprising Aiden, who turned to see his son and Ciara looking up at him expectantly. Wanting to give Aiden and Chase some privacy, Hope tried to hustle Ciara out the door for home. Ciara reminded her mom that Caroline had promised to bake a peach pie for them to eat after school. With a sigh, Hope let Ciara run into the kitchen to find her great-grandmother while Hope waited in the dining area.
Meanwhile, Aiden sat Chase down, and the boy quickly guessed that his dad wanted to talk to him about the beach house. Aiden admitted that they had found a buyer. Acknowledging that Chase would miss the house a great deal because of the memories it held, Aiden suggested that the two of them take a trip somewhere and make some new memories. Chase declared that he wanted to go back to the beach house one last time to say goodbye.
Ciara returned from the kitchen and informed her mom that Caroline had accidentally forgotten to put sugar in the pie. From across the room, Ciara noticed that Chase seemed sad. Hope said that they should give Chase and his dad some time to talk privately.
Aiden reluctantly agreed that he could take Chase out of school a day early, and they could invite Chase's sitter, who could take Chase to San Francisco after they went to Puget Sound. A thrilled Chase got up and threw his arms around his dad.
With Hope on her heels, Ciara hurried over to the table and asked Chase if everything were all right. "Everything's great! My dad's letting me go back to the beach house one last time. You and your mom should come, too!" an excited Chase blurted. "No," Aiden said, and when Chase protested, Aiden declared sternly, "I said no!"
At the Horton house, J.J. prevented Eve from slapping him by grabbing her wrist. After they locked eyes for a long moment, Eve kissed J.J. feverishly, almost violently. Jennifer arrived outside and almost caught Eve and J.J. together, but a freaked-out Eve ran toward the front door to flee before Jennifer could enter the house -- and yanked the door right out of Jennifer's hand. Looking at J.J., Jennifer demanded, "What is she doing here?" Eve spoke up, claiming that she was there because J.J. had made her daughter so miserable. Incensed that Eve had shown up only to berate J.J., Jennifer threw her enemy out.
After making sure that J.J. was all right, Jennifer demanded to know what had happened between J.J. and Eve, because Jennifer suspected she wasn't getting the full story. J.J. admitted that his mom was correct and made a snide comment about her sending Daniel to talk to him. Jennifer maintained that she was worried about J.J., who had been acting the same way he had when he'd returned from boarding school.
J.J. insisted that he wasn't on drugs; he just didn't want to talk to his mom about his ex-girlfriend. Jennifer said she wasn't trying to pry, but she did want to know why Eve had been there. J.J. maintained that he'd wanted to warn Eve because he'd seen Paige talking to Cole. Deducing that J.J. was still hung up on Paige, Jennifer asked why he wasn't doing everything he could to try to get back together with Paige.
Jennifer emphasized that J.J. should never tell himself that he wasn't worthy after the hard work he'd done to put his life back together. "Mom, I know who I am, okay? I know exactly who I am, and I'm through pretending to be something that I'm not. Get it through your head," J.J. declared before leaving the room.
As Cole was about to leave the Salem University student union, he paused to ask Paige if they were all right. Paige said that she had been hurt far worse since what he'd done to her. While Cole and Paige chatted about a class they were both taking but he'd missed a lot of due to the early hour, Rory arrived and spotted them. When Cole left, Rory approached Paige and gave her a hard time for developing a thing for bad boys after ditching J.J.
A confused Paige asked, "Do you really not know why we broke up?" Rory maintained that guys didn't talk about that kind of stuff. When Paige complained that Rory obviously blamed her, he clarified, "J.J., he said that he made a huge mistake." Paige wanted to know if J.J. had said it in those words. With a shrug, Rory said that was more or less what J.J. had told him. Paige looked hopeful as Rory walked away.
A little later, Eve surprised her daughter by showing up on campus. Since Paige had class, she declined her mom's invitation to lunch. Paige observed that her mother seemed a little off and asked where Eve had just been. Eve explained that she'd run into Theresa, who said that Paige had been asking questions about J.J. Eve urged Paige to stop obsessing about all the "sordid details" of whom J.J. had slept with.
Paige argued that J.J. had called what he'd done "a mistake" to Rory, and she thought that indicated that he regretted what he'd done to her. Eve worriedly asked if Paige wanted J.J. back. Paige said that wasn't the case, but she couldn't move on until she knew the whole story.
In the woods, Jeremiah cautioned Clyde that Victor had no intention of rolling over and playing dead. Jeremiah said he could have some "specialists" in Salem by that night, although he thought talking things out with Victor was still an option. Clyde snapped, "I decide what our options are. You got that?" Clyde added ominously, "[Kiriakis] is the past; that's what he is. He doesn't know it yet, but he will -- damn soon."
At the Kiriakis mansion, Victor refused to sell his DiMera Enterprises stock back to Kate -- and he guessed that she was really there about her "hillbilly beau." Kate admitted that after doing some digging, she feared that a "clash of the titans" between Victor and Clyde was imminent. She maintained that Clyde was more suited to trucking than Victor was, and she didn't want to see things get ugly. "Oh, Kate. It's gone way, way, way past ugly," Victor declared.
Kate reminded Victor that Victor and Stefano had once let personal animosity nearly destroy their families, and it had nearly gotten Philip killed. Victor contended that Clyde was much more like Kate's ex, Curtis, than Stefano. Victor ordered Kate to stay out of it, warning her, "[Clyde is] about to get the schooling he's never had."
Later, Kate met Clyde at Club TBD and found that he had already ordered drinks so they could toast to Salem, "otherwise known as 'heaven on earth.'" Clyde explained that since he'd arrived in town, things had been going his way. Kate said that she had just met with Victor, and Clyde's name had been mentioned. She added that she was concerned because of the rumors she'd been hearing. Clyde asked if she were concerned for him or Victor.
Kate clarified that no one had won when Victor and Stefano had done battle years earlier. "Listen, darlin', you know how I feel about you, but I didn't ask for your help on this one, did I? Now, if I need it, I'll holler, I'll promise, but don't hold your breath waiting, okay?" Clyde said firmly. Just then, Clyde got a text message, alerting him that his son had been arrested. Clyde excused himself and hurried out.
Damon arrived at the Kiriakis mansion and reported to Victor that two men had just been contacted about doing short-term contract work for Clyde Weston. Damon showed information on his phone about the men to Victor, who instantly recognized them and knew why Clyde wanted to hire them. Victor grumbled that he'd warned Weston what would happen. Damon noted that Weston had gotten his man, Jeremiah, to reach out to the men -- and that Jeremiah could be taken care of very easily. "No, this fish stinks from the head, Damon. Time to cut it off," Victor declared.
Marlena stopped by Eric's to visit her son. She expressed worry that Nicole would do anything to get between Eric and Serena, who had likely never gone up against anyone like Nicole. Eric admitted that the previous evening had ended rather abruptly, adding that things between him and Serena were already awkward enough. Marlena pointed out that Eric's life had changed a great deal more than Serena's had since the two had met. Eric was worried that because it had been so long since he'd had a "normal" relationship, Serena would lose patience with him, and he would lose her before he even had a chance to find out if there were anything between them.
Serena approached Daniel at the hospital because she wanted to talk to him about the previous night, so they went into a private waiting room. Serena explained that she had done some Internet research on Nicole, and Serena didn't understand why Daniel was pursuing a relationship with someone who had such a long history of misdeeds. Daniel firmly warned Serena that he didn't want to listen to her trash Nicole.
Serena assured Daniel that wasn't her intent, but she also refused to let Nicole drive her out of Salem. Serena proposed that she and Daniel become friends by simply not discussing Nicole. Daniel agreed as long as Serena knew where he stood. Daniel left because he was expecting a delivery at home.
When Eric called Serena a little later, he discovered that she was actually standing in his hallway. Serena explained that she had left the night before because she'd needed to clear her head, not because she'd been mad at Eric. Eric wasn't free to have lunch with Serena, as she suggested, so she they agreed to get together later. On her way out, Serena reassured Eric that everything was absolutely fine between them, and she kissed him passionately to prove it.
Nicole led her source into her office at Titan TV. As the man nervously took off his ball cap and sunglasses, Nicole asked, "Who are you, and what do you have on Serena Mason?" The man introduced himself as Ted Carpenter and explained that he had once been Serena's partner "in multiple senses of the word." He continued that they had been co-writers and researchers, but Serena had ruined his reputation by stealing credit for work they had done together.
Ted produced a paper that he and Serena had written together. He pointed out that his name was on the cover page, and Nicole remembered from her research on Serena that the article had been published without Ted's byline. Ted noted that he had dozens of credits to his name, but he hadn't worked since that article because Serena had stolen decades of his research. He added that his claims had been dismissed because the grants had been in Serena's name. "One day, Serena's telling me she loves me, and the next, I'm out on the streets," Ted concluded.
Nicole pointed out that she couldn't do much to help Ted without more proof. Ted explained that he had little beyond email correspondence because from the beginning, Serena had insisted on keeping everything on her computer. "The real proof you need is on her own computer. If you can gain access to that, you'll have the proof in hand," Ted said. Nicole said that all she could do was think it over carefully and get back to Ted. Ted left her with a warning, "If Serena so much [as] suspects that you're digging for dirt, the first thing she'll do is destroy the evidence."
When Daniel went to his apartment, Nicole was waiting for him in the hallway. As he let her in, she explained that she wanted to apologize in person. Nicole summed up the events of the previous evening, which cast her in an unflattering light, and Daniel somewhat irritably reminded her that she still hadn't returned his messages. "You're right. I've really got my work cut out for me, don't I?" Nicole admitted, slowly closing the distance between the two of them until their faces and bodies were millimeters apart.
Daniel pulled away, pointing out that it wasn't a game. Nicole apologized sincerely and assured Daniel that she didn't take him for granted. She added that, despite her actions, the previous night had meant a great deal to her. She conceded that she could live with it if Daniel didn't also despise Serena. Daniel seemed to soften, so Nicole again inched closer to him and seductively asked if he accepted her apology.
Soon, Daniel and Nicole were horizontal on his couch, kissing. Presumably in order to be completely honest with Nicole, Daniel stopped kissing her to inform her that he'd had a conversation with Serena earlier. Nicole said she didn't want to ruin the mood by talking about Serena, and Daniel agreed. After suggesting that they go somewhere together, Daniel remembered that he was waiting for a package.
Whispering in his ear, Nicole pointed out that if they left, they would miss out on having make-up sex. Before Nicole and Daniel made it to the other room, Nicole got a text message from Miles. She promised to meet Daniel in the shower after she dealt with Miles.
Daniel was in the shower when Nicole finished her business. As she was heading for the bathroom, there was a knock at the door, so she reluctantly answered it -- and found Serena on the doorstep. Assuming it was a bad time, Serena started to leave, but Nicole stopped her. "Don't go. There's no one I'd rather see at this moment. And I mean no one," Nicole declared.
