At the hospital, Lexi checks in with Dr. Jonas about Chelsea. They realize that she must be suffering complications from the surgery. Kate demands answers. Daniel still needs to run some tests and advises her to go out for a coffee. Nick arrives and asks what's going on. Kate suggests that Dr. Jonas knows more than he's letting on. Nick sits with his girlfriend for a moment to remind her about their planned John Hughes marathon. She tells him it will have to wait. The doctors clear them out. Daniel starts trying to get Chelsea's fever down. She asks for the truth about her condition. He orders her to rest. After glancing over at Lexi, he says that it's still too early to tell. Sitting by her side, he tells her an anecdote about a football player who was so terrified about having a tetanus shot that he fainted. "I'm scared," she admits. A nurse returns with results and Daniel quickly looks them over before telling her to put a rush on the rest of the tests. He turns to Chelsea. She already suspects the worst. "You need to find something else to focus on," he suggests, asking her where she would like to go if she could go anywhere. She'd go to Australia. He thinks that's a great choice and starts telling her about the waves there. "You've got a lot to smile about Chelsea," he says, leaning in and kissing her. That kiss is only in her head though. In reality, Daniel walks out to check in at the lab.

In the corridor, Nick gets Kate a coffee. She wishes that Billie was here to look after her daughter. She's been trying to get in touch with Bo but hasn't had any luck. When Daniel walks out, he tells them that they can see Chelsea but not for long. They rush in to check on her, promising to stick around until she is better. Nick even cancelled class so he could be there. She asks them to just treat her like everything is normal. Meanwhile, Lexi asks Daniel what the results say. "It's not good Lexi," he stutters.

EJ returns to the mansion to tell Sami how excited he is about his new office. He wants a picture of his son for his desk. Sami ignores him and gets ready to run off to the park with the twins. She promptly informs him that he won't be going with her. He doesn't understand and reminds her that the kids got a rash last time she brought them out. This angers her, but he repeats that he wants to come. She is still angry about him taking Nicole's case. EJ thinks this conversation sounds terribly familiar. As she lashes out at him, he accuses her of acting like a baby and says that his wife shouldn't act like that. She reminds him that she is only his wife when a government agent is around. He refuses to drop Nicole as a client and points out that she is his only source of income and he is only doing this for the kids. "Until you drop Nicole, you aren't going to the park, or anywhere, with your son," she threatens. "How dare you blackmail me with my own son!" he says, outraged, bringing up what Nicole said she did to Lucas. He asks her to stop the pettiness and tells her she doesn't want both children growing up without a father. He wonders if "Uncle John" was right after all; maybe she's jealous? She says there is no way she would be jealous of Nicole and her "twelve year old boy's body". EJ says that Nicole is a beautiful, soon-to-be-single, girl. She accuses him of falling for her and wheels the children away. EJ laughs to himself.

At the Vitali compound, Ava screams at Patch for abandoning her. "I loved you! We were going to have kids and everything... you ruined it! You ruined my family!" she yells. He begs for forgiveness but, crying, she refuses. Bo grabs Steve by the shoulder and reminds him that if they don't get away quick, bad things are going to happen. Ava turns to Kayla and asks her if she still thinks her husband is as great as she thinks. Kayla defends him, as does Bo, which only makes Ava more annoyed. Hope offers to help and Kayla suggests she seek treatment. Ava's already had lots of that and it's only made things worse. "I hate you! I hate all of you!" she screams, smashing things. Quivering and taking Patch's face in her hands, she tells him how much she wanted to spend her life with him... She starts to hear their song in her head and begins to dance with him while everyone stares at them. Spotting Kayla and breaking from this eerie moment, she begins to throw a tantrum again, accusing her of ruining her special day. Kayla kicks back this time, reminding her that she killed the pilots and her pop. Ava apologizes, "But none of this would have happened if you hadn't taken my man." Manically, she starts to laugh. Angelo pulls her back. "You guys all miss your pop so much? Why don't I just arrange a little reunion in Hell?" she sneers. Kayla begs for mercy and places Ava's hands on her belly to feel the baby. As Ava feels the baby kick, Steve takes Angelo aside and tells him that they all have to help Ava. This seems like the sanest she's been in a long time, Angelo insists. Patch appeals to him, suggesting that she isn't a cold-blooded killer like her father. Turning around, Angelo asks Ava to rethink her choice. "We only want what's best for you," Patch says. "But you were what's best for me," she reminds him.

After being tied up with her back to Bo, Hope starts to lose consciousness while Bo and Steve banter. "The four of us have been in worse jams than this," Bo says. They soon realize that Hope has passed out. Bo grunts at her and Kayla asks to be allowed to treat her wounds. The guard checks her and sees that she still has a pulse. Angered by the lack of concern, Bo stomps on his foot so the guard pistol whips him. Angelo comes in and Steve tells him what just happened. Angelo checks their pulses and says they'll be fine. Steve asks for a trip to the hospital. Ava chimes in to say that they'll be fine; besides, she's made a decision: She likes their company so she won't kill them, she announces. The relief is brief. "How far are you along in your pregnancy?" Ava asks, before informing Kayla that she is now her surrogate. Ava will be taking the baby. "You're crazier than I thought," Kayla gaps. "Consider it payback for ruining my life," Ava smiles. Once the baby comes, she'll decide who lives and who dies.

Tuesday
April 22, 2008
What you Don't Know, Won't Hurt me.

At the hospital, a tense Kate and Nick watch as Daniel checks out Chelsea. Victor arrives to check in on his granddaughter. Daniel informs him that she has peritonitis, a severe infection in her abdomen. Kate flies off at the doctor, accusing him of taking too much of a risk with the operation he performed. Chelsea reminds her grandmother that she signed off on the operation, knowing all the risks. Daniel explains that they are already treating her. "You are so brave Chelsea. Beyond amazing," Nick says. The doctor echoes this statement and Kate makes him promise that he will make Chelsea better. Later, left alone, Daniel sits by Chelsea's side, feeling her forehead and joking about penguins. Nick pokes his head in to watch. Test results soon come back and Kate and Nick return to the room to watch Daniel give Chelsea an injection. He tells her to fight and her temperature quickly drops. Kate gives a sigh of relief and Chelsea craves a bagel and cream cheese. Before Daniel can walk away, Kate apologizes for being so hard on him before. He understands and says that she'll be fine before walking out. Kate sits beside Chelsea as she begins to ramble about Dr. Jonas, her "medicine man", saying that she has no problem putting her life in his hands. Later, Daniel comes to back Chelsea's side. He tells her that he can't imagine his life without her. "I love you so much," he says, kissing her. She smiles. This is all a hallucination however. Nick is actually sitting in front of her. "Chelsea? What's wrong?" he asks.

In the corridor, Lexi is calling around, trying to get in touch with Bo. She has no luck. As she worries about Bo, Hope, Kayla and Steve's disappearing act, Victor walks up to her. She explains the situation to him, or what she knows of it, which mostly concerns Bo's bizarre behavior before vanishing. Victor puts some details together, recalling his son asking about the Vitalis. Lexi wonders if she should call Abe but Victor warns her to keep the cops out of it. Later, Daniel finds Victor and tells him that Chelsea is getting better. When he asks about Bo, Victor tells him that he's gone missing. This seems to be a trend in his family.

At the gym, Sami runs on the treadmill. As she runs out of breath and almost collapses, EJ walks in and warns her that he will catch up with her. He asks her where the twins are. They're with the gym's babysitter. Nicole walks in and starts flirting with EJ before complimenting Sami on working off her baby fat. Sami starts lashing out at her, but Nicole can't resist fighting back and begins laying into her blond enemy about Lucas, suggesting that he shot EJ because the sex in prison would be better than with Sami. Before Sami can smack her, EJ jumps between them. Sami leaves for the sauna to "get away from the toxins in the air" around the lawyer and his new client.

EJ follows Sami across the gym. She reminds him that, even if they are technically married, he still can't dictate her life. They bicker and he tells her not to attack his paternal instincts. Nicole follows them and tells Sami that she and Lucas used to squabble like this but the makeup sex was better. Maggie walks in on the conversation and Nicole makes a joke about her being a drunk. Maggie's personal trainer, Jillian, walks in and Nicole starts bantering with her about her "assets". As Jillian talks like an infomercial, she points out that age will take its toll on Nicole soon as well and tells her to eat more. She leaves, slapping Sami and Maggie on the backside. "Could she be a bigger loser?" Nicole quips, looking over at Sami. After she hurries away, Nicole turns her sights on EJ but he tries talking to Maggie about Chez Rouge going green. After chasing Maggie away, Nicole chats to EJ about her case. He promises to do his best for her and leaves to check on the twins.

Maggie corners Sami after her steam. She doesn't think that Sami looks very refreshed. Sami admits that she never saw herself living in the "haunted mansion" with John and EJ. Maggie asks if she's seen Lucas lately. "I tried. He wouldn't see me," Sami admits, but not seeing Lucas isn't much harder that being married to EJ. When she turns around, she spots EJ and Nicole with the twins. Sami runs in and grabs them away. "What's got your thong in a twist?" Nicole asks. The baby starts to cry and Sami readies to run off, telling EJ that she doesn't want "this thing" anywhere near her children again! Nicole shrugs, telling her that she didn't even know which one she was holding; she'd have to have a special program to know which baby belonged to which father. Sami promptly punches her in the face. Nicole gets up, threatening to sue and saying that she hopes it doesn't bruise: She has a date with John tonight.

Paul arrives at John's. "Did Philip or Victor ever try to bribe you?" he flatly asks. Paul is silent and John takes this as an admission that they did. "So much for loyalty," John groans. This will be the end of Paul getting protection from him. Paul reminds him that they had a deal. He admits that both of the Kiriakis' approached him, but they were just fighting back after what John did to them. John doesn't appreciate this defense of his rivals; he needs some proof of Paul's loyalty. "I never took a dime from the Kiraikis' and now I'm probably going to go to jail for you! Isn't that proof enough?" Paul asks. John isn't impressed. What does Paul really want? He wants his life back for his daughter's sake, he explains. John tells him to get lost; he'll get in touch with him when he needs him. This infuriates Paul but his anger only fuels John's. "I'm going to make that Kiriakis kid regret the day he ever crossed me," John vows and Paul has no option but to help him. He advises Paul to keep his head down and his nose clean while his plan goes into effect. "What you don't know, won't hurt me," John says enigmatically. Paul agrees and John hands him some cash, promising that things will be back to normal soon and they will be back in business. "I did all this to keep my daughter's respect...and now I'm about to lose it," Paul says grimly before he and John toast to the demise of the Kiriakis empire.

Morgan strolls into the gym and starts checking out Philip. She flirts with him but he's cold. "My problem's not with you... it's with your father," he explains as he lifts weights. They argue but he doesn't want to fight. Instead, he warns her to tell her father to stay away from John. Mr. Black DiMera has ruined her father so far and things can only get worse. She tells him that she can take care of herself better than he suspects. She's tough and doesn't want her father within a "country mile" of John. As she starts to work out, she tells him that Chelsea collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. John walks in behind them and starts to eavesdrop. Philip offers to call his father and find out what's happening with Chelsea. After checking in, he offers to take Morgan over to see her. He advises her again to keep her father from John. "I'd hate to see you get caught in the crossfire," he says. Meanwhile, John calls Paul and tells him that they just got a break: Now is the perfect time to make their move. He walks over to the "kids" and warns them that, "You never know what's coming till it hits you."

Wednesday
April 23, 2008
And People Think I Have a Bizarre Marriage

At the mansion, Sami walks in on a topless John. His state of undress is making her more than a little uncomfortable so he slips on a muscle shirt. She asks him if EJ was at the gym when he left. He doesn't know and wonders why she wants to talk to EJ. She insists that she doesn't and runs off. As he sits down to eat an apple, EJ sneaks through the front door, whispering to John: "Is Samantha here?" John doesn't know why they're whispering. EJ doesn't want her to know that he's around and tip toes away. "And people think I have a bizarre marriage," John quips. At this, Marlena appears in the doorway. He asks her how her vacation was. "It was nice," she says. He asks her where they stand now; has she figured anything out? She looked in her soul and realized that she has no option but to take him as he is. He's happy to hear it and pulls out some champagne to celebrate. As she starts playing with his hair, she admits that she will never give up on the old John. Rolling his eyes, he wonders why she is so afraid and suggests that she might like the new John better; the old John, "was just a dial tone". She announces that she is taking a shower and he offers to join her and then begins going through her new lingerie, asking when she will be modeling it for him. As she tries to tear it from his hands, Sami and EJ hop in and try to ignore the awkwardness of the moment. They start filing up the stairs with Marlena's shopping bags and John halts for a moment to remind Rolf to work on his accent. After he leaves, Rolf turns to Stefano's portrait and tells his old master that he doesn't like this monster he created. He takes out the disc containing John's former identity. Marlena returns and interrupts him, asking him what he's doing. He claims to only be adjusting the portrait and hurries away.

After unpacking her mother's things, Sami runs downstairs and asks her about the negligee she bought. Marlena doesn't want to talk about her sex life at the moment. Sami worries about her mother getting hurt but Marlena insists that she'll be careful. "I hate to tell you this, but men are pigs," Sami reminds her before saying how much she hates EJ. She starts to ramble about Nicole and how she's hooked EJ into representing her. "There is no way I'm going to let Nicole sink her teeth into EJ!" Sami exclaims. Her mother wonders if she is developing feelings for him. EJ just happens to be eavesdropping on this conversation as he moves down the stairs. Sami insists she only hates EJ but Marlena thinks she actually cares. "Of course I care about him. He's Gianni's father," she admits. Marlena wishes she would be more honest about her feelings; although she may hate EJ for what he's done, he's trying to change. If EJ hadn't helped them, they would never have gotten John back, she reminds her daughter. EJ walks in at this point and tells Sami to listen to her mother. She accuses him of eavesdropping and he asks her if he should wear a little bell around his neck when he's walking around the house. John pokes his head in to tell them to be quiet. EJ tells Sami she shouldn't have punched Nicole and John demands silence again. On cue, Gianni starts crying and John storms away. As Marlena heads up the stairs to see the child, Sami trails after but stops to listen to EJ while he talks to the Immigration agent on the phone.

Morgan arrives at the pub to give Max some recycling posters. They start talking about her dad and he tells her to make sure that he knows she loves him no matter what happens. He gives her a hug as Stephanie walks though the door. She freezes in her tracks for a moment before interrupting. As Morgan walks away, Stephanie starts commenting on how cute Morgan looks today. Max tells her to cut the jealous act; he and Morgan are just friends. Abruptly switching topics, she starts to freak out about her missing parents so Max hugs her while one of Ava's henchman watches from a booth. Later, Morgan joins the couple at the bar. As Morgan and Max chat, Stephanie becomes uncomfortable and leaves to check her messages. Ava's henchman follows her out. She returns a few moments later and Max asks her if she is better. He saw the way she ran off and suggests again that she's jealous. She admits it and doesn't think Morgan should be so touchy-feely with him. They look across the room and see her being touchy-feely with someone else. Max tells Stephanie that her being possessive is sexy and he wishes the two women would wrestle over him. She lightly slaps him for this remark and walks over to Morgan to apologize for being jealous. Morgan apologizes for making her uncomfortable and assures her that there is nothing going on between her and Max. Has Steph even told him that she loves him? Morgan asks. She hasn't been able to, she admits. Morgan thinks it's time. Stephanie walks back to Max and tells him that she has to talk to him about how she feels about him. Before she can, she stops herself and says that she can only say it in private. He shuts down the power and announces to the pub that they are having trouble with the electricity and everyone has to leave. After sending everyone out, she figures out that he just did this for privacy. She can't put off how she feels about him for any longer. "I love you Max," she admits. He's awkward. This isn't how she thought it would go; she expected something more romantic. As she details her fantasy of how this should have gone, he takes out some wine, turns on some music and tells her that he loves her. They kiss and begin to dance as Ava's henchman watches through the window.

At the Vitali compound, Kayla demands to know what's going on with everyone else. Angelo tells her that they're all still alive and they have a cozy room set up just for her. She demands to talk to Ava alone. He warns her not to push him. She reminds him that she's carrying the baby Ava wants so he can't hurt her. He fetches his cousin and reluctantly leaves the women alone. Ava wants to hurry back to Patch and suggests that she is the only one who knows the real him. Kayla is sure that the Patch she knows is the real one and the other one isn't coming back. She asks what pills Ava is taking. Kayla wants details about the drugs and offers her help as a doctor. Ava seems confused and takes a deep breath. After some more prodding, Ava admits that she's seen half the doctors in the state and no one ever gets what's wrong with her. "You tried to kill yourself didn't you?" Kayla asks. She admits it and taunts Kayla to say, "Too bad it didn't work." Kayla only asks what she's been diagnosed with. "Brief psychotic disorder," she says sceptically. Kayla knows about that one and suggests that she might have been misdiagnosed. Spotting a ring, she pockets it and continues to inquire about Ava's medication, claiming that Steve asked her to try and help Ava. She suggests that the pills may actually be making her more agitated. "Maybe it's you!" Ava snaps. She's had enough of this and has Kayla taken out. Angelo comes in and she tells him that she needs some close and personal time with Patch.

Thursday
April 24, 2008
I'm not Patch Anymore.

John tells Paul that now is the best time for them to make their move. Paul thinks taking advantage of Victor's family at this time is a little cold. John isn't bothered and lights a cigar as Paul asks for details about the plan. Marlena strolls in and John assures her that they are just chewing the fat. She finds that hard to believe. "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar," he says. She quizzes Paul about the recent, highly publicized, scandals around him, but John reminds her that the papers are rarely accurate. The doorbell rings and Philip strolls in. After offering a greeting to the two men, he says, "Why am I not surprised to find you two together?" John blows some smoke at Marlena and she crosses the room while Philip probes John about his business dealings. Paul defends himself, accusing Philip and his father of framing him. Philip doesn't think you can frame a guilty man. John ends the verbal feuding and sends Paul away. Instantly, Philip accuses John of trying to undermine his company. John asks Marlena to leave so he can embarrass "Philly" in private. She stays and John starts to lay into Philly. "There was a time, not long ago, that I respected you," Philip reminds him. There was a time when they could work together. John takes his turn to remind him that he worked for him back then and that's the only way it could be. Marlena tries to get between them, refusing to let everyone get dragged into a war. John tells "Blondie" to back down and assures Philly that none of this is personal--it's just business and the port of Salem is small potatoes. "Whoever owns the docks, owns this town," Philip reminds him. Victor always considered Salem his home, he made his life here. They may have control of the rest of the shipping world, but what is important to them is what's right here. John reminds him that Salem is also his home so Philly and the old man need to step aside. With this attitude, John's proving himself to be a real DiMera, Philip says. John doesn't see himself as a DiMera or a Brady. Philip wishes him good luck with that and tells Marlena that he feels sorry for her before he walks out. Marlena is disappointed in John, but he doesn't think it can be helped. She needs to stop missing old John, the, "Superman, Captain Marvel and Ghandi all rolled into one." Work is the only reason that gets him up anymore. She offers to give him another reason and kisses him. He tells Blondie her bribes might work and kisses her back. While she was away, she thought about them and realized that she needed to become more aggressive. After she fondles his hair, he pushes her back and tells her that he has a "hot date". As he walks out, she seems disturbed.

At the hospital, Daniel is trying to hurry along the new tests on Chelsea. Tony bumbles in and gives Chelsea some flowers. He's really there to talk to Kate about their commercial though. Kate doesn't want to talk business but Chelsea encourages her to go, assuring her that she is in good hands. Dr. Jonas tells Chelsea that her temperature isn't going down as much as he'd hoped but he'll be keeping an eye on her. She thanks him for caring. He says that he cares about all of his patients. Meanwhile, Tony chases Kate around the hallways, babbling about the set design for the commercial. She doesn't seem interested and tells him that she can't focus on this right now; Chelsea is the most important thing.

In the corridor, Lexi tells Abe about what's been going on. She's tried to get in touch with Steve, Kayla, Bo and Hope, but they have all vanished. They start to pool what they've gleaned from conversations with Bo and Steve and assume that the Vitalis must have them. Daniel walks into the conversation and Abe asks for permission to go in and speak to Chelsea. Daniel allows it, as long as he doesn't tell her the details of her father's situation. He promptly goes in and asks her what she knows. She instantly starts to wonder if her father is in danger. Abe insists that there is no danger. Chelsea doesn't buy it. Abe walks out and tells Lexi and Daniel that Chelsea is worried now.

Daniel returns to Chelsea's bedside. He updates her on her infection. She's not worried; she has total faith in him... but she wishes he wasn't her doctor. He'd like to know why. "Because I know there are rules between doctors and their patients..." she says as she rambles through an explanation about what she would like from him and then claims to be delirious. He agrees to forget about the whole thing and tells her to get some sleep. She rolls over and falls asleep. He knows what she wanted to say and just wishes she would get better. Suddenly, a nurse walks in with the latest test results. He shudders when he sees them.

At the Vitali compound, Steve wakes up in bed. Ava is cuddling up next to him. "Welcome back to the good old days," she smiles at sleepy-headed Steve. She assures him that she didn't take advantage of him while he was sleeping. Groggily, he reminds her that she shot Hope and she needs help. She calms him down and promises that even "little wifey" is fine. She's just trying to clean up the messy triangle. "There is no triangle," he says. "Maybe it's more of a rectangle now that I get your kid," she says, explaining that even Kayla seems willing to give up her child for them. Finally they will have what they always wanted. He puts on his pants and looks for excuses but she insists that he loved her once. He admits that he did, but he knew it wasn't right. There was more wrong with them than just wedding jitters. "My heart just wasn't there," he explains. He doesn't want to hurt her, but Kayla is "the one". Unfortunately that's how Ava feels about him and exactly how the old Patch said he felt about her. He thinks that, back then, they were just running away from who they were and, in the end, they couldn't. "I'm not Patch anymore," he tells her. She's unconvinced; she can still see Patch in him. She tries to kiss him but he pulls away. She insists that he is still the same man, but he repeats that it is all in the past: It's time to let go. "I can't... because if I do, my life is over," she says. That doesn't sound like the Ava he used to know. That Ava doesn't exist anymore thanks to him, she reminds him. "I can't give up," she claims. He sighs, "I guess I'm going to have to." He won't fight anymore. As long as she lets the others go, she can have him and they can make a baby of their own. He offers her instant sex, but the way he offers, it sounds like a chore. That's a real turn off for her. She wants him to make love to her with his soul. He can't promise that; he's still in love with his wife after all. Can she live with things like this? "Let's do it. Let's make a baby," she says, pushing him into bed.

Friday
April 25, 2008
I Know Your Secret.

John plays some light jazz and lights candles in the dining room. Marlena strolls in and tells him that he looks nice. "Who are we dining with tonight?" she queries. He reminds her he has a date, not her. "I thought you were just trying to get my goat," she laughs uncomfortably. He's not; he's got a date with Nicole Kiriakis and he plans to get well acquainted with her--he's planning a "hot" date. She reminds him that they're still married and married people don't date; this isn't really appropriate. He tells her that she'll appreciate this in time and starts to cuddle up to her newfound penchant for sarcasm and her sexy jealousy. "I'm not jealous," she insists. She wishes he would act like her husband. He wishes she would act like a wife and suggests that they should have sex. She assumes that Nicole's presence this evening is all about sex. "I wouldn't be doing this if I had something better to do," he flirts before assuring her that this is strictly business.

Victor goes to Chelsea's hospital room to check in on her. She's off getting tested so he waits for her to return. Nicole storms in behind him, outraged that he's having his maids kick her out of the house. She threatens him with her lawyer and asks if he threw Chloe out as well. "I did. I threw out all the trash!" he gloats. Nicole has another threat for him and warns that she will reveal his "dirty little secret". He threatens to have her arrested. "I know your secret. The one that would destroy your relationship with your family if they found out," she repeats. He thinks she's bluffing and tells her to do what she has to do. She storms out.

At the mansion, Rolf announces that Nicole has arrived. John growls as she takes off her coat to reveal her leopard print. After sending Marlena away, John and Nicole drink champagne. She tells him that she doesn't like to share. He doesn't want to talk about Marlena, he wants to talk about them and how good they could be together. All the while, Marlena eavesdrops in the hallway before grabbing Rolf and demanding that he get the old John back. She's sure that he knows how and vows to discover the way. As she stomps away, John continues flirting with Nicole, planning a jet-set vacation to numerous vineyards. She wonders if this will interfere with his little war with Victor. "Took you long enough," he says, explaining that he knows that she is really there to spy on him. She accuses him of being paranoid and rises to leave. Marlena walks in. "Suddenly I lost my appetite," Nicole announces. "John can do that to people," Marlena says before lashing out at the married woman for coming after a married man. Nicole tells Marlena that she's as crazy as John and walks out. Marlena sits down and John tells her that she's impressive. "I see my talent for rubbing people the wrong way has rubbed off on you," he quips. "Admit it Blondie, you were jealous," he says. He's her husband and she won't share him. It seems like she is starting to accept him. Changing the subject, he explains that, tonight, Victor and Philip have proven to be disappointing adversaries. They made a mistake: They fought back. "And now I'm going to put an end to this," he announces.

Chloe tracks down Philip and breaks the news: Victor is kicking her out. They go inside the pub as she explains things. Philip can't believe it; she's his guest and he wants her to stay. He offers to talk to his father but she tells him to forget it; she's caused enough trouble already. She's family and a friend, he insists, and he will have her back inside the mansion tonight. Later, Nicole tracks her down while she has coffee alone. Nicole rants about being kicked out with Pookie in tow. "Victor should at least have waited until you tried to kill him again," Chloe jokes. They laugh and Nicole compliments her on finally getting a backbone. Before Chloe can walk away from this conversation, Nicole tells her that there is something about Victor that she needs to know: "He knows where Brady is. He always has."

Philip tracks his father down at the hospital. He asks him why he kicked the women out of the house. Of course, they both know why. Philip reminds his father that Chloe has nowhere else to go and they need to let the lawyers handle Nicole. Victor refuses and demands to know why his son is supporting those two women against the family.

Stephanie and Max dance at the pub. He wishes they could do this all night. Outside, Ava's henchman watches through the window. Max asks her upstairs and she happily goes along. As they kiss, he offers to go slower or to stop. She says that this feels right. "I want you Max," she says. He offers to stop again but she pulls him into the bed. He pulls away and tells her that she's just worried about her parents. She insists it's more than that. He loves her and wants this to be right. They rest and he tells her that, for the first time in his life, he knows what he wants and that's her. "That's worth waiting for," he concludes. She doesn't know if she can wait much longer. Later, he goes back down to work and she hangs out at the bar.

At the Vitali compound, Ava and Patch make love in bed until Angelo shoves Kayla into the room. Kayla screams at the sight and Patch pulls on his pants. Ava admits that she set this up so Kayla could see it, but she never thought he would actually make love to her. He insists that they aren't even having sex and what they're doing has nothing to do with love; it's just her obsession with the past. He tells her that Kayla got over losing him so she can too. "You don't know anything!" Ava screams. Meanwhile, in the hall, Bo fumbles around with his ropes and finally gets free. He quickly clobbers the two goons guarding he and Hope and grabs a gun. Back inside the bedroom, Patch and Kayla try to open the door after hearing the fight outside. Ava pulls out her gun. "You're not leaving me," she warns. "If anyone walks through that door they die!" Bo pushes through the door and Steve wrestles the gun from Ava, slapping her across the face. Bo asks if everything is okay. Kayla and Steve exchange terrible looks. "Yeah, we're fine," she sobs. Steve starts to worry about Stephanie and tries calling her. There's no luck. He helps the shocked Ava up as Bo levels his gun at Angelo in the hallway. He sends the goons into Ava's room and locks them in.

Abe and Roman rush into the pub. Abe tells him that Steve, Kayla, Bo and Hope have all gone missing and their lives are in danger. Roman suspects that the women must have badgered their husbands into dragging them along. He wonders how Steve could have gotten involved with the Vitalis and worries that their friend's time is about to run out. They go outside and meet with Earl the street snitch. He doesn't want to talk to them but Roman grabs him by the scruff of the neck and warns him that he'll be going to jail if he doesn't tell them what they need to know. He's amazed that they don't know where the Vitali compound is and sarcastically offers to download them a map so they can find it. Roman pays him off and Earl runs. Abe gets his people together and announces that they'll be "going in quiet". They arrive at the compound and drift through the grounds until Ava and her pack of former captives file out. Abe promptly arrests her and she stares daggers at Steve. As she's taken away, Steve tries telling Kayla that everything will be alright. He touches her cheek. Back inside, Angelo easily gets loose and takes out his phone. "It's me. It's a go," he barks into the phone. Immediately, his goon approaches Stephanie in the pub and pulls a knife on her.

All photographs are courtesy of Soapoperafan.com

AdChoices