SoapOperaFan.com . . . Days Of Our Lives Summaries

At the Kiriakis mansion, Nicole leans in to kiss EJ when he pulls away. She thinks it would help if he kissed her. He tells her to stop trying to manipulate him about his marriage or lack thereof and refuses to be blackmailed. "This isn't blackmail... it's just a little friendly persuasion," she says. There are other fish in the sea; he doesn't need Sami "the piranha". He warns her what would happen if Victor caught them together. She cares about more than the money from her divorce settlement. Henderson sticks his head in to announce that Nicole has a guest. Nicole is baffled since she has no friends. "What about me?" Ava announces as she comes in. She's ready for a girl's night out. EJ tells them that would be a terrible idea. "It does not do for you to be seen with her," he points out, reminding Nicole that Ava is infamous and this will only give Victor's lawyers ammunition. She doesn't care and they run off. "I must be out of my mind," EJ says to himself. Chelsea walks in and asks why he's there. He abruptly walks out. Suddenly, Daniel walks in and pulls her into a kiss, lifting her up and dropping her down. Before she can have sex on her grandfather's love seat, Victor walks in and she snaps out of it. It was just a fantasy. She tells him that school is out and she wants a job... maybe at the hospital? He knows just the person to call: Their friend Daniel.

At the hospital, Kate limps in to see Daniel. "I've been in a great deal of pain and I think that there's something terribly wrong," she says. He checks her over and says that he needs to run tests. She hopes it isn't anything serious. Suddenly, Victor and Chelsea arrive, surprised to see Kate there. They downplay things but Daniel wants to keep Kate in overnight so he can observe her. Chelsea worries, but Victor is sure he can take good care of her. Victor explains that he's brought Chelsea there to find some work. Daniel smiles: He already has something in mind for her. Chelsea is more worried about her grandmother at the moment. Kate asks for a moment alone with her. The two men walk out. Victor begins demanding to know what's going on with Kate. Daniel can't say. Victor worries. Meanwhile, Kate wonders if it's a good idea for Chelsea to work there. Chelsea insists she'll be fine. She and Daniel had a talk and she's not going to pine over what she can't have. The men return and Daniel tells Kate to start her paperwork while he takes Chelsea aside. She says she's cool with working there, but isn't taking the job to be near him. Kate starts screaming in pain and they run back to her.

Bo and Hope are announced at the DiMera mansion. They have a search warrant this time. "You gotta be kidding me," John says as they tell him that they are going to take a look around. After his cursory protestation of innocence, he tells the kids to "knock themselves out." Rolf takes Bo upstairs while John watches Hope sorting though his things. As she looks though a photo album of Stefano's, he wonders if she has any happy memories of his half-brother. He doesn't, but he doesn't remember anything, not even when he and Hope "had spine shattering sex on a submarine". That was a long time ago and she doesn't want to talk about it, she insists, fumbling with papers. He reminds her that she was a notch on his bedpost. She reminds him that they're both married now and she loved Bo even when she was with him. "We just cheated for the fun of it?" he smiles. He wants to hear all the details. She refuses. He threatens to ask Bo. She's annoyed. He needs to know if she has an ax to grind; she is investigating him after all. She tells him "the whole insane story" but he seems disappointed when she leaves out the gory details and it just amounts to Stefano playing with his head again. When he asks her if she enjoyed their submarine romp, she lies and says she can't remember. He laughs and she becomes defensive. He won't bring it up again, he promises, though he's surprised that she believes him. The new him is a "what you see is what you get" type, she explains. He asks if she likes the new him. She's getting used to him. Bo comes in. John tells them to talk to Phillip and adds that he has proof he's been framed: He has it on good authority that Philly's been meeting with Paul.

Nicole and Ava go out to the Java Cafe. Nicole "corrects" her coffee by dropping some hooch in. Ava declines: Getting wasted at the Java Cafe isn't her idea of fun. They wonder what to do for fun in a town like Salem. They decide to get out of there and make a place to party if they can't find one. They go over to Ava's hotel and pick up booze and men before heading up to her room. Nicole makes them martinis as the men, Barry and Fabio, offer them the chance to check out their "fitness equipment". As Nicole dances with one of the men, she can't stop thinking of EJ. Meanwhile, Ava dances with the other and thinks of John and his invitation to dinner. Soon, they send the men away. Ava just couldn't get into it. Nicole admits that those men aren't what they need right now, but booze does help and she starts fixing them more martinis. Ava misses being in love, though she doubts it will ever happen again. Nicole points out that there are lots of crazy guys in Salem. Ava's already met one; he's, "A lot strange but we kinda have a strange connection," she says before explaining that it's John. Nicole had a date with him herself. They agree that he seems wonderfully unpredictable and Nicole tells her to go for it; it's not like he and Marlena are really together.

At the Java Cafe, Nick and Stephanie arrive at the book signing with Max. Max pretends not to be interested but Steph tells him to drop the act when they both know he's into all this physics stuff. Max begins to snipe at Nick and his success. Nick wishes his friend would actually tell him what's bothering him. "There's something I wanna tell you right now," Max starts. Suddenly changing moods, he says that he admires Nick. Dean Robbins walks. "What the hell is he doing here?" Max says, changing gears again. "Do you have some kind of problem with him?" a baffled Nick asks, explaining that they are there for his book signing. Max downplays it and starts acting nervous, looking for a way to get out. Dean Robbins walks over and thanks Nick and Steph for coming. They introduce him to Max. Robbins gives a talk and Max is eager to go. Nick hurries over to buy a book and Steph pressures Max to get one too. He's annoyed and can't wait to leave. As the Cafe empties out, Max returns alone and tells Robbins that his book is garbage and accuses him of being a con man and a fraud. Max begins to unpack his critique of Robbins' theory and tells him that he's no good and he'll make sure that everyone knows it. After kicking over his poster, he walks out, leaving Robbins with a disturbed expression on his face.

Tuesday
June 10, 2008
Every man in Here is Completely Insane!

At the Java Cafe, John sits down with a coffee when Ava calls to set up a date. That makes him smile, but it doesn't last. Paul arrives and John tells him his sources have suggested that he's the one who planted the drugs on his ship. Morgan sticks her head in. Paul continues to say he's innocent and never dropped the dime on him. John hopes he's not lying because that would be a big mistake. Morgan interrupts. Paul tells her to be polite and thanks John for making him a free man. They start to argue, but Morgan finally says that she'd appreciate it if John stayed away from her daddy. "As you wish," he says, walking away. Paul tells his daughter that was unnecessary and reminds her that he can take care of himself. She's not so sure he can.

Chloe is lugging her luggage down the stairs of the mansion when Phillip notices. He's afraid she'll hurt herself with her absurdly heavy bags. She gives him the house keys back, but he tells her to keep them. She won't be coming back for booty calls, she says, "You have to pick you battles and apparently I'm not worth fighting for," she snipes. He insists she is. She's not convinced and worries about Victor and his moods. "Your relationship with your father is more important than your relationship with me," she explains. He tells her he's made it clear to his father that he can't control who he sees. There's more to all of this than she realizes. "Are we still on for dinner tonight?" he asks. She's looking forward to it. They kiss and he offers to give her money for a house. She turns him down and says she's been looking for a rental. "I might be gone soon," she says. He tells her they'll talk later. His phone rings and he goes into the office, closing the door behind him.

At the DiMera mansion, Lucas is on the phone, promising someone that he will have the cash for them. Sami walks in and asks him what he needs money for. Lucas pretends he's ordering a pizza and hangs up. He sits down, trying to act cool by reading a book upside down. They bicker about EJ and Nicole. He's about to walk out when she stops him. The topic changes to Allie and they bicker about her. He admits that he made a mistake. She wants them to be a family. Lucas brings up EJ and tells her she has to make a choice. "I made my choice. I choose you! I love you!" she says. As she leans in for a kiss, he pulls away. He doesn't fool around with married women, he says. He wants her, but he doesn't want EJ in the picture. Sami wants to get old with Lucas and move to Florida, wearing denim to meals after 8:00, just like they'd always dreamed. Lucas doesn't think that's possible. Once her divorce is final, they can talk. John suddenly hurries in and starts trying on cologne. He asks Sami which of them reveals her feminine desires and gets her to smell his arms. She coughs as she sniffs at them and asks him what this about. He has a hot date and the saleswoman said it was an aphrodisiac. She reminds him he's married. "I could say the same for you," he shoots back. "Every man in here is completely insane!" she shouts, thumping away.

John walks around the mansion, eager to have some "social intercourse" with a woman. Lucas wonders if dating is a good idea. John says Marlena had her chance and tells Lucas that he needs to disappear behind a door with the twins so they won't kill the mood when his date arrives. The doorbell rings and Lucas hurries to it. Sneaking onto the porch, he hands an envelope of cash to a thuggish looking fellow. He goes back inside and starts to fiddle with his ankle monitor. He soon slips away to the docks.

Chloe gets some food at the Java Cafe. When she turns around, Sami starts sniping at her, mocking her for getting kicked out of the mansion. Chloe insists that it was her choice to leave. Sami tells her she can always sing in the subway and people can pay her to stop. Chloe asks her to be civil and claims that she tried to help Brady but what he did was his choice. She never abandoned him and she's sick of being made out a villain. She lost everything because of his addiction. Sami can't understand why she didn't stay and fight for her marriage. Chloe starts to wonder if she should leave town. Sami's talked to Brady and he's doing well. Chloe admits that part of her hoped that he would come back to her. She asks Sami to say "hi" to him and advises her to try again with Lucas.

Back at the Kiriakis mansion, Phillip is on the phone with his decrytptor. "What do you mean brainwaves?" he asks as they tell him what they've found on the disc. He demands more information and hangs up as Morgan hurries through the door asking for his help. She tells him how worried she is about her father; she just ran into him and John at the Java Cafe and is sure that John is taking advantage of him. Phillip is happy that she's come to him for help. Paul suddenly calls and tells him that John is suspicious and he wants the rest of his payoff. Phillip isn't sure he deserves it. Paul reminds him that he planted the drugs and Philly owes him big time. Phillip hangs up. Morgan offers to leave. He takes her hand and asks her to stay. After some flirting, he convinces her to have a drink with him. As he pours, Chloe returns. She spots them together and quickly slips out, sadly leaving her house key on the table as she goes. Meanwhile, Morgan and Phillip cozy up on the couch. She wonders how his girlfriend would feel about this. He says it's no big deal and asks her if she'd like to try dinner sometime.

Sami returns to the mansion to try and convince John not to go through with this date. He's not listening to her and starts unbuttoning his shirt, asking if he should show off his chest hair. She thinks he's making a big mistake. He has primal needs he needs satisfied, he states. She asks him where Lucas is and starts to search around. John reminds her that she should be out of sight and calls her "Tink". She starts calling Lucas. His phone vibrates as he sits by the docks watching Chloe cry. Sami drops her phone and finds a bag on the floor. When she looks inside, she finds Lucas' ankle monitor.

Steph arrives at the pub searching for Max. Pete goes off to look for him. When she turns around, Dean Robbins walks through the door. They start to chat when Max runs out. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demands. Max continues to sneer at him but the Dean won't back down. He explains to Steph that Max attacked his theorems and Max repeats that he's a fraud. Robbins doubts a guy who pours beer for a living knows anything about "forward thinking scientific applications". He rolls his eyes and walks out. Steph asks Max why he doesn't tell him the truth. They argue and she says that it doesn't seem like he's happy with what he's doing with life. There's more to this than science; it seems personal. He has beers to pour and turns his back. She sneaks upstairs and finds a picture of a woman hidden in his things. Going downstairs, she confronts him about it. Annoyed that she's violated his privacy, he confesses that it's his real mom. She hangs around, asking for forgiveness for going over the top. She asks to see the picture again. Sitting down, he explains that he doesn't have many memories of his real mom. What he does remember, he isn't even sure is true. He wishes he knew more. She suggests that they find her. He flatly says no. She's glad he opened up to her. He promises no more secrets.

Wednesday
June 11, 2008
Someone Say my Name?

Chelsea arrives at the hospital to check on Kate. She asks Daniel for an update but he has nothing. He can only do what he can, he says. She demands more but he snaps at her, admitting that he's clueless. He's sorry, but he's only human and doesn't know everything. After his outburst, she says that she's surprised he's apologizing. He apologizes all the time, he reminds her. A nurse hands him the latest test results on Kate and Chelsea walks away.

At the pub, Max sits down and apologizes to Steph for not being himself lately. She feels like she should be apologizing for snooping through his things. She still wants to talk about his mom. He doesn't. She brings up Nick and how jealous he must feel about not getting the recognition that his friend is. Max explains that this is really about Dean Robbins, not Nick. She doesn't understand. Nick and the Dean walk through the door on cue. They sit at the bar. Max gives them a drink on the house and walks off annoyed. Steph drifts over and Nick takes her aside. He asks her what's going on with Max. She explains that Max and the Dean got into a fight. Chelsea arrives before she can say anymore. She tells them that Kate is having problems. Chelsea sits down as Steph runs off to ask Max to get her some food. Nick and Chelsea share an awkward moment alone together before he returns to the Dean at the bar. Nick asks him about the fight with Max. "He's not a fan of my theories," the Dean explains. Meanwhile, Stephanie tells Chelsea that Max has a secret. That's all she gets out though. Max walks over and hands Chelsea a takeout bag which she immediately takes and leaves to check on her grandma. As Max heads back to the kitchen, Nick follows and confronts him about his recent behavior, demanding an answer. Max says the Dean isn't a genius and he's wrong. Nick realizes he knows more than he's pretending to and asks how that can be possible. Max admits that he altered Nick's work. Stephanie sticks her head in: "Thank God it's out in the open!" Max insists that he was only helping out to be a friend. Then why was he doing it behind his back? Nick demands. He accuses Max of thinking he's too brilliant for him. Max goes silent. Nick storms over to the Dean and announces that he's giving all the grant money back. Bewildered, Robbins asks why. Nick tells him that if he wants to give someone credit for the prototype, they should give it to Max.

On the docks, Lucas hides in the shadows and spots Chloe crying. He calls her cell phone and apologizes for what he said to her earlier. He tells her to stop crying. "How did you know I was crying? " she asks. He makes an excuse and starts talking about his problems with Sami and EJ. She asks him to form an alliance with her. He likes that idea. After hanging up, he's about to head back to the mansion when he bumps into Paul. Lucas seems strangely familiar to Paul. Lucas quickly runs off.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Morgan entertains Phillip's offer for dinner. She'd like to, but she doesn't think Chloe would like it. He and Chloe are putting some space between them, he explains, but she's not happy with it. Morgan tells him he's hitting all sorts of lame cliches and no self-respecting woman would take it. He likes that she's fierce and opinionated. She sounds like she plans to get way ahead in life. Their banter is interrupted when her father calls. She tells him she's with Phillip. He advises her to stay away. She hangs up and asks Phillip why her father wants her to stay away. Maybe she should ask her father, he tells her. She doesn't understand her father's attitude: Philly is everything her father wanted her to look for in a man. "What's on your list?" he probes. She doesn't want to finish this conversation. Paul calls Phillip and interrupts. He threatens Philly to stay away from his daughter. Phillip hangs up. Morgan heads for the door and runs into Chloe in the doorway. Morgan pushes past her as she leaves. "You moved on pretty quickly," Chloe snipes at him. Phillip stops her and tells her she's the one he wants to be with. She's reluctant, but they kiss.

At the hospital, Kate is wheeled out to Daniel. He promises that he will do whatever he can to help. She asks where Chelsea is. He thinks he might have scared her off. She doesn't want him to hurt her granddaughter. Neither does he; he wants to be a good man and give people hope, but when he leaves the hospital, he just wants to be left alone. Chelsea is "just a girl" and "it won't work". "I can't be who I want to be when I'm with her," he explains. Kate asks him if that will change when she starts to work there. He says it won't make a difference. Chelsea arrives, asking them how long they've been arguing about her. She can look after herself, she asserts. A nurse wheels Kate away for more tests. Daniel tells Chelsea this isn't a good time. She knows it will never be a good time. "No matter how I feel, I get that you're not in love with me," she says, walking away. "Problem is, I am," he confesses to himself.

Rolf shows Ava into the mansion. Sami stands in the corner, worrying about the missing Lucas as John greets his date. Ava feels like persona non grata in town lately, but that's not who she is according to John. As he readies to unveil their dinner, he asks Sami to give them some privacy. "What!" she shouts, breaking out of her stare. "So what did Lucas do now?" he asks. She starts to ramble that Allie just lost her doll. Ava asks John who Sami is. He tries to explain but her relation to him is confusing. Sami starts to snipe at him for dating while still being married to her mother. She threatens to take a picture and email it to Marlena. He asks her again to leave and she stomps off, slamming the door. John and Ava give an uneasy laugh. As Sami walks in the hall, Roman calls asking to speak to Lucas. She makes an excuse. He tells her he'll be by soon and hangs up. She starts to panic and her father quickly arrives. The twins starts crying upstairs and she runs up to check.

Alone, John pours Ava some "powerful and penetrating" red wine. She laughs. He toasts to the beginning of their new friendship. She asks him if he's a wine connoisseur. "I'm not... that I know of," he says. He puts on some music and she admits that it's been a long time since she's been on a date. He asks her if it bothers her that he's married. "That depends: Do you love her?" she queries. He's been married to her for years and they have a daughter but he can't remember it and he doesn't have any feelings for them; he doesn't even like them. She tells him to try and focus on the love as she did with her father. This topic makes her upset so they change the subject. Ava explains that she doesn't want to stab another woman in the back. John says that Marlena loves someone who doesn't exist: "She doesn't even know me." Attempting to be empathetic, he tells her that what her father did to her was unforgivable. Like him, much of her memory is gone. Now, they've got a clean slate and it liberates them to be more creative. They toast to "being who you wanna be". Later, Rolf serves them dinner and passes Ava some effusive compliments. John talks to her about how he misses having a past; he'd like to have some sort of guideline in his life. She offers to help him explore and discover them. They toast again. As the finish off the wine, he asks if he can kiss her. She lets him and promptly asks for a tour of the mansion. Giddy, he takes her hand and they rush out, almost knocking Sami over on the way out of the room. As they go upstairs, Sami complains to her father about John. The waiting Roman demands to know here Lucas is. "Someone say my name?" Lucas says, sticking his head out.

Thursday
June 5, 2008
Like I Don't Even Know him Anymore.

At the pub, Nick repeats to Dean Robbins that Max did the work and deserves the credit for his prototype. Robbins is still unsure. Nick explains that Max made significant changes to his proposal. Max insists that he only cleaned it up but Nick doesn't buy it. He tells the Dean again that he is giving the grant money back and tells Max that he is sick of his manipulations. Robbins wants to hear what Max has to say. Max repeats that he only double checked things. Robbins seems satisfied with this since none of the theorems were changed. Nick isn't satisfied though and begins arguing with Max. The Dean tells Nick to just check the changes and then they can move ahead; he's sure that Max just plugged the numbers into a calculator without understanding it. Steph objects to him being so arrogant. Max starts sniping at Robbins again. Robbins accuses Max of being a destructive person and threatens to call the cops if he comes near him again. Kayla arrives and takes her daughter aside. A student comes in and takes the Dean aside to sign a copy of his book. Angrily, Max begins clearing up the tables. Nick asks him to go some place private so they can talk things out.

Max and Nick go down to the docks. They spot a fire at the warehouse in the distance and then return to their problems. Max admits that he understands more than people think he does. "I pick things up quickly and I understand things I haven't learned," he shrugs. He's hidden this all of his life because he just wanted to be normal. He begins ranting about Dean Robbins and the attack sounds remarkably personal. Nick still wonders why Max wouldn't want to use his gift. He asks him to come to the university and do an IQ test. Max turns him down; he won't be a guinea pig. His family works in pubs or in the police; that's all they are. Nick doesn't think that Max's father would want him to deny his own gifts. For Max, the gift is really a curse. He tells Nick to drop it and trudges off.

Back at the pub, Stephanie fills her mother in on what's going on with Max... not that she knows what's going on. "It's like I don't even know him anymore," she says. They catch up on Joey. He's doing well and neither of them can wait until he comes home. They talk about Max again and Stephanie explains his gift with numbers. Kayla had no idea. Max and Nick return. Nick sits down with Stephanie and tells her that his chat with Max didn't go well. Meanwhile, Max aggressively throws darts while thinking of his arguments with the Dean. Kayla tries to talk to him but he walks away. Walking over to Robbins, he leans in and threatens: "You're going to let Nick finish his prototype or I'm going to tell everyone who you really are."

Morgan walks back into the Kiriakis mansion and straight into a Chloe-Phillip make-out session. As she turns to go, Chloe stops her. Phillip assumes she's being jealous and trying to warn Morgan off. Chloe warns her young rival about John and how anyone battling with him won't be safe. Phillip gets a call and steps aside. It's Paul, telling him that John won't know what hit him. Phillip isn't following this. Paul is smug and hangs up. Morgan asks him if everything is alright. He plays it cool. She tells him he's a good person and she's sure he'll do the right thing. As he walks her to the door, Bo walks in. He tells Phillip that there was a fire at the docks and arson is suspected. Morgan tries calling her father and runs off when he doesn't answer. Bo asks to talk to Phillip alone. Philly says he has nothing to hide from Chloe. Bo hopes he doesn't find out that his brother had anything to do with this and warns that he will arrest him if he did. Bo leaves. "Did you do it?" Chloe blankly asks. He says no and worries that this will make John seem more sympathetic to the police. Abruptly, she turns back to the issue of Morgan. He repeats to her that she's the only one he wants to be with and kisses her, promising that everything will get sorted out. They kiss again and she leaves to unpack at her new place. As soon as she's gone, he calls Paul and starts to lay into him. He never told him to start a fire.

"Dark and masculine" is how Ava describes John's house as he takes her for the tour of the mansion. It reminds her of him... and of the house she grew up in. This brings back painful memories. She talks of her problems with her father but they soon end the therapy session. He asks her if she'd like to tour his bedroom. She'd rather see the kitchen.

In the main room, Lucas tells Sami that he heard sirens in his room. She's skeptical and asks him what he did tonight. He had dinner and hung out with the kids, he claims. "I love you," she says. "No matter what you do... I just want you to trust me. I just want you to tell me the truth," she pleads, biting her lip. He can't trust her after she slept with EJ. She wants a chance to earn his trust. They quickly start arguing, loudly, about how they can't trust each other. This is annoying John, who can hear them from across the house. He steps in and tells them that the noise since they got there has been non-stop. All any of them do, whether it's Sami or Lucas or EJ, is argue and scream, just like the babies. He just wants a quiet evening with his lady friend. Sami says this is wrong and reminds him that he's still married to her mother. "If you wanna get technical," he bites. She lashes out at Ava and John orders Lucas to take Sami away. Once they're gone, the doorbell rings. Rolf, practicing his American accent, announces that Hope is there. She strolls in with some bad news. The warehouse containing all his impounded goods was burned down and everything was lost. "Phillip," he grunts. She tells him that he has to stay out of this and let the police take care of it. He's sure that Paul and Phillip have the police snowed and vows to take care of Phillip, "one way or another". Ava sides with John and lays into Hope. The detective reminds her that they are still watching her. Hope repeats her warning that they stay out of this and leaves. Again, John vows to deal with this. Ava tells him that she will be there if he needs advice. He's not going to let Phillip ruin his new life. She compliments him on everything he's accomplished. "It's so sexy," she smiles before pulling him into a kiss. He wishes he'd fought dirty against Philly from the beginning. "Then why didn't you?" she asks. "Because I didn't want him to," Marlena says as she walks in.

Lucas has been eavesdropping on the whole thing in the hallway. He paces as Sami comes down the stairs. She asks him to trust her. He'll try but he has no secrets to tell her at the moment. She repeats that he can tell her anything. The twins begin crying and she heads back upstairs. He flashes back to running into Paul on the pier. Meanwhile, Chloe returns to the pier and realizes that Lucas must have been there if he knew she was crying.

Bo and Hope meet up at the pub. They're tired so they decide to do their reports tomorrow. They catch up on who said what tonight. "You're not going to believe who was at John's tonight," she gossips. "Ava," she says giddily. He's shocked. Kayla walks over and starts to worry to them about Max and Stephanie.

Friday
June 13, 2008
No one can Ever Know About him.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Phillip is sorting out business when Victor interrupts. He pointedly asks his son if his new business style includes intimidation and arson. Phillip claims that he had nothing to do with the fire at the docks and will handle the mess from it. Victor changes the subject: Kate is in the hospital.

In the pub, Stephanie sits down at the bar. Max doesn't want to talk to her. Caroline does and they begin talking about Joe. Max announces that he's going to bed. As he walks away, Steph follows him and demands to know what happened between he and Nick. He stomps upstairs. Caroline offers Steph her help. Steph runs off. Kayla walks in and takes her mom aside so they can talk. Kayla tells Caroline that Max is a genius and fills her in on what's been going on. Caroline needs to talk to him; he's been in a bad place for a long time and needs closure, she says.

At his mansion, John welcomes Blondie back. He introduces her around, but Marlena and Ava have already met. John informs her that he invited her over "for dinner and whatever". Marlena breathes deep. Looking around, she notices that her gargantuan portrait is gone. "So were you," he points out. Sami hurries in and asks her mother about Eric. He's doing alright. John begins ignoring Marlena: He wants to discuss strategy with Ava. He serves her cognac and chocolates. Marlena feels like she's interrupted something. Ava thanks her for her advice: Thanks to her, she's dumping her past and moving on. "I can see that," Marlena observes, but the irony clearly disturbs her. She turns to John and reminds him they're still marred. They aren't sleeping together; they have no "intimate" life, he argues. She just left him alone with a house full of their assorted relatives. She may be trying to get along with him, but she is clearly pining for someone else. "I'm moving on," he tells her, walking over to Ava. Sami stops her mother from stomping after him and informs her that the war with Phillip has heated up and they have to stop John before he does something disastrous. John tells Marlena that he has a plan to deal with Phillip, but she won't like it. He's tried to impress her, but he's only ended up in jail so now he's doing it his way. "Or is that the Vitali way?" Marlena asks. Ava says that John needs to fight for what's his. John tells Marlena that he has a new beginning and is looking to the future. "What does that mean to us?" she asks. "You're in love with somebody else," he reminds her. "Then I need to pack my things," she concludes.

In the foyer, Lucas paces and Sami frets. Phillip calls and tells his brother that their mother is in the hospital. Marlena walks through, announcing that she is moving out. As she goes upstairs, Sami runs after her. Chloe rings the doorbell and Lucas opens up. He tells her that his mom is sick and he has to go. She reminds him he can't leave the house. He doesn't need the reminder. It doesn't seem that way to her. She brings up the pier and assures him that she just wants to be his friend. She is sure, however, that he snuck out and saw her on the pier. He starts to bark that he did no such thing. Meanwhile, Sami begs her mother not to leave her alone in the house full of crazy men. Marlena would do anything for her but she can't stay with John any longer. She walks out.

Ava is sure that John still loves Marlena. He can't remember. "I don't really feel much of anything," he says. He tried to get her to love him for who he is, but it didn't work and he's tired of disappointing her. Ava doesn't have expectations about him and that makes her refreshing. He makes her feel better than she has in a long time. They talk about what it's like to be in love and how magical it can be. She stopped being in love because the man involved abandoned her. After that, she was lost and alone. "Probably the way Blondie's feeling right now," he assumes. He asks her to join him in the hot tub. She laughs and thanks him for the evening. If he needs a friend, he should call her; she's available. He thanks her as she sees herself out. Alone, he wanders to the window and leans his head against the glass. "Doc..." he whispers to himself.

Nicole meets with EJ at the pub. She assumes their meeting is about who Sami's been bedding, but it's actually about her divorce. He's found a way to get her a "cushy" settlement. He agrees to do this only if she keeps her mouth shut about his annulment. Although she enjoys having something to hold over him, there's something she wants even more: His respect. He doesn't understand. She still thinks he should tell Sami the truth... she's not right for him anyway. "Who do you think I should be with?" he asks. Someone who actually wants him, she says. He's not interested in anyone else. She catalogues the crapulent life that chasing Sami has gotten him, complete with a room in a haunted house and an anklet wearing Lucas. She asks him to trust her and offers a pinky swear on their alliance. They join fingers and she swears to keep his secret. They toast to their new understanding and her filthy rich future. EJ decides it's time to pay Victor a visit and leaves. Soon, Ava arrives and tells her friend how "intense yet playful" John is. Nicole grieves over EJ and his incapacity to realize what a catch she is. They gossip about Marlena moving out and Nicole points out to her friend that the path is now clear for her.

Max is in his room. He tries to read but becomes angry and throws the book across the room. Steph interrupts his fit and tells him she wants to help. He claims there is no problem. She accuses him of keeping secrets and can't understand why: She needs to know what's wrong with him. He can't tell her any more. "You're more angry now than you were when your pop died," she cries. She just wants to help. He sits on the bed and stutters. He can't let her in. He rests his head on her belly. She tells him that she loves him. He loves her too. They kiss before pulling off each other's clothes and getting into bed. After sex, she falls asleep. He wishes he could tell her more, "But no one can ever know about him."

At the hospital, Daniel goes into Kate's room while he orders his nurse to run more tests. Kate is getting tired of this. Daniel wants to run through her medical history again. Kate rolls her eyes. Chelsea hurries in and asks what's wrong with her grandmother and begins to snap at the surgeon. Kate convulses, although she's maxed out on pain meds. Chelsea follows Daniel into the hall. She apologizes for being "abrupt" but assures him that she has faith in him. She'll always be grateful for what he's done; she just wishes she hadn't made the stupid mistake of falling in love with him. She abruptly walks off and returns to her grandmother's side. Kate wants to know what they were talking about. Before they can gossip, Victor and Phillip walk in. Kate didn't want them called. She takes her son's hand and begs him not to call Lucas. It's too late. Kate convulses in pain. As she screams, Daniel runs in. Lexi orders everyone out as Daniel checks his patient over again. He runs through her recent activities and discovers she got a power kick in self-defence class the other day. He gets an idea and runs off before quickly returning with a diagnosis. Kate has an obscure condition which virtually no one has ever seen or heard of. Lexi is impressed. Daniel says that he can fix her up as good as new and smugly assures her that he wasn't worried. Lexi gives him a pat on the back and walks out to explain things to the family.

In the hall, EJ arrives to have a chat with Victor. The elder Kiriakis really isn't in the mood to talk about his divorce given the current situation. EJ tells him his offer will expire in four minutes. "You're out of your mind. Go away!" Victor orders. EJ drifts away. Daniel comes out and explains to everyone what is wrong with Kate and what he intends to do about it. The family lines t up to thank him. Even Chelsea gives him a hug, though it clearly makes him uncomfortable.

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