At the police station, Rafe explained to Lani that he planned to wait until the last possible moment to show up at the gala because he couldn't stand going to such events on his own. Lani said she didn't really want to go to the gala but felt obligated to make an appearance because she had received an invitation. Lani suggested that she and Rafe could go together, although she was quick to assure him that it wouldn't be a date. Rafe agreed but stressed that he and Lani would have to be careful about making sure people didn't get the wrong impression, since he was "kind of" her boss. Nodding, Lani smiled as she walked away.
Outside Hope's house, Aiden lurked near a window, watching as Hope tried on her wedding dress. When Hope unexpectedly turned her head toward the window, Aiden ducked out of view, accidentally knocking over a potted plant in the process. Hope opened the front door and glanced from side to side, looking for the source of the disturbance. "Guess it was just the wind," Hope muttered before shutting the door and heading upstairs to get ready for the gala. Later, after Hope left the house, Aiden entered it and hid the bag of supplies he planned to use to kill her after the wedding.
Victor entered the Martin mansion with Maggie but immediately turned his attention to Caroline, realizing that something was wrong with her. Caroline told Victor about the vision of Bo she had just experienced. "He looked...as if he were dead," Caroline worriedly concluded.
Marlena sighed as she looked around the mansion. "Will should be here," Marlena sadly told Eric, who took a picture of a nearby flower arrangement as he agreed that Will and Sonny would have loved the event. Seeing Kate and Nicole huddled together on the opposite side of the room, Marlena said it was hard to believe that they had gone into business together. Marlena complained that Kate and Nicole should have hired Eric to be their photographer, but he insisted that he was fine with his job as a photographer for the Salem Spectator.
Marlena forced a smile when Eric pointed his camera at her. Eric was satisfied with the picture he ended up taking, but Marlena fretted that she had probably given him a very poor smile. Eric assured Marlena that she didn't have to smile for him or anyone else that night, since she had just lost a grandson and was also missing John. Marlena acknowledged that she was just going to have to get used to the idea of attending special occasions without John, since there was nothing she could do to change the fact that he was an ISA agent.
"Mom, John didn't make any bones about going back to the ISA. You knew what you were getting into," Eric reminded Marlena, who conceded the point. "It's just that, you know, it's rough right now. Losing Will -- my Will... It would just be a little bit easier -- a little more comforting -- if John were around," Marlena explained. With her back to the front door, Marlena didn't see John when he entered the mansion, and while Eric did see John, he remained silent as Marlena continued talking. "And I'm lonely for him, but it's not just that, you know? It's that it's a hard time, and I'm missing him, and it just feels like old times to me," Marlena added.
"Not quite," Eric replied, suppressing a smile. "It is like old times," Marlena protested, her voice beginning to waver a bit. "I mean, I'm sorry to say it, but I feel, in this terrible time, a little bit abandoned. I mean, that's a terrible word to use for it, but I just --" Marlena added, her voice trailing off when John suddenly stepped into her line of sight. "Now, any man who would do that to a woman like you should have his head examined," John told Marlena as Eric walked away.
Marlena wondered what had caused John to change his mind about going off on the ISA mission. John explained that he had shared his flight with a happy couple who had been dressed up for a special occasion, and seeing them had driven him to book a ticket back to Salem as soon as the plane had landed at the airport. John added that he had told the ISA they would have to find another agent to handle the mission. Pleasantly surprised, Marlena smiled as she hugged John, but she soon started worrying that he might regret his decision the following morning.
"Don't even start talking like that, all right? The truth is, I took this job on impulse. Going forward, I will just put a lot more time into my decision-making," John assured Marlena, but she remained concerned, reminding him that he was eager to find out the truth about his parents. "I may pick up that sometime, but that -- that's the past. I am looking at my future. You're my family now," John replied before changing the subject, reminding Marlena that they had a party to get to.
Standing next to J.J., Jennifer told Adrienne and Lucas that Abigail would be arriving later -- and Ben would be joining her. Adrienne was surprised to hear that, guessing Ben was probably still in shock after what had recently been revealed about Clyde. Lucas agreed, musing that it had to be hard for Ben to deal with the fact that his father was a drug lord and a murderer.
Adrienne wanted a glass of wine, so she and Lucas excused themselves and headed off to the bar. "Uncle Lucas must feel how I feel -- 'What the hell am I doing at a party?'" J.J. guessed after Lucas and Adrienne left. Jennifer understood but was sure that Lucas was going to be okay, since Adrienne -- who had also loved Will -- seemed to be looking after him. J.J. wondered if Lucas and Adrienne were together. "Beats me. These days, I feel like I need a scorecard to keep up with her and Justin," Jennifer replied with a shrug.
Roman interrupted and greeted J.J. and Jennifer, wondering if they'd had any further discussions about J.J.'s desire to join the police force. Jennifer said that idea had been tabled for the time being, but that seemed like news to Roman. "Mom, it's not tabled anymore. I turned in my application to the police academy," J.J. revealed.
Gabi entered the mansion and caught J.J.'s attention as Jennifer started complaining about how he had deliberately lied to her. "Look, I don't want to talk about this tonight. And I know you don't like it, but I also do know that I'm old enough to put in my own application without your permission. It's done," J.J. said before walking away. Speaking from experience, Roman advised Jennifer to try to be supportive of J.J., who was obviously bound and determined to join the police force, just as Roman had been years earlier -- despite Caroline's reservations.
Gabi asked if J.J. wanted to talk about whatever it was that he was upset about. J.J. declined, stating that he was sick of talking about himself and would prefer to just focus on trying to enjoy the party. Gabi suggested that she and J.J. could explore the rest of the mansion together, and he agreed.
On their way to the bar, Adrienne and Lucas ran into Justin and Eve. Adrienne guessed that deciding to attend the gala had probably been just as difficult for Eve as it had been for Lucas. Justin said he was hoping the gala would serve as a way to temporarily take Eve's mind off everything. Nodding, Lucas advised Eve to try to have a good time, and she returned the sentiment. Adrienne and Justin looked back at each other as they headed off in opposite directions with their respective dates.
When Theresa joined Kate, Nicole, Daniel, and Brady, Nicole revealed that she had just finished telling Kate about the great job Theresa had done on Daniel and Brady's suits. Declaring Theresa's dress stunning, Kate wondered where she had purchased it. Theresa clarified that she had actually designed it herself. "That neckline looks like it's from Valentino's fall collection. And the cut is a direct steal from Armani. You are really good at ripping off great design, I have to say, but when are you going to give us something original, Theresa?" Kate wondered.
Insisting that Theresa had designed a beautiful dress, Brady told Kate to shut up and stop having fun at someone else's expense. "Brady, it's my job to make sure our company doesn't get sued. You should mind your own business," Kate countered before heading off to the bar to get a drink. Brady pulled Theresa aside and wondered if Kate had been treating her that way since they had first started working together. Hesitantly confirming the suspicion, Theresa thanked Brady for defending her. Brady encouraged Theresa to let him know if she ever needed backup again.
Ciara entered the mansion with Chase and rushed over to hug Shawn, who wondered if they were nervous about the wedding. Ciara said she wasn't nervous because Hope seemed happy, and Chase agreed. Shawn pointed out that he and Chase would soon be brothers, prompting Ciara to protest that Shawn was her brother, and she wasn't okay with sharing him. Meanwhile, Hope arrived and started greeting everyone. Shawn was quick to ask about Aiden, wondering why he wasn't with Hope. Before Hope could respond, Rafe and Lani entered the mansion and made a point of joking that they probably wouldn't see each other again for the rest of the night.
Julie pulled Hope aside and told her about Caroline's earlier visions. Sighing, Hope crossed her fingers and said she hoped that witnessing the wedding would help Caroline face reality and finally accept that Hope was moving on with Aiden -- and perhaps even end the visions of Bo she had been having lately.
Aiden arrived and greeted Hope, apologizing for his tardiness. Aiden hoped it wouldn't be bad luck for him to see Hope before the wedding, since the gala had kind of made that unavoidable. Hope assured Aiden that she wasn't superstitious -- and she saw nothing but good luck in her future.
Declaring that living in Maine was nonsense, Roman wondered if there was any way he could convince Shawn and Belle to move back to Salem permanently. "Oh, that's how you're gonna sum up my whole life with my wife and kid -- nonsense?" Shawn asked. Laughing, Roman explained that he simply missed Shawn, who returned the sentiment.
Shortly after Hope and Aiden made their grand entrance, the guests suddenly stopped clapping, eyeing the front door in shock. Hope and Aiden turned and found themselves staring at Stefano and Andre, who had just arrived. Stefano chuckled as he looked around the room. "Looks like you made a wrong turn, Stefano," Victor mused. "My friend, this town is my home, huh? I am entitled to celebrate tonight, just like everyone else is," Stefano calmly replied.
Andre added that the bicentennial committee hadn't shown any disdain for the DiMera family when they had made a donation to the cause, but Maggie clarified that she had never cashed that check -- and she never would. "So, why don't you boys just jump into the Batmobile and hit the road?" Victor suggested. "You're wrong about us -- all of you. And your righteous indignation... When Chad is cleared -- and he will be -- we'll settle our debts with the lot of you," Andre warned the guests. Victor reiterated that Stefano and Andre needed to leave, and Rafe added that they could leave the easy way or the hard way.
Andre protested that the gala was a public event, but Stefano assured him that it was okay, since they didn't really need to stay for long, anyway. Agreeing, Andre explained that he and Stefano had simply wanted to wish the bride-to-be the best of everything. "To hell with your best wishes," Hope spat. "Oh, cara, you never change," Stefano mused, grabbing Hope's hand to give it a kiss. Hope pulled away as Roman protectively stepped forward and told Stefano that had been a bad idea. "It's all right -- we're going. Many happy returns, darling," Stefano told Hope, chuckling as he and Andre exited the mansion.
As the guests resumed their celebration, Nicole apologized to Eric for failing to secure a job for him at Basic Black. Eric assured Nicole that he didn't mind because he liked the job he already had, and he hadn't liked the idea of having to travel all the time for the Basic Black position, anyway. "So, you and I -- we're good?" Nicole asked. "We're fine," Eric confirmed as Daniel joined Nicole. After greeting Daniel, Eric quickly excused himself -- and grabbed a drink as he passed a waiter.
While looking for Brady, Theresa broke the strap on one side of her dress, and a passing guest joked that, on the bright side, the wardrobe malfunction would give Theresa the attention of every guy in the mansion. Spotting Brady, Theresa smiled as she chased after him.
When Theresa caught up to Brady, he was talking to J.J. and Gabi. Theresa awkwardly greeted J.J., who returned the greeting and quickly headed off with Gabi. "Who was that?" Gabi asked. "Somebody you don't want to know," J.J. responded -- while still within earshot of Theresa. After joking with Brady about her wardrobe malfunction, Theresa headed upstairs to fix the issue with a safety pin.
When Abigail tried to contact Ben to find out when he would be returning home, his cell phone started ringing, just a few feet away from her. Abigail picked up Ben's phone and started looking through his pictures -- just as he entered their apartment and demanded to know what she was doing. Abigail explained what had happened, but Ben protested that she hadn't just picked up his phone to end the call -- she had started looking through it afterward. Conceding the point, Abigail said she had expected to find some cute pictures of her and Ben on his phone, and she wondered why it instead contained a bunch of pictures of Chad.
"It seems like you're stalking him," Abigail observed. Ben admitted that he had been following Chad around because he didn't trust Chad, who clearly still wanted Abigail. Abigail said that didn't explain why Ben had taken pictures of Chad. "What's the big deal?" Ben asked with a shrug, prompting Abigail to reply that it was creepy. Abigail reminded Ben that she had repeatedly assured him that he had no reason to be jealous of Chad, but Ben countered that her actions were telling a different story, especially since she was still convinced Chad was innocent.
Abigail complained that she was sick of Ben turning everything around on her. Forcing Ben to look at the pictures, Abigail maintained that there had been no reason for him to take them, since she hadn't even been with Chad at any of those times. "Wait. The time stamp on these pictures... They're all on the days of the murders," Abigail suddenly realized. Snatching the phone away from Abigail, Ben insisted she didn't know what she was talking about, and he started tapping the screen as he turned his back to her. Abigail guessed Ben was deleting the pictures, and she protested that they could clear Chad's name.
"Relax! Listen, the pictures aren't gonna clear him, okay? The guy's guilty. When are you gonna get that through your damn head? This is what you always do -- you try to let the bastard off the hook! Abigail, listen, I'm so sick and tired of repeating myself, it's unbelievable," Ben snapped. Meanwhile, Abigail's cell phone started ringing, and when she saw that the call was from Jennifer, Ben told her to go ahead and answer it, since he needed to get ready for the gala, anyway. Ben retreated to the bathroom as Abigail answered her phone.
Jennifer asked if Abigail and Ben were still planning to attend the gala. Unaware that Ben was listening, Abigail admitted that she wasn't sure, since something was obviously wrong with Ben. "He's acting really strange. I've never seen him like this before," Abigail added. Jennifer suggested that Ben might just be worried about Abigail, since she had once been close to Chad, who had been accused of committing three murders. "I know everyone in this town thinks that Chad is guilty, but I swear to God, sometimes it feels like Ben -- he needs him to be guilty," Abigail mused.
Abigail abruptly ended the call so she could finish getting ready for the gala. When Abigail turned around, she found Ben standing in the bathroom doorway. Ben revealed that he had heard what Abigail had just told Jennifer, and when Abigail began to complain about his eavesdropping, he angrily punched the side of the refrigerator as he countered that she was the one who had done something wrong, not him. Ben added that he had a right to listen to anything that was said in his own apartment.
Ben insisted that Abigail was the one who was being strange, citing her refusal to face reality as evidence of that fact. Ben added that he didn't need Chad to be guilty; Chad simply was guilty. Ben told Abigail that Chad had done terrible things -- and had laughed at him over and over again. Trying to placate Ben, Abigail agreed that Chad shouldn't have taunted Ben, and she suggested that they could talk about the matter some more after the gala. "No, Abigail, we can't do that. I'm sorry, but I can't let you go. Don't you see that? Now...I can't ever let you go," Ben replied.
Sometime after their plane crashed, Steve and Bo regained consciousness and determined, with the help of the pilot, that they were somewhere in the northeast corner of Kansas. "Well, that's relatively close to home. Come on, let's hit the road!" Bo excitedly urged Steve, who followed Bo until they stumbled upon a mechanic's garage. The mechanic agreed to let Bo and Steve use his phone to call 9-1-1 and get an ambulance out to the wreckage site to help the pilot, who had a broken ankle. When Bo mentioned wanting to contact Hope, though, the mechanic snatched the phone away from Steve and insisted that long-distance calls weren't allowed.
The mechanic changed his mind when Steve offered him one hundred dollars for the use of his phone. Bo called Hope's cell phone, but Hope was dancing with Aiden at that time, and her phone's ringer was turned off, so the call went to voicemail. The mechanic warned that making a second phone call would cost Bo another one hundred dollars, prompting Steve to counter that Bo had been through some rough times lately, was at the end of his rope, and would like nothing more than to take his frustrations out on someone. "And once he gets started, I can't stop him," Steve added as Bo picked up a nearby wrench.
Outside the Martin mansion, Caroline slumped down on a bench, reassuring herself that she really had seen Bo earlier. Meanwhile, Caroline's cell phone began ringing, and when she answered it, a familiar voice greeted her on the other end. "Bo! Bo!" Caroline cried out in happy disbelief.
Ben told Abigail that she could not leave their apartment. With a soft voice, Abigail pleaded with Ben to go with her to the party. Ben stared into Abigail's eyes as she started to tremble.
"The fear in your eyes. There's no love. It's just fear. I didn't see their faces, but there must have been fear in their eyes, too," Ben said. When Abigail asked who Ben was talking about, Ben said that Chad had made him do it. With dawning horror, Abigail whispered, "Oh, my God. It's you. You're the one who killed all those people."
Ben said he had not told Abigail because he had not thought she would understand. When Abigail asked if Ben had acted out because of Chad, Ben yelled that Chad had made him "look like trash." Abigail attempted to placate Ben and keep him calm. Abigail said that she knew that Ben was a good person. Dropping his face into his hands, Ben said he had been mad because Chad had thought that he could get away with murder. With a shrug, Ben said that realization had given him the idea.
"Why didn't they arrest him? I didn't want to kill all these other people!" Ben cried out. Abigail mentioned Will and Paige as she started to cry. Ben yelled, "I told you I didn't want to!" Scared, Abigail slowly reached for her phone. Ben grabbed the phone and threw it across the room. Abigail attempted to soothe Ben, but he ordered her not to look at him like he was a "psycho." Softening, Ben said he wanted to take Abigail and their baby away from everyone. Abigail said they should leave together. As Ben gripped her wrist, Abigail gently asked him to let go because he was hurting her. Relieved that Abigail agreed, he let go of her wrist.
With a nod, Abigail slowly turned toward the door. Ben panicked and grabbed her. Freaked out, Abigail yelled, "My baby!" Furious, Ben reminded Abigail that she was carrying his baby. Ben swore that he would never hurt his baby. As Ben asked why she was fighting him, his face darkened. Ben blamed Chad, and he screamed that Abigail was a liar. Ben shoved Abigail against the wall, knocking her unconscious. Surprised by what he had done, Ben ran to Abigail's side. Ben rocked Abigail in his arms and pleaded with her to wake up.
In the middle of nowhere Illinois, Bo called Caroline's cell phone and informed her that he was on his way home. Caroline was stunned. When Caroline said that Hope was marrying Aiden that night, Bo asked Caroline to delay the wedding until he could return to Salem. After hanging up the phone, Bo and Steve found a motorcycle. Bo said the bike was a good sign because he had interrupted another wedding of Hope's with a motorcycle. Unfortunately, the bike would not start, so Steve and Bo started working to repair it. Frustrated, Bo grumbled that he would hunt down his captors and make them wish he had killed them.
At the bicentennial party in Salem, Eric continued to drink excessively as he took photos of the guests. Across the room, Hope confided to Roman that she was worried about Caroline. Roman stressed that he would handle Caroline and that Hope should not worry.
In the hallway of the mansion, Aiden thought about choking Hope and killing her. As Aiden shook off the vision, Rafe asked Aiden if he was okay. Aiden said he was confounded by his tie. With a raised eyebrow, Rafe asked Aiden if he was having second thoughts. Overhearing, Hope said, "He better not be. Or I'll have to strangle him." With a gasp, Hope realized the insensitivity of her joke. Rafe assured Hope that Will had loved her and would have wanted her to be happy. Hope nodded. Nervous, Aiden informed Hope that he was leaving the party and that he would meet her at the wedding.
After Aiden left, Hope shared her concern about Aiden's nerves. Rafe stressed that nerves were normal for a groom. Changing the subject, Hope asked about Chad. Rafe refused to discuss work on Hope's wedding day. With a smirk, Hope thanked Rafe for being a good friend to her. Nodding, Rafe said he hoped Aiden knew that he was a lucky man. Hope returned to the party in the main room and chatted with Julie. Julie asked Hope to "be happy." Hope promised she would be happy because she was marrying a wonderful man.
As Hope left the party to go home, Nicole marveled at how calm Hope appeared to be. Daniel told Nicole that she was the perfect woman for him. With a grin, Nicole kissed Daniel. Across the room, Eric's jaw dropped open as he saw Daniel and Nicole. Uneasy, Eric grabbed another drink and knocked it back as he walked past Brady and Theresa. Theresa asked Brady to dance with her. Brady was reluctant to dance but charmed by Theresa's request.
After Brady and Theresa danced, he went over to the table to retrieve punch. A smiling Theresa turned and found Victor, who commented that people "used to burn the witches." Theresa said that Victor could not hurt her feelings. Victor countered that Brady had only danced with Theresa because he loved his son. Victor warned Theresa to leave.
As Brady returned with the drinks, he asked if Victor wanted Brady and Tate to leave the house as well. Reminding the two of the party, Theresa asked Brady and Victor not to fight with one another. Brady stressed that he was not fighting but instead explaining what would happen if Victor kicked Theresa out of the house. Annoyed, Victor walked away. Theresa thanked Brady. With a shrug, Brady said that his comments had not been about Theresa but instead about his relationship with Victor.
In the front hallway of he mansion, Marlena asked John if he regretted quitting his new job with the ISA. John said his only regret would be to leave Marlena. Smiling, John escorted Marlena into the main room to dance. Nearby, Justin saw Adrienne talking to Lucas by the fireplace. Justin turned to Eve and asked her to join him outside for some air. As Justin and Eve left, Caroline marched into the main room and announced that she had talked to Bo. Caroline said Bo was returning home.
Roman attempted to usher Caroline outside, but she stood her ground. Caroline said she had talked to Bo on her phone. When Caroline attempted to give her phone to Roman, she realized she had dropped it somewhere. Confused, Caroline turned to Marlena and mentioned that Dr. Salinas had warned her about the side effects of her treatment. Marlena suggested that Caroline step outside. Caroline apologized for spoiling the party, and she asked everyone to forget what she had said.
Citing embarrassment, Caroline said she wanted to freshen up in the bathroom. After Caroline left, Roman asked Marlena if Caroline was okay. Marlena shrugged and said Caroline seemed to be in control. As Caroline walked out of the house, she chuckled and said, "Suckers!"
When the florist arrived with the flowers for the wedding, he dropped off a "Rest in Peace" floral arrangement. Rafe pointed out the mistake to Aiden, whose ashen face stared in disbelief. Rafe promised to handle the mix-up.
In the main room of the party, Julie led a toast. "I want to thank you all for being here. I know that sounds like a cliché, but I mean that from the bottom of my heart. When we first started planning for this beautiful event, we all agreed there should be a toast, and the toast should be to Tom and Alice Horton, who touched the lives of everyone they met. Changed their lives for the better. Especially those of us lucky enough to call them family. But since that planning, we have lost some people that we loved. Loved so much, we never could imagine losing them. They were young people, beautiful in their strength and promise. And nothing hurts more than losing that. So I truly mean it when I say thank you for being here. And I swear to God that I will never again take for granted my beloved darling being here. My precious family being here. My dear, dear friends being here. I love you all, and I love being here," Julie said as she kissed Doug. Marlena echoed Julie's sentiments in her toast. Marlena talked about love and the joy of family and friendships.
"Like my exquisite friend Julie said, I'm so glad to be here. It is here that I found love. That I found the joy of family. That I felt the warmth of true and deep friendships. This town, this community, shares its joy and its sadness. And we have been doing that for 200 years. It's what we humans do. We come together, and that togetherness, well, when things are joyous, they become more joyous. And when things seem like we cannot bear them, they suddenly become bearable. As Julie said, I am so pleased to be here in this beloved Salem," Marlena said.
Next was Jennifer, who said, "Well there are worse things in the world than having Tom and Alice Horton as your grandparents. There are the obvious perks. I was spoiled rotten. I had the best Christmases ever. I did have to learn how to figure out if a boy really loved me as a person or if he just wanted access to Gram's donuts, but I learned from my grandparents, from Tom and Alice Horton, what love meant. And that's really it in a nutshell. They showed me what a person could be. By loving. By being generous. By forgiving. And that's just who they were. To the max. And I will never measure up, but Gram and Grandpa, I promise you that I am never gonna stop trying."
Everyone in the room then shared in a toast. "To Tom and Alice," said Julie. "To Tom and Alice," Doug repeated. "To the loved ones we have lost," Marlena added. "And to the Salem family," John chimed in. "To our children!" Jennifer said. "To 200 more years," Maggie said cheerfully as the crowd erupted in celebration.
As everyone returned to mingling, Abe arrived. Abe spotted Lani across the room, and he scowled. Lani walked over and asked what was wrong. With a raised eyebrow, Abe asked Lani why she had not said that she was Tamara Price's daughter. Abe said he had spoken to Tamara. As Lani stared silently as Abe, he asked her why she had not mentioned her mother.
In the park, Aiden sat on a bench and imagined killing Hope. Torn, Aiden sighed. When Aiden's phone rang and he saw that it was Andre calling, Aiden groaned. Aiden told Andre that his prank RIP flowers had been in poor taste. Andre joked that Aiden was too tense to enjoy the joke. Aiden warned Andre not to push him. Aiden promised to carry out the plan.
In her living room, Hope stared at her wedding dress. As Hope began to prepare to dress for her wedding, Caroline entered the house. Caroline told Hope that she had spoken to Bo and that he was on his way home. Nodding, Hope urged Caroline to sit down. Caroline stressed that she was sure she had talked to Bo. Hope asked to see Caroline's phone. Upset, Caroline cried out that she was not crazy. Caroline pleaded with Hope not to marry Aiden because it would be the biggest mistake of her life.
When Kayla arrived, Caroline told her that she had talked to Bo. Caroline asked Hope and Kayla to have faith in her. Holding Caroline's shoulders, Kayla asked Caroline to let Hope be happy. Kayla swore to punish Steve for putting ideas in Caroline's head. Caroline protested. When Kayla said she wanted to take Caroline to the hospital, Caroline pulled away and said that she needed to be at the party when Bo arrived. Hope and Kayla made pleading eyes with one another.
After Kayla left with Caroline, Hope finished getting dressed. Hope thought about what Caroline had said. As Hope dropped her head in deep thought, Aiden walked into the house. Hope scrambled to cover her dress with a blanket. Aiden kissed Hope. "I just want you to know that I do love you," Aiden said. When Hope asked Aiden why he did not seem happy, he smiled. Hope asked Aiden if he wanted to back out of the wedding. "I can't. I love you too much," Aiden said. Hope pushed Aiden to the door and ordered him to go.
Cocking his head, Aiden asked what Hope had been thinking about before he had entered the house. Hope told Aiden what Caroline had said. When Aiden asked Hope if she believed Caroline, Hope said no. Hope added that she was excited to marry Aiden and that nothing would spoil her wedding night.
At the party, Julie and Maggie were surprised when Kayla returned Caroline to the party after her confrontation with Hope. Kayla said that Caroline had insisted and that Hope had agreed. After finding her phone, Caroline handed it to Victor as proof that she had talked to Bo. Victor dialed the last number, but there was no answer.
In the garage in Illinois, Steve and Bo returned from the junkyard and continued to work on the bike. Steve asked Bo who would have wanted the serum badly enough to kidnap Bo. With a shrug, Bo said he had a few suspects but that he needed to be sure before he pursued them.
As J.J. and Gabi talked about the party in the garden outside of the mansion, a worried Jennifer joined them and asked if J.J. had heard from Abigail. Across town, Ben placed an unconscious Abigail on the couch then he packed their suitcases. Ben used Abigail's phone to text Jennifer and J.J. Ben wrote that Abigail would not be able to attend the party because she needed to work things out with Ben. Ben transported Abigail to a remote cabin while she was unconscious. When Abigail awoke, she was handcuffed to a door. Abigail screamed for help. Ben walked into the cabin and informed her that no one would hear her screams.
At the mansion, the party broke up as chairs were set out for the wedding ceremony. Aiden arrived and listened to Caroline talk to Victor and Kayla about the phone call from Bo. A sad Caroline said she had to have been mistaken and that she would let the matter go. In the doorway, Rafe joined Aiden. When Rafe asked Aiden if he was ready to get married, Aiden's face paled.
As the wedding ceremony started in Salem, somewhere in Illinois, Bo and Steve managed to repair the bike. Steve hopped on the back of the bike behind Bo, and Bo quipped that he liked it better when Hope was holding on to him. With big grins, Bo and Steve rode off toward home. In Salem, Hope walked down the aisle. As the priest started to speak, Caroline interjected. "Stop! You have to stop this!"
At the police station, a cop escorted a handcuffed Chad from his cell to the interrogation room, where Andre was waiting. Chad guessed that the cop was on Stefano's payroll. Andre instructed Chad to be a model prisoner while he was there, explaining, "If all goes well, by this time tomorrow, you should be a free man." Deducing that his father was behind Andre's visit, Chad wondered if Stefano had found the real killer. Andre asserted that although the DiMeras wanted to know who the killer was, they had no clue.
Chad demanded to know, if that were the case, how Andre and Stefano intended to get him out of jail by the next day. "Father and I are privy to some information, which will culminate in your release: the Necktie Killer is going to strike again -- tonight," Andre predicted. Chad freaked out because he believed his father and brother were going to have someone murdered to get Chad out of jail. Chad shouted for the guard, but Andre ran over and grabbed Chad's neck with one hand to shut him up.
Chad nodded his agreement when Andre demanded that Chad control himself. After letting go of Chad, Andre stated that neither he nor Stefano was having anyone murdered, although they believed the killer would strike again -- which would clear Chad. Andre added that he was there to make sure that Chad didn't screw up in the meantime. "So you're my best friend? God help me," Chad said.
Chad noted that, while he'd been in the coma, he'd heard every word Andre had said -- that the family would be better off if Chad stayed in the coma, or, better yet, died. "Eavesdroppers. They just never hear anything good about themselves," Andre remarked calmly. Chad vowed to tell any cop who would listen everything Andre had just said as soon as Andre had gone. Andre irritably declared that it was all in motion, and there was nothing Chad could do to stop it.
After Andre left, the cop returned to take Chad back to his cell. Frantic, Chad asked to speak to Rafe Hernandez or Hope Brady, because his brother had just told him that the Necktie Killer was going to strike again. Despite Chad's pleas, the cop refused to listen to Chad.
As Bo and Steve were making their way to Salem, the motorcycle they had cadged ran out of gas. A frustrated Bo nearly threw a temper tantrum because all the gas stations were closed, so he couldn't stop Hope's wedding. Steve said he'd seen a car parked at the last gas station, and if there were gas in the tank, he could siphon some out. Bo wanted to go, too, but he suddenly had a dizzy spell. Urging his buddy to wait there, Steve took off. Bo took off his jacket and winced in pain as it scraped over some wounds on his arm.
Bo sat on the ground next to the bike and imagined that he went to see Hope, but she told him she had already married Aiden. "It's us, Fancy Face. It's always been just us," Bo said to himself. He reimagined the scene with Hope telling him that she hadn't been able to go through with the wedding because she'd realized she loved Bo and would always love him. In his fantasy, Hope kissed Bo after he promised that nothing would ever keep them apart again.
Bo continued with an apology for walking out on Hope and into a trap, and an explanation that his captors had wanted to know about the drug that had helped Caroline -- but Bo hadn't broken because thoughts of Hope, Ciara, Shawn, and Zack had given him strength. Bo snapped out of his daydream when Steve returned with a gas can. "Siphoned it out of that car, left a twenty under the wiper," Steve said. Bo was ready to fill up the bike and get back on the road to Hope.
A little later, a state police officer was locking Bo and Steve in a cell. Bo and Steve begged the cop to let Bo make a phone call so they could get to Salem. "Not gonna happen. You can use the phone in the morning -- right before you face the judge for reckless driving, driving without a license, and without proper registration," the cop said. Bo pleaded with the cop to call the Salem Police Department and ask for his brother Roman, who would verify what Bo had said and even post bail.
The cop repeated that nothing would happen until the next morning. He walked out, leaving Steve and a frustrated Bo locked up. After pacing in the cell, Bo violently shook the bars and screamed, "No!" at the top of his lungs.
In a remote cabin, Ben had one of Abigail's wrists handcuffed to a doorknob. Practically ignoring Abigail, Ben happily said with a sigh, "Just the two of us." Abigail tried to remain as calm as possible as she pleaded with Ben to let her out of the handcuff, pointing out that he'd told her there was no place for her to go. Ben reminding Abigail that she had tried to escape and had told her mother that he was strange.
Abigail clarified that Ben needed to talk to someone because there was obviously something wrong, since he had killed all those people even though he was a good person. Ben reiterated, "I told you that I had to -- because of Chad." Ben angrily stated his belief that if he let Abigail go, she would run to Chad. Abigail assured Ben that wasn't true because she didn't love Chad. Ben ordered, "Tell me you love me. Look right at me and say you love me. I'll know if you're lying."
Looking Ben in the eye and struggling to keep her voice even, Abigail reassured Ben that she loved him. "But you need to talk to someone. This isn't right. This isn't the way that we should be," she added quietly. She encouraged Ben to call the anonymous hospital hotline for "people with problems." Although Ben was listening thoughtfully to Abigail, before he could answer, he got a worried text message from Jennifer. "Ben, where are you? Is Abigail all right? Have her call me," the message said.
Ben demanded to know where Abigail's phone was, and she shakily reminded him that he'd taken it away from her. Ben cursed as he realized he'd left Abigail's phone at the apartment and would have to return to retrieve it. Abigail flinched when Ben knelt in front of her to ask if he could get anything for her. "You don't even want me to touch you. Maybe I should just leave you here," Ben said. He left without another word, despite Abigail's pleas for him not to leave her.
Abigail screamed and sobbed as she yanked at the handcuff, to no avail. She took a deep breath and put her hand on her belly, reassuring her unborn baby that everything would be all right. Abigail spotted a dusty knife fork on the table and tried desperately to reach the fork, but no matter how hard she tried, the handcuff would not let her reach that far. She managed to reach the fork with her foot and knocked it off onto the floor.
Meanwhile, Ben arrived back at the apartment. He found Abigail's phone and listened to the voicemail that Jennifer had left on it. "I don't understand what's going on. What happened? Can't you and Ben go away tomorrow? This is Hope's wedding," Jennifer pleaded. "Interfering bitch," Ben muttered. He sent a text message to Jennifer that read, "Mom, please leave me alone. I need to be with Ben and our baby right now."
While Ben stared at a smiling photograph of himself and Abigail, he recalled eavesdropping on the conversation between Abigail and Chad, when they'd discussed the night they had slept together. Ben angrily flung the picture onto the couch. He sent another text message to Jennifer that said, "Mom, please don't call or text me. I'm fine." Ben grabbed his keys and headed out again.
Abigail used her foot to drag the fork to her. She managed to get one tine of the fork bent at a ninety-degree angle from the others and went to work on the doorknob. A little while later, Abigail had loosened the doorknob. She quickly unscrewed it, freeing her wrist, and ran for the door -- just as Ben returned.
As Hope and Aiden's wedding got underway at the Martin mansion, Caroline jumped up and interrupted the priest. "Stop! You have to stop this!" Caroline shouted. Several people, including Kayla, Roman, and Daniel, rushed to Caroline's side to check on her. "I can't breathe!" Caroline gasped. Hope and Aiden exchanged worried looks.
Kayla checked her mother's pulse, which was a little fast, and Jennifer hurried away to get Caroline some water. Gabi and J.J., who both had great affection for Caroline, shared their worry for Mrs. Brady with one another. Gabi asserted that Caroline would be fine, since there were so many medical professionals at the wedding. Meanwhile, Rafe tried to give an edgy Aiden some words of encouragement.
With Kayla, Roman, Hope, Doug, Julie, Eric, and Victor gathered around, Caroline cried that she felt terrible about ruining the wedding. She asked if they could postpone it until she felt a little better. Kayla was immediately suspicious of her mother's behavior. She declared that she would take Caroline to the hospital, but Kayla was firm that they would not stop the wedding. Caroline claimed that she wanted to just rest for a moment because she didn't want to miss Hope's wedding. After Daniel checked Caroline out, he walked away, urging her to call him if she needed anything.
Aiden voiced his frustration to Rafe about Caroline holding up the wedding and her refusal to go to the hospital. Rafe pointed out that Hope was part of the Brady clan, and, like Rafe had once been, Aiden would always be an outsider.
Hope proposed that they wait to continue the wedding until Caroline was feeling better. Kayla asked to speak to her mother in private, so the others moved away. Kayla hissed, "Either you are playing a game or you really need medical attention -- and either way, I am not letting you ruin or even postpone Hope's wedding." Kayla stood up and handed her bouquet to Jennifer, asking her to please take over maid-of-honor duties so Kayla could take Caroline to the hospital.
"But Hope, we really want you to go on without us. My mom and I want you to get married tonight," Kayla declared firmly. Hope wanted to confer with Aiden first, so she pulled him aside and admitted that she thought it would help Caroline accept the truth if she saw Hope marry Aiden. Aiden said it had to be Hope's decision. Roman overheard and urged Hope and Aiden to get married while Kayla and Roman took care of Caroline. "You take care of her. I do mean that," Roman warned Aiden. Privately, a concerned Victor confided to Maggie that he didn't know how Caroline would ever accept reality.
As Kayla talked to Joey, Chase asked her if his dad and Hope were still getting married. Kayla assured Chase that they were. "See? Told you. No one in Salem gets married without something going wrong," Ciara said to Chase, who handed over the money she'd just won. Most of the rest of the guests followed Caroline and Kayla to the door to see them off.
Gabi asked Rafe if he thought the wedding would happen. Rafe apologized for almost forgetting about his sister during the chaos. Looking in J.J.'s direction, Gabi said she'd found plenty of people to talk to.
Justin got a call that he had to take outside. Eve furtively followed him outside as a furious Justin chewed someone out for allowing Andre to visit Chad alone in the interrogation room. When Justin hung up, Eve made her presence known. Justin apologized for abandoning Eve and offered to take her home, but she declined. Her voice breaking, Eve told Justin how much it meant to her that he was her friend.
"Full disclosure? And this might not be the most appropriate time to tell you this, but I think of you as more than just a friend," Justin said. Eve leaned in and kissed him. Just then, Adrienne rounded the corner and witnessed the smooch.
Adrienne went back inside, and Lucas immediately realized that she was upset. Touched by his concern, Adrienne beamed and took Lucas' hand.
At the hospital, with a cannula in her nose and Kayla and Roman at her bedside, Caroline complained, "I hate this damn place!" Kayla suggested that Caroline stop talking and rest. Caroline cheerfully maintained that she felt much better. As Caroline began ripping off her blood pressure cuff, Kayla said crossly, "You might be able to fool everybody else, but you're not fooling me... A miracle has happened: she feels better. And it must be a miracle because I didn't even turn the damn oxygen on!"
Caroline accused Kayla of tricking her. Kayla countered that Caroline had lied to everyone at the wedding -- all of whom were worried sick -- and hadn't even considered Hope's feelings. Caroline swore that she had talked to Bo. "You gotta knock this off, okay? Because if Bo comes back here, we don't want it to be for your funeral," Roman warned his mother.
Outside Caroline's room, Kayla recounted Caroline's earlier actions to Roman and asserted that Caroline needed to take it easy. "This obsession that she has with Bo, it's just eating her up. Doesn't she think that Hope wishes that Bo was coming back? Doesn't she know that I want nothing more than that? It's just not going to happen," Kayla said.
When Hope and Aiden returned, Hope announced that she had something to say. "I know this is what Caroline would want, so -- is everyone ready for a wedding?" The guests cheered and applauded while a guilty Aiden remembered his terrible fantasy about murdering his bride. As the other guests headed into the wedding area, Jennifer worriedly asked Hope, "Did Abigail tell you that she wasn't coming tonight?"
Hope said she hadn't heard from Abigail. Jennifer thought that was rude -- which was very unlike Abigail. Hope said she had no idea where her phone was, so Abigail could easily have left her a message. As Jennifer was remarking that Abigail had sent a text message but hadn't signed it, Maggie rushed up and reminded the cousins that it was time for the ceremony to start. Hope let Maggie escort her away but tried to reassure Jennifer that Abigail was all right.
The wedding began again. Rafe and Chase stood beside Aiden at the altar, while Ciara and then Jennifer made their way down the aisle. The crowd got to its feet as Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" began to play, and Hope stepped onto the aisle runner. Instead of beaming at his bride, Aiden just looked guilt-ridden until Chase encouraged his dad to smile. With Doug on one side of her and Julie on the other, Hope walked down the aisle.
Julie kissed Hope, who, in turn, kissed her dad and Victor on the cheek. Hope handed her bouquet to Jennifer, and the guests sat down. The priest began the ceremony in the traditional way then announced that Hope and Aiden had written their own vows. Hope began by saying that she had been sleepwalking through life and living in the past until she'd met Aiden, who had awakened her. "I know that, if I fall, you'll be there to catch me... Tonight isn't just about you and me becoming man and wife. It's about you, and it's about me, and your handsome son, and my exquisite daughter becoming a happy family together... I can't wait to wake up tomorrow morning and start this beautiful life with you," Hope declared softly.
Observing that Aiden looked a tad uncomfortable, Hope leaned in and asked him in a whisper if he were all right. Citing stage fright, Aiden said Hope was a "class act" who could have gotten by on her looks alone, but instead she was honest and kind and had a good heart and beautiful soul. "I can't..." Aiden began, shaking his head and unable to look Hope in the eyes. He recovered, happily declaring, "I can't believe that you're going to be my wife. And I want everyone in this room to know that I do love you with all my heart."
After Hope and Aiden said their traditional Catholic wedding vows, the priest pronounced them husband and wife. When prompted, Hope eagerly kissed her new husband to cheers and applause from their friends and family.
At the hospital, Caroline remained adamant that Bo had called her earlier and was on his way back to Salem. Still skeptical, Kayla consulted with Salinas, who agreed that it would be best to run some tests on Caroline and keep her at the hospital overnight for observation.
Stuck in a jail somewhere between Kansas and Salem, Steve passed the time with a round of bluesy tunes on his harmonica while Bo tried to reason with the cop who had arrested them, reminding him that they were legally entitled to a phone call. Uninterested, the cop picked up an old issue of Playpen and left the room.
Frustrated, Bo knocked the harmonica out of Steve's hand, sending it flying across the holding cell. As Steve went to retrieve the instrument, he warned that, while he and Bo would make it back to Salem eventually, it didn't really matter if they made it back in time to stop Hope's wedding, because even if they did, she might still choose Aiden over Bo in the end.
Bo angrily punched Steve, who countered with a punch of his own. The cop soon returned to break up the fight, and when he got close enough, Bo reached out, grabbed his shirt, and pulled him forward, slamming his head against the metal bars. After grabbing the cop's keys, Bo loosened his grip, and the cop slumped to the floor, unconscious. Bo and Steve let themselves out of the holding cell and rushed off, bantering about their ruse.
At the Martin mansion, Rafe stepped outside as soon as Aiden and Hope were pronounced husband and wife, quietly explaining to Gabi that he needed to call the police station and see how things were going there. Meanwhile, Hope thanked everyone for being a part of her and Aiden's special day, and Aiden invited them all to stick around for the fireworks display that would be taking place later that night.
As the guests went back to mingling with each other, Abe asked to talk to Lani privately. Nearby, Marlena told John that Lani seemed awfully familiar for some reason. Abe and Lani went to the foyer, where she informed him that her mother hadn't told her much about him; in fact, she didn't even know how he and Tamara had met each other -- just that they hadn't been together for very long. With a laugh, Abe recalled that Tamara had nearly crashed into his car while on her way to sing at a friend's wedding. "Dr. Marlena Evans. They went to college together," Lani guessed. Lani confirmed Abe's suspicion that Marlena didn't know about her, either.
Abe struggled to understand why Tamara had never told him about Lani. Lani explained that Tamara hadn't found out about her pregnancy until after she had already met someone else -- the man who had ended up being Lani's stepfather. Lani added that Abe had gone on to marry Lexie, and they'd had a kid of their own together, so everything had worked out for the best. Abe agreed that he'd had a wonderful life with Lexie, and Theo was his pride and joy. "[But] that doesn't mean I wanted to be cut out of your life," Abe stressed.
Fighting back tears, Lani explained that after she had found out about Abe, she had decided that she wanted to get to know him better, and that was why she had moved to Salem. Abe assured Lani that the feeling was mutual, but he added that Theo had autism -- a fact that she had already managed to find out on her own. "This news is gonna rock his world, so before we say anything to anyone, I have to find a way to tell him that he has a sister," Abe said, and Lani nodded in agreement.
Roman returned and assured Hope that Caroline was going to be fine, claiming that her earlier episode had been a simple case of too much stress. Meanwhile, Ciara teasingly reminded Chase that she was his big sister. "By two months!" Chase protested. Hope overheard and advised Chase to never let Ciara get away with trying to boss him around. Ciara complained that Hope was supposed to be on her side, and Hope countered that there were no sides because they were all one big, happy family as of that night.
Julie gathered Hope, Jennifer, Lucas, and J.J. to let them know she had just received a text message from Marie. "She reminded me -- fifty years ago this week, she and Gram were planning her wedding. Isn't that crazy? How time flies!" Julie mused. As the others voiced their agreement, Julie called Eric over to take a Horton family photograph. Julie also called out to Maggie, insisting that she needed to be in the picture because it didn't matter how she had been spelling her last name lately -- she would always be a Horton to them.
A short time later, Maggie ushered everyone off to the park so they could get ready for the fireworks display. Rafe congratulated Hope and Aiden before leaving with the rest of the crowd. Aiden suggested to Hope that they could skip the fireworks display and instead head home for some alone time, and she happily agreed.
Outside, Joey found Theo sitting alone on a bench, holding a baseball. Suspecting that Theo had needed a break from the crowd, Joey said that he had, too. Joey wondered how Theo had been lately, noting that it had been a while since they had last seen each other. Theo, who hadn't said a word to Joey yet, replied only that he was "good."
Theo tossed the baseball to Joey, who caught it and proceeded to ask if Theo still knew the stats of every player in the Majors. As Theo shrugged, Joey added that he had always thought it was amazing that Theo could remember all that information. "Yeah, when I was eight. Now everyone's into different stuff," Theo pointed out, but Joey protested that baseball was still cool. "I wish I had something I was passionate about," Joey added.
Two boys, both around Joey and Theo's age, interrupted and greeted Joey but didn't say anything to Theo. One of the boys wondered who had dragged Joey to the lame party. Laughing, Joey explained that his aunt's wedding had been held earlier that evening. Realizing that Joey was stuck at the party, the other boy removed a flask from his pocket and offered to add some alcohol to Joey's soda so Joey could have some fun.
After the boys left, Theo wondered if Joey had declined their offer because he didn't like rum. Joey clarified that he did, but he had declined because his mother would be arriving soon, and she would kill him if he smelled like anything other than soda when she showed up. "Not literally," Joey added for Theo's benefit. Theo was surprised that Joey cared about Kayla's opinion. Joey explained that he had caused his mother enough trouble lately. Theo agreed that he didn't like getting in trouble, either. "Yeah, but I bet you've never --" Joey began before his voice trailed off.
Theo wondered what was wrong, and Joey started to respond that he wasn't sure, but he collapsed before he could finish his sentence. After a moment of panic, Theo rushed off to get help. Theo found Lani and took her back to Joey, explaining what had happened and stressing that he hadn't done anything wrong. After assuring Theo that she believed him and that everything was going to be okay, Lani proceeded to call 9-1-1.
When the paramedics arrived at the hospital with Joey, Lani filled Kayla in on what had happened. Noticing that Kayla had her hands full, Salinas went to see Caroline again. Salinas informed Caroline that he was headed home for the night but would be back to check on her again the following morning. Caroline wondered where Kayla was, and Salinas replied that she was with a patient but would surely be seeing Caroline again before the end of her shift. "Oh, no, she won't," Caroline said in a sing-song voice after Salinas left, smiling mischievously as she jumped out of her hospital bed and began removing her blood pressure cuff.
As people began arriving at the park, Victor warned Brady that the wedding might have given Theresa -- who was out of earshot but, according to Victor, giving Brady starry-eyed looks -- some ideas that would need to be discouraged in a hurry. "Is it past your bedtime? You're a little grouchy," Brady observed. "What do you mean? He's always grouchy," Justin pointed out.
In light of Caroline's earlier vision, Nicole joked to Jennifer and Maggie that, throughout the wedding ceremony, she had repeatedly found herself waiting for Bo to show up on his motorcycle and whisk Hope away. Laughing, Jennifer said that really had happened once, and Maggie added that Jennifer had also once been kidnapped from a wedding -- but she had been whisked away on a fire truck, not a motorcycle.
Eric mused that Hope and Aiden's wedding had been remarkably uneventful -- according to Salem's standards, at least. "That's because Sami wasn't around," Nicole said before quickly apologizing to Eric, who conceded that he couldn't exactly argue with her, especially since he was the one who had interrupted Sami's wedding to Austin years earlier. Nicole joked that it would be a bad idea for anyone to try to interrupt her wedding to Daniel, and as everyone else laughed, Eric nodded uncomfortably.
Later, Maggie sat down with Adrienne and Jennifer to look through an album of wedding photographs that Jennifer had put together. Maggie and Mickey's wedding photograph was included, as well as the wedding photographs of Jennifer and Jack, Kim and Shane, Marlena and John, Julie and Doug, and Alice and Tom. Kayla and Steve were also featured in the album, because, as Jennifer explained, while they were no longer together, her task had been to put together an album of Salem's greatest love stories, and theirs definitely qualified.
Rafe told Roman he was going to go ahead and leave, adding, when Kate asked, that he wasn't really interested in seeing the fireworks display because he had already seen a fireworks display before -- and they were basically all the same, anyway. Nearby, John and Marlena checked on Abe, who declined to talk about what was bothering him, calling it a story for another time.
While Brady and Theresa were talking about and watching videos of Tate, Brady noticed that Nicole was within range -- and seemed a bit sad. Brady tactfully suggested to Theresa that they could go find a quiet place where they could call the Kiriakis mansion to check on Tate. After Brady and Theresa left, Daniel asked Nicole if she was okay. Nodding, Nicole said that Tate was really cute, and she didn't want to be jealous of Brady and Theresa. Nicole added, however, that although she was happier than she had ever been before -- and she loved Parker with all her heart -- she would probably never stop aching for the two babies she had lost.
When Brady and Theresa returned a short time later, they passed John and Marlena on their way back to their seats. Brady stopped to say that he was glad John had postponed the ISA trip to attend the gala, and Theresa awkwardly added that she hoped John would eventually find out the truth about his past -- and, either way, she was looking forward to eventually having to explain Tate's complicated family history to him. "You know, people say L.A.'s weird, but I've never met anybody who came back from the dead there. Well, except for a few guys claiming to be Elvis," Theresa joked. "And then there's me," John stiffly replied.
As Theresa nervously cleared her throat, Marlena changed the subject, revealing that she and John had been reminiscing earlier about their favorite memories of Salem -- and had agreed that the memory of the reunion they had shared with each other on the pier, after having been separated from each other for many years, was at the top of both of their lists.
At Ciara's request, Doug and Julie took her and Chase to the Horton Town Square for frozen yogurt. While waiting for Doug and Julie to return with the frozen yogurt, Ciara stared longingly at a leather jacket in a nearby clothing store's display window. Chase joked that it wasn't exactly Ciara's style, but she explained that her father had owned one like it, and she had always loved the smell of it.
Chase conceded that the jacket was pretty sweet, but he added that, unfortunately, the price tag was pretty sweet, too. Ciara offered to steal it for Chase, explaining that her parents had once been private investigators, and she had learned how to pick locks around the age of five. Chase thought Ciara was joking, but when she reached for the store's door handle, he realized that she was being serious.
Chase tried to protest, pointing out that Ciara's family was rich and could afford to buy the jacket, but Ciara complained that Hope was stingy with her money because she didn't want Ciara to get spoiled. "It's a little too late for that," Chase joked. Ciara playfully slapped Chase as she continued that she was wearing expensive earrings that she had received from Sami "eons" earlier but, thanks to Hope, had never been allowed to wear before.
Doug and Julie returned before Ciara could continue trying to convince Chase to go along with the idea. While eating her frozen yogurt, Ciara spotted Rafe and rushed over to say hello to him. When Ciara realized that Rafe wasn't going to watch the fireworks display, she declared that he was being "super lame" for choosing to miss something that only happened once every two hundred years. Doug reminded Rafe that it was pointless to try to win an argument with Ciara, so Rafe admitted defeat and promised to be at the fireworks display.
Rafe left, and Doug and Julie went to get some water, leaving Ciara alone with Chase. After joking with each other about how much fun living together was going to be, Ciara eyed the leather jacket again and wondered if Chase wanted her to steal it for him -- unaware that Julie and Doug were standing behind her. Julie asked Doug and Chase to give her a moment alone with Ciara, and after the guys left, Julie revealed to Ciara that she had once been caught shoplifting herself. Julie mused that she and Ciara were alike in many ways, and she hoped that Ciara would be able to benefit from her cautionary tale.
Julie wondered what was going on with Ciara. Ciara stressed that she was really happy for her mother, and she liked Aiden a lot. "But he's not my dad! And that jacket --" Ciara added before letting her voice trail off. Julie followed Ciara's gaze to the nearby store and realized that the leather jacket had reminded her of Bo. Ciara tearfully confirmed the suspicion, adding that she missed her father terribly.
When Doug and Chase returned, Chase and Ciara headed off to the park for the fireworks display, and Julie promised that she and Doug would be right behind them. Julie told Doug about her earlier conversation with Ciara, musing that it had been almost fifty years -- to the exact day -- since she had been caught shoplifting herself. Julie recalled that when she had gotten back home on that particular night, Alice had told her about a conversation she'd had with Tom earlier in the evening, during which Alice had complained about the unbearable thought of their children being out on their own and no longer needing them for anything.
"Little did they know. We still need them, after all these years. There's not a day goes by I don't think of them. I wish they were still with us," Julie mused with a sad sigh. Doug assured Julie that Tom and Alice were still with them, adding that Tom and Alice's spirit was being kept alive in little ways, like the way in which Julie had just reached out to Ciara. "They would be -- they are -- very proud," Doug confidently concluded.
As Doug and Julie arrived at the park a short time later, Victor called for everyone's attention. "There's an old Greek tradition that, uh, you share a kiss at midnight at any town celebration, to ensure another hundred years of prosperity -- at least," Victor explained before turning his attention to his watch and counting down the last five seconds before midnight.
As the fireworks display began, Doug kissed Julie, John kissed Marlena, Justin kissed Eve, Lucas kissed Adrienne, Nicole kissed Daniel -- and Eric kissed Jennifer. Gabi kissed Rafe's cheek, and J.J. kissed hers. Ciara kissed Theo's cheek while Chase looked on. Theresa told Brady it would be a bad idea for them to mess with tradition, and he conceded the point, giving her a quick kiss on the lips -- but then giving her a second kiss that lasted much longer. Maggie told Victor she had never heard of that particular tradition before, and he gave her a mischievous grin before kissing her, confirming that he had made it up.
Caroline arrived at the Martin mansion, her hospital gown still visible under her dress, and was dismayed to find that everyone had left already. Caroline slumped down on one of the chairs and hung her head, accepting defeat -- just as Bo and Steve burst through the front door. Caroline was thrilled to see Bo, but after they hugged, she regretfully admitted that she had failed him. "I couldn't stop the wedding. Hope is married to another man," Caroline tearfully added, causing Bo to scream in frustration.
At Hope's house, Aiden began thinking about Hope's murder while having sex with her. Afterward, Aiden excused himself so he could go retrieve a surprise for Hope. Aiden went downstairs and grabbed the hidden bag of items he planned to use to kill Hope.
After the gala and the wedding, John and Marlena strolled through the park, enjoying the beautiful starry evening. As they headed toward home, Marlena expressed her appreciation for John turning down the ISA assignment so he could be there. "There's only one place I needed to be tonight, and that's right here, with the woman I am so in love with," John said softly before kissing Marlena. Meanwhile, an unidentified figure watched them from behind a fence.
As John and Marlena headed into Horton Square, someone was spying on them. John guessed that Marlena was worried about Sami and admitted that he was, as well. Marlena said she was concerned that if Sami found incriminating evidence against Stefano in the Swiss bank, it could put Sami's life in danger. Marlena suddenly said she had the feeling they were being watched. John agreed and suggested they go somewhere private to check things out. As John and Marlena left the square hand in hand, their Peeping Tom was still watching them.
John and Marlena walked past some hedges to the park outside Horton Square, and a bearded man followed them. When the man walked through the gates, John jumped out and grabbed him in a chokehold. Marlena started to squirt the man with some pepper spray, but John said, "I know this guy." The men scowled at one another as John explained to Marlena that the other man was an ISA agent. The agent explained why he'd been looking for John: "Listen, Black, certain people in the organization didn't appreciate it when you turned down that assignment."
John retorted that when he'd signed up, he had made being called on short notice a "nonstarter." The agent warned John that there could be consequences for his actions. "Better not happen again," the man added as he left. John reassured Marlena that the man had only threatened him because he'd known John wouldn't hit him in front of her. As John escorted Marlena away, a shadowy figure watched them from behind a hedge.
As Andre entered the study at the DiMera mansion, he got a phone call. He declared happily, "I knew that was going to happen! The bitch is back! Okay, keep me posted. Stay on her. I'll make my move on her -- soon."
John and Marlena had returned to the townhouse and changed out of their formalwear into more comfortable clothes. Marlena admitted that she was concerned about the man in the park following John. John maintained that the man wasn't a threat, reassuring her, "He is a professional brown-noser, so forget about him, all right? Just concentrate on what a good time we had tonight." Hinting that they should move into the bedroom, John kissed Marlena. Marlena relaxed a little and seemed to agree.
As John turned to lock the front door, Sami walked through it. "I just came back from Europe, and you're not going to believe what I found out about E.J.!" Sami announced.
At the Martin mansion, Caroline and Bo shared an exuberant embrace. Although she was beyond relieved to see her son, Caroline apologized for failing Bo because she hadn't been able to stop Hope and Aiden's wedding. "No! This can't be!" Bo bellowed. Bo wondered where all the wedding guests -- and Hope -- were, so Steve went outside to check. A tearful Caroline guessed that Hope and Aiden had gone home. "Home? To our house?" Bo growled furiously. He stomped around the room, throwing chairs.
Bo started to leave for the house. As he turned to leave, he lost his balance but caught himself before he fell, and he lowered himself into a chair. Steve returned and reported that it had been as deserted outside as it was inside. Steve wanted to help Bo get to the house to see Hope, but Bo insisted that Steve find Kayla right away. Caroline said Kayla was at the hospital -- probably looking for Caroline because she'd escaped. As Steve headed out, he said he would leave the motorcycle for Bo. After making sure that Caroline would be all right, Bo hurried out.
Joey lay in his hospital bed and maintained to his mom that he had not taken drugs at the gala. A dubious Kayla said they would just have to wait for the results of Joey's blood tests. A nurse entered and informed Kayla that Caroline was not in her room, and her clothes were gone. Worried, Kayla pulled her phone out of her pocket.
As Brady and a starry-eyed Theresa returned to the Kiriakis mansion, Theresa dreamily recounted the events of the evening, concluding with how her favorite part had been Victor's Greek tradition for good luck, which had resulted in her kissing Brady at midnight. As Theresa moved in closer to Brady, he rolled his eyes and went into the living room. A bewildered Theresa followed and asked what was wrong, since it had seemed like they were both enjoying the night together. "The kiss is when things went way off the rails," Brady said a bit irritably.
Victor and Maggie, who was still exhilarated from the events of the evening, returned to the Kiriakis mansion. They paused on the front stoop, and Victor praised Maggie and her team for the wonderful job they'd done in planning the gala. Just then, Victor got a call from Kayla, who was looking for Caroline. Victor promised to let Kayla know if Caroline showed up there. As he hung up, Victor told Maggie what had happened. He was angry with himself for convincing Caroline to take the experimental drug because it had caused her to become delusional and convinced that Bo was on his way home.
Brady was denying that the kiss had meant anything when Victor and Maggie entered. Calling her a "little tart," Victor rudely encourage Theresa to take Brady's hint. Theresa was speechless as Victor railed at her for continuing to go after Brady, who Victor thought should have kicked her out months earlier. Brady maintained that he didn't need anyone to run interference for him, and Maggie chided her husband.
Tate -- whom Victor referred to as Theresa's "meal ticket" -- started crying upstairs, so Theresa hurried out to check on him. She paused on the stairs when she heard Brady order his grandfather to speak to Theresa with more respect in the future. "She has changed for the better... I'm sorry that you haven't noticed it, Granddad. I have," Brady declared as he walked out.
Maggie firmly urged Victor to be more civil when he talked to Theresa. Victor snapped at his wife, who turned away, and he immediately apologized. "You know I love you, and I respect everything that comes out of your mouth -- except when it comes to the little bitch," Victor said. "Don't, Victor! Don't call her that!" Maggie ordered him with angry tears in her eyes. She started trying to convince Victor that Theresa really had changed, but a text message from Kayla to Victor interrupted. "Caroline is back. She's at the mansion -- with Bo!" Victor said excitedly, adding, "Steve just came back, and Bo was with him. She was right all along." Victor and Maggie hurried out.
After Theresa had changed into a black negligée and robe, she carried her party dress downstairs and spread it on the sofa to admire it, promising herself that she would have it photographed the next day. When she spied Brady's jacket on the back of the desk chair, she picked it up and smelled it, inhaling deeply, before holding it close to her chest. Brady walked in on a business call just then, so Theresa hurried to place the jacket back on the chair.
Theresa modestly clutched her robe closed across her chest. When Brady hung up, Theresa thanked him for defending her earlier. She explained that sometimes Victor was so mean that she didn't know what to say. Brady asserted that his grandfather didn't like change and rarely recognized it, even when it was right in front of him. "I wish he'd cut you some slack," Brady added. "I wish you would, too," Theresa admitted a bit sadly.
Brady's face and posture softened as he looked thoughtfully at Theresa. She admitted that she'd been able to tell that he'd liked it when they had kissed, but when he'd pushed her away, it had hurt. Brady apologized for pushing Theresa away and assured her that he'd enjoyed his time with her the entire evening -- and had even enjoyed their kiss. Theresa said Brady's words had meant a lot to her, and she was glad they were being honest with each other about their feelings. "I think we should do that more often," Brady agreed.
"Brady, I love you. I love you so much," Theresa blurted a bit breathlessly as she rushed to Brady, wrapped her arms around him, and rested her head on his chest. Taken aback, Brady didn't really return the embrace. Shoving Theresa roughly away, he accused her of always taking things a step too far. "We're in a good place, and now you have to suddenly decide that it's love. Why do you do that?" Brady demanded. Theresa cried, "I can't win with you! You get at mad me if I lie, and then, if I tell the truth, you're still mad at me." Clearly upset, she turned and left the room.
Brady cursed and flopped down on the couch, partly on top of Theresa's dress. He noticed it after a moment and laid his hand on it to caress the fabric then he crumpled it in his fist.
Theresa had already gotten in bed and turned out the lights when Brady entered her room. "You know this is right," she said, pulling the sheets back invitingly. Theresa slipped her negligée off of her shoulder and told Brady, "Don't think; just feel whatever it is you feel about us." As Brady yanked his shirt open and pulled off his pants, his emotions obviously a jumble of anger and desire, he told Theresa unconvincingly, "You know this is wrong. Don't you?" Brady climbed into bed and kissed Theresa passionately.
Kayla tried to reach Caroline by phone but got her mom's voicemail instead. Exasperated and worried, Kayla decided that she needed to call the police and report Caroline missing. Just then, Steve walked in and informed Kayla, "Your mom's not missing. I just saw her at the mansion with Bo... I told you I would [find him], Sweetness." Steve related the story of how he'd found Bo and everything they'd gone through to get home. "I didn't believe one word my mother said... I owe her a big apology," Kayla acknowledged.
Kayla informed Steve that their son had been admitted to the hospital earlier. She reassured him that Joey was stable, and she was just waiting for some test results to release him. Kayla explained that, apparently, Joey had taken some kind of drugs at the celebration. Stunned, Steve wanted to see his son right away.
As Steve and Kayla entered Joey's room, Joey immediately insisted that he hadn't done drugs. "All I had was a can of soda, nothing else," Joey added. He explained that he and Theo had been hanging out, and some other kids had offered them some booze, but Theo and Joey had said "no." Joey swore that he was telling the truth. Kayla got a text message, alerting her that Joey's test results were in, so she left the room.
Steve sat next to Joey and told him about finding Bo and getting him back to Salem. Although amazed, Joey asked, "What about Aunt Hope? I mean, if she knew that Bo was coming home..." Steve reassured his son that everything would work out. Kayla returned and announced that Joey had, indeed, had drugs in his system. "No way! Mom, I swear, someone must've slipped me something!" Joey insisted. A skeptical Kayla asked to speak to Steve outside, while Joey kept contending that he hadn't done any drugs.
As they walked out of Joey's room, Steve maintained to Kayla that he didn't think their son would lie to them about doing drugs. Kayla pointed out that blood tests didn't lie. Steve wanted to know what kind of drugs they had been. Kayla replied that it had been a combination, including zolpidem. Steve asserted that if someone had slipped drugs to Joey, Steve needed to know the other drugs. Kayla maintained that after Joey's recent moody behavior, it wasn't surprising that he had moved on to drugs. She noted that it had started after Steve had returned to Salem.
A nurse interrupted Steve and Kayla's conversation to give him a note that had been left for him at the nurses' station. Frowning, Steve said he hadn't told anyone that he was in town. "There's something off about this whole situation," he added. Kayla suggested that he open the envelope to find out who had sent it. Steve did so, and inside he found a gold-edged sheet of stationery with words printed on it in capital letters. He read aloud, "You thought you were rid of me for good, didn't you?"
Victor and Maggie arrived at the Martin house and found Caroline, still wearing her hospital gown under her gala dress, inside. "[Kayla] texted me. She said you were here with Bo!" Victor explained. Caroline said excitedly, "He just left! He went to see Hope to explain that he never gave up on her, that he just couldn't get home." Victor acknowledged that Caroline had told them all that Bo was returning and had tried to stop the wedding ceremony. Apologizing, Victor embraced Caroline and exuberantly thanked her for never giving up on Bo. As Caroline and Victor hugged, Maggie looked as if she felt left out.
Outside the mansion, Bo tried unsuccessfully to get the bike started. He swore in frustration and paced around before taking off on foot. Bo ran into the park and stopped to lean on a bench to catch his breath. As he walked away, he staggered, and, reeling, he fell to the ground. A little later, a piece of paper fluttering into Bo's face woke him up. He grabbed it and saw that it was part of the invitation to Hope and Aiden's wedding. Bo got up and headed out, obviously still feeling the effects of his long captivity.
Downstairs at the Brady house, Aiden donned black gloves and recalled the happy, romantic moments of the gala and his wedding to Hope. He paused to sit for a moment, as if he were reconsidering his decision to murder his bride, yet he was holding the necktie he'd bought to strangle Hope with. Soon Aiden moved into the dining room, out of sight, and pulled out all the pieces of his black costume and began to put them on. He pulled the black spandex mask over his head, gathered up the necktie, and slowly headed toward the stairs.
As Hope dozed in bed upstairs, she dreamed that Bo visited her. He asked, "Why did you do it? You said you loved me." An emotional Hope said she did love Bo, but he had abandoned her. After dream Bo accused her of giving up on them, Hope awakened with a start. "Bo!" she exclaimed. "Aiden," Hope said more softly, putting her lips to her new wedding ring and smiling. She got out of bed, and pulled a silky white robe over her matching nightgown, and called, "Aiden? Do I have to come down there and find you?" She dashed out of the bedroom.
Aiden ducked back into the dining room when he heard Hope on the stairs, calling out for him. Puzzled but obviously very happy, Hope stepped out onto the front porch to see if her groom were out there. Hope beamed as she looked up at the stars then she went inside and trotted back up the stairs. His shoulders dropping in defeat, Aiden pulled off his mask and muttered, "I can't do this. It's not me. What am I doing? I can't do this." He ran toward the front door. Aiden paused for a moment then, out of breath, he pulled the mask back on and headed up the stairs.
In the bedroom, Hope took a rose out of a bouquet on the dresser and remembered Aiden's words during their wedding vows. She picked up her wedding dress and hugged it to herself, murmuring contentedly, "Definitely a night to remember." Hope placed the gown over the dress form in the corner and gazed at it then at her wedding ring with a blissful sigh. Suddenly, Aiden was behind her, whipping the necktie around her neck.
Hope choked out a scream and fought to free herself. Spotting a pair of scissors on the dresser, Hope lunged in that direction, briefly loosening her attacker's hold on her as she grabbed the scissors. She managed to whirl around and fiercely stab her assailant in the upper chest. He moaned and struggled, but Hope twisted the scissors while shoving them further into his chest. At last he overpowered her and pushed her away, pulling out the scissors, but Hope climbed on top of him and yanked off his mask.
Utterly dumbfounded and horrified to see her new husband's face, Hope wailed and fled from the room, sobbing. Aiden lurched after her, smearing Hope's wedding dress with blood. Downstairs, a panicked Hope searched an end table until she found a gun. Just then, Aiden caught up to her and grabbed her arm as the gun went off, the bullet firing into the ceiling. Hope grabbed a vase and hurled it at Aiden, but it missed. Backing away across the living room, Hope hurled vases and tchotchke at Aiden, but they all failed to stop him.
Hope grabbed an umbrella out of the stand next to the door and swung it ferociously at Aiden. When she finally landed a blow, it glanced off his forearm, so she fled up the stairs. Aiden cut her off by leaping over the railing onto the landing. Hope punched him hard in the face and turned to run back down the stairs but tripped and fell down the last few steps. As Hope lay on the floor, Aiden caught her and started choking her. Hope managed to break free and tried to run across the room, but Aiden was faster. He got the tie around her throat and began to strangle her.
No matter how hard she struggled, pulled at the tie, and begged Aiden to stop, Hope could not get free. Aiden tightened the necktie, and Hope collapsed on the floor. Sickened by what he had done, Aiden put a gloved hand to his mouth and gagged as he began to sob. Just then, Bo burst through the front door. "No!" Bo screamed as he charged at Aiden.
