In Ava’s apartment, Ava worked to stop the bleeding on her hand as Kristen comforted her mother. Brady walked in, and Ava yelled at him that Rachel had attempted to kill her with a knife. “She’s fine! Will everyone just stop overreacting,” Kristen complained. “Why are you here?” Brady asked Kristen. As Ava picked up her phone, Kristen asked her not to involve the police. “Look at [my mother]! She’s distraught. She’s frightened. She’s traumatized,” Kristen pleaded. Ava groaned.
“She’s traumatized? Granny comes after me like Mike Myers, and Kristen’s making her out to be the victim,” Ava yelled. Kristen argued that Rachel was confused, but Ava disagreed. “She knows exactly what she is doing,” Ava said. As Kristen guided her mother to the exit, she ordered Brady to have a talk with his girlfriend. “Hell no!” Ava yelled. As Ava chased after Kristen, Brady grabbed Ava and held her back. “Why are you letting them leave?” Ava asked. Brady asked to talk, but an enraged Ava yelled that there was nothing to talk about.
“If we turn Kristen’s mother into the police, I could lose my daughter forever,” Brady said. Ava groaned with frustration. “This is a completely separate crime, and your kid had nothing to do with it,” Ava argued. Brady explained that if Ava called the cops, he was worried about what Rachel might tell them about Rachel Jr. Ava noted that Rachel was desperate to protect her granddaughter. “I can’t leave my daughter’s fate in the hands of that woman,” Brady pleaded.
“So you’re asking me to let Kristen’s mother walk for a second time?” Ava asked. Hurt, Ava asked Brady if he wanted her to wait for Rachel to kill her off another day. “I won’t let that happen,” Brady promised. Ava argued that Brady was unable to protect her. “I promise. We will figure it out. Please, don’t talk to the police,” Brady said. Ava shook her head with frustration. Ava noted that although she understood Brady’s point of view, she needed a partner who made her safety a priority in their life.
“The only choice I have now is to handle this on my own. And I am gonna do whatever it takes to protect myself,” Ava said. “I’m sorry if I made it sound like Rachel is the only thing I care about here. I do care about you very much,” Brady said. Ava noted that she would always be seen by Rachel as an obstacle to her parent’s reunion. “And now she’s got her deranged grandmother fighting for this cause,” Ava added. Brady promised to neutralize Rachel Sr. When Ava asked how, Brady promised to figure it out. Ava shook her head no.
“I need some time to think,” Ava said. “Of course you do,” Brady said. Ava encouraged Brady to focus on his dad. With a nod, Brady promised to call later that evening. “I’ll be here. Trying to figure out a way to protect myself against Rachel Blake’s next attack,” Ava said. Brady apologized again. “And I realize that we’ve only been seeing each other a very short while. I just really don’t want to lose you,” Brady said. Brady walked out.
At the cafe in the square, Paulina told Belle that reporters were hounding her about Rafe’s abduction. As Belle continued to work on her phone, an annoyed Paulina asked, “Am I boring you, DA Black?” Belle apologized and explained that she had been checking her messages for an update about her father. “I’m very sorry for what you’re going through. You know, we can pick this up later if you need to go and be with [Marlena],” Paulina said. “No, I actually need to be busy,” Belle said. Gabi stomped into the square.
“When are you going to lock up EJ DiMera?” Gabi demanded. “Take it easy,” Paulina warned. Gabi demanded justice for Rafe. “As does the mayor’s office,” Paulina stressed. Belle promised Gabi that her office was working on the matter. Paulina swore that if they found the evidence of EJ’s involvement, they would throw the book at him. “I find that a little hard to believe since our esteemed District Attorney here is sleeping with her number one suspect,” Gabi said. Paulina’s eyes went wide.
When Paulina noted that Belle’s relationship with EJ was in the past, Gabi explained that Belle had restarted her affair. “Go ahead, Belle. Tell your boss that the whole time that EJ was holding my brother captive using his evil twin to torture Jada, you two were going at it like rabbits,” Gabi said. Belle lied and said that Gabi was mistaken. “Jada told me,” Gabi said. “Well, she sure does know how to blab about my personal life. Not that it’s any of her business,” Belle said. Surprised, Paulina said, “So this is true?” Belle confirmed she had restarted her affair with EJ, but she had ended it when she had learned about his involvement in Ava’s kidnapping.
“And why exactly wasn’t he arrested for that?” Gabi asked. “Because Ava decided not to press charges,” Belle explained. Frustrated, Gabi argued that it was an amazing coincidence that Belle did not have the testimonial evidence she needed to prosecute her “boyfriend.” Gabi looked at Paulina and she asked her, “Do you get it now? Why I can’t trust her to get justice for my brother?” Belle stressed that she was no longer involved with EJ.
“And you also said that he was your biggest regret, and then you dove right back into his bed. So why should we believe that you won’t let that son of a bitch walk so that you can keep screwing him?” Gabi asked. Offended, Belle stressed that she would never let her personal life affect her job. When Gabi complained that it was not fair that EJ would get away with replacing her brother on two different occasions, Belle reminded Gabi that EJ had a presumption of innocence under the law. Gabi gasped.
“Listen to her! She’s already defending that lowlife when she should be building a case against him!” Gabi said. Paulina asked Belle to recuse herself from the case. Belle was shocked. “I think it would be for the best,” Paulina said. Belle stressed again that her personal relationship with EJ had ended. “Still, even a hint of impropriety would compromise the investigation,” Paulina argued. Paulina suggested a special investigator, but Belle argued that one was not necessary because she could supervise the prosecution.
“I am just as horrified by what EJ may have done as you are,” Belle said. “You see? She’s doing it again. She’s making excuses for her boyfriend,” Gabi complained. Frustrated, Belle reiterated that EJ was not her boyfriend. “What he is, is a skilled attorney. And he is as ruthless and diabolical as they come. If there is a loophole, he is going to find it. And if there is a technicality, you better believe he’s gonna exploit it,” Belle said. Belle argued that as talented as her ADAs were, they did not have the experience to oversee the case.
“I know EJ. I know how he thinks and how he operates. I can anticipate his moves,” Belle said. Paulina noted that Belle had made some good points. Gabi accused Paulina and Belle of having conspired to keep EJ out of prison. “I thought Belle was the only one I had to worry about doing her job. But I remembered that your daughter is a DiMera,” Gabi said. “What does that have to do with anything?” Paulina asked. Paulina argued that Johnny would not want EJ to get away with a conspiracy with Arnold.
“EJ is lying! And so are the two of you,” Gabi said. “Come on,” Belle said. Frustrated, Gabi argued that if she wanted justice for what EJ had done to her brother, she would have to seek it herself. As Gabi walked off, Paulina called out to her, but she did not chase her. Belle apologized for having gotten involved with EJ. “Well, what’s done is done,” Paulina said. Belle asked Paulina for her decision. Paulina agreed to let Belle continue to lead the case, but she warned Belle that she would replace her as DA if she stepped out of line.
After Paulina left, Belle thought about her Valentine’s Day with EJ. “You may have pulled the wool over my eyes twice now, EJ, but you best believe there will not be a third time. If I find any proof that you had anything to do with what happened to Rafe, I will personally nail your ass to the wall,” Belle muttered.
At the police station, Shawn was working on the Feniger investigation in the interrogation room when JJ entered and asked for an update. “We’ve got to get to the bottom of this fast so we can nail EJ, put that son of a bitch away,” JJ said. “Did something happen?” Shawn asked. JJ told Shawn about when Gabi had held EJ at gunpoint when she had been desperate to find Rafe. “Rafe’s back now, which is a huge relief. But EJ is still denying he had anything to do with his disappearance, and I promised Gabi we wouldn’t rest until we can prove otherwise,” JJ said. Shawn agreed that EJ was a menace.
“Jada doesn’t deserve this. If anybody has met Jada, they know. They know that that woman is amazing,” Shawn said. “You almost sound as passionate about this as Gabi,” JJ said. Shawn stammered that Rafe was his friend, and Jada was their boss. JJ watched Shawn stumble through his response, and he noted that Shawn seemed to have taken everything personally. Guilty, Shawn said that he was concerned about how awful things had been for Jada.
“For whatever reason, she turned to me in all this. And I was there for her. And, you know, I let her lean on me, and I gave her a shoulder to cry on,” Shawn said. JJ made a face, and Shawn asked what was wrong. “I’m kind of getting the vibe that there was more to it,” JJ said. After a moment, Shawn admitted that he and Jada had slept together. Shawn explained what had happened. “Do you think she’s going to tell Rafe?” JJ asked. “Your guess is as good as mine,” Shawn said. JJ noted that if Shawn or Jada had believed that Rafe was not himself, they would not have slept together.
“No, never. But we did,” Shawn said. “Well, no one is going to hear about it from me,” JJ said. JJ told Shawn he was there for him if he needed to talk. With a nod, Shawn left to run an errand. After JJ returned to work, Gabi walked into the room. “Is everything okay?” JJ asked. “I can’t trust the mayor or DA to make sure that EJ pays,” Gabi complained. Gabi told JJ that he was her only hope.
In the DiMera living room, EJ cautioned Rafe not to mention any more conspiracy theories about EJ’s involvement with a dead man. “It’s not a fantasy. We know we were dealing with Feniger at one point, because his DNA didn’t match Gabi’s,” Jada said. “Correction. You know you had someone in custody who was not Rafe,” EJ countered. Rafe argued that it was evident that the imposter was Arnold Feniger and that EJ was to blame.
“You are not going to get away with it this time, DiMera. I promise,” Rafe growled. EJ asked Jada to take note as an officer of the law that Rafe had assaulted him. EJ suggested that Rafe submit to a psychiatric evaluation. When Rafe stiffened, Jada grabbed his arm, and she warned him that it was not worth the trouble to hit EJ. “It’ll be worth it to do what I should have done to you a long time ago and take this son of a bitch out of his misery,” Rafe growled as he squared up to EJ.
“The last thing I remember was seeing Feniger in this room,” Rafe said. “That’s impossible, because Arnold Feniger is dead,” EJ countered. EJ ordered Rafe and Jada to leave. Rafe was reluctant to leave, but Jada guided him toward the exit. “This isn’t over,” Rafe grumbled as he walked out.
When Rafe returned home with Jada, she voiced her concerns about Rafe’s refusal to return to the hospital. “I’m fine,” Rafe insisted. Rafe lamented that he did not have enough of his memory to be a useful witness against EJ. “As we’ve seen, memories have a way of coming back,” Jada advised. Concerned, Rafe asked Jada if Arnold had attempted to sleep with her. “Nothing happened between us,” Jada stressed. Jada explained that Arnold had kept his distance. Rafe was relieved.
“Just the thought of another man’s hands on you was tearing me up inside,” Rafe said. Jada thought about her night with Shawn. “There’s something I need to tell you,” Jada said. Rafe noted that if something had happened with Arnold, he would not blame her since they looked alike. “Nothing happened with him. I was telling you the truth,” Jada said. “So what is it, then?” Rafe asked. Jada noted that Arnold had kissed her a couple times, and she changed the subject to dinner. “I do feel better now that everything is out in the open. And I’m so happy to be home with you,” Rafe said. Rafe kissed Jada, and he went into the bathroom to shower.
While Jada worked on dinner, Shawn knocked on the front door. Jada answered. “I was just hoping we could talk. Rafe’s still in the hospital, right?” Shawn asked. “Nope. he’s right here,” Rafe said as he walked into view. Shawn asked Rafe how he was feeling. “Happy to be back home with the woman I love. So what did you want to talk to Jada about?” Rafe asked. Shawn said he had wanted to let Jada know that he and JJ were working to build a case against EJ.
Kristen walked into the DiMera living room with her mother. “I see you managed to track down your runaway mum,” EJ said. Kristen urged Rachel to relax on the couch. While a wobbly Rachel sat down, Kristen stepped aside with EJ. “What happened?” EJ asked. “I found my mother in Ava’s room at the Brady Pub. She went over there with a knife to kill her,” Kristen said. Kristen confirmed that Ava was injured but alive.
“My mother, she is even more unstable than I thought,” Kristen noted. EJ suggested Bayview could accommodate Rachel. “And Statesville’s got room for us,” Kristen countered. Kristen worried aloud that Ava would change her mind about testifying against them for Ava’s kidnapping. “How is Brady going to convince her to keep quiet now?” Kristen whispered. As EJ groaned, Rachel asked Kristen for some food.
While Kristen went into the kitchen, EJ promised to watch Rachel. “If only Kristen hadn’t followed me there. I was so very close to disposing of that awful woman,” Rachel lamented. “I share your disdain for Miss Vitali, but I suggest you leave her alone. That is, if you want to stay out of prison,” EJ advised. Rachel noted that if Kristen could not keep her out of prison, she counted on EJ to help. “That is unless you want to join me there,” Rachel added. Rachel threatened to tell everyone about Rafe.
“You old cow,” EJ growled. Rachel smirked at EJ. “I’ve warned you about threatening me,” EJ said. Kristen returned with Rachel’s food, and she suggested they go upstairs to Rachel’s room. With a smile, Rachel wished EJ a pleasant afternoon, and she followed Kristen upstairs. EJ dropped his face in his hands, then he turned and faced Stefano’s portrait.
“This is all your fault, father. If you hadn’t blown up that woman’s car all those years back, she might still possess a few of her marbles and we wouldn’t be in this mess,” EJ said. EJ wondered aloud how to keep Rachel Sr. quiet about Rafe. After a moment, EJ went to the safe and pulled out a syringe. “I’m sorry, Kristen. I know how much you’ve been enjoying your blessed reunion with your mother. But it’s all going to come to an end,” EJ said.
