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WONDERFUL episode, ML. So much humour, and great work all around. Esther and Karynn were WONDERFUL, and I love how very conflicted Karynn seems about Karl. She loves him, but only talks about him in terms of his money. I'm sure that that will be revealed more in time. I can FEEL Verdon Lou coming to a head. This is gonna be a GREAT end to that story, I can feel it! Avery is gonna get caught in all this, surely. It doesn't look good for her. I kinda like how you seem to be humanizing Daisy a bit. She's a bit of crazy but long-term that may be the best way to go with her. Give her friends etc. Ohhhhh Sister Patterson. Leslie has no time for all that. Hilarious exchange there. I am so curious who the mystery woman is. Having a hard time guessing, actually! I'm REALLY excited for the next episode. This is gonna be HUGE!!!

EPISODE 66 Written by A. Washington-Beeby Story Consultants: ML Cooks & C. Nathaniel Richardson Laura reaches out to Sami, as they stand in the foyer of the DiMera Mansion, and Sami gives Laura a grateful hug, almost needing Laura to keep her upright from the emotional exertion she just went through. SAMI: Thank you so very much, Laura. I....seriously don't know how I could have got through the day without your help. LAURA: It's my pleasure.Sami, you've grown so much, and...I want you to remember, no matter what's happened in your past, whatever you may have said or done, you're a fantastic mother. And I know you love Johnny so very much. Just remember that. Sami nods, trying to hold herself together, wiping away tears from her face. SAMI: I'll try. Umm..hey! Are you going to Brady's memorial today? LAURA: Yes! I was just going to call Marlena and let her know I'm on my way. Did you...did you need a ride over? SAMI: Uh...yeah! I can totally go with you. Let me just...grab my keys and a couple other things. LAURA: Sure. Sami runs into the living room to grab her things, including her tablet. As she picks it up, she sees a notification on the screen. It catches her eye and she unlocks the screen to read it more closely. SAMI: Oh my God! Laura looks up, concerned by Sami's outburst. The screen reads out the headline from the Salem Spectator's website that's gone around town. BREAKING: TITAN TV TO BE SOLD TO PRIVATE INVESTOR Sami looks up at Laura, the shock still on her face. LAURA: Sami? What's wrong? SAMI: Uh...I...nothing. Let's go! Laura seems unconvinced, but smiles halfheartedly anyway, as Sami guides her out the door of the house. --- Will and Gabi lock up the apartment, Gabi rocking the stroller with Ari inside back and forth gently. Will turns to Gabi, still stewing over Sonny's lie. He holds his cell phone in his hand, looking up at Gabi while he texts. WILL: So, I'll meet you and Ari at Town Square? GABI: Sure. I hope you guys are alright. WILL: Yeah...so do I. Gabi leans over to give Will a hug, before heading off. GABI: Okay, I'll see you then. Let me know what happens with Sonny. WILL: Yeah...I will. Will looks up, sighing heavily as he thinks back to Sonny's rushed exit from the apartment. *** FLASHBACK to Episode 64 Sonny turns to grab his jacket from the closet, and calls out to Gabi and Will. SONNY: I have to go for a minute....there's a...uh...problem with a shipment at the club. Meet you at Town Square? WILL: Alright. *** It's T, calling from the club, where a rush of rowdy customers are calling out to T, who's a bit frazzled behind the bar. T: Uh...hey, Will! It's T. Any idea where Sonny is? ... WILL: I...yeah, he's on his way to the club now, T. Didn't he just tell you that? ... T looks confused, looking over his shoulder as he speaks, holding up one finger to a customer. T: Uh, no. Sonny hasn't spoken with us since this morning, dude. Look, it's really busy at the club, and I can't get Sonny to answer his phone, so can you just let him know to come down here ASAP when he can? *** Will shakes his head, as he finishes up his text to Sonny. How r things @ the club? WILL: I'm gonna find out what you're up to, Sonny. --- JJ runs back into the Town Square to try to avoid getting caught by Liam, who was just in the adjacent park. He tries to casually walk over to get his mother's attention before Liam comes back, but is too late, as he turns around to see Liam surprise Jennifer by wrapping his arms around her as she stands at a nearby table. JJ looks on in fear at the exchange, now worried about his mother's safety. --- Maggie knocks on Victor's office door at Titan, as he finishes up putting his documents into his briefcase and closes it up. He looks up and smiles. VICTOR: Maggie! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes! Maggie smiles warmly as she walks into the room, ever so casually. She laughs a bit at Victor's comment, obviously flattered. MAGGIE: Ohh...you're either the sweetest man on Earth, or you had a really rough day. VICTOR: I'd say a bit of both. Maggie smiles again as she walks towards her husband, wrapping her arms around his collar. MAGGIE: You know what? I'll take it. Maggie quickly kisses Victor on the lips before continuing. MAGGIE: Now. I've been busy all morning helping Caroline out with the memorial for Brady, and you still haven't told me whether or not you're even going to be there or not. Victor's face drops at Maggie's implied question. He sighs loudly as he tries to answer. VICTOR: Maggie-- MAGGIE: Victor, come on now. You heard what Hope said. That car was travelling too fast for Brady to survive. Maggie pulls Victor's face to look right into her eyes. She barely blinks as she tries to talk sense to Victor. MAGGIE: Honey, I know you're skeptical. I understand why you would be. But you have to face the real probability that Brady didn't survive that crash. --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og7-6YubuS4 --- At the Town Square, Jenn chats with Marlena, Eric, and Caroline about Brady, while Liam is off at the desserts table that has been set up for the guests. JJ finally sees an opportunity to talk privately to his mother about what he heard Liam say, and excuses himself from his conversation with Kayla, Adrienne and Justin, interrupting Adrienne's comment as politely as he can. JJ: Sorry, Aunt Adrienne, I...just gotta ask my mom something real quick. ADRIENNE: Okay, sure thing, sweetie. JJ: Thanks. JJ smiles as he walks off, over to his mother, tapping her gently on the shoulder. Jenn turns to face him, still with that hint of motherly disappointment thanks to their earlier conversation about Abigail's whereabouts. JJ: Uh, sorry, Mom? JENNIFER: Hey, Honey! JJ: Uh...I...when you got a second free, it's...really important I talk to you...alone. Jenn looks to him, concerned. JENNIFER: Sure. Is something wrong? JJ looks around to make sure Liam's still a ways away. JJ: Uh...yeah. But I think...if we have a minute now might be a good-- As JJ finishes his sentence, Nicole arrives, with a special someone in tow, Chloe. Chloe's arrival stirs everyone in the room and Jenn is immediately distracted by her arrival. Jenn appears pleased but tense with Chloe arriving, reminded of Chloe's machinations from her last visit to Salem. Caroline, however, is pleased to see her. CAROLINE: Chloe! How good to see you! Caroline heads over to give her a hug, as Jenn looks up at JJ and smiles. She leans over and whispers to him. JENNIFER: Yeah, now might be a good time. JJ: Let's go to the park? JENNIFER: Yeah. Jennifer takes JJ by the arm and heads over toward the park. As they head off, Liam heads back to where Jenn had been and can't find her. He scans the crowd and sees nobody, and begins to look around the square in vain. Caroline, Marlena, Eric, and Nicole, meanwhile, hang back to chat with Chloe, catching up with her and reminiscing about Brady. The group is laughing as Chloe tells them stories about her adventures. CHLOE: ...So I've mostly been dealing with the more...mature ladies and gentlemen, that kind of fans instead of screaming teenage girls, you know? MARLENA: I'm so glad your singing is going well for you again. CAROLINE: So am I! We were so worried when you came back from that accident all those years ago. CHLOE: Honestly, it took a lot of time, training, and patience, but...you know...Brady was always there to help me. Chloe begins to choke up, thinking back on Brady. She smiles through her tears. CHLOE: If he hadn't been there for me, I don't think I would've made it back. Oh my God, I'm gonna miss him. Nicole leans over to give Chloe a comforting hug, as Victor walks in with Maggie in tow. Clearly having overheard the end of Chloe's story, he makes his presence known with a snide remark. VICTOR: And it's too bad you did come back, seeing as this whole mess we're in now is your fault. Chloe turns around quickly to face Victor, visibly upset by yet another of his abusive remarks at her expense. --- In the park, JJ leads Jenn, before taking her arm and huddling in closer to her, trying to be as quiet about what he knows as possible. Jenn stands back, concerned for her son. JENNIFER: Okay, what did you need to talk to me about? JJ: Okay, well...before I tell you, you have to promise me you're not gonna freak out. Jenn folds her arms, convinced JJ's done something to make her freak out. JENNIFER: I can't guarantee anything, JJ. JJ: No, Mom, I'm serious. This is...really important, and you need to know. JENNIFER: Know what, JJ? Is this about your sister? Because, honestly, I don't know if I can handle much more bad news about her-- JJ: ...Not...not really. I mean, yes, but... JENNIFER: Oh, God, JJ! What is going on-- JJ: It's about Liam! Jennifer looks at JJ, stopped in her tracks by his connecting Liam to Abigail's departure from Salem. --- Will arrives at Club TBD, and notices the immediately the crowds have dissipated. He looks over to see a relaxed T behind the bar. He notices Will come in and nods at Will in greeting. WILL: Hey, T. So...did Sonny ever come around? T: Nah, man. I'm proud of myself, man. I took care of the whole crowd and CLEANED UP. Look, look, look, look. T reaches into his pockets and pulls out the tips he's collected over the past couple hours. Will looks surprised and laughs with T, slapping his buddy on the back in approval. WILL: Oh my God, that's amazing. Just...just tips? T: 100%, dude! WILL: I...Wow! T: Yep. So...okay, so did you pass along the message to Sonny. WILL: I...no, I never had a chance, I just...was on my way out anyway so I decided to come down myself but...it looks like you got it all under control. T: Yeah, man! Totally! Will looks down at his phone, having felt a buzz in his pocket. T looks over his shoulder. T: That Sonny? WILL: Yeah. Will checks Sonny's message and frowns, shaking his head at Sonny's response: yeah got it all figured out, heading out soon ... Sonny walks casually past the Brady Pub, texting as he walks. The same frown on his face as Will. He sees Will's response come up on his phone: gonna call u. got a question Sonny sighs. SONNY: Uh oh. As Sonny's phone rings, he picks up almost immediately. SONNY: (into phone) Hey Will. ... Will looks off, a bit of a bitchy look on his face as he speaks to Sonny. WILL: (into phone) Hey Sonny, Gabi and I are just heading down the Town Square. I had to pass on a message to T, can I speak to him a moment? ... Sonny's eyes widen, a bit panicked by Will's question. He kicks into action and walks away from the pub toward TBD. SONNY: I, uh...he's downstairs at the moment, just grabbing some condiments for-- ... Will interrupts Sonny, a smug grin on his face as he cuts in. WILL: Oh, never mind. He's right here. Say 'hi', T! Will passes the phone over to T, who awkwardly takes the phone from Will, not sure what he's getting himself into. T: Hey, Sonny! Where were you, man? It was a madhouse down here! ... The colour drains from Sonny's face as he realizes he's been caught. He stops in place, taking a second to figure out what he'll do. Unable to respond for a moment, Sonny stammers as he tries to collect himself enough to continue walking towards the club. SONNY: I...uh...I'll be there in a sec. ... WILL: Yeah, you better be. And you better have a really good explanation, too. Will hangs up the phone, before slamming it down on the bar. Will breathes in deeply, frustrated, hurt, and angry at his fiance for his lie, but also worried what Sonny was actually up to. ---

I see you're ramping up the pace here. Probably a good idea. Lots of new folks on this show compared to UC. Hopefully we're able to get inside their heads! Ali and Vin looks like a dangerous situation shaping up. I'm intrigued. Can't wait to see where Steve's adventures are gonna take him. Wonder if Bo's disappearance is connected to Jack's, and I assume Steve will connect it all and deal with brother coming back. Dannifer (barf). I know you're as much a fan of Dr. Orangutan as I am so I can't wait to see what misfortune you have planned there LOL. Natalia wakes up! OOO! Love Kayla and Angie's relationship, very good to see those friendship ties. Good work. Keep building this up, I know it'll be awesome when it's all rolling!

Good stuff all around, Nick! I loved Morris and Eartha, revealing that they aren't as happy as they appear. I'm sure there's some great history there to uncover. You have a knack for that, I can tell already. I can see how this affects Trinity as well. Great family dynamic there! Todd is so flippant, and it's so Todd of him. He figures he can bluster and steamroll in and get what he wants by pure chance. It's how he's always been. You capture that well. I hope things don't quite turn out that way for him. Might bring out his darker edge. Ben seems like trouble. I sense there's gonna be a lot of trouble for Luke the deeper he digs here. Also loved Blair's scene with Danielle. You've got that awkward dynamic between them down really well. I expect forensics will find SOMETHING in the house that Jack was in. The mystery there is great. Loving that story, and I wonder if that'll connect up in JP. Guess I gotta read and find out! You're doing great with this show. It flows beautifully.

OOOO Jack and Paulina got busy! Grant is about to have a conniption! Looks like this is gonna be a big confrontation on its way, and I can't wait. Carl's story is so painful and so powerful, I think I'm going to really enjoy watching it play out. I can totally see Rachel and Carl in that moment and you capture it perfectly. Great work there. Eric stood up to Mommie Dearest. I just know she'll pull him back in the moment she shows she has the power to get him something he wants, though. The temptation is too strong to the dark side. LOL. Loved Felicia coming to her friends' defense. Always that strength and power of friendship that AW does so well. Another great episode, Cary. You're doing great!

EPISODE 65 Written by A. Washington-Beeby Story Consultants: ML Cooks & C. Nathaniel Richardson Jennifer steps into the town square, and sees Liam off in the corner. Jenn looks over and waves his way, as Liam walks over to her from across the square. Liam notices the glum look on Jenn's face and, as he meets Jenn near one of the tables in the square, he gently touches her chin and smiles as she looks up at him. LIAM: Jenn? You alright? Jenn sighs heavily before answering Liam's question. She turns away slightly as she answers, her voice heavy with concern. JENNIFER: I don't really know. LIAM: Well...what's wrong? JENNIFER: (sigh) Aibigail...disappeared this morning. Liam appears distressed by the news, Jenn immediately tries to placate him. LIAM: What? JENNIFER: No! No, she's okay... Liam breathes a sigh of relief at the news, visibly relaxing after a moment's tension. LIAM:Oh, thank God for that-- JENNIFER: ...but the problem is where she's gone. Liam looks up, confused, Jenn tries to calmly explain the situation, hoping not to upset Liam again. LIAM: What do you mean? JENNIFER: (sigh) It turns out that Sami sent her on an assignment to Italy last minute, and so now, one day after she's in hospital for that fall, she's on a plane to Europe to work for the DiMeras. Liam looks at Jenn, not sure quite how to respond or react to Jenn's news. He looks off, away at nothing in particular, deep in his own thoughts. --- Sami stares out the window at the DiMera mansion, deep in thought as she considers the possibility that Abigail's project in Italy may not be purely a business decision on EJ's part, but a clever manipulation among many others. Considering Jennifer's words from earlier, Sami is mentally checked out. ***Sami flashes back to Episode 63*** JENNIFER No. (sigh) When I came here, I was upset and I was...blaming EJ for it because I just...I had this feeling that it's all this big...plan to get Abigail back on side so that Chad can move back in but... *** Sami snaps back to the current moment and realizes she needs to speak to someone. She walks quickly over to her purse and pulls her cell phone out, she quickly makes a phone call. SAMI: (into phone) Laura? You wouldn't happen to be free for a house call, would you? --- Hope drives down the road at lightning pace, obviously speeding as she makes her way towards Horton Town Square in time for Brady's memorial. Her impatience is plain on her face and in her mannerisms as she moves frenetically between looking at the road and checking the time on her car stereo. HOPE: Come on, come on, come on. Ugh, this damned guy in front of me would just MOVE! Hope honks angrily on her horn as she shouts at the cars in front of her. HOPE: COME ON! Ohhh my God, I'm so late. Hope leans back in her seat, looking to the sky, trying to calm down, as she mutters to herself. HOPE: Come on, Hope. You're not supposed to be the one getting road rage, you're a cop. You're supposed to obey the traffic laws, and smile and drive defensively! Hope takes a second to breathe before finally getting fed up and turning into the next lane, when the car in front of her turns abruptly to make the same move. Hope hits her brakes, but not soon enough and bumps into the side door of the car in front. Hope curses as she undoes her seatbelt to get out of the car. HOPE: Damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it! Hope gets out of the car, infuriated. She continues to curse as she steps out on the roadway and turns toward the driver of the car she hit. HOPE: As if this day couldn't get any... Hope slams her car door shut and turns around to see the man in the car in front get out. It's Aiden. HOPE: ...worse. --- Victor stands by his office desk at Titan, and looks at Sonny incredulously. VICTOR: Rescind the offer? What for? SONNY: Because I don't want him sucked into this world of greed and lies, I just... Victor's face turns to one of anger and frustration upon realizing what's going on. VICTOR: You've been sucked in by those knuckle-dragging treehuggers, haven't you? SONNY: No, I-- VICTOR: Because I've got news for you, Sonny. The offer stays on the table, and you'd better back off if you ever want to see Will Horton stand at the altar with you. --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og7-6YubuS4 --- Laura sits in a chair in the DiMera living room, a recording device in hand as she leans over to speak to Sami, who is casually laid down on the nearby sofa, shoes off. Sami is still deep in thought as Laura tries to coax out her inner most feelings to try to give Sami some sense of healing. LAURA: Tell me what you feel at this exact moment. Sami pauses a moment, staring straight out at nothing in particular. A very expressionless look on her face as she ponders, then answers Laura's question. SAMI: Helpless. I feel like...like I've finally run out of ways to fight back...or maybe I just don't want to fight anymore. I can't tell. LAURA: That's not, in my experience, your usual way of reacting. SAMI: No. It's not. LAURA: For as long as I've known you, you seem to lash out when you're backed into a corner, so tell me what's different this time. Sami hesitates, breathing in deeply as she tries to honestly answer Laura, but is almost afraid to respond so openly. SAMI: Because this time, it's my son who would bear the brunt of it. I can't defend myself without...destroying Johnny. LAURA: What do you mean? Sami becomes increasingly emotional, but tries to hold herself in as responds. SAMI: I mean I can't look at my own child without thinking about how he was conceived. I can't feel his touch anymore and feel the love he clearly feels for me and the warmth and love I saw...see. Every time I look at my own son, I love him, I know I do, but...there's this... Sami looks down at the engagement ring EJ got for her. She looks at it thoughtfully as she pulls it off her finger, and holds it up for Laura to see. SAMI: It's like this ring. You see, I have looked at this ever since EJ put it on my finger. Laura smiles as she looks at the beautiful diamond ring, clearly noteworthy for the size and shine of the diamond. LAURA: It's absolutely beautiful, I have to admit. Sami manages a weak smile as she takes the ring in the palm of her hand and closes her fist around it tightly. SAMI: Yeah. I always thought so too. But then I was looking at it from a weird angle one day when I was out and....you know...the sun just...hit it at just the right angle. And...you know, I saw this...tiny, tiny imperfection just on the top right hand corner. It's...barely visible to any normal person, even if you looked it over with a magnifying glass, you'd never notice it. Sami holds the ring up again, this time right up in front of her eyes, shaking her head, disappointment in her face and her voice. SAMI: ...But you know...now...that's all I see is that tiny little flaw. And I can't unsee it. I don't know if I ever will, and I know that I shouldn't let it overtake everything else about it for me but...I'm worried I can't help but feel that way. I mean...this is just a ring. But, I mean, we're talking about my son. My beautiful....beautiful boy. And I can't see him without thinking of how...the man I'm supposed to be marrying...he forced me to have sex with him in exchange for his sister's father's life. Sami stands up and begins to pace before the couch. Laura follows her every step carefully, her every expression, her every gesture. SAMI: I mean...how screwed up is that? How...terrible of a situation to be in, not to mention how he even came to be. Sami stops and sighs heavily. She sits down again and looks earnestly at Laura, struggling to ask her a question as the emotion wells up in her voice. SAMI: Laura...how am I going to...when the time comes...I mean...he'll have questions. How am I going to be able to tell my son that he was the product of rape? --- Hope sheepishly looks Aiden's way as he steps over to Hope's car. Aiden looks at Hope sternly. AIDEN: I thought the police were meant to be better drivers than the rest of us. HOPE: I'm....really sorry. I just...I thought you were gonna turn with the car in front and then you just...turned fast into me and... AIDEN: Oh, so now you're gonna blame this on me? Hope shrugs, trying to play nonchalant with Aiden, who is quickly getting angrier. HOPE: Well...you turned out of your lane without signalling...you know I could have you ticketed for that. AIDEN: Ohhh you're gonna pull THAT one out now. Just throw your weight around? You know, I was on my way to a meeting with a new client, a real important client and-- HOPE: ...And I was on my way to my friend's son's funeral. And now I'm gonna be late. And I'm not happy. Aiden, upset, and worried, walks over to the driver's side door of his car as he speaks. AIDEN: Oh, YOU'RE not happy. I don't have a fender now because of you...you...you know what? Just, let's just...I'm going to the repair shop now, and maybe I can get a rental in time to meet with my cli...client... Aiden looks over to see Hope taking her cell phone out and taking pictures of the damage to his car. He walks back over AIDEN: What in the hell are you doing? Aiden doesn't look up at Hope, but at her car, then back at his page. HOPE: Writing down your licence plate number, and...I'll need your insurance info. AIDEN: Oh for...Hope, let's be reasonable, okay? You have to get to your friend's memorial service, and I need to get to your client, so can we agree to do this later? Our cars are still perfectly capable of getting to where we're going, so we can just-- HOPE: We can just...don this by the book. Okay? Or would you rather that ticket I was talking about? AIDEN: Okay. Okay...look, you're right. Let's just...drive down to the police station, we'll get this checked out and...I'll just...have to call my client and say I'll be a bit late. HOPE: There we go, now you see sense! Aiden walks around to the driver's side door again and Hope to hers, before they both step into their respective vehicles, Aiden looks over to Hope and shakes his head before stepping in. He sits down in the driver's seat and turns the key in the ignition. The car grumbles and then fails. AIDEN: Ohhhh great. Hope, overhearing Aiden's car's failure, saunters over to his window. He winds it down and looks out to see Hope's smug face, raised eyebrow and smirk. HOPE: Need a lift? --- Sonny stands in Victor's office, arms folded as he angrily counters Victor's threat. SONNY: Are you seriously gonna stand there and tell me that unless I cowtow to your demands, I'm gonna lose my fiance? VICTOR: Will needs a job, this is a great opportunity for him. If you deny him this, he'll resent you until the day you die...which will be about twenty minutes after he finds out we had this conversation. SONNY: He won't find out if you don't tell him. Victor stands, unmoved. Sonny gestures in frustration. SONNY: Which you will. Of course. Because everything needs to be your way. VICTOR: Sonny, I've had a hard day. We lost a member of our family, and I've had to make some tough business decisions. You should be thrilled that I'm welcoming Will into the family fold, especially considering the bunch of winners he calls his kin. SONNY: Well, I'm not. Not under these circumstances. You're pitting him against me to prop up your dirty business. As if you think you can buy my approval of this disgusting project of yours. Well it's not gonna work. VICTOR: I'm doing no such thing. Sonny tries to hold back from yelling at Victor. He fights it a moment but his frustration lets loose regardless. SONNY: Yes, you are! Don't act like I'm stupid, Uncle Vic. Please, just...tell Will that you...decided to go with someone more experienced and no one has to know we ever had this conversation. Please. For Will's sake, for my sake. Ari's. Just...please just take the offer back. Victor looks straight into Sonny's eyes, a stern, almost stone-like expression on his face. VICTOR: I'm sorry, Sonny. I can't. Sonny shakes his head before turning toward the door. SONNY: No. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ever tried to talk any sense into you. Because it's obvious to me that all you care about is the bottom line. You're no better than any of these other snake CEOs trying to...pillage the land of every drop of oil they can get their hands on at any cost. Well, guess what? You just cost yourself an awful lot more than just money, Uncle Vic. Victor looks steadfastly ahead, never once looking away from Sonny, though it's clear the hurt this is causing both of them. Sonny turns back around when Victor calls out to him. VICTOR: Sonny! Sonny looks at him, eyebrows raised, looking like he isn't really interested in what Victor will say, but he gives him the opportunity regardless. VICTOR: You'll thank me soon enough. Sonny guffaws as he begins to turn back around for the door. SONNY: Right. See you around. Sonny slams the door to Victor's office shut as Victor looks away, mad at himself for the turn things took. --- Liam stares off into the distance. Jenn looks concerned by Liam's sudden distraction and calls out to him. JENNIFER: Liam? ....Liam?? Liam snaps back to reality. He turns towards Jenn and puts a hand on her shoulder. LIAM: I...have to make a quick call, I'll be right back, okay? Jennifer watches with concern as Liam steps off towards the exit of the Town Square. JJ walks in from another entrance as Liam leaves. Liam pulls his phone from his jacket on his way out. Observing Liam walking out, and Jenn's concerned reaction, JJ decides to discretely follow Liam out, as Jenn gets distracted by Maggie handing her program bookets for the memorial service. Outside the square, Liam gets on the phone, while JJ hides behind the archway, obscuring any way of Liam seeing him. LIAM: (into phone) Yeah, so when exactly were you gonna tell me about Abigail Deveraux? ...mmmhmm?...Yeah? Well, tell Stefano I want an update every day until she's back then. Got it? JJ's eyes widen as he makes a connection between Liam, Abigail and Stefano. Terrified for his sister, he sneaks off quickly from the park towards the square, unsure what he'll do next. ---

Still loving Karynn. WOW. I enjoy the fact she really does love her brother, but puts up this front of being only about the money. I can't wait to see you peel away those layers further. Love the Chancellors just wondering WTF this woman about. Nikki continues to descend into madness. I love that Roman Brady driving a limo again. Full circle. I hope you keep playing him, give Wayne some work. Great little scene. Abby vs. Roxanne was great. So snide without being very big. It was very good, and very good with the characters. I wanna see that build up as the story plays out. OOO Avery found Phillip! This is definitely leading into the big showdown in Verdon Lou. I CAN'T wait!! VERY good stuff, ML!!!

EPISODE 64 Written by A. Washington-Beeby Story Consultants: ML Cooks & C. Nathaniel Richardson Jordan sits attentively at her desk at the hospital, waiting on Sheryl to fill her in on what the next step of their plan is. JORDAN: Okay. Tell me, what's this great plan of yours? SHERYL: Simple. I made a phone call today, to an old friend of ours. Jordan's brow furrows, as she pulls her glasses off her face. JORDAN: An old friend? Sheryl leans in, smirking confidently at Jordan as she quietly tells her the name of their old friend. SHERYL: Jerome Grant. Jordan leans back, surprise plain on her face as the news hits her. --- Sonny picks up his cell phone from the table at his apartment. Will and Gabi are milling about making dinner as Sonny looks back at them. He tries to be subtle as he makes his phone call to Victor. ... Victor picks up his office phone at Titan, standing at his desk, and casually answers. VICTOR: Victor Kiriakis. ... SONNY: I need to see you immediately. We have to talk. Alone. ... VICTOR: I won't be here much longer. Meet me at the office before we go to Brady's memorial. ... SONNY: See you then. Sonny turns to grab his jacket from the closet, and calls out to Gabi and Will. SONNY: I have to go for a minute....there's a...uh...problem with a shipment at the club. Meet you at Town Square? WILL: Alright. GABI: We're just finishing up lunch before we go. You sure you don't want a sandwich for the road? SONNY: No, I'll be fine. I can grab something fast at the club before the service. GABI: Okay! WILL: See you soon. Love you! SONNY: Love you! Bye, guys! WILL & GABI: Bye!! As Sonny shuts the door, his positive demeanour immediately vanishes, as he sighs. SONNY: Dammit, Uncle Vic. I'm not gonna let you take Will down this road. Not in a million years. --- John arrives at Brady's memorial service, which is still being set up in the square. Spotting Kayla with Roman, John walks over casually to greet his friend. KAYLA: John! So good to see you! I'm...so sorry to hear about Brady. John and Kayla embrace warmly, as Roman looks on with a faint smile. JOHN: Good to see you too, Kay. Appreciate it. How's everyone holding up? KAYLA: Ah, well,you know...as good as can be expected. JOHN: Understood. Listen...uh...Roman, can your sister and I have a little chat alone for a sec, I have something....kind of important to discuss with her. Roman nods in agreement, collecting himself after his memory lapse minutes before. ROMAN: Sure thing, John. It's good to see you. JOHN: Same to you, man. John and Roman exchange a quick slap-on-the-back hug as they go their separate ways. John casually grabs Kayla's arm as they walk towards a quieter corner of the square. KAYLA: Okay, this sounds really important if you're sequestering me away in dark, dark corners. What's going on? JOHN: Well... John stops for a moment and takes a quick look around to see who's paying attention as he speaks. JOHN: You know I've been away for awhile in Europe, right? KAYLA: Of course, we've all been worried about you. JOHN: Well...we need you to come with us. It's urgent. Kayla looks surprised and taken aback by John's request. --- Nick walks through the park just outside Horton Town Square. He calls Kate again. ... Kate is now in her own office, indignant and annoyed by Nick's repeated attempts to contact her at inopportune times. KATE: What? ... NICK: Now, now, Kate. Is that any way to talk to someone who just got you exactly what you needed. ... KATE: You'd better pray your little trigger finger didn't just land us in the unemployment line. Victor saw I was calling you and put together that it was your tip that brought John to the board meeting today. ... NICK: Victor will only figure that out if you spill the beans. Which I know you won't since your very freedom depends on it. Am I right? ... Kate sighs into the phone, fed up of Nick's threats but incapable of lashing out. ... NICK: Now, sit tight, because now the real fun is gonna begin. And I'm going to make us gobs an gobs of money. ... Kate continues to stand by her desk, phone in ear, suspcious of every word coming from Nick's mouth but playing along. KATE: From your mouth to God's ear, my dear. ... Nick laughs softly, but almost maniacally. NICK: As long as you don't screw this up, everything you want can be yours. --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og7-6YubuS4 --- Gabi and Will sit down to eat their lunch, as Gabi feeds Arianna. Gabi looks at Will, who seems zoned out a bit, not eating his lunch. Gabi waves her hand in front of his face. GABI: Hey! Earth to Will Will snaps back to reality and smiles, grabbing his sandwich from his plate. WILL: Sorry. Just...had a moment there. GABI: Where did you go just then? Will sighs and looks down at his sandwich, suddenly feeling not very hungry. He puts the food back down on his plate and looks up at Gabi. WILL: Was just thinking about Brady, and Theresa, and...just how stupid this all is. I mean, we could here today and gone the next...and for what? I mean, seriously, if we don't live our lives to their full potential every day...there's no guarantee there'll be another chance, you know? Gabi smiles and reaches her hand out across the kitchen table, placing her hand over Will's, and giving it a comforting squeeze. GABI: I know exactly what you mean, and if there's one good thing to come from all this, it's that we're remembering that, and that every day's a chance to make our lives better... Gabi looks at Ari, who's caught her attention, gurgling as she picks up a pea off her plate and puts it in her mouth. Gabi smiles as Will looks over to Ari as well. GABI: ...And for our daughter too. Just as Gabi says this, Will's phone rings. Grabbing it from off the kitchen table, Will looks at it, and sees Club TBD's number on the screen. Confused, he answers. WILL: (into phone) Hey, what's up? ... It's T, calling from the club, where a rush of rowdy customers are calling out to T, who's a bit frazzled behind the bar. T: Uh...hey, Will! It's T. Any idea where Sonny is? ... WILL: I...yeah, he's on his way to the club now, T. Didn't he just tell you that? ... T looks confused, looking over his shoulder as he speaks, holding up one finger to a customer. T: Uh, no. Sonny hasn't spoken with us since this morning, dude. Look, it's really busy at the club, and I can't get Sonny to answer his phone, so can you just let him know to come down here ASAP when he can? ... Will looks to Gabi, a look of concern now on his face, as he answers T in an almost half-listening way. WILL: ...yeah. Sure. K, Bye. ... Will hangs up, and furrows his brow, confused by the exchange he just had. WILL: Sonny never called anyone at the club. GABI: Okay, that's weird. WILL: Yeah, really. So, the question is, where the Hell IS he, and why didn't he want me to know about it? --- Kayla looks over her shoulder to check and make sure nobody's paying attention to her conversation with John. KAYLA: What do you mean? JOHN: I mean, we need you. Trust me. I can't tell you anything more than that it has to be you that comes with me. KAYLA: But....I mean, John, you can't expect me to just...up and abandon my job, my home... John holds his hand up to stop Kayla midsentence. Kayla stops herself but is still unconvinced. JOHN: I will cover your expenses, and the bills will get paid. Kayla looks down, shaking her head. John's eye remain locked on her, regardless. JOHN: I need your help. I'll even pay for Joey to come with you while you're away, we just need your help. KAYLA: Why can't you tell me now what's going on? Who it even involves. You keep saying 'we' but...I mean, are you there with Shane? Bo? (laughs) Steve?? Haven't heard from HIM in awhile! John leans over and almost whispers to her. JOHN: Yes. Kayla looks up suddenly, shocked by John's confession. JOHN: I can't say anything more than that. But trust me, this is just as much a professional request as a personal one. Now...can I trust you to be on the plane with me tomorrow? KAYLA: I...John, I can't just...go...I need to figure this out. JOHN:: I can arrange a plane out for you by the end of the week if that works better for you. KAYLA: Just....can you give me until tonight to think it over? John nods, reluctantly agreeing to Kayla's terms. JOHN: Sure. I'll wait. KAYLA: Thank you. Come on, let's join the others. The ceremony should be starting any minute now. John takes Kayla's arm and escorts her back into the crowd, he looks to her with a warm smile. JOHN: Sounds good to me. --- Sonny steps into Victor's office, where Victor stands before his desk, rifling through some papers. Noticing the door opening, Victor turns around to see Sonny. His greeting makes plain his sombre mood. VICTOR: Sonny. What was so urgent? Sonny breathes in deeply, mustering all his courage to stand up to his great uncle. SONNY: I heard your associate offered Will a job today. VICTOR: Ah, yes. Tyler ran it by me. He read an article Will wrote for his blog, said that was just the kind of angle we needed to promote our energy program at EnerNext. I figured you'd be thrilled that your fiance was able to get such a prestigious job so soon after graduating. Sonny steps toward Victor, trying hard to not come across upset. He smiles a bit, but is clearly stammering in frustration, as Victor speaks, he tries to get Victor to end his long speech. SONNY: I...uh...mmm...Uncle Vic, stop. Please. VICTOR: What is it? I thought you were proud of Will. SONNY: I am. And I'm thrilled that you all feel the same way. But you can't offer Will this job. You need to rescind that offer. --- Kim stands with her police escort, in front of Billie and Daniel at University Hospital by the doorway of Theresa's hospital room. She holds in her hand, a copy of the restraining order against Billie. BILLIE: You can't be serious, Kim. Billie snatches the paper from Kim's hand as she spits out her words. Kim looks into Billie's eyes with smug malice. KIM: 100% serious. You can't be within 100 feet of my little girl. BILLIE: Oh, your little girl, hm? You're never going to see has an adult woman, are you, Kim? You know, like, an autonomous person who can make her own decisions about who she befriends? Or who she confides in? Or who she trusts? Kim's cool toughness disappears in a flash as Billie cuts into Kim, suddenly emerges rage and vitriol as she stares Billie down and fires her own shot Billie's way, holding back the full volume of her anger. KIM: I will not have you talk to me about my daughter. You have no idea about how things really were in our home, and you're not about to give me lessons in being a mother now. BILLIE: Oh, right. Because you've done such a bang-up job! KIM: How dare you? Daniel steps in at this point to try to cool things down, but the two women's eyes never leave each other. Kim's police escort hangs back, trying not to get involved in case anything escalates. DANIEL: Ooookay, ladies. Let's take a step back from each other a minute before we say anything we'll regret. We ARE in a hospital, after all. Billie stands down a bit, turning to Daniel, a sarcastic smile on her face. BILLIE: Oh, don't worry, Daniel. Anything I have to say to Kim, I can say through my lawyer! Billie storms away, heading for the elevators, as Kim watches, a smile of satisfaction on her face, but she simultaneously breathes in deeply, as though it's all been a front. Daniel sees the emotion in her eyes and puts a hand on Kim's shoulder. DANIEL: Are you sure you're alright? Kim wells up a bit when Daniel speaks, she looks up at a concerned Daniel and smiles. KIM: Oh yeah. I'm fine. (sigh) Thanks! DANIEL: Alright. If you need to sit down a minute, you can use my office. Kim smiles and takes Daniel's hand, squeezing it. KIM: Thank you, Daniel. I'll be fine. Can I see my daughter? DANIEL: Absolutely. Daniel waves to the officer, who then steps away, heading for the elevator, as Daniel guides Kim into Theresa's room. As Billie waits for the elevator not far away, she looks on with pure disgust in her face. The elevator door opens, and Billie curses Kim before stepping on. BILLIE: I swear to God, Kim, you haven't beat me yet. ---

Love the teen set already. Very good stuff, I can see the conflicts forming already. Really good stuff there! Jack's memory block is fantastic, I can see you peeling back the layers piece by piece. You seem to have a real talent for that. I can't wait to see where that all leads. You're doing so great with it all so far. I wonder how this model hunt is gonna go. Maybe an opportunity for Danielle? I can see Todd and Tea having a lot of objections to it down the road. Very good stuff! AMAZING episode again!

YESS! JACK <3 I know, I know, I didn't bring Jack back. Ahhh well. There's time yet. Haha. Loved this whole slow build to his reveal. EXCELLENT! Very good balance, and I love the montage at the end. Very good stuff, and I like that it worked to bring all the stories together. Very excited to see how it goes from here. You're doing a fantastic job so far!

Ooo this is gonna be good with the mystery man. Wonder what's going to happen there. Also, I love that Blair and Reva can't stand each other already, So good. Again, you got Todd, Tea and Dani down! LOVE Todd and Tea and this confrontation with Dani will be excellent, I can tell! Great momentum you've got going right now. LOVE it!!! Great episode again!

LOL, loving Todd and Tea's interaction. You got them PERFECTLY. Can't wait to see how that whole newspaper story works. Seeing how Sam and Trinity will definitely get to be a messy story. I love that there's such a different vibe between JP and UC. You're doing an excellent job setting up both worlds. fantastic stuff. Mystery Man is gonna be great when it's all revealed

EPISODE 63 Written by A. Washington-Beeby Story Consultants: ML Cooks & C. Nathaniel Richardson Kate, standing in the Titan board room with Victor, turns around and cancels the call quickly before she allows Victor to confirm that Nick was on the phone. KATE: Uh...what are you talking about? VICTOR: Oh don't play dumb with me, Kate. I saw Nick's name pop up on your phone in large print. And despite what you think, I haven't got cataracts just yet. KATE: Well, first of all, it's none of your business who calls me, and secondly, so what if Nick did call me? He is, after all, my employee. It was probably just a call about a product we're testing. Victor steps in close to Kate, in hopes of intimidating her. VICTOR: You'd better hope that's all it's about. I will be watching you after today, believe that. Kate stares back, not threatened by Victor's tactics. KATE: Duly noted. Kate grabs her bag and, with a flourish, slings them over her shoulder, sashaying out of the board room. Victor watches her head out, and scrunches his face slightly, indignant at his major loss. VICTOR: Damn it all. --- Billie walks through the 16th floor lobby of Titan, on her cell phone, as she prepares to leave the building. She has a worried look on her face as she talks to the person on the other end. BILLIE: (into phone) Yeah, I have a feeling Nick had a hand in this. But for the life of me, I can't tell what it is or how deep he is involved in this. But I'm certain it has something to do with the other two...Okay, I'll get back to you. Billie hangs up, and notices a text message on her phone from Daniel. u feeling any better now? Billie smiles, texting back: cup of coffee + an aspirin did the trick lol Billie pops her phone back in her bag, and smiles a bit as she steps onto the elevator to head down to her car. --- Jordan sits at her desk at the hospital, finishing up some reports, when she hears a knock at the door of her office. JORDAN: Come in. SHERYL: Hello, Stranger. Mind if I have a word. Sheryl steps in, and immediately incites a bit of anxiety in a previously relaxed Jordan. --- Jennifer stands before EJ in the DiMera living room, enraged by his nonchalance in the face of her worry for her daughter. JENNIFER: Come on, EJ. You're a father. Imagine if in a few years, Sydney just...took off one day to another country without saying a word to you. You'd be worried. EJ: If it was an actual cause for concern, yes. But this is not, Jennifer. This is work-related. You blowing this completely out of proportion. JENNIFER: No, see, that's where you're wrong, EJ. Because I know you manipulated the situation to benefit yourself. Just like you always do. EJ gestures in 'confusion' at Jenn's accusation. EJ: What are you even saying, Jennifer? How would I benefit from this in any way? JENNIFER: Oh my GOD, it's SO obvious. I have no idea why you're so hellbent on denying it. EJ: Deny WHAT?! Jennifer steps in close to EJ, her rage bubbling in the surface as she quietly lays into EJ. JENNIFER: That that little chat you had with Abigail last night? That was you convincing her to get on that plane today. One day after she's out of the hospital because of, what? Business? I'm sorry, but it reeks of manipulation and intimidation. In other words, every hallmark of the DiMera men. EJ: How fair of you, Jennifer. Jennifer steps back, raising her voice a bit again as she challenges EJ's insistence of innocence. JENNIFER: It's more fair than you deserve. Because I can tell that this is all just a set up so that you can win Abigail back for Chad. EJ: What?? Oh, come on, Jennifer, that's ridiculous. JENNIFER: (interrupting EJ) You heard me! You can't tell me that you had any other innocent motive for sneaking my daughter onto a plane at 5am so she can work intimately with your goons. Tell me, EJ, is Chad waiting for her in Italy too? EJ has full on lost his cool now, shouting over Jenn trying to stop her ranting to no avail. EJ: It was business! This was not some grand scheme cooked up for duplicitous purposes, Jennifer. She's an important part of our team, and she doesn't need Mummy to keep tabs on her every move! JENNIFER: I know one thing for sure, that if this was a simple business trip and nothing shady was going on, wouldn't I have heard about it by now? Something must have happened after Abby checked out, because I don't remember Sami talking about it last night at the hospital. At that moment, Sami steps into the living room, overhearing her name from the other side and looks Jenn's way with a look of interest. SAMI: Talk about what? Jenn turns around quickly to see Sami standing in the doorway, both her and EJ snapped out of their intense debate. --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og7-6YubuS4 --- Jennifer looks to Sami standing in the doorway of the DiMera living room. Sami's surprised to see Jenn and wondering what Jenn's just said about her. JENNIFER: Sami! Do you happen to have a minute? We need to talk. SAMI: I...sure! You want to talk alone? JENNIFER: Oh no, no, EJ's heard what's on my mind already, he doesn't have to leave. EJ, collecting himself from his frazzled state, swallows visibly as he heads towards Sami, who, having heard the commotion from outside the door is rather uncomfortable as EJ approaches her, all of this in Jenn's line of vision. EJ: Well, actually, I am needed at the office, so I should go. You ladies enjoy your time together. EJ walks past Sami and hesitates as to whether to lean in for a kiss or not. He decides to go for it, but Sami lurches back away from him, causing EJ to retreat. Jennifer notices the tension and looks on with curiosity. EJ puts on his blazer and gives his farewells as he exits the room. EJ: Goodbye, Samantha. Jennifer. As EJ leaves, Jenn catches her breath, releasing a lot of the tension from the confrontation that just took place. After a second, Jenn looks back at Sami, as she points in the direction of where EJ was. JENNIFER: I'm....so sorry, Sami. I... Sami walks over to Jenn, concerned, putting a hand on her shoulder. SAMI: No, no. I...what's going on? Jennifer tries to hold back a bit of tearing up as she laughs a bit at the situation. JENNIFER: I could ask the same of you two. I mean...I...I know it's none of my business but-- SAMI: ...Don't even ask, Jenn. I really don't want to get into it. JENNIFER: Well, I understand that too. (sigh) Look, I came to see you because I...got up this morning and discovered my daughter was gone. And I know it was for work and I know...she's an adult and can make her own decisions but...I figured you would understand, as a mother, that-- SAMI: Wait, Abigail didn't tell you about the Rome trip? Jenn shakes her head, she looks down, a bit disappointed, but not blaming Sami. JENNIFER: No. She didn't. I know a lot of that is because she knows I'm not...too thrilled with her taking this job in the first place, but... SAMI: I'm sorry, Jenn. I should've...let you know. Like...a text or something. JENNIFER: No. (sigh) When I came here, I was upset and I was...blaming EJ for it because I just...I had this feeling that it's all this big...plan to get Abigail back on side so that Chad can move back in but... Sami looks at Jenn, shocked by Jenn's accusation. SAMI: He what? JENNIFER: I'm sorry. I know, that was...out of line of me to think that. SAMI: No, no, it seems...actually a...fairly reasonable jump to make. Especially with how much EJ's been doting on Abby lately. But...Jenn, I want to reassure you.I was the one who hired her. None of that had anything to do with EJ. (sigh) I know that...Chad did some pretty awful things before he went to Boston, but...I don't think EJ is plotting with his brother to get Abigail back. JENNIFER: Well, Sami, with all due respect, you tend to turn a blind eye to a lot of things the DiMeras do, and right or wrong I know that's because you love EJ and...nothing will change that. Sami looks a bit uncomfortable as Jenn brings up her relationship with EJ, but stifles herself from giving too much away. Jenn fiddles uncomfortably with her hands as she finishes speaking with Sami. JENNIFER: I just...I was hoping to...maybe open a door of communication between you and I. SAMI: That's fine. I understand. I will keep an eye out for Abigail for you. JENNIFER: Thanks. Jenn heads for the door slowly, unsure whether to give Sami a hug or not, but chooses not to. Instead grabbing her purse from the coffee table and walks away slowly. Jenn stops suddenly and turns back to Sami, who is still looking out the window. JENNIFER: Oh, and Sami. One thing. If you...ever need to talk to anyone...about...anything. I am here for you, too. Sami turns around to smile at Jenn, unsure to what Jenn's referring but grateful nonetheless. SAMI: Thank you, Jenn. Jenn smiles as she heads out the door. Sami turns back to the window, the smile fading from her face as she stares pensively out at the spring day before her. --- Sheryl saunters over to the chair opposite Jordan's desk in her office, and has herself a seat. Jordan tries to ignore her, but Sheryl stares straight into her eyes, patiently waiting for Jordan to react. Jordan tries to continue writing up her report at her computer but finally cracks. JORDAN: Can I help you? SHERYL: I thought you'd never ask! Jordan rolls her eyes before clicking at her computer, presumably to save her work, before wheeling away from the computer and stopping herself at the centre of her desk. Jordan leans in towards Sheryl with her hands clasped together, almost mockingly attentive. JORDAN: I'm listening! SHERYL:Good! Stay sitting down, you'll be glad you did when I tell you what we've pulled off. JORDAN: I'm waiting with baited breath. SHERYL: We did it. Titan TV is out of Victor Kiriakis' control as of ten minutes ago. Jordan's eyes widen, not sure whether she believes Sheryl's news or not. JORDAN: I...are you for real? This is happening. SHERYL: This is absolutely happening, Jordan. The board, with a little help from Nick Fallon, sided with us. The people of Salem are gonna know the truth about that damned oil sands project. Finally. It finally dawns on Jordan. She looks away momentarily as she allows the reality of the situation set in. JORDAN: Well I'll be damned. Nick Fallon wasn't playing us? SHERYL: So far, so good, eh? JORDAN: Yeah...so what's our next move then? Sheryl leans in towards Jordan and says in a bit more hushed tone. SHERYL: That is exactly what I want to talk about with you. --- Kayla, helping set up Brady's memorial service in town square,notices Roman looking blankly at Brady's portrait set up near Tom & Alice Horton's tree. She walks over to her brother and gently places a hand on his shoulder. KAYLA: It's hard to believe, isn't it? That Brady's gone? Roman stares at the picture, scanning every feature bit by bit. He finally turns to Kayla, and looks at her with a panicked expression. ROMAN: Kay, that...that's not Brady. Is...is it? Kayla looks at Roman, knowing that she'd heard about his memory troubles, but not that they had progressed so quickly. Kayla takes Roman's arm and squeezes it, almost cuddling it in an attempt to comfort him without smothering him. KAYLA: It's okay. That is Brady now. What do you remember him looking like? ROMAN: I...Kay, Brady's just a little kid. I remember him being so....young. He wasn't even school aged and now...why can't I fill that time in. Kayla sees her brother go deep into thought and pulls him in close, holding him as he zones out, trying in vain to fill the blanks in his memory. --- Billie steps off the elevator at the hospital and, upon seeing Daniel perched at the nurses' station, sneaks up behind him, covering his eyes with her hands. BILLIE: Guess who? DANIEL: Gah! I needed those! Billie laughs as she jumps back, and Daniel turns to see Billie. He smiles through his lingering hangover. BILLIE: You look like you could use an...Aspirin or...something. DANIEL: Yeaaah, Maxine already suggested that. I'm trying to avoid overmedicating myself, especially for... Daniel feels a bit of the dull, nagging headache pain hit him and holds his nose for a moment. Billie giggles. BILLIE: For...self-inflicted wounds. DANIEL: Yeah. BILLIE: Well, I'm gonna tell you right now that the only person suffering for your tenacity is you. So, I'd suggest giving in. DANIEL: Hey, who's the doctor here? Billie laughs heartily as they walk through the main room of that particular floor. As they approach the door of Theresa's room, the elevator door opens and Kim Brady emerges, a police escort in tow. She immediately spots Daniel and Billie and looks their way with a satisfied smile on her face. DANIEL: So you're here to see Theresa? BILLIE: Yeah. I'm hoping to get in to see her as much as possible, since Kim's threatening lawsuits and beheadings if I stand on the same floor as her. DANIEL: Just...don't let it get to you. She's concerned about her daughter, just like you are. I'm sure you're gonna be able to work it out. As Kim stops, standing behind Daniel and Billie, Daniel catches Kim out of the corner of his eye and turns to face her. Kim smiles as the policeman addresses them. POLICEMAN: Miss Billie Reed? Billie looks the policeman up and down before looking suspiciously at Kim. BILLIE: Can I help you, Officer? Kim holds up an envelope in Billie's face, an almost smug look on her face as she serves Billie. KIM: This would be a restraining order that says that you can't be within 100 feet of Theresa. ---

Lots of cool stuff starting to come together. Enjoying having Carly introduced to the story. Hopefully she sticks around. She can totally see through Terence, as well. Gonna be interesting to see how that plays out. Enjoyed the family moments with Kayla, Steve and Joey. I like that you've got Joey still as a kid here. Miranda better watch herself, I sense no good to come of this "modeling" business, and Paul's about to walk headlong into it too. Big mess ahead! And JJ being involved too? Eep! Barbara!! Ooo this is gonna be good, can't wait to see the next episode and see what she has planned. GREAT show!

So my comment got deleted (GRR). Let's try again. Love the setup and the character histories being used (Lucas' Daniel hate gives me life). Miranda and JJ is a good set up. LOVE it. Got a feeling Eliza will throw a wrench into that. Paul's involved in something pretty rotten, I can just tell. Probably gonna end up in over his head. You did a great job getting the characters. I have a feeling that's gonna be your big strong suit here. Loving what you've started here, and it'll only get better from there!

What a great episode. Very simple, and dynamic. The scene with Michele and Cory was excellent. So subtle but so much bubbling underneath the surface. I'm loving it, and I love what's to come, I can just sense it. Can't see what direction you go with it! Donna is really pushing to keep the family together, and yet is so skeptical of what's going on. Ever the meddling mom, but there's an awareness I haven't seen from Donna much. Good angle to pursue. Paulina and Jake's scene was lovely. Their history is so deep, and I like that Jake has a bit of a confidant in Paulina. He needs that right now. Very good stuff. As always, fantastic episode, can't wait for 195!

EPISODE 62 Written by A. Washington-Beeby Story Consultants: ML Cooks & C. Nathaniel Richardson Victor and Tyler stand at the head of the board room table at Titan HQ, as the board meeting comes to a head. John Black stands with them at the table, with Kate & Lucas Roberts, Billie Reed, and Justin Kiriakis sat around the table, with Nelson, another Titan board member, waiting impatiently for the vote to conclude. Victor looks back John's way, as Tyler clears his throat, looking back toward John. TYLER: So! Yes. Back to the vote. John Black, as proxy voter for Brady Black, a vote of 'yay' would mean you are in favour of retaining the Titan TV division, a vote of 'nay' would mean you are in favour of Titan divesting of all Titan TV properties. What say you? John looks calmly around the room, smiling as the rest of the room impatiently waits for his answer. JOHN: I vote...'nay'. Victor immediately slams his fist on the table in anger. VICTOR: Damn it, John! Tyler carries on through Victor's protestations. Everyone around the table mutters to each other, soaking in the shocking turn of events John's arrival has brought. TYLER: Therefore, by a margin of 5-4, I declare this vote closed. Titan shall be divesting itself of its Titan TV division, placing it up for sale immediately. Victor stares John down, looking directly into John's eyes with malice. VICTOR: You will regret this, John. JOHN: Are you kidding, Vic? I just did you one big favour. You oughta thank me. John grabs his briefcase, nods Victor and Kate's way and strolls out of the board room. Victor is left looking defeated as the board members filter from the room. As Kate makes her attempt to leave, Victor quickly grabs her arm to stop her from slinking away. KATE: Ow! VICTOR: Not so fast, Kate. I know what you're up to, and I'm not gonna let you get away with it. --- Nick opens the door to his apartment, and he and Hope step inside. They're chatting and laughing as they do, with Hope scurrying Nick inside. HOPE: Hurry, hurry, hurry, I need to go to the bathroom. NICK: (laughing) Okay, okay! Go! It's right there. HOPE: Thank yooou! Hope runs into the bathroom quickly and shuts the door. Once inside the bathroom, Hope's need to pee immediately vanishes. Hope puts on her detective face and, to avoid suspicion, noisily lifts the toilet seat. She then quickly steps over to the medicine cabinet. Hope very quietly opens it and looks inside. As the door of the medicine cabinet opens, it squeaks, making Hope jump. She stops the door immediately then waits, hoping Nick doesn't respond to the noise. After a moment of nothing, Hope carries on, but Nick immediately thereafter calls out to her through the door. NICK: Hey Hope! I'm just going to step out for a second to speak to the concierge, alright? Hope is startled by Nick's announcement and nearly doubles back when she hears him. She manages to pull it together and smiles through gritted teeth before calling back out to him. HOPE: Alright! I'll be out in just a sec. Hope waits another second for the door to shut before she opens the door to the bathroom. Sighing heavily, she steps out of the bathroom, not having seen anything in the medicine cabinet and not knowing where else to look for the pills Gabi hopes she'll find. Suddenly, Hope looks up to see Nick's briefcase. Her eyes light up. HOPE: Of course. Hope makes a beeline for Nick's laptop bag, which he uses for a briefcase. She opens it up and commencing looking through the various compartments, but just before reaching the compartment where the pills are, she hears a loud knock on the door. Hope is startled, but after a moment's pause, goes back to looking through the bag. A moment later, the knocking continues, and a voice is heard through the door. NICOLE: (while knocking) Nick! Open the door, you little shmuck, I wanna have a word with-- The door opens and Nicole nearly whacks Hope in the face when she opens the door. NICOLE: ...you. --- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og7-6YubuS4 --- Eric Brady walks through the Horton Town Square, setting up the final touches for Brady's memorial service with the help of his grandmother, Caroline. As Eric finishes, he walks over towards Caroline as Marlena scurries in, getting everyone's attention as she seems rather flustered. MARLENA: Oh, Eric. Caroline! I'm so sorry I'm late. I had one hell of a morning. ERIC: It's alright, Mom. It's good to see you. Eric reaches over to give his mother a hug, before Caroline reaches out to Marlena as well. CAROLINE: Marlena, don't worry about it. We handled things just fine on this end. MARLENA: Well, that's good to hear. Listen, Caroline, I know this isn't really the time or place, but I need to have a talk with you later on about Roman. Caroline and Eric look at Marlena with a bit of surprise and concern. CAROLINE: Roman? Is something wrong? ERIC: Is dad okay? What's...? Marlena waves her hand to stop them. MARLENA: No, no. It's not...urgent. He's fine. Whenever you have the time, I just have...something to discuss with you. CAROLINE: Sure. Stop by the pub later? Marlena gives Caroline a reassuring smile. MARLENA: Sure. CAROLINE: If you don't mind though, I'm going to try to get ahold of Nicole. She was going to try to track a few more people down that we hadn't reached yet. Marlena turns back to Eric, who still looks a bit concerned. She holds out her hand to touch her son's face to reassure him. MARLENA: Oh, Eric, stop worrying. Your father's just fine. ERIC: Why don't I believe you? MARLENA: (sighs) Eric, your father and I just had a rather...intense discussion last night. It's nothing to be worried about. Eric looks at Marlena, unconvinced, but nods. ERIC: Okay. I'll let it go. But if something's going on with Dad-- MARLENA: ...I will let you know immediately. Eric finally smiles, though the worry is still plain on his face. ERIC: Thanks, Mom. MARLENA: Now, let's get this together. How can I help? ERIC: Well, you can start by grabbing that folding table over in the corner with me... Marlena and Eric head off to grab the table, as Roman saunters into the square, he looks over at Brady's portrait, posted up on an easel by Tom & Alice's tree. He stares at it, confusion in his eyes. --- Nicole looks at Hope, standing in the doorway of Nick's apartment, with bewilderment. NICOLE: Hope? HOPE: Nicole? Nicole saunters into Nick's apartment, as Hope lingers back, eyebrow raised in curiosity. Nicole yammers on as she looks around for Nick. NICOLE: I...I mean I knew it was hard keeping that massive house up on a single income but I didn't think you'd have to take such a steep....downgrade. Nicole looks around the corner to see if there's more room. NICOLE: I mean, where does Ciara sleep? In the bathtub? HOPE: NICOLE! Enough. What do you want? NICOLE: To talk to Nick, obviously. HOPE: Nick stepped out for a minute, I was just here to go to the bathroom for a moment before we head out to lunch. Nick had something to drop off, you see, so...we're kind of in a hurry. NICOLE: Right, well...what I need to ask him won't take long so... HOPE: So, you can ask him later. Goodbye, Nicole. Hope holds the door open, motioning for Nicole to leave. As Nicole steps out, a sour look on her face, Nick reappears and nearly bumps into Nicole as he does. NICK: OH! Nicole! Just the person I wanted to see. Hope looks at Nick incredulously. HOPE: Really? NICK: Yeah! Uh...Hope, did you wanna just...meet me at the pub, I won't be a minute. Hope pauses a moment, not sure what's happening. HOPE: I....sure? NICK: Thanks. I promise, this won't take a moment. Hope walks out the door, not sure what's going down, but knowing it can't be anything good. She calls out to Nick as she heads out the door. HOPE: Alright...I'll grab us a seat! NICK: Sounds good! Nick closes the door behind Hope, a big smile on his face. NICK: SO! Good news! Nicole folds her arms, the sour look still on her face. NICOLE: It better be. I'm still thisclose to being fired for that stunt you pulled at the last press conference. NICK: Clear that from your mind forever, Nicole. I, Nick Fallon, have delivered for you. Nick pulls out his iPad from his bag, and, a few taps later, presents the page to Nicole. NICK: Observe. Nicole grabs the iPad, and reads the headline. BREAKING: TITAN TV TO BE SOLD TO PRIVATE INVESTOR Her eyes bulge out as she processes the news. NICOLE: What?? How did you..? NICK: Only through the magic of research, my dear. We'll talk about this later, drinks? Nicole stands, mouth agape, suddenly realizing the power Nick might be wielding. NICOLE: I.... Nick escorts Nicole to the door, Nicole still in shock, she eventually nods, as Nick hastily takes his tablet back. NICOLE: I...yeah. NICK: Give me about an hour? NICOLE: ...Sure. NICK: K, BYE! Nick abruptly slams the door in Nicole's face. He walks back into his apartment and grabs his phone, rolling his eyes at having had to deal with Nicole. NICK: Now...time to call Kate...and congratulate her on her good news. --- Kate rips her arm from Victor's grasp, holding it before adjusting herself, a scowling look on her face directed at Victor. KATE: I don't know how I was ever married to such a savage. VICTOR: Neither do I. KATE: The nerve. I just had this cleaned too, and now your greasy little hands are all over it. Vile. VICTOR: Maybe if you focused less on fashions and more on business we wouldn't have this problem. Kate pretends to be non-plussed by Victor's volatile reaction, as she turns her attentions to packing her things away into her bag. KATE: I don't know what you're talking about. VICTOR: Oh, the Hell you don't. I know what you were up to today. Someone tipped you off about John's proxy vote, and you couldn't wait to get him here. Now who put you up to it? Kate scowls at Victor, arms folded, not giving anything away, as her smartphone rings. Standing slightly away from it, she tries to casually grab it, but Victor spies the name appaearing on the screen as she turns to answer, and calls her out as she's about to press "talk". VICTOR: I swear, Kate, if Nick Fallon is behind this, you can both hand in your key cards now. Kate quickly holds the phone close to her chest and swipes to ignore the call, fearing she's been caught. ---

Another great episode. Carl's dying. It's gonna be a great story, and it's so great to see Russ back in action. Great work having him back on the show, it's really gonna give this story depth. Can't wait to see that confrontation between Michele and Cory. He's so clueless. I could see Rachel trying to get through to him, you really know how to write for Vicky Wyndham. Lindsay's made the decision. I'm pleased she decided that. I did enjoy the time you did take with Lindsay trying to figure out whether to do the decision, but she really came to it quickly. She will be stuck on that fateful decision a lot going forward. Lots of potential drama with that. Will Gregory REALLY be so shallow as to dump her for this? Hmm... AWESOME show!

EPISODE 61 Written by A. Washington-Beeby Story Consultants: ML Cooks & C. Nathaniel Richardson Sonny gets up from the sofa in his apartment, a bit angry as Will holds onto the contract from EnerNext, which he had attempted to present to Sonny. WILL: What do you mean, I can't take this job? SONNY: You can't, Will! This job...it's a mistake. Will gets up from the sofa, and walks over to the desk, placing the contract on it, deliberately where Sonny can see. WILL: Why? Because you don't like it? I thought you just said you believed in my work. SONNY: I've told you why, Will. It's not about your talent or your work, it's that you're working for a corrupt organization-- WILL: That your Great Uncle owns. That your father works for as legal counsel. If they're so damned evil, why is it that every penny of your family's money stem from that corporation. Sonny walks off toward the bedroom, shaking his head as Will follows him. WILL: Don't walk away from me! You know I'm right. Sonny stops and turns around, pointing angrily at Will. SONNY: No. No, I don't know you're right, Will. In fact, I can give you a hundred reasons why this is the worst decision you could possibly make. --- EJ stands in the DiMera living room, looking over some paperwork quickly, when he hears a commotion from the foyer. After a moment of listening, he heads for the doorway and not long after, the doors to the living room swing open, with Harold trying in vain to keep an enraged Jennifer Horton from walking into the room. JENNIFER: You! EJ: Good Lord, Jennifer! I would've figured a family of middle class doctors would have raised their children to have better manners than that. JENNIFER: Don't even START with me, EJ! I want answers. EJ: About what? JENNIFER: About where my daughter is, and why did you send her halfway across the world, and don't even think for a second it wasn't your idea, I saw you yesterday at the hospital, so give up the game! EJ looks frustrated, and looks away for a moment to try to answer respectfully. --- John steps into the Titan board room, striding in with casual confidence, much to Victor's chagrin. VICTOR: John! What a surprise. I expect you've come for the meeting. JOHN: Well, I wasn't planning on it, mostly because no one told me until just very recently. John stops behind Kate's seat and casually puts a hand on Kate's shoulder. Kate tenses, a bit surprised by John's touch, but looks back to Victor, who notices the small but pointed gesture. VICTOR: Fascinating. JOHN: I thought so. Now, I've got a question for you, Vic. VICTOR: Now isn't a great time, we're in the middle of a vote. John puts both hands on his hips. A smile grows on John's face as he walks towards Victor. JOHN: A vote, hm? See. Now, that actually, was exactly what my question was about. VICTOR: Really. JOHN: You know it! Here's what I wanna know, Vic. Have you retained Brady's place on the board, or have you had him declared dead? --- --- Will folds his arms, looking unimpressed at Sonny as Sonny lays into him for considering the EnerNext job. WILL: Alright. Go ahead, Sonny. Tell me why I shouldn't take the best damned job that's ever been offered to me. SONNY: Will, there will be other jobs that are just as good as this one. WILL: Oh, so I should follow my dreams, but only when they line up with your world view. SONNY: Will, that's not what I'm saying. WILL: Yes, it's exactly what you're saying! What makes you the authority on what's right and what's wrong? SONNY: I'm saying that I know what it's like to have someone flash a lot of money in front of your face. It can change you really quickly. Sonny walks in closer to Will and puts his hands on Will's shoulders. He looks intently into his eyes. SONNY: I want you to be careful, Will. WILL: I'm not exactly from a poor home, you know. I can take care of myself. Sonny looks down, dropping his hands to his sides as he thinks his answer through. SONNY: Okay. I don't think you should take this job, but if it's something you really want, and I mean truly, truly, want....then I will support that. Will leans over and kisses Sonny on the lips. They both smile as they look warmly at each other. WILL: Thank you. SONNY: Just remember, Uncle Vic can suck in even the best, most generous people in the world, and turn them into cynical, bitter, entitled bastards. Watch yourself. Will nods in understanding. WILL: Got it. Will and Sonny come together for a warm embrace, before slowly leaning in to kiss each other gently on the lips. They look at each other, standing forehead-to-forehead and giggle before kissing again. Flopping down on the couch, they kiss a bit more intensely, before Will pushes Sonny back gently and climbs on top of him. Gabi walks in just at that same moment and jumps back, but smiles as she sees her roommates together. GABI: Well what did I just walk in on. Sonny and Will laugh as they separate. Will jumps off the couch and heads towards Gabi, greeting her with a quick hug. WILL: Ohhh nothing, just some fiancee/fiancee bonding time. Oh I have some news. GABI: Oh yeah? Will walks over to the desk again and pulls the contract from the manila envelope it had been in. He shows it to Gabi. WILL: I have been offered a job. A very...very...good...job. Gabi's eyes widen as she quickly looks at it. GABI: Wow! PR for Titan. That's HUGE, Will. Congrats! Gabi and Will lean in to hug each other. Gabi's smiling widely as she embraces him. Will pulls back after their hug and looks at Gabi a little oddly. WILL: You seem so...relaxed. Gabi's taken aback slightly by Will's statement. She walks past him, heading for the couch, where she quickly flops down. GABI: Really? Why, was I super-tense before? SONNY: Well...not to put too fine a point on it, but....yeah. Gabi looks at Sonny, who's sitting next to her on the sofa, and laughs a bit. GABI: Well...if I am, it's because all of our troubles are soon gonna completely disappear. --- EJ sighs as he walks over to the minibar and grabs a glass, holding it up as he speaks to an unimpressed Jenn. EJ: You look like you could use a drink. EJ turns around as Jenn smacks the glass from his hand, smashing it against the wall. EJ stands still, stunned by her rage. EJ: Or several. JENNIFER: This is not a game, EJ. I want to know where my daughter is. EJ: Jennifer, your daughter took a job in Italy for a few weeks. It is not a big deal. It's a very short assignment that came up last minute. I apologize if she didn't talk to you about it, but I have a feeling, considering your rather hysterical reaction just now that I know why she didn't. Jennifer, undaunted, steps in close to EJ, an intensity in her eyes that says she means business. JENNIFER: My daughter would not have done anything like this if it weren't for you. She has been acting like a complete basket case for months ever since she quit the hospital. EJ: And you blame me for that. JENNIFER: Yes, I blame you! You are the only thing that connects all of this. Ever since you two have been talking about Jack's book, ever since she's been looking after Johnny and Sydney and Allie, then quitting her job out of nowhere to work for you and Sami. EJ stops Jennifer, holding up one finger to make a quick interjection. He speaks almost too calmly back to an enraged Jennifer. EJ: That was all Samantha's idea. She saw your daughter was in need and did what any good friend and shrewd businesswoman would do. JENNIFER: Because of you. It's all because of you. It's so obvious to me now. You did something or said something to her that upset her so much that she was forced out of the hospital. Didn't you? EJ rolls his eyes, worried that Jenn is onto him, he looks back at Jenn with a frustrated look. --- Victor stands at the head of the board room table, looking on angrily at John. VICTOR: How dare you? Of course I'm retaining Brady's seat on the board. No one's declared him dead yet, have you? JOHN: Nope, I had no intention of it. I know strange things can happen in this town, and I won't believe he's gone until I see a body. VICTOR: Then what the hell are you asking for? John steps forward towards Victor and puts his briefcase down on the table. He speaks very casually, which is offputting to Victor. JOHN: Well, Brady made me proxy in the event of his absence from all vital Titan board meetings, and I know that in the event of my absence, that you, Victor, would gain his proxy vote. Victor sighs, knowing John is right, and with a glint of worry in Victor's eye. VICTOR: That is the truth. TYLER: We were just coming up on Brady's vote, in fact. JOHN: Perfect. I'd be happy to help. Victor looks sharply at Tyler, muttering to him in hopes John doesn't hear. VICTOR: Be careful, Houston. We may be in big trouble now. TYLER: (quietly) Well, you thought Kate and company were on your side as well, so John may surprise you yet. VICTOR: Fair enough. Kate looks at the goings on at the head of the table and pulls both Billie and Lucas in close. KATE: (whispering) I think I see sweat forming on Victor's brow already. LUCAS: (whispering) Let's just hope for everyone's sake that John doesn't vote against us. Billie shushes both her mom and brother, pointing to the front of the board room. Victor looks back John's way, as Tyler clears his throat, looking back toward John. TYLER: So! Yes. Back to the vote. John Black, as proxy voter for Brady Black, a vote of 'yay' would mean you are in favour of retaining the Titan TV division, a vote of 'nay' would mean you are in favour of Titan divesting of all Titan TV properties. What say you? John looks calmly around the room, smiling as the rest of the room impatiently waits for his answer. ---

Again, great job getting everything set up. I'm way more interested in what's happened to Bo than what DAYS has set in motion. GREAT job there. I'm enjoying all the connections coming together here, and I can't wait to see how everyone gels. GREAT job again!

OOO, I am loving this. Michele has really pulled the wool over Vicky's eyes. But Bridget has been asking for this for a long time. I could just see the confrontation between Jake, Vicky, Michele and Bridget playing out in my head. Really really good stuff. Lindsay may have cancer, oh jeez. Wonder what will happen with that. Gregory's really showing his love for her. Great family moments there. Oh Jeez Joy is back at it. Reginald is all tied up in this mess, isn't he? Can't wait for the next episode.

Oops! Well, this is gonna be a big finish. I can feel it! Lots happening and I see it's all connecting. Great work with it, ML. This was a really tight episode. Everything clicked in together with Cane/Phillip to Mary/James and then Sheila/Sharon/Dru. Loved how it all worked. Dru's killing me as usual. Haha. I did like the lopping back to Devon/Roxanne/Abby. Very good, and I know it's gonna build. You've got something for us for when Verdon Lou story ends (which I have a feeling is soon, looks like we're headed for a big finish), so good work there. Looking forward to the next one, and I expect some big fireworks coming down the line. EXCITING!

EPISODE 60 Written by A. Washington-Beeby Story Consultants: ML Cooks & C. Nathaniel Richardson At Titan HQ, Victor and Tyler approach the closed doors of the Titan board room. Victor motions to Tyler to stop before entering. VICTOR: Now. Remember what we planned. This has to go down properly. TYLER: Victor, as long as you have Kate and her kids on board, it tips the balance. VICTOR: That's true. And having my vote plus Brady's proxy vote will make all the difference. If we lose the TV station, we are never going to get the public support for the fracking operation. We need that station, dammit. Nothing, and I mean nothing can go wrong today. --- Hope knocks on the door of the MadWorld lab, seeing Nick closing up his briefcase. Nick, hearing the knock, looks up and smiles, seeing his cousin. NICK: Hope! What a great surprise. How are you? Nick walks over and gives Hope a big hug. HOPE: Good to see you. Got time for lunch? NICK: You know, I was just about to head out for lunch. I just gotta stop off at my place quickly for a sec, do you mind tagging along? HOPE: No, no. No problem at all. NICK: Great. Uh...give me one sec. I just gotta run to the bathroom and we can go, okay? HOPE: Sure! I'll just wait here. NICK: Awesome. Nick steps out of the lab, leading Hope to immediately begin casually snooping around. A bottle on one of the shelves catches Hope's eye, and she reaches up to grab it. --- Will steps into his living room, where Sonny is prepping lunch. Will smiles as he walks over to his fiancee and kisses him quickly on the lips. SONNY: Hey. How's Ari? WILL: Oh, I just laid her down to sleep, so she'll be out for awhile.Gabi's gone to run some errands. Which is perfect because I need to share some news with you. SONNY: Oh? WILL: Yeah...well...you know how your uncle Vic is involved in this whole...EnerNext business? Sonny looks at Will with an almost suspect look in his eyes, trying to figure out where he's going with this. SONNY: Yes. And you also know how I feel about that project. WILL: Well, that's it. I know you're dead set against it because of the environmental damage and the pollution it could cause-- SONNY: ...Will cause, Will. Not to mention, don't you think it's really convenient that they're planning to do all this fracking right near the poorest section of Salem? WILL: I know, but...you know, this could be good for people in those areas too, no? I mean...the jobs that that could create-- SONNY: ...Will. They will be spending all that money in health care. The pollution...Salem would be completely inhospitable if they go ahead with this fracking operation. WILL: Oh come on. Lots of places do this, and they're just fine. Sonny pauses and looks at Will with confusion. SONNY: Will, why are you so defensive of Uncle Vic's fracking project. What's going on? --- --- Hope grabs a pill bottle from the shelf and opens it. HOPE: Empty. Hope puts it back on the shelf, not sure if she should be thrilled or disappointed. She keeps looking before hearing the door swing open, and Hope jumps back into an awkward waiting pose as Nick walks in. NICK: Ready? HOPE: Yeah! Let's go! Hope looks back into the lab, trying to think of any other place Nick could have hid any pills before they walk out, and Nick closes the door. --- Will stumbles over his words, trying to formulate the best way to tell Sonny the truth. Sonny pours himself a glass of juice and takes a drink as Will explains himself. WILL: Well...see, I ran into Aunt Maggie yesterday, right? SONNY: (through his drink) Mmhmm. WILL: And, well, I had written an article that I'd had published on a blog. I showed you that article, yeah? Sonny nods as he sits down on the sofa next to Will. SONNY: Yeah, I know which one. That was a really good article. Will smiles, still flattered by his husband's praise, even if it's almost expected of Sonny. WILL: Thank you. Well, Aunt Maggie liked it too, and the next thing I know, I get this call from this man, Tyler Houston. Sonny's expression changes immediately when Sonny hears the name. Will pulls out the contract Tyler handed him from his bag and shows it to Sonny. SONNY: Oh no, not... WILL: And...Sonny, he liked my work so much that...offered me a job. A good job, I'd be the one writing all public relations releases for EnerNext. SONNY: Oh no, NO way. Will is taken aback by Sonny's visceral refusal. --- Victor opens the doors to the board room to find a room filled with executives from various divisions of the corporation, including Kate, Billie, Lucas, and Justin. Tyler walks in alongside Victor, and the two prepare to sit down at the head of the table. VICTOR: Good afternoon, everyone. I trust we will be able to settle this with some expediency, as my grandson's so-called memorial service will be held later this afternoon. Kate looks over to Lucas, hiding her mouth with her one hand as she whipsers to him. KATE: Poor old fool still thinks there's a chance that boy's alive. LUCAS: Well, he's right. There's no body. KATE: That means nothing, it's all just an attempt to keep the votes in his favour and you know it. Victor continues to speak, grabbing an envelope from Tyler as he continues his announcement to the room. VICTOR: Now on that note, as we have no actual confirmation of Brady's untimely demise, I move to have his place on the board retained until such time as there is an official death certificate issued by the coroner's office. BILLIE: Well, Victor, that could take months! VICTOR: I'm well aware of that. I'm not jumping the gun on this. Brady is family, and I'm not giving up on him, unlike some of his so-called friends in this damn town. So on that note, and in the absence of his father, I will act as Brady's proxy on today's vote. Kate rolls her eyes and looks to Lucas again. KATE: Told you. LUCAS: But will that give him enough votes to win? KATE: Not sure, there's a couple wild cards. But I will say this, if Victor does get his way, start looking for a new job. Fast. Victor opens his briefcase, pulling out paper packages which he begins handing out to the members of the board gathered around the table. Once the paperwork is handed out, Victor continues. VICTOR: Now, the matter at hand today is a motion put forth by one of our board members, one that I am fundamentally opposed to, I might add. It is, as a costcutting matter, whether or not to shed our television operations. I need not explain to you the service our TV station will provide us in the fight against the loopy treehuggers who want to shut EnerNext down. If we shut down the TV station and sell it off, sure it will save us some money. However, if we don't get this fracking operation on the right side of public opinion, this company will be in very real danger of brankruptcy, and we can't let that happen. Tyler steps in at this point, continuing Victor's statement. TYLER: Now, I would like to have the board member who put forth the motion to have their say. Justin? Justin Kiriakis stands, buttoning his suit jacket button as he begins. He begins with a bit of trepidation, but picks up steam quickly, as his lawyer instincts kick in. JUSTIN: Ahh yes. Thank you, Tyler. Now, as I am legal counsel for Titan, and, by extension, EnerNext, I have brought forth this motion to prevent any possible...concerns we may have down the road, particularly with regards to any potential anti-trust lawsuits, as well as a particularly glaring conflict of interest between Titan TV and its reporting on the EnerNext deal. Kate leans over once again, to Billie this time, and whispers her rolling commentary yet again. KATE: Uh oh. Dear old Uncle Vic's gonna have some choice words for little Justin. Billie looks at her mom with a smile, trying not to laugh. BILLIE: (whispering) Mom, stop! KATE: (whispering) Well, it's true! If I'd done something like this, Victor would've had me hung. Justin tries to ignore Kate and Billie, barely giving the faintest of eye rolls as he continues to make his case to the board. JUSTIN: While I am fully in support of the EnerNext proposal, I...do think we would be better off long term avoiding possible FCC fines, that could be in the region of tens of millions of dollars, if not more. The revenue from the EnerNext deal may not be enough to offset the potential disastrous effects of the FCC fines, and we may end up in an even worse situation than we're in already. Thank you. The board members flip contientiously through the handouts provided, and there is a bit of a pause between the end of Justin's speech and when Victor rises back up from his seat at the head of the board room table to finish up. VICTOR: Thank you, Justin. Now, with that, I would like to quickly ask if there are any concerns or questions from the board before we vote. Victor takes a quick pause, looking around the room, as do all the other board members, eager to see what the others in the room have to say. When no one speaks up, Victor continues. VICTOR: Very well. In that case. We will commence voting. If in favour of retaining Titan TV, vote Aye. If you're in favour of divestment, vote nay. Tyler Houston. TYLER: Aye. VICTOR: Nelson Hamilton. NELSON: Aye. VICTOR: Justin Kiriakis. JUSTIN: Nay. Victor looks at his nephew with a look of disappointment, as the vote continues to the next board member. VICTOR: Michael Browning. MICHAEL: Aye. VICTOR: Billie Reed. Billie breathes in deeply before responding. BILLIE: Nay. Victor's expression changes immediately, as he looks Billie's way, shooting daggers from his eyes. He continues the voting, with a much more bitter tone in his voice. VICTOR: Lucas Horton. Lucas responds, never taking his eyes off his mother. LUCAS: Nay. Victor looks at Lucas and Kate, noticing the communication happening between them just with their eyes. Lucas almost mouths to his mother. LUCAS: I hope you know what you're doing. Kate nods her response to Lucas, before the inevitable. Victor almost spits out Kate's name. VICTOR: Kate Roberts. Kate turns her glare the way of Victor, and, staring him down as if facing the devil himself, responds cooly. KATE: Nay. Victor holds his stareat Kate for a moment before looking back out to the board room before him. VICTOR: Victor Kiriakis. Yay. And naturally, as John nor Brady is present, I will be voting for Brady by proxy, and I-- The moment these words escape Victor's lips, the board's attention is pulled away suddenly by the board room doors opening. Victor and Tyler quickly turn around, shocked by the abrupt noise behind them. Before them, John stands in the now-open doorway, nodding his greeting to the room, with a cool confidence. JOHN: Sorry, I'm late, everyone. Victor looks at John with a stoic look, but dread lingers behind his eyes. ---

Good start. I'm liking the setting, lots of potential here. Some great stuff springing up from all different angles. A bit early to really know much so far bit it's a good starting point, and I can't wait to see how everyone entangles down the road

REALLY good start! I'm loving the crossovers, and I see the whole Manning clan is gonna be coming, which is excellent. Can't wait to see Dani join Blair and Todd. And it's always great to see Reva and Josh again. I enjoy that both your shows are gonna be interconnected as well. Really cool. Wonder who you'll be connecting Luke to, and who the mystery man is. All really great stuff! Excited to keep reading!