Written By Joseph

Eli and Lani lay in bed together. They call the last 24 hours the best of their lives. Lani thought this was impossible as she was so sure she'd never get to be like this with him again. Eli doesn't know how to make up for the time that Gabi made them lose but he's happy to try. They kiss until Lani's phone goes off. Eli says they have more reconnecting to do as they continue kissing.

Julie enters Gabi's hospital room and wakes her up. Julie says she heard about the deal she cut so she may slither away but she's going to pay.

Chad sits down reading over Stefano's letter, saying he knows his children are the future and family is the most important thing in life. Chad approaches the portrait of Stefano and hears his voice telling him to put the ring on, so he does. Chad hears his father's voice telling him that there is so much work to be done.

John has been knocked out by Dr. Rolf, who calls him foolish for thinking he could take Stefano DiMera by surprise. Rolf declares that nothing will separate Stefano from his beloved Marlena.

Stefano holds Kayla at gunpoint and tells Marlena to come to him as he takes her by the hand. Stefano then takes Marlena, allowing Justin to get to Kayla. Kayla wonders what Marlena is thinking, when Steve completely thinks that he's Stefano. Justin informs her that John came with them and should've stopped this by now so something has gone very wrong.

Chad asks the portrait of Stefano what he wants him to do. His voice says that it will soon be time for their big move and he will need his help but he will guide him through this dangerous endgame. Chad declares that he won't let his father down. Kate enters the room and questions who he's talking to.

Marlena asks where Stefano is taking her. Stefano doesn't want to spoil the surprise. Marlena declares she's not going anywhere with him. Justin gets in between them and tells Stefano to let her go.

Lani says she gave Eli an entire year to build up anger and resentment towards her and those feelings don't just go away. Eli says everything he thought about her was wrong and most of the anger is out of his system. Eli still feels she could've came to him to tell him what Gabi was up to and they could've nailed her together. Lani reminds him that she was afraid for Julie. Eli brings up his mom lying to him his whole life about his dad and she thought she had good reasons too so it's hard for him to let that type of stuff go. Lani challenges him to hit her with a pillow and hits him with one until he hits back.

Gabi informs Julie that she just finished donating her bone marrow to save Sarah Horton's child. Julie argues that if Sarah and Eric didn't get the charges dropped against her then she would've let the baby die. Gabi doesn't think it matters since she saved Mickie and just made sure she would be around for her little girl so everybody got what they wanted. Julie says she didn't as Gabi should be spending the rest of her life in prison. Gabi responds that she will be right here in Salem.

Chad admits to Kate that she caught him talking to his father's portrait so he feels stupid now. Kate tells him not to as she used to do that all the time. Chad asks what she's doing here this late. Kate wanted to apologize to him for lying and letting him believe all those e-mails from "Steve" were actually from Stefano. Chad tells her not to worry about it. Kate is sure he figured out by now that she was reporting to him and giving him updates on Chad. Chad knows that's what she does and she can't help herself. Kate thought he would be furious with her. Chad understands that she was just doing what's best for their family and ensuring it's legacy so he can't fault her for that. Kate asks if he understands that she knew all the messages were just from Steve. Chad argues that it's not Steve, it's his body but Stefano's soul. Chad declares that the Phoenix has risen again.

Dr. Rolf checks that John is still alive for now. He admits he was a worthy adversary but the war is over and Stefano DiMera has won.

Stefano reminds Justin that they had a deal, Kayla for Marlena. Stefano tells Justin to step aside but he refuses. Stefano warns Justin to move or die. Kayla gets in between and tries to get through to Steve. Stefano tells him that Steve is gone. Kayla argues that Steve is too stubborn to be taken over by a microchip so she knows he's fighting to get out. Stefano asks why she cares where Steve is when she's sharing a bed with Justin. Stefano brings up Justin saying he wasn't threatened by Kayla's memories of Steve and asks if he wants to rethink that now. Stefano says he'd be doing Justin a favor if he disappeared permanently. Stefano orders Justin to get out of the way but Justin instead grabs him and they struggle over the gun.

Lani tells Eli that she let Gabi call all the shots because she was just really scared. Eli assures they are good and they kiss. Lani's phone goes of again so she checks it and sees that JJ wants her to call him back. Eli suggests she ignore it but Lani points out that JJ could walk in any minute since it's his place so he could be coming home from the airport. Eli decides to go take a shower while Lani calls JJ back. Lani asks if he's on his way home but he informs her that he's staying with Theo. Lani is sure Theo will love having him there but she will miss him. Lani adds that she hasn't heard a word about Gabi since she and Eli have been together. Lani asks if Gabi was sentenced but JJ reveals to her that Gabi got the charges dropped which shocks her.

Julie tells Gabi that she might she think she's going back to living in Salem like nothing happened but everybody in town now knows she's a sociopath who wouldn't have batted an eye for murdering her. Julie says even Rafe knows how sick and dangerous she is. Julie adds that it's just a matter of time before Arianna realizes her mother is a monster. Gabi tells her to shut up. Julie argues that she can't zap her pacemaker anymore as they are on a level playing field. Julie threatens to destroy her if she tries to harm anyone she cares about.

Kate didn't know Chad felt so strongly about Stefano being in Steve's body. Chad asks if she believes it. Kate guesses she bought into it at first since he sounded like Stefano and knew things only Stefano would know but Steve was in the ISA and studied Stefano so she doesn't know. Chad knows it's him. Kate says it doesn't matter as it will all be over soon. Chad asks what that means. Kate tells him that the feds and police are closing in on him and when they find him, they will turn him back in to Steve. Chad hears Stefano's voice telling him to tell Kate that will never happen, so he does.

Kayla and Marlena watch as Justin and Stefano fight over the gun. Stefano hits Justin with the gun and knocks him out. Kayla goes to check on Justin while Stefano declares it's time for them to go as he exits with Marlena. They find John knocked out. Marlena asks what they have done to him. Dr. Rolf says all he can tell is that he's still breathing. Stefano suggests they should rectify that and finish the pawn off once and for all as he holds his gun over John.

Eli comes out of the shower and asks Lani about JJ. Lani informs him that JJ is not coming home anytime soon as he's going to stay in South Africa with Theo. Eli guesses it will be good for him to get out of Salem for awhile. Eli asks if that's why she looks so sad. Lani reveals he also had some news about Gabi that they missed while ignoring the outside world. Lani tells Eli to brace himself.

Gabi tells Julie that she's not afraid of her. Julie says she should be. Gabi tells her to stay away from her. Julie tells her to stay away from her entire family, especially Eli because she's hurt him enough for one lifetime. Gabi says that was never her intention. Julie asks how it wasn't intentional. Gabi says she was trying to get back at Lani for taking Stefan from her. Julie asks if Eli was just collateral damage. Gabi says she felt bad about that as she knows Eli is a good man. Gabi knows Julie won't believe her but she really did love Eli so she isn't getting out of this without a scratch because it kills her that Eli hates her.

Kate is getting the uneasy feeling that Chad is perfectly fine with Steve believing he's Stefano. Chad repeats that he is Stefano. Kate says even if that were true, Chad has always been Stefano's most severe critic. Chad responds that he's his father and he loves him .Chad says he didn't know a father's love until finding out that Stefano was his. Kate understands that he misses Stefano but asks what about Steve and his family. Kate brings up Steve being Abigail's uncle. Chad declares that all he knows is that he needs his father right now to help him regain control of DiMera because Gabi is out of prison again so she can still convince the board to reinstate her as CEO but Stefano will make sure that won't happen. Kate asks how Abigail will feel about Chad working with Stefano again. Chad says he will make her understand that a DiMera must always remain in control at DiMera so she will see that he's doing it for their children. Kate calls it uncanny how Chad sounded just like his father right now.

Kayla wakes Justin up from being knocked out and checks on him. Justin says he's fine and that Stefano still fights like Steve. Kayla informs him that Stefano took off with Marlena. Justin wants to call the police but Kayla notes that he took her phone. Justin sees his phone must have broke on his fall. Justin tries to get up while Kayla worries that he may have a concussion so they decide to take it easy and stay here. Justin wonders what happened to John.

Marlena warns that if Stefano kills John, she will make him pay for it for the rest of her life. Stefano remarks that they should've gotten rid of him years ago. Marlena declares that he will have to shoot her first. Stefano likes the idea of John having to live knowing that he's taken her away from him so he takes Marlena and they walk off with Dr. Rolf following them. John then starts to wake up.

Julie argues that when you really love a man, you don't make a fool out of him. Gabi claims she wanted to tell Eli but feared losing him. Julie says that may be why Gabi pretended to make nice with her. Julie feels like an idiot for falling for it and even telling Abigail that she should forgive her. Gabi says it wasn't completely an act as there were times that she forgot she hated her and even felt guilty about her. Julie points out that she still tried to replace her pacemaker to zap her to death. Julie argues that she had the opportunity to make things right and she didn't. Gabi says it's all she had over Lani as she was so afraid of losing Eli and losing Julie.

Eli can't believe that Gabi is getting off after everyone saw her try to kill Julie. Lani explains that Gabi was going to let Sarah's baby die if she didn't get immunity. Eli declares she's not getting away with it and that he will figure something out. Lani points out that Gabi already donated the bone marrow. Eli remarks that she's not necessary anymore then and he'll kill her with his bare hands because she tried to kill his grandmother. Lani encourages that he's better than her and brings up that he would be sent to prison. Eli tells her not to try to make him forget about this. Lani says she just got him back so she's not going to let him go to prison. Eli points out that Gabi didn't go to prison. Lani knows Eli would own up to killing her. Eli questions Gabi doing all that to them and just going back to her old life, calling it not right. Eli sees now how Chad felt when Abigail dropped the charges against Gabi and then Gabi repaid him by taking over his family's company.

Chad tells Kate that he doesn't always agree with his father but he agrees that he has to be in charge at DiMera to keep Gabi on a short leash. Chad asks if Kate will help him. Kate supposes she owes him. Chad says that doesn't answer the question, bringing up that she has a history of siding with Gabi. Kate asks how she could not come through for him. Chad tells her to sign over her shares of stock to him but Kate says no. Chad argues that she said she would help. Kate says she would give him emotional support, not bankrupt herself. Chad says he will make sure she doesn't spend one day in prison for helping Stefano. Kate agrees to think about it. Kate then asks how Stefano is going to regain his control since he's a wanted man. Chad says that Stefano has a way of getting in touch with him, pointing out that he left the ring for him. Kate brings up that Chad didn't want the ring when she offered it to him after Andre died because he didn't want to be anything like his father. Chad would rather be like Stefano than let an outsider take control of DiMera Enterprises. Chad declares that it's time for him to step up. Kate finds it interesting how his priorities have changed since being in contact with his father. Chad says it's like Stefano is in his head, guiding him along the way.

Lani tells Eli that she wanted to see Gabi in prison just as much as he did but they will just have to settle for not having her in their lives as they kiss.

Julie tells Gabi that she may believe she was afraid of losing Eli, but not of losing her. Gabi says she needs to tell Julie the truth, she did enjoy spending time with her and her family. Gabi talks about coming from a big, loving family, then her sister Arianna died, her mother went to Mexico, and her father went to prison so it was just her and Rafe so it was nice to have somebody besides him in her corner. Julie says if all she wanted was a family to care about her, she's really blown it because now she's going to be alone for the rest of her life. Julie then exits the room.

Kate tells Chad that she should get going since she has to find a place to live. Chad asks about the Pub. Kate informs him that Roman kicked her out after everything she was involved in. Chad decides she's welcome to stay at the DiMera Mansion in her old room. Chad says she's had his back most of the time. Chad hears Stefano's voice telling him to wrap this up as he has somewhere to be. Chad tells Kate that he will let Harold know on his way out because he has an errand to run as his first step in getting back what's rightfully his. Chad then exits the mansion.

Stefano and Dr. Rolf bring Marlena to the DiMera Gatehouse, calling it the perfect place to lay low for awhile and bide their time as the tunnels give them easy access to the area. Marlena asks where they will go next. Stefano responds that it will be place where no one will ever find them. Stefano sends Dr. Rolf to go prepare for the next step so he exits. Marlena tells Stefano that she would like to help him if he lets her. Stefano asks what kind of help she plans to give. Marlena argues that he's not Stefano DiMera and that Dr. Rolf just made him believe that but it's not true. Marlena says if he works with her, she can make him see that and bring Steve back. Stefano responds that except for his physical presence, Steve Johnson is gone. He knows that may be hard to comprehend, but he is Stefano DiMera. Stefano talks about their past. Marlena says if he really is Stefano, he would know she would never submit to him. Stefano says that is about to change.

Justin asks Kayla if Stefano hurt her. Kayla says except for tying her up, he never laid a hand on her. Justin guesses it must be traumatic. Kayla explains that Dr. Rolf told her that he implanted a microchip in Steve's head but she doesn't think it's possible medically speaking so she hopes she can get through to him because Marlena's life depends on it. John enters asking where Marlena is. They inform him that Stefano took her with him. Kayla asks what happened. John says he made the mistake of thinking Stefano was acting alone and he got knocked out. Kayla wants to take a look at him but John says they don't have time and have to go find Marlena but the door shuts, locking them inside.

Julie goes to JJ's apartment, knocking on the door and calling for Eli so he answers the door. Julie apologizes for intruding but says they won't believe what's happening with Gabi. They inform her that JJ called and told them. Julie says they must be so terribly upset. Eli admits he was ready to kill her but Lani talked him down. Julie admits she felt the same way and wishes someone would throttle Gabi to put them all out of their misery.

Chad enters Gabi's hospital room as she sleeps. Chad hears Stefano's voice telling him that now is his chance to eliminate Gabi, leaving DiMera to be his for the taking. Chad grabs a pillow and prepares to suffocate Gabi.

Kate talks to the portrait of Stefano about Chad hearing his voice in his head, questioning what he has done to him.

Marlena tells Stefano that Kayla said he planned to have Dr. Rolf put a microchip in her brain to make her more susceptible to him. Stefano responds that she leaves him no other choice because he's held out hope for so many years that she would submit to him willingly but she's made it clear that will never happen and he's run out of patience. Marlena asks if making her a zombie turns him on. Stefano calls it a gentle push in his direction. Marlena asks him not to do this. Stefano says that he's sorry but as soon as they are settled, Dr. Rolf will perform the procedure and she will be his.

John discovers that his phone was taken when he got knocked out. Kayla asks how they will get out. Justin says Roman will come looking for them. John worries that Stefano and Marlena could be anywhere by then. Justin encourages that they will find them. The room then begins being pumped with gas while John realizes that Stefano is trying to kill them.

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