Chapter 25: Keep Dancing with Me – Monday, September 2nd, 2013

Now in her basement, Maddalena finished listening to Victor and Manny's conversation. She heard the parts where Victor and Manny discussed Colin in regards to Abe's death. "They have yet to completely understand Colin's tie to all of this, so I am not concerned. We can still contain the information they so desperately want, but I am curious about a number of things. Why are you only bringing this to my attention now?"

Azzura knew to expect this question. "Signora, as I told you this was recorded on Saturday. We did not have anyone listening because we were working on discovering information on Dr. Rolf as you requested. I believed you would need the information on him as soon as possible."

Maddalena pondered over Dr. Rolf and her short experience with him on Saturday. "Put whatever information you have gathered on my desk. I do not think he will be a player in my family for much longer since Stefano is dying." Moving on, she brought up, "Manny mentioned a party for Dario earlier in their conversation. What party?"

Azzura looked at the computer with the recording on it and began to search for a specific time. "Manny and Arianna put together a party for Dario to show their support. It did not end well though as you can hear in this section." Pressing play, the recording started:

[Manny] "I am so disappointed in you. Arianna is sick over you continually rejecting us! She isn't going to feel any better about anything if you keep doing this to us."
[Dario] "I haven't rejected you or Ari at all!"
[Manny] "Why are you lying? What about you changing your last name to DiMera?"
*Footsteps scuffling*
[Maggie] "What is going on over here?"
*Sound of something hitting a wall*
[Manny] "You have abandoned who you really are at your core! You aren't real! Mama would be so disappointed in you if she were still alive today!"
[Jennifer] "Oh!"
*Footsteps*
[Arianna] "Let's cool off and eat some snacks."
[Dario] "You two know nothing! Don't ever speak or claim to know what Mama wanted!"

Azzura pushed the space bar as she said, "At that point Dario walks out of the condo, and Arianna ends the party."

Maddalena tapped her chin with her finger and asked, "I heard other voices. Who was present at the party?"

Azzura opened up a list someone made for her. "Chad was there up to a point. Jennifer Horton, her son, and Maggie Kiriakis were also there."

Maddalena crossed over to look at the list. "I wonder why Ignazio and Chelsea did not attend. They are close to Dario."

Azzura explained, "Ignazio and Chelsea could not attend because they were on a date Saturday evening – alone."

Maddalena's eyes widened. "It's time I have more conversations. Please look into Maggie Kiriakis's whereabouts."

Azzura nodded her head and left the room to find Maggie.

Maddalena pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number she had for Chelsea. When Chelsea picked up, Maddalena warmly greeted her. "Chelsea. This is Maddalena DiMera. Ignazio gave me your number."

"Hello, Maddalena. How are you?"

"I am well, thank you," Maddalena answered. She got to the point of her call. "I wonder if you could stop by for a visit."

Chelsea was a bit surprised that Maddalena wanted to meet with her. "I can stop by after I finish a few notes and other paperwork for my clients today."

Maddalena glanced for the time on the computer screen and decided to change her plans. "No. You can remain at the hospital, and I can come to you. Would that be easier for you?"

"If that would be better for you," Chelsea replied. "I do have quite a few notes I need to write, but I should be done by the time you arrive."

Pleased they had set plans, Maddalena said, "Well, I shall see you soon enough." After ending the call, her phone began to ring again. It was Ignazio.

At The Salem Spectator building, Jack proudly gave Abigail a tour of the place. He made sure to show her where his office once was as well as the desk Jen got her start at the paper as a cub reporter. Standing over the desk, he couldn't help but remember snooping around Jen's computer to find out more about her. "It's great being back here with you."

Noting the way Jack's face lit up the entire time they were there, Abigail asked, "Would you rather work here again than the news station?"

"No," Jack answered swiftly before explaining, "That chapter in my life has closed. It's your turn to work here."

Abigail looked at the desk where her mother started and wondered if she would work at the same desk. She placed her hand on it and said, "This is all so surreal."

"You're telling me," Jack said raising his eyebrows and lifting his body for a second by lifting his heels off the ground. He suddenly became serious, but he tried to be sneaky about it. "I hope you focus on this internship as well as school. You shouldn't focus on anything else."

Abigail turned her head and to give her father a confused look. She questioned if he was talking about Ezra, but she knew Jack seemed to like Ezra. "What exactly are you hoping I don't focus on?"

Jack nervously clapped his hand hoping he could subdue Abigail's suspicious questions. "I'm only saying that The Salem Spectator is hard work, and you don't need another job."

A light bulb turned on in Abigail's head as she realized Jack wasn't talking about Ezra, but the offer she received from Mayor White to work with her. "What's your problem with the mayor?"

"I don't have a problem with the mayor," Jack answered honestly. He had a problem with the political part of the job offer, but before he could share that, Ezra arrived. Jack patted Ezra on the back – rather hard due to his nerves – and said, "Hey buddy. Do you want a tour of this place as well?"

Ezra rubbed his back and replied, "Well. I don't think we have time, Mr. Deveraux. We're supposed to meet with the owner now for a short time since it's the holiday."

"Right." Jack released as a thought entered his mind. "I just realized I don't even know who owns The Salem Spectator now. I don't know who took Vern's place as editor."

A woman walked out of one of the bigger offices and announced, "I am the owner now."

Jack quickly recognized the woman from his past. It had been years since he had seen her. He took a step back to make sure he saw correctly.

Diana continued, "It's a new development. I am really excited to work with two young and bright Salem University students. You two are the future of this paper as far as I'm concerned." Giving Jack a smile, she noted he was too shocked to say a word. "My name is Diana Scofield, but Jack, here, knew me as Diana Colville back in the day."

Abigail turned to Jack and asked, "Dad, you know her?"

Jack didn't answer, so Diana directed Ezra and Abigail to follow her to her office. "I want to sit with you for a moment, so I can get to know you better. Then you can enjoy the rest of the holiday."

After Abigail and Ezra followed Diana into her office, Jack rubbed his head as he was still in shock. He never thought he would see Diana again after he tried to blackmail her for her side of the business when they co-owned The Salem Spectator. He wondered what her return meant for him.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Manny and Kai arrived at the same time. Getting out of his car, Kai asked, "Did Victor send you out on an errand?"

Manny reflected on his conversation with Maddalena. She proved harder to read and manipulate. Since Victor didn't know he went to see Stefano's sister, Manny figured he should tell Kai half of the truth. "I took a break for a family situation," he shared before realizing, "I probably shouldn't talk to you considering your past with my brother and Sonny."

Kai laughed and shared, "Things are no longer tense between me and Dario because I've moved on."

Manny delayed on going inside and turned to face Kai. "What about Sonny? How are things with Sonny?"

Kai shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes I'm not sure when it comes to him," he admitted. "He's a mess and doesn't seem to be in a healthy place because he's not acting like himself anymore. I actually feel sorry for him."

Manny remembered his interaction with Sonny on Saturday and nodded his head. "Maybe I should do something about it since I'm supposed to protect the Kiriakis family."

Kai gave Manny an uncertain look and pondered, "Does Victor have you on for emotional security as well?"

"No, he doesn't," Manny released with a small smile. "I'm not really in a place to do that kind of work."

Curious to know more about Dario's older brother, Kai changed the subject. "Tell me, what do you think about working for Victor?"

Manny wondered why Kai would ask him that question after he got a similar question from Maddalena earlier. "It can be hard at times because I'm away from my family a lot," he admitted before realizing why Kai was there. "I heard you are thinking about terminating your internship at the hospital – the one Victor provided for you."

Kai nodded his head. "It's complicated," he started. "I heard Sonny say something to Brady at Titan. He said something about how the Kiriakis family only uses outsiders until they're no longer needed; you and I are practically tools until new ones come along I guess was the gist of what he said. Brady didn't really deny it."

Manny took in what Kai had shared while Kai tried to explain that he realized Sonny wasn't in his right mind when he said it, but Manny didn't hear him. "So are you going in there to officially terminate your internship?"

Kai gave Manny a cautious smile. Manny had suddenly cut him off. "No. I'm not. I should go in and tell them the good news since they're waiting."

Nodding his head, Manny walked Kai to the door to open it for him. When Kai walked in, Maggie walked out. Manny pretended to be busy to avoid having to talk about the disastrous party for Dario.

"Manny," Maggie called out. "I'm about to head to the hospital because EJ wants to meet with me about something."

Manny turned to her and cautioned, "Be careful then."

Maggie held her purse up to look for her keys and walked over to him. "Before I go, I just want to reiterate what I told you and your sister before. If you two ever need anything or if something doesn't feel right here, I will help you. Victor doesn't have an empathic bone in his body."

Manny went somewhere else as he questioned Victor's concern for him and his family. Maybe it was all a ploy to get him in line – to make sure he didn't do anything stupid like his brother, Rafe.

Noting Manny had a serious and intent look on his face, Maggie waved her hand in front of his face and said, "It was a joke, Manny. I was just trying to point out that I'm easier to talk to than Victor – and even he would admit to that."

Manny gave Maggie a small nod of appreciation. "Thank you." He walked Maggie to her car and opened the door for her.

Inside the mansion, Brady placed his arm around Kai with excitement as he said, "I'm glad you're sticking around after all. You had me nervous there for a second."

Taking in the closeness he felt with Brady, Kai knew even more that he made the right decision. "I couldn't let you down," he stated thinking about how he wished his family could celebrate him in the same way.

Victor put on a smile as well. "Now that you've decided to stick around, you should get back to work."

Kai remained close to Brady as he shared, "The hospital is open, but it's Labor Day. I get the day off."

The doorbell rang. Henderson walked Carly into the room and announced her presence to Victor. "Dr. Manning for you, Mr. Kiriakis."

"Victor, we need to talk privately," Carly stated.

Even though Brady wanted to hear this, he pulled Kai with him and suggested, "Since you're off, you should hang out with me. I was thinking about going for a swim before heading out for dinner at the pub."

Kai looked at his clothes and said, "I don't have a swim suit."

Brady smiled as he encouraged, "You don't need one. We have plenty here."

After Brady and Kai disappeared into the back, Victor headed for his desk to occupy himself with something more important. He told Carly, "I hope you're here because you remember something else about Daniel because that's all I want to discuss with you."

Carly shook her head at Victor disapprovingly. She hated having to deal with a man she despised so much. "I already told you everything I know about Daniel last night. I need you to give Nicholas another chance."

"I would be foolish if I gave Nicholas another chance because he will get us all killed," Victor stated.

Carly still pleaded, "I promise Nicholas will follow directions this time – at least until the threat is neutralized. I know he won't make the same mistake again."

Finally turning to face Carly, Victor challenged, "Why can't you take care of your own damn son? You're doing fine for yourself in Austria..." A realization came to Victor when Carly remained silent. "You don't want to, do you? He's too much for you to deal with – he complicates the life you want. Have you told Nicholas...?"

"Enough Victor!" Carly cut Victor off. "If I could take care of my son, I would, but I don't have the resources to protect him like you do. I need him here in Salem."

Victor turned his back to Carly again as he pondered over what Carly had said to him. The thought of neutralizing Vivian once and for all entered his mind, and he questioned if Carly had a plan. It seemed so between the lines. "I'll get back to you on this before you leave. I'm sure you can see yourself out."

Sonny had his phone to his ear and finally had his lover on the line. "We should definitely meet tonight. It's the holiday, and it's been forever since we... you know..."

"I know I've been M.I.A. lately, but I cannot do it tonight either," Sonny's F.W.B. shared. "I've got plans already for the holiday, but I promise I will make it up to you."

Sonny was so frustrated because he did not have someone to escape his life with. "I'm tired of being alone in my thoughts!" he exclaimed. Realizing he shared too much, he quickly ended the call.

Sonny jumped when Will walked into the apartment with Brett and Dustin. "Hey. Are you guys hanging out here tonight?" Even though he was set on keeping his distance from Will, he thought having them around could help him escape his reality.

Will shook his head and casually shared, "We're not because I have a work meeting to get to."

Sonny quickly became annoyed again. "You're making a mistake working with Chad."

Brett stepped closer to Sonny to side with him. "That's why Dustin and I followed Will here. I'm going to make sure to stop this farce by going with Will to this meeting."

Will gently pushed Brett away from Sonny because he couldn't take someone encouraging Sonny's negative attitude. "Back off because I can handle everything. I will talk to Chad about his hiring you at the meeting. You don't need to come."

Sonny crossed his arms and didn't let up. "You are in over your head. You have clearly forgotten everything," he argued. "It's Labor Day anyway, so you shouldn't have to go into work. It's bad enough we had to start the semester today."

"You need to back off, too!" Will pointed to Sonny before heading for his room to get ready.

Dustin looked Sonny over and could see he looked more upset. Remembering the tension from the day before, he decided to approach him, "You okay, man?"

Unaware of the fact that Will had told Dustin anything, Sonny tried to play it off by relaxing his body. "It's nothing. What are you two doing? Want to hang out?"

Brett raised his eyebrows to Dustin as Dustin shared, "I am thinking Brett and I should go to the beach since Will doesn't want us to tag along. You want to join?"

Figuring he had nothing else to do, Sonny agreed to go. "Let me change and grab a towel."

Waiting by the nurses' station at the hospital, Chelsea greeted Maddalena when she walked out of the elevator. Maddalena took Chelsea's hand and said, "I apologize for taking so long. I planned to take you to dinner, but I know now from talking to Ignazio, you have made plans to meet with him."

Intrigued, Chelsea asked, "You wanted to take me out to dinner?"

"Yes," Maddalena confirmed. "I want to know you better since you are dating my nipote. It is important for me to know the woman of his life." Seeing how Chelsea seemed to grow nervous, Maddalena claimed, "You have no reason to be afraid. I am not out to destroy you."

Chelsea took a deep breath and decided she wanted to move forward with this. "What do you want to know about me?" She wondered if she would reveal her big secret to Ignazio's grandmother first.

Putting her hand out, Maddalena put a stop to Chelsea saying anymore. "Now is not the place or time because I want to approach this properly. We will have dinner at my place this week. You do not have to bring anything. Everything will be provided for."

Chelsea's nerves returned, but she managed to hide them. Moving her hair from her face, she said, "Well, let me know when you want to have dinner, and I'll try to be available. I should go meet Ignazio now."

"Go and have fun," Maddalena instructed Chelsea.

Walking out from a hall with Nathan and EJ, Maggie gave EJ's arm a squeeze as she shared with great honesty, "I hope everything works out."

EJ gave Maggie and Nathan appreciative nods. "Thank you, Maggie, for your cooperation and thank you, Nathan, for your help as well." Heading to the elevator, EJ spotted Maddalena and traded a glance with her before entering the elevator to head down.

Maggie gave her grandson a hug. She asked, "Are you okay? How are things with Melanie?"

Nathan sighed trying to be as positive as possible. "Things are slowly getting back to normal. I think once Melanie returns to the hospital to work, it should work itself out. That's what I told mom yesterday as well."

"So you talked to your mom yesterday?" Maggie questioned as her face lit up. "Did you call her or did she call you?"

Nathan crossed his arms and looked away. "She called me – I assume it's after you called her." Wanting to avoid sharing more, Nathan pointed back towards his office and said, "I need to grab my things so I can head home to check in on Melanie."

Maggie nodded her head and gave Nathan another hug. "May I make one suggestion before you do?" After Nathan gave her a nod, she shared, "You should go out with Melanie and have fun. I can reserve a very special table for you at Chez Rouge any time you want."

When Nathan remained silent, Maggie caressed his chin before heading for the elevator. Maddalena joined her in the elevator catching her off guard. Maggie remained quiet and pushed the button for the parking garage.

Maddalena waited for the doors to close before she turned to Maggie. "I'm happy to have a moment to talk to you."

A little confused, Maggie assumed, "About Lexie?"

Even though Maddalena was intrigued why Maggie would think she wanted to discuss Lexie, she stayed on task and replied, "I want to talk to you about Dario. I am very concerned about him."

Maggie remained quiet because she wasn't sure what Maddalena was looking for.

"I know his older brother and sister had a party for him on Saturday evening," Maddalena admitted. "I also know Dario left the party upset."

Maggie thought about the argument she witnessed between Manny and Dario. She didn't feel it was her place to say anything about it. "Have you reached out to Arianna and Manny about it?" She didn't understand why Maddalena was coming to her about this.

Maddalena allowed a desperation to enter the tone of her voice. "Unfortunately, the communication is not there because I get the sense that due to my last name, Arianna and Manuel want nothing to do with me. I only want to know if Dario is okay."

Reflecting on her own struggles with her grandson, Maggie realized Maddalena was simply concerned about her grandson. "I'm not sure if anyone in that family is okay," she admitted. "They've all had a tough life. There's so much tension there."

Maddalena turned her full body towards Maggie as she suggested, "Since you seem to know them well, maybe there's a way you can help me help them."

Maggie turned to face Maddalena in return. She hesitated because she didn't want to force herself into a situation where she wasn't wanted. "If Manny and Arianna want help, they will reach out to us." When the elevator doors opened, she said, "Farewell, and have a good day."

Maddalena watched as Maggie stepped out of the elevator before doing the same. She stalled for a moment to figure out what her next move could be. "I'm not done with you yet, Mrs. Kiriakis."

In Joselyn's office, Jennifer and Jack were having their joint therapy session. Jennifer had remained quiet on her feelings, for the most part, as she figured their sessions should stay focused on Jack and his issues. She was as encouraging as she could be when the topic of Jack being completely honest about his past with the kids came up towards the end of their session. "Jack, if you think they will stop loving you because of what happened years ago, then you really don't have to worry about that."

Jack felt a desperation ever since he saw Diana at The Salem Spectator. His past was catching up to him. "I guess it could go either way. They could feel sorry for me or think less of me. That's not why I want to tell them though. I want them to see that even with my past, I made it through a stronger person. I want the same for them even if they have to think less of me."

Jennifer stepped in again with encouragement. It was getting harder because she knew Jack was keeping something from her. "I know you want what is best for the kids, and I believe they know that as well, but I promise you they will not think less of you, and they will always love you because they know who you really are Jack – you're their father."

"You're right, Jen." Jack released with a new-found hope. "I know Abigail and I have our moments, but she and JJ have big hearts–"

"They do."

"–like you."

Jennifer froze for a moment once she realized the way Jack was looking at her. She could see the love in his eyes, and it scared her. She turned away and reiterated, "They do have big hearts and love you very much."

Jack didn't want to let this go. "It's because they got it from you, Jen. Can't you see that? You have always seen the good in me. You challenged me in many ways with your passion to help everyone around you. You see the goodness because you have a good heart, Jennifer Rose, and you taught our kids to be the same way while I was there and when I was gone."

Jen grew a bit flustered from hearing Jack say her middle name and exclaimed, "That was then, but this is now! What's bringing this up for you?"

Jack looked to Jen remembering, "It was a long time ago – the early days – we were both so different – young. You were younger. I was your boss at The Salem Spectator and you were always coming to me about story ideas. I actually had fun with you – the teasing, the innocence, and the pushing you to want more. It was all a game to me, but you were trying to prove something. You're like some foreign creature. Always seeing the best in everyone and everything."

"I'm not perfect, Jack. I don't know what you're talking about," Jen interrupted.

Jack licked his lips and insisted, "Let me finish. I keep going to a time when you showed me your heart – something I still struggle with showing myself. I was in Diana's office…"

Some time ago…

Diana entered her office and spotted Jack sitting in a chair with a military hat. Annoyed, she commented, "I thought you weren't going to do this anymore."

"Do what Diana?" Jack asked pretending to be ignorant as to what she was referencing.

Diana didn't answer and demanded, "Get out of my chair."

Amused, Jack asked a couple more questions. "Well, Diana, who did you think I was? I mean, what am I not supposed to do?"

Diana looked at the hat Jack had and asked, "Where did you get that?"

Pretending he forgot he had the military hat on, he questioned, "This hat? Oh, it was sitting on the desk. I guess somebody left it – for you."

Stepping back, a realization fell over Diana. "Oh, I think I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to get under my skin and annoy me so much that I will tell you things that are really none of your business, and it's not going to work."

With a look of hurt across his face, Jack shared, "You wound me, Diana; you know that? Here I am caring about my partner – concerned about my partner – and all you think I'm trying to do is hurt you."

Diana raised her eyes at Jack as she replied, "Oh, you think I'm going to fall for that?"

Jack tried to be as smooth as possible as he maintained, "Diana, you're going through a tough time. I think it's affecting your work."

"That is not true!" Diana stated showing she was more annoyed with Jack now.

Slightly backing off, Jack responded, "Alright, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Do you have the copy that we need this morning?"

Happy to have a moment to prove Jack Deveraux wrong, Diana walked closer to her desk and said, "Yes, I do. As a matter of fact, I worked on it last night. It's right here."

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

Even though she was immobilized by the things Jack had said to her previously, Jennifer asked, "What does this have to do with me? Why are you bringing up Diana after all these years?"

Jack did not let his run-in with Diana at The Salem Spectator earlier distract him. He promised, "I'm getting there... You know how much I enjoy telling a story. I am contrasting who I was then, and who you've always been... well, I'm not sure because maybe when I came into the picture, I took something away from you…"

"Took what away?"

"Your innocence – your youth…" Jack released. "Back to my story…"

Some time ago...

Jack gave Diana a look to show he would give her the benefit of the doubt. "Alright, let me see it." After Diana handed him the copy, he began to look it over. "Thank you. Huh. It's good, very good." He read a bit more before starting, "Diana, I still think you…"

Jennifer suddenly burst into the office. "Jack, excuse me, your secretary said that you were in here. Are you busy?"

With a small grin on his face, Jack answered, "That depends. What's up?"

Jennifer looked determined as she glanced between Jack and Diana. "I want to talk to you, and I want to talk to you, too, Diana. I'm glad you're here."

Diana could see Jen seemed serious. "It sounds important."

With a small nod, Jen confirmed, "It is. It's about a story I want to do, but it's more than a story. It's about what kind of people we are. Do we care about the homeless? Do we care about justice? I think the press has a responsibility to educate the people – to make them see things that they don't see."

Jack crossed over to Jen. "Is this about that Sally girl?"

"Yes, Jack. It is." Jen watched as Jack didn't seem too impressed with her because he had already told her she couldn't cover the story the day before. "I know that you don't want me to do this story, but it has to be done, and I am the one to do it because I was there when it happened."

Turning to his partner, Jack attempted to explain his decision, "Diana, I am about to assign this to an experienced staff reporter."

With a confused look, Diana responded, "She has the inside edge, and you won't give her the story?"

"Well, I… I…"

Jennifer cut in to answer Diana's question. "That's right. I was in the fish market when it happened. She didn't commit a crime. She's not a criminal. She wants to go to jail on purpose so that she has a place to give birth to her baby. Her court case is today, and I need an assignment to cover it."

Crossing her arms, Diana proclaimed, "And she should get it."

Placating his partner, Jack stopped messing with Jen. "Alright, Diana. If you think she's up to it, who am to argue?"

Jen attempted to hold in her excitement. "So that's it. You're going to give me the assignment?"

Wanting to milk this for all he could, Jack stalled, "Well… eh….is the Kimberly Donovan piece done?"

"Yes."

"Is it on my desk?"

"Yes."

"Sure?"

"Yes," Jennifer released with a bit desperation.

Jack grinned inside as he instructed, "Okay. Go. See what you can do."

Jennifer was ready to rush out of there. "Great! Don't worry. I will not disappoint you."

Before Jen could leave, Diana called out to her. "Somebody told me this morning that Sally entered a guilty plea."

Jennifer stopped in her tracks with concern. "What? She can't do that. She's not guilty. She's innocent. She's a victim." Realizing she was wasting precious time, she exclaimed, "I have to go talk to her. Goodbye!"

Jack laughed at how Jen was all over the place. Shaking his head after she was gone, he turned to Diana and commented, "Oh, youth."

Diana shook her head at Jack. "Youth? That's not youth. That's called having a heart. I'm sure that term is unfamiliar to you."

Surprised by Diana's response, Jack retorted, "What do you mean? I gave her the story."

Diana gave Jack a look to show she had his number. "And I think you intended to give her that story all along, didn't you? You just wanted to make her beg a little."

Jack stepped back. "Moi?"

"Oh, Jack!" Diana raised her voice. "Jack one of these days all of this is going to catch up with you. I promise you that."

Finished with the conversation, Jack released, "Promises, promises. Well, I'll see you later. I have to work."

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

Jen sat there looking at Jack to make sure he was done reminiscing about the past. "That was so long ago, Jack. I had the whole world in front of me. You can't honestly think you took that away from me."

Jack studied Jen for a second before responding, "Well, isn't that what I did? No offense, but you're working in the communications department at the hospital. You're still informing people about what's happening there, but it's not those big stories you used to want to tell. Those big stories you used to want to investigate. Somehow I killed that drive you once had…"

Jen looked away unable to speak. She feared what she would say if she opened her mouth. She didn't want Jack to feel bad about anything. She just wanted this all to be okay.

"Jen?" Joselyn called out. "Are you okay?"

The discomfort in Jen grew exponentially. She felt stuck because she did not plan to share her personal feelings about her relationship with Jack or reminisce on the good times they had. She turned to Joselyn for help.

Joselyn kept her eyes on Jen and decided to help her in a different way. She decided to challenge her. "What are you thinking about now, Jen? I've sat back, for the most part, and watched you cheer Jack as he expressed his struggles and feelings about his past. You haven't really expressed your own struggles or feelings about your past involving Jack."

Jen closed her eyes for a moment knowing she couldn't escape this like the last time because it would continually come up in sessions. Opening her eyes, she began, "My parents' marriage wasn't the strongest. They had their ups and downs, but I believe my mom really loved my dad. I felt abandoned by my dad when I was sent off to live with grandparents. He didn't have time for me, but he did have time for other women."

Jen started to become more emotional as her eyes began to water. "My mother was devastated, and she lost herself. She went crazy, and I resented her for it. I resented her for loving a man so much that she'd allow him to make her go crazy, but I understood it." She turned to Jack and wiped her face. "Jack, I can't go back there. You may not have slept with other women while we were together, but you had other things taking your time. I'm afraid I'll end up in an asylum if we ever go there again. I don't want to go crazy, Jack. I don't want to lose what's left of myself..."

Jack wiped the tears from his face. Even though Jennifer had confirmed he had taken something from Jen with the way he handled their relationship, he never thought it could be worse. He then looked down realizing maybe Jennifer couldn't see the best in him anymore. He had hurt her so bad and made her afraid to get too close to him. He wondered if this really meant he and Jen were over.

Joselyn allowed some silence before asking Jen another question. "Is this the first time you've ever said that aloud?"

Shaking her head, Jen grabbed a tissue and wiped her face. "No. It's not, but it's the first time I've told Jack."

Joselyn's timer went off. It was time to end the session. "I know it's rough ending things here, but I do want to say I appreciate the both of you for coming here and trusting me enough to share your thoughts and feelings. I'd like to continue if you are willing."

Jack nodded his head and turned to Jen for her answer. After some time, Jen nodded her head as well.

Chad arrived outside of Nathan and Melanie's front door and rang the doorbell. He had a gift in his hand hoping to make peace with two people he once felt close to. When Melanie answered the door, Chad handed her the gift and said, "It's for you and Nathan. Is he around?"

Melanie wasn't sure what to make of Chad being there. She closed the door somewhat so that only her head and hands could be seen. "He's probably on his way home," she shared while looking at the gift wrapping. "I'll just wait for him to get here to open it."

Fearing Melanie was about to close the door on him, Chad quickly spit out, "I heard about what happened, and I'm glad you're okay – your brother, too."

Melanie suddenly felt the urge to not be alone. She stepped back to open the door wider again and invited Chad inside. After closing and locking the front door, she replied, "I heard you had your own adventure."

Chad sighed heavily and answered, "It was quite the adventure, but all that matters is that my family is okay."

Eyeing the present again, Melanie asked, "Did you give this to me and Nathan because you left Salem last year, or because you tried to blackmail me before I left for Austria?"

Chad scratched the back of his head knowing he deserved Melanie's calling him out. "It's a late wedding gift," he answered first, "but I am sorry for blackmailing you. I did it impulsively because I really want your voice for my project at DiMera Enterprises."

Melanie put the gift down on an end table and wrapped her hands around her body to guard herself. "Well, I'm still intrigued, and I still want to sing for you."

Pleasantly surprised, Chad gave Melanie a smile. "Does Nathan know yet?"

The look in Chad's eyes told Melanie that he did know about one of her other secrets. She wondered how he knew about her job at the hospital. "How..."

"What's going on here?" Nathan asked as he walked through the kitchen door.

Melanie jumped and screamed and moved closer to Chad. Once she realized it was Nathan who had walked in behind her, she placed her hand over her chest to catch her breath. "Nathan, you're home. I didn't even hear the back door."

Nathan forced a smile for his wife because he didn't know what to make of her reaction towards him. He then turned his attention to Chad. "What are you doing here?"

Chad put out his hand to shake Nathan's and Nathan hesitantly allowed it.

After the awkward handshake, Melanie explained, "Chad brought a late wedding gift." She picked up the wrapped box to show her husband.

Chad placed his hands in his pockets and genuinely apologized. "I'm really sorry for missing your big day and skipping out on my duties as your groomsman."

"It's not a big deal," Nathan claimed trying to show Chad that he didn't matter to him, but when he thought about how Nicholas took Chad's place in the wedding party, he stated, "You're more than a year late to apologize though!"

Awkward silence.

Chad and Melanie didn't know what to say and stood there for a while hoping Nathan wasn't going to just glare at Chad while he was there. Chad turned to Melanie and broke the silence. "I also heard about your dad. It's good to know he's okay."

Melanie felt rigid because everyone else in the room was tense. It started to bring her back to the hotel room in Austria. She nodded her head as much as she could as she agreed with Chad. "I am relieved to know he is okay, but I haven't talked to him."

Nathan looked over to Melanie and wondered why she was humoring Chad. He looked at the gift and said, "Well, let's open it, so Chad can leave."

Melanie cautiously handed the gift to Nathan. "You can unwrap it since I unwrapped most of our other gifts last year."

Nathan took the gift and tore the paper to find a box. He opened the box to find a very beautiful frame, but what was in the frame caught his attention more. Turning to Chad, he asked, "Where did you get this?" The tone in his voice showed he was no longer frustrated or angry at Chad. He was touched.

Chad smiled just seeing how Nathan softened towards him. It gave him hope that he could make peace with him. "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that you two have it." Deciding to head out, he told Melanie, "I'll call you later."

After Chad left, Melanie turned to Nathan and saw how mesmerized he was with the gift. She had no idea what was in the frame. "What is it?"

Nathan handed the frame to Melanie. He couldn't look at it anymore. "It's a poem my great-grandpa Tom wrote to my great-grandma Alice."

Melanie looked at the poem and began to read it out loud, "'You can go years without realizing other people know things about you that you don't. You can walk down the street and pass yourself without knowing who it was you passed. It's hard enough to catch up with yourself, and then it doesn't do you any good because you don't know who it is that you've caught up with. The only one who really knows is the girl – the girl you first danced with. Keep dancing with me. Keep dancing with me, girl. Don't stop. Please don't stop. If you do, I can't stand. I fall down; I tip over.'"

Affected by the poem, Melanie turned to Nathan, who was intently staring at her. "This is beautiful. Maybe Chad hasn't changed so much after all."

Nathan stepped backward when Melanie tried to give him the gift back. He questioned why Melanie was calling Chad later, but he decided not to ask. "You can put it where you want, but I should take a shower. I'm not feeling so clean right now. We can decide what you want to do for dinner after."

Melanie held onto the framed poem as Nathan headed upstairs. She looked at the poem one more time before leaving it on the coffee table face down. She felt rejected and disgraceful.

At the Brady Pub, Ciara was teaching Johnny and Sydney how to make different types of origami animals while the adults sat around a bigger table. The pub was closed for the holiday now. Sami was sitting next to her mom and John and figured it was time she broke the ice with them. "So what made you decide to visit now?" She had her suspicions, but she didn't want to voice them.

Marlena could see Sami's head spinning but claimed, "We missed the family and wanted to spend time with everyone here while our schedules are slow in Colorado."

John who sat rather close to his wife, put his arm around Marlena and added, "I think we came at the perfect time because of everything that happened this weekend." He knew that was the answer Sami was fishing for.

Sami forced a smile. "Thankfully, it's all over and nothing needs to be said about it."

Eric rubbed Sami's right shoulder and joked, "Well. I'm sure there's more to say about it, but we have all the time in the world since we're all staying at the penthouse."

Sami took the chance to direct the conversation off of the hostage situation. "If things get too crowded, I'll take the kids, and we can go somewhere else," she promised.

"That's nonsense," Marlena quipped. "You and the kids need to be safe."

Roman agreed. "EJ promised me you and the kids would be safe when he told me he was going to leave town, but look what happened."

"It's a good thing Chad and Marco showed up when they did," Hope said with great relief as Sami shifted in her chair feeling uncomfortable. "I'm still curious to know why Jack and Nicole were there, though."

Roman thought about the excuses they got from Jack and Nicole and wasn't sure if he believed them either. "As of now, the investigation is closed, so there's nothing we can do about it."

Sami shifted in her chair again and watched the others around the table. Even though she was upset with EJ, when they talked about him she had the urge to stand up for him. She couldn't though because she didn't want to have this conversation with her family.

The entrance door of the pub opened, and Bo and Caroline entered with Caroline's luggage. Everyone immediately got up to greet them with hugs to welcome them home. Caroline was especially excited to see John and Marlena there. "It's so great to see everyone again," she said with considerable joy.

John pointed to the BBQ spread and shared, "Eric and I did this all for you, Caroline."

Caroline looked at all the delicious food and took Eric's hand as he led her to a seat nearby. "I'm hungry, but I'm also exhausted," she admitted.

Eric leaned down and replied, "Well, I promise to help you get used to the time zone again. I'll also make a plate for you so you don't have to get up."

"I appreciate it," Caroline said patting Eric's hand. When she saw Sami next, she pulled her down into a hug.

"I may have more time on my hands to help as well," Sami told her grandmother.

Caroline became nervous as she looked the place over. "Is everything okay? Where is Will?"

Realizing no one told Caroline about the hostage situation, Sami decided to keep it that way. "I just mean the kids are in school again. Will should be on his way soon enough."

Sami decided to give Will a call, so she headed outside where it was a lot quieter. She ran into Brady and Kai arriving to the pub and pointed inside. "Everyone's inside." Looking at her phone she realized she was getting a call from Azzura. "Hey girl."

"Sami, are you interested in getting together soon?" Azzura asked.

Brady and Kai entered the pub. Everyone was in line to get food. "Something smells good," Brady commented.

Kai looked around and saw all the smiles. "You have a very big family. Thanks for hanging out with me tonight."

Brady patted Kai on the back and said, "I should thank you for hanging out with me. Let's get some food." Heading for the line, they ran into John and Marlena. Brady was surprised to see them and hugged them at the same time. "What? What are you two doing here?"

As Marlena smiled with glee, John explained, "We got in late last night but we wanted to surprise you! It's good to see you, son."

Kai stepped back and smiled as he watched Brady with John and Marlena. It made him miss his parents all the more.

In the front of the line, Bo told his brother, "We have a lot to discuss tomorrow."

Roman turned to him and said, "That we do. I'm glad you and Ma made it back without any problems."

Bo looked around realizing he didn't see someone. Turning to Hope, he asked, "Where's Chelsea?"

Raising her eyebrow because she wasn't sure if Bo wanted to know this information, Hope carefully told him, "She's actually with Ignazio at the moment."

Unable to hide his disappointment, Bo shook his head and complained, "I hoped she would have been over that by now."

Chelsea and Ignazio sat across from each other at the Java Café. After some small talk, they were finally having the conversation to define their relationship. Grasping her drink with both hands, Chelsea shared, "I feel like there are some things we need to talk about before we agree to take the next step."

Ignazio swallowed hard wondering what Chelsea thought they needed to discuss. He was extremely nervous and wished he knew what he was doing when it came to Chelsea. She pulled him out of his comfort zone, but the feelings he had for her told him it was worth the risk. Spotting Lexie and Jen walking into the café, he panicked and changed the subject. "I received some bad news earlier about Stefano dying."

Surprised to hear the news, Chelsea questioned, "Stefano is dead?"

Ignazio shook his head and clarified, "No... No. I was informed he is terminally ill. He is dying." Once Chelsea seemed to understand, he added, "I am concerned for Lexie."

Noting that Ignazio was looking past her, Chelsea looked back and spotted Jennifer and Lexie. She understood why Ignazio would suddenly think about his second-cousin. "I'm worried, too. Her time away from Salem was cut short. Do you think she'll try to go somewhere else?"

Ignazio shook his head. "I doubt it."

Over at Jennifer and Lexie's table, Jennifer gave Lexie a warm smile and said, "I am glad you agreed to meet with me." She managed to collect herself after her therapy session with Jack and was determined to help her friend walk out of the darkness she was living in.

Lexie merely agreed to meet with Jen because she believed it would help her get her job back at the hospital sooner than planned. "Well, I figured I was probably the only one without plans for the holiday," she replied.

"How was visiting your father?" Jennifer asked next. She hoped Lexie was able to relax some.

After her run-in with Joselyn earlier, Lexie debated whether she should tell Jen about the news of Stefano's impending death. Knowing Jen well enough, she knew her friend would ask her about her feelings – feelings she didn't want to discuss or even think about.

Knowing Lexie was trying to stall, Jennifer grabbed her hand and asked, "Do you need to go away again since you had to come back earlier than planned?"

Lexie quickly denied it while giving Jennifer a look of disdain. "No, I need to be here with my son. He almost died!" She didn't mean to raise her voice, but her emotions got the better of her.

Jennifer felt as though Lexie believed she had questioned her ability to do right by her family. "I didn't mean to offend you," she said. "I'm sorry."

Lexie remembered realizing by being mean she felt in more control. Even if she initially planned to play it cool with her, Lexie wondered if it would work on Jen. Leaning forward, she said, "Be honest with me Jennifer. You can't let go of the things I said about Theo in thinking it would be easier without him, can you? Yeah, my hope is dead, but I would never allow harm to come to Theo or anyone else."

Startled by the unexpected aggression in Lexie, Jen wasn't sure how to respond. "I... I'm still concerned for you, Lexie."

"Don't worry about me," Lexie directed Jen. "The faster you can forget about me, the quicker you can return to living your happy life and being care free."

Jen was at a loss for words because of what Lexie implied. She began to reflect on Jack as she questioned if she was trying to push herself onto Lexie. Maybe she needed help. She didn't feel strong enough to provide the help Lexie needed anymore.

When she felt they had said all they could about Lexie and Stefano, Chelsea looked to Ignazio keenly. She mentally sighed before returning to the reason they met in the first place. "Ignazio, I don't mean to be rude, but I thought we met to talk about us. It's important that we do."

Ignazio nodded his head nervously. He had delayed long enough and was ready for this to be over.

Chelsea grabbed her drink again and took a sip. After placing it on the table, she continued, "I have secrets. I think we both do, but there is a big one you deserve to know about me if we're planning on moving forward."

Ignazio was surprised to hear Chelsea was going to admit one of her secrets. For a second, he thought she had figured one of his out. He anxiously asked, "What do you need to tell me?"

Chelsea swallowed hard while mustering all her strength and came out with it. "I can't have children. I can't get pregnant."

Shock and confusion filled Ignazio's body at the revelation Chelsea had just shared. A million thoughts ran through his mind knowing this must have been hard for Chelsea to share with him. He looked away and struggled with making eye contact with her.

Fearing she was losing him, Chelsea came in closer as she sorrowfully explained, "It was an accident after I helped my dad out. He was really sick and needed a transplant..."

"I can't do this," Ignazio cut Chelsea off as he stood up. "I'm sorry," he claimed before walking out of Java.

Chelsea sat there stunned for a moment that Ignazio had actually walked out on her. Devastation quickly took over as she saw his reaction as a sign of rejection. Ignazio didn't want any part of her because she couldn't have children. He did not find her beautiful anymore.

At the beach, Nicholas led Gabi to a secluded part where they wouldn't get too many interruptions. "I hope you don't mind me bringing you out all this way, but I figured since you're hiding from your family you'd like to be somewhere where no one will find us."

Gabi wasn't sure if she should be scared or thankful for the consideration Nicholas showed. The smile on his face told him she should feel the latter. Following him, they came upon a lifeguard station. Gabi suddenly remembered the last time she was in one. She was with Will, and it was before she knew he was gay.

Gabi grabbed Nicholas's hand and requested, "Can we not go in?"

Nicholas noted Gabi seemed nervous. "I didn't think about entering the lifeguard station because we're just getting to know each other," he said to calm Gabi. He pulled out a long beach towel from his bag and threw it on the ground so they could sit on it. Dropping his bag, he took his shirt off.

Gabi stepped back as she took in Nicholas's shirtless body. "I probably won't swim because I couldn't find my bathing suit in time."

Nicholas rubbed his stomach realizing his mistake. "I should have told you where we were going. I'm rusty on the whole..." He paused realizing they never said they were on an official date. "...on the whole hanging out with a beautiful woman," he recovered.

Taking a seat on the big beach towel, Gabi patted next to her so Nicholas would sit down as well. "We should talk some and get to know each other. It's been a while since I've hung out with an attractive guy at the beach." She made sure to give him a wink.

Nicholas gladly took a seat next to Gabi. He didn't know what to think about how he met Gabi after living a complete nightmare, but he knew it felt good. Before he could say anything, his phone began to ring. It was Carly, so he decided to ignore it. He turned his phone to vibrate, so he could focus on Gabi.

Brett, Dustin, and Sonny walked out of the water and headed for their towels on another part of the beach. There were more people around celebrating the holiday where they were. As they laid out on their towels, Dustin commented, "The water feels good. I'd stay in there all day if I could."

Brett moved closer to Dustin as he flirted, "I'm not okay with you drowning out there."

Noting Brett's hand was exploring his wet body, Dustin flirted back, "Well, I have you to perform mouth to mouth."

Sonny shook his head as he watched Brett finally climb on top of Dustin to start making out with him. He should have known he would have been the third wheel in this situation. Attempting to avoid the awkwardness of what they were doing, he looked ahead to the shore. He was suddenly plagued with a memory he'd rather forget.

Saturday, July 2nd, 2011

It was dark. Sonny helped Chad and Nathan search the water for Will because Gabi told them he disappeared and may have drowned. He panicked over the possibility of losing his new friend and it only increased as time continued without finding him.

"I found him," Chad shouted.

Sonny joined Nathan and Chad to help bring Will back onto the beach. Checking Will's vitals, Sonny looked to Chad and asked, "Chad, do you know CPR?" After Chad nodded, he instructed, "You do mouth to mouth, and I will press on his chest."

As they performed CPR, Sonny could hear everyone encouraging Will to be okay, but Chad's words stuck out more. "Come on, buddy!"

Sonny looked over as Chad moved in to breathe into Will's mouth again, and that's when it happened. First, Will coughed out some water. Then Chad remained close to talk Will back to them, and finally Will abruptly kissed Chad.

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

Shaking his head to forget the memory of Chad and Will's first kiss, Sonny looked over to Brett and Dustin. They were oblivious to what was happening around them, so he got up to go for a walk on the beach.

Back over near the lifeguard station, Nicholas and Gabi were now making out as well. They had somehow skipped the verbal part of getting to know the other and moved onto the physical part of it. Gabi suddenly felt something vibrating nearby. Realizing it was Nicholas's phone again, she pushed him off and said, "You should probably take that since that's the third or fourth time someone has called."

Nicholas sighed and removed himself from Gabi completely. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect things to go down like this. Maybe I should have taken you somewhere else – somewhere nicer."

Gabi breathed heavily and could still feel the vibrations from Nicholas's phone coming through on the beach towel. She was no longer in the mood. "You should answer that."

Nicholas turned and grabbed his phone. As he answered, he stood up to create some distance between him and Gabi. "Hey mom," he said adjusting himself.

"Why have you been ignoring my calls? I need to see you right away!" Carly informed her son.

Due to the urgency in his mother's voice, Nicholas didn't feel as though he had a choice. "Okay. I'll meet you at my place. I think it's still mine."

After Carly agreed and hung up, Nicholas returned to Gabi feeling even worse about how things played out. "Something is going on with my mom, so I have to go."

Gabi stood up and dusted herself off. Even though she liked Nicholas, she felt odd about how they were already making out with each other. "It's fine. I have to go as well."

Nicholas grabbed his shirt and put it back on. "Where are you staying?"

"I'm at the Salem Inn, but it's temporary." Gabi folded up the beach towel to help Nicholas get his things together.

Nicholas took the towel from Gabi. "I can walk you to your car," he volunteered hoping he could do something right.

Dusting herself off more, Gabi replied, "That's okay. I'm actually going to put my feet in the water before I head out, so you can go do what you need to do."

"I'm really sorry," Nicholas repeated before heading off.

Gabi sighed and headed for a clearer part of the beach. She needed something to cool her off after the make-out session with Nicholas. She couldn't believe how fast that was going. Getting closer to the beach, she stopped when she spotted Sonny heading her way. His head was down, so he couldn't see her. She quickly hid before he lifted his head and watched as he walked by her. Gabi wondered what Sonny was doing alone.

"I went ahead and put an order in, so all we have to do is pick it up after we're done here," Dario informed Chad as they waited for Will to arrive.

Chad looked over a file of paperwork placed on the conference table. "Awesome. Is Ignazio supposed to join us tonight?"

Dario shook his head. "I still can't convince him to join the team."

Chad looked up and spotted Will coming towards them. "That's alright. I won't push him anymore for now."

Will entered the conference room at DiMera Enterprises and, though he didn't note it aloud, was surprised to see Dario there as well. He figured Chad would take the opportunity to be alone with him. "Hey."

Chad could see Will was surprised to see Dario there. He smiled inside, but he went straight to business. "We should discuss the big opening."

"Actually, before we begin, there's some other stuff we need to talk about," Will interjected. When he knew he had the floor, he continued, "First, I need to know what's going on with Brett. He told me something about you hiring him to perform."

Chad scratched the back of his neck thinking about his run-in with Brett earlier. Trying to appease Will as much as possible, he explained, "I didn't know Brett would be a part of the hired group of musicians from Salem U. I only talked to Dr. Kahn about setting it up."

Will remembered running into Chad at Salem University before school started. He also remembered what Brian told him at the pub after that. "Oh."

Continuing, Chad offered, "I'd be more than willing to talk to Brett again if I need to."

"I can talk to him," Will recommended. He wasn't sure if he could really trust that Chad had no idea Brett would be part of the group. He decided to ask him another question to put him to the test. Even though it was Marlena who saw Chad enter the airport, he asked, "Why were you at the airport last night? I saw you there when I picked up some of my family."

Chad tried not to panic, but the fear that Will saw him there with Josh was at the forefront of his mind. Trying to be as general as possible with his answer, he said, "I was there to pick up someone involving business at DiMera Enterprises."

Dario gave Chad a confused look. He remembered Chad saying he had somewhere to be the night before but didn't realize it involved picking someone up at the airport. Noting Chad didn't look completely comfortable, he decided not to question him. Instead, he turned to Will and said, "I'm happy you're on board on this project."

Will wondered if he made the right decision in telling Chad he would help. Maybe he said yes in the heat of the moment because Chad had just saved his family. Showing his uncertainty, he asked, "What exactly am I on board with that has to do with Brett and a few other musicians performing?"

Chad dropped his hand and with more confidence shared, "I want to have a big grand opening for my club, but I need help figuring out how exactly to go about that. At this point, all I know is there will be performances."

As Will began to think of ideas, Dario spoke, "Chad and I have talked about it for a bit, and we want to add an interactive element for the audience. We don't want this to be just some concert."

Will's mood suddenly shifted as a lot of ideas began to run through his mind. He was now excited to be on board and suggested, "What if we did a battle of the bands?"

Chad matched Will's excitement and praised, "That's a great idea!"

"No... No... No..." Will quickly changed his mind. His voice continued to show more enthusiasm and blurted, "Battle of the bands is so overdone. We should do something bigger."

Chad fed into Will's boost of energy and felt a great anticipation within him. "What are you thinking?"

Restating the information he knew, Will thought aloud, "You hired musicians at Salem U..."

"And I've got Melanie, Dario, and Michelle on board as well," Chad interjected.

Will continued, "We need to have a concert, but it needs to be a competition of some kind."

Dario saw a problem and called it out. "We can't allow anyone hired to be in a contest."

"You're right," Will said rubbing his head trying to organize his thoughts so he could come up with something that was more plausible and concise.

Chad kept his eyes on Will and asked, "What could we do then?"

Will snapped his fingers as a new idea entered his mind. "We could have a concert with the hired musicians and then have a contest going on at the same time with others – bands – who will submit songs. I could convince my uncle to help us with the contest. We should have a contest for local bands or artists to compete for a chance to make music videos."

Dario took out a sheet of paper and began to jot a few things down. Intrigued with where Will was headed, he said, "We could pick the top three submissions to make a music video and then have the audience vote at the grand opening of the club to choose the best one. They'd have to be original songs, and people could submit as an ensemble or solo act."

"I can put together a song list for the performers we've hired for the concert portion," Chad shared as nonchalantly as possible.

Will liked the idea but found an important issue with it. "This could get expensive."

Dario shook his head and maintained, "It's a great idea."

"I think so, too," Chad echoed.

Will didn't know how Chad and Dario could shrug off the financial issue. He noted, "We still need to decide what the winner gets."

Chad locked eyes with Will and gave him a confident smile. He had an idea. "We can offer free recording time for an album or something like that to the winner."

Will felt completely assured by the look that Chad was giving him. Chad's eyes told him that everything would be taken care of. "Yeah, that will definitely help build clientele in the future, which would bring in more revenue." Thinking about it all caused Will to smile widely.

Chad felt the pull with Will, and Dario could see it. Even though he wanted to offer his support in helping Chad and Will become friends again, he felt uncomfortable with the way Chad seemed drawn to Will's smile. When Chad moved in to give Will a hug, Dario stepped between them and asked, "What exactly do we need to do now?"

Realizing how he almost crossed the line with Will, Chad appreciated Dario for stepping in before he ruined things. He stepped back to make sure he didn't get too close to Will again. "Will, can we meet at lunch tomorrow at Salem U to write up an announcement? I think we've got everything we need at this point."

Will didn't see a problem with it. "Sure. We can meet tomorrow. I should go though, because I'm supposed to meet my family at the pub for dinner. My great-grandma and uncle are back."

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Chad said keeping himself away from Will. He awkwardly waved goodbye.

Dario said bye to Will as well.

After Will was gone, Dario patted Chad on the back knowing he struggled with keeping his hands off Will. "Are you ready to pick up our order and celebrate what's left of the holiday?"

Chad remembered he had another meeting. "Actually, I need to make a few calls. I'll meet with you in a bit."

Dario wondered what calls Chad had to make, but he was starting to realize he probably shouldn't ask. "I'll pick up the food and meet you at the guesthouse then."

Chad patted Dario on his shoulder. "Thanks. I'll see you soon enough."

After Dario left, Chad grabbed his things and headed for his office. He looked at the time realizing his meeting with Will wasn't too long. When he opened his office door, he found Josh waiting for him. "Thanks for waiting for me here. We need to talk business."

Josh sat on the corner of Chad's desk and crossed his arms. "I hope that's not all we'll be talking about. I want to know more about Abby."