Chapter 48: We Could Be the End to This Nightmare – Saturday, December 24th, 2016
Ending something awful should be a positive thing. Why doesn't it feel this way now?
Sitting in one of the blue corner booths at the Brady Pub, Ignazio decided it would be best to stay to himself during the Christmas Eve gathering. Dario brought him along, but his brother was busy with Sonny. He believed it should be this way, so he attempted to push out the voices in his head and enjoy this time alone.
It was hard. Even with the large crowd, Ignazio struggled. Fortunately, Chelsea joined him by taking a seat. She only had a moment. "I'm happy I can spend the holiday with you," he bravely released.
Chelsea cased the area wondering if there were eyes on them. There weren't. Returning her focus to Ignazio, she replied, "I'm glad we can be friends."
Friends. Chelsea had truly stepped up on that front. With an appreciative nod, Ignazio shared, "I'm happy you allowed me to discuss my experience inside the Egyptian prison."
Chelsea's eyes got bigger as she reflected on the things Ignazio told her. Leaning into the table, she said, "Look, I don't know what's coming, but I hope you keep fighting the sadness… the darkness."
Looking into Chelsea's eyes, Ignazio noted the encouragement – the love – inside them. "I'm trying…"
Near the bar, Will and Chad tried to put off a cheerful exposition by greeting Gabi with a warm double hug. They had news. "It's small, but I want you to know I received a letter from T. We will get Carter and T back soon."
Gabi wanted to be hopeful, but it had been so long already. "I hate that I'm not spending Christmas with my son. I hate that T currently resides in some inpatient mental hospital believing he doesn't deserve to be out here because of his parents. I don't understand why T would allow his parents to convince him this was best."
Chad looked to Will remembering what T's letter stated. He wondered if his husband wanted to share what they now knew.
Gabi noticed the expression on Chad's face and turned to Will. "What is it?"
Sighing, Will shamefully admitted, "It appears my grandmother, Marlena, got in the way." He knew he shouldn't say more due to the fact that she could be nearby.
At a nearby table, Sami leaned into her husband while the others at their table were discussing Cameron. She still felt concerned for EJ because of what he had to do at André's hideout. He was still distant in many ways. "I know we've discussed taking a trip for our next anniversary. I really do think some time out of Salem will do us some good. I know the kids want to go as well."
EJ kissed the top of Sami's head to assure her he was fine. "I think a separate family trip before our anniversary should be planned soon. We can go somewhere alone for our sixth."
Sami thought that was a good idea. When Allie walked by, she quickly grabbed her daughter's attention. "It's almost time for you to head to the Horton house. Find Will and Chad and see if they're ready to take you over there."
After Allie left, Ciara and Theo arrived to the table to talk to Lexie. "Is it okay if Theo goes with me and my parents for the ornament ceremony?"
Lexie took her son's hand and agreed. "Of course. Have fun and call me." She knew Theo and Ciara wanted to spend as much time together as possible after the school dance. Something definitely changed that night for the two of them.
"I will," Theo released before giving his mom a hug.
When Theo walked away with Ciara, Lexie turned to the others at the table to return to Eric and Nicole's questions about Cameron. "Cameron is doing well. The treatment facility is helping him process, heal, and move on from what André made him do."
Trying not to be distracted by the fact that he was sitting really close to Lexie and it didn't seem to bother her, Brandon concurred. "I talked to Cameron for a bit, and he said he has been able to see he was not in control. It's really been a great experience for him there."
"That's awesome news," Eric commented as he held Nicole's hand. "Add that to the other great news that you're going to be Salem's next mayor since Rachel dropped out of the race."
Lexie nodded her head as she reflected on Abe and his legacy. "I know. Everything is coming together. Things are finally starting to make sense again."
Entering the pub again, Dario asked Sonny, "What did the boss want?"
Sonny placed his phone in his pocket. "Mom wanted me to know she and dad are returning to Salem in time for my birthday. They also want me to meet with them and Alex somewhere discreet. She didn't tell me where yet, but it's kind of mysterious."
Dario wasn't sure what to think. "Everything okay?" He wasn't sure he could handle anymore surprises.
"I think so," Sonny casually answered as he shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe it has something to do with Victor's death and funeral."
Before Dario could comment on Victor's death, Gabi came over and grabbed her brother's arm. "Arianna wants to talk to us. She's in the office with Manny and Marco."
"About what?" Dario questioned before grabbing his boyfriend's hand.
Dario and Sonny followed Gabi into the office as she shared, "She's got some announcement…"
With everyone there, Arianna took Marco's hand. She took a deep breath before exhaling, "Marco and I are moving out of Salem next month. We're moving to Spain."
Trying to process the news, Dario curiously wondered, "What does Gustavo think about you moving?"
Arianna didn't care about Gustavo. "I believe Gustavo has given up on all of us at this point. Don't worry because I will still visit you on special occasions." She gave Dario and Sonny several winks hinting she hoped to get a wedding invitation soon.
Dario awkwardly rubbed his arm and decided to change the subject. "Are we still going to mass tonight? Sonny agreed to come."
After Sonny gave an anxious nod confirming what Dario said, Gabi looked to Manny. "Noah's coming, too, right?"
Manny answered Dario, "Yes. Midnight Mass. There are rumors the new priest may be there tonight."
Pulling Arianna closer to him, Marco sighed because he still had to tell his mother the news. He knew she wouldn't be happy. He hoped Tony would be there for her through it.
Outside, Tony found himself in a predicament as he stood in front of Renée and Anna. "Ladies, I know we find ourselves in quite a difficult…"
"You can have him," Anna interrupted. This had gone on long enough. Shaking her head at Tony, she declared, "I'm done."
As Anna walked away, Tony and Renée turned to each other. They took a seat on the bench. They were finally alone.
(*)*(*)*(*)
Alone, Qamar sat on the couch at his parents' home talking to Joy over the phone. Leaning his head against the back of the couch, he admitted, "I wish I could hang out with JJ tonight."
"Well, soon you'll be living together," Joy teased. "You've got it bad. What are you going to do about JJ?"
Feeling his body tense up, Qamar stood up to walk out the tension. "I'm not sure," he started before confessing, "I know I just want to be next to JJ for the rest of my life." With a deep breath, he vulnerably exhaled, "I imagine JJ and me dressed up – we're in tuxes. Mine is purple. His is a sky blue. We're standing next to each other at a wedding. We're standing in front of everyone. I honestly don't care if it's our wedding or if it's us being the best man at each other's wedding. I just want to keep doing life with him."
Joy was quiet for a moment before she excitedly squealed, "That is the most romantic thing I have ever heard. Oh my gosh, Q!"
Qamar began to rub the back of his head because he couldn't believe he just admitted that, but then again, he trusted Joy with everything. "It is what it is I guess."
"Hold on," Joy abruptly released because there was a knock on her bedroom door. After a moment, she shared, "We'll have to talk more later because my parents are calling me down so we can go to Christmas Eve mass."
Knowing Joy was dreading mass, Qamar sympathized and wished, "Good luck. Talk later." Ending the call, he reflected on his love for JJ. He questioned if it was too much. Feeling so strongly about him had the potential to destroy what he had with his best friend.
The doorbell rang. Qamar answered the door to find JJ standing on the other side. He had a gift in his hand. "Come in," he immediately said with obvious shock on his face.
As he entered, JJ anxiously but excitedly released, "I know your family doesn't really celebrate, but I wanted to get you something." After Qamar closed the door, he handed him the wrapped gift.
Qamar felt the weight of the gift. "Should I open it now?"
"You don't have to…"
Placing it on a coffee table, Qamar kneeled down and unwrapped the gift to find JJ had given him a new sewing machine. "What?" He stood up and looked at JJ in shock.
JJ enjoyed seeing the excitement on Qamar's face. "I caught a glimpse of the one in our dorm closet, but it looked ancient."
With a playful nod, Qamar confirmed, "It was my grandmother's, and it is ancient." Glancing at the new one, he said, "I love it – especially the celestial blue tint!"
Feeling his nerves getting the better of him, JJ paused because what he wanted to say to Qamar next needed to be said properly. "Q, I hope you know that I will support you in whatever you want to do."
Without thinking, Qamar stood up and pulled JJ into a hug. Once he realized what he had done, he stepped back. "Sorry."
JJ quickly reminded Qamar, "It's okay. I like hugs!" He pulled Qamar into another hug. "Actually, I love them." After separating, JJ regretfully sighed, "I have to head back to the family to hang ornaments. I hope you will come with me one day."
With an overjoyed grin on his face, Qamar beamed, "I would like that. I'm sorry I didn't get you a gift."
"You don't have to worry about that," JJ assured. He headed for the door and after one last look, he left.
Qamar turned to the sewing machine. He bit his lip as he questioned, "Did that just happen?"
(*)*(*)*(*)
When Maggie entered the Horton home, Julie went in for a loving hug after checking the color on her lips in the mirror. "Maggie, I'm so glad to see you're here. Tell me. How are you doing?"
Maggie managed to keep her emotions in check. "I'm okay as I can be," she released with a nod. It had been a week since Victor passed on. "With Justin and Adrienne out of town, the plan is to have the funeral on Monday."
Julie knew this was hard for Maggie and squeezed both of her hands. "Doug and I will be there to hold your hands through all of it. I know there are more people waiting to give you hugs. If you ever need time to yourself tonight, find me, and I will help you find it!"
As Julie led Maggie into the main room, Chelsea entered next. She peered into the living room to see her parents and sister had beat her there. She walked over to Josh, Abby, and their son. They all had smiles on their faces. "It's so good to see you all together like this."
Josh kissed Abby's cheek before sharing, "I'm very lucky."
Abby looked down to her son. "We all are."
Walking past Abby, Jen headed for the stairs in the foyer to answer her phone. "Merry Christmas, Kristen. How are you?"
"Merry Christmas," Kristen began. "I'm finally settling here, so things are finally looking up."
Jennifer had concern on her face. "Am I allowed to know where it is you're settling?"
Kristen replied, "Not yet. I'm not ready for visitors."
Trying to be understanding, Jennifer shared, "Peter and Ezra are both busy running Blake, Inc. Do you think you will ever return to Salem?"
With great certainty, Kristen answered, "You don't want me to return."
As Kristen said goodbye to Jen, JJ walked in after visiting with Qamar. He gave his mom a hug before they headed into the living room to join the others.
Spotting JJ, Doug caught everyone's attention. "I think we're all here now to hang the ornaments. Before we get in a line to hang all of our ornaments on the tree, Julie and I would like to pass out the new ornaments to our newest additions."
Julie grabbed the first box and walked towards Abby and Josh. With a big grin on her face, she looked to their son and said, "Able Jenson, this is for you."
Josh took the box from Julie and opened it up to reveal his son's new ornament. "Thank you." He was so glad he could still be a part of this tradition.
Doug grabbed the last box from the table and said, "Finally, this one goes to a man who married into the family but is truly family from here on out." He walked over to Chad and joked, "Now it's really official."
Chad took the box and opened it to reveal his celestial blue ornament. He showed it to Will as he said, "I'm so lucky to be married to my best friend and gaining all of you as family." He never knew his heart could be so full.
Will looked into Chad's eyes. He didn't know if he could be happier in this moment. "I'm the lucky one, Handsome." He gave Chad a kiss.
After the ornaments were hung on the tree, Ciara led Theo outside so they could talk in private. "It's a bit cold out here, but it was getting hot in there," she stated to explain why she brought him out there.
Theo couldn't contain his smile. He glanced down and said, "It's great we're close again." Lifting his head, he asked, "How is JT? Have you heard anything from him lately?"
Ciara studied Theo's face and noted the nervousness in his expression. She wondered if he brought up JT because of what happened at the charity dance. "Carver… I need you to be quiet and listen. There's something I need to say." She shifted her weight to her other leg and began again, "You are my best friend, and I hated it when you stopped talking to me and pushed me away. A ton has happened…" She paused because her thoughts went to her Grandpa Victor.
Pushing through her grief, Ciara looked directly into Theo's eyes. "I love you, and I will always love you. We are a team. We are partners."
Theo watched as Ciara grabbed his hand. His heart melted but he still questioned this. "Ciara…"
"Shh…" Ciara hushed Theo. "I need you to listen and hear me."
Hearing a beeping sound, Theo turned his head and asked, "Did you hear that?"
Ciara squeezed Theo's hand and asked with some frustration. "Can you even hear me?"
Theo returned his focus to Ciara and nodded his head. "I can hear you. Can you hear me?" Ciara looked down. Her demeanor had changed. Something was different and it made Theo nervous. "What is it?"
Ciara pulled back her long raven hair and spoke, "Chelsea and I are still watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She's been right so far… it's a really good show. The last episode we watched was about her coming to terms with her gift. It was emotional and crazy because she was told throughout the season that death was her gift. She sacrificed herself so that her sister could live… so that everyone could live."
"Why are we talking about Buffy?" Theo felt this was all so familiar.
With water forming in her eyes, Ciara continued, "Carver, I know you've struggled with your gift believing that it only leads to death and sadness. There was a time when you seemed to accept that it could bring peace, but you let go of that thought for some reason." Moving Theo's hand closer to her face, she said, "Carver, your gift isn't death. It's life."
Theo felt something pulling him back. The beeping sound returned, but it was louder. He didn't understand what was happening.
–(–)–
(*)*(*)*(*)
Present: Sunday, November 13th, 2016
Theo's eyes suddenly opened to find himself in a hospital bed. He gasped for air as he made eye contact with Ciara, who sat next to him; she was holding his hand. "Death… death…" he stated in a harsh whisper. His whole body felt tense. His lungs burned and his heart hurt. Was this all a dream?
Ciara stood up and tried to calm Theo down as Lexie and Dr. Wesley entered the room. "He's awake!"
Lexie rushed over and tried to help Ciara calm Theo down. "It's okay, son. Just breathe softly."
"Death," Theo repeated as his mind raced through everything he had just envisioned. Had he been in a coma this entire time? "It's here. it's here…"
