Chapter 1: Facing the Future – Sunday, August 18th, 2013

It was chilly for an August evening in Texas. Business was somewhat slow at the Moonshine Bar, but the jukebox still played Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton's Just a Fool loudly as the entrance door suddenly opened.

But who am I kidding?
I know what I'm missing.

I, I had my heart set on you,
But nothing else hurts like you do.
Who knew that love was so cruel (yeah, yeah, yeah)
And I waited and waited so long
For someone who'll never come home.
It's my fault to think you'd be true (yeah, yeah)
I'm just a fool.

Celeste walked in with her purse closely guarded under her left arm. She looked the place over as she moved her platinum hair from her face. Sashaying to an empty table, she placed her purse on top of the table before taking a seat. She had her reasons for being there and figured she should set up first.

Rummaging through her purse, Celeste hoped she would find the necessary tools to make this go as smoothly as possible. A sudden rush came over her causing her to stop her search so she could look up towards the bar. At that exact moment, Chad walked out from the back making his way behind the bar.

Chad was completely unaware of Celeste's presence because he was too preoccupied with what he had accomplished earlier that day and what was expected of him at work. Spotting his friend and co-worker, he raised his hand to give him a high-five. "Alessandro! My man!"

Alessandro, a man in his late 20s, gave Chad a smile after slapping his hand. He ran his hand through his short dark hair and said through a slight accent, "I didn't think I would see you tonight."

Chad adjusted his sleeves of his shirt because they had ridden up since he put it on in his truck. He wondered if it was time he bought new clothes. "Yeah, I promised Velvet I would be here, and I don't like to break promises."

Velvet, an older woman, came from behind Alessandro with a questioning look. She owned and ran the Moonshine Bar and kept it alive after her husband suddenly passed away a few years back. "It's Sunday! One of our busiest nights because Monday depresses the hell out of everyone."

Alessandro patted Chad in the back as he informed their boss, "Chad had to turn in his last paper tonight. He is officially done with his undergrad."

"I had no idea," Velvet quickly shared giving Chad a look of disappointment and pride at the same time. She wished Chad had said something to her before so she could have at least baked him a celebratory cake. "So now that you're done with college, what are you going to do with your life? Are you leaving us behind in Texas?"

Chad thought over his plans for the future before shrugging his shoulders. "I'm not exactly sure yet. There's so much I still need to do."

Kelvin, another young guy who worked there, walked over to the bar from Celeste's table with a pen and pad in his hand. "Woman over there just wants some hot tea with a splash of skim milk," he informed Alessandro before turning to Velvet. "Uh, Velvet. I also noticed that the woman is playing with these weird cards – they look like tarot cards."

Alessandro looked the woman over first and joked with Kelvin, "That's not your mother?"

"You racist S.O.B.!" Kelvin called Alessandro out. "You think we all look the same?"

As Alessandro laughed, Chad finally looked over and realized Celeste was the woman Kelvin was talking about. He couldn't believe she was there. Freezing for a moment from the shock, he observed that his boss did not seem too pleased.

Velvet studied Celeste for a moment before deciding, "I'll take care of it. I'd rather keep my bar voodoo free."

Placing his hand on Velvet's shoulder, Chad stopped his boss from going anywhere. "I will take care of it. I can handle it for you."

Velvet questioned why Chad volunteered to talk to the crazy woman but allowed Chad to do it for her. "Okay. If she causes any problems, send her to me."

Chad nodded his head and approached Celeste slowly to calm his nerves. There was so much he could say to her, but he realized he wasn't willing to share everything he had been through. He needed to put his guard up to make sure he approached this situation the best he could. Even with this understanding, Chad continued to struggle with one question: Why was Celeste in the bar he worked in Texas? Noting that she wouldn't look up at him when he finally arrived at the table, he asked, "What are you doing?"

Celeste remained focused on her tarot cards as she pulled three out to place them face-up. She hoped he would take note of them because they revealed what she hoped they would. "I'm reading my cards. A shift is coming. Won't you take a seat?"

Celeste's demeanor frustrated Chad because she didn't seem surprised to see him there. He gathered she definitely came there to talk to him, but he didn't have time for her games. Taking a seat across from her, he maintained some intensity in his voice while he quietly claimed, "You cannot do that here! Why are you in Texas?"

Ignoring Chad's question, she offered her own, "Have you had any more dreams, Chad?"

Chad took a deep breath before responding, "Yeah, I've had dreams, but I handled them on my own. They don't have the same power over me anymore." Returning to his question, he repeated, "Why are you in Texas?"

Celeste finally put her tarot cards away and placed them in her purse. "Why are you in Texas?" she echoed before acknowledging him with her eyes for the first time since he approached her.

"Fine. I'll go first," Chad caved. He was relieved she put her tarot cards away because he knew his boss was not a patient woman when it came to stuff like that. "I'm here because I need to be far from my old life – away from Will so I don't..."

Celeste swiftly grabbed Chad's arm to make him stop talking. He almost jumped out of his chair. "Chad, your reasons are no longer valid," she observed.

Chad looked down and exhaled calmly before simply stating, "I know."

"There goes Abigail and Ezra," Will stated as he pulled Sonny over towards them.

Sonny looked over the decorations that were set for the reception outside of the Kiriakis mansion. "My great-uncle really went all out for this." When they were close to Abigail and Ezra, he asked, "Did you two just get here?"

Abigail and Ezra nodded their heads. "Yeah, the wedding was beautiful and amazing," Abigail exclaimed.

Sonny agreed but joked, "I'm still getting used to the fact that Victor actually convinced Maggie to marry him." Everyone laughed as Sonny mentally took a deep breath. As happy as he was for his great-uncle, it was a bit of a struggle for him to enjoy himself. Fortunately, Will's presence made it easier.

Placing his arm over Will's shoulder, Ezra pulled Will close as he remembered something. "Hey, I want to run something by you. Would you possibly be interested in playing some indoor soccer this fall? I've talked to a few of the guys, and we're thinking of putting a team together."

Will pulled his arm around and rested it on Ezra's waist. "Let me think about it, and I'll get back to you."

Eric rushed over with his camera in hand instructing, "Everyone move close so I can take a picture." Will and Ezra continued to hold each other while Abigail and Sonny moved to join them. After Eric took their photo, he gave them all a smile and said, "Thanks."

Will patted Ezra on the back as he removed his arm from him. Heading over to his uncle, he questioned, "You're still taking pictures?"

Eric nodded his head. "Yeah, I'll catch up with you later when Maggie and Victor relieve me of picture duty. You're not leaving any time soon, right?"

Will shook his head. "No. I'll be here all night."

"Good," Eric let out patting his nephew on his shoulder. "I need to continue my rounds." Walking off, Eric spotted Kai, Melanie, Nathan, and Brady standing near the drinks. "Everyone say cheese."

Kai, Brady, Melanie, and Nathan grouped together for the picture. After Eric left, Kai turned to Brady and asked, "So did you have a date for the wedding? I didn't see you with anyone at the church."

Brady crossed his arms over his chest as he sighed, "I decided against one."

"I'm so glad you did because I wouldn't have been able to deal with Nicole if she was here," Melanie interrupted the conversation.

Struggling with the fact that people still gave Nicole a hard time, Brady bit his tongue and replied, "Yeah. I'm not dumb."

A bit confused, Nathan asked, "Are you dating Nicole?"

"We are just friends," Brady contended.

Wanting to move the conversation along, Melanie asserted, "I can deal with that, but let's talk about something more uplifting." She spotted Arianna walking by and quickly grabbed Brady's arm. "Look who's alone over there."

Brady removed his arm from Melanie's grasp and shook his head. "Melanie, you know I love you, but you really need to drop this fixation you have about me and Ari. We're barely friends."

Melanie grimaced because she didn't want to hear it. "But what about the fond memories we've made together with Ari?"

"Strip poker at the Horton Cabin," Nathan threw out there with a laugh.

"Exactly!" Melanie responded gleefully. "You had so much fun with Ari!"

As much as Kai wanted to hear more about the strip poker incident, he decided to help Brady out. "We're having fun now, aren't we?"

"We are," Brady said coolly while giving Kai an appreciative smile. "There's no need to talk about the past."

Arianna headed into the mansion and found her brother inside ending a phone call. "Manny, you have a moment to talk?"

Noting his sister's eagerness, Manny showed concern in his face as he questioned, "Is everything okay?"

Arianna looked across the room as she wrung her hands. "I don't know, Manny. Something needs to change. We need to plan something soon..."

"Plan something?" Manny inquired. He didn't like the tense look on his sister's face.

"For you, me and Dario," Arianna clarified. "We need to do something as a family. I feel like I see less of Dario as time passes, and it's just not right."

Manny's mood worsened as he reflected on his brother. Taking responsibility, he confessed, "I take the blame for everything because I am always working. I don't have the time I need to keep this family together."

Arianna didn't mean to make her brother feel bad, but before she could say anything, Bo and Hope came up to them. She hoped they couldn't pick up on their serious conversation even if the interruption annoyed her. "Is something going on?"

Hope shook her head. "No, we thought we would say hi."

"How's security looking?" Bo asked.

Manny looked at his phone and answered, "It's been a quiet evening, and I hope to keep it that way."

Maggie and Victor entered the mansion with Eric and tow because Maggie was set on taking pictures with all the guests. "Everyone gather 'round. We want to take a picture."

At the Brady Pub, EJ, Sami, Azzura, Johnny, and Sydney arrived after spending time together at the zoo. EJ and Sami had promised Johnny and Sydney they would have dinner with Caroline and hoped she was there to deliver on their promise. After Lisa said she would grab Caroline from the back, they found a table and sat down.

Turning to Johnny and Sydney, EJ raised his eyebrows and excitedly told his children, "It looks like your great-grandmother came out of hiding!"

Sydney gave her father a funny look. "Why was she hiding?"

Johnny decided to answer for EJ. "She was playing hide and go seek while we were at the zoo!"

Sami laughed at Johnny's response. "Oh really?"

As Johnny nodded his head with confidence, Azzura leaned back in her chair and reflected on the day. "It is strange how I have adjusted in feeling comfortable living in the United States. I never thought I would when I first moved here."

"It's been almost two years," EJ noted aloud.

Caroline finally walked out from the back and shouted in glee when she saw Johnny and Sydney. "Oh, it's so great to see all of you. Lisa told me you all were here for dinner, so I asked her to bring out some plates of pizza I had in the oven. I am experimenting with some new dishes and recipes for the lunch menu – that's why I didn't go to Victor and Maggie's wedding."

Sami stood up and gave her grandmother a hug. She questioned why Caroline would lie to them and then realized she had a very good reason for not going to Victor and Maggie's wedding. Caroline had a past with Victor. Trying to find out if her hypothesis was correct, she said, "That's odd. When I called the pub earlier today to make dinner plans, Lisa claimed you weren't here."

Caroline jumped a bit realizing she had been caught. With a serious look, she requested, "Please do not say anything to anyone. I went to the penitentiary to visit with Colin."

Azzura attempted to hide her surprise when she heard Caroline mention Colin's name, but there was a noticeable jerk in her head as she watched Sami's grandmother closely. She wondered if Caroline could be useful for her signora. They needed a new way to exchange words with Colin.

EJ scratched his temple and was intrigued that Caroline was still visiting Colin. He was aware of the fact that Bo and Roman forbade her from doing so. "We won't say a word," he promised.

Back at the Moonshine Bar, Chad tried to focus on serving drinks to the customers but struggled due to Celeste's continued presence. She wasn't playing with her tarot cards anymore, but every once in a while Chad would catch her watching and studying him closely. He knew a time would come when he had to completely face the choices he had made, but he didn't expect it to happen like this. Remembering how he went to visit his father for the first time in June, he reflected on what happened while he was there.

Tuesday, June 25th, 2013

Chad secured the door after walking into his father's room at the hidden and mysterious clinic. He took a deep breath and turned to look upon an unconscious Stefano. "I can't believe it," he whispered to himself as he reflected on the contents of his brother's letter. In the letter, EJ revealed Stefano was still alive and although it was great news to hear, Chad struggled heavily because he did not know what it meant for him. A part of him didn't want to know because he was set on running away. Yet, today was a different day. He was ready to face – albeit not completely – what he left behind when he ran away from Salem.

He remained distant from his father as he pondered what he had to do to get here. He looked Stefano over as tears began to fall from his eyes. There was so much he needed to say, but he doubted he could even say it all. "I never thought I would see you again. I never thought this day would come, and I know I messed up when I turned my back on you. I'm so sorry…"

Finally moving closer, Chad took a seat and grabbed his father's hand. "Come back to us. Come back to me, father…" he pleaded. "I desperately want to make everything right."

Chad waited for any kind of response, but he didn't get anything from Stefano. He questioned if his father was even alive and how long he had been here. If it had been the same amount of time since Chad left Salem, maybe Stefano was just wasting away. Suddenly, the door opened causing Chad to stand up and turn so he could see who had come upon him.

Sunday, August 18th, 2013

Alessandro and Kelvin interrupted Chad's thoughts when both slapped their hands on Chad's back. Chad jumped and almost dropped an empty glass. Luckily, his reflexes kicked in, and he managed to keep his grip on it. Turning to his friends, he chided, "What was that for?"

"Dude, where are you?" Kelvin asked. "You have been out of it ever since you talked to that voodoo lady."

Alessandro stepped in with a question he knew Kelvin wanted to know as well. "Do you know the voodoo lady?"

Chad put the glass down and cleared his throat. "Celeste is not a voodoo lady. She's my sister's mother."

"Your sister's mother?" Alessandro repeated to make sure he understood correctly. "Has the past you never want to talk about finally come back to haunt you?"

Chad looked down and scratched the back of his head.

Kelvin tried to get Chad's full attention by waving his hands in front of him, but Chad didn't respond. "Why do you always get awkward when we bring up your past?" Chad still didn't respond, so Kelvin threw out a question that was meant as a joke. "Are you gay or something?"

Chad finally raised his head and peacefully declared, "I'm not gay."

"Whoa, Chad. Why are you so defensive?" Alessandro jokingly called Chad out.

Chad put his hands down in protest and calmly claimed, "I'm not trying to be defensive about it. I just don't want to be labeled because I am more than any of that bullshit."

Before Kelvin and Alessandro could continue giving Chad a hard time, Celeste sashayed to the bar and caught Chad's attention. Keeping her purse close, she stated, "It's time."

Chad watched as Celeste exited the bar. Alessandro and Kelvin decided to go back to work leaving Chad alone behind the bar. After filling another customer's drink order, he thought about Will and wondered what he was doing now. A smile crept on his face as he imagined Will standing in front of him. Will's beautiful smile and his big blue eyes were enough to get Chad going, but what if Will couldn't smile at him anymore? What if things didn't work out as he hoped – as he planned? Looking over the alcohol in front of him, Chad felt the temptation to take a shot to relax his thoughts. After sighing deeply, he glanced over to his boss, Velvet, and questioned if he was really ready to do this.

Maddalena welcomed her grandsons in her mansion with a hug and kiss on their cheeks. After Dario and Ignazio explained they decided to stop by for a minute, she asked, "What do you two have planned for the rest of the evening?"

Dario placed his hands in his pockets as he shared, "Ignazio and I are heading back to the guesthouse to relax."

"How is it living in the guesthouse?" Maddalena pondered. She had asked this very question numerous times before, but she was always interested to know if they were living well together.

Leaning his elbow onto Dario's shoulder, Ignazio replied, "Dario and I are still having a great time there. It is our safe haven in many ways."

Maddalena watched Dario closely to see if he would agree. When she noticed the way Dario's face lit up after Ignazio said that she knew Dario loved his brother. Keeping her emotions in check, she persisted, "I do not want to keep you from your safe haven, so I understand if you two do not stay long."

Dario quickly responded, "I'm not ready to head back just yet because there's something I believe is really important that needs to be discussed."

Ignazio had no idea Dario wanted to talk about something. "What exactly?"

Dario hoped Ignazio would not put a stop to the conversation as he did in the past. He felt a close enough connection with his grandmother now and felt he could get her to talk. "I want to know about my dad – my father."

Maddalena was not ready for this exchange just yet. Trying to dismiss Dario carefully, she protested, "It is not the time to discuss my son. It is not important during this time."

Dario did not plan to let up. "Everywhere I go secrets exist. They exist to destroy families," he charged.

Impressed and pleased by the truth Dario had spoken, Maddalena resolved, "I will answer your questions to the best of my ability."

Dario smiled because he could see the love and respect Maddalena had for him. He knew she most likely remained quiet about André because she wanted to protect him from something, but now she had volunteered to answer his questions. "What was my father like as a child?"

Maddalena paused for a moment as she remembered André as a child. She almost lost control of her emotions but managed to keep her tears from coming out. "André was a very good child. I remember he would often come to me and tell me stories of love. He had a way of making anyone believe that love always won out – I suppose that was the innocence in him as a young child."

Ignazio was surprised to hear that about his father because he had never asked Maddalena that specific question. Even though he was intrigued by this new information, he wanted the questions to stop because he had decided long ago that he didn't want to know more about his father. In Ignazio's mind, André showed a great lack of concern when he walked away from him and his now deceased mother before he was even born. Grabbing Dario's shoulder, he insisted, "We should head to the guesthouse so our nonna can rest."

Dario was not finished though. He asked his next question, "Why did he change? What made him do the evil stuff he is mostly remembered by?"

Maddalena looked to the side and had to take another break before answering. After some time, she turned to Dario and looked directly into his eyes. "I believe it started when his father was taken out of the picture at an early age. It led to an imbalance in our home," she started. Her voice began to break as she continued, "I tried my best to make it better, but André became involved in some bad things, which ultimately led to darkness and his downfall."

"What kind of bad things?" Dario followed up.

Maddalena was having a harder time keeping it together because she did not want her grandson to be disappointed in her. She ignored Dario's question and continued where she left off. Her voice cracked even more. "Part of it was my fault of course. I wish I handled it differently. Maybe things would be different."

Seeing the toll this was taking on his grandmother, Dario realized he couldn't egg this conversation on any longer. Memories of how he pushed his mother before she died played through his mind as he apologized, "Nonna, I am sorry for bringing up the past like this. If you need to take a break from my questions, I understand."

Maddalena caught herself and adjusted her body, so she had more control. "Thank you. I apologize for my weakness in this conversation. I wish there was a way I could talk to you about this with strength and courage, but I fear I am not there yet."

Dario went to Maddalena and gave her a hug. "It must be something heavy if you still feel powerless about it after all these years."

Maddalena could feel the warmth from Dario's touch. Even though she had caught on that Dario had a big heart from the beginning, it still surprised her every time he was near her. "It is heavy, nipote. I hope to keep it away from you and Ignazio because I do not want you to have this burden."

Ignazio remained distant and watched as Dario and Maddalena had a moment. Even though he loved his brother, he couldn't help feeling jealous about their closeness. He wondered if Dario had replaced him.

After dropping the kids off at the mansion with Mary, Sami and EJ arrived at the Kiriakis mansion for Victor and Maggie's wedding reception. Making their way out to the garden, they found Will and Sonny talking alone. "Hey you two. How was the wedding?"

"It was..." Will took a moment to think of the perfect word to describe it. "It was elegant. Yeah. That's the word."

Sami looked the place over and nodded her head. "Of course it was. We're talking Maggie Horton and Victor Kiriakis here."

EJ leaned in on Sami and corrected her. "It's Maggie Kiriakis now sweetheart."

Nodding her head and smirking, Sami conceded, "You are right, but I don't think I will ever get used to calling her that."

Placing his hand on Will's arm, Sonny excused himself. "I'm going to look for Abigail and see if she wants to dance."

Sami watched and waited for Sonny to be gone before asking, "Did I offend him?"

Will shook his head. "Nah. Why would he be?"

"I just wanted to be sure," Sami answered. Moving on, she questioned, "So did we miss anything big?"

Will nodded his head. "Maggie and Victor have already had their first dance. Oh, and Abigail caught the bouquet."

Leaning into EJ, Sami commented, "That's the third one she's caught. Maybe she'll finally meet the man she's supposed to marry."

EJ gave Sami a kiss upon the cheek and joked, "Have you been keeping tabs on poor Abigail? You're not going to get involved, are you?"

Sami slightly rolled her eyes at EJ. "No. I don't think anyone needs romantic advice from me... well, except for Will here."

Will got nervous and stepped back to distance himself. "I'm good, mom. Thanks though."

As Sami gave Will a teasing smile, EJ stepped in to change the subject. "How is your internship in Chicago?"

Will got excited and shared, "Actually, there's a major star coming in. I've done a lot of work to prepare for that over the summer, and it's my last big project for my internship!"

Noting how Will's demeanor changed to a more open one, EJ wondered, "Are we allowed to know who the major star is?"

After checking in with his parents, Sonny finally caught up with Abigail, who was talking to Chelsea. "Hello ladies. Where are your dates?"

Chelsea took a sip of her drink before responding, "I considered bringing a date, but the guy I wanted to ask hinted he had plans already."

Abigail gave Chelsea a playful look while nudging Sonny. "I think I know who you're talking about. I bet Sonny does as well."

Sonny nodded his head to confirm he had an idea.

Chelsea kept mum on the guy and turned the conversation on Abigail. "Since Ezra is your date tonight, does that mean things are official between the two of you?"

"Ezra and I are only friends and co-workers," Abigail began before attempting to return the focus onto Chelsea. "We're talking about you and your guy though."

Stuck on Abigail's answer about Ezra, Sonny wasn't ready to let that go. "You're using your internship as an excuse not to pursue Ezra," he noted aloud.

Chelsea could see Abigail suddenly felt uncomfortable and decided to help her friend out. "What about you, Sonny? Where's your date?"

Sonny turned around and pointed to Will, who was still talking to his mom and EJ. "Will and I came together. I've really missed him," he shared with a smile.

Sitting alone at a table, Arianna kept her eye on Sonny, Chelsea, and Abigail. Dario was still on her mind, and she wondered if Dario was so distant because of Manny's proximity to the Kiriakis family. It probably didn't help that she and Manny also lived in a Kiriakis owned condo.

"May we join you?" Maggie asked as she took a seat. "My feet are tired, and I am ready to get out of this dress."

Arianna sat up in her chair and turned to Maggie and Victor. "I can imagine. I bet that even though it's been a long day, you're probably on cloud nine."

Victor took Maggie's hand and smiled. "I am. Today has been absolutely beautiful."

Maggie loved seeing the soft side of Victor and squeezed his hand. Turning to Arianna, Maggie shared, "Victor has said so many wonderful things about you, Arianna. I have to say I have witnessed your dedication and strength. I just wanted you to know that."

Though somewhat surprised, Arianna appreciated the kind words and chose to return the favor. "You are probably getting this a lot, but the wedding was really beautiful. It's great you two found each other."

As Maggie and Victor looked lovingly into each other's eyes, Melissa and Sarah walked over with Nathan, Melanie, and Nicholas. Placing her hand on her mother's shoulder, Melissa asked, "Do you want to go in and change into something comfortable?"

"Eric has finished with pictures," Sarah added.

Maggie nodded her head and gave Victor a quick kiss. "I will be down in a moment. My feet need rest from these heels."

Standing up with Maggie, Victor announced, "I'll go check in with Manny while you do that."

After Maggie, Victor, Sarah, and Melissa walked off, Melanie, Nathan, and Nicholas sat with Arianna. Putting on a smile as if she didn't have a care in the world, Melanie jabbered, "I love it when everyone can get together like this. It's nice to be around friends and family."

Nathan traded a glance with Nicholas as he took his wife's hand. He wondered if Melanie was thinking about Daniel because she seemed to avoid talking about him recently. "Yeah. I'm definitely going to miss my mom when she leaves in the morning."

Melanie continued sharing her thoughts to Arianna, "I think it would be great if we planned a dinner party soon at my house. You could bring Manny and Dario."

Arianna nodded her head as she began to feel overwhelmed about Dario again. "I'll try to keep my schedule clear for you guys, but I cannot make any promises."

Jennifer stepped off of the hospital elevator and examined the area in search for Lexie. Finding her near the nurse's station, she walked over and revealed, "I called ahead and talked to Maxine. She said your shift ended hours ago. I'm here to take you to the reception."

Lexie wrapped her arms to keep her lab coat closed as she claimed, "I can't go because I'm not ready."

Jennifer gently put her hands on Lexie's arms to make her drop them. Opening Lexie's coat, she revealed that Lexie was already dressed for the reception. "What are you talking about? You look amazing."

Trying to keep her wits about her, Lexie argued, "That's not what I meant. I'm not ready because I don't want to celebrate a marriage when I've lost mine."

Jennifer could see Lexie had been crying earlier and took her hand, so they could sit down. After they took a seat, she pulled Lexie close. "You've been thinking about Abe."

Lexie gave her friend a crazy look. "Of course. This week marks a year since Abe died, and I can't handle it. I feel just as confused about his death a year later. I don't get it."

Taking Lexie's hand again, Jennifer reflected on the fact that it had been almost a year since she heard from Daniel, but she had more important things to focus on. Her dear friend was dealing with a lot, and she wanted to do whatever she could to help. "I'm sure there are a lot of questions running through your mind, and I wish there was a way we could find out why Abe died. Maybe you need to take some time off again to focus on healing from your grief."

Lexie shook her head and disagreed. "I can't do that. As much as people like to say it, time doesn't heal all wounds. It doesn't get easier and there are times I want the world to end."

Jennifer's concern grew and became adamant in her response. "Lexie, I think you should reconsider taking time off. It may be beneficial. I'm worried about you. Are you taking care of yourself?"

Lexie sighed and took a moment to collect her thoughts and emotions. She had done so well in not allowing her depression to show through, but with everyone talking about Victor and Maggie's wedding, she was reminded of the anniversary she wouldn't get to celebrate with Abe anymore. That led to the realization that she would celebrate a new anniversary concerning Abe: his death. Letting go of Jennifer's hand, she finally maintained, "I cannot take off work. I need to think about Theo and his future. I'll be fine."

Jennifer sat there in silent defeat for a moment. She wished she could magically make everything better for Lexie, but she knew she couldn't. Remembering how her grandmother, Alice, used to help her during times of grief, she got an idea. "We don't have to go to the reception. We could go to the donut shop, drink some coffee, and eat fresh-baked donuts. What do you say? Let's get out of this hospital."

Lexie let out a deep breath and nodded her head. She wanted to get out of there and appreciated Jennifer for not pushing her.

At the DiMera guesthouse, Dario and Ignazio sat on the couch after spending time with their grandmother, Maddalena. Scratching his head, Dario voiced, "Nonna shared some interesting information about André tonight – even if it was limited. Why did you keep me in the dark?"

Ignazio had gotten over his jealousy with Maddalena and Dario's closer relationship. Reflecting on what Maddalena shared, he thought about the positive things he heard about André. He turned to his brother and answered honestly, "I wanted to protect you, fratello."

"Is there anything else you are trying to protect me from?" Dario inquired.

Before Ignazio could say anything there was a knock on the door. He stood up to answer the door, but Marco came in by himself. "Marco, what are your reasons for intruding this way?"

As Dario stood up, Marco informed them, "I am doing a sweep over the whole property and wanted to make sure you two were safe."

Giving Marco an interested look, Dario probed, "Is something going on? You have never checked in with us like this before."

Not wanting to say too much, Marco kept things vague. "Things may be changing soon, and I want to make sure nothing goes unnoticed," he shared before leaving.

Dario and Ignazio glanced at each other wondering what change could be coming.

Upstairs at the Kiriakis Mansion, Brady and Eric walked out of a bedroom and into a hall. "That should do it. When do you think you'll come by to do the photo shoot?"

Eric looked down the hall. "Maggie said she wants me to do all the rooms, so she can have a record of what they look like before they are renovated. I guess I will do it sometime this week when she and Victor are on their honeymoon."

Brady patted Eric on the back. "I'll make sure Henderson and Manny know. It's great you moved back to Salem in time for the wedding to offer your services at the last-minute since the other photographer didn't work out."

"Yeah, I am glad I could help out as well," Eric stated.

Scratching his cheek with his finger, Brady asked, "Have you talked to Sami at all?"

Eric shook his head. "Not yet. I know Sami and I will have to talk about our distance soon, but I want to hold off until I've settled in more."

"Good luck with that," Brady said as he raised his eyebrows. Motioning for them to head back down the stairs, he said, "I'm ready to head down if you are."

Eric looked towards the balcony and spotted Will standing out there alone. "Actually, you can go ahead. I told Will I would talk to him one on one tonight."

After Brady headed down, Eric walked outside onto the balcony. "What are you doing out here alone?"

Will turned around and smiled when he saw his uncle. "Oh. Sonny disappeared. I was looking for him and ended up here. It's nice to get some fresh air alone."

"Am I intruding?" Eric checked in with his nephew.

Will continued to smile. "No. I'm excited to have you back in Salem, and this is our first opportunity to really talk."

Eric smiled as well, and he agreed. "My first day back has been quite busy."

Will could see Eric was a bit overwhelmed by the events of the day. "I wish I could help you settle back in."

"It would be nice, but you'll be back in Salem in no time," Eric excused his nephew. "How is the internship?"

Will couldn't help but gush about his internship every time someone asked him about it. "It is amazing! I'm learning so much more being in that studio, and the producer has been awesome in letting me learn first-hand how everything works."

Eric enjoyed seeing Will so passionate about something. "I am still amazed at how grown up you are. Not that I ever doubted you'd grow up to be passionate about anything considering who your mom is. I just enjoy watching you live this life and grow from all the struggles."

"You do?"

Eric nodded his head. "Yeah. It's a great time for you to live through. Change is happening everywhere, and people are now more accepting of everyone. The Supreme Court ruled against DOMA in June, and that's great, right?"

Will quickly agreed with Eric. "It is great. It's wonderful really. Sonny and I sort of doubted we would see the day that happened."

Eric patted Will on his shoulder. "You are a great guy, Will, and you deserve happiness just as much as the next guy. How are you and Sonny handling it all?"

Will grabbed the back of his neck as he replied, "We're just taking it one day at a time and see what happens. Who knows? Maybe they'll legalize gay marriage here."

"Maybe," Eric let out with a grin.

Will looked up to the sky at the moon and marveled, "I finally feel better about my future. I know everything will work out as it should."

The Moonshine Bar was now closed. Chad leaned in on the bar and took a deep breath before heading over to talk to Velvet, who was looking over the jukebox. "Do you need help with that?"

Velvet looked up at Chad. "Yeah, I want to get this thing moved for Karaoke Night tomorrow."

"Sure." Chad helped lift the jukebox to move it to a different corner. "So are you only doing karaoke tomorrow?"

Placing her hand on the jukebox, Velvet answered, "No, we are also having open mic night." After plugging in the jukebox again, she put her hands on her hips and noted Chad seemed nervous about something. "I have a feeling you're not going to make any performances tomorrow," she said with some sadness.

Chad tried to keep things positive by allowing a small grin to appear upon his face. "I never have performed, but tomorrow will be different."

Taking Chad's hand, Velvet acknowledged, "I knew you were mine for a short time. I'm going to miss you, Chad Grace."

Chad's smile disappeared because this was harder than he thought it would be. "I'm going to miss you and everyone else here," he replied.

Velvet patted his hand as she questioned, "Are you ready to face your past?"

Chad shook his head because she didn't understand what he was doing. "No. I'm not facing my past; I'm facing my future."

Velvet beamed at Chad because of how far he had come since she first met him. With a nod, she shared, "I'm glad to hear that – truly. I think this is cause for celebration." Raising her voice, she yelled out so Alessandro and Kelvin could hear, "We're going to IHOP tonight fellas! We're celebrating Chad's exodus!"

Chad scratched the back of his head while giving Velvet an appreciative look. "You really don't have to do this."

"I know," Velvet quipped. "After you and the guys take out the trash, we'll grab some late-night breakfast."

Lowering his hand, Chad rushed off to help Alessandro and Kelvin with the trash. When they were outside with the trash, Chad decided he needed to say something to the guys about his leaving. "Are you guys going to be okay without me?"

Kelvin punched Chad in the arm. "Man, the real question is can you make it without us?"

Alessandro threw the trash in the dumpster and decided to share his thoughts. "I think you're making a mistake going back. You should stay here – with us."

Even though he felt guilty for leaving like this, Chad maintained, "I've waited too long for this." A sudden pull entered Chad's body causing him to look into the sky. Landing his eyes on the bright yellow moon, he reflected on his journey thus far. "It's time to move forward and make my future my present."