document: [Stirring music]
  Kate: Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to offer my condolences.
  Victor: I'm fine. Go to work.
  Kate: Victor. You don't have to pretend with me.I know that you're not just mourning caroline's death. You're mourning the chance to be with the one great love of your life.
  [Phone ringing]
  [Tense music]
  [Phone line trills, beeps]
  Hope: Straight to voicemail.
  [Gasps]
  Ted: Xander. It's nicole. She knocked me out. Look, I don't know why or how I ended up here, but... look, I'm glad you found me.
  Xander: Mate, you might want to rethink that sentiment, because I'm not here to rescue you. I'm here to end you.
  Ted: Hey. Hey, you have no reason to kill me!
  Xander: Actually, I do. My partner insists. I'm sorry, teddy. You know too damn much.
  Nicole: Oh, I'm sorry...
  Sami: Who the hell do you think you are?
  Nicole: I beg your pardon?
  Sami: Okay, look. I shouldn't have started with that. Nicole, I am sorry about holly.
  Nicole: Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get to work.
  Sami: No way. I'm not gonna let you get away with blaming my brother for her death.
  Rex: [Chuckles] Give me one good reason why you don't want to marry me right now.
  [Gentle music]
  [Music darkens]
  Sami: This is about you, eric. I want you to be happy, and I think sarah could make you happy. She seems lovely, so you should go after her.
  Eric: I'm glad you're here. I need to say something to sarah, and you need to hear this too.
  Male announcer: Like sands through the hourglass, so are the "days of our lives."
  [Soft orchestration]
  Hope: Brady.
  Brady: Sorry.
  Hope: [Stammers] You took me totally by surprise.
  Brady: I know. I didn't mean to do that. I'm sorry. I'm also sorry--very sorry-- about caroline.
  Hope: Thank you. What are you doing here?
  Brady: I'm here to talk to nicole. I got some very surprising news. Something about her taking a job at dimera. Why are you here?
  Hope: I'm looking for ted laurent.
  Ted: Your partner... it's nicole walker. It has to be.
  Xander: Give the man a prize. How does a bullet to the brain sound?
  Ted: Xander, stop, please.
  Xander: Like I said, you already know too much, and now that you've figured out that nicole and I are in cahoots, well, that's just one more reason for you to die.
  Ted: No. Hey. We can work out some kind of a deal.
  Xander: And why would I want to do that? You've been a very naughty boy, ted. Sneaking into my room and taking things that don't belong to you.
  Ted: Holly's original autopsy report-- the one that proves she did not really die in that car crash. When I showed it to nicole, that's when she knocked me out and dragged me down here.
  Xander: Well, she had a little bit of help with that, thank you very much.
  Ted: Xander, all I said was we need to tell the news to everyone about holly. But she said no. I just don't understand why-- why she would want to have everyone believe that her daughter is dead. Why?
  Nicole: I am not getting into this with you.
  Sami: Listen, you are going to hear me out, nicole. Losing your child is the worst sort of grief. And I know better than anyone that grief can make you say and do terrible things, but nicole, this is not eric's fault. He loved and adored your daughter. He is devastated--
  Nicole: Just save it. I've heard the sob story already.
  Sami: It isn't a sob story. It is the truth.
  Nicole: Look, I don't know what your brother told you, but all I know when I was trapped in that fire: I asked him to do one thing, and that was to take care of my daughter. He swore that he would protect her, and now she's dead.
  Sami: Okay. He's devastated by that. I mean, he feels terrible. He--
  Nicole: Okay, eric couldn't keep his promise. He failed at it, okay? So as far as I'm concerned, he is the reason my daughter is gone.
  Sami: I'm so sorry.
  Nicole: And I don't care! Just get the hell out of my face.
  Eric: Sarah, I...
  Rex: Eric, listen. I totally want to hear what you have to say, but I just--I have this news-- we have this news--
  Sarah: Wait, rex. We should--wait, wait, wait.
  Rex: I don't want to wait any longer, honey. Listen. Sarah and I, we're getting married. Right now.
  Nicole: I know you've been off in europe smothering ej, so I'm gonna do you a favor and I'm gonna get you up to speed. I told eric over and over again, I don't care how many times he apologizes or how many tears he weeps. I will never forgive him for letting my daughter die in that crash.
  Sami: That is so not fair.
  Nicole: Oh, you wanna know what's not fair? Eric being too weak and too stupid to come through for me. "Oh, I don't know if I'll be a great dad, and I'm the drunk that killed daniel"--
  Sami: Okay, stop it.
  Nicole: "And oh, now i got so scared from that stupid letter that I have nicole's baby to chloe, the stupid bimbo, and I let holly move in to the dimera mansion, where she might be kidnapped by a drug cartel and blown to bits. So what?"
  Sami: What are you talking about? If eric could go back and change it, he would.
  Nicole: Well, he can'T. So why don't you get this through your thick head. It is over between me and eric. Oh, and just hearing him weep and grovel makes me sick to my stomach, so I'm going to tell you and everyone else all over again: I don't want him.
  Sami: Wait a second. He doesn't want you either.
  Nicole: Oh, look at that. He's giving up just like he did on holly. Well, I'm here to tell you, thank god he finally took a hint.
  Sami: You are unbelievable. I mean, I get it. Grief does crazy things to people, but unbelievably, grief has made you an even bigger bitch. So I don't feel bad about telling you what I really think.
  Nicole: Oh, goodie.
  Sami: When eric told me that he'd finally, finally given up on any sort of future with you, I celebrated. I celebrated the fact that he was finally gonna be free of your baby-stealing, child-snatching, soul-sucking drama. Thank god. He can finally move on and forget all about you and he can finally find a woman who will appreciate what a wonderful man he is.
  Nicole: Oh, oh, can I guess? Can I guess? Would that be sarah horton?
  Eric: Getting married now?
  Rex: Well, I've been--I've been trying to convince my beautiful fiancée here there's no better time than the present. And obviously, we didn't want to do anything while will was in the middle of his crisis, but now that he's through it, why wait?
  Eric: What about dad? You know, and kate and maggie?
  Rex: No, no, I understand, but we talked about all that and, um... they want us to have a big wedding, and we don't want that. And plus, think about it, man. The timing is really bad right now because dad just lost his mom, and maggie is still heartsick over holly, and my mom wants to be there for will.
  Eric: Right. It--it's kind of all of the sudden, don't you think?
  Rex: Yeah, but... if I learned anything from watching sonny and will all throughout will's situation, it's that your life can change in an instant. And you should never postpone happiness. You know? And there are so many things in my life that I thought were important, and they're just not important to me anymore. Like...sarah. Like, all I want is you. All I ever want is you. You are--you're a brilliant doctor, but even more than that, you're a phenomenal woman. I mean, you're here. You're from here. Salem. And you--you're a spaz when you dance. And you play darts with me at 2:00 in the morning and--and kick my ass, by the way. And you're never afraid to speak your mind and be who you are. And who you are, quite frankly, is a person that I don't deserve.
  Sarah: Rex--
  Rex: No, listen. When I hurt you, you had every right, every reason in the world to walk away and kick me out of your life forever, and being faced with that, being faced with losing the best thing that ever happened to me, I... I couldn't deal with it. I knew I needed to win you back, and I didn't know how. And the person that helped me the most with that, more than anyone else... was my brother eric.
  Eric: No, I--
  Rex: No, listen. You took me and you let me crash at your place. And you talked to me and you listened to me. And you, above all else, encouraged me to never stop fighting for sarah. And your love for nicole through the good times and the bad, man--even through death, you never gave up on her. Nothing and no one was gonna make you give up, and... that kind of love... that's an inspiration.
  [Soft music]
  Victor: Thank you for your kind words, but I know you didn't come all the way over here to express your sympathies.
  Kate: Well, actually, we do have some business to discuss. I just learned that stefan has hired nicole to bring basic black back from the dead.
  Victor: Yes, I did hear that unfortunate piece of news.
  Hope: I don't know. I've been calling, texting. Ted is completely mia.
  Brady: Well, when was the last you heard from him?
  Hope: Last night. He left me a message saying he had good news about nicole. He said he needed to talk to her first and he'd come find me, but the thing is, he never did, which is why I decided to come here today--to see if nicole had seen him or talked to ted. She said she hadn't, and then she just rushed off.
  Brady: Well, that's just weird.
  Hope: It gets even weirder. After she left, I called ted's phone, and I heard a phone ringing in nicole's room.
  Brady: Well, now, come on. That has to be a coincidence, right?
  Hope: My gut says it's not.
  Brady: You think that ted laurent is in nicole's room?
  Hope: At the very least, his phone might be.
  Brady: Well, there's one way to find out. Call again and see if it rings.
  Hope: My thoughts exactly. Great minds do think alike, don't they?
  [Phone line trilling]
  Xander: As much as I would love to stick around here and have you interrogate me all day, I have other matters to attend to, so let's get--
  Ted: Wait! Xander, wait. Look, I have something for you.
  Xander: Don't even think about it.  Announcer  do you push through migraine?
  [Phone line trilling]
  Brady: You hear anything?
  Hope: Nothing.
  [Ominous music]
  Brady: See? Coincidence.
  Hope: Maybe.
  Brady: I'll walk you out.
  Ted: I'm not armed. I just have something in my pocket I want to show you.
  Xander: Thanks, but no thanks.
  Ted: Xander, it is of great monetary value.
  Xander: Okay. Slowly.
  [Tense music] [Laughs] A bribe? Really, ted? I could just shoot you and take the necklace.
  Ted: It's true. It's true. But I want you to consider this very expensive piece of jewelry as a small token of my true value.
  Xander: I used to deal in diamonds, and that bling is the real deal, but I have no use for it.
  Ted: Okay, how about a free pass with the law? Do you have a use for that?
  Xander: Meaning what?
  Ted: Look, I have a standing from the new police commissioner and the new mayor to return as salem's da permanently. You gotta agree with me. I would be much more valuable to you alive than dead.
  Kate: So what do you make of it? Stefan hiring nicole.
  Victor: Nothing good.
  Kate: You know, gabi hernandez told me that she overheard nicole on the phone the other day. She was telling someone that she almost has everything she ever wanted and they better not screw it up.
  Victor: So you think nicole was talking to xander?
  Kate: Well, I don't know. Could be. Remember, I saw them shaking hands together outside of her room. Now she's working for dimera. He works for titan. Maybe--maybe they are working together-- working together using both companies for some secret ends.
  Victor: Well, I've learned not to underestimate either one of those nitwits. What they lack in intellect, they make up for in bad intentions. No, I can't afford any distractions right now.
  Kate: I assume you're talking about maggie. How is she doing?
  Victor: She's going to meetings, but I'm still very concerned. When she was on that bender, she went over to nicole's room at the salem inn. She swears that kristen dimera answered the door.
  Kate: [Exhales emphatically] Well, kristen's dead, so...
  Victor: Some people see pink elephants. Maggie sees the devil in a red dress.
  Nicole: I already gave sarah and eric my blessing. I just pray that they get together soon so everyone gets off my back.
  Sami: Well, for once, we actually agree on something. You are such a heartless slut, and you have chewed and spit out more men than you can count. I'm thrilled that you're gonna end up alone and that eric can finally move on and leave you in his dust. Just like brady did. Oh, yes. I heard all about the way you threw yourself at brady right after your daughter's funeral.
  Nicole: That is none of your business.
  Sami: Hurts, doesn't it? Knowing brady won't touch you with a ten-foot-pole.
  Nicole: [Grunts] You bitch!
  Sami: Yeah, you started it, but I'm gonna finish it.
  Nicole: Agh!
  Sami: What is that?
  Nicole: [Grunts, gasps]
  [Intense music]
  Eric: I fought to be with nicole, but she doesn't want to be with me now for the role I played in holly's death, and that may never change.
  Rex: Sarah hated me after I broke her heart. And with eric's help, I was able to win you back. So you know what we gotta do? We gotta help eric win back nicole.
  Eric: I'm not sure that's what I want now. Get ready for the insurance-themed experience
  Rex: Wha--isn't nicole the love of your life like sarah's the love of mine?
  [Somber music]
  Eric: Yes.
  Sarah: [Clears throat] You know what? You're right. There's no reason to wait. Let's get married. Let's do it right now.
  Rex: That'S... [Laughs] Awesome. Sounds great. You know what? I was gonna ask the chaplain to marry us, but it should be the man that brought you and me back together again. It should be you, eric.
  Kate: So maggie hallucinated kristen dimera?
  Victor: In a bright red dress.
  Kate: [Exhales] Really? That sounds like the alcohol talking. And it certainly is calling me. What would you like? A double?
  Victor: No, I can'T. I've decided to abstain at home to support maggie.
  Kate: Well, what maggie doesn't know won't hurt her.
  Victor: As I said yesterday, it's going to be very difficult to give up my cocktails.
  Kate: [Laughs] Well, your secret's safe with me.
  Victor: I'm more concerned about the secrets that xander and nicole may be keeping.
  Kate: Well... actually... I think I know a way to--to ease your mind.
  Xander: As much as I like the idea of having the da in my debt, that sounds like the long game and my partner has a rather short fuse.
  Ted: Nicole does seem rather unstable, xander.
  Xander: She's downright nuts. If I defy her orders to kill you, then there's a good chance I'll be on the business end of a gun myself.
  Ted: Nicole doesn't have to know.
  Xander: It's not worth the risk. Good-bye, ted.
  Ted: You can't do it, can you?
  Nicole: It's nothing.
  Sami: Well, it's not nothing. It is something, and I'm gonna find out what it--
  Nicole: Get off me, sami!
  [Both screaming at once]
  Brady: What the hell are you doing? What are you doing?
  Sami: That crazy bitch is hiding something! You try hard,
  Ted: Xander, I don't blame you for not being able to pull the trigger. I have represented many murderers through my career, and the act of killing always haunts them forever.
  Xander: Trust me, I won't lose any sleep over this.
  Ted: I don't believe that. You have a conscience. I can see this.
  Xander: Stop talking.
  Ted: Really, xander? A hired gun? A hit man? This is not what you want to do. You want respect.
  Xander: I'll have you know that I am a high-ranking executive at titan industries.
  Ted: Really? Yet there you are, following orders, xander.
  Xander: It wasn't my idea, okay? I... I don't want your blood on my hands, and not because I've gone soft. It happens to work directly against my goal.
  Ted: This is about a woman.
  Xander: Sarah horton. I've been trying to impress her. And handing that diary over so she could save her cousin's life, that scored me some major points. But then you went and stole that autopsy report. So now I'm stuck down here doing nicole's dirty work instead of up there proving myself to sarah.
  Ted: Xander! I made a mistake.
  Xander: A big one. Your sticky fingers got us into this mess, and unfortunately for you...
  Ted: Come on.
  Xander: There's no way out.
  Eric: I'm not a priest anymore.
  Rex: Yeah, but you told me a lot of your former parishioners asked you to perform their ceremonies, so you got ordained online.
  Eric: Yes, but... is this what you want?
  Sarah: Um, eric... you and I have gotten so close, and... what I want... what I really want in my heart is... for you to perform the ceremony where I make a lifetime commitment to your brother.
  Rex: This is so great. We're gonna have a wedding! Tell you what? We are gonna go get changed and we'll meet you in the chapel.
  Ted: Xander, think about sarah. You're a hero in her eyes. Don't ruin it by killing me.
  Xander: She'll never know.
  Ted: No, but you will. You will, xander. And even if you win her over, you'll always have that secret. Always. You will always know that you're not truly worthy of her. Sarah deserves to be more than just another con job. Doesn't she feel like you want to be a better man for real? Come on, xander.
  Xander: She does. You know, I've been with a lot of women, but... sarah's the first one that ever made me want to change my ways.
  Ted: Well, I... I completely understand that. That was my only motivation to bring that autopsy report back to nicole-- is to show hope brady that I am worthy of her love.
  Xander: Look at us. Two bad boys trying to win the love of a good woman. You know, if this gets out, our reputations will be ruined.
  Ted: I won't tell if you won'T.
  Xander: Like I said, I'm not going soft... but you do make a compelling case, counselor. So... I've decided to let you live. At least for another day.
  Ted: Xander, wait. I bought that necklace for hope. I want you to have it. Give it to sarah. Show her how dedicated you are to becoming a better man.
  Xander: Cheers.
  Sami: There is something weird on nicole's neck, but she won't let me see it.
  Nicole: It's a scar, okay? One of the many horrible reminders of what happened the night I almost died in the fire. And after everything that happened with ej, I would think you would be more sensitive.
  Sami: Well, I'm not. So let me see it.
  [All shouting at once]
  Nicole: I'm not ready to let anyone see my body, okay? You know what? Fine. Sami, if you really need to see it--
  Brady: No, no, hold on, hold on. No. It's not necessary.
  Sami: The hell it's not.
  [All talking at once]
  Lucas: Enough. Come on. Let's go.
  Sami: Lucas, I don't think we should go.
  Brady: Go.
  Sami: You are not getting away with this, nicole.
  Brady: Well... sami hasn't lost any of her aggressiveness, as you can see. This isn't about some scars, though, is it?
  Nicole: No. It was just mostly about eric. I am so tired of having to defend how I feel about him. And just like I told you and everyone else, it's over.
  Brady: I know. You told me that, but I... I still think you're gonna change your mind about that in time, nicole. Look, listen. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something, because this surprised me. Did stefan offer you a job?
  Nicole: A good one.
  Brady: Okay, well, why would you work at dimera when you could come work for me?
  Kate: You know, nicole lives near me now. I can stop by her room, find a way to get in, and take a look around.
  Victor: If you could do that, I would be very grateful.
  Kate: Hey, anything to support titan's bottom line.
  Victor: Ah, well, I'm not so much concerned about the company as I am about my grandson. I think nicole's trying to seduce him.
  Kate: Oh, come on. It's very hard to believe he would go anywhere near that again.
  Victor: Wouldn't you think? After all the time I've spent warning him about that harpy. It seems that all my warnings have fallen on deaf ears.
  Brady: Nicole, don't work for stefan. Okay? The guy's a dirtbag and he's running dimera into the ground.
  Nicole: I'm going to help him right the ship.
  Brady: [Sighs] I don't want you to waste your talent on him. I want you to work for titan. I could use your skills and your--and your passion.
  Nicole: I'm nothing if not passionate. So... if you're willing to work with me... am I wrong to think there's a chance for us to be together again? Once- daily toujeo helps you control your blood sugar.
  Brady: You know--you know I can't do this, right?
  Nicole: Why not? Why? You obviously still feel our connection.
  Brady: Look at me. You're grieving. And you're just trying to find something safe and familiar right now.
  Nicole: Brady, almost dying changed me. My needs. My desires. I want to start over... with you.
  Brady: Even--no. Even if that was true, I'm not... I'm not gonna hurt eric again. The man loves you. And I don't think you're gonna realize it for a long time, nicole, but you do love him too. And I can't--I'm not-- I can't get in the way of that.
  Nicole: I understand. And I... I guess you've given me a reason to turn down your offer. And you're right. I mean, working side by side every day... it could be hurtful to eric.
  Brady: So you're gonna sticl with dimera.
  Nicole: I'm afraid so. But, brady... you are still the one and only person in this town that I trust.
  Brady: Well, then maybe you could share with me you're good news.
  Nicole: [Laughs nervously] What do you mean?
  Brady: What do I mean? I ran into hope earlier, in the... salem inn--actually, in the hallway outside of your room, and she was looking for ted laurent, and apparently, ted had some good news for you?
  Nicole: Oh, well, I'm-- as I told hope, I mean, I have no idea what ted wanted. I guess we'll just have to wait and--and see. Well, you know, I'm not really feeling so good since I-- my run-in with sami. I'm gonna...I'm gonna go.
  Brady: Hold on, hold on. I'll let you go--I'll let you go in just--it's really strange because when I ran into hope, she was calling ted and she swore that she heard a phone ringing inside of your room. She tried--she tried his number again and didn't hear anything, but I think she's wondering about it. It's-- what's going on?
  Nicole: [Laughing] Brady. That was probably my phone. I mean, I left it in my room by mistake.
  Brady: Yeah. I figured it was probably A... coincidence. You know.
  Nicole: Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go lie down.
  [Mysterious music]
  Sami: How dare she treat eric like that? I mean, he was willing to die for her.
  Lucas: She just lost a child. Cut her some slack?
  Sami: I tried, lucas. I really did try. Nicole was ice cold.
  Lucas: She's in pain. That's how people react.
  Sami: I have been going toe to toe with nicole walker for half of my life, and eric's right. There's something different about that woman. I mean, I can't put my finger on it, but she is hiding something, and it is more than just that stupid scar.
  Kate: [Scoffs] Out of power.
  Xander: [Exhales] I can't wait to see this around sarah's beautiful neck.
  [Sinister music] So there you are with your depression
  [Pensive music]
  Ted: Before we go in, I'd like to give you something. Now that your divorce is almost final, maybe you could accept my gift. Nice move, monsieur laurent. You got xander to take that necklace. Now... I have to pray that somehow hope will see it, come rescue me before it's too late.
  Xander: You really shouldn't sneak up on people like that.
  Hope: Why is that? You up to no good, xander?
  Xander: Me? Never. But you know, this town-- chock-full of criminals. Naughty people everywhere.
  [Stirring music]
  Victor: I was right about nicole walker... she's slept with everyone else. Now she's sleeping with the
  Brady: If you're talking about her new job at dimera, I know all about it. She's not a threat.
  Victor: Oh, wake up, brady. You should have learned by now that that woman is always a threat.
  Kate: Come on. Come on, nicole. Give me something.
  [Intriguing music] Well, well, well. This was definitely something that you didn't want people to see. So you do have a secret.
  [Chuckles]
  [Building music]
  Sami: I just wish I knew what nicole was hiding.
  Lucas: It's not healthy for you. Just forget about it, okay? We need to say good-bye to will anyway.
  Sami: Hey, how am I supposed to just forget about nicole walker and what she is doing?
  Lucas: When you came back to salem, you thought this was the last time you were gonna see will, right? And what happened? A miracle happened, so count your blessings, okay? He's gonna be fine.
  Sami: You're right. Of course you're right. I should just go back to europe, back to ej, and be happy with will being healthy, but... I hope I can just move on with my life. I hope eric does the same thing, you know? He deserves it. Maybe he can find his happily ever after with someone else.
  Lucas: There you go.
  Eric: I can't believe this is happening. How can I marry rex and sarah? You look beautiful.
  Sarah: Thanks. [Laughs] I didn't really have much time to put myself together. Rex's idea to do this right away kind of took me by surprise. Um... earlier, you said that you had to tell me something. What was it?
  Rex: All right, brother. Do your thing. Make sarah and i husband and wife.
  [Lock clicks]
  Nicole: [Sighs]
  [Intense music]
summary: Kate went to see Victor about what happened to Caroline. Xander was prepared to kill Ted. Hope showed up at the Inn and called Ted. She heard his phone ring in "Nicole's" room. Brady snuck up on her and scared her. Xander let Ted know why Ted had to die. Ted didn't understand why Nicole wanted her child dead. Sami ran into Kristen at the town square. Sami tried to plead Eric's case, but she wasn't hearing it. Sami apologized to her, but she didn't want to hear it. She wanted Sami out of her face. Rex told Eric that he and Sarah were getting married. Kristen told Sami that she wouldn't forgive Eric for what happened to Holly. Sami didn't think it was fair that she felt that way. Kristen mocked what Eric said to her. Sami couldn't understand why she was saying what she said. Kristen told her that she didn't want him anymore. Sami was shocked by what Kristen was saying. Sami was glad that Eric was finally going to be free of her. She was thankful that Eric moved on from her. Kristen assumed that he would move on with Sarah. Rex told Eric why he and Sarah were getting married. Eric wondered why they were rushing it. Rex expressed how he felt about Sarah. Victor thanked Kate for what she told him about Caroline. He knew that she wanted something else. Hope explained to Brady what happened to Ted. Hope let Brady know that her gut told her that his phone was in Kristen's place. Xander let Ted know that he had business to finish. Ted grabbed for his pocket, but Xander put the gun on him. Brady suggested that Hope call Ted's phone again. She did, but the phone didn't ring. They realized they were wrong and left. Ted wanted to show Xander the necklace he bought for Hope. Xander didn't want the necklace. He offered him his services since Eve wanted him to be the DA again.