I Can Match You Annoyance For Annoyance

Marlena wanders and wonders. More wondering than wandering. She opens a mystery door and sees John lying in bed with a dagger sticking out of his chest and blood oozing. "Aahhh," she thinks, "Salem Serial Killer... those were the good old days."

Marlena screams and wakes up on the plane, "I had a bad dream," she says, "I dreamed I was an actress and trapped for life in a second-rate drama! "

John comforts her, "DOOL isn't second-rate... but we hope it will be that good some day."

"It was a terrible dream," says Marlena, "I thought that you... You promised me you are dropping out of the investigation." John hems and haws. Marlena wants him to promise.

Hope opens the door for Bo. He asks if he is too early. She says no. In fact, she just put some coffee on. Bo comes in. Hope asks if this feels as strange to him as it does to her. It does. He says it also feels good. He smooches her and thanks her for giving him another chance. Hope tells him Stephanie is up getting dressed. Hope is taking her to the hospital to see her parents. Bo says, "The doctors say Kayla will be right as rain. If she hadn't almost died..."

Hope interrupts, "Possibly Steve and Kayla wouldn't be together right now."

Bo says, "It's a turning point for us, too."

Kayla kisses sleeping Steve. He wakes. She tells him she's feeling better. She missed him. Kiss.

Abe gives Tek records on EJ. He wants to know who Wells is calling and who's calling him. Tek protests that he has to do it all by himself.

"Is there a problem," asks the Commish.

"Yeah," says Tek, "I'm not doing it."

John tries to wiggle out of the conversation. Marlena lectures. He says sometimes adventure pays off, "If we hadn't had this little adventure, you wouldn't have met Smokey Robinson. Marlena presses. John tells her there are things she doesn't know. He has to make sure EJ and Lockhart are brought to justice. He tells her about the sabotage on the plane and the telltale glove, "You and I aren't innocent bystanders anymore, Doc. This has become personal and I'm not walking away from it."

Hope tells Bo she meant it when she said she wants to work on their relationship. He asks where to put his stuff, "I'll sleep anywhere. I don't wanna pressure you."

Hope is magnanimous, "Put your suitcase in the master bedroom."

"Are you sure," asks Bo.

"I am sure," says Hope, "Look, this will feel strange for both of us. So let's take it one day at a time. I haven't changed, so anything I did that drove you crazy before still will."

Bo says, "I can match you annoyance for annoyance." He heads for the kitchen to get some coffee."

"We might as well get this started off right," says Hope, "While you're in there, mop the floor and take out the trash."

Hope has a hot flash as Stephanie comes down as Bo comes back out of the kitchen. Giggle-girl tells him she can't wait for her and Kayla and Patch to be together again just like Bo and Hope.

Bo tries to get her to lower her expectations. Stephanie rationalizes. "The way he kissed her, her heart literally started beating again!"

Bo says she has to give them a chance to talk and figure out what they want. Stephanie thinks he's being negative. She goes to warm the car.

The untamed shrew goes into action. She lays into Bo for being negative. Bo tells her he thinks Stephanie is being set up for a letdown. He tells her Steve still has feelings for Billie. He doesn't want Stephanie to get hurt.

Patch and Kayla smooch. Patch backs her off. Kayla gushes about how it was him who brought her back. He says he owed her for all the times she has helped him. She knows it has been hard for him these past few months. She was thinking about just letting him go if that's what he wanted, "But now that I know you remember I don't ever want us to be apart ever again."

Marlena asks if John knows why they are targeted. He doesn't, but it may be related to her kidnapping in NJ. He claims he's getting close to smoking them out. But if they think he's breathing down their necks they will be more dangerous. Marlena reminds him he promised her he would not get involved in the case. John says he isn't going to give up. He knows they will try again, "If I do nothing, eventually they will succeed."

He says the onyx ring means EJ is connected to the DiMeras. Marlena thought with Tony in jail they were safe again. John scowls, "You know the DiMeras are like cockroaches... you step on one here and another one runs across the floor over there. I am Tony's half brother and if anyone knows how to bring him down it's me."

"Does that make you a half-cockroach," asks Marlena. She makes her case. They have their life back.

"I can't walk away from this," says La Cucaracha, "It's inside me. I'm gonna ride my instincts."

Tek insists Abe has it out for him, "Why don't you just cut the crap and fire me? Let me walk out with some dignity. I'm a street cop. I'm not chaining myself to a desk. I told you Lexie..."

Abe erupts, "Leave her out of this!"

Roman hauls Tek out. He sits him down at a desk and lectures him, "There is a cop killer out there. This is important. It's not grunt work. Look at me. Maybe he did assign you this to show you who's boss. Or maybe it was to show you he still has faith in you. Stop acting like a prima donna and do the work."

"OK," says Tek, "But this is the last time."

Hope thought everything had changed. Bo says Billie doesn’t get over things quickly, nor does Steve. Hope protests, "Kayla is the love of his life." Bo thinks maybe Patch is faking. He thinks there is unfinished business with Billie. Hope thinks Kayla will be crushed.

As Hope starts to leave, she asks him if he wants to have dinner with her this evening. Bo thinks that's a great idea. Kiss. "Welcome home," says Hope as she leaves. Bo flops on the couch, turns on the TV and pops a beer. A man's home is his castle.

Patch has Kayla sit down. He's happy she is stronger but she has to take it easy. He starts to call a nurse but she stops him. They have to talk. She reminds him when she said she doesn't want them to be apart, he changed the subject, "Just because you remember our past doesn't mean you still have to love me. They are two separate things. We used to talk about everything. You can do that now. You can tell me how you really feel. It'll kill me, but don't let that stop you."

Marlena arrives at Bo's house. He tells her Hope and Stephanie are at the hospital. Bo says he has to get to the station to work on the investigation. That's why Marlena is there. She asks him to persuade John to get off the case. Bo stares.

Kayla says, "Be honest with me. If you don't feel the same way about me, I'll understand. Just tell me what you want."

"Listen," says Patch, "I just wanna explain..."

Stephanie interrupts. Patch walks her over to the window. Hope, Stephanie, Patch and Kayla spend the next five minutes telling each other how good they all look. Stephanie thinks Patch was amazing the way he worked to keep Kayla alive.

"He's my hero," says Kayla.

"So when's the wedding," beams Stephanie, "I hope she gets out soon. And then you will come home together, right?"

Kayla tries to bring the space cadet back to earth. She says they don't even have a place to call home and it isn't fair to ask Patch to jump right back into the family. Stephanie persists. She turns to Patch and says, "You remember, right?"

"Sure I do," he lies.

"See, Mom," says Pollyana, "Dad is coming home with us, aren't you?"

Patch is backed into a corner, "Of course."

Stephanie giggles, "I've had a lot of good days but this is the best!" She goes to call Grandma and Grandpa. Kayla heads back to bed.

Dr Myers arrives and says Kayla is much improved, "But it will take time to heal." Patch asks when they can leave. He says in Kayla's case it will be a while, but Patch is free to go.

Hope suggests a private nurse for Kayla. Dr. Myers says he will sign Kayla's release if Hope can find a competent nurse, "And if you'll excuse me, I have to leave. I have a patient with the sniffles I have to declare dead."

Patch tells Hope he's in trouble, "There is no easy way to say this. I didn't remember all those things. I just remember a little."

"A little is something," says Hope.

"No," says Patch, "I have some memories but not the feelings. I overplayed my hand. Now they think we're going to be this happy family. How long will it be before they realize I'm lying?"

Abe and Roman take a break. All the evidence is circumstantial. John comes in. Roman tells them Kayla is much better. So is Marlena. John wants to talk about the Wells-Lockhart case, "This has become personal. They murdered Eve, blew up Max' racecar, poisoned Patch and Kayla and sabotaged our plane. I wanna be in on this. Abe, I want you to deputize me right now."

Bo says he doesn't want John to get hurt but they need him on the case. Marlena says she needs him, "Once I get him back, I can go off to find myself again. The investigation has expanded to include the DiMeras. Now it's dangerous. I'm counting on you. John will put up a good fight. If you and Abe dig your heels in and shut him out, he won't have any choice. Will you do that for me?"

Bo hesitates. In this case, silence is not consent.

Marlena plays her trump card, "I'm not in the habit of asking people to return favors, but I saved your sister's life. I'd like you to help save my husband's life. Will you help me, please?"

Abe says he can't deputize John. John rants. Abe says, "Let me remind you, John, I told you not to go off half-cocked."

John goes off half-cocked, "Abe, I never go off half-cocked!"

Abe asks, "Does the name 'Alex North' mean anything to you? This has to be about putting a bad guy away and noting more."

John is desperate, "It's not that it's personal, I'm just more motivated."

"You're' too close to the case," says Abe, "I don't want you involved. Sorry."

Regis Philbin runs into the room, "Is that your final answer?"

"Final answer," says Abe.

For one of the few times in her life, Hope doesn't know what to say. Patch says his past is dead. Kayla knows things aren't right between them. She tried to give him an out. He didn't take it because Stephanie came in all happy and gushing about them being a family.

"So what you said to give her a will to live was a lie," asks Hope.

"Most of it," says Patch, "Not all of it. I know she is special to me. I wish I knew what was wrong. I woke up today thinking about Billie."

"You can't help how you feel," says Hope.

"After everything that's happened I woulda died for Kayla," says Patch, "It doesn’t matter if I live or die."

Hope says, "Steve, that is not true."

He says, "I do feel connected to Kayla in a way I didn't before. We went through the valley of the shadow together, but I can't get this Billie woman out of my head."

Bo tells Marlena he will talk to Abe and Roman. He warns Marlena the department is a bit short handed. They may need John. He'll see about getting his badge back and maybe that will help. She thanks him and leaves. On her way out she asks about the suitcase. Bo tells her he's moving back in. She's so glad things are working out.

Hope and Patch look at Kayla. He thinks what he said upset Hope. She's says she's just worried about Kayla, "How do you expect her to react?"

"Exactly," says Patch, "I said what I thought she needed to hear to live."

"You did the right thing."

"I hope so," he says, "But I don't know how to tell her the truth."

"What about Billie," asks Hope, "She thinks you're going back to Kayla."

Patch says, "Bo tried to get her to come here and she wouldn't. Could you do me just one more favor? Tell her the truth."

Bubbly Stephanie comes back. She has told the whole family he's coming home with them, "It giggle doesn’t giggle get giggle any giggle better giggle than giggle this giggle does giggle it giggle Hope?" Since there is no straight jacket handy, Hope backs away slowly and says she has things to take care of.

John says if he has to he'll keep poking around on his own, "If you think I'm going to kick back on my terrace and wait for us to get bumped off, you're wrong. I'm going to keep working on the outside."

Tek comes in, "I was going through EJ Wells' bank statement and found this. Look, scrawled in the margin... SDB... safe deposit box! Now we know he has one."

Roman says, "It could mean Stupid, Dumb and Boring."

John says, "It'll not only tell us who he is but why the hell he wants to destroy our lives."

Tek says, "We know why he wants to do that. He's a fan of good drama."

FF La Cucaracha.

Previews
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