A Tall Glass Of Wrong

Paul and Phillip meet at the docks. Things get nasty. Paul wonders if Phillip is having him followed. Phillip all but admits it. He knows the goons rounded Paul up and took him to the DiMera mansion. Paul goes nuclear, "I need your help or I am a dead man."

That sounds good to Phillip, "You just had to go and set that fire."

"I made a mistake," says Paul as he rambles and grovels, "This is a mess!"

SLAP!

"It's not my mess," says Phillip, "I set John up and it worked, but then you had to get creative."

Paul insists he did it because he is sick of John telling him what to do.

"That little stunt could cost me everything," says Phillip.

"They're gonna kill me."

Hard-hearted Phillip tells Paul he made a mistake, "Now you have to suffer the consequences on your own."

Marlena meets Hope in the pub. Hope tells her she has to talk about John. Marlena informs her she has left the mansion. Hope fills Marlena in on what's been going on. Hope thinks John is becoming more accessible emotionally, "He needs you now more than ever. I think you're the only one who can help him."

John serves Ava scotch. He thanks her for helping him. Ava says, "You're my friend and you needed protecting."

John says, "I'll drink to that."

EJ barges in yelling for Lucas. He stomps over and fixes himself a drink, "That bastard."

Stephanie joins Max in his room. She says she doesn't believe Max' story about what he did earlier. Max gets defensive about her questions. She piles on with another one, "I have suspicions about Dean Robbins. I want to know if you are enemies."

Max says he doesn't want to get her involved. Stephanie insists she can handle it and hits him with, "Unless you don't love me enough to trust me with the truth."

John asks EJ for a little privacy with his woman friend. EJ asks for a minute, "Samanther has asked me to leave. Lucas is in and I am out. I'm only her husband... I guess I don't have any rights."

"Congratulations," says John, "You have just made the great discovery all husbands make at one time or another."

EJ thinks he h as more right to be there since John is his uncle. John agrees. EJ rants, "I don't know why I want to be around here anyway. She infuriates me. If she wasn't the mother of my child I'd wring her bloody neck."

Lucas steps into the room, "Yeah, I know exactly how you feel." Finally, both EJ and Lucas have come to their senses.

Marlena talks about the frustrations of living with John. Hope asks if Marlena thinks John is responsible for the shipment of cocaine.

Marlena asks, "Are you asking as a friend or a detective? After all, you're not very good at either."

Stephanie and Max argue for a change. Max says, "You want me to have some sort of meltdown so you can comfort me and tell me it's fine."

"No," says Stephanie, "I want you to have a meltdown because it's so entertaining to watch."

"Forget it," says Max, "No one can help."

Stephanie's lip quivers. Max apologizes. She says she loves him and if he wants her to leave him alone she will, but she can't pretend she doesn't care. Max admits he is an enemy with the dean and also tells her he's the one who broke into his room.

EJ and Lucas argue. EJ thinks if anyone is moving out it's Lucas. John backs him up. Nicole shows up. She asks to talk to Ava. They leave together.

John also decides to leave EJ and Lucas to jabber about their differences, "Don't forget, if you break it, you bought it."

EJ says, "Remind me again why I got you released from prison."

"I was wondering the same thing," says Lucas.

Several people in the audience stand up and shout, "So were we!"

Paul asks Phillip to let him fix things. He gets down on his knees and begs. Phillip says the fire burned all his goodwill and tells him to leave town.

Stephanie doesn't understand why Max is so wigged out, "I think I understand a little of what you are going through." She compares his situation to her feelings about the rape. It was Max who taught her to trust and love and she wants to do the same thing for him. And as we all know, the way for two people to learn to trust and love each other is to scream back and forth until their lungs give out. Max says he has to go deal with Dean Robbins. Stephanie wants to go with him. Max vetoes that.

Lucas says he's trying to have a civil conversation but he thinks EJ doesn't want that. He knows he can't give Sami the life he wants to give her. He also thinks her sleeping with EJ was a deal-breaker, "Sami admitted she is confused about her feelings for you."

"That doesn't say much," says EJ, "She's confused about most everything."

Hope says she is asking as a cop. Marlena says she doesn't know if John is responsible for shipping drugs.

Ava and Nicole walk in. Ava sees Marlena and Hope sitting across the room, "A cop and a shrink – my favorite pair. I'm gonna go over and make nice."

Marlena says, "I know John is capable of bad decisions. After all, he married me."

Max comes to Robbins' room. Robbins isn't in the mood to talk. Max insists. "Well," says Robbins, "You are a bold one, aren't you?"

"Maybe it's in my DNA," says Max, "You're going down, dean."

As Robbins closes the door, Max sneaks the picture onto a table, "It looks like you had a little trouble here. I heard everything you touch turns to gold." Max pretends to discover the picture, "What's that? Who is the girl in the picture?" Robbins nukes and tells him to get out.

Stephanie pounds on the door, "Let me in! Max, I know you're in there! Open the door!"

Ava walks up to Hope and Marlena. She asks them to join Nicole and her for a drink. She insists she is trying to turn her life around.

Hope's gossip antennae shoot up, "Are they..."

"Dating," asks Marlena, "That's one of the things I was alluding to earlier." She turns to Ava and pours out her wrath, "You know nothing about John and me." Ava decides this was a mistake. Hope accuses her of trying to bait Marlena.

Ava leaves. She goes back to the table with Nicole and asks why Nicole wanted to see her. Nicole confides, "My past has come back to haunt me again."

EJ wonders why Lucas is telling him about Sami's feelings. Lucas says he is just getting things off his chest. He says he saw Sami packing EJ's things earlier. "I am not going anywhere," says EJ, "You'd do well to remember that." EJ stomps out. Lucas smirks.

Ava tells Nicole she can trust her. Nicole says, "I was young and stupid."

"I understand," says Ava, "And now you're not young any more."

Nicole says, "I made a huge mistake with someone and now he's back in Salem. I don't know what to do. He's freaking me out."

"He's doing a good job of it, too," says Ava.

Hope says she is sorry Marlena had to deal with that. Marlena wishes there was some way to reach John. Hope encourages her to reach out one last time and ask him to back off the Kiriakis family. Marlena the trooper says she will do that. John walks in. "Here's your opportunity," says Hope. Hope decides it's time to leave. She can't wait to get out there and spread the word about John and Ava.

Morgan slums it at the docks and finds her dad. He hesitates and then says he doesn't have a lot of time. He wants to say goodbye because he is leaving town. Hugs.

Stephanie pounds. Max demands to know who is in the picture. Robbins tells him to open the door. Max walks over and opens the door. "It's about time, Max Brady," says Stephanie.

Robbins turns to Stephanie, "Did you say his last name is Brady? I think you both should go or I'll call the cops."

Max insists Robbins won't call the cops because of what he knows, "Isn't that right, Trent?"

Morgan stands alone at the docks. Phillip comes up to her. She breaks down and tells him about her dad. Oh so compassionate Phillip gives her a hug.

Nicole decides she has to go home. Ava tells her to call if the guy even looks at her the wrong way, "I have resources. They're yours if you need them. We're friends, right?"

"Yeah." Nicole says she will call and leaves.

Marlena approaches John. "My dance card is full," says John. Marlena suggests supper.

Max rants, "You wanna tell her, or should I?"

Robbins says, "I am as confused as she is."

"No one is that confused," says Max, "I want to talk about the past, which just happens to be staring me in the face right now."

Robbins hesitates, "How did you know?"

Phillip tells Morgan not to cry for her father. Morgan says, "He may make stupid choices but he will always..." say it with her... "be there for me." Tears and hugs. She begs Phillip to protect her dad. Phillip says he can't make any promises.

Morgan whimpers, "But you will try because you have a good heart."

"That's true," says Phillip, "It's one of the original body parts I have left."

Morgan begs. She kisses him.

John is reluctant. He says he got tired of groveling and being compared to a guy who isn't around any more. He doesn’t think she is capable of forgetting the other guy. Marlena agrees she shouldn't compare him to someone he once was. "I moved on," says John, "You do the same." He goes over to Ava and they move on together. Marlena's lip quivers.

Nicole is on the phone ordering champagne and vodka. EJ walks up to her. He says he's there to see her, "This isn't about business. I wanted someone to talk to. Samanther asked me to leave the house."

Nicole gasps, "Drat the bad luck! That whole situation over at the DiMera mansion is a tall glass of wrong." EJ says he isn't moving out. He's upset because Sami hurt him. Nicole says she thinks he needs someone to take his mind off that mean little twit, "Victor is at the hospital and Phillip is gone."

"I wonder what we can do in their absence," asks EJ. Nicole moves in.

Max says everyone leaves a paper trail, especially college deans who do a lot of writing, "Tell her. What? You can't face it? Say it."

Stephanie whines, "Say what?"


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