Days of Our Lives Update
Update written by Joseph
Cat sits at home and gets a text from Chad that he can’t stop thinking about her which makes her smile. Chad sends another text asking about stopping by since he’s close to her apartment. Cat texts back asking how close he is.
Jack and Jennifer return home and join Julie at the Horton house which is decorated for JJ’s birthday. Julie is thrilled that they are keeping their promise of visiting Salem more often. Jack and Jennifer talk about the airport trouble they experienced on the way while Julie says what’s important is they are here now which will be a wonderful surprise for Thomas, Charlotte, and JJ.
JJ walks through the town square and runs in to Gwen, who stops him to wish him a happy birthday.
Tate waits on Steve and Brady at the Brady Pub. Steve compliments Tate’s service. Tate thanks him for all the help he’s giving him to try and find out what happened to his baby. Brady hopes they will get their hands on the adoption papers. Sophia then enters the Pub so Tate goes over to ask if she brought the adoption papers that they discussed. Sophia responds that she did.
JJ can’t believe Gwen remembered his birthday. Gwen says just because they never celebrated doesn’t mean she doesn’t know when it is. Gwen says there was a time where she was so desperate to be part of his family that she studied everything about them. JJ guesses that investment never paid off since she made it clear what a disappointment his family turned out to be. Gwen says not as big of a disappointment as she turned out to them. JJ says he can’t argue with here, thanks her for the birthday wish, and walks away.
Jennifer asks Julie who else is part of JJ’s birthday party planning crew. Julie explains that Maggie wanted to be but Victoria’s nanny got sick so she’s stuck babysitting at home. Jack says they’ll bring her a piece of cake for missing the party. Julie then realizes they don’t have the cake and asks Jack to go pick it up from the bakery which he agrees to. Jack then exits while Jennifer acknowledges that Julie wanted it to be just the two of them. Jennifer guesses Julie is going to tell her what she’s missed since she was last in town. Jennifer goes over Chad and Cat getting stuck in the elevator and getting sick together. Jennifer guesses a lot more has happened. Julie confirms that Chad has asked her to cut down on her endless critiques of Cat which she agreed to do. Jennifer is shocked and asks if Julie really thinks it’s okay that Chad is hanging around Cat.
Chad goes to see Cat at her apartment. Cat mentions that Aaron has moved in to the dorms and Felicity is back in school. Chad talks about Charlotte and Thomas being excited to be in school as well, adding that Thomas and Rachel made up. Cat is glad Rachel will have a friend in class. Chad hopes they bring out the best in each other. Cat says if they’re anything like Chad, she’s sure they are wonderful, kind, and considerate. Cat comments on Chad just coming to check on her and thanks him for the flowers. Chad says they were beautiful like her as they kiss.
Brady admits to Steve that it’s keeping him up at night not knowing where the baby is or what happened to him. Steve asks how much he’s talked to Tate about it. Brady says he told him about Sophia calling the baby “him” and the weird vibe he got from Sarah, but he didn’t tell him about the same vibe from him. Steve doesn’t like that it’s keeping him up at night. Brady talks about how Tate was crushed when Sophia told him the baby was already given away, but he was proud of how he handled it because he knew he wasn’t ready to be a father and just wanted the baby in a good family, but now he doesn’t even know if the family is real. Steve calls not knowing the hardest part. Steve brings up when his mother gave up he and Jack because she was afraid their father was abusing them. Steve says for a long time after Jack was adopted, he felt like he drew the short end of the stick since he stayed in the orphanage but Jack ended up in a bad situation too. Steve says there’s no guarantees when it comes to raising children as so many things can go wrong despite the best intentions. Brady prays that the baby is safe and loved. Steve says that’s all they can do until they get to the truth. Sophia gives Tate the adoption papers. Tate looks it over and asks what the hell. Sophia asks what’s wrong. Tate responds that she lied to him.
Cat tells Chad that having the place to herself definitely has it’s perks. Chad is sorry they have to sneak around but says it’s just something they have to do right now. Cat is fine with it as long as she gets to see him. Chad calls it his lucky day then. Chad thought she had to start her new job. Cat says she starts tomorrow but she might have to go in later today to start getting EJ’s office ready. Cat knows Chad’s not thrilled about her working for EJ. Chad says it’s fine as she can take care of herself. Cat still appreciates him looking out for her and says he knows how to navigate EJ better than she does, so she asks if he has any words of advice for her. Chad advises her that it’s more than likely that whatever EJ is doing, he has an ulterior motive so it’s entirely likely that he’ll ask her to do something underhanded and he doesn’t want to see her get involved in anything ethically questionable. Cat asks if that means illegal. Chad tells her to just keep her eyes open to whatever dirty tricks EJ is up to. Cat responds that now that they talked about Chad’s brother, she needs to talk to him about her brother.
Julie assures Jennifer that she’s not happy that Chad is spending so much time with Cat, but Chad has been her rock since Doug passed away and she wants to keep him in her life, so she had to accept the fact that he’s a grown man and is entitled to make friends with whomever he chooses. Jennifer guesses she just has to accept that too. Julie says they have so little time alone together, so she doesn’t want to spend it talking about Cat when Jennifer has come a long way. Julie says she’s interested in what’s going on in Jennifer’s life and asks how she is doing. Jennifer responds that she’s good all things considered. Jennifer says it’s been a long road and declares that she will never ever get over what happened to Abigail, but she’s starting to find some peace which Julie is glad to hear. Jennifer adds that she’s here for something joyful to celebrate. JJ then comes home so Jennifer excitedly hugs him and wishes him a happy birthday.
Jack runs in to Gwen in the town square and mentions that he’s picking up a cake for JJ’s birthday. Gwen notes that she just saw JJ and he didn’t mention a party, so she assumes she’s not invited. Jack asks if she wanted to be.
Sophia asks what Tate means that she lied to him. Tate complains that there’s nothing useful in the papers, not even the names of the adoptive parents. Tate thought they agreed on an open adoption. Sophia calls it semi-open which Tate questions what that even means. Sophia says it means the adoptive parents can contact them but they can’t contact the parents. Tate argues that it’s not what they agreed to but Sophia says it’s all the parents would agree to and she doesn’t blame them. Tate complains that she should’ve waited for other parents who would’ve agreed to the terms they discussed. Sophia says that’s easy for him to say and questions how she would know there would be other parents. Tate argues that there’s tons of families who would love to give their baby a good home. Sophia says not in Chicago that night and worries that if she went back home, her mom would’ve been back to finding fault with anyone adopting their daughter. Tate argues that she’s 18 so her mom doesn’t have a say. Sophia argues that he doesn’t have to live with her and asks what if her mom decided to raise the baby and went to court. Sophia says she didn’t want to risk what happened with Johnny and Chanel happening again, so she had to do what was best for the baby. Tate remarks that it’s not the only thing she lied to him about as he presents her with the stock photo that she claimed were the adoptive parents. Sophia asks why she brought the picture. Tate argues that she tried to convince him that was a photo of their daughter with her new parents when it’s a stock photo she found on the internet. Sophia tries to deny it but Tate reveals that Brady found it in a picture frame at some store, so he questions why she would try to convince him that was their child’s parents. Sophia responds that she didn’t know what else to do because the couple wouldn’t give her any photos and she knew how important it was for him to have one. Tate angrily asks how she could do that until Brady comes over to calm the situation and takes Tate aside. Tate apologizes to them for upsetting Sophia. Steve asks what the problem is since it looked like she gave him the adoption papers. Tate shows the papers to Brady and Steve, asking if they see why he was so upset.
Chad assumes Cat wants to talk about her brother Mark and informs her that the parole board reached out to him about Mark’s upcoming hearing. Cat hoped to talk to him before that as she’s sure it brings up a lot of bad memories for him. Chad confirms especially since Mark tampered with her DNA test results while trying to shoot him happened in Paris. Cat says whenever she goes to see Mark in prison, he talks about how sorry he is and swears he never could’ve pulled the trigger. Chad says that’s because Steve knocked him out. Cat knows how desperate Mark must have been to go through with Clyde’s orders since she was backed in to the same corner and he was trying to save their mother. Cat feels Chad would do the same to protect his loved ones and clarifies that she’s not defending what Mark did, but she knows him better than anyone and if he was thinking clearly, he never would have done any of this. Cat knows it’s none of her business but she has to ask if Chad knows what he’s going to say to the parole board.
JJ asks what Jennifer is doing here. She says they wouldn’t miss his birthday. Julie explains that she sent Jack on an errand and he was supposed to be back before JJ arrived. Jennifer adds that they also wanted to be there for Charlotte’s first day of Kindergarten. JJ says she’ll appreciate the fuss more than him. Jennifer says they just wanted to have some cake before he goes in to work, but JJ reveals he got called in early. Julie asks if he’ll have time for a piece of birthday cake which JJ agrees to. Jennifer says she’ll make a fuss over him forever because he’s her son. They hug and say I love you to one another.
Gwen mocks the idea of her being desperate for an invitation to JJ’s birthday party and asks why she would want to be in a house full of people who hate her. Jack responds that he doesn’t hate her. Gwen says maybe not but her presence would sour the mood, so she’s not going to ruin JJ’s celebration since he is her half brother even though he definitely doesn’t look at her like his sister. Gwen tells Jack to just go enjoy the party. Jack remarks that if he didn’t know better, he’d almost think she cared.
Tate exits the Brady Pub with Brady and Steve, telling him why Sophia gave him the fake picture and that she did misspeak when she called the baby “him”. Brady asks if he’s okay. Tate responds that he’s not happy about what she did, but at least he has answers. Tate says he has to get back to work but he appreciates them helping out as he heads back in to the Pub. Brady asks what Steve thinks. Steve thinks it’s too convenient that all the information about the adoptive parents are redacted. Brady calls it plausible. Steve agrees that it could technically be true, but they both feel their guts are saying there’s more to the story. Brady decides they should keep digging because this whole thing doesn’t feel right. Brady adds that they should keep it all between them now since Tate seems to have accepted Sophia’s explanation and he wants him to focus on college until they know more. Steve agrees it’s better not to be distracted. Brady comments that Sophia could be telling the truth this time. Steve agrees not to say a word until they know more and says he’ll be in touch as he walks away.
Sophia apologizes to Tate and says she never wanted to lie to him about any of this. Sophia wants him to know how sorry she is because she feels terrible about all of this. Tate thinks he just needs some space right now and walks away from her.
Gwen tells Jack not to delude himself as she has no desire to be somewhere she’s not wanted. Jack says he’s still glad they had a chance to meet up as it’s been too long. Jack comments that she seems to be doing well. Gwen asks why she wouldn’t be when she has her husband’s inheritance. Jack is relieved that she can support herself but he’s more concerned with how she’s coping with Dimitri’s betrayal. Gwen admits he hurt her terribly which Jack says is exactly what the Hortons did to him. Jack guesses Gwen went after Julie’s necklace to hurt the Hortons how they hurt her. Gwen argues that she bought the necklace while Jack feels she couldn’t get back at Dimitri so she settled for the people who were still around her. Gwen remarks that Jack knows what drove her to this behavior and is still standing her looking disappointed as always. Jack asks if she expects him to admire what she did. Gwen says that’s her answer. Gwen adds that she finds it so disappointing that he still sides with the Hortons instead of his own daughter. Gwen then storms off.
Jennifer and Julie talk about Alice’s necklace being back where it belongs. Julie thinks Gwen only bought it to hurt her and throw it in her face, while now she’s staying in Salem. JJ mentions running her in to the town square. Jennifer hopes she didn’t say anything too hurtful. JJ says she actually wished him a happy birthday which surprises Jennifer and Julie. Jennifer hopes to never cross paths with Gwen again and thinks her and Doug III are two peas in a pod. Julie thinks it’s more nuanced than that. Julie admits she was furious with Doug III for stealing the necklace but he did return it eventually. Jennifer argues that he stole it from Gwen. Julie admits the methods were questionable but his heart was in the right place. JJ says she clearly believes in the power of redemption. Jennifer asks if JJ’s subtext is that she married Jack because of redemption and says that was an entirely different case. Jennifer admits it’s still heartening to know that people can surprise you.
Cat tells Chad that Mark wouldn’t hurt a fly now that their mother is safe and Clyde is out of the equation. Chad doesn’t doubt that now but argues that he went to Paris with the intention of shooting him, without any care that he’d be taking away his kids’ last surviving parent, so it’s not something he can just get past. Chad argues that if he and Cat continue to see each other, that means he’ll have to see Mark too. Cat guesses that means Chad will oppose his parole. Chad says he just needs to think about it. Chad says he’s sorry to cut this short but he should go as he then quickly exits.
Brady goes back in to the Brady Pub and tells Tate that he will hang onto the adoption papers to show them to Belle, just to make sure everything is on the up and up.
Jack returns home with the birthday cake and wishes JJ a happy birthday as Jennifer takes the cake to put a candle on it. Chad then arrives. Julie worried that he would no show while Chad says he wouldn’t miss seeing the birthday boy as he hugs JJ. Jack then realizes Julie has Alice’s necklace. Julie says it’s back where it belongs. JJ suggests putting it away to be safe so Julie takes JJ to put it in the safe. Jack asks Chad if he’s seen Gwen since returning to Salem. Chad confirms he has. Jack asks if Chad has any idea why Gwen is staying in town.
Cat goes to the hospital to begin setting up EJ’s new office where she finds a blueprint for plans for a new hospital wing which she takes pictures of.
Chad tells Jack that he has no idea why Gwen is sticking around. Jack supposes she doesn’t have to stay anywhere with Dimitri’s fortune. Chad says she’s taking full advantage and staying at the DiMera Mansion. JJ comes back in and says he’s sorry he can’t stay until the kids get home since he got called in early so he hopes they are okay with cake in the middle of the afternoon. Steve then arrives and hugs JJ, wishing him a happy birthday. Steve and Jack hug, saying it’s good to see each other. Steve gives JJ a birthday card from he and Kayla. JJ asks if Kayla’s not coming. Steve says a chief of staff’s work is never done. JJ thanks him and says they didn’t have to. Steve tells him not to get too excited as it’s just a gift card to the Brady Pub. JJ says it will still go to good use. JJ and Chad then go to check on Jennifer with the cake. Jack asks Steve if something is on his mind. Steve responds that birthdays just remind him of all the birthdays he missed when he wasn’t here and guesses Jack knows all about that too. Jack says never again. JJ, Chad, Jennifer, and Julie return with the cake as they all sing happy birthday to JJ. JJ makes his wish and blows out the candle. Steve asks what he wished for but Jennifer says he can’t tell him that. JJ thanks them all. Jack proposes a toast to JJ and that he finds all the happiness he’s looking for this year.
Brady and Tate exit the Pub. Brady is sorry that Tate got his hopes up as he knows he hoped those papers would lead him to the baby or give him some closure. Tate says if Belle says the papers check out, he doesn’t know if there’s anything he can do or if he’ll ever be able to track down his baby.
After JJ leaves for work, Jack and Jennifer sit with Chad. Jennifer assumes he heard about Mark’s upcoming parole hearing which he confirms. Jack informs him that they sent their statement in, asking them to deny Mark’s early release. Jennifer hopes they take that in to account. Jack thinks they made a compelling case. Jennifer assumes Chad sent his in too.
Cat rolls up the blueprint for the new hospital wing and puts it back. Gwen then walks in and questions what she is doing there.
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