In the town square, Chad sat in the cafe and read a news article about the Kiriakis baby kidnapping case. “Same story has run five times with nothing new to report. We have to do better,” Chad said. Alex spotted Chad in the cafe. Alex told Chad that he was sorry about Stephanie and Chad’s relationship. Chad snorted.

“You’re so full of it,” Chad said. “Okay. I’ll be more specific. I’m sorry that Stephanie got hurt,” Alex said. “That I’ll believe,” Chad said. Alex asked Chad what he had done. “None of your business,” Chad said. Alex asked why Stephanie had moved out. With a sigh, Chad blamed Stephanie’s ex-boyfriend who had admitted that he was still in love with Stephanie.

“So like any normal human being, I refused to tolerate that,” Chad said. Chad told Alex that he had purchased Gwen’s half of the paper and fired Everett. “Ruthless,” Alex said. Alex asked Chad if he believed he could hide the truth from Stephanie. “You know damn well that Stephanie is a smart girl. Everet’s an investigative reporter,” Alex said. Chad nodded yes.

“You didn’t learn anything from my mistakes? I thought it was firmly established that the whole jealous caveman aesthetic wasn’t what Stephanie was into,” Alex said. Annoyed, Chad told Alex that he did not need his opinion. When Chad said he believed Alex would make a play for Stephanie, Alex said no.

“I’m with Theresa,” Alex said. “When has that ever stopped you?” Chad countered. Alex told Chad not to take Chad’s mistakes out on him. Chad apologized. “I blew it. And the only person that I can be mad at is myself,” Chad admitted.

After Alex left, Chad talked to Xander on the phone about the paper. Xander argued that Everett was a good editor-in-chief. “That’s why I hired him back,” Chad said. When Xander told Chad that it was important to restore the reputation of the paper, Chad agreed. “It’s important to me too, because it was important to Abigail,” Chad said. Paulina called out to Chad, so he ended his phone call so he could talk to the mayor.

Paulina explained to Chad that she wanted to hire SJPR to promote her new Healthy Salem program. “You should probably just call Stephanie directly,” Chad said. “Is something wrong?” Paulina asked. Chad told Paulina that Stephanie had moved out. “And we haven’t really had time to discuss the status of our business relationship yet,” Chad admitted. “Say it isn’t so! Not my dynamic duo,” Paulina lamented. Chad admitted he had screwed up.

“What did Stephanie say about all this?” Paulina asked. Chad admitted he had not talked to Stephanie yet, because he did not believe Stephanie wanted to talk to him. “Of course she wants to talk! She loves you!” Paulina said. Paulina told Chad to make certain that Stephanie understood that he was sorry for whatever he had done. “Unless you don’t want her back?” Paulina asked. “Of course I want her back,” Chad said. Paulina yelled at Chad to go repair his relationship.

At the Johnson home, Steve and Stephanie were working on their laptops in the kitchen. “I think I’m going to take a walk and get some fresh air. Do you want to join me?” Steve asked. “Thanks, but I’ve got a lot to do,” Stephanie said. Steve started to leave, then he stopped. When Steve announced that he needed to say something about Chad, Stephanie snapped, “I’d rather you didn’t, but you will anyway. So let’s hear it.”

“I know you were hoping Chad was the one. Your mom and I were too. Anyway, what’s important is you gave it a good go,” Steve said. Steve admitted he had made a mistake when he had talked to Chad about marriage. “Chad didn’t deliver. And if that’s not gonna change anytime soon, then moving out was the right thing to do,” Steve counseled. Steve told Stephanie that she deserved someone that wanted to give her what she wanted and needed from a partner.

“I know I did the right thing. Especially after the way Chad treated Everett,” Stephanie said. Stephanie argued that Chad had no reason to be jealous of Everett, and that she had told Chad that she had no interest in Everett. “You still love Chad, I assume?” Steve asked. “That is not relevant at the moment,” Stephanie said. Steve disagreed.

“If you love him, and he did what he did because he loves you and he didn’t want to lose you, maybe you can give him another chance,” Steve advised. Stephanie stressed that she wanted to focus on work and friends. With a nod, Steve told Stephanie that she was welcome to stay as long as she needed.

As Steve left for his walk, he ran into Alex in the hallway. Steve looked over his shoulder at his daughter. “Something tells me you’re not here to see me,” Steve said. Stephanie told Steve that she was fine, so Steve left. With a sigh, Stephanie explained that she wanted to focus on work. “So I don’t know what you’re assuming,” Stephanie started. “I’m not assuming a thing,” Alex said. Alex assured Stephanie that he was not there to win her back.

“I’m dating your cousin for one thing,” Alex said. Stephanie smirked. “And of course you’d never play the field,” Stephanie joked. Alex explained that he had found Stephanie’s water bottle at their apartment gym, and he returned it to her. Alex told Stephanie that he would miss how she would yell at him about wiping down the equipment. When Stephanie noted that she needed to get back to work, Alex told her that he had run into Chad in the square.

“And?” Stephanie said. “He told me what happened. For what it’s worth, Steph, he knows that he’s an ass. And I think that he’d probably really like to apologize if he knew that you were willing to hear it,” Alex said. “I’m not. The only person he should be apologizing to is Everett,” Stephanie said. Alex nodded in agreement. “Maybe he will. At some point. But he understands that what he did was wrong, and he regrets it. He obviously loves you,” Alex said. When Stephanie remained silent, Alex noted that Chad appeared miserable.

“I hate getting in the middle of this more than you know, but from what I’m seeing here, it looks like you’re kind of miserable too. Are you sure this is what you want?” Alex asked. Stephanie said she was sure she had made the right decision, but she regretted that she had not said goodbye to the kids. “I love those kids so much. And I know this will be hard on them,” Stephanie said. “That’s your only regret?” Alex asked.

Uncomfortable, Stephanie opened the door and noted that she needed to get back to work. As Alex walked out, Stephanie accidentally dropped her water bottle on her foot, and she yelped. Alex leaned over as if to lift Stephanie up to carry her to the couch when Chad walked up to the front door.

“It didn’t take you two too long to try and pick things back up, did it?” Chad said. Stephanie rolled her eyes at Chad. “I do not believe that you would think what you’re thinking!” Stephanie yelled. As Stephanie hobbled to the couch, Alex warned Stephanie to be careful with her toe. “What?” Chad yelped. Frustrated, Stephanie announced that she needed to go out. Alex offered to drive Stephanie to the hospital. “I’ll drive myself!” Stephanie yelled as she walked out.

“I’m guessing that wasn’t what it looked like, huh?” Chad said. Alex groaned in frustration. “No, it was not,” Alex said. Alex told Chad that Stephanie had dropped a water bottle on her foot and possibly broken a toe. With a sigh, Alex asked Chad if he wanted to have a beer. Chad nodded yes.

Outside the pub, Eric was walking with baby Jude. With a chuckle, Eric pointed out where Shawn had taken Eric to fish as a kid. “One day I’m going to take you fishing down there,” Eric said. As Jude fussed, Jada exited the pub with a box. “It looks like you have your hands full,” Jada said with a chuckle. Jada congratulated Eric on his new baby. “This is Jude,” Eric said. Eric frowned and he started to say something, but Jada stopped him.

“I’m just glad that things worked out for you. Jude here is a very lucky kid. I’m very happy for you,” Jada said. Eric thanked Jada, and she asked to change the subject. Eric asked about the box in Jada’s arms. “Rafe asked me to move in with him,” Jada said. “I assume this means you said yes,” Eric said. Jada explained that she had not decided yet, but in the meantime, she was doing spring cleaning just in case.

“I’m just glad things are going well with you and Rafe,” Eric said. “And I hope to keep it that way,” Jada said. Jada admitted that she had not lived with anyone since her ex-husband. “So I just want to be very intentional with my decision,” Jada said. “Which is always a good thing,” Eric agreed. Jada and Eric wished each other well.

After dropping off her clothes to donate, Jade returned to the pub for a meal. Steve stopped by her table to say hello. Jada apologized for having been unable to join Steve and his family for dinner. “Don’t worry. You have a standing invitation any time,” Steve said. Steve asked Jada if she was okay. Reluctantly, Jada admitted that she was having a rough day. Steve encouraged Jada to open up to him. Jada told Steve that she had seen Eric with the baby.

“I’m happy for him. It’s just that it brought back a lot of memories. I don’t know, I think I’m just emotional today in general,” Jada said. With a nod, Steve noted that it was the anniversary of her father’s death. “You remembered,” Jada whispered. “Marcus was my first, best friend. It was him and me against the world for a whole lot of years. I could never forget this day,” Steve said. Jada thanked Steve. “You have no idea what that means to me,” Jada said. Steve admitted that he had gone to the pub specifically to talk to her, because he knew the holidays made the anniversary particularly difficult.

“When we lost my dad, I had bought him a Christmas present. And I was upstairs right now cleaning my closet, and could you believe that I still have it?” Jada said. Steve nodded yes, and he showed Jada a keychain that Marcus had made for him. “It’s one of the only things I have left from my childhood,” Steve said. Steve told Jada that Marcus had helped him be a better person. “Your dad would be so proud of you,” Steve said. Jada hugged Steve.

In the park, E.J. and Nicole sat on a bench together. “That was the last thing either one of us needed. Leo Stark darkening our doorstep,” E.J. said. “What could he possibly have meant about our baby, saying it’s not true that he died?” Nicole asked. E.J. noted that Leo was a grifter and that he could not have anything useful to say. “I’m sure he was trying to exploit, in some way, our grief,” E.J. said. Nicole wondered aloud how anyone could be so cruel.

Confused, Nicole asked E.J. what Leo could gain with such a lie. E.J. shrugged, and he noted that Leo was desperate and alone. “I’m sure he was just trying to extract some cash,” E.J. said. Nicole nodded hesitantly. “Such horrible timing. Trying to give you false hope when you’d just accepted the truth,” E.J. said. Nicole paled. E.J. asked Nicole if she had changed her mind.

“No. We saw it in black and white when we did the DNA test. Just, I can’t stop myself from wondering, are you sure there couldn’t be anything to what Leo said?” Nicole asked. E.J. noted that when Leo had been in danger of going to prison for the death of their son, Leo had not said a word. “He would have sung like a canary long ago to save his own pathetic ass,” E.J. argued. E.J. told Nicole that after she had left the house, Leo had snuck back into the house through the tunnels.

“What?” Nicole said. “I had to punch him in the face just to get rid of him,” E.J. said. Frustrated, E.J. grumbled that he knew he should not have made a deal with Sloan to free Leo. “You do not deserve to see [Leo] around town. Not after what you’ve been through,” E.J. muttered. Nicole assured E.J. that she was fine. E.J. asked Nicole if that was why she had been upset when he had found her in the park. With a shrug, Nicole admitted that she had run into Eric and the baby before E.J. had arrived. E.J. put his arm around Nicole.

“It’s just too much for me. But I am happy for Eric and that he’s a dad to that sweet little baby boy, but I can’t help but feel compelled to want to do something for him and Sloan. I just feel terrible for what I put them through,” Nicole said. “You shouldn’t. You’re the one who has been through hell,” E.J. counseled. Nicole said she needed to do something.

Leo visited Sloan at her apartment. “You just got out of jail yesterday. What kind of trouble could you have already gotten into?” Sloan asked. Leo pointed out the bruise on his jaw, and he told Sloan that he had been assaulted because of her. “I got clobbered because I had a rare attack of conscience,” Leo said. Leo told Sloan that he knew the secret about her baby.

“Or should I say, Nicole’s baby,” Leo added. Sloan played dumb, but Leo explained that Dimitri had told him the full story. “He promised me,” Sloan grumbled. “He also told me if I were to use this against you, you’d give me anything I wanted in the entire world, you’d be so desperate to hang onto that little boy,” Leo said. Leo added that watching the birth of the baby had changed him.

“For once in my life, I was willing to do the right thing, and this is what that got me. I tried to tell E.J. and Nicole the truth,” Leo said. “You what?” Sloan yelped. Leo explained that E.J. had tossed him out. “Then I bravely went back, [E.J.] punched me out,” Leo added. Leo explained that E.J. had reacted before Leo had been able to tell E.J. that the baby was alive. Sloan gasped.

“I’m here now because I’ve decided that fate is telling me that I should use the information about Nicole’s baby as Dimitri intended. To blackmail the hell out of you,” Leo said. Sloan glowered at Leo. “First and foremost, you are going to get Dimitri out of prison,” Leo demanded. “It’s impossible,” Sloan said. Sloan argued that she had secured the best deal possible for Dimitri, but Leo said it was not enough. Sloan asked Leo what else he wanted. Leo said he wanted the world.

“Or do I need to bring Lady Whistleblower out of retirement. Write the whole sordid story about how Nicole is your baby’s real mother?” Leo said. Eric returned home. “What the hell is going on here?” Eric asked. “I was just leaving. Apparently it’s nap time for the little tyke,” Leo said. Leo complimented the stroller. “Nothing but the top of the line for your miracle baby, am I right?” Leo asked Sloan. Leo told Sloan that he would be in touch, and he left.

“I told you taking on that case was going to be nothing but trouble,” Eric muttered. Eric asked Sloan what Leo wanted. Sloan argued that Leo had demanded that she find a better deal for Dimitri. “Why are you so rattled?” Eric asked. “I just missed you and Jude. And you guys took longer than expected,” Sloan lied. Eric told Sloan that they had run into Jada and Nicole on the walk. There was a knock at the door. When Sloan opened the door, Nicole and E.J. were in the hallway.

“Bad time?” Nicole asked. “Not a bad time. Just a surprise. Eric was just telling me he ran into you guys,” Sloan said as she invited E.J. and Nicole inside. Nicole handed Sloan a bag with a Christmas onesie. “I know this small gesture doesn’t make up for all the things I put you through these past few weeks,” Nicole started. Eric thanked Nicole for the gesture. Sloan agreed. E.J. took Eric aside.

“I appreciate you letting us drop by unannounced. Nicole really needed to do this to show that she was healing and moving on,” E.J. said. Across the room, Sloan and Nicole stared at sleeping baby Jude. “I’d put [the onesie] on now, but he’s knocked out,” Sloan said. Nicole nodded in agreement, but she appeared uneasy.

In the town square, Leo noticed a donation bucket, and he peeked inside it. “Well done, Leo. You don’t have a functioning conscience or two cents to your name. So where do you go from here?” Leo said. Lonely, Leo called the prison to talk to Dimitri, and he learned that Dimitri had been transferred to a Supermax prison. “I know you did this, Sloan. And now I’m going to blow up your world,” Leo growled.