Breaking Ties: An Ensemble Story (Read 248,137 times)

[heroicmuse]

Week 493 - 1
In the backyard, Rory had sat down on a tire swing. “Doug put this up for JJ’s kid,” he said, “but it hasn’t broken under my weight yet and it makes me think of him, so…”

“I get it,” Jeremy said, putting a plate of food down on the picnic table. “Um, you sure you don’t want to eat?”

Rory bit his lip. “I haven’t been hungry since Doug died. I mean, I have been but it, like, takes way too much energy to eat so I take a few bites here and there but…”

“That’s not healthy,” Jeremy said.

Rory shrugged. “Better than going back to drugs. I mean, if I smoked some I’d get my appetite back but I’m not doing all that anymore and breaking Julie’s heart on top of how Doug broke it by leaving.”

“I get that.” Jeremy sighed deeply.

Hope came around the corner. Rory glanced at her, then away. “Don’t look now, but it’s the fuzz,” he said, laughing bitterly.

“I’m off duty,” Hope said. “Kind of, anyway.” She came over. “Juile was worried about you.”

Rory scowled. “I wish she wouldn’t. I haven’t touched weed or booze and I’m not gonna. When is she gonna get that?”

“Maybe when you eat something,” Jeremy said.

“Jeremy's right,” Hope added. “You have to keep up your strength, honey.”

“Fine.” Rory jumped up amd grabbed a dinner roll off the plate. He took a bite out of it, ripping it with his teeth. “There. I ate something. Happy?”

“That's not dinner,” Hope said, “but I guess it's a start.” Her phone buzzed. She glanced at it, then nodded at Jeremy. “Abe wants to see you.”

“Me?” Jeremy raised his eyebrows. “Doesn't he know I'm on the straight and narrow?”

“I'm sure he does,” Hope said. “He told me to tell you it's about Chanel.”

Jeremy swallowed hard. “Finish eating,” he told Rory. “I'll be back soon.” He turned and hurried into the house, praying that Chanel was okay.


Nicole wasn't in the office when Alison and came in, but Sally was.

“She's paying her respects to Doug Williams,” Sally told Alison. “What can I do for you?”

Alison said, “I kind of have a story, but she might not want me to do it and if not, that's okay.”

“Don't you go shooting your pitch down before you even give it,” Sally said, smiling slightly. “What’s up?”

ALison sighed. “I don’t know if you know,” she said slowly, “but I have a brother whose in jail for the next two decades or so.” She looked away, embarrassed.

“Better that than one who’s dead,” Sally said, thinking of Marcus. “Mine got shot by the cops.” She blinked hard.

“I’m so sorry.” Alison sighed. “Anyway, the thing is… everyone says it’s obvious he’s guilty, but I’m not so sure?”

“You asking me or telling me?”

Alison twisted her hair. “That’s the thing. Part of me thinks I just don’t want my brother to be guilty. I mean, they found him passed out in his car on the median, with too many beer cans to count in the back seat, so it’s pretty obvious what happened. He got drunk, got behind the wheel, and got lucky cause he could have killed a whole lot of people on his way to that median.”

“If that’s how it went down,” Sally said. “But you don’t believe it is.”

“I don’t know what to believe.” Alison held her hands out. “Like I said, it looks pretty open and shut. So maybe I’m in denial. But Josh says he doesn’t remember drinking anything that night. My parents think he’s lying cause he’s embarrassed, but my friend Dani pointed out that even if he got blacked out drunk, which he did if he really drank all those beers, he would remember drinking them.”

Sally nodded, her lips a thin line. “So there’s two possibilities here, and it seems like the more likely one’s someone drugged him and set him up for a fall.”

“Maybe,” Alison said. “Or maybe it’s just me wishing it cause I don’t want to think my brother could do something that irresponsible.” She bit her lip. “I-if someone framed him, and that’s a big if, it would be a big story. But like I said, chances are I’m rationalizing cause this is my brother we’re talking about, so…”

“You’re trying real hard to convince yourself of that,” Sally said. “Why?”
Alison stared at her feet. “Everyone thinks I’m wrong,” she said, her voice cracking. “You and Dani are the only people who have ever believed me about this. E-even Emily, who has known Josh her whole life… she thinks that he’s guilty as hell and I just don’t want to accept what’s right in front of my eyes.”

“Maybe you don’t,” Sally said, “but I have my doubts. You have instincts they don’t have. You know your brother and you know things aren’t adding up. Now, Nicole has final say, but if you ask me, the only question here is what took you so long to get started?”

“Right.” Ailson sighed so deeply her whole body shook. “I guess I figured that if everyone else thought he was guilty, it had to be me that was seeing wrong.”

Sally shook her head slightly. “You’ll get that a lot in this business. A lot of the things we uncover make mincemeat out of what everyone thought was common knowledge, and sometimes you’re gonna run up against people who are fighting a losing battle against the truth. Some people would rather silence the messenger or call her a liar than admit what they always thought was completely wrong. You can’t let them talk you out of what you know in your heart to be true, not if you’re gonna be the reporter I know you want to be. You gotta be willing to stand firm in the face of all that opposition and let them think whatever they’re gonna think of you while you go about the business of finding the truth. If you start digging into what really happened the night your brother was arrested,, your family might think you’re out of your mind or in denial. Your brother might even be too scared of hoping to be set free to support what you’re trying to do for him. Don’t you let that sway you. You do what you know you need to do.” Sally tapped some keys. “I”ll text Nicole to get your official permission to look into this on its way. In the meantime, give me your brother’s full name and let me see if I can get the police report from the night of the arrest so you have someplace to start.”

[André DiMera]

From Friday: Ugh! Of course Sloan’s a Fire Lion! Hope when Horowitz and Prescott tell the boss, Sloan gets disbarred.

Chanel’s idea is interesting, but I’m not sure if Jeremy will go for it.

From today: Glad both Jeremy and Hope are trying to look out for Rory. Now we’ll find out what Jeremy thinks of Chanel’s idea.

So glad Sally is willing to help Alison and believes her!

Great chapters, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 493 - 2

In Doug’s office, Chanel hugged Jeremy tightly and he stroked her hair. “You okay?” he said. “They didn’t get it in their heads that you did something, did they?”

“No,” Chanel. “Not me.” She pulled away from Jeremy. “Um… you know how I have to testify against this girl in the Fire Lions?” She blinked hard. “She, um, she had someone following me. Us. I guess, I don’t know. Mr. Carver said that they arrested this girl who was stalking us at the memorial service.”

Jeremy scowled. “What girl? I can’t believe I didn’t see.” He punched his palm with his fist. “She’d better not have done more than looked.”

Chanel shook her head. “The police got her.” She took Jeremy’s hands. “I really appreciate how protective you are of me but I don’t need that now. I need you to be my soft landing cause I’m scared a-and cause what I have to say isn’t easy…”

Jeremy made himself breathe in and out. “Sorry. I don’t like myself when I get like that either. It’s too close to the guy who snapped and shoved Stephanie Johnson under the water.” He bit his lip,, wondering if he had really changed as much as he thought he did. “Anyway, what’s up?”

Chanel squeezed his hands. “Mr. Carver gave me a minute to explain to you so I’d better hurry up. He, um, he’s taking me into protective custody. It’s like being arrested, but for your own protection. Instead of taking me to jail he’d take me to a safe house.”

Jeremy frowned. “I don’t understand. I thought they got the girl who was messing with you so why do they have to…”

“Cause there’s more where she came from,” Chanel said, “and I don’t like being locked up somewhere any more than you do but he’s right, this girl I’m testifying against is something else and she’ll stop at nothing to shut me up. So um, I”m going along with it.”

Jeremy’s stomach sank. “So this is it, then?” he said flatly. “They gave you a minute to say goodbye before they carted you off to somewhere where you’ll be cut off from the world, even from me?”

Chanel shook her head slightly. “Mr. Carver and Mr. Brady wanted to but I had another idea.” She played with his knuckles. “Um, this probably is really stupid and I understand if you say no but I don’t want to do this without you so… would you… um, would yuou sacrifice everything to be by my side?”

Jeremy squeezed her hands. “You mean… be locked up with you?”

Chanel nodded. “There’s another couple witnesses who will be there too, but I don’t know them and I don’t want to be separated from you.” She turned away, not wanting to see the look on Jeremy’s face. “We haven’t been dating that long, and it’s a lot to ask. You’d be cut off from your family just like I’d be cut off from mine.”

“Would they know?” Jeremy’s voice was thick. “My dad’s in town and I’d hate for him to think I was arrested again and whisked off to solitary.”

“I don’t know,” Chanel said. “They told my mom… something, but I have no idea what. They wouldn’t let me be part of the conversation and I don’t know whether they’ll even let me say goodbye to her.” A tear rolled down her face. “Damn that Nat,” she said. “It’s bad enough what she already put me through. But now it’s like I’m being arrested for planning to testify against her. This safe house better be a real nice place and at the end of this she’d better go to a maximum security prison where she’s the one cut off from the world forever cause what she’s putting me through right now… well, let’s just say I’m inspired to do something to her that would land me behind bars for the rest of my natural life if she gets out of this somehow.”

“She’s not getting out of this,” Jeremy said. He swallowed hard. “I want to be where you are,” he said, his voice shaking. “I just need to know that they’ll let me say goodbye to my dad cause I can’t do this to him, I can’t let him think I’m anywhere but at your side.”

Chanel nodded. “I hope Mr. Carver’ll let you have time to do that,” she said, “cause if he doesn’t you and I are gonna have to say our goodbyes and I don’t want that.” Her voice broke and she burst into tears.

Jeremy hugged her, stroking her hair. “No,” he said. “I’m not gonna let them separate us. I’ll do whatever it takes to get my goodbyes in so I can be by your side.”



Meanwhile, Horowitz had gone into Abe’s office for privacy, where she had called him.

“I’m 99% sure,” she said quietly. “She had a tattoo that looked like flames and teeth, but it was partially covered.”

“All right,” Abe said through the phone. “Search Mr. Newton after she’s done with him and make sure she didn’t pass him any contraband, then bring him back to holding. I’ll notify the DA so that she can bring his gang affiliation up at arraignment and hopefully get him sent to a high security facility until trial.”

“That’s it?” Horowitz was disappointed.

“I’m afraid so,” Abe said. “It’s clear we’re not getting anything out of him today, and we have bigger fish to fry. We have three, possibly four, people who have to be taken into protective custody and moved to a safe house and I’m going to need your help.”

Abe’s instructions went on as later, Hannah and Kenneth hugged their families goodbye and slid into the back of a limo. “We’ll want to transport them separately to reduce the risk of the wrong people realizing that these witnesses are in police custody for their own protection. Let’s ensure that Hannah Martin and Kenneth Hansen look like they’re going on a romantic getaway.”

The limo door slammed shut. The windows were tinted, making it impossible to see inside, so nobody could tell that Andrew Donovan was driving the limo. Hannah reached for Kenneth’s hand as it pulled away from the curb.

Abe’s instructions went on, “Chanel Dupree has a criminal record, so the easiest way to transport her is to stage her arrest.”

Chanel was driving home after the wake when a police car pulled her over. She pulled over to the side of the road and Horowitz , came up to the car and flashed his badge at her before saying a few words. Chanel came out of the car with her hands up. She sank to her knees and put her hands behind her head and Horowitz handcuffed her and got her back on her feet. She put her in a squad car and then radioed someone. A tow truck pulled up to take care of Chanel’s car.

John Black was driving the tow truck. Horowitz waited til he had the car on the truck bed before she took off with Chanel.

John followed, determined to keep Chanel safe.


Abe went on, “And Jeremy Horton has a record in another country everyone knows he’s trying to clear up, so we can make it appear that he’s being taken into ISA custody and flown back to Cape Town.”

Kelsey and Paul escorted Jeremy, whose hands were cuffed infront of him, up the stairs into an ISA jet. They sat him in a seat and put his seatblet on him before removing the cuffs.

“Sorry about any discomfort,” Paul said. “We had to make it look good.”

Jeremy shrugged. “I’ve experienced worse. You’re sure the ISA has a strong enough signal scrambler I’ll be able to call my dad when we land?”

“I designed itmyself,” Paul said proudly.

“And Chanel? Is she at the safe house yet?”

“She’s on her way,” Paul said. “Sorry you two couldn’t travel together but we were trying not to arouse suspicion and since you were supposedly arrested for completely different crimes…”

“I understand,” Jeremy said. “I just can’t wait to hold her in my arms again.”

As the plane took off, he remembered saying goodbye to his dad before they put the plan in motion.

His dad had hugged him tight and said, “I”m proud of you, son. I wish we didn’t have to be apart but at least you’re trying to do something to help the girl you love rather than being arrested for real.”

“I’ll contact you if they let me,” Jeremy said, blinking back tears, “and hopefully this will be all over soon and I can come home.”

Jeremy blinked hard now, watching as the plane ascended into the clouds.

[Kpatch]

I like how Jeremy seems to be taking Rory under his wing.

I was hoping Jeremy would say yes to Chanel.

[André DiMera]

Glad Jeremy agreed to join Chanel.

Looks like all four members are being transported safely to the safe house. So glad Jeremy got to say goodbye to Mike!

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 493 - 3
Alison came into her dorm room, holding the printout Sally had given her under her arm. She sat down at her desk and said to herself, “Okay. Here we go. Josh’s arrest report.” She let her breath out slowly as she opened the folder.

She read the name of the arresting officer, which was Stone, and the report that Josh had been found passed out in the driver’s seat. The ignition was running and there were 12 empty beer cans in the back seat. The report listed each can, where exactly it was found, and there were pictures.

Alison stared at the photo. Josh certainly looked guilty, but she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

She flipped the page. There had to have been a toxicology report showing how much alcohol was in his system and proving that’s the only thing that was there, didn’t there? Yet no matter how much she searched, she couldn’t find one.

That was weird. Alison flipped the pages, trying to find it.

Emily’s key turned in the lock and then Emily came in. “What are you doing?” Emily asked.

Alison looked up. “I got my brother’s arrest report. I wanted to see if there was anything weird, and there is.”

Emily sighed as she put her hand on Alison’s shoulder. “Oh, Al. You still think he’s been framed?”

Alison nodded. “I’m more convinced than ever. Look. I’ve searched everywhere and there’s no tox screen.” Emily frowned and Alison said, quickly, “They can’t just convict him based on how many empties were in the back seat. They need proof there was alcohol in his system. But either they didn’t test or someone removed the page with the results.” SHe paced back and forth. “And if someone did, it’s cause the test showed he had sedatives in his system and they didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Yeah, that is sus,” Emily agreed. “But say he did have sedatives in his system. Couldn’t they argue it’s still DUI and that he took those sedatives voluntarily?”

“They could,” Alison said. “I mean, I think so. I’m not a lawyer or anything. But the page is missing so obviously they didn’t want to go that route. They wanted to cover it up. The question is, why? And who did it?”

Neither girl noticed a red light flashing from the microphone Sloan had hidden in the dorm room a while ago, signifying that the bug was picking up every word.


Justin had come to see Julie. “Now that the wake is over,” he said, “I thought we should talk again about the provisions that Doug made for Rory in his will.”

“Right,” Julie said. “Of course.” She sighed deeply. “It’s at times like this that I miss Doug most of all. Obviously he wanted Rory to have this money or he wouldn’t have left it to him. But if he were here I could talk it over with him, ask him if this is really such a good idea.”

“I understand,” Justin said. “When I was working on Uncle Vic’s will there were a lot of times when I wished I could visit the afterlife just to shake him and ask him what the hell he was thinking.” He sighed. “That said, Doug’s will is what it is. He’s left Rory a nice little nest egg, and he didn’t think to leave it in a trust for him rather than giving it to him outright.”

Julie nodded. “I would prefer to put it in a trust,” she said, “because Rory is a sweet young man but he doesn’t have the first clue when it comes to money. I don’t want him to be like those people who win the lottery and burn through thousands of dollars in a few days, and I know Doug didn’t want that for him either.”

“I agree,” Justin said, “but Doug didn’t stipulate any such thing. He gave Rory the money no strings attached.”

“I’m aware.” Julie crossed har arms. “So what do we do?”

“Well,” Justin said, “I don’t think contesting the will is a good idea. Doug was of sound mind when he wrote it and it would just cause hurt feelings all around. However, there is one way we can get that money put into a trust. We can convince Rory it’s in his best interest to do so and then we can set it up for him.”

[André DiMera]

Hopefully Alison and Emily will find out the truth. Ugh! Of course Sloan is recording them!

Wonder how that idea will go over with Rory.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

I sure hope Rory listens to wiser heads and agrees to put the bulk of his inheritance in a trust. I wouldn't blame him if he wanted some mad money in cash though.

[heroicmuse]

Week 493 - 4
Steve leaned his phone on his ear. “Good to hear. Thanks for keepin’ me in the loop.” He hung up and turned toward Stephanie, who was sitting across from him at the cafe. “Sorry ab out that, little Sweetness. You know how your Papa is. When duty calls, I gotta answer.”

“Even when it calls literally.” Stephanie smiled slightly as she picked up her coffee. “So, I know you’re probably going to tell me you can’t say anything, but I’m going to ask anyway. What was that about?”

“You are every bit your mama’s daughter, huh?” Steve took a sip of his coffee.

“And that’s… not an answer.” Stephanie leaned forward. “So, what is it?”

“I shouldn’t really say,” Steve said. He tapped his fingers on the table thinking. “But I can tell you that your problem with a certain person is solved, at least for a while. Jeremy Horton had to leave town.”

Stephanie’s eyes narrowed. “Really?” she said, her voice flat. “What did you do, frame him for something?”

“I wouldn’t do that, not even for you. No, a contact in the ISA told me that Jeremy had warrants for his arrest in Cape Town and that he turned himself in at the embassy this morning. He’s bein’ flown back to South Africa as we speak and the legal system there will have to decide what to do with him.”

“Oh. Wow.” Stephanie took another sip of her coffee. “So he’ll probably be locked up for a while, huh?”

“Could be.” Steve frowned. “I know I only got one good eye, so maybe I’m seein’ wrong, but seems to me you’re a lot less thrilled about that than I expected.”

“No, I’m glad he’s gone,” Stephanie said. “I’m just in shock, you know? It seemed like he was determined to stay in Salem. He had a girlfriend and he was applying for jobs and I had kind of… resigned myself to the idea that we were going to cross paths whether I liked it or not. And this whole time he had warrants in another country? What made him decide to stop running away?”

Steve shrugged. “From what I hear, he needed a clean record to get the job he wanted.”

“His poor girlfriend,” Stephanie said. “I tried to warn her not to get too attached to him.”

Steve took another sip of his coffee while he tried to decide whether to use Chanel’s cover story or not. He didn’t want Stephanie to judge her, and besides, she might be suspicious of the coincidence if she heard Chanel had been arrested too and put two and two together. Finally, he said, “She’s a big girl. She knew what she was gettin’ into.”

“I guess you’re right,” Stephanie said. “So I don’t have to worry about whether I’ll need to enforce that restraining order against him. Whatever will I do with all the extra energy he just freed up?”

“That’s a good question,” Steve said. “Which is the real reason I wanted to have coffee with you. Your Mama and I are thrilled you moved back to Salem, but we gotta ask, what is it you’re plannin’ on doin’ with your life now that you’re settled?”


“You’re gonna get me off, right?” Snake said.

“I’m sure I can work something out,” Sloan said. “I have influence in the prosecutor’s office these days.” She smirked. Her phobe nuzzled and she glanced at it.

It was Melinda Trask.

“Speaking of, I’ve gotta take this,” Sloan said. “You’ll probably spend tonight in holding, but don’t panic. I have a motion to dismiss all ready to go and I’m sure we’ll get the case kicked at arraignment.” She got up, knocking on the door, and told the cops outside, “I’m done speaking with my client.”

Two cops came in and got Snake on his feet before cuffing him.

Sloan hurried out of the room and downstairs so she could call Melinda back. She didn’t notice Horowitz tailing her at a distance.

“Melinda, hey,” Sloan said. “Sorry I couldn’t pick up. I was taking care of something else. What’s up?” She frowned. “Really,” she said. “Well, we’ll just have to figure out what we can do about that.”

[André DiMera]

Stephanie’s reaction to this news is interesting. Wonder how she’ll answer Steve’s question.

Of course Trask is in on this, too. Wonder what she said to Sloan.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 493 - 5
Andrew led Hannah and Kenneth into the safe house. It was a small house located in a rural area of the state, though they didn’t know exactly where because they had been driven to it in a limousine with tinted windows that they couldn’t see out of.

The inside of the house was similar to an upscale vacation home for rent, with leather couches, a fireplace, and central air conditioning and heat and a large kitchen. There were bedrooms, but they had not been shown to their room yet.

“Have a seat, guys,” Andrew said, gesturing toward the couch. “The other witnesses will be here soon.”

“We’re not gonna be alone?” Hannah said, her stomach sinking. She knew only of one other witness who was testifying against Nat, and it was someone she didn’t want to ever see again, never mind be stuck with.

“Unfortunately not,” Andrew said. “As soon as they get here, I’ll go over the ground rules and me and the other agents involved will assign your bedrooms. Both rooms are the same and have been assigned randomly to avoid unnecessary drama.”

At Salem City Jail, Hannah stood facing a guard, her hands behind her back and her head bowed.

The guard said, “Living in a minimum security dorm is a privilege, so listen up. You are to take the bedding assigned and place it on bed 12. Do not attempt to claim any other bed in the dorm. You are to stand beside your bed for all required headcounts, be in your bed at lights out time, and make your bed every morning before breakfast. You are responsible for keeping your area clean. Infractions of the rules can lead to loss of privileges including removal from the dorm to a more secure environment, so I suggest you follow the rules to the letter. Now pick up your bedding and follow me.”

She swallowed hard now. “We’re under jail rules, huh?”

“It’s meant for safety, not punishment,” Andrew said, “but yes, there will be restrictions to ensure that Nat can’t find you. That’s why we’ve confiscated your phones and your computers for the time being. You’ll get them back once we install ISA signal scramblers so that no one can find you. But even after that, we have to ask that you stay off social media. Nat or someone working for her could easily trace you through your posts even if you turn geolocation off.”

“Roger that.” Hannah gulped. “What happens if we break the rules? You going to lock us in our rooms?”

“Why does it matter?” Kenneth asked. “We’re gonna cooperate, right?”

Hannah blinked back tears. “I just want to know what we’re in for, that’s all. In jail they could say you were in violation when it only happened in their imaginations.”

“This isn’t jail,” Andrew said firmly. “I just told you, we’re trying to keep you safe, not punish you. Now, hopefully you’ll have the sense to cooperate, but if for some reason you do something stupid, we will do what it takes to protect you. However, that might mean moving you to another safe house that’s more isolated. Having your boyfriend here with you is an extra security risk, so let’s not do things to make us regret allowing it.”

Hannah nodded, but she looked scared.

Andrew’s radio went off. Paul said something in police code and Andrew responded in kind.

“The others are here,” Andrew said, “so I’ll tell them the same thing I just told you and then we’ll go over the other safety measures we have in place and assign rooms. Stay here, all right?” He walked away.

Kenneth reached for Hannah’s hand. “You okay? I’ve never seen you so scared.”

“We’re being locked up cause a crazy person’s hoping to kill me before I can testify against her,” Hannah said. “Even I’m not that tough.” She leaned against Kenneth, unhappily. “This whole thing’s giving me vibes like when I was in Salem City for that open container, and on top of that, I’m pretty sure we’re about to be stuck with people we don’t want to spend time with.”

Kenneth kissed the top of her head. “We’ll make the best of it, okay?”

Andrew came in with Paul, Jeremy, and Chanel. Chanel and Kenneth locked eyes.

It was the first time Kenneth had seen his cousin since her arrest for framing him for Marcel’s murder.

[André DiMera]

This should be interesting. Hopefully no one will do anything stupid. Wonder how Kenneth and Chanel will react to each other.

Can we please have previews, heroicmuse?

[Kpatch]

Safe house living is no vacation. It sounds awful.

[heroicmuse]

Thank you André DiMera and Kpatch for your comments this week.

This safe house situation should be interesting... and awkward. Read on for spoilers.

Coming up on Breaking Ties...

The safe house situation gets off to a rocky start as Hannah is not shy about her opinion of Chanel and what Chanel did to Kenneth in the past. Jeremy comes to Chanel's defense, but the ISA agents inform everyone that they all will be stuck together and need to get along.

In private, Chanel tells Jeremy she feels she deserves Hannah's anger and he tries to support her while Kenneth helps Hannah calm down. But Chanel's presence isn't the only thing bothering Hannah about the situation and being in prisoner-like conditions takes a mental toll on her... will she be able to keep it together until the trial?

Meanwhile, Nat is increasingly frustrated and desperate as the trial is set to begin and she can't touch the witnesses. What's her next move?

Elsewhere, Sloan is equally desperate to stop Alison from investigating her brother's case, while Emily makes a surprising suggestion that makes Alison question whether Emily could be attracted to her.

Finally, how will Rory react to learning how much Doug left him and what Justin and Julie suggest he do?

[André DiMera]

Hopefully everyone in the safe house will eventually be civil with each other, since they’re stuck together. It makes sense that this is taking a toll on Hannah.

I’m glad Nat can’t get to the witnesses.

Wonder what Emily’s suggestion is.

Can’t wait to see Rory’s reaction!

Thanks for the previews, heroicmuse!