Chad and Stephanie Get *Close* As Gabi Finds Out Just How Horribly Wrong Her Attempts to Save Stefan Have Gone

As we get into Salem, Gwen shows up at Xander’s door only to be pulled into a kiss. He tells her to take her top off — so he knows is she’s wearing a wire! Xander tells her Leo gave him a heads up about testifying, so Gwen’s appearance can’t be coincidence. She’s helping her best buddy. She slaps Xander.

She is not turning on him! In fact, she came to reassure him she won’t cooperate with the police. She just chose Xander over Jack. “You chose to protect me over your relationship with your father?! You’re crazy!” She’s been called worse, but she is crazy knowing she’s doing it even though he’ll end up with Sarah in the end. But that’s fine.

Well, Xander says, Sarah just left with the divorce papers he signed. He pulled out all the stops and got nowhere. He thought she liked him being a bad boy, but he’s pushed past her limits. They’re done for good. Gwen grabs his hand and says she’s sorry, but he says she’s not. Fine, she’s not. Still, they’re not over yet, Gwen says. They’ll get back together. She’s not going there and risking getting left in the cold.

No, Xander assures her, he can’t be with someone constantly moving the goal posts. Gwen, on the other hand, has faith in him and doesn’t judge him. He kisses her and she kisses back.

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Sarah, meanwhile, finds Bonnie trying to write something for Kayla’s funeral at the Kiriakis mansion. She tells Bonnie she and Xander are done, but Bonnie isn’t buying it. Sarah walked in on him and Gwen, she’s done. Besides, they’re just too incompatible anyway. His bad boy shtick is scary and unsettling now.

Bonnie snatches the divorce papers away before Sarah can sign them. “When hell freezes over!” Sarah chases her around, but Bonnie says to think about it or she’s ripping the papers up. Sarah says if she does rip them up, she’ll get another set from Justin and get Xander to sign again. Bonnie can delay, but not stop the divorce.

In the Horton Square, Allie runs into Alex with some flowers and asks if he’s going to see Stephanie. Allie says maybe he should rethink ambushing Steph with flowers — but then relents after he tells her about his talk with Paulina. So long as he’s heartfelt and sincere, Allie would think of forgiving him. Stephanie knows he’s too good to give up. Alex tells her Chanel knows the same about her — but Allie isn’t sure. They’re on a break. Alex tells her he’ll play couples therapist for them. No, she’s good, she insists, he needs to get to Stephanie. So he goes.

Over at the Johnsons’, Chad shows up to tell Stephanie how he feels about them. He’s nervous and goes off script but thinks he’s ready to move on from Abigail. With Stephanie. She’s taken aback, and he explains his talk with Jack. He’s never going to get over Abigail, but as Jack said, he can’t let that hold him back. He has to learn to live with the feelings as he goes forward. With Stephanie. He doesn’t want to miss “something really great.”

Stephanie is ticked. He just told her she didn’t have a chance not long ago, so she moved on with Alex, who was relentless. And then she — oh, she’s not ticked. She kisses Chad as Alex arrives… and leaves the flowers in the hall in disappointment.

Chad’s relieved that Stephanie is on the same page as him. He knows she’s going through so much, then says he should go and give her some space. Then come back in a week or two to pick up where they left off. Er, no. He needs to stick around. She kisses him again and leads him back to the bedroom. He stammers a bit, but she kisses him and tells him he’s sure just before they make love.

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In the DiMera mansion, Anna reads over her eulogy for Marlena when Chloe lets herself in asking for Stefan. Anna perks up at the thought of the two of them, then asks if they’re serious. They were, but circumstances have changed, and Chloe’s there to break things off. She doesn’t think Stefan knows what he wants. The landline rings and Anna picks it up to… Vivian?? After some confusion, Chloe and Anna learn Stefan is Gabi’s captive down in the secret room!

Down in the tunnels, Stefan comes to, wondering where they are and why he’s tied up. Gabi yells at Rolf for wiping Stefan’s memories. It’s not his fault, the doc says, he didn’t have better equipment. Gabi pleads with Stefan to remember her and what she means to him. Stefan glares at her and demands to know why she had Dr. Rolf work on him. But he realizes in wonder, he loves Gabi with all his heart.

Rolf warns Gabi he could be faking. No, Stefan repeats, he loves her with all his heart! Kiss him and she’ll see. They kiss and, “That felt… real. And great.” Stefan apologizes and says that wasn’t the real him. “You believe me now, don’t you?” Anna and Chloe burst in as they kiss again, horrified. And that’s when Stefan realizes he loves Gabi… and Chloe too!

In the show’s last few minutes, back in the square, Allie asks Alex how it went. He tells her. He’s furious with himself for turning off the phone. It was selfish and stupid and pathetic. He’s going to regret it for the rest of his life. “I just pushed the woman of my dreams into the arms of another man.”

He doesn’t want to talk about it anymore, so he asks about Chanel instead. Allie didn’t bother going to see her but thinks it would have ended up the same as Alex. Whether with Johnny or anyone. Chanel is “very friendly” with everyone. They go to grab a drink.

Chad and Stephanie bask in each other’s glow after sex. Chad is just what she needed. She then checks in with how he’s feeling, and he promises he’s where he wants to be.

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Bonnie hands the papers over, but “I’ll have you know, I was standing up for true love.” But it wasn’t true love, Sarah says, so she’s ending one of Salem’s shortest marriages. She signs the papers, as Xander and Gwen pull out from their kiss at the hotel. Gwen can’t believe that what she’s wanted so badly is finally here. Nothing ever works out for her. Same, Xander says. Maybe that’s why they’re supposed to be together.

And finally, Rolf promises there’s nothing to be done, but Gabi refuses to accept it. Well, he can’t fix anything else without new equipment. Anna unties Stefan and says they can figure this out. “There’s nothing to figure out! I’m in love with the two most beautiful women in the world. How lucky am I?”

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Relive Camila Banus’ most memorable moments as Gabi in our photo gallery below.