EJ’s Proposal Leads to a Reveal That Shocks Him and Nicole — And the Rooftop Confrontation Ends With [Spoiler] *and* [Spoiler] Going Over the Edge!

As we get into Salem, EJ’s reeling over Stefan and Gabi’s announcement and, after downing a couple glasses of champagne, decides to get down on bended knee and proposes to Nicole… to “upstage” his brother. “Well, I, uh, I… I don’t know what to say.”

She tells him to get up and he asks if he should get her her favorite boy band to propose in the town square with doves. She tells him she just wants simple and sincere. So he tries again with more feeling and she says, “No. Why in the hell would I even think about marrying a cynical, opportunistic jackass?” He’s dumbfounded that she’s angry and she yells at him that the only reason he proposed to her is because Stefan proposed to Gabi.

He tries playing it down but admits the timing of the proposal was a bit off. But that wasn’t the only reason he proposed! When she scoffs, he yells that he loves her. “You… you love me?” They both realize what he said. He’s not sure when he realized he loved her again, but the past few months were “the happiest I’ve been in a very long time.”

She struggles to say “I love you” and admits that while she cares about him… “It’s Eric Brady still, isn’t it?” She insists that’s not it, but EJ sulks about their drugged sex. She insists the timing is a bit off, but he’s not sure what she means.

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Over at the precinct, Trask sweeps in to needle Eric before he tells the clearly delighted DA that Sloan’s been arrested. In the interrogation room, Jada asks where Colin is. “If you had turned him in from the beginning, we wouldn’t even be in here.” Sloan insists he’s not dangerous, but Jada says he’s dangerous enough since he made her sister do his dirty work. Sloan latches onto the sister thing before she says anything, demanding to know how their siblings are involved and what Jada thinks she has on Colin.

Sloan then tells Jada she can’t be objective if Talia’s involved — just before she gets a call from her desperate sis asking for help. Jada runs out, ignoring Trask asking for an explanation. The DA turns to Eric: “So Nicole Walker, Sloan Peterson and her? Do you have a thing for obnoxious women?”

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Trask tries barging in and Eric tells her to leave Sloan alone. They make an agreement to both go in to talk to her. Sloan admits that the police believe Colin poisoned the biscuits, then insists she didn’t have anything to do with her brother. But if the cops go after her for guilt by association, they better think twice. She tells them about Talia being “up to her neck in this.”

Sloan suggests arresting her while the actual person who’s an accessory is a bad look for the department. Trask agrees to let the charges drop, but Colin and Talia are going to have to answer for what they did. After a phone call, Trask tells Sloan what Colin’s been up to and tells her it’s time give up her stupid vendetta before storming out. Sloan asks Eric to get her out of there.

At the hotel room, Jada tells Talia she knows what’s been going on. “Our father would be so ashamed!” Talia asks her to stop yelling and help Paulina. She thinks Colin nabbed her. Jada’s horrified by the photo album of Colin’s parents’ death and wants to know how Talia got mixed up with the psycho. When she gets to the roof fall, Talia knows where they are.

Rafe calls an ambulance for Abe at Sweet Bits. Abe manages to tell Rafe the health inspector took Paulina. (Guess they failed the inspection.) Rafe tells Abe the health inspector was actually Colin, Sloan’s brother, but Abe can’t stay conscious.

Over at the hospital, Rafe yells at his cops to find Colin faster. “Bedford should be considered armed and dangerous.” In his room, Abe manages to gasp out that Rafe to find Paulina. “Find my wife!” He then starts to code. Later, the doctor says Abe needs to get into the ER immediately, he’s hemorrhaging and needs family for consent.

Rafe reaches out to Theo and puts him on with Dr. Hubbard for consent saying Abe has a fighting chance if they can operate.

Meanwhile, up on the roof, Paulina urges Chanel to do what Colin says. He, in turn, is “delighted” that she showed up. He rants about his mom, then tells Chanel to say goodbye to her own mom before she jumps to her death. He rants some more and insists, with a gun to Paulina’s head, that she’s going to end her own life.

Chanel tells Colin she’ll do what he wants to leave Paulina alone and Colin calls her a slut and screams some more at them. Paulina asks him to name his price, but he just wants his parents back, but he can’t get that, so he’ll take “justice.” Paulina refuses to jump, so he says he’ll shoot Chanel instead.

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Chanel tells Colin his dad was a predator who betrayed his mom, who, in turn, tried to kill Chanel. She just defended herself and while she wishes she could change it, she can’t. Since Colin made up his mind to kill her, he doesn’t get to do it without knowing the truth. Colin then decides to kill them both just as Jada and Talia burst onto the roof, guns out.

Jada threatens Colin, while Talia pleads. Paulina, meanwhile, has another panic attack and starts passing out while Colin holds the gun to her head. (Which… understandable.) Colin drops her and everyone panics as she can’t breathe. So he grabs Chanel instead.

In the show’s last few minutes, Nicole says EJ took her by surprise and has been keeping him at arm’s length because things have a habit of not working out between them. But his love has changed everything. She just needs time. He understands, but he wants to make it clear that he’s utterly in love with her and wants to spend the rest of their life together.

In the square, Sloan apologizes for not telling Eric about Colin, but she says she was just trying to protect her brother. He gets protecting a sibling but doesn’t get her enabling his harassment. She insists she wasn’t, and he says they need to stop the secrets – which causes her to flash back to Nicole’s pregnancy… and agree with him.

And the standoff goes south as Jada yells at Colin to drop the gun. Talia then lunges at Colin and they both go over the edge!

Next on Days of Our Lives: Rafe gives Jada the last news she wants, and Paulina rushes to Abe’s side.

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Check out our photo gallery of EJ’s life to see the last few times he and Nicole have done this romantic dance.