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On Days of our Lives, Wednesday, December 17, 2025, tensions rose at the Kiriakis mansion, Marlena returned to an emptier home, Brady and Tate were taken aback, and EJ dealt another blow to Kristen.
What Happened on Days of our Lives
At the hospital, Sarah greeted Marlena, who was in the process of being released. Sarah told her patient that she knew all about the situation with Rachel, and she expressed her sympathies.
At the Kiriakis mansion, Xander entered with an armload of gifts for Victoria. He got an unpleasant surprise when he spotted Brady making himself at home on the couch. After a snarky greeting was exchanged, Brady let Xander know he would be temporarily living at the mansion. Xander tensed but concealed his disdain by changing the subject. He wanted to know if the police had questioned Brady about the DiMera disappearances.
Brady said the police had no reason to question him because he knew nothing about it. Xander and Philip, on the other hand … Xander shot down the insinuation that either Philip or he had any knowledge of the missing family’s whereabouts. After Brady left, Xander finished placing his presents under the tree. He forlornly thought back to when he had gifted Sarah with a pair of red dancing shoes for Christmas.
Cue Sarah’s entrance. Caught off guard by the sight of her ex, Sarah demanded an explanation. She eased up when Xander said he’d brought Christmas presents for Victoria. Xander then turned the tables and indicated he’d received his own surprise in the form of Sarah’s new housemate. Sarah claimed Brady was just staying until he found a place of his own, but Xander wasn’t convinced the arrangement would be short-term. He accused Sarah of having feelings for Brady.
Sarah concurred with Xander’s assessment that the status of her relationship with Brady was none of his business, just like Xander’s potential involvement with anyone else would be none of her business. Xander affirmed he would never love anyone but Sarah. He turned to leave and, with bitterness, asked Sarah to tell their daughter “Merry Christmas” and that he loved the little girl. With a hint of guilt, Sarah called after Xander when he walked away, but he was already gone.
At John and Marlena’s place, Tate braced himself as he looked at his final grades on his phone. His GPA was low enough to place him on academic probation. He tried to hide his displeasure when he went into the main room and saw Belle, who was absorbing her own bad news: EJ had been the latest DiMera to go missing.
Later, Belle arrived at the hospital to pick up Marlena. Mother and daughter sat down briefly to discuss EJ’s disappearance before they returned home. When they got back to the townhouse, Belle informed Marlena that Brady had moved out. While Belle attempted to cover for Brady’s reasoning, Marlena quickly figured out that Brady had left because of her. Belle had hope that Brady would come around, especially after she learned that Marlena had kept quiet about Rachel at Kristen’s behest.
Marlena still blamed herself for not being honest with Brady and expressed hesitation about visiting Rachel. Belle assured her Brady would be fine with it. Belle also revealed that Tate didn’t know the exact details of the friction between Brady and Marlena. As such, he would continue to stay at the townhouse when he wasn’t at the dorms. Meanwhile, Tate stopped by Bayview to see Rachel, who enthusiastically greeted her big brother with a hug.
Later, Brady joined Rachel and Tate’s family bonding session. Brady was pleased that his daughter seemed to be in better spirits. Rachel happily informed her dad and brother that she’d made a new friend – and someone they already knew – Sophia Choi. Rachel promptly clarified that Sophia didn’t speak, but she did play board games with Rachel. Brady and Tate forced smiles and shared a look.
Brady changed the subject to a gift he had brought for Rachel. The girl’s excitement dissipated, though, after she saw the contents of the box: a string of Christmas lights. When Brady talked about bringing Christmas to her, Rachel realized she wouldn’t be home for the holiday. She only wanted her home and her mom for Christmas. Brady hugged Rachel and reassured her that they all would be spending many Christmases together in the future.
Later, Rachel talked to her stuffed snake. She hoped that she could go along with Sophia on their next adventure.
At the Brady Pub, Brady and Tate discussed their visit with Rachel. While Brady was happy that Rachel had made progress, he had reservations about Sophia’s role in said progress. Tate reasoned that Sophia was bored and lonely, like Rachel. He said she’d always been good with kids because of her brothers, so Rachel’s presence was probably benefiting Sophia as well. Brady and Tate assured themselves that Sophia couldn’t have a bad influence on Rachel since Sophia couldn’t speak.
Tate began to tell Brady about his planned trip to Paris with Holly, who would be visiting Eric and Nicole. But when Brady talked about how much spending Christmas together would mean to Rachel, Tate stayed mum and seemingly canceled his ticket purchase.
In the DiMera crypt, EJ and Chad examined Kristen’s wound, which she had gotten while digging for an escape route. They urged her to rest, but Kristen was determined to get out and back to Rachel. Her desperation rose to new levels after EJ disclosed that Rachel had caused Sarah to have an allergic reaction, that the girl had been sent to Bayview…and that she had remembered shooting him. Chad was shocked by the latter disclosure, so EJ summarized for him what had happened and how Kristen had taken the fall.
Kristen lashed out at EJ for forcing her to confess under threat of revealing Rachel as the shooter. Chad told her about Leo’s assertion that the jury would have found Johnny not guilty. That piece of information sent Kristen spiraling. She tried to attack EJ, but Chad stopped her and comforted her when she dissolved into tears.
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Chad sent EJ away to another corner of the crypt to cool down while he calmed Kristen. She vowed that she would find a way to get back to her daughter and to get Rachel out of “that awful place.”
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