At home, Johnny is on the phone with Chanel, telling her that their little guy conked out before finishing his bottle. He has to go when Leo shows up, who happens to need Johnny’s help.

Leo says this needs to be kept confidential, and he happened to catch EJ talking with Gwen at the gala. Leo wants Johnny to pull up the

footage Holly took, zoom in, and boost their audio. Leo explains he’s been working on a story, that EJ built a secret lab in the back of the free clinic, Gwen is somehow involved, and perhaps this has to do with the disappearance of his family members.

 

 

Johnny pulls up the footage on his laptop, zooms in, and Leo tries to read their lips. EJ tells Gwen to handle something, and Gwen mentions a delivery. Johnny says this will take a while to work on the audio, and he’ll send Leo the video as soon as he’s done editing it.

 

 

In Horton Square, Stephanie and Alex are carrying a fresh tree home. They stop for coffee, and Alex says he’s never known someone who loves Christmas as much as she does. Alex spots Maggie giving Jeremy a hug across the way, and quickly gets Stephanie out of there, suggesting they get the tree home.

 

 

Maggie and Jeremy grab a table, and he tells her all about his trip to New York. They talk about Jeremy finding his calling as a teacher, and little Rachel and Thomas, who are his students. Jeremy sides with Chad in this custody issue. Maggie admits she’s been conflicted between Jen and Chad, but hopes someone finds Chad soon.

 

 

Jeremy knows Titan has been going through some rough times, and if there is anything he can do to help, then just say the word. Maggie explains that one of their authors has been receiving letters from a problematic fan who lives right here in Salem. Jeremy guesses it’s Stephanie, and Alex put her up to asking him if he’s the obsessed fan.

More: Who is kidnapping the DiMeras?

Jeremy fumes that his family thinks so little of him, and his tone grows very hostile. Maggie says she didn’t believe it was him, but she felt he had to ask. Jeremy feels she’s no longer in his corner, which is sad, as she was like a grandma to him. Instead, she thinks the worst of him, like everyone else, and he storms off, leaving Maggie in tears.

Deck the Halls
Alex and Stephanie arrive home with the tree, and Stephanie becomes obsessed with making sure the tree looks perfect. They argue over whether it’s crooked and end up cracking it. Alex says they can get another, but Stephanie refuses to cut down another poor living tree. They then start fantasizing about having their own yard to plant their trees in, and kids and a dog running around. They eventually get the tree standing, and Stephanie has to accept that it’s just not going to be perfect.

They’re interrupted by a phone call, but Stephanie ignores it, impressing Alex. Stephanie says her New Year’s resolution is to find more balance between her work life and love life, which Alex likes. They end up kissing and getting passionate on the couch.

Eventually, they pull out boxes of ornaments, and Alex thinks about all the cheesy ornaments their kids will make for them one day. She notes that he’s had kids on his mind a lot today. He says it must be their time with Johnny and Trey. He never thought he’d settle down or have kids before he met her. They embrace, and Stephanie clearly worries…

More: Susan Seaforth Hayes on how she landed Julie’s role

Rafe Is Not Pleased With Cat
In Rafe’s office, he and Cat discuss how everything she saw in the secret room is gone, and clearly, someone caught Cat snooping around. Rafe fears her cover may be blown, and drugging EJ was an unnecessary risk.

Cat explains she was worried about Chad, and she’s been putting together a timeline. She believes the texts sent to Julie from Chad were from someone else, and both she and Rafe feel the calls Tony made from the cruise ship may have been from someone else as well.