Aunt Lydia reports that Aunt Vidala has regained consciousness, though she has not yet spoken. Heel marks suggest an assailant dragged Aunt Vidala. Now, it is rumored that her stroke was the result of an attack. Aunt Vidala moves to a recovery ward, where the other founding Aunts are always at her bedside.

The elopement note has also come under scrutiny, though Aunt Lydia tries to discourage searches for the imaginary couple, but Aunt Elizabeth insists, so Aunt Lydia must go through the motions of sending out a search team of Angels. The team comes up empty.

Commander Judd calls Aunt Lydia into his office, furious that she’s lost Baby Nicole. He worries that the Council will discover that Baby Nicole was in Gilead and he let her get away. Aunt Lydia assures him that only the two of them, and Nicole herself, know her identity. She tells Commander Judd that either Nicole has truly run away, or someone abducted her, and in either case the guilty party is associated with Mayday and will be flushed out.

Angels find two Pearl Girl backpacks near a trail in Vermont, which provides a red herring distraction for Nicole and Agnes.