Days of our Lives Recaps: The week of August 23, 2010 on DAYS

Comprehensive daily recaps for Days of our Lives, dating back to 1996.

Monday, August 23, 2010

by LaDaisia

E.J. and Sami gathered in the DiMera mansion living room with Stefano, Lexie, Kate, and Will attending their wedding ceremony. When the judge got to the part of the ceremony that said "speak now or forever hold your peace," someone banged on the front door. Kate answered it, and it was Roman. He explained that he had found out that E.J. and Sami had moved the wedding up, and he was there to arrest someone.

Roman burst into the living room and said he was going to arrest Sami in order to keep her from making "the biggest mistake of her life," and he put her in handcuffs. Will looked on, feeling satisfied. E.J. asked what the charges were for Roman to arrest her, and Roman said he would make something up, but he would start with the charge of lying to a police officer. Sami told Roman that she didn't need or want her father's protection. She made it clear that she loved E.J., that he had changed, and that they trusted each other. She said it would be good for their kids for her and E.J. to be together. Sami asked Roman to let her and E.J. be happy.

Roman agreed to back down. He apologized but said he was doing what he thought was the right thing to do. Sami asked Roman to stay, and he asked her what had happened with Rafe. Meanwhile, Lexie apologized to E.J. for telling Abe about the wedding, saying that was the reason why Roman had showed up. E.J. said that Abe was family, and E.J. was glad that Roman knew so that way they didn't have to tell Roman about the news. Lexie assured E.J. that once Roman realized that E.J. loved Sami, Roman would change his mind.

Stefano told E.J. privately that Stefano had worried at first that Roman was there to announce that E.J. had kidnapped Sydney. Stefano asked for E.J.'s reassurance that there was no chance of anyone finding out that E.J. had taken Sydney, and E.J. shrugged his shoulders and said no.

Sami told everyone that the ceremony could take place, and the ceremony continued with Roman in attendance. She said she knew that E.J. would be the best husband she could have asked for.

Rafe played the CD implicating E.J. in Sydney's kidnapping, and he felt satisfied that he had everything he needed to expose E.J. and keep him from marrying Sami. Nicole asked what would happen next, and Rafe said he needed to take care of all the details first. "She's not worth it, Rafe. That woman would break your heart for a box of Pop Tarts," Nicole said. Rafe told her to "shut up," and he reminded her that she had stolen Sydney in the first place and later blackmailed someone to get a pardon.

Nicole understood why Rafe would be mad with her, but she reminded him that she had exposed E.J. She thought he was acting ungrateful for all that she had done. He reminded her that he was giving her immunity and letting her keep the money she got from blackmailing E.J. She said that she wasn't safe, and the DiMeras would go after her. She wanted Rafe to care. She asked him to remember that he had said he cared, understood what Nicole had gone through, and wouldn't "knife" Nicole in the back.

Rafe said that Nicole would be under 24-hour police protection immediately. He said she could take it or leave it, and Nicole announced she was leaving it. Nicole didn't consider the FBI to be a match for the DiMeras. Rafe and Nicole went to the police station, and he told her not to run away again. He said she wasn't given immunity until he had the papers drawn up.

Rafe returned Gabi's phone call, and she told him that Sami was getting married that day. Rafe got up and left. He went to the DiMera mansion and interrupted the wedding ceremony right before E.J. and Sami were declared husband and wife. While he was gone, Nicole sneaked out of the police station when the officer who was guarding her took a phone call.

Chloe was nervous about the DNA test results, and Philip told her privately to keep it together. Chloe put her cell phone down on the table, and Daniel proposed a toast to Chloe on her birthday. Daniel felt that things would only get better for them. Philip interrupted Daniel's heartfelt speech and announced that he and Melanie had to leave.

After Melanie and Philip had left, Chloe fell asleep in the bed, next to Daniel. Daniel grabbed a cell phone and went for a walk along the pier. He took out the cell phone again and told himself, "Do it." Then he pressed a button, saying "Done."

Carly went to St. Mary's Hospital to get the test results for Chloe. Sister Ann was about to show Carly the results when she realized that they had no record of the patient signing the HIPAA form, so that meant that the hospital couldn't share the test results with Carly. Sister Ann offered to call the patient and deliver the news, but Carly quickly said no. Sister Ann found the signed paper and realized that a nurse had forgotten to file it. Then she logged onto the computer and got the test results.

When Chloe woke up, she went onto the St. Mary's Hospital web site. Carly went to Daniel and Chloe's apartment to deliver the news.

Ian showed Stephanie the test results for Chloe's paternity test, and she realized that her life was about to be ruined. Ian wondered why Stephanie was so upset, since she had said the father of the baby wasn't Nathan. She said that when the truth was revealed, she would lose Nathan. She asked Ian to go over the results again, and he confirmed that the results showed that there was not a DNA match.

Stephanie agonized over her fear that Melanie would leave Philip and then Stephanie's relationship would be in jeopardy. She was so upset, that she ran out of the apartment. Stephanie asked Ian to hack into St. Mary's computer again and change the test results. Ian wasn't comfortable with changing the results, but he acquiesced after Stephanie urged him to. He tried to change it, but realized that the results had already been changed. She wondered who would change the results.

At the Brady Pub, Philip arrived and met with Melanie while she was on the phone with Carly. Melanie asked how Philip's call went, and he remembered his lie and then said his call went well. Someone called Philip's phone, and he went outside to answer it. He asked someone if they could do something for him and said it would mean "the world" to him. Someone called him back a few minutes later, and Philip said he would owe someone "big time." Meanwhile, Melanie went online to St. Mary's Hospital's web site. "Okay, that's that," Melanie said.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

by Spalding

Carly visited Chloe at Daniel's apartment and informed her that Daniel was the father of her baby. Elated, Chloe hugged Carly and thanked her for her help. In the hallway outside of the apartment, Daniel muttered to himself, "I did the right thing. What matters is for Chloe to be happy."

While Chloe wiped away her tears of joy, Daniel entered the apartment. Stammering out an excuse, Carly explained that she had stopped by to give Chloe her birthday present. Looking around, Daniel asked Carly where the present was. Chloe reached into her purse and pulled out a small box with a fancy teething ring inside it. "We are having a baby!" Chloe said happily. Chloe asked Carly to go shopping for baby furniture with her, while Daniel joked that he was being shut out of the fun.

"You abandoned me on my birthday and Carly didn't. Where'd you go, anyway?" Chloe asked Daniel. Daniel explained that he had left to run an errand and did not want to wake Chloe up. Carly excused herself to take a call in the hallway, but before Carly could leave the apartment, Daniel asked Carly to stick around so that he could make an announcement. Curious, Carly walked back into the room. Daniel told Carly that he was happy to have Carly in their lives. With a faint smile, Carly went to take her phone call.

Daniel told Chloe that the errand he was running was to obtain two tickets to the opera to spend one final magical night together as a "childless couple." After hugging Daniel, Chloe cheerfully announced that she was going to call her parents about the baby. Once Chloe was out of the room, Carly looked down at the floor nervously, and Daniel looked across the room at Carly suspiciously. "You just look like you have something on your mind," Daniel commented. When Carly bristled at Daniel's question, Daniel pressed her to talk to him.

Carly commented that she was thinking about two treatment options for a patient. Carly said that she had to make the decision for the patient rather than present both treatments to the patient. "I was just thinking that I did the right thing," Carly said. "I'm just so happy that you get to raise your child this time. And that I didn't totally screw up your life," Carly said. With a grin, Daniel told Carly not to worry about the past anymore.

At Salem Hospital, Nathan was staring at his computer when a nurse surprised him by asking whether he was looking at football statistics. Nathan hurriedly closed his laptop and walked down the hallway.

Stephanie's hacker friend Ian informed her that someone had changed the paternity test results for Chloe before he had a chance to. Curious, Stephanie wondered who would have changed the results. When Ian suggested that Chloe could have changed the results, Stephanie joked, "Chloe? Computer genius? I'd be surprised if she can spell her own name." Stephanie said, "I wonder if it's someone I don't even know about." Ian urged Stephanie to forget about the paternity test, but still curious, Stephanie explained that she needed to know who had changed the test results.

Nathan returned home to the apartment and was annoyed to find Ian visiting Stephanie. Stephanie explained that Ian was installing a firewall on her computer. Suspicious, Nathan asked Ian why he had not installed the firewall when he was working on Stephanie's computer before. Feeling awkward, Ian said goodbye and left. "I don't like that guy," Nathan groused once Ian had left the apartment. With a smile on her face, Stephanie assured Nathan that Ian would not be visiting again.

"I just came from the hospital," Nathan said. Feeling guilty, Stephanie stood up and blurted, "I did it for you!" "You didn't have to do that," Nathan said. When Nathan mentioned everyone at the hospital complaining, Stephanie started to shake. Nathan explained that the new software program at work was difficult to use and Stephanie did not need to be embarrassed that she had asked Ian for help with the software. Relieved that Nathan did not seem to know about the paternity test, Stephanie pretended that Nathan's theory was right and that Ian was helping her with the computer program.

Changing the subject, Nathan informed Stephanie that his hand was not broken from the fight in the clinic. When Stephanie commented on Nathan's rescue of Melanie, he noted there was a strange tone to her voice. "Why does it sound like you have a problem with that?" Nathan asked. Backpedaling, Stephanie said that she did not have a problem with Nathan saving Melanie but that she was worried about how tense Nathan had been lately. "You're the one who seems a little jumpy. Like you're hiding something," Nathan said. When Stephanie nervously denied that she was on edge, Nathan kissed her.

After making love, Nathan went to the kitchen to get some water. While sitting in bed, Stephanie talked aloud to herself about the paternity test, noting that the changed results would make everyone happier. When Stephanie realized that Philip might never know that he had a child with Chloe, she became concerned. Nathan returned to bed and noticed the nauseated look on Stephanie's face. When Nathan asked her what was wrong, Stephanie explained that she had kept things from Nathan because she was afraid of losing him. "As of right now, no more secrets," Nathan said.

In Maggie's kitchen, Melanie said to herself, "Probably the best thing to do. For everybody." As Melanie stared at her laptop screen, Philip arrived home. "Thank God that's taken care of," Philip whispered to himself before entering the kitchen to greet Melanie. After kissing his wife hello, Philip noticed that Melanie's computer was open to the St. Mary's website. Worried, Philip asked Melanie why she was looking at that website. Melanie admitted that she had been offered a position at St. Mary's Hospital, but that she had decided to turn down the job. "I want to be around people that I care about," Melanie explained.

Melanie asked Philip about the problem he had mentioned previously. "It went my way. From now on, its all good," Philip announced with a grin. Philip explained that there was a computer virus and his I.T. guy fixed it. Melanie asked Philip if they could look for a house in Maggie's neighborhood so that she could stay close to Maggie and Daniel. Nervous, Philip asked Melanie if she minded living close to Chloe. "She's weird around me. I'm not making that up. But maybe when she has the baby she'll calm down," Melanie said.

Philip received a text message and, since Melanie was near Philip's phone, she picked it up and noticed the text was from Chloe. Concerned, Philip snatched his phone out of Melanie's hand. Suspicious, Melanie asked Philip what Chloe wanted. Philip answered that there was good news and that they needed to go meet with Chloe right away. Still suspicious, Melanie asked Philip why he had a strange look on his face when Chloe had texted. Philip apologized for overacting, and Melanie smiled in return.

When Melanie and Philip arrived at Daniel's apartment, Chloe announced how pleased she was that her baby was going to be born into "such a wonderful and loving family." Chloe thanked everyone for putting up with her the previous few months and thanked them for helping her. As Chloe beamed, Carly's face remained somber.

As the judge began to pronounce E.J. and Sami as husband and wife, Rafe barged into the DiMera living room and interrupted the wedding. Barely able to hold back his rage, E.J. growled at Rafe through gritted teeth, "You know what Rafe is doing, don't you? He just can't stand to see us get married." "Is he right? Is that why you're here?" Sami said tersely. Stefano ordered Rafe to leave, but Rafe refused to leave until he talked to Sami first.

"You made it abundantly clear that you have moved on, if that's what you want to call it. And so have I," Sami said as she took E.J. by the arm. As the wedding guests watched the argument, Sami told Rafe that if he ever cared for her that he should leave. "I never stopped caring about you. And once you hear what I have to say, that will be very clear," Rafe said quietly. E.J. asked Rafe to leave, but Roman intervened and asked E.J. and Stefano why they were afraid to hear what Rafe had to say.

"We're not afraid at all. He just had plenty of time to say anything that he had to say," Sami said angrily. Roman asked Sami to give Rafe five minutes, and when she refused, he took her aside. "If you are so sure about this decision, what's five more minutes gonna hurt? Just listen to Rafe, hear him out, send him on his way," Roman advised. After Stefano warned Rafe to leave or suffer the consequences, Sami returned from her conversation with Roman and informed Rafe that she would give him five minutes. Sami turned to E.J. and promised him that no matter what Rafe said to her, she would not change her mind about marrying E.J.

Once Sami and Rafe had left the living room, Stefano took E.J. aside and asked him why he did not stop Rafe. "That's exactly what he wants me to do," E.J. countered. E.J. remarked that if Rafe knew about the kidnapping, he would have told everyone at the wedding rather than take Sami aside privately. "So you think it's a last-ditch effort to get her back?" Stefano asked. Nervous, E.J. shrugged.

Roman checked in with the judge and asked E.J. whether she should stay. Determined to wed Sami, E.J. firmly informed Roman that Judge Fitzpatrick needed to stay to finish the ceremony. After exchanging some banter with E.J., Roman went outside to speak with the judge. Stefano asked E.J. if he was sure he wanted to have Roman as a father-in-law. "When we're married, I'm making sure the Brady bunch stays a long way from my family," E.J. growled.

Across the living room, Kate worried about the stress on Stefano. Lexie assured Kate that Stefano was fine and that E.J. was the one that she should be worried about. "Does he look stressed to you?" Kate asked as she nodded toward E.J. Lexie looked over at her brother as he sat slumped in a chair across the room.

Kate rejoined Stefano and Will went over to talk to them. When Kate asked how Will was doing, he noted that he was used to his mother's "drama." "Yes, but you know, this is one time when it's not her fault," Stefano commented. Surprised, Will asked Stefano why he was sticking up for Sami. Stefano explained that when you lived in the DiMera house, you needed to show respect to one another. With a smile on his face, Will pointed out that Stefano sounded like Roman.

Lexie asked E.J. whether he was worried that Rafe would change Sami's mind. Shaking his head, E.J. noted that Sami was the one that had pushed to get married as soon as possible and that her demeanor when Rafe interrupted the ceremony showed that she was not happy with Rafe. "Something happened between the two of them recently. I don't know what it was but whatever it was, her attraction to him ended. Permanently, " E.J. said.

After Lexie went to talk to the other guests, Kate took the empty seat beside E.J. Kate told E.J. that it was not too late to call off the wedding. "Life with her will always be like this. You'll never be able to count on anything," Kate counseled. "I don't walk away from my wife," E.J. countered.

In the DiMera foyer, Rafe lectured Sami about making a mistake in marrying E.J. Frustrated, Sami told Rafe that he had no business telling her what to do with her life since he was making his own mistakes. Sami explained that she had seen Rafe with Nicole. "Is that why you're marrying E.J.? Of all the stupid, stubborn reasons!" Rafe exclaimed.

Sami defended E.J. and noted that he wanted to marry her. "You don't love me. You obviously never did. So what, you just can't stand the idea of me being happy for one day?" Sami said. Worked into a tizzy, Sami rescinded her offer to hear Rafe out. "You don't get anything from me. I want you to leave," Sami huffed.

Sami started to return to the living room, but Rafe called out that he was there because of Sydney. Furious, Sami told Rafe that she would have been happy to keep Sydney in Rafe's life until she saw him with Nicole. Sami reiterated her intention to marry E.J. and create a family with her children's father. "He doesn't deserve to be a father. Not after what he's done," Rafe said. "A deserving father doesn't use his children as a tool to make their mother do whatever he wants," Rafe continued. Defensive, Sami countered that since she had been living in the mansion the previous few months, she had seen first hand what kind of father E.J. was.

"He's a master con man, obviously, he's got you wrapped around his little finger," Rafe said quietly. Fed up, Sami ordered Rafe to leave. "I am embarrassed at how many times I begged you to give us another chance and now I wouldn't have you if you were the last man on Earth," Sami growled as she opened the front door. Rafe told Sami that nothing was going on with Nicole. "Listen to me. Please. I love you, okay?" Rafe said. Rafe implored Sami to listen to him because he was not there for his relationship, but he was there to keep Sami and her children safe. "I need you to listen to me. I need you to do it for Grace's memory," Rafe pleaded.

Sami returned to the living room and asked everyone to leave. "Everyone except E.J. He stays," Sami said. Flummoxed, E.J. told Sami that she could not ask the guests at their wedding to leave. "I'm not calling off anything," Sami announced. Sami whispered to E.J. that she had promised to hear Rafe out, but that she wanted E.J. to be with her when Rafe told her his news. "In fact, I'm not going to listen to him unless you're with me," Sami said firmly. E.J. encouraged Stefano to take the kids and go out for ice cream while he took care of Rafe.

"I don't know what conversation you two had outside. But I know this, I'm gonna show you just what a sad, pathetic man Rafe Hernandez is," E.J. said fiercely. Sami gently touched E.J.'s arm and he apologized for losing his tempter. On his way out of the house with the rest of the guests, Roman told Rafe that he hoped whatever information Rafe had was good.

At Salem Place, Kate and Stefano met Lexie outside the pub. Lexie counseled Stefano to remain calm and said that the wedding would likely resume soon. As Stefano grunted, Lexie received a page from the hospital asking for her to come in to work. "One thing you can say about our family; the weddings are never boring," Lexie said jokingly. After Lexie left, Kate theorized aloud that Stefano knew why Rafe interrupted the wedding. "I'm not sure, but something tells me that we'll soon find out," Stefano said gruffly.

Back at the DiMera mansion, Sami informed Rafe that she was "sick to death in my soul about this thing you have about E.J." "It's over. You see, E.J., for months and months I have been chasing one dead lead after another, but now I've got proof," Rafe said. Rafe continued that he had needed proof because Sami would not believe him, but he finally had proof, so he could tell her everything. "It's over, E.J. It is finally over," Rafe said.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

by ChickenGrrl

At the courthouse, Roman filled Bo in about how Rafe had interrupted Sami and E.J.'s wedding. As a uniformed officer led in Dr. Richard Baker, who was handcuffed and wearing an orange jumpsuit, Bo vowed to make Baker pay. Roman and Bo commented on the notorious lenience of the presiding judge, Judge William Davis.

Baker and Bo exchanged heated words about who was more at fault for what had happened with Hope. Carly arrived just as the officer and Roman were restraining Baker and Bo to keep them from attacking each other. Once things had quieted down, Roman urged Bo not to screw things up, and to think about Hope. "Damn it, Roman, I can't think of anything but Hope!" Bo hissed.

The bailiff called the courtroom to order, and Judge Davis took his seat at the bench. The judge read the charges against Dr. Baker: conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, and six counts of armed robbery. Baker's lawyer, Mr. Masters, moved that all the charges be dismissed for lack of substantiating evidence. Ms. Jenkins, the prosecutor, argued that the state would produce forensic evidence and police testimony that Baker had aided and abetted Hope Brady in the commission of the crimes.

When Judge Davis agreed to hear Mr. Masters out, Bo quietly swore to Carly that he would personally make Baker pay if the judge dismissed the charges. Roman took the witness stand, and Masters asked who the lead detective had been in the mugging cases. Roman replied that it had been Hope, and Masters noted that she was in custody for the crimes of which Dr. Baker had been accused. Masters then asked for the judge's ruling about dismissing the case. Judge Davis asked Roman to step down, and ordered both attorneys to his chambers.

After the judge and the attorneys had gone, Roman left for the police station, and Carly had to check on a patient, leaving Bo and Dr. Baker alone in the courtroom except for Baker's guard. Bo confronted Baker, who called for the guard to protect him. Ignoring him, the guard just went back to flipping through a magazine. Bo reiterated his vow to make Baker pay for what he'd done. Baker argued that he had saved Bo's life, but Bo demanded to know why Baker had not helped Hope when he'd seen the condition she was in. Baker countered, "You had everything, and you just threw it away with both hands. You drove a beautiful, smart woman who loved you out of her mind."

When Judge Davis and the lawyers returned, the judge denied the defense attorney's motion to dismiss. Ms. Jenkins then called Bo to the stand. When she asked, Bo confirmed that his wife, Hope, was in custody for attempting to kill him, but he maintained that the defendant had convinced Hope to do so. Next, Mr. Masters asked whether Bo was trying to assuage his guilt with his vendetta against Baker, but Masters withdrew the question when Jenkins objected.

Bo asked the judge if he could answer anyway, and then stated that nothing could assuage his guilt. He added that Hope had been a wonderful wife and mother, but she had been very lost, and he hadn't been there for her. Bo then declared angrily that Baker had used and manipulated Hope, and had fed on her pain for money. Despite the judge's demands for order, Bo barked at Baker, "You're going to pay for what you did to my wife!"

The judge ordered the bailiff to escort Commissioner Brady from the stand, and warned Bo that he had almost earned a contempt citation. As Bo sat back down next to Carly, he asked if he'd screwed up the case. She assured him that the judge had likely heard the point Bo was trying to make. Judge Davis asked Ms. Jenkins to call her next witness, but she stated, "Actually, Your Honor, the State rests." Masters then called his first witness: Hope Brady.

At the Brady Pub, Vivian showed Victor some sample photos for a sarcophagus she wanted to purchase as a tribute for his late daughter, Isabella. Victor protested, "What the hell do you think she is, a pharaoh?" Trying to ignore his grumpiness, Vivian asserted-as Maggie entered-that the idea had been "divine inspiration." Victor spotted Maggie and asked her to join them.

Maggie clearly found the sarcophagus photos a little disturbing, but diplomatically deemed them "nice." A beaming Vivian chirped that she was very glad Maggie liked them, which caused Victor and Maggie to eye her with suspicion. After Maggie sat down, Vivian cheerfully nattered on about how the pink-satin lining offset the coldness of the marble sarcophagus. When Victor remarked that perhaps everyone didn't share Vivian's enthusiasm, she quickly apologized if she'd offended the recently widowed Maggie.

As Brady arrived at the Kiriakis mansion, he was dismayed to find Nicole waiting for him. He tried to refuse to talk to her, but she insisted that it was a matter of life and death: E.J. was going to kill her. Brady was unconcerned, so Nicole explained, "I gave Rafe the proof he needs to put E.J. away for a very long time." She began to describe how she'd broken into the DiMera mansion, but when she refused to divulge why, Brady demanded the whole story.

Nicole reluctantly told him that she'd feared E.J. had evidence that she had framed Arianna for the muggings. Brady was furious, but Nicole insisted that she hadn't done it. She then revealed, "I heard E.J. telling Stefano-Brady, he is the one who got Anna to kidnap Sydney. E.J. paid Anna to do it because he wanted to make Sami pay for not telling him that she was pregnant." Brady refused to believe her, so Nicole reluctantly divulged that she had blackmailed E.J. with a recording of the conversation.

A livid Brady maintained that after everything Nicole had done to Sami, she at least owed Sami the truth that E.J. had kidnapped Sydney-but instead Nicole had tried to profit from it. Nicole frantically revealed that Rafe was going to stop Sami and E.J.'s wedding by playing the CD, "And then E.J.'s gonna figure out that I'm the one who gave Rafe the CD, and he's going to kill me!" Brady demanded to know why he should help Nicole.

Brady urged Nicole to go to the police, but she refused to turn herself in, since she knew she would end up back in prison for extortion. "Maybe I should do it for you," Brady countered, but then declared that she wasn't really worth the trouble. "I'm done with you," he said, then kissed her bitterly on the forehead and stalked out.

Before Nicole could begin to cry in earnest, she heard applause behind her, and turned to see Victor arriving through the front door. "Nicole, you look devastated! I think I'll have a little drink to celebrate," he declared. Once he'd poured a glass of whiskey, Victor asked cheerfully, "Before [Brady] busted your chops, did I overhear something about E.J.'s going to kill you? I suppose that means that Agent Hernandez was successful."

Nicole stopped in the middle of storming out to ask what that meant. Victor delighted in telling Nicole that he was the one who'd instructed Rafe on how to play her. He chuckled as he wondered aloud how E.J. would kill her. Nicole declared that she would not go down without a fight, and then left in a huff. Victor called after her, "Oh, call Vivian! She'll help you pick out your coffin!" He laughed uproariously at his own joke.

Brady went to the pub, and ordered a Scotch at the bar. Suddenly Maggie appeared behind him, and asked if he were sure about that. "Busted," Brady declared with a grimace. "It's not fair to have a sponsor who hangs out in bars, Maggie." She suggested that they go for a walk, but Brady asserted that Maggie should dump him, because he was no longer the guy she thought he was. As Maggie pulled up a stool next to him, Brady grudgingly changed his drink order to club soda.

Maggie asked what Brady had been so upset about when he'd ordered the drink. Brady argued that he wasn't doing cocaine, his addiction of choice; he was just having a little drink. Maggie wasn't impressed. "I think we need to go to a meeting," she suggested. When Brady resentfully agreed, she reiterated her question about why he'd been so upset when she'd entered. "I found out that my grandfather was absolutely right, and I was absolutely wrong, and I hate that, Maggie," Brady replied cynically.

Vivian met Gus at the Kiriakis mausoleum. Gus seemed worried that Victor wouldn't approve of what Vivian was doing, but she insisted she was doing it for Victor. "Oh, he asked you to bury Maggie Horton alive?" Gus asked sarcastically. Vivian asserted that Victor would be much happier without Maggie. She then told Gus about the pink-satin pillow she'd ordered for the sarcophagus. "Poor Maggie; she'll be lying in eternity with that hideous red hair clashing with that lovely little pillow," Vivian said, adding with a mock sigh, "Tacky in perpetuity. I love thinking about that."

At the DiMera mansion, Rafe informed Sami and E.J. that he finally had proof of E.J.'s wrongdoings. As E.J. insisted to Sami that Rafe had manufactured whatever evidence he'd found, he grasped Sami by the arms to try to keep her facing Rafe. Rafe shoved E.J. and ordered him to keep his hands off of Sami, and the two men nearly came to blows until Sami intervened.

As Sami gently pushed E.J. away and tried to calm him, Rafe blurted, "It was him, Sami! He ordered Anna to kidnap Sydney." Sami whirled around and gaped at Rafe with a look of absolute shock. E.J. quietly maintained that Rafe was delusional. Rafe explained that E.J. had taken Sydney as payback for Sami hiding her pregnancy, but Sami refused to believe any of it. E.J. implored Sami to consider whether he would ever have asked her to marry him if he'd wanted her to pay.

Rafe pointed out the suspicious timing of E.J. "finding" Sydney mere hours after he'd told everyone that she was dead, and theorized that E.J. had realized he'd gone too far and couldn't live with himself. "E.J., come on, you wouldn't do that to me," Sami beseeched her fianc incredulously. E.J. stammered, "Be-because I didn't do that to you. Samantha, I went through that with you. Do you remember what that was like, that pain that we had to go through?" Rafe remarked ironically, "That's right; why put you through hell if he couldn't be there to watch it firsthand?"

E.J. angrily ordered Rafe to leave immediately. Rafe replied agreeably that he would leave, but only after Sami listened to something. He held up a small digital recorder, which E.J. argued contained something Rafe had rigged up. Rafe asked Sami to decide for herself, and started the recording. Sami and E.J. listened to Nicole's statement to Rafe, as she described breaking into the mansion and then recording E.J. and Stefano's conversation.

Snatching the device from Rafe's hand, E.J. declared, "I think that's about enough, don't you?" A skeptical Sami contended that Nicole was a liar. Rafe countered that if he were going to manufacture evidence, he would have done it long before Sami had moved in with E.J., and he would not have exhausted himself trying to find Anna. "I did it because I wanted you to know what a sick bastard he is!" Rafe declared, and then added softly, "Because I love you." Sami glared at him incredulously, and then hauled off and slapped him.

With a smug grin, E.J. asked Rafe to leave. Rafe gently asked Sami to accept the truth, but she refused to accept anything Nicole said as true. Rafe pointed out that he had never lied to Sami, while that was all E.J. had ever done. He reminded her of the hatred with which E.J. had treated her at Grace's funeral, and how E.J. had sworn to stop at nothing to get his children back. "Sami, that is him, and this is me. Who are you gonna believe?" Rafe asked softly.

E.J. conceded that was the man he used to be, but he had changed. Sami assured E.J. that she knew he had changed. She then tearfully addressed Rafe, "You asked me to listen, so I asked all of these people to leave. I stopped my wedding, and I listened. But I am never going to take Nicole at her word. She's a liar and a bitch. Please, just go." Despite her pleas that the day had already been ugly enough, Rafe replied that he couldn't, because there was more. He asked if Sami would believe the truth if she heard E.J. telling his father what he'd done and why.

E.J. began to physically threaten Rafe, but Sami stopped him. She asked what Rafe was talking about, so he produced Nicole's CD. "I'm talking about E.J. finally paying for what he's done to you," Rafe said calmly. While Rafe inserted the disk into a portable CD player, E.J. insisted to Sami that the recording was manufactured rubbish. "Don't let him do this, Samantha," E.J. pleaded desperately, but she ignored him. "Play it, Rafe," Sami commanded.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

by LaDaisia

Bo was grateful for Carly's support during Dr. Baker's trial. He worried that Dr. Baker would receive a lighter sentence than Hope. Dr. Baker's attorney called Hope to the stand. She looked at Dr. Baker and then at Bo. Dr. Baker's lawyer grilled Hope on the witness stand about her relationship with two of the victims -- Bo and Roman. During her testimony, Bo got upset and ordered the attorney to stop, because Hope had been through enough.

The judge threatened to have Bo thrown out of the courtroom, and Dr. Baker's lawyer continued his line of questioning. He asked Hope to read the profile that she had done on the suspected serial robber, and she reluctantly read it, saying that the suspect was fueled by rage and the attacks were "personal." The attorney asked if Hope felt she was mentally competent, and she said she didn't know. He asked if the court should use evidence compiled by a "patently crazy woman to put an innocent man away." Dr. Baker interjected, telling his lawyer to stop, but the judge ordered Dr. Baker to sit down or be thrown out of the courthouse.

The attorney continued, asking if Hope had remembered Dr. Baker committing a crime, and she said no. The lawyer suggested in his line of questioning that Hope had used Bo and Roman to find a scapegoat to make things easier on her. Dr. Baker told his attorney that he was fired, and the judge told Dr. Baker again to sit down. The lawyer continued, and Dr. Baker stood up, announcing that he was pleading guilty. The judge said it wasn't a good idea to plead guilty, so Dr. Baker asked the judge to let Hope go, because she couldn't take it.

Dr. Baker told the court that Hope should not be held responsible for something that she couldn't control. The judge said that Hope wasn't on trial -- Dr. Baker was. Dr. Baker asked the judge to hurry the trial along so that Hope could leave. His lawyer told the judge that Dr. Baker was acting against advice of counsel. Dr. Baker pleaded guilty, because he was guilty, but he said he wasn't the only one, and he looked over at Bo. The judge accepted Dr. Baker's guilty plea, and as the doctor was being led out of the courtroom, Dr. Baker turned around to address Hope, but he changed his mind and left.

The officer who was guarding Hope waited outside for her transportation, as Roman asked how she was doing. She said she was fine and asked him not to worry about her. "You know that's not going to happen," Roman said. Carly left to check in with the hospital. Bo apologized to Hope for not warning her about what she would face, and she said he needed to stop trying to look after her. Bo said that Baker was right about Bo being guilty.

Hope felt that Dr. Baker had known the real Hope while she didn't. Hope's transport arrived. Bo told her that Baker did not know the real Hope, because that was not who Hope was. "You keep that thought," Hope told Bo.

Vivian bragged to Gus about her plans to bury Maggie alive in a sarcophagus. Gus warned Vivian to be careful that Victor didn't find out about her plans, or Vivian would need a sarcophagus of her own. Vivian bet Gus that Victor would forget all about Maggie once Vivian buried her. Vivian was frustrated with Gus's negative attitude, and he reminded her that people would notice when Maggie dropped off the face of the earth. Vivian said that when Maggie disappeared, no one would be suspicious, because Maggie would take care of that. Vivian planned to lure Maggie to "her final resting place."

Nicole worried that E.J. would kill her when he found out that she had given Rafe the CD. Meanwhile, Rafe prepared to play E.J.'s taped confession to his involvement in Sydney's kidnapping, and E.J. got scared. He begged Sami not to listen to it, but she said she didn't have a choice -- she had to hear it. E.J. said that Rafe had manufactured the evidence, and Sami assured him that if the evidence was a fraud, she would know it, and they could move on with their lives together. E.J. wanted to throw Rafe out. Sami said it was E.J.'s house, so it was E.J.'s call, but she would not marry E.J. until she heard Rafe's evidence.

Rafe played the audio of E.J. telling his father that if Sami had found out what E.J. had done, E.J. would lose everything. E.J. turned off the CD and told Sami that he couldn't let her listen to another word. E.J. accused Rafe of manufacturing evidence against E.J. to poison her mind. Sami refused to follow E.J.'s orders, so he asked her to do it for their children. She said she was doing it for their children.

Sami listened to the CD and how E.J. had wanted Sami, Stefano, and Nicole to suffer at first. Sami was shocked. She asked E.J. how he could have done it, but he denied his guilt, saying that E.J. had doctored the CD. Rafe asked why E.J. had paid Nicole five million dollars if the disk was fake, and E.J. said he had wanted to keep "that kind of filth" from Sami. Sami said she knew it was E.J. and Stefano on the CD. E.J. tried to explain, but before he could, she turned to Rafe and asked him to leave.

Rafe wanted to take the disk to Roman, but E.J. pointed out that it wasn't admissible in court. Rafe got angry at E.J.'s response. "That's it? That's all you have to say for yourself after everything that you have done, after torturing your family, the woman you supposedly love, and your kids, that's it? It's not admissible?" Rafe yelled at E.J. Rafe thought that all E.J. worried about was whether E.J. would be made to pay. Sami asked Rafe again to leave, and he apologized to Sami for having to go through her ordeal, saying that she didn't deserve it.

After Rafe left, E.J. started to explain, but she asked him to just look her in the eye and tell her that he had taken Sydney from her. E.J. said, "Yes. I took Sydney." The truth sunk in as Sami put all the pieces of E.J.'s lies together. E.J. admitted that he wanted Sami to feel some of the pain and suffering that she had made him feel. "I didn't tell you that your daughter was dead," Sami said. "Yes, you did. That is exactly what you did," E.J. yelled.

E.J. pointed out that Sami knew that Grace was his and Sami's child and said nothing until after Grace had died, at which point Sami chose to tell him. Sami's excuse was that she was out of her mind with grief. E.J. said he had sat in the morgue for hours, thinking that Grace was his daughter, looking at her hands and feet, and seething with anger at how Sami had kept Grace from him. That's when he had sworn to make Sami pay.

Sami admitted that she had kept their daughter from him, not because she wanted revenge, but because she was trying to be a good parent and do what was best for her daughter. She reminded him that he had said he trusted her instincts, and she realized that looking back, she should have trusted her instincts, because E.J. was a "monster." E.J. said that Sami knew in her heart that was not who he was.

E.J. admitted that he had wanted to make Sami completely dependent on him and had planned to take the kids and leave. However, he said he had realized that the reason he was so angry was not because he had been deceived, but because he had been deceived by Sami -- someone that he "once loved," and "still loved." She said he didn't know the meaning of the word love.

E.J. made reference to the good times they'd had together bonding with the kids, and he asked Sami, "Was that not love?" She said that was an act. "You have to tell me. What? Were you just trying to seduce me, trying to get me to ..." she said. "Love me," E.J. said, trying to finish her sentence. He professed his love for her, saying "those were the most wonderful moments of my entire life."

"Savor 'em. They're not happening again," Sami said. E.J. said she should be able to tell by hearing what he'd said on the tape that he hated himself for what he had done. E.J. said that Rafe was right about one thing -- that it was like he had awakened from a "horrible nightmare," because he couldn't do it -- he couldn't hurt her, take Sydney from her, or leave her. "And I have spent every moment since then trying to make up for the horror that I put you through. That's why I asked you to marry me, so that I could spend the rest of my life making up for what I did to you," E.J. said.

Kate and Stefano waited at the Brady Pub for news on Sami and E.J.'s wedding. Kate asked Stefano what Rafe was up to, and Stefano said he didn't know, but he planned to find out. Kate annoyed Stefano with her constant nagging about Rafe interrupting the wedding, and Stefano asked her to change the subject. Kate wanted to call the house and see how things were going, but Stefano told her "no."

Stefano got up to get some air when Nicole walked in, saw Kate and Stefano and looked at Sydney, remarking about how much Sydney had grown. Nicole bickered with Kate and Stefano and asked why they were there if Sami and E.J. were getting married. Nicole asked if something had happened at the wedding, and Stefano said that Nicole seemed to be the one with all the information. She said that she had been with Rafe when he got a phone call and seemed angry, so Nicole was concerned that Rafe might do something rash.

Stefano asked Nicole privately why she was so curious about Rafe, but Nicole said she didn't need to answer to him. Stefano asked why Rafe had been with her and why was he so upset. She played dumb and said that Rafe didn't confide in her, but Stefano said that Nicole had been one of the best liars in the world. She didn't want Stefano to know something, and she was very afraid, he predicted.

Melanie told Maggie that Maggie was the reason that Melanie was the happiest that she had ever been in her life. Maggie was grateful that Melanie and Philip had moved in with her, but Maggie felt like they needed their time alone. Melanie assured Maggie that Melanie wasn't going anywhere, but Maggie said that it might be time for Maggie to leave Salem. Maggie planned to spend time by herself, visiting her daughters and then taking the cruise that she and Mickey had planned. Melanie didn't feel she could do without Maggie and said she would miss Maggie a lot.

Later at the hospital, Melanie asked Carly if she knitted, because Melanie was having a hard time knitting something for Chloe and Daniel's baby and wondered if it was a genetic trait. Carly admitted that she wasn't good at domestic things, but she could tune an engine. Melanie asked if Carly was okay, and Carly told Melanie about Dr. Baker's trial and how Hope had been on the stand. Carly said that Bo couldn't stand to see a woman in distress.

That night at Bo's house, Bo climbed into bed with Carly. He admitted that he was worried about Hope. Bo dreamt that Hope was in their bed, begging him to save her. He woke up and saw Carly asleep next to him.

Rafe met with Roman at the pier. Rafe told him that the wedding was off but that Sami was still at the DiMera mansion, because she wanted time to "cuss E.J. out." Rafe handed Roman the CD, proving that E.J. had kidnapped Sydney and paid Anna to do it. Rafe felt that the end of Sami and E.J. was "finally in sight."

Friday, August 27, 2010

by ChickenGrrl

Maggie was dismayed when she opened her kitchen door to find Vivian on the doorstep. Vivian apologized for dropping by unannounced, but she wanted to talk to Maggie about Victor. Maggie assumed that Vivian was there to issue another ultimatum, but Vivian assured her that wasn't the case. Vivian reminded Maggie about the sarcophagus she was planning for Isabella, and asked somewhat gingerly for the name of the funeral director Maggie had used when Mickey died.

Rolling her eyes, Maggie retorted, "No, Vivian, I didn't keep the mortician's card. I was kind of hoping I wouldn't be needing his services again." Vivian apologized if she'd upset Maggie, who contended that most people didn't care about the size of the coffin in which they buried a loved one. She grudgingly agreed to look upstairs for the bill from the funeral, as long as Vivian promised to leave immediately.

As soon as Maggie left the room, Vivian began snooping around the kitchen. Upon finding some travel brochures, Vivian squealed gleefully, "She's planning a trip? This is even easier than I thought!" She grabbed some papers and shoved them into her purse, then pulled out a pen-just as Melanie entered the kitchen.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Melanie demanded. As Vivian stuffed something else into her purse, she claimed that she had to leave and was just leaving Maggie a note. Vivian quickly scribbled something, handed the note to a suspicious Melanie, and then hurried out.

When Maggie returned with the funeral home information in hand, she looked around the kitchen with bemusement. "Am I hallucinating? I thought Vivian was here," Maggie asked. Melanie assured her that Vivian had been there, and had promised to call Maggie. "Great. Always good to have something to look forward to," Maggie said with mock cheer.

Outside, Vivian called to check in with Gus, who informed her that the sarcophagus was in place. Vivian promised that she would be there soon. After she hung up, Vivian looked at the paper she had grabbed, and muttered to herself, "But first, I have to write a letter: Maggie Horton's farewell to Salem."

Soon, Vivian met Gus at the mausoleum, where the hulking brown marble sarcophagus was, indeed, in place, and taking up nearly the entire room. "There it is!" she exclaimed appreciatively. "A magnificent symbol of the human desire to transcend death-rise above mortality." Gus didn't seem quite as enthusiastic, but conceded that the sarcophagus was lovely.

"But isn't it a shame to think of sullying it with the person who's going inside?" Vivian remarked. "Burial technology has come a long way in the last decade or so, hasn't it, Gus? I can tell you, this is a breeze compared to the first time-and ever so much more fun!"

Chloe and Daniel went to the Kiriakis mansion to share the news of Chloe's pregnancy with Victor. "Is the baby Daniel's?" was Victor's immediate question. Chloe became angrily indignant at the insinuation, so Victor quickly apologized. He explained that because of Chloe's fertility issues, he'd assumed that she might have used a sperm donor to get pregnant.

Daniel sharply informed Victor that they had made the baby "the old-fashioned way." Victor apologized again, insisting that he was sincere, and assured them that any baby was a blessing. Chloe agreed that God had been kind and generous to her, and had given her everything she had ever wanted. Victor sarcastically observed that with all the suffering in the world, "You must feel very special that God singled you out." A fed-up Daniel said that he'd hoped Victor might try to be happy for them, but the trip had turned into an even bigger nightmare than he'd expected.

Daniel started to lead Chloe out, but Victor apologetically pleaded with them to stay. "You're like a son to me, Daniel," Victor insisted. "Any child of yours would be precious to me, including this one that you're carrying, Chloe. And he or she is family." Victor promised to be on his best behavior from that moment on.

Citing fatigue, Chloe offered to leave so Daniel and Victor could have some time together. After she was gone, Daniel lit into his godfather. Victor admitted that he'd been disrespectful, but wondered why Chloe had been so sensitive. Daniel asserted that Chloe was pregnant, and therefore had every right to be emotional. Victor emphasized that Chloe should be the happiest woman alive, especially since she had just said she had everything she'd ever wanted.

While Kate watched intently from a table at the Brady Pub, Stefano told Nicole in a gravelly whisper that he suspected she was hiding something-and that she was very, very scared. Nicole returned his gaze without flinching-or answering-and then left as calmly as she could manage. Kate asked Stefano what the conversation had been about. He curtly replied that he would tell her in the car, and instructed her to fetch "Giovanni" and Allie from the kitchen. As Kate grudgingly complied, Stefano phoned Marco. "I want you to take care of a problem for me," Stefano stated.

Nicole returned to her squalid apartment, and began frantically throwing her belongings into a suitcase. "Damn it, Rafe!" she complained loudly. "You promised to protect me, you liar!" Suddenly she heard someone jiggling the doorknob, and she assumed in a panic that it was one of the DiMeras' goons, sent to kill her. Grabbing a knife and snapping off the light, she hid behind the open door of her armoire.

The gloved man succeeded at picking the lock, then let himself in and crept through the room, gun drawn. When he spotted Nicole, she let out a bloodcurdling shriek. She backed toward the door, brandishing the knife and pleading for him not to shoot her. The man turned the lights back on, and held up his FBI badge.

As Nicole heaved a sigh of relief, the agent introduced himself as George McKee, and explained that he'd broken in because he'd thought she was a "would-be assassin." Nicole declared that she didn't trust anyone to protect her, so he was free to leave. George tried to reason with her, but she interrupted, "You don't understand. I will never trust you, ever-not anyone, ever again!"

Later, an upset Nicole hung up from talking to her bank. She told George that her accounts had been frozen, probably thanks to E.J., and she couldn't even afford to stay at the motel anymore. Noting that he knew from her file that she had almost no friends or resources, George asked where she would go. "The only place I can," Nicole replied with a defeated shrug.

Later, Nicole showed up at Daniel and Chloe's apartment with a birthday gift for Chloe. Chloe was happily surprised to see her friend. As she apologized for having been out of touch, Nicole looked around, and immediately observed the baby things in the apartment-and then spotted Chloe's belly. "Oh, my God, we have some serious catching up to do!" Nicole exclaimed.

On the pier, Roman acknowledged that he owed Rafe a lot for exposing what E.J. had done. Rafe declared that although E.J. would likely never see the inside of a jail, "He's gonna pay."

Roman then went to the Brady Pub, and told Caroline about how Sami had stopped the wedding in the middle of the ceremony. Caroline was relieved, and hoped her granddaughter had come to her senses. As Arianna walked in and sat near them, unnoticed, at the bar, Roman divulged, "Well, Ma, you're not going to believe what happened. Rafe did some digging around, and he found that E.J. DiMera paid Anna DiMera to kidnap Sydney."

A horrified Caroline proclaimed that E.J. was "pure evil." Arianna's eyes widened in shock, and then, without a word to anyone, she strode purposefully right back out of the pub. Caroline told Roman that she was happy to let Sami and the kids stay with her until Sami got back on her feet. Roman thought it would do Sami some good to have her grandmother close. Caroline worried that the DiMeras would never let Sami leave with the children, but Roman declared, "They got no choice, Mom. They're going down. E.J. and his father are about to lose everything."

At the DiMera mansion, E.J. swore to an enraged Sami that he had proposed to her so that he could spend the rest of his life trying to atone for the horror he'd put her through. Sami argued that her having hurt him was no justification for putting her through "the worst hell a mother can go through." After insisting that he was truly ashamed of what he had done, E.J. beseechingly stated that she had given him the chance to become the man she knew he could be, and she knew in her heart that he had changed.

When E.J. promised never to hurt her, Sami replied through bitter tears, "But I can't believe you, because I don't think you can help yourself. E.J., every word out of your mouth is a lie." E.J. pleaded insistently, "Was I lying when I told you that I loved you? Samantha, no-I love you! And you still love me."

Sami maintained that love had nothing to do with it, but E.J. countered that love had everything to do with it, because they loved each other, and they loved their children. He reminded her of how much they both had changed, and assured her that they could get through anything, because they were a family. Grasping her desperately by the hand, E.J. knelt on the floor in front of an incredulous Sami, and asked her once again to marry him.

"You know why I wanted to get married today?" Sami revealed bitterly. "Because I went to Rafe last night, because I was going to give him one more chance to stop me from marrying you!" Flinging E.J.'s hand away, she continued, "And I saw him kissing Nicole. So-classic Sami-I come rushing back here, and I'm begging you to marry me. Not because I love you, but because I love Rafe, and he broke my heart."

Sami shouted her thanks to God that Rafe still cared about her enough to keep looking tirelessly for the truth, and that he had gone to the mansion to tell her what E.J. had done. "Anything I felt for you, you killed!" Sami spat savagely. "You destroyed it with what you did!" She hurled her engagement ring at him, and announced that she was taking her kids and leaving. "And I swear to God, E.J., I will make sure that you never see your children again!" she roared.

Just then, Stefano arrived home, and demanded to know what was going on. "As if you don't know what your sick and twisted son did," Sami retorted, eyes blazing with hot tears. She continued her contemptuous invective against E.J., castigating him for having allowed everyone to believe that Sydney was dead-and relishing their pain.

Stefano tried to calm Sami, but it only incensed her more, and she reiterated her intent to take the children and leave. "Over my dead body," Stefano growled, just as Rafe walked in. Rafe agreed, "Yeah, that's right. You see, DiMera, if you do try and to stop Sami from taking her kids away from you and this amoral, psychotic son of yours, then yeah, it will be over your dead body." Sami glared at the two DiMera men triumphantly.

As soon as Kate arrived, Sami demanded to know where the kids were. Kate reassured her that the children were fine and with Mary, and Sami rushed out of the room. Kate wanted to know what was going on, so Rafe informed her that the truth was finally out that E.J. was the mastermind behind Sydney's disappearance. Aghast, Kate at first refused to believe it, but then turned to E.J. and demanded, "E.J., why?" Rafe asserted, "It was to punish Sami for lying about her pregnancy. Pure and simple, an act of revenge."

When E.J. heard Sami and the children leaving, he rushed into the foyer to say goodbye. All three kids still had on their wedding attire, but Sami had changed into jeans. She carried Sydney in her arms, and held onto Johnny's hand, while he grasped Allie's hand in his. Johnny plainly stated that he did not want to leave. Bending down so Johnny could hug him, E.J. promised that they would see each other very soon, and the little boy ran into his daddy's arms.

Sami firmly informed Johnny that they were leaving, and he seemed to understand that she was serious, because he obediently followed Allie out the front door. As Rafe held the door open, Sami started after them, but a panicked E.J. tried to stop her. "I didn't get to say goodbye to Sydney," he stammered plaintively. With an icy stare, Sami replied, "That's exactly what you did to me." E.J.'s face crumpled with despair as he watched his family go.

As E.J. walked numbly back into the parlor, Stefano demanded, "How the hell did Hernandez find out?" Kate was even more appalled when she realized that her husband had known but kept the truth from her. Ignoring her, Stefano pressed his son to explain what had happened. E.J. replied simply, "Nicole." Stefano asked Kate to let him and E.J. speak privately. Furious that Stefano still refused to explain himself to her, she left in a huff.

E.J. filled in Stefano about how Nicole had taped their conversation. Stefano was angry, but his temper flared even more when E.J. disclosed that he'd paid Nicole off in exchange for her silence. "What has happened to you?" Stefano asked, his tone a mixture of fury and sadness. "Has your love for Samantha totally ruined your mind? For God's sake, Elvis, why didn't you ask me for my help?" As E.J. refastened his tie, he declared that he knew exactly how to fix the mess he had made: "I'll kill Nicole."

At the lake, Kate left a message for Will. "There's something you need to know, and I want you to hear it from me first," she said. As Kate hung up, Chad appeared, and each was surprised to see the other at the beach so late. Noting how upset Kate obviously was, Chad offered to listen if she wanted to talk, since she'd always been so kind to him. Kate was touched.

Chad wondered why Kate wasn't at the wedding of Will's mom. Kate informed him that it hadn't happened-but Will didn't know about it yet. "If you see him, Chad, please tell him to get in touch with me," she implored Chad. Stefano arrived and asked if he could speak to his wife privately, so Chad left. "What were you talking to that boy about this time?" Stefano wanted to know.

As E.J. was leaving the mansion, Arianna showed up on the doorstep. He assumed she'd heard the news, but she just stared wordlessly at him. "Get your digs in; everybody else has," E.J. offered bitterly.

When Sami, Rafe, and the children arrived at the pub, Caroline hustled the kids into the kitchen for some cookies. Sami told a concerned Roman that Will didn't know yet that she'd left E.J., and the other children were understandably upset and confused. Roman asked how Sami was doing. "I feel like a damn fool," she admitted. "I almost married the man who tried to destroy our lives." Roman and Rafe tried to reassure her that they would never let E.J. hurt her or the kids again.

Sami asserted anxiously that they had to protect the kids, because she'd learned the hard way that E.J. was the most dangerous when he was down. "Daddy, I'm scared," she confessed, so Roman took his daughter into his arms and held her tightly. Caroline returned from the kitchen to close up, and to get Roman's help in putting the kids to bed. Roman extended a hand to Rafe. "Good job," Roman declared gratefully as the men shook hands.

Once Sami and Rafe were alone, she admitted softly, "I don't even know what to say." Rafe assured her that she didn't have to say anything, but she disagreed. "You saved me today-again." Her face dissolving into grateful tears, she whispered, "Thank you so much, Rafe," as she put her arms around him.