1/13/06

-Celeste is feeding Theo in the kitchen when Abe comes in. Celeste comforts him over everything that has happened. Abe feels guilty thinking and worrying about his own problems seeing as how the Brady’s and Horton’s are dealing with deaths in the family and John is in a coma. Celeste says that she feels they will all be fine. Abe says its good to hear that coming from her. He thanks her for staying and helping him with Theo and hopes she understands him making Lexie leave. She does and admits her daughter made a mistake and apologizes for not telling Abe sooner. Lexie confided in her and she needed to keep her confidence. Abe agrees she did the right thing and only wishes things had been different. He blames Tony but Celeste reminds him that Tony is serving his time now and can’t hurt anyone. Abe admits the damage has been done and he doesn’t know where everything will go from here. Celeste embraces him and then they both bond while feeding Theo and playing with his toys with him.

-Lexie is in her car near the park. The Salem Inn is booked solid and she wants to stay someplace close by to Theo and her family. She just doesn’t know where to go and doesn’t want to stay at anyone else’s since they are all dealing with deaths in the family and other issues. Plus, she doesn’t want to bring her business and force it on them. She drives around having flashbacks of her time with Tek and feeling guilty about getting involved with him, given his past, and her role in his death. She flashes back to Abe learning the truth and to earlier when she was kicked out of the Carver house. She breaks down in tears and pulls over, wondering how she will go on and vowing not to lose her family and son. She begins to question how she loses everything when she is a good person and when she is a bad person . She just can’t win and wonders how she is supposed to be. She looks over and can’t believe where she is. It’s the Dimera mansion. One of the maids is walking in and notices Lexie. Lexie gets out and they hug. The maid tells Lexie that the mansion is empty and all they do is just keep it up. She also mentions that the staff loves her and would like her to someday return with her family. Lexie mentions she has issues at home and can’t find a place to stay. The maid reminds Lexie that she is a Dimera and has a right to the house. She should stay there until everything smooths over. Lexie remembers the vision her mother had of her going back to her roots and then her mother warning her not to turn back to evil. Lexie wonders if maybe it was fate that she just so happened to pull over hear and that maybe going back to her roots is what was meant to happen. Maybe this is how she will get her family back? She decides not to be totally good or totally bad but to just have an edge. She needs to be strong and do what it takes to get what she wants and being a “goody two shoes” is clearly not gonna do that. She just needs to make sure she doesn’t go to extremes like she did the last time. She decides to move in and takes her bags in. The staff welcomes her back as she says, “There is no place like home.”

-Bo and Billie are still looking for Chelsea at the scene. Bo continues to comfort her as Billie says that he always knew what to do to make her feel better. He says to not worry about anything or anyone else but their daughter. She agrees but asks him again what he will do about Hope and the others and how they are blaming Chelsea for what happened. Bo says they will just have to deal with that later. One of the rescue workers approaches them and gives them the bad news that they are calling off the search. They have found nothing and have searched for miles. They know both Patrick and Chelsea were in the car when it crashed in the ravine so if they were alive they would be around. They can’t even find the bodies so they most likely got incinerated by the explosion and its impact. Billie breaks down in Bo’s arms and refuses to give up. Bo admits that its almost hopeless. They have searched for miles and have combed every inch of the area. Billie cries in his arms and regrets all the time they missed with her and sending her and Patrick on that trip. Bo thinks Patrick might have been responsible somehow but Billie says she doesn’t want to fight. She laments the fact that they just found their daughter and now she is gone and that Patrick had to lose his life too. He was good to her and really cared about her. Bo begins to break down in tears to as they both hold each other in comfort over losing their daughter.

-Alice, Doug, Julie, and Jen join Hope at the hospital. They discuss JT. Hope explains that the Reiber’s attorney is due in Salem in the afternoon and has asked Bo and hope to be present. They all wonder if Jt may be theirs again. Hope continues to be by JT’s bedside as the others all say hello to him again and tell him how much they missed him. Alice recommends they all go to the chapel to pray for him and for John, who is still in a coma. They go to the chapel and light a candle for JT and John. Hope then kneels and makes an emotional plea to not take JT from her again when she just got him back. Jen tells Doug that she hopes that Hope isn’t getting her hopes up regarding JT. She may not got him back and, even if she does, he may not make it. Jen calls Frankie and asks him to be Hope’s attorney in case she needs one when the Reiber’s attorney arrives. Jen and Doug talk about how good it is that Frankie was around to take over Mickey’s practice now that he is gone. Julie joins them and they begin to discuss Maggie and how they are worried about her since she blames herself for Mickey’s death. Julie tries calling her but there is no answer. They all begin to worry. Alice comforts Hope and urges her to have faith. Hope says she does and hopes that it will get the family through this trying time. They hold hands and continue to pray.

-Carrie walks up to Austin and Sami at the rink. She says she has something to tell them. She tries several times but realizes that what Austin did was so horrible that he would be getting off easy if she just confronted him right now. She wants him to realize that what he did was wrong and that this new side of him is not the right way to go. She wants him to be the man she used to love not this power crazed, money hungry, corporate mogul. She decides not to tell him she knows right now and to just let him find out on his own. Its bound to come out eventually since Lucas knows and its only a matter of time before Austin himself knows. She backs away and says she has to go. Austin asks her to join them but she says she has plans and leaves. Austin wonders why Carrie doesn’t want to be with him. Sami thinks that she may just want to be by herself since she may be taking grandpa’s death hard or maybe she is up to something else. He agrees to leave her alone for now but says that if it continues much longer he will try to find out what is wrong. Sami and him continue to have fun and think of old times (cue flashbacks of them skating and of their snowball fight). Sami thanks him again for everything he has done for her. He says the same to her and says he is so happy she has change and grown up. They embrace as Sami grows confident she is winning Austin and wonders what is up with her sister. Meanwhile, Carrie starts thinking about her future. She thinks a future with Austin is out of the question unless he can change his ways and things with Mike didn’t work out. She decides to start fresh and looks for a job. She sees something in the paper and says that its perfect but wonders if it would work out. She makes a phone call and states her interest in the position. She says that she doesn’t want any special preference she knows the CEO. They agree to bring her in an interview like everyone else. She hangs up and declares that this is the start of a whole new life for her.

-Lucas, feeling lonely and depressed because Will is MIA and Mickey is dead and he lost Carrie and Sami, stares at a bottle of vodka he almost drank earlier. He flashes back to learning his mother set Sami and Brandon up, learning Sami was Stan, being Victor’s second choice to work at Titan, all the recent times where he has felt like an outsider as Austin was comforting Sami and Carrie, Will calling and saying he doesn’t know when he will return, Mickey dying, and how his family or friends don’t even call to check on him or comfort him. He feels truly alone. He comes to picking up the bottle but fights it several times. Meanwhile, Maggie is home with all the bottles she bought from the liquor store. She flashes back to sending Mickey and Shawn Sr out into the storm, seeing them bloody in the car, Mickey and Shawn dying, and the people she overheard in the park earlier who implied that it was a death sentence to send anyone out in a storm like that. Maggie cries and breaks down. She tries to remember how Mickey would hate for her to take a drink but she knows its her fault. Everyone is just trying to make her feel better but she knows Mickey’s and Shawn Sr’s blood is on her hands. She also wonders what kind of AA sponsor she would be to Lucas if she drank. She then remembers her vow to punish herself for her actions and that this is the only way she can deal with what she has down. She fights it again and again repeatedly. We see Lucas do the same. The images of Maggie and Lucas are intermingled as we them give in and drink from the bottles in slow motion and then, after the first sip, they both start guzzling as the screen fades to black.

On the next Days...

Maggie and Lucas get hammered. Carrie gets a job. Roman comforts Marlena and Bonnie. Bo is torn between Hope and Billie. Sami and Austin get a call from Nicole in LA.