-At the Salem Police Department, Victor and Stefano have been escorted to another office and guard as Roman thinks about what he should do about their offer. Both men can see Roman from across the hall and they stand there, looking at him. Then, moments later, Stefano silently turns and looks at Victor, who is staring at him. They know that they are doing what they have to do but they also know that they are taking a huge risk. Stefano finally speaks to his fellow godfather and remarks......

Stefano: It hasn’t been this interesting since we were in the family together, hasn’t it?

Victor: Yes. Those were some exciting days and nights. I’m just glad we lived through it.

Stefano: As am I, old friend. So......do you think Roman will take our deal?

Victor: No idea. As far as I’m concerned, staying out of prison is the by product. Someone out there is taking aim against the people of Salem and using our families to get the job done. And I’m not about to take the blame for something I didn’t do.

Stefano: Agreed. This person must be stopped. And, when they are.....

Victor: Then WE settle our business, once and for all. Agreed?

Stefano: Agreed.

Both men smile slightly and then give each other a gentleman’s handshake, knowing that when the capture of the MCF is completed........

They will settle their old debts, once and for all.

Meanwhile, back in Roman’s office, Roman sits at his desk, mulling over this offer. He fears what may happen if he were to recommend to Abe and the prosecuting attorney to let them off the hook for what they’ve done for the past six months if they could stop this MCF from doing more damage. Roman asks himself the ultimate question.....

Roman: Can I really give my two greatest enemies a complete pardon in exchange for their help?

Roman then drops his pen on the desk not knowing what to do. But then, one of his officers runs into the office, telling him about the scene at the McCluer home. Roman sighs deeply, thinking that his decision might just have been made for him.

-At the deadly crime scene, Abe finds a woozy Jack trying to wake up an unconscious Billie. It takes a few moments but she starts to stir and then comes to. Jack and Abe pick her up off of the floor and stand her up, asking her if she is alright. She says that her head is killing her but, other than that, she’s fine. Abe then starts filling them in on the grisly crime scene, telling them that the entire family, with the exception of the father, were brutally murdered. Knife wounds and gunshot wounds are on the bodies and they looked like they all suffered before they were killed. The person who did this was sending a message.

Then, Jack and Billie fill Abe in on what they have found out about James Sr. They tell him that he was turning his life around and that he was also doing some work for Victor under the table, to which Abe says is there any other kind of work to do for that man? Jack feels that there really isn’t any way he would do this to his family. Abe then says that he is the police officer here, not Jack. He’ll make that determination, thank you. Billie is silent and devastated, feeling like she added to what happened because she waited to tell the police about what she and Jack knew before it was too late. Jack tells her not to blame anyone but one person......

The MCF.

So, Abe asks, is there anything else he needs to know? Jack says that they spied Marlena and James in a meeting with the MCF. Abe drops his head in dread, hoping that this isn’t the beginning of another serial killing spree in Salem.

Meanwhile, still behind his house, James is still grilling Marlena on why she has blood on her person and why does she have a bloody knife in her jacket. Before she can answer, James hears someone in the bushes behind him and ducks back into them for cover. After a few moments, he comes back out, only to find Marlena gone. He then decides, silently, to disguise himself and enter his home to find out what is going on......

And what has happened to his family.

At the cop shop, both Stefano and Victor overhear a cop talking about the latest murders at the McCluer home. They look at each other and then walk across the hallway into Roman’s office, asking that since this involves them both, they should be allowed to go along and see what’s happening. Roman says on a police investigation? For all he knows, they may have set the whole thing up. Stefano, for revenge against the father of the family for going against him and, Victor, for maybe betraying him in some fashion. They both say that he is wrong. That is not their style. Roman may have believed that to have been true once......

But, after New Years’ Eve, not anymore.

Victor agrees that neither of them have any right to ask for this but......

Victor: After what the three of us have been through over the years, maybe this will go some way to putting that in the past.

Stefano remains silent.

Roman: I don’t know about that. But I’m sick of this city being some murdering ground for anyone who wants to settle some old grudge or who wants to take over behind the scenes. Ok. Fine. After some thought......you two can come.

Both men smile again.

Roman: But.......you will be watched at all times by my officers. And, if at anytime you want to step one inch out of line......this truce goes out the window.....

And you two spend the rest of your unholy lives behind bars.

Roman gets several officers and orders them to keep an eye on these two men as they head to the McCluer crime scene. When Alexandra says that she wants to join them, Roman tells her no. It’s more than enough to have Stefano and Victor there. Lord knows what she would do. Stefano shakes his head in agreement slowly, calming Lexie down. She wonders, as they all head out, if this is some plan of her father’s.....

Or is he really going to help out the man he hates most in the world.

Much later, back at the McCluer home once again, Roman walks up to the crime scene with Stefano and a very much alive Victor. They join Abe and Shane, with Shane remarking can anyone stay dead in this damn town? No one laughs at the irony of that statement. When Abe asks how in the hell did Victor survive this time, Roman says he’ll explain everything later. Victor does say that James Sr. worked for him when Shane asks him what was his involvement with his family. Victor then says that he never got to know his family.

Abe then tells Roman that he better talk to him later so they can get to the bottom of everything. When Victor says that they now know who did this, he says that for right now, all differences need to be put to the side, for the betterment of the people of Salem. This MCF is now wreaking havoc and they need to pool all of their resources if they want to bring this person to justice. Roman says nothing and turns and walks away silently. Victor turns and looks at Stefano, hoping that Roman takes their deal.....

Before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, at the very same moment, James Sr. walks into his blood soaked home under disguise. He is dressed as a police officer and can’t believe what he is seeing. He then slowly walks around the corner and then stops dead in his tracks. He slowly walks up to a gurney and slowly pulls back the covering....

To see the body of his dead wife, Renee. She has a deep slash on her throat and a gunshot would to her head. James then slowly bends down and, while starting to cry, kisses his wife on her forehead and tells her how sorry he is for everything. He then recovers her and looks over at the other three gurneys that are in the same fashion. He walks from gurney to gurney, bidding his children goodbye and promising that he will make the person who did this pay.......with their life if necessary.

He stumbles against the nearest wall, almost unable to recover from his grief. His entire family is now dead and he feels it may be because of who he got involved with. He runs from the house in anger and grief, not stopping until he gets a half mile down the road. He is trying to outrun his pain but knows he can’t. He then slowly slows down and stops when he is near exhaustion, collapsing to the ground.

What James doesn’t even notice in his grief is that Marlena now watches him from the dense bushes. She then hears someone walk up behind her and, when she turns, she comes face to face......with the MCF, who uses the voice changer to ask what she is doing there. Marlena then asks him/her the same thing. The MCF says it doesn’t matter and Marlena agrees, saying that they both just might be in the clear. They then turn and look at a deeply grieving James Sr. as the scene slowly fades to black.

On the Next Salem Lives...

Philip to Belle: Claire is mine. I think it's time you remember our little deal, Belle.

Lexie to Abe: Hello, Abe.

Victor (with Stefano) to Roman: It's decision time. What's it going to be?

Billie to Jack: It's all my fault.

Eric to Nicole: We have to go.

Nicole to Eric: I'm not going anywhere without the baby.