ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF MAISON BLANCHE:

"Lucas, we don't have time for this," Roman said furiously. "Marlena needs to get back to Salem NOW."

Tony sensed he wasn't quite as lucky as he thought, although he knew deep down it's really up to a man to make his own luck.

"Lucas wants to keep the search going... as do I," Tony volunteered. "I think I have a solution for us."

"You?" Marlena scoffed.

"Yes. Me," Tony smiled. "I say you two head back to Salem on John Black's plane while Kate and Lucas can continue the search and we can all head back to Salem on the Mythic company jet that I took here to New Orleans."

"You're using the Mythic jet already?" Lucas sneered.

"Lucas, we are very fortunate that Tony used that jet and joined us here so that we can continue the search," Kate scolded.

"Now I'm not so sure about...." Roman said before Marlena interrupted.

"Roman, you can stay too if you want," Marlena assured him. "But I have to get back to Salem."

"I know you do, Doc," Roman whispered hugging her warmly with one arm while opening the door with his free hand. "Let's go."

The two left and Tony's grin grew.

Tony and Kate shared conspiratorial glances as they followed Lucas around the house, occasionally picking up objects to look busy but mostly just waiting for Lucas to give up the search. The way he always gave up at everything.

Yet this time Lucas seemed intent as he went about the house, running his hand along walls, opening cabinets and drawers and closets throughout the first two floors of the house. Something about seeing Marlena learn that perhaps she was about to lose the love of her life made Lucas cling that much tighter to the faint hope he could be reunited with Sami.

Still, even noticing that intensity, Tony chaperoned Lucas's search throughout the house with total nonchalance. That is until sweat beads began gathering around his neck and his pulse raced when he saw Lucas start walking up the stairs to the attic.

IN THE ATTIC OF MAISON BLANCHE:

"You... LIKE... me?" Sami laughed.

"That's funny, is it?" E.J. said, his ego bruised. "Well it's true. I... I... don't know what it is about you. But I want to help you. And I think I can if you stay here."

Sami considered his words with not just her brain, but also her eyes and mouth, before responding several seconds later.

"E.J., I was pretending to be asleep before," Sami revealed. "I heard Tony say that he wants me to go into surgery NOW. That he needs to take this baby from me to stop your father from dying."

"Well, that's not true," E.J. said. "That's just Rolf's impatience. Father can wait until your child is born naturally. And I am NOT letting Tony take your child. Neither is Lexie."

"Ha! Lexie?" Sami said throwing her hands in the air.

"Lexie hates me, E.J. After everything I've put her through over the years with Brandon and her cancer screening and my sister and losing her job at the hospital..." Sami said ticking off her litany of crimes against his sister before stopping when she looked up and noticed E.J.'s confusion. "Just suffice it to say, there's no way she would stick her neck out for ME. She hates me."

"Well she doesn't hate me," E.J. said.

Sami was once again reminded of how much E.J.'s lack of a memory of the last year colored his outlook on things with much more optimism than the situation should have allowed.

"And she wouldn't let her brother's child be killed. If everything is as you say and I've had my memory erased... if everyone is just lying to me as you say then Lexie knows that this child is mine and wouldn't let anything happen to it. Right?"

But before Sami could answer E.J. and Sami heard voices outside the door. E.J. instinctively wrapped his arms around Sami. E.J. covered her mouth but this time Sami didn't bite it or try to speak. Nor did she struggle.

She realized she would have to show Tony the diary to make this madness stop if it ever was to stop. She would have to pray that Tony's outrage that Stefano had kept the fact that E.J. was his son a secret all these years would be enough to protect her baby.

E.J. shuffled toward the door along with Sami in his arms so that he could lean against the locked door and block it should anyone try to break it down. The two of them could hear everything the voices in the stairway were saying.

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