(Let's see how long I can keep up this picture thing...)

AT MAISON BLANCHE:

“Just what is going to hurt me, Samantha?” E.J. asked to Sami’s surprise.

“E.J. I… well…” Sami stammered as she concealed the diary by cradling it in her arms as if she had a chill.

“You what? And something about the baby?” E.J. asked as he set her breakfast tray on a table and then turned around to close the attic door.

Seeing the opening, Sami quickly shoved the diary under the mattress of the bed and pulled the bedspread to cover it before E.J. turned back around.

“E.J., so nice of you to bring me breakfast, again,” Sami said, stalling to try to devise a lie to placate him about what he overheard.

“Well, it’s getting late, sweetheart,” E.J. said, smiling even as he recognized her tactic. “I figured you would be pretty hungry by now. Both of you.”

E.J. sighed as he saw Sami touch her large stomach at those words. The past several months had been excruciating for E.J. as he tried to reconcile the past with the present and his divided loyalties between Sami and his family.

E.J. still remembered very little beyond the grainy memory of the night their child was conceived. He didn’t want to remember more. He didn’t understand how or why some of his memories had been erased, but it did enter his thoughts that it was within the realm of possibility for his father to erase his memories if he thought it was for his son’s own good. If he had been the one to cause Sami the pain that led her to try to kill herself burning down the cabin as Rolf had said, he didn’t ever want to reclaim those memories. At times over the months since they made love, E.J. would resolve to help Sami escape from this place and ask her to never see him again, but at the same time he couldn’t bear the thought of letting Sami go and knew she was the only hope his father had for survival so he would always give up the idea before he acted.

Sami sensed E.J.’s distance so she pounced on the chance to change the subject.

“E.J. I just want to thank you again for getting these new maternity dresses for me,” Sami said holding a shopping bag and stepping behind the bathroom curtain to dress. “I only hope I have enough time to wear all of them before the baby is born.”

“Oh, those,” E.J. said still distant. “Lexie picked them out. She thought you could use something to pick up your spirits a little.”

“Well, I’ll just have to thank Lexie then,” Sami said stepping from behind the curtain, a little miffed.

E.J. sensed her frustration but his mouth dropped when he saw her in the gown sparkling nearly as bright blue as her eyes in the morning light.

“I shall have to thank her, too, Samantha,” E.J. said sincerely. “You just glow in that dress, darling. I doubt there’s ever been a mother more beautiful than you.”

Inside, Sami melted at the words, while E.J. turned his head in embarrassment.

He still loved her. As hard as he tried to stop for her sake, he still wanted her and wanted to be with her. But he didn’t think himself worthy of her love at all.

“Anyway, when I came in you were saying something about me?” E.J. said trying to distract himself from his own angst.

“I was?” Sami said pretending not to remember.

“Yes, sweetheart,” E.J. said biting his lip. “You were…”

But before E.J. could finish Lexie was at the door.

“E.J., I need to talk you right now,” Lexie said sounding concerned and completely ignoring Sami.

“Good morning to you, too, Lexie,” Sami said snidely.

Lexie glared while E.J. walked off with his sister.

“Enjoy your breakfast, Samantha,” E.J. said before exiting and shutting the door.

Sami let out a sigh of relief that she had dodged this catastrophe and sat down to eat her breakfast.

Then, while buttering her toast she paused to wonder just what would have been so bad had she told E.J. the truth.

“Oh so Stefano would lock me up and prevent me from ever again seeing my loved ones in Salem?” Sami said with a sardonic laugh before the expression on her face became serious. “Or Stefano will just let E.J. get hurt again. Ugh. I have to convince Lexie to help make this right.”

Sami slammed the knife down in frustration.

AT ABE'S HOUSE:

“Stefano!” she said clenching her fist. Celeste knew he was what the card meant not just because of the evil associated with the devil, but also because she knew the card contained so much paternal energy and represented bondage with the man and woman kept in chains at the devil’s feet.

“Oh, I bet Stefano ordered E.J. to kidnap Lexie so she could take care of him,” Celeste said. “Damn those Dimeras.”

Celeste tried to set aside some of her rage to try to get more information.

“Spirits, please tell me, is my Alexandra alone?” Celeste asked.

The next two cards were stuck together so she overturned them both to reveal The Emperor and The Empress. Celeste tapped her fingers on the table to try to make sense of the cards depicting on their basic level: man and woman, Aries and Taurus, Mars and Venus, a warrior king and a beautiful mother.

“Mother.” Celeste said aloud. “Samantha! This must mean Samantha and E.J.”