Previously:

The Hortons ornament-hanging event just didn’t feel the same with Jennifer and Abbey in the hospital so late arrivals Mike and Bill took the show on the road to surprise the girls and celebrate Christmas with them…. With her memories back, Marlena chooses John but their reunion is cut short when they step in the middle of Phillip’s custody battle with Belle… Tek falls into a coma… Alex vows to get Marlena back…

Monday Dec 26

(new day, Christmas Day)

-The snow is falling outside but the warmth of the family gathering already underway more than compensates. Laughter and smiles abound as Shawn Sr. and Caroline welcome home for the first time a large gathering of their family: Roman, John/Marlena/Belle/Claire, Bo/Hope/Shawn-D/Chelsea, Frankie, Max, Sami/Will, Carrie, Abe/Lexie/Celeste, and Cassie.

-Among the many cheerful happenings, Marlena and John are ecstatic about Carrie’s return and Carrie comments on how they will always be thought of as parents to her

-Shawn-D is very pleasant with Belle as they play with Claire.

-Roman and Cassie phone Rex to wish him a Merry Christmas.

-Everyone gathers around Sami’s laptop to say hi to Eric, who is on webcam in Thailand, and Eric takes this opportunity to introduce his whole family to his fiancé, Ariel. Everyone waves, Marlena is surprised this is the first she’s heard of this.

-Shortly afterwards, John announces that he has another surprise as Chloe and Brady arrive for the festivities. They are only in town tonight to celebrate Christmas with their honorary family.

-Roman, Frankie, John, Max, Shawn Sr. and Bo join forces to sing Caroline a special holiday medley when they are interrupted with a knock on the door – everyone is elated when Kimberly and Kayla arrive with Jeanne, Andrew and Stephanie-Kay in tow. Shawn Sr. had arranged this little surprise. For the first time in a long time, all the Brady children are home (Roman, Bo, Kayla, Kimberly, Frankie and Max) along with honorary sons John and Abe.

-Kayla surprises everyone by being 6 months pregnant; her boyfriend (the father) is a doctor in LA and could not take the time off.

-Chelsea convinces Max to ditch the party for a while so they can “mess around” – Max things about Nicole during this.

-As dinner is being cleared, Hope gives Lexie the evil eye and during the desert portion of the meal, Lexie admits to having an affair with Tek which sends Abe over the edge. Lexie agrees to leave that party.

-As the night wears down, the shocking events of the Carver marriage breakdown, the excessive amounts of wine he consumed, and the emotional returns of his daughters lead Shawn-Sr. to take nap. Just as he is putting himself down, the phone rings and he picks it up. On the other end of phone Shawn is startled to hear the voice of his Irish Nephew Colin wish him a Merry Christmas, and confirm once and for all, that he survived the tsunami.

-Elsewhere, Roman and Marlena come to terms over their turbulent year and Roman vows to dedicate his time to helping his children and moving on with his life. They discuss Eric’s engagement.

-Bo and Hope discuss Jack’s death and its impact on Jennifer and Abbey with Kayla. Kayla thinks she should visit Jennifer in the hospital before she has to leave tomorrow afternoon.

-By themselves, Bo asks Hope for her advice: should he tell Kayla about what happened in the cemetery, or would knowing that both her ex husband’s coffins are missing too much information for a pregnant woman whose moved on with her life to know?...

Tuesday Dec 27

(new day in Salem)

-Abe stayed at Roman’s last night to avoid Lexie. Lexie shows up, asking to talk to Abe.

-Roman leaves to go visit Sami, leaving Abe and Lexie to try and overcome the affair. In the end, Abe says he cannot forgive Lexie and asks for a divorce.

-Roman shows up at Sami’s and is glad to see his two oldest daughters all getting along. Roman asks Carrie is she has seen Austin yet and Sami interrupts with a no. They talk about the past they all had with Austin but how Sami has matured and only wants Lucas back.

-Carrie leaves, meaning to go to the hospital to visit Jennifer. Carrie runs into Frankie outside of the hospital and they talk about things. Carrie is happy that Frankie is back in town as well and Frankie asks Carrie the million dollar questions: how long does she plan on staying in Salem? And where does she plan on staying? Carrie is not sure.

-In Abbey’s room, Alex shows up to diagnose Abbey saying she should be committed for further tests. Laura is fully opposed to this, knowing what a psych ward can do to someone. Laura and Alex argue over professional diagnosis while Abbey remains completely detached and zoned out.

-Jennifer leaves the room to talk to her family (Lucas, Mike and Bill). They are a great support for her and she is grateful to them. Having her parents and Brothers home at a time like this is exactly what Jennifer needed.

-Lucas and Bill take an opportunity to catch up. This is juxtaposed with a father-daughter talk between Roman and Sami about Sami’s love life. Bill is really proud of Lucas and wants him to be happy and to find love. Roman encourages Sami to go after Lucas and Bill encourages Lucas to give Sami another chance and not to let true love slip away, as Bill looks at Laura through the glass arguing with Alex.

-Carrie and Frankie make it up to the floor where Abbey is when Carrie sees Bill talking to Lucas. Carrie hasn’t seen Bill since Isreal. Carrie turns around and is stunned to see Mike there talking to Jennifer. Mike sees Carrie and walks away down the hall.

-Carrie rushes to catch up to Mike, grabs him by the arm, turns him around. Looking at each other face-to-face, they exchange no words but there is emotional tension and the both start to swell up in tears when Mike finally breaks the silence and says “I’m sorry…”

Wednesday Dec 28th

-Buoyed by her conversation with her dad, Sami decides that New Years Eve is going to be the time she gets Lucas back and she hatches a scheme to be with him when the clock strikes midnight.

-Bo agrees to drive Kayla to the hospital while Kim, Andrew, Jeanne and Stephanie-Kay (none of whom are actually in this episode) go to the airport. Kayla wants to make a brief stop to see Jennifer.

-Jennifer is surprised to see Kayla. Kayla consoles her old friend about the pain of losing a husband and tries to assure Jenn that life will eventually go on. Kayla points to her growing belly and says that if it’s a boy, she’ll name him Johnson after Jack and Steve. Kayla knows that Jack and Steve are finally able to bury the hatchet in heaven and that Jack, like Steve, will always be there to look over them. Kayla leaves.

-Carrie cannot accept Mike’s apology and runs away. Frankie shows up to ask what is going on and Mike explained that is none of his business. Mike goes to run after Carrie when Laura shows up and asks Mike for his help with Abbey.

-Frankie and Jennifer talk about Abbey and the words Kayla just shared with her. Jennifer admits she is afraid they’ll have to commit Abbey and she’ll lose her too.

-Frankie says he’ll be there for her and for Abbey.

-Later, Laura asks Frankie what his intentions are and makes it clear she doesn’t think it is a good idea for Frankie to stay at Jennifer’s for much longer. Laura says that she will move in to look after her daughter.

-Outside the hospital, Frankie finds Carrie sitting in her rental car crying. He gets in the passenger side and asks what is wrong. Carrie breaks down and admits “she’s not sure what she’s doing with her life”. Frankie retorts that he’s been evicted. They laugh as Frankie tries to console Carrie.

-As Bo is preparing to drop Kayla off he decides not to tell her about the graveyard. He sees her off and wishes her all the best. Kayla tells Bo she’ll be back once the baby is born. They hug and she goes to catch her flight.

-Victor, who is at the hospital for a board meeting, sees Lucas and asks for an update on his role in Titan. They talk business and their desire to see Austin’s company fall.

-Alex stand firm on his recommendation to commit Abbey. Alex leaves the ward when he is approached by Victor a mutually beneficial offer to help both men rid themselves of a common threat: John Black… (reminder, John waged war on Victor if Victor helps Phillip take Claire away from Belle)

Thursday Dec 29th

(New day, the morning of New Years Eve – don’t you love how that works?)

-Maggie is getting read at Chez Rouge for a big New Year’s bash. Bonnie, on the other hand, is doing the same at Alice’s. When each other get word that they are hosting competing parties, both make it their mission to out-do-the other and invite more guests.

-When Bonnie calls Sami she lies to her and says that Lucas has already agreed to come to her party with Billie and Patrick so Sami agrees to go to Bonnies. Maggie, meanwhile, has roped Lucas into her party with promise of non-alcoholic drinks.

-Mimi agrees to attend Bonnie’s bash but would rather spend the evening with Shawn. Shawn comes home with a shopping back full of goodies (junkfood and what not) and tells her to pack her bags, they’re going to Smith Island for the night to spend a romantic evening alone together in the cottage. Clothes optional.

-When Austin shows up to get some files, Sami tries to convince him to come to Bonnie’s but he’s already agreed to go to Maggie’s. Sami is disappointed but wants to go where Lucas will be (or so she thinks).

-John and Marlena prepare Belle for what will be the most difficult time in her life. John vows to stop at nothing to keep Claire and take on the Kiriakises if they intended to go through with their plan to take Claire.

-Victor, meanwhile, goes over (in secret) his plans with Alex. Alex agrees to help Victor, but on one condition, Victor convinces the board to instate him as chief of psychiatric medicine to give him a legitimate reason to tell everyone why he is remaining in town now that Marlena is supposedly out of his life. Victor agrees.

-Bill tells Laura that he and Mike are going back tomorrow but that she should join them at Maggie’s for the party. Laura is reluctant to leave Jennifer behind. Mike says that Abbey will be knocked out all night and that it might do Jennifer some good.

-Mike invites Jennifer to New Years Eve.

-Elsewhere, Kate asks Billie to celebrate New years with her family, as Austin, Lucas, and Phillip are all going to Chez Rouge. Billie convinces Patrick to ditch his Mom’s party and join her family.

-Mimi and Shawn arrive on Smith Island and unpack their things (1 big sleeping bag, 3 bags of chips, 2 bottles of campaign he lifted from his parent’s fridge, some candles and oh yeah, Mimi brought her sexiest underwear. The two turn on the fire, light some candles and agree to ring in the new year in each others arms as they slip into the sleeping bag.

-Chelsea asks Max to join her for New Years and he agrees once he finds out that Nicole might be at the party as well.

-As everyone starts to get ready for their nights out, Bonnie is all set up with food laid out everywhere and clean glasses and door prizes and everything. In grand Sami fashion, wearing a very unfortunate outfit, Sami opens the door and launches into the party screaming “Happy New Year” only no one else is there.

-Over at Chez Rouge, people start to arrive in droves and Maggie can’t be more thrilled…

Friday Dec 30

(New Years Eve continues)

-The party is getting started over at Chez Rouge. By the time Austin arrives, Carrie is in the next room. The continue to miss each other all night.

-Jennifer feels very uncomfortable being out and away from Abbey all night but Mike, Laura and Bill assure her things will be ok. Jennifer is dreading midnight when she wont’ be able to kiss Jack.

-On Smith Island, Mimi and Shawn snuggle in close when they hear a noise outside. Shawn gets up to investigate but no one is there. Outside, there is a man glaring into the cabin holding a gun.

-Back at the party, couples dance the night away and there is a particular spark between Bill and Laura as they dancing. They talk about Jennifer and Abbey but also reminisce about their old life and the times they’ve recently spent together in Africa before Bill went back to Isreal for Mike. Maybe they should give it another shot?

-Lexie is bummed out and wants nothing to do with the party and leaves, going to Abe’s house to beg for forgiveness. Lexie doesn’t make it there, however, as she is abducted. Lexie wakes up some time later in the same room Marlena was recently in…

-As Bo and Hope dance they agree to work together to get to bottom of the mystery surrounding the missing graves.

-John and Marlena break up a huge confrontation between Phillip and Belle. John and Victor exchange heated words over the custody battle and Victor says now that Brady has left Salem he can wage war without an interloper getting hurt. John is ready for fight.

-Marlena, while dancing briefly with Bill, feels dizzy and has to sit down. Bill thinks that Marlena needs to take it easy after the trauma she’s just been through.

-In Bill’s stead, Roman and Laura dance there is just a large a spark between them as she had with Bill.

-Sami realizes that no one is coming to Bonnie’s and sneaks away while Bonnie goes to the back room to pour herself another bottle of pity-wine. Bonnie is loaded.

-Max and Chelsea think the party is lame and Chelsea wants to go back to her house and ring in the new year with Max privately but he’s not interested. He’s only interested in Nicole, who is busy flirting with every man in the bar just to get Max’s attention. Chelsea notices and asks who that “whore” is…

-Billie and Patrick discuss the state of their relationship and Patrick admits that he’s falling in love with her. Billie says this promises to be a great New Year.

-Carrie eventually runs into Mike. Outside, they discuss what happened. Mike admits to still being in love with her and Carrie admits the same thing to Mike but says she can’t get over the distance between them after the accident. Mike says he’s leaving first thing in the morning and wants her to come with him… they can work it out… they can try again to have another baby…

-Just then, Austin steps outside to come face-to-face with the woman he once loved with all his heart…

-As the countdown begins… 10 John vows to Marlena that they’ll get through Belle’s crisis and get to the bottom of her kidnapping… 9 Lexie bangs on the door of her locked room she’s been through into… 8 Shawn and Mimi continue to make love as someone outside lurks in the bushes… 7 Jennifer asks Frankie to hold her close as she dreams it was Jack and not Frankie… 6 Bo and Hope make a New Years resolution to solve the mystery… 5 Nicole interrupts Chelsea and Max’s getaway by giving Max a huge kiss infront of everyone… 4 Phillip tells Belle that they’re through and he’s taking Claire away from her… 3 Bonnie is all alone, counting down in her restaurant when Bart shows up with a bottle of champagne and some streamers much to Bonnie’s excitement… 2 Carrie is stunned to see Austin as she looks back and forth between the two men she’s ever loved… 1… Sami comes barging in looking for Lucas as everyone screams: Happy New Years.

At the stroke of midnight, Victor kisses Kate, Mickey kisses Maggie, John kisses Marlena, Bo kisses Hope, Bart kisses Bonnie, Mimi kisses Shawn, Nicole kisses Max, Sami kisses Lucas, Billie kisses Patrick, Roman surprises Laura with a big kiss, Jennifer lets go (thinking it is jack) and kisses Frankie while outside, Carrie runs off…

Next time:

Mike and Bill say goodbye, not before sharing moments with the women in their lives… Lexie demands to be let go… Lucas gives Sami some bad news… Alex gets the upper hand… Chelsea seeks revenge… Bo and Hope get a huge clue… Frankie makes Carrie and offer… Victor makes the first move against John…