IMissAremid

IN THE RUBBLE OF MAISON BLANCHE: Tony stared at his sister confused, but before Lexie could explain Marlena interrupted. “Oh just because we’re family Tony is going to become a model citizen, is he?” Marlena said sarcastically. “Tony once thought he shared parentage of Rex and Cassie with me not to mention how we were once friends, but that didn’t stop him from hurting John over his bitterness about Kristen’s love for him or hurting me when he made me think I was the Salem serial killer or…” “Look, I know what I’ve done,” Tony said. “And I can’t undo that. I can only tell you that I regret it. All of it. But before you send me back to prison or crucify me or whatever you’d have me do as penance for my sins could you just tell me what the hell you mean when you talk of us all being family?” Marlena said nothing but handed over the diary to Tony. “Is this the diary you told me about, Lexie?” Tony asked, hesitating to open it. Lexie nodded and Tony began leafing through the pages, surprised at how well they held up from the smoke and flame in Marlena’s care. “Oh, just spit it out already,” Anna said frantically grabbing the diary from Tony’s hands. “What is this about a son of mine and Tony’s?” Lexie sighed. “The reason I said we’re all family now is because E.J. is your son,” Lexie said. “And that baby that was just born to Sami and E.J. is your grandchild.” Tony’s mouth fell agape in shock while Anna squealed with delight. “All this time…” Tony mumbled to himself quietly. “I hated him so thinking him my brother. Why I treated him no better than Stefano did me. What he must think of me when he knows.” But while Tony took the news with bittersweet melancholy, Anna was ecstatic. “You mean I’m a grandmother? Marlena, we’re grandmothers together?” Anna shrieked hugging Marlena who began to cry joyfully seeing her old friend’s exuberance. “We just have to see this baby this instant. Oh, I have to hold him. I started this day without child and now I not only have a son, but a grandson?!” Anna and Marlena were just about to open the door to the cottage where Sami and E.J. had been alone inside when John stopped them. “Wait, Doc, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” John yelled as he stood in a pile of burnt debris. “What is it, John?” Marlena asked, but John didn’t answer so Marlena, Anna, Tony, Lexie and Celeste walked toward him with their eyes drifting toward the mass upon which John could not help himself from staring. “Roman,” Anna said sniffling, before turning her face away from the dead body of the man who had once been her husband and she had promised would be her husband once more and burying her tear-soaked face in Tony’s shoulder. Tony and Anna walked away from the pile while Tony tried to console Anna, but soon there was another gasp and it was Lexie’s turn to cry. “Stefano!” Marlena said, grimacing as her eyes noticed the charred body below her that she would never have even known was a person at all if not for the Phoenix ring still shining on its flame-kissed fingers. John embraced Marlena while Lexie sobbed in Celeste’s arms. “How cruel that Stefano would have to take Sami’s father from her yet again just when she was given a son,” Marlena said bitterly. “And how cruel that only in death can he finally give E.J. his true father!” Anna cried. “So this is what the spirits had in mind with this tragedy,” Celeste said to herself, for Lexie was too upset to notice her mother’s ramblings. “This is the chaos and destruction that fate would have, whether the cards warned me of it or not.” INSIDE THE WOODCUTTER'S COTTAGE: But inside the sanctuary of the simple cottage, the mood was anything but chaotic or destructive. In fact, both E.J. and Sami, the troubled, misunderstood and often self-destructive souls that they were found sanity and stability in each other as they looked on the child they created. The two of them laid in the bed facing each other with little Roman DiMera in his swaddling blanket nestled between them, forever connecting and in some ways completing both of them, whether they realized it then or not. Despite all the drama and turmoil that waited for them outside the cottage doors and back in Salem, their minds were completely untroubled as they enjoyed the silence save for the soothing sound of Roman’s sleeping sighs. Finally, E.J. broke the quiet to share what was on his mind. “Samantha, I just want you to know how truly sorry I am for all of this craziness I’ve brought into your life and all the harm my family has caused you,” E.J. said quickly. “I mean, you couldn’t even give birth in a hospital because of my family and that’s not to mention what I did to you that…” “Well, E.J., that’s fine and good,” Sami said interrupting him with a wry smile on her face, “but I have to tell you I’m not sorry, not sorry for any of it that has anything to do with us from being here in this moment together with our son right now.” “But sweetheart, I’ve done so much to hurt you and I haven’t always been there for you or this child,” E.J. said sincerely. “I don’t think I’m worthy of your love and…” “E.J., I know you may not remember this talk we had last summer when I was confiding in you about something bad I’d done to someone I thought I loved, but when I think back on it I can’t help but think how right you were with what you said,” Sami said. “What’d I say?” E.J. said. “Well you said something really insightful and beautiful that I don’t think I really understood until now,” Sami said. “What was that?” he asked, with an eyebrow raised. “That true love understands and true love forgives,” Sami said with tears welling up in her eyes. “E.J., we’ve been through so much. We’ve hurt each other so much. But especially now, being with you and our child, I just need you to know that I truly love you and I truly forgive you just as I hope you do me.” “I do,” E.J. said caressing her face. “Good,” Sami said with a smile. “Because know this. Listen to me, E.J. No part of me regrets loving you.” E.J. could not have been happier than he was in that moment.

IN THE RUBBLE OF MAISON BLANCHE: The four of them stared at the heap where Maison Blanche once stood after hearing what they thought was rustling from within the smoldering ash, but when the noise stopped they turned back toward each other. “Oh, I wish I had stopped you when I had the chance,” Lexie said bitterly as she pounded on Tony’s chest. “I wish you had, too,” Tony said to Lexie’s surprise before hugging his grief-stricken sister. “I wish that this night my former friends Marlena and Roman had not died. And my brother, John. And even Stefano himself. But what could you have done to stop this?” Tony released Lexie from the embrace and began pacing as he put his hand over his chin deep in tortured thought. “That hold that Stefano had over me,” Tony said finally. “That power he had over me… it was just too strong. I know I couldn’t have walked away from him. I know it because it was the same for you here taking care of him all these months and abandoning your life in Salem. I couldn’t have said no. Not alone with nothing but him in my life.” “Even if you knew the truth about the son he kept from you?” Lexie said crying. “What son?” Tony asked. “What do you mean? What are you talking about?” “Oh, I’m so sorry, Tony,” Lexie said. “I should have told you, but I let my hatred for Sami get the best of me. And Stefano played on my greed and pride for Theo, too.” “What does this have to do with my son?” Tony asked, growing impatient. “What it has to do with your son, the son of both of you,” Lexie said turning toward Anna for emphasis, “is that while Sami was kept up in the attic she found a diary – Stefano’s diary. And in it he explained how he kept a son from you. Sami wanted me to tell you so that you might release her and let me go, but I was so furious with her and what she had done to me in the past I wanted to see her suffer. And when Stefano heard me he promised…” “He promised what?” Tony asked, as Lexie was too ashamed to say without further prompting. “He promised me that Theo would inherit the DiMera legacy,” Lexie said sniffling. “My son would be his heir. Not you. Or E.J. Or anyone else. Me. Lexie. The daughter he never acknowledged who was born to the woman who was never his wife would finally get to inherit her birthright as a true DiMera. Finally. It sounded so wonderful at the time the way Stefano described it.” “But this can’t be,” Tony said. “I can’t believe it.” “Believe it,” said a weak and gravelly voice behind him. It was John, who was covered in dark soot, and joined by an equally disheveled and weary looking Marlena. They ambled slowly and gingerly toward the group. Marlena carried a bound book in her hand that she would later tell them she had guarded from the fire with her life. To Marlena’s surprise, Tony greeted her by enveloping her in a warm hug. Just as John was about to express his displeasure at this friendliness from his longtime foe, he too was gripped in the embrace of Anna. “I’m so glad you made it out alive,” Anna said. “We were so worried about you.” “You were worried about us?” John said raising his eyebrow skeptically. “John, I don’t expect you to ever forgive me,” Tony said. “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself. But it is true that I am glad that you survived this. And I want you to know, brother, that I will strive to hurt you no more.” “I find that hard to believe,” Marlena said coldly. “Believe it,” Lexie said firmly. “For we are all family now.”

IN THE WOODCUTTER'S COTTAGE AT MAISON BLANCHE: “I can’t do this,” Sami whimpered as Lexie implored her to push. “I can’t.” “Oh, yes you can,” E.J. said, hustling back to Sami’s bedside and taking her hand in his. “You’re Samantha Gene Brady. There’s nothing you can’t do.” Sami offered a grimacing smile in response to the flattery and began pushing with all her might. “That’s it,” E.J. said, biting his lip as Sami’s grip squeezed uncomfortably tight around the hand he had used to knock Lucas unconscious just a few minutes before. But E.J. knew whatever discomfort he felt was about a million times less than what it must have been for Sami in childbirth. “You’re almost there,” Lexie told her. “You’ve been saying that for hours,” Sami snapped and collapsed back into the bed to rest after another round of contractions passed. “Well you’ve been almost there for hours,” E.J. quipped with a sly grin on his face that prompted a smile back from Sami even though she didn’t much feel like grinning. “It’ll be all right, darling. When our child is ready to meet us, he’ll come.” And so the labor went on with Sami pushing, E.J. supporting and Lexie coaching until just before dawn, when with one final push Sami’s child, a son, and the first Brady-DiMera baby, was born. The baby let out a spirited cry almost immediately and Lexie cut the umbilical cord and took him away to the sink to be cleaned while E.J. followed the babe with his eyes filled with so much joy he didn’t think he could stand it, yet still he remained at Sami’s bedside holding her hand. “It’s a boy,” Lexie told them. “A happy and healthy boy.” Suddenly, Lexie was no longer at Maison Blanche as her thoughts drifted back to Salem and her own boy, Theo, who she had neglected far too long. But she couldn’t think about that as she wrapped the newly clean baby in a towel. “It’s over?” Sami asked, somewhat delirious and completely exhausted. E.J. laughed. “No, darling. The fun is just beginning,” E.J. said. “But your labor is most certainly over. How are you feeling?” Sami frowned at first but then her eyes caught Lexie walking toward her carrying the swaddled child, which she then laid in her arms. “I feel much better now,” Sami said staring at the baby and then looking at his father with a smile. “Much, much better.” “Well, I think my work here is done so I’ll leave you too alone while I get some fresh air,” Lexie said, as she was filled with shame and regret for all the time she had missed being there for Theo as a loving mother back in Salem when all these months she thought it more important to be an obedient daughter and try to secure his legacy as a DiMera in Maison Blanche. Lexie stifled tears as she opened the door to the cottage and stepped outside. “So you checked and he has all ten fingers and all ten toes, right?” E.J. said, smiling but eyeing the child impatiently. “E.J., do you want to hold him?” Sami asked with a weary sigh but a sly chuckle. “Well, if you insist,” E.J. said smiling from ear to ear. E.J. cradled the child in his arms and then stood up gently rocking him and whispering gentle words of welcome to the world. “Oh, he’s so little. I can’t believe how small he is. It’s so remarkable,” E.J. said turning his attention back to Sami. “Samantha, have you thought of any names for him yet – for our son?” “Well, I have been trying to think up a good name for our son, and I’m not sure how you feel about this, but I’d like to name him after someone in my family,” Sami said. “Oh, what name were you thinking, sweetheart,” E.J. asked nonchalantly. “I want our son to be named Roman, after my father,” Sami said pausing. “And DiMera, after yours.” E.J. said nothing for a moment, but just stared. “Well, if you think that’s the best thing I…” E.J. said before being interrupted. “Look, this child is a Brady and a DiMera,” Sami said flatly. “We can’t ignore it. We can’t ignore the way that our families have been at each other’s throats for decades. But if we want this feud to stop and if we don’t want this child to suffer from it the way that both of us have, I think it best we acknowledge it, so that neither family holds the other half of his blood against him.” “You’re right, darling,” E.J. said to Sami before turning his attention back to the child. “I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough, but I just want to be the first to tell you what an amazing mother you have, Mr. Roman DiMera.” OUTSIDE THE WOODCUTTER'S COTTAGE AT MAISON BLANCHE: Celeste walked over to the ashes of Maison Blanche and began wandering through smoldering rubble leaving Tony and Anna to sit alone with their backs to the cottage staring at the heap where the stately mansion once stood. Anna sat with her arms folded, so that the engagement ring on her left ring finger glistened in the moonlight and caught Tony’s eye. “I wish that you wouldn’t have pulled me out of the way of the fire,” Tony said finally, breaking the heavy silence. “I wish that the fire had never started in the first place, Tony,” Anna said bitterly. “I wish that John and Marlena and Roman were still alive. Even Stefano, too. I wish that you had never become so much like him that this all might happen.” “Contessa, don’t you think I wish all that, too?” Tony said, using his favorite pet nickname for his ex-wife. Tony turned to look at her, yet Anna bashfully turned her head afraid that even in the darkness before the coming dawn he might see the tears dripping down her face. “Hey,” Tony said. “Look at me… as hard as I know it is for you to look at what I’ve become.” Tony sighed. “If only we had never been torn apart, my love,” Tony said. “I tried so hard to move on, thinking you were so happy in London. I tried to move on with Kristen and when that failed miserably I had no one. No one except Stefano…” “But Tony I wasn’t all that happy in London,” Anna said, cutting him off. “I almost came back, once, but I had heard you were with Kristen and so I stayed away and tried so hard to forget you. I had heard from Carrie that you had been involved in some horrible things in Salem but I told her that couldn’t be ‘my Tony’ and so when I heard you were released and that job came up at Countess Wilhelmina I decided to see for myself.” “And you found out I was no longer your Tony,” Tony said in exasperation. “I was Stefano’s Tony.” “Well what Tony are you now?” Anna asked. “Now that Stefano’s gone.” “I’m not sure,” he said. “Oh, Anna, I wish things were different. If only our child had lived, things could have been so very different.” “What do you mean, Tony?” Anna said touching her stomach instinctively as she was reminded once again of the grief she had never totally set aside from when a boating accident caused the miscarriage of their child so many years ago. “Even if I wouldn’t have had you all these years, I could have lived for that child instead of my own father,” Tony said. “I could have been a better man for him.” But before Anna could respond the two of them were startled by the sound of a baby crying. “Oh, thank God,” Anna sighed with relief. “Her baby made it.” Tony and Anna looked at each other and knew each was thinking of their lost child, even though neither said a word. Their silent stare was broken, however, when the door pushed open and Lexie stepped outside. “Whew!” Lexie said wiping her brow. “I didn’t think that poor child was ever going to come out. But finally that baby did and not a moment too soon, for Sami’s sake and mine.” “Well, how it is it?” Anna asked cheerily. “Is it a boy or a girl?” “It’s a boy,” Lexie said with a weary sigh. “A healthy and happy boy.” “That’s great news, Alexandra,” Celeste said with little enthusiasm as she walked toward her daughter. Lexie looked beyond her mother to see the ash and rubble where Maison Blanche once stood. “Oh dear,” Lexie said hysterically. “The mansion is gone. It was here and now it’s gone. All gone. Did everyone get out all right? Did they?” “I’m sorry, Alexandra,” Celeste said. “But Marlena and John and Roman and your father, Stefano, all were consumed by the inferno. I only wish I had given some warning sooner when my tarot told me that something like this would happen, although even the cards said only two souls would die.” And just then the four of them were startled to hear a stirring in the rubble.

INSIDE THE WOODCUTTER'S COTTAGE AT MAISON BLANCHE: Even as the pain grew sharper and increased in intensity with every breath, Sami’s squinting eyes remained locked with E.J.’s as his calm, inviting face and soothing voice of encouragement offered reassuring warmth despite the frightening prospect she found herself in giving birth before the expected due date and in a strange place. Never did he stop staring at her and smiling almost to the point that it would have made her blush with self-consciousness if her face wasn’t already flushed from the ordeal. Eventually though her concentration would be broken with the faint noise of someone else in the room that she would remember was Lexie and she would hear E.J.’s voice speak to this person in a much more serious tone than when he whispered to her. Sami didn’t know what they were saying, but noticed E.J. turn his head nervously toward the window as they could hear a loud crash. Suddenly, she remembered the smoke and the flames and whispering something about a diary before everything went dark. “My mother,” she whispered as a tear streamed down her cheek. E.J. impulsively bent down and kissed the tear away. “She’ll be all right,” E.J. insisted. “Everything will be all right.” Sami was unconvinced and began panicking, even as E.J. lovingly stroked her hair and resumed attempting to help her breathe. Lexie hovered nearby with ominous warnings she whispered in his ear about Sami’s dangerous blood pressure levels and it became more of a struggle to coax Sami to breathe through her sobs. E.J. began to be consumed with worry even as he tried his best to keep up the brave face for Sami. “Samantha, I know you are worried for your mother and I am, too, my darling,” E.J. said. “But right now this baby needs you, HIS mother, to breathe with me so we can bring him into this world.” He paused as his lip quivered with fear that he could lose his family before ever truly having the right to consider them that. “I need you, Samantha,” E.J. sighed. Sami had never seen E.J. more vulnerable in that moment as she looked up at him and he turned his head and the shadows cast by the moonlight betrayed a single tear streaming down his cheek. To E.J.’s surprise, Sami reached for his face to pull him toward her and she kissed the tear away just as she had his before she resumed breathing steadily as the sobs melted away. But just as Lexie told E.J. it was time for Sami to start pushing, a loud thumping noise could be heard at the door followed by the sound of someone seeming to try to ram into it to break it down. “Sami! E.J.! Open up! I know you’re in there!” a crazed man yelled. “What in the world?” Lexie asked. “Lucas,” E.J. muttered bitterly. “Lucas?” Sami asked delirious with pain and not remembering her husband. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” E.J. said kissing her on the forehead. “I’ll take care of this and be right back before you know it. In the meantime, just do what Lexie says and you’ll be O.K.” Sami writhed in pain, but did as Lexie instructed her pushing as hard as she could at the same time E.J. tended to the door. Lucas was startled as he lunged toward the door in another attempt to ram it when to his surprise the door flung open at him sending him backward to fall on the ground. E.J. stepped outside and shut the door behind him and blocked it with his large, though slender frame. “I need to see Sami! What have you done to her? I need to talk to her, to see she’s all right,” Lucas yelled in somewhat garbled speech that E.J. thought must have been distorted by his earlier drinking or an excessive amount of smoke inhalation or both. “That’s fine, Lucas, but what Samantha needs and what her baby needs is not some crazed idiot yelling in her face as she is trying to give birth when her blood pressure is already at dangerous levels,” E.J. said rationally. “She’s having the baby?” Lucas said stupidly. “Yes,” E.J. said. “And that is stressful enough without you making an appearance at the birth and injecting all of your drama about me and her into this so if you ever cared about Samantha at all I suggest you leave and I promise you that we’ll all resolve this like adults after Samantha and the baby are healthy and rested and this whole ordeal is over.” “Oh, I’m gonna resolve this all right,” Lucas snickered as he tried to sidestep E.J. and make a run for the door. “Sami! I’m coming for you!” Before E.J. could think about what he was doing, his right hand clenched into a fist, he bent his elbow back and then swung his forearm forward connecting to Lucas’s jaw with a fierce uppercut. Lucas’s eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the ground in a heap. “Why didn’t I do this a long time ago?” E.J. laughed to himself as he shook off the tingling in his hand and stepped back inside the cottage. OUTSIDE MAISON BLANCHE: “Don’t go, Tony,” Anna said caressing his face as tears welled up in her eyes. “Marlena is already in there. And John. And Lucas. And Roman. Their lives are all in danger because of your vain attempts to save that sick, old man. And I am not going to let that monster have one more person potentially lose their life because of his evil and manipulation. Especially not when that person could be you.” As Tony looked on Anna’s face he was shocked to find no trace of anger or judgment for the horrible things he’d done, but pity. He couldn’t understand how she could pity him. At least not until he realized it was because she still loved him, and his eyes too began to well up with tears as he placed his hand over hers. “Oh, Anna, what have I done?” Tony said as he felt his hardened heart begin to melt as if some spell Stefano had cast over him all these years to keep him wicked and bitter and alone just faded away with one touch from his true love. “Yes, Tony, what have you done?” Kate screamed, shattering Tony’s moment of melancholic reflection and replacing it with shame. “Where the hell is my son?” “I don’t know,” Tony said honestly. “He wasn’t with me when the fire started. Apparently he was upset about Sami’s closeness to E.J. and started drinking and in inebriated clumsiness knocked over some candles igniting the blaze.” Anna raised one eyebrow askew as that bit about the booze seemed to confirm the gossip she had heard about her ex-son-in-law, but said nothing. “Well what does it matter how the fire started?” Kate shrieked defensively. “I’m truly sorry, Kate,” Tony whispered before bolting toward the mansion. But just as he was about to reach for the door inside, the building began groaning and seemed to teeter unable to support its own weight. “Tony look out!” Anna screamed. While Tony covered his face with his forearm in shock, Anna raced up to him and pulled him back before the flaming debris falling off the collapsing structure could strike them. The four of them watched the flames rage and then fade until the fire began to burn itself out having consumed practically the entire mansion. While the rubble smoldered, they sat in shocked silence aside from the quiet weeping coming from Kate. “Lucas is gone,” Kate said crying. “My son is dead. Oh why did you have to bring him here, Celeste?” Celeste frowned. She now realized that her tarot reading anticipating a fool to trigger the tower’s destruction would not have come true had she not played a role in bringing Lucas to Maison Blanche. But still, something told her Lucas was not among the dead. “Kate, I’m sorry, but we don’t even know what happened to him,” Celeste said. “Maybe he followed Sami out to the woodcutter’s cottage.” “You think it’s possible?” Kate said sniffling. Kate removed her high heel pumps and began running across the grounds of the mansion back toward the cottage. Tony, Anna and Celeste followed behind her but at a more leisurely pace as they lacked Kate’s optimistic urgency. Trailing behind her the distance of about a football field they still heard Kate scream loud and clear when she came across the slumping figure in front of the cottage door. “Lucas, can you hear me?” Kate asked lighting patting his cheek. “Lucas. Are you there?” Lucas started to rouse from his unconsciousness just as Tony, Anna and Celeste made their way up to the cottage. “Oh Lucas, you’re alive! Thank God!” Kate cried. “Was it the smoke that knocked you unconscious?” “No… it was… uhhhh… it was a… fist,” Lucas groaned as he sat up, rubbing his chin. Just then a cloud moved from in front of the moon allowing the bright light to show Lucas’s face more clearly in the darkness of the night and Kate finally noticed the bruise developing along Lucas’s jaw. “Listen, Tony, I can’t take any more of this,” Kate turned to him and said furiously. “I want out of Mythic. Now. And if you want to keep me from pressing charges for what your crazy family did to my son or going to the SEC with what I know about your family’s creative accounting practices then I suggest you pay double what our shares are worth when you buy out our stock in the company.” “You want me to buy out both of you?” Tony asked. “Oh so if I left Mythic you were still planning on keeping Lucas as an executive vice president?” Kate scoffed. Tony looked at the still dazed and confused idiot still rubbing his face and realized while the stock buyout would be extremely costly it would definitely be worth it to no longer have to worry about Lucas’s drinking and unprofessional behavior slowing down the company. “Well, no, I guess not,” Tony said with a sigh. “Then it’s settled,” Kate insisted. “I’ll be in touch with you so you know where you can wire the money. Come on Lucas, we need to get out of here so we can call Billie. The last time I talked to her she said they are opening a New York branch of Countess Wilhelmina soon and I bet she would give it to us to run if we asked.” Lucas nodded, still aloof and in shock at all that had happened that night, but he allowed himself to be escorted by his mother across the grounds and toward Kate's rental car before the two of them left behind Maison Blanche and their lives in Salem for good.

IN THE WOODCUTTER'S COTTAGE AT MAISON BLANCHE: E.J. carried Sami into the dusty and primitive one-room cottage and laid her on the bed, still unconscious after she fainted. “Lexie, Samantha’s not awake,” E.J. said, his voice creaking with fear and panic. “Is she going to die?” “E.J., you need to stay calm for her,” Lexie scolded as she fetched a washcloth from a cabinet and ran it under cold water in the sink. “She is going to need your help to get through this. She’s probably just unconscious right now because of the pain, and maybe that’s for the best, but you need to do everything you can to distract her from that and all the chaos that’s going on around here if you want her and this baby to make it. We need to keep her blood pressure stable.” Lexie handed him a cold washcloth, which he place on her forehead with one hand while the other tenderly caressed the side of her face. “It’s going to be all right, darling,” he whispered in her ear and then kissed her cheek. Sami’s eyelashes fluttered and then finally opened. Her eyes locked with E.J.’s eyes as he sat on the edge of the bed looking down at her with a huge smile on his face. She smiled back, until she looked beyond that gorgeous face to see that she was in a strange place she had never been and she was once again hit with painful contractions. “Where am I, E.J.?” Sami asked. “Where have you taken me? What have you done to me?” She winced and writhed in the bed and pain and started to sob hysterically. “It hurts, E.J. I can’t breathe. I’m going to die,” Sami said gasping for air through her cries. “I think I’m going to die. I cant catch my…” E.J. gulped with fear but tried to calm the situation. “O.K. Listen. Shhh. Samantha, hey, look at me. Look at me. I want you to breathe with me. O.K.? Relax. No talking,” E.J. said putting his right index finger up to his lips and leaning toward her as she sat up in the bed. “Breathe.” Sami’s tears began to dry up as she locked eyes with E.J. once more. “Deep breaths. Come on. Come on,” E.J. said cupping the sides of her face with his large hands as the two of them breathed together and Sami calmed down. “It’s O.K. It’s O.K. Deep breaths. It’s O.K. It’s O.K. It’s O.K…” “I couldn’t breathe,” Sami said as she clung tightly to the inside of E.J.’s arms. “I was so scared. I was so…” Suddenly, Sami realized this all felt so natural, so strangely familiar, but she couldn’t remember why. Nor did she really care as she stared into E.J.’s eyes as he whispered soft and soothing reassurances that everything would be all right and she desperately wanted to believe him. The two of them leaned closer and closer… and closer, until another person’s voice startled Sami and broke the magic spell E.J. had cast on her. “E.J., I don’t know where you learned that stuff,” Lexie said with a laugh. “But you’re really good at this.” “Lexie?!” Sami said with shock. “Were you hoping for Dr. Rolf presiding over this delivery?” Lexie said sarcastically. “No. Not at all. It’s just… I… you… YOU are going to help ME give birth?” Sami said as another series of panic set in. “Oh calm down, Sami,” Lexie said. “Look, I know we have had our differences, and you know how I feel about you, but I’m not taking that out on this baby. Not on my nephew. Or I guess I should say, MY nephew’s child.” “So she was telling the truth about my father… errr… about Stefano?” E.J. whispered to Lexie. Lexie nodded and mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.” E.J. nodded back then turned his attention back to Sami. “I don’t know if you remember this or not, Sami, but Lexie helped us get out of the mansion and she has been here this whole time helping me help you get comfortable,” E.J. said. “We’re both going to make sure that you and this baby get through this.” “Our baby,” Sami said touching E.J.’s face, before another contraction set in and she bit her lip. But this time she handled the contraction like a champ squeezing E.J.’s hand and barely letting out any sound at all. INSIDE MAISON BLANCHE: Stefano DiMera emerged from the secret passageway behind the fireplace just as his old nemesis, Roman Brady, entered the front door of Maison Blanche. “Just where do you think you’re going old man,” Roman said laughing at the sickly shell of Stefano’s former self struggling to will himself across the room. “Roman, I don’t have time for this,” Stefano said. “We don’t have time for this. Not when Marlena and Celeste are in danger.” “Celeste is fine. I just saw her a minute ago. But as for Marlena, well she wouldn’t be in danger if it wasn’t for you kidnapping our daughter and holding her prisoner here, you bastard,” Roman snarled. “You think I wanted this?” Stefano asked surveying the devastation befalling the stately mansion. “Why wouldn’t I think that when your whole life has been based around you and all the DiMeras torturing us Bradys?” Roman shot back. “Maybe so,” Stefano said bitterly, “but that will not be my legacy.” “Oh just what legacy do you think a monster like you can leave behind?” Roman said moving to choke Stefano, as the heat from the fire seemed to intensify the rage he felt confronting him. “The Bradys will finally get their peace from the DiMeras when your dear Samantha agrees to marry my E.J.,” Stefano said in speech that was garbled by Roman’s stranglehold. “You think she would marry that bastard spawn of yours? The man who raped her?” Roman yelled as he tightened his grip on Stefano’s throat. “Sami will marry a DiMera over my dead body.” Meanwhile, Marlena covered her mouth with the back of her left hand and coughed as she walked up the final steps toward the attic to find the diary at the edge of the room just where Sami had whispered she could find it. Marlena was just about to head back downstairs when she heard what sounded like a person moaning. She looked closer through the smoke and realized it was a person. It was Lucas. Marlena set the diary down and hurried over to tend him as he laid writhing on the floor with his eyes still shut. Suddenly, John appeared at the door yelling at her to get out of the attic, but Marlena explained they were not alone. “We can’t leave Lucas here,” Marlena yelled. Marlena felt after seeing the way EJ cared for Sami in that brief moment downstairs that her daughter was bound to leave this husband for another man just as she had left Sami’s father for John, but she knew Sami would still want her to help the father of her son, Will, get out of the fire alive if at all possible. John leapt into action and smacked Lucas’s face to try to bring him to consciousness. The slap worked as Lucas jumped up to his feet yelling for Sami. “Lucas, Sami is fine,” Marlena said. “She’s in labor right now, but Lexie and E.J. are tending to her.” “Well, where did they go?” Lucas screamed in a shrill voice. “Oh I don’t know,” Marlena said. “I think that old cottage in back maybe. Lucas, it doesn’t matter, because we need to get out of this building before it burns to the ground.” “I have to get to her,” he insisted as he darted downstairs and out of their sight. Marlena and John carefully followed him down the stairs until Marlena realized she had left the diary behind. But before John could stop her she was back up the steps barreling into the heat without abandon and grabbing the diary just before a nearby flame could consume it. “What are you doing?!” John cried. “You could have gotten yourself killed.” “This diary has the secrets to your past, John,” Marlena explained. “I wanted you to finally know the truth so you could have peace of mind.” “Marlena, the past could not give me any peace of mind if it means I have to give up a future with you,” John said. Still, Marlena shoved the diary inside her blouse. She accepted John’s embrace as he moved to shield her from the smoke by opening his jacket and enveloping her inside. But just as they began their descent down the stairs the fire and heat finally brought the old mansion to its knees. Marlena and John disappeared with a swift crash into a pile of ash and rubble.

OUTSIDE THE FRONT OF MAISON BLANCHE: Kate, Roman and Anna raced out of the front door and into the driveway toward their car, but John trailed behind them, stopping to turn around and look back at the house several times. “Are you O.K.?” Roman asked Anna once they finally stopped running. “Yes, I am,” Anna said hugging Roman tightly. “But I just hope your daughter is.” Kate cleared her throat, peeved not only at Roman lavishing affections on an ex-wife that wasn’t her but also their total lack of concern for her missing child. “And what about Lucas?” Kate asked as she stared down Anna. “He’s missing, too.” “Kate, no need to pick a fight right now,” John said trying to play mediator. “We want everyone to be safe but we have no idea that Sami or Lucas were even in that house. I think this may have just been a DiMera trap and we fell right in just like the last time at Maison Blanche when me and Marlena… wait a second. Where’s Doc?” John started running back toward the mansion before anyone could stop him. To their surprise, they saw a figure come out shortly after he entered but it wasn’t him. Celeste saw them and started to run in another direction but Roman called out to her. “Celeste?!” Roman called. “What the hell are you doing here?” Celeste came over to them begrudgingly. “I came for Alexandra, my daughter,” Celeste said. “Well did you come all this way by yourself?” Roman asked. “No, I came here with Lucas,” Celeste admitted. “Lucas?” Kate said with surprise. “So that’s why he got this sudden urge to head back here to look for Sami. Well, where the hell is he?” Celeste tried to find the right words to say, but her eyes betrayed the fact that he was still in danger in the mansion. “Where the hell is my son?” Kate said shaking her. “OK, cool it,” Anna said. “Did you and Lucas find Sami in the mansion?” “Yes,” Celeste said. But before Celeste could explain, Roman darted into the house with the hopes of being his daughter’s rescuer. “Roman, Roman, wait…” Celeste called, but he didn’t hear her. Celeste started to run after him but Kate stopped her. “You bitch!” Kate said slapping her across the face. “I can’t believe you put my son in danger this way.” “Oh save your righteous indignation, Kate. It is not I who put Lucas in danger,” Celeste said. “It was your lover, Tony DiMera.” Anna frowned hearing those words while Kate gulped with shame. OUTSIDE THE WEST SIDE OF MAISON BLANCHE: Dr. Rolf came out the side of the mansion confused and disoriented at where his boss had disappeared to when his search of the secret passageway for him had come up empty. But as he surveyed the yard and looked far in the distance, he noticed what almost looked like two men sitting beneath a tree just inside the forest that lined the grounds of the mansion. He ran toward them and discovered it was Tony and Stefano. Stefano was awake, but coughing when Rolf walked up to the two of them. Tony got up from tending to his father and pulled the doctor aside in the hopes they could discuss matters without upsetting Stefano’s delicate condition. “What happened?” Tony asked. “Where is everyone?” “Well I think everyone is out of the house now,” Rolf said. “Oh I guess I did knock Lucas Roberts unconscious and in my way out of there I did pass Celeste running back into the mansion and to my surprise, Marlena Evans, of all people.” Stefano’s ears perked up at the mention of the two very different women he once loved in very different ways, perhaps because a part of him still did love them. “But what about Sami and E.J. and Lexie?” Tony asked, rubbing his face with concern. “Well once the fire started, it was like Lexie was back in Salem and worried more about what people thought of her than her devotion to this family,” Rolf said with contempt. “She told me to look for Stefano while she helped the two of them escape, I guess, just because Sami started going into labor…” “She went into labor? Now?” Tony said as the reality of the situation hit him and he paused to think of what he’d done. “This isn’t good. Tell me, Rolf, how did that fire get started in the first place?” “It was that pipsqueak, Lucas Roberts,” Rolf sighed. “After you turned off the electricity, we lit some candles in the attic and that drunken fool tripped and knocked over some of them starting the bed on fire.” “Why am I not surprised?” Tony said to himself, throwing his hands up in the air. “Now I think Lexie took Sami back to the woodcutter’s cottage,” Rolf said, scratching his beard with the end of the barrel of his gun. “Maybe there’s still a way I could collect some of that umbilical cord blood for Stefano and…” “No, Rolf,” Tony said, shaking his head. “It’s a lost cause. We’ll have to find something else for my father…” Rolf glared as he realized how soft all the DiMera children had become while Tony’s voice trailed off and he turned around and noticed Stefano had disappeared. Tony wiped his face as he wondered just where Stefano could have gone. Then he looked back toward the mansion and saw Stefano at the secret door to the house and step back into the burning building. “Dear God,” Tony said. “Rolf, go fetch him and bring him back here to safety. Even if we’re not going to be doing the blood transfusion from Sami’s pregnancy, we can’t have my father dying this way.” “I am a scientist, not a fireman,” Rolf said indignantly. “And you have made it clear you do not have any use for my scientific help so I think I will go.” Tony’s mouth dropped in shock as he watched Rolf walk into the forest and disappear from sight as twilight began to set in at Maison Blanche. He started to run toward the house when he thought he heard a woman’s voice calling his name and he stopped and turned around. To his surprise, there were three women running after him. He stopped to let them catch up to him. “Tony,” Anna whispered and shook her head in disappointment as she walked up to him. “Anna, I…” he started to say, but Tony had no explanation for his behavior, as much as he regretted it as he saw how ugly it made him in Anna’s eyes. “You bastard,” Kate said as she slapped him across the face. “You took the words right out of my mouth,” Celeste said as she smiled with seething hatred looking at the man who had put her daughter, and his own sister in danger. “Look, I know you all hate me right now, but I don’t have time to listen to your lectures,” Tony said. “My father is in there and I have to save him.” But Anna grabbed his arm and stopped him before he went back inside. “Don’t go, Tony,” Anna said caressing his face as tears welled up in her eyes. “Marlena is already in there. And John. And Lucas. And Roman. Their lives are all in danger because of your vain attempts to save that sick, old man. And I am not going to let that monster have one more person potentially lose their life because of his evil and manipulation. Especially not when that person is you.”

IN THE ATTIC AT MAISON BLANCHE: “STOP IT!” Sami screamed as she watched the increasingly tense situation unfold with Rolf pulling out a gun and threatening to shoot both E.J. and Lucas if they didn’t settle down and be quiet. Sami grabbed her stomach and collapsed in pain while Lucas, at the sight of the gun, tripped backward knocking over a candelabra and setting the wine-colored plush drapes adorning the Jacobean four-poster bed ablaze. Perhaps without thinking, Lexie quickly switched into doctor mode as she hovered over Sami. But unbeknownst to Lexie, the diary she had carried in her pocket slipped out of her coat and onto the floor. “Oh God,” Lexie whispered to E.J., “She’s having the baby!” “Oh look what you’ve done, you imbecile,” Rolf screamed at Lucas pointing a gun in his face as smoke and little orange flames began crawling across the bed. “I didn’t mean to,” Lucas pleaded as tears welled up in his eyes and he turned his back to Rolf to look at the fire. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” “Just like I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Rolf said as he pistol-whipped Lucas in the back of the head knocking him unconscious. E.J. scooped up a horrified Sami in his arms and began starting to carry her out of the attic and down the stairs with Lexie attending to them nearby. “Everything will be all right, sweetheart,” E.J. said kissing her forehead. “I’m going to see to it that you and our baby are fine. Everything’s going to be just…” But E.J. stopped when he felt the cold steel on the back of his neck. “Rolf, what are you doing?” E.J. asked flatly as he tried to belie his concern as he stared into Sami’s deeply frightened eyes as she looked both at his face and the madman standing over E.J.’s shoulder. “I’m doing what I should have done in the first place,” Rolf said. “I should have killed you the first time you disobeyed orders rather than going along with your father’s idea to erase your memory. I told him you can’t erase treachery from a person’s heart even if you can wipe away the reasons for treacherous behavior by cleaning up the mind.” “Oh, shut up, Rolf,” Lexie commanded to Sami’s surprise and E.J.’s delight. “Go check on Father or run the hell away. There’s nothing to be gained by killing E.J. We all need to get out of here NOW or we’re all going to die.” Rolf scowled but slunk away down the steps. “Thank you, Lexie,” E.J. said with a smile. “Don’t thank me,” she told him. “Let’s go. We should be safe from the fire in the woodcutter’s cottage out back. Sami doesn’t have much time.” DOWNSTAIRS AT MAISON BLANCHE: As the smell of smoke filtered down to the bottom floor, the search party that had just arrived wondered if the whole thing had just been a trap set by Stefano and that Sami was not inside the house at all. “There’s a fire!” Roman said as he moved quickly with one arm around Anna while John had an arm around Kate as they all huddled out the front door. “We’ve got to get out of here.” Marlena began to cry as her worry about the fate of her daughter overrode her instincts to get out of harm’s way and she didn’t follow them. The worry only grew as she saw a familiar and sinister presence from her past come bounding down the stairs. “Dr. Rolf?” Marlena said as her face went white. “Dr. Evans,” Rolf nodded. “Sorry I don’t have time to chat.” Rolf quickly darted past her and toward the fireplace passageway. “Where’s Sami?” Marlena cried but received no answer as Rolf disappeared through the fireplace. Marlena wondered if she should follow him but until she realized that along with the smoke coming down the stairs was the sound of other voices. “Sami, is that you?” Marlena whispered in disbelief. But as unbelievable as it was, when the cloud of smoke cleared, Marlena was soon reunited with her missing daughter, however it was in the arms of the man she least expected, E.J. Wells. “E.J., what have you done to her?” Marlena cried as she noticed Sami grabbing her swollen stomach and grimacing as he carried her. “I haven’t done anything,” E.J. insisted. “I find that hard to believe,” Marlena said scowling. “He’s telling the truth, Marlena,” said a woman stepping out behind them. “Lexie?” Marlena said with a gasp. “Yes, it’s me,” Lexie said. “But we don’t have time to talk. Sami’s gone into labor.” “Well, is she going to be all right?” Marlena said with grave concern. “Is the baby going to be all right?” “We’ll know when we get back to the cottage,” Lexie said moving out of Marlena’s way toward the kitchen so they could head out the mansion’s back door. “Come on, E.J.” But as Sami passed by her mother, she grabbed her arm. “Mom, there’s something I have to tell you,” Sami said wincing. “Go ahead, I’m listening,” Marlena said bending down to her. “I know I’ve not always been the best daughter to you and especially to John, so I just want you to know that I found out the secret to his past and I hope that can make up for all the grief I’ve given you over the years,” Sami said. “Found out the secret?” Marlena asked. “What do you mean?” “There’s a diary upstairs,” Sami whispered. “Stefano’s diary. It tells all about how he came to be Stefano’s pawn.” “Well, I have to get it,” Marlena said thinking of the conversation she had with John on the flight to New Orleans and their previous encounter with Maison Blanche that had failed to give John the answers he so wanted to have about his past. “Wait, Mom,” Sami whimpered and then fainted, but before anyone could stop Marlena from bounding up the stairs she disappeared into the smoke. “We can’t let her go up there,” E.J. said. “But I can’t let Sami stay here either.” But before E.J. could make a decision, the fireplace passageway opened and Lexie’s mother emerged. “Alexandra,” she called to Celeste. “Mom, what are you still doing in here?” Lexie said in shock. “You have to leave.” “I needed to make sure you were all right,” Celeste said grabbing Lexie’s arm and pulling her toward the front door. “No, Mom,” Lexie said. “I need to help E.J. and Sami with their baby. I’ll be all right. But you need to get out of here.” E.J. hurried, as fast as he safely could carrying a pregnant woman, while Lexie trailed behind and they disappeared through the kitchen toward the backyard cottage. Celeste thought she should be relieved that Lexie and Sami would escape the fire, but her mind flashed back to the Tower tarot card from her reading and she couldn’t shake the feeling that this fire would still be taking the lives of two people. “Doc! Doc, where are you?” John called as he came rushing back in the house before his eyes met Celeste’s. ”What are you doing in here?” Celeste was just as surprised to see him. “John, I think Marlena is upstairs… with Lucas,” Celeste said remembering her companion on her Cajun adventure. “But you have to get out of here. This house is not going to be satisfied until it has two souls.” Celeste tugged on his arm to try and get him to leave, but John didn’t budge. “If this house is going to claim two souls and one of them is Doc’s then the other one sure as hell is going to be mine,” John said as he hurried up the stairs into the thick smoke.

IN THE MAISON BLANCHE ATTIC: “While we’ve built this friendship that seemed like there could be something more… have your feelings been genuine with me?” E.J. asked. “Or have you just been seducing me to get my help in getting out of this place? Seducing me to get what you wanted… like all those times before.” Sami bit her lip and looked away catching a glimpse of Lucas who was listening to their conversation and judging her with his eyes. “Oh, don’t look at me, Sami,” Lucas said. “I want to hear the answer, too. Have you ever really loved either one of us or has it always just been about seducing us to get what you wanted?” “That’s not fair, Lucas,” Sami snarled. “Fair? HA!” Lucas said, pausing to chug more brandy. “Fair like you marrying me and telling me you loved me when you obviously still had feelings for E.J.” Sami hung her head in shame. E.J. gently lifted her chin with his thumb and index finger. “Is that true?” E.J. asked. “Is that what happened?” Sami began pacing as she tried to make sense of all the crazy things that had happened. “The truth is E.J. that I don’t know what happened,” Sami said. “I did love you, but Lucas and I had all that history and I wanted to do what was right for my son and I wanted my family to accept me after all the horrible things I had done and… and… and…” “And what, sweetheart?” E.J. asked. “And I was afraid,” Sami admitted. “All right? I was afraid of what I felt for you. I was afraid of the fact that you could have any woman in the world if you wanted her. I was afraid of your crazy family. And I was afraid of my family and what they would think about me if I was with you after I found out you were a DiMera.” “But were you afraid of me?” E.J. asked. “No,” Sami said meekly. “I guess not. You didn’t scare me. I mean I always knew because you had that thing for me that you wouldn’t, that you couldn’t really do anything to me. But oh there were times you made me hate you. You just wouldn’t give up and I hated you for it. And there was the way that you made me hate myself… for wanting you.” “Do you still want me now, Samantha?” E.J. asked. “Because even though it doesn’t make any sense and even if I don’t understand it and even though you’re quite possibly the most maddening and difficult woman I’ve ever met, I still want you.” Sami smiled as her eyes welled up with tears. “Yes, E.J.,” Sami said whispering and leaning in to face E.J. “I still want you.” E.J. grinned and leaned in for a long, soft kiss that curled Sami’s toes, but the amorous display also sent Lucas beyond the edge with jealousy. Lucas hopped up from his drunken heap on the floor and charged toward E.J. tackling him to the floor. Rolf and Lexie began yelling at the two of them to stop, but every time E.J. pinned Lucas and then released him thinking he had settled down he would lunge at him once again. “STOP IT!” Sami screamed as she watched the increasingly tense situation unfold with Rolf pulling out a gun and threatening to shoot both E.J. and Lucas if they didn’t settle down and be quiet. Sami grabbed her stomach and collapsed in pain while Lucas, at the sight of the gun, tripped backward knocking over a candelabra and setting the wine-colored plush drapes adorning the Jacobean four-poster bed ablaze. IN THE SECRET PASSAGEWAY OF MAISON BLANCHE: “Antony, are you out there?” Stefano said coughing behind the curtain. “Just a minute, father,” Tony said. “I’ll be right in.” “Oh, Stefano,” Celeste said in a whisper as she felt shivers down her spine. “Listen, Tony. I don’t know what you are planning to do to me or Alexandra or Samantha for the sake of your father, but I wish you wouldn’t. Don’t you know he’s betrayed you?” “Betrayed me?” Tony said with a laugh. “I’m well aware of the differences I’ve had with my father in the past, but he is still my father. And I am going to prove my loyalty to him by saving his life just like he is going to prove his loyalty to me by handing me the reins of the DiMera dynasty.” Tony grabbed Celeste’s arm to drag her with him inside the curtain, but Celeste pushed him back and stopped him from going inside. “Don’t be so sure of that,” Celeste said. “What do you mean?” Tony asked. “What bad news did you forsee for me in your crystal ball, pray tell? “It is not the spirit world that has told me that you are not going to inherit the DiMera legacy,” Celeste said sneering. “It was Alexandra.” But Tony did not hear the last word because of the loud chaotic screams he heard coming from the other part of the mansion. He sniffed the air. “Do you smell smoke?” Tony asked. “It’s happening,” Celeste mumbled to herself as she remembered her tarot prediction before she left for New Orleans and the frightening Tower card the spirits revealed. “Oh no, not again,” Tony said. “The mansion’s on fire! C’mon, Celeste, you’ve got to help me get my father out of here.” “Help Stefano?” Celeste said. “I don’t think so.” “Don’t do it for him, or for me,” Tony implored her. “Do it for your daughter. Do it for your grandson.” Celeste laughed. “It is for Alexandra and Theo that I hope he dies,” Celeste said. “I must go find Alexandra before it’s too late.” Celeste ran down the corridor and back toward the fireplace passageway leaving Tony to try to help his father out of the mansion on his own. “Father, can you get up?” Tony asked as he helped Stefano gingerly stand on his feet and lean against him. “That’s good. That’s good. We’re just going head out the back this way. Nice and easy.”

IN THE SECRET PASSAGEWAY AT MAISON BLANCHE: “Just what do you think you are going to accomplish by keeping me and my daughter prisoner here, Antony?” Celeste asked angrily as Tony ushered her down the secret passage hallway toward Stefano’s bedside. “Prisoner? Well, I hardly think that’s the right term to use for Lexie given that she has decided on her own to stay here, but I suppose that will work for you, Celeste,” Tony said sarcastically. “I just don’t understand it,” Celeste huffed as they stood outside the curtain that hid Stefano resting in his hospital bed. “I thought for sure the cards meant that Lexie had been kidnapped and forced into taking care of her father.” “And yet your own daughter told you she wanted to stay here of her own free will,” Tony said with a laugh. “Well, truth be told, it appears for once your vibrations may be good in that she was originally kidnapped. By E.J. But Lexie came to relish her responsibilities caring for our father – as you well know he can be quite the charming man – and she was especially needed after E.J. had his memory erased… “You erased your own brother’s memory?” Celeste asked in horror. “Well, actually,” Tony said sighing, “That was Rolf’s own idea. But for the most part it seems to have worked out quite well.” Celeste made no effort to hide her disgust. “Oh save me the sanctimony,” Tony said. “He was going to sacrifice my father’s health and betray the family for that bimbo. Don’t you see that? You cared about my father once. Wouldn’t you do anything to save him? I know Stefano and I have had our differences, but my father is all I have left. His legacy is all I have left.” “Unbelievable,” Celeste said rolling her eyes. “Whatever feelings I may have had for Stefano DiMera in the past are just that, in that past. And you need to put him in your past too if you ever want any happiness for your life. How can one man destroy all that he creates, ruin all that he loves and spawn so much evil and so much greed in everyone he touches? If only you knew what that monster told Lexie about his legacy…” “Shhhhhh,” Tony said interrupting her without listening to what she said. “I think I hear something.” “Your conscience, finally, Antony?” Celeste said. “Oh be quiet, gypsy,” Tony said in panic. “It sounds like a car. Damn. Someone must have followed you here. I can’t let anyone find out we’re here. That Sami’s here.” “And how do you think you’re going to accomplish that?” Celeste laughed. “I’ll have to shut off the power so they don’t know anyone is here,” Tony said walking toward the fuse box to shut off electricity to the entire mansion. “But your father’s machines,” Celeste said pointing at the blinking monitors behind the curtain. Tony laughed. “I thought your feelings for my father were in the past,” Tony said. “Well don’t worry, we have a generator for those.” “Silence,” Tony said pulling out his cell phone. “Hello, Rolf, this is Tony. I need you and Lexie to keep everyone locked up in that attic and keep them quiet. I think we’re going to be having some visitors soon and we can’t let them know anyone is in there. But don’t let them suspect anything either. We can’t have E.J. trying to be the hero again.” IN THE ATTIC AT MAISON BLANCHE: Sami screamed as the lights went out and E.J. instinctively clung to her to protect her from the unseen danger. Lucas raged at the sight. “Get your damn hands off her!” Lucas yelled as he lunged at E.J. before Rolf yelled at him to be quiet. “Shut up! All of you! I need to take this call,” Rolf said waving the gun around like a mad man. Sami’s face disappeared in E.J.’s chest while they all waited for Rolf to tell them what was going on. While Rolf was distracted and Lexie huddled around his phone call to see if she could hear what was going on, Lucas took the opportunity to angrily whisper his disgust at Sami for forgiving E.J. and taking comfort in his embrace. “How can you forgive that bastard after what he did to you?” Lucas judged. “Just leave her alone, all right,” E.J. grumbled, but Sami brushed off E.J.’s protection. “Thanks E.J. but I think I’ve got this one,” Sami said glaring at Lucas and walking toward him with her arms folded across her chest. “The truth is Lucas I forgave him the same way that I forgave YOU after you tortured me, after you framed me for a murder you committed and after you and your crazy mom tried to KILL me. I did it for my child and for myself because I fell in love. And you don’t have to understand that, because I know I don’t entirely understand it. But I am not going to let you say anything bad about this man any more. Because I love him.” Before Lucas could respond, Rolf got off the phone. After a quick whisper in Lexie’s ear, he informed them all that there was an electrical malfunction in the house and it wasn’t safe to leave the attic until it was fixed. “Make yourselves comfortable, we are going to be here for a while,” Rolf said. “Samantha, I’m so sorry,” E.J. said falling to his knees and holding Sami’s waist as he looked up at her face. “For everything. Words can’t do justice to what I feel right now. I… I… I don’t know how you can even stand to look at me. To be in the same room with me.” “Well, E.J., that’s so sweet. But I hate to break it to you, I am no angel myself,” Sami said with a smile as she petted the side of his head. “I find that hard to believe,” E.J. said beaming at her. “I mean to have the capacity for compassion that you have. That you would care for me, say you love me after all this.” “Believe it,” Lucas snarled as the two of them talked. “She’s no angel.” “Don’t say that about her,” E.J. snarled. “Don’t say anything about her.” Lucas laughed walked over to a pile of boxes and kicked them in frustration but was surprised when he stubbed his toe and heard the sound of glass clinking. He opened the box and discovered it contained several bottles of Stefano’s prized brandy. Meanwhile, Lexie began looking through a desk drawer to try and find some matches to light some of the old candles around the room. “You said we’re going to be here for a while, didn’t you Rolf?” Lucas said picking up one of the brandy bottles and opening it. Rolf thought about scolding Lucas, but decided maybe it would help pacify him and keep him quiet while the search went on so he didn’t stop him. Lexie and Rolf moved toward the door to discuss it and other matters privately leaving Lucas, Sami and E.J. at the other end of the attic. “Lucas you’re drinking?” Sami squealed as she saw Lucas down a huge gulp straight from the bottle and wife his face with the back of his hand. “Listen, Sami, if I’m not allowed to say anything about your friend, E.J., then you’re not allowed to say anything about my friend, Brandy,” Lucas said as he swilled more liquor. Sami rolled her eyes and turned back to E.J. as her smile turned to a nervous frown. She stepped down to kneel and face him and clasp his hands. “Lucas IS right,” Sami said whispering. “I’m definitely no angel. In fact, I’ve often been somewhat of a witch.” “Or something that rhymes with that,” Lucas volunteered. “No one asked you!” Sami shouted at Lucas as she turned her attention back to E.J. “Anyway, as I was saying, I have done some pretty bad things to you, too, that I’m not very proud of.” “Like what?” E.J. said trying to appear cool but getting concerned. “Well, you see, last summer when you came to Salem… right away we hit things off,” Sami said. “Not surprising,” E.J. smiled. Sami nervously chuckled. “And uhhhh you were a very good friend to me… I mean we spent all this time together and you kept all my secrets and you were just the best friend I’ve ever had… well sort of a good friend to me…” Sami said as she raced through a confusing explanation of her misdeeds. “I mean you did send me these notes making me think that I was being blackmailed and I needed to tell my fiancé that I had lied about him not being able to have kids with my sister or horrible things would happen to my family, but really you were just trying to get me to tell the truth because you wanted me and Austin to break up so you could date me…” “OK,” E.J. said cautiously as Sami paused for air. “But I don’t see how that was YOU hurting ME.” “Well, yes, but after that, you see, we did start dating. And there were always these crazy things that happened to break us up. I mean, my dad and Lucas and Will and Kate… you slept with Kate… I still can’t believe that bitch monograms her bras…” Sami said muttering to herself. “I’m… sorry?” E.J. offered. “Get to the point, Sami,” Lucas yelled. “Is it that difficult to use an inside voice, Lucas?” Lexie asked as Rolf shook as gun at Lucas for emphasis and they turned their attention back to each other. Sami glared at Lucas before continuing. “OK, well, anyway,” Sami said, still whispering, and trying to get to the point. “I got mad at you and after we broke up I led you on into thinking I wanted to get back together with you, but really I was just trying to help the police search your apartment.” “You did?” E.J. said. “Yes. I did. And then when I found out you were a DiMera even though you had just given me this really great job at your company, I had gotten back together with Lucas and I helped lure you to this boathouse where John was shot,” Sami told him self-consciously. “You thought you were meeting me to run away together but it was setup.” “I see,” E.J. said, his heart sinking. “Oh that’s nothing compared to the other stuff, E.J.!” Lucas said laughing. “Why you leaving out the good stuff, Sami? You haven’t known true hell on earth until you’ve fallen in love with Sami Brady. Wait ‘til she gets to the part about the cabin.” “Cabin?” E.J. asked. “Well you see, the night John was shot, Lucas and I were at this cabin and a beam fell on him and…” “No, Sami, tell him the OTHER cabin incident,” Lucas snickered. Sami looked at Lucas and then back at E.J. and winced. E.J. mouthed the words “It’s OK” back at her and she gave him a half-smile in return. “Well, even after everything I had done to you and everything that had happened, you still wanted me and you wanted us to raise this baby together,” Sami said rubbing her stomach. “And I was with Lucas and I was just so frightened of you and your family that some day you would stop loving me and take my baby away from me forever that first I filled out a fake amnio report saying the baby wasn’t yours.” E.J. tried to project indifference to her words but his heart was breaking. “But you see, you were so smart, you saw right through me,” Sami said with a teary smile. E.J. gave her back a half-hearted smile. “And I didn’t know what to do and Celeste started coming to me with this crazy idea that I should kill you and all my stress and all the drama would stop not just for me, but for this baby. And that all my problems would go away for good… if you did.” “I guess your attempt wasn’t successful then,” E.J. sighed. “No, E.J. it wasn’t. I couldn’t do it,” Sami said. “I mean… I did try… I guess. I made you think that the baby was yours and that I wanted to be with you, truly be with you and that we were getting married in Vegas.” “Vegas?” E.J. shook his head and made a face. “Hey, that was your idea,” Sami laughed before the conversation again turned serious. “You wanted me to meet you at this cabin and we would run away together, but Celeste had this plan where I wore this lipstick that when I kissed you it would put you to sleep and we’d douse the place in gasoline and burn you alive.” “Sami, how could you?” E.J. could no longer hide his disgust. “Burned alive?” Sami paused for a moment to soak in the hurt in E.J.’s eyes as he had called her Sami instead of Samantha. “But don’t you see, E.J.?” Sami said with desperation as she clutched E.J.’s face with her hands and tears streamed down her face. “The thing was I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t kill you. I loved you too much to kill you.” E.J. laughed. “Loved me too much not to kill me?” E.J. asked. “Well that’s comforting. So tell me, Samantha, this whole time… this whole time that we’ve been building this…” E.J. paused for several moments to try to pick the right word for their relationship. He couldn’t find it so he settled for another word. “…friendship… While we’ve built this friendship that seemed like there could be something more… have your feelings been genuine with me? Or have you just been seducing me to get my help in getting out of this place? Seducing me to get what you wanted... like all those times before?”

IN THE ATTIC AT MAISON BLANCHE: “I don’t know what is going on up here, but you are all in big, big trouble,” Rolf said. Rolf stood with a gun drawn and pointed in the direction of Sami and Lucas, while E.J. moved to block his aim at Sami. “Rolf, I don’t think that is necessary,” E.J. said walking toward Rolf with his uninjured hand outstretched to block the gun. “Don’t take another step, Elvis,” Rolf said as Lexie stepped into the room behind him. “E.J., what the hell happened here?” Lexie asked as she surveyed the mess of the room and noticed the blood dripping from E.J.’s temple. “Rolf, I do think the gun is a bit much.” Rolf put the gun down and moved back toward the door to stand guard. Sami gingerly walked over toward the bathroom to pick up a towel and placed it against E.J.’s head to help stop the bleeding. E.J. smiled a pained smile in appreciation. “Lexie?” asked Lucas, who was shocked to see her enter the room. “You’re not dead?” “Thanks for noticing,” Lexie said with a laugh. “Hey, Sami,” Lucas yelled remember his reason for coming to Maison Blanche. “What are you doing? That jerk got us locked up here and you’re helping him?” “Lucas, just shut up and calm down for a second,” Sami said. “You don’t know the truth.” “The truth?” Lexie scoffed as she walked over to examine EJ’s wounds and pulled out some bandages and peroxide from a mirrored bathroom cabinet. “As if you know anything about the truth.” “What’s she talking about Sami?” Lucas asked with a skeptical eyebrow raised. “I have no idea,” Sami said defensively. “Lucas, the truth, which Sami kept from you before you married her, is that she is carrying the child of my brother, E.J.,” Lexie said as she dressed E.J. wounds. “It is?” Lucas asked as he looked in the eyes of both E.J. and Sami to confirm it. “But I thought that note was a fake because you didn’t run off with E.J. Or did you? Sami?” Lexie laughed. “No, Sami didn’t run off with E.J.,” Lexie said. “She’s been here the whole time. She agreed she would give the umbilical cord blood from her pregnancy to save my father, because she so loved E.J. that she was willing to do anything for him.” E.J. stared at Lexie confused as his understanding of how Sami came to Maison Blanche was still hazy. “That’s not true and you know it,” Sami said through gritted teeth. “So you don’t love me?” E.J. asked. “No, I do love you, E.J., but…” Sami said before Lucas exploded. “You love him? You LOVE him? That son of a bitch RAPED you and you love him?” asked a volcanic Lucas. “Or were you lying about that, too? Damn, Sami, this is unbelievable! Here I come to New Orleans to try and rescue you and this whole time you’ve been playing house with your rapist so the baby that you had let me think was mine can be the magical cure to save spawn of Satan’s father.” Sami started crying hysterically. “That’s not what happened! Lexie is lying!” Sami screamed. “You’ve just got it all mixed up. Yes, E.J. did rape me but I’ve fallen in love with him. Maybe I always loved him but I tried to give things another shot with you Lucas for Will’s sake, but when I heard the awful things you said about me to your mother and realized the way you had given up on me I…” “You heard that?” Lucas said with a sigh. “Yeah, I heard,” Sami said sniffling. “And since then being here I’ve done a lot of thinking about things. And E.J. has really been here for me. He’s shown that he truly loves me. And I learned he is just a much a victim of Stefano DiMera as I am.” “Oh, here we go, more Sami Brady lies on the way,” Lexie said rolling her eyes in an attempt to discredit Sami’s story. “Him? A victim?” Lucas said sarcastically. “The man who shot John Black, who drove Steve crazy, oh and the one who last time I checked… you claimed RAPED you… although now that I think about it maybe you’ve been lying the whole time about THAT, too.” “Oh just shut up, you pathetic twerp,” E.J. yelled. “You don’t know anything about Samantha or me.” “The truth is Lucas that I was taken prisoner here and E.J. tried to help me escape, but they erased his memory to punish him,” Sami said. “But then I found out that you didn’t love me anymore, or so I thought, and E.J. was so kind to me when I was here that… well anyway… So while I was locked up here all these months I found Stefano’s diary that said that E.J. was actually the long lost son of Tony and Anna and so I went to Lexie to try to get her to help me use that information to get free. I thought we could go to Tony and when he found out he would be so mad at Stefano that he wouldn’t want my umbilical cord blood to save him, but what I didn’t realize is that Lexie hates me so much she was willing to keep that a secret from E.J. and Tony, all so she could protect her sociopathic father.” “What I was protecting my father from was your crazy lies,” Lexie said. E.J. sighed and started pacing. “E.J., you believe me, right?” Sami said clutching his arm with desperation. “Please tell me you believe me.” But before E.J. could answer, the lights in the mansion suddenly went out. ON JOHN BLACK'S JET: “Doc, Kate told us she knew Tony was up to something, but she didn’t know what and I believe her,” John said. “After all, she did come to us and tell us about Tony taking off in the Mythic jet for New Orleans.” “Funny how she decides to come forward with this information only now that her child is in danger from the DiMeras,” Marlena hissed through gritted teeth. Meanwhile, Kate was quite nonplussed herself, as she seethed with envy at the other end of the cabin watching Roman look into Anna’s eyes with devotion as they held hands in seats nearby. “Roman, I’m sorry I went to Tony the way I did,” Anna said frowning. “No, Anna, you don’t need to apologize,” Roman scoffed. “If it wasn’t for you doing that we wouldn’t be on our way to bring my daughter back home.” “Yes, I know that, and for that I’m glad,” Anna hedged. “But what I mean is, I’m sorry that I couldn’t accept your proposal right away because I needed to see if I still had feelings for my other ex-husband. That’s why I was at Mythic.” “I figured,” Roman said nodding. “So what did you find out? Do you still have feelings for Tony?” Anna thought back to her time with Tony. Their weddings, their fights, their lovemaking, their splits. She knew she would never fully get Tony out of her system. But as she remembered seeing him at Mythic, she also knew that he had chosen a life as an obedient DiMera son over a life as his own man so he was no longer the same person she fell in love with so many years ago. That man no longer existed. “Roman, I’ll be honest with you, for the first time in my life,” Anna said with a laugh. “I think I may always have some sort of feeling for Tony… just like you do Marlena. But he’s different and I’m different and we’re different. And if you’ll still have me, I’d like to spend the rest of my life with you.” “I would be honored,” Roman said giving her a soft kiss on the lips. “Do you still have that ring I gave you? I don’t think we’ll have time to stop at the jewelry store in New Orleans.” “Oh yes,” Anna said laughing nervously. She opened her handbag to pull out the ring and watched it sparkle brilliantly. Roman grabbed it from her hand and unbuckled his seatbelt to get down on one knee. “Well, let’s make this official,” Roman said with a wink. “I didn’t do this right the first time so hopefully if I do it right now I’ll get a better answer. Anna, will you marry me?” Roman held out the ring and Anna smiled and gasped as a single tear dripped down her cheek. She knew she could no longer live in the past. “Yes, Roman Brady, I will marry you,” Anna said. “Again.” They both laughed as he slid the ring on her finger and kissed. Marlena and John noticed the romantic display and got out of their seats to congratulate their friends. John gave Anna a big hug while Marlena winked at Roman and whispered how happy she was for him. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Marlena noticed Kate’s snarled face shooting daggers at Anna with her cold, jealous stare. But before Kate could notice Marlena, she turned back to face Anna and Roman. “I don’t think I could be happier for the both of you,” Marlena said with a wide smile.

IN THE MAISON BLANCHE ATTIC: “Lucas!” Sami said as she saw her husband standing in the open doorway. “Sami?” Lucas said, his face a snarl of confusion as he saw the embrace E.J. and Sami shared. “What the hell is going on? What the hell did you to do to my wife, huh?” Lucas rushed to come between them and started pushing E.J. back repeatedly in a display of insecure machismo. “You wanna go?” Lucas asked. “Let’s have this out once and for all.” E.J. chose to let Lucas get out his aggression and did not push him back, much as a dog being pestered by a fly might not care enough to bother to swat his tail at it. “I thought you might have kidnapped her to keep her away for me, to keep her all to yourself, but you didn’t, did you?” Lucas accused. “So arrogant and stupid that you just kept her locked up here in this house. Just like your sick old man kept Sami’s mother locked up in Maison Blanche all those years ago. Well I’m not gonna let you do that any more. My wife and I are going back to Salem and you are NEVER going to come between us again.” “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” E.J. said matter of factly as he winced, not from the force of Lucas’s shoves but because of the unpleasant odor that emanated from Lucas’s breath as he shouted in E.J.’s face. “Honestly, I have no idea who you even…” “Oh just stop it with your lies and your mind games,” Lucas interrupted. “You made her help you escape the police when they were trying to arrest you for shooting John Black and then you tortured and tormented her all these months that you threatened to say she was your accomplice. You ruined our wedding. You ruined our honeymoon.” Lucas paused for a moment as let the rage in his heart wash over his entire body. “And that’s not to mention how YOU RAPED HER that night when she let you have sex with her just so she could get your help saving my life! Well that’s two mistakes too many, buddy, because I’m about to take yours.” It was then that Lucas slammed E.J. against the wall of the attic with such force that a nearby large framed picture of Stefano DiMera came crashing down and shattered splattering shards of glass everywhere. “Stop it, Lucas!” Sami demanded through her crying. “No, Sami,” Lucas said shouting at her but staring at E.J. “Because this is never going to stop until one of us is dead! And it’s not gonna be me!” Lucas thrust his hands around E.J. in an attempt to choke him, but E.J. was much too strong for him and quickly pulled them off his neck and shoved him backward so he tripped and fell over a bench crashing into a stack of boxes. E.J. looked over at Sami who was in a crying heap on the floor sitting leaned against the side of the bed with her face buried in her hands. His heart broke. The more he learned about his past the more pain he learned he had caused Sami. In this case, he learned of the way he had doomed her marriage. Fuzzy memories of times that he tormented her began to seep in his consciousness and E.J. was filled with shame for all the things that he didn’t even remember well enough to ask for her forgiveness about, yet she had forgiven him anyway. His family had tortured her and her family for decades, he had done many bad things to them himself, and yet Sami still cared enough about him to want to help him. Sami looked up just then and she and E.J. locked eyes. As if Sami had cast some spell over him pulling him toward her, he ambled toward her with a lone tear streaming down his face mouthing “Samantha, I’m so sorry…” But before E.J. could get to her Lucas jumped on his back from behind and pushed E.J. down to fall face forward on the ground. The left side of E.J.’s face was suddenly filled with a strange warm sensation and as he pushed himself up to sit on his knees and wiped the oozing liquid from his temple with his left hand before holding it in front of his eyes. He watched as red streams poured out from between his fingers and across the creases of his palm and groaned as the tiny cuts on his face and arm burned with pain. Lucas stopped for a moment and turned his head as the sight of blood had always made him somewhat squeamish. Then Lucas gulped and shut his eyes as he started to make a move at rushing E.J. again for another confrontation but was halted by the sound of someone bursting in the attic door behind them. “I don’t know what is going on up here, but you are all in big, big trouble,” Rolf said. ON JOHN BLACK'S JET: John emerged from the cockpit to tell the group that he just spoke with his pilot and his jet was finally ready to take off for New Orleans. John settled in to his seat next to Marlena and put his arm around her as she held her head in her hands and sighed. “It’ll be all right, Doc,” John said. “We’ll get through this together, just like we always do. Just like we did the last time we went to Maison Blanche.” “Well hopefully we don’t have so quite a close call this time,” Marlena said wistfully. “I’ve always hated the fact that we never were able to fully resolve the secrets of your past because the mansion burned down. Not that I wanted to Stefano to rebuild it, of course.” “Of course,” John laughed. “I wanted to find out the clues to my past too, but it’s just something I’ll have to live without ever knowing. If I still worried about that I’d drive myself crazy with the wondering.” Marlena shook her head and looked out the window. “I just can’t believe this whole cycle is happening again with the DiMeras and our family. Poor Sami. She was there right under our noses and we missed her,” Marlena said in frustration. “I just can’t imagine what it must have been like for Sami there. I mean it was bad enough when Stefano held us prisoner at Maison Blanche, John, but to be locked up and pregnant? I just feel so guilty I didn’t…” “Shhhh, Doc,” John said. “Don’t blame yourself. You had no idea what was happening.” “No, I didn’t. You’re right,” Marlena said nodding, as her voice changed to an angry whisper. “But Kate did. I can’t believe you agreed to let her come with us.”

AT MAISON BLANCHE IN THE ATTIC: “Tony?” E.J. said in shock. “My father?” “Listen, E.J., I am so sorry that I’ve been keeping a secret from you, too, these months,” Sami said. “I found Stefano’s diary and I found out that you are Tony’s son. I was afraid to tell you before because you didn’t have your memory and I didn’t know if I could trust you to tell you. I wanted to tell you so many times.” “What exactly did you think you find that you wanted to tell me?” E.J. asked. “All your memories of life as Elvis Jr. are memories planted their by Stefano so he could use you to get his revenge on all his enemies in Salem and so he could mold you into the perfect DiMera heir,” Sami said. “I guess when you were born to Tony and Anna,” “Anna DiMera is my mother?” E.J. said as his eyes widened. “Yes, E.J. I guess Stefano and Tony weren’t getting along very well back when you were born and Stefano was worried that Tony would keep you, his grandson, away from him and so he came up with this big scheme to tell Tony and Anna that their baby died when Anna was taken to the hospital thinking she miscarried,” Sami said. “That’s impossible,” E.J. said gasping as he contemplated the fact of having seen the ruthlessness of Stefano DiMera up close, it was possible. “E.J. I’m so sorry,” Sami said hugging him and crying. “I know what it’s like to have Stefano keep your parents away from you when you’re growing up and I guess that’s why I’ve grown to feel so close to you all these months here.” E.J.’s sorrow turned to rage. “I’m going to kill him,” E.J. said. “I’m going to kill Stefano.” “No, E.J.,” Sami said grabbing his hand. “You can’t. That won’t solve anything. And if you try and fail we could end up killed. We have to find another way. I think if we went to Tony and told him about this he would side with us. Against Stefano. And against Lexie...” “Against Lexie?” E.J. asked, his eyebrow raised. “Yeah,” Sami said. “Unfortunately she has the diary now.” “You showed Lexie the diary and she still sided with Stefano?” E.J. asked in disbelief. “So nobody in my family loves me, eh?” “I’m sorry, again, E.J.,” Sami said hugging him tightly and then looking up at him. “I love you. And our baby will, too.” “You’re amazing,” E.J. said sighing and kissing her on the forehead. “You know that? Well, before anybody finds Rolf I guess we should head downstairs so I can call Tony.” But before he let go of her, the attic door swung open. “Just what the hell is going on here?!” Lucas demanded to know. AT MAISON BLANCHE DOWNSTAIRS: “It sounds like Lucas went upstairs,” Tony said as he, Lexie and Rolf huddled inside the fireplace passageway. “We should check on things to see if he’s out there.” “I’ll go,” Lexie said. Tony eyed her suspiciously. “Don’t worry,” Lexie assured him. “I don’t want Lucas to find Sami any more than you do.” “All right,” Tony said as he and Rolf headed back toward the medical room. “I’m going to go check on Father.” Lexie nodded and walked out into the large front room of the mansion. She walked up a few stairs but didn’t hear anything coming from upstairs so she started to walk back toward the fireplace to report back to Tony, when she heard the kitchen door open behind her. “Alexandra, is it you?” Celeste asked. “Mom?” Lexie asked turning around to face her with tears beginning to well in her eyes. “Alexandra, I found you,” Celeste said walking over to give Lexie a warm hug. “I knew you were alive. The spirits brought you back to me. And now I need to bring you back home to Salem to be with Abe and Theo.” “Oh, Mom,” Lexie said pulling back. “I can’t go yet.” “What do you mean?” Celeste asked. “This is the perfect time to escape. My car’s out front and no one’s around. Let’s go.” “No, Mom,” Lexie said stopping her mother. “I need to stay here and take care of my father.” “But he had you kidnapped and kept away from your family all these months, didn’t he?” Celeste asked incredulously. “How can you have any loyalty to him after all this?” “It’s complicated, Mom,” Lexie insisted. “These months have been very interesting for me and I’ve gotten to know Stefano DiMera, the man, as I’ve cared for him and seen him vulnerable. He’s not just the monster you and everyone else made him out to be.” “No, Alexandra,” Celeste said. “Apparently he’s worse because he’s somehow brainwashed you into feeling so sorry for him that you would leave behind a husband and small child who need you just so you can play nurse maid to some dying old man.” “But don’t you see, Mom?” Lexie asked. “I’m doing this for Theo. Father told me that he’s leaving everything to Theo when he dies. He wants Theo to inherit the DiMera legacy.” Celeste laughed. “If Stefano dies – and you know darling that is a very big if when it comes to The Phoenix – if Stefano dies he’s leaving nothing behind,” Celeste said. “Nothing but pain and sorrow and regret.” But before Lexie could give a rebuttal, Tony and Rolf came out of the fireplace passageway. “Celeste, darling,” Tony said. “What a nice surprise. Did you get a little homesick for the years you spent here as my Father’s mistress?” “I came here for my daughter,” Celeste said indignantly. “And she’s leaving without her,” Lexie said just as indignantly. “Well, I’m not so sure that Celeste leaving is a good idea right now,” Tony said smiling. “It sounds like Celeste’s psychic friend, Lucas, paid a visit to our friends in the attic. I need Rolf and you to head upstairs to keep an eye on them. Meanwhile, I think our father would enjoy the company of your mother if she could stay and visit with him a while.” “But Tony…” Lexie said before Tony interrupted. “You know it’s what Father would want,” Tony said as he ushered Celeste into the fireplace passageway and watched as Lexie turned around to walk up the stairs with Rolf toward the attic.

AT THE BRADY PUB: “Roman,” Anna said kissing him on the cheek and sitting down in the booth next to him. “Hi Marlena and John. It’s so nice to see you.” “Yes, it is, Anna, but if you don’t mind I’d like it if we could save the pleasantries for a later time and you tell us what you know about where our daughter is,” Marlena said. “Of course. Umm... well... now I only heard bits and pieces, but I was outside Tony’s office…” Anna said before self-consciously pausing as she looked at Roman. “Go on,” Roman said nodding. “Anyway, I heard Tony say that Sami was being held captive in New Orleans,” Anna said. “New Orleans?” Marlena asked. “Just like Maison Blanche,” John said. “Oh, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it when we were there before,” Marlena said with astonishment. “John, you were in that coma and we were searching for Sami at this old mansion there, but we stopped because Belle called and said you were in trouble so we raced back to see you. I wonder if Sami’s been at that place this whole time. Oh, I feel so guilty.” “I’m going to go call my pilot right now and get my jet fired up so we can head to New Orleans,” John said as he got out of the booth to make the call. “It’s not your fault, Doc,” Roman said comforting Marlena. “If she’s there, we’ll find her and we’ll bring her home.” "Roman, if it's all right, I'd like to go with you and help you search," Anna said. "But what about fashion week?" Roman asked. "You have that business trip." "This business is more important," Anna said smiling. John closed his flipphone shut and informed them that his jet would be ready by the time they got to the airstrip outside of Salem. The group was just about to walk out of the pub when a familiar face stopped them in their tracks. “If the four of you are headed to New Orleans then I’m coming with you,” Kate Roberts said. AT MAISON BLANCHE: Tony walked up to the front door of Maison Blanche to find Bart ostensibly on guard out front but in reality guarding nothing except his private thoughts as he was totally engrossed by the nondescript glossy men’s magazine in his hands and the pictures of the Brazilian centerfold inside. “Bart, doing a bang up job as always I see,” Tony said startling Bart. Bart shoved the magazine behind his chair. “Sorry boss,” Bart said nervously. “I was just…” “Save your excuses,” Tony said tersely as he opened up the front door not giving Bart another look, walked inside and slammed the door shut. “I’m not in the mood.” Tony sighed as he entered, then frowned as he noticed the figure passed out on the couch. He walked over to the couch to find Rolf slumped over and started smacking his face around trying to see if he was conscious. Slowly, Rolf began to lift his head and awaken. “What is going on here?” Tony said. “Huh? I don't know what's going on. I’m sorry,” Rolf said. “I don’t know what came over me. I just needed to take a little nap and I…” “Where’s Sami?” Tony asked. “Oh, she’s upstairs with E.J., sir,” Rolf said. “Good,” Tony said. “We need to make sure she stays out of sight because we’re going to be having a visitor here very shortly.” “Who is coming?” Rolf asked. “The half-wit Lucas Roberts is coming for his precious Sami. Finally. I guess after all these months of trying to numb the pain of life without her with booze he decided to try looking for her again because he’d rather endure the pain of life with her sober,” Tony said. “We can’t let that happen. We have to…” But a rumbling car engine outside the mansion stopped Tony from finishing. “Damn. He's already here,” Tony said running over to the front door. “Bart, get the hell out of here. And don’t let them see you.” “Sure thing, boss,” Bart said running away in the direction of some woods behind the mansion. Tony shut the door and sighed. “What do you want to do, sir?” Rolf asked. “Get in the fireplace,” Tony said. “We’re just going to have to wait this out and hope that Lucas gives up on his search for Sami just as quickly as last time. I hope that worthless brother of mine can keep Sami occupied up in the attic until he leaves.” “What if Lucas finds them?” Rolf asked. “Then we’ll just have to hold him captive, too, until my father’s blood transfusion can go through,” Tony said. “I’m not going to let anything or anyone stand in the way of my father’s health being restored. He’s all I have left.”

AT MAISON BLANCHE: “What’d you do to him?” Sami asked nervously. “He’s just sleeping and will be for a couple hours. Don’t worry. I just made him a nice, relaxing cup of tea before I went back and got you,” E.J. said smiling. “From your nanny’s recipe?” Sami asked “No, my pharmacist’s,” E.J. said. “Come on. We need to get upstairs where we can talk and plan how we’re going to get you the hell out of here.” E.J. shut the door of the attic behind them and locked it and Sami nearly suffocated him with her tight embrace. “E.J., I’m so glad you got your memory back,” Sami said pulling back from the hug to look up at him and clutch his face with her right hand. “When did you start to remember everything?” “Well, Samantha,” E.J. said pulling her hand off his face. “The thing is I don’t remember everything. I started to remember after the night we spent together…” “Really?” Sami said excitedly before confusion set in. “But if you’ve had your memory back since then why have you acted this way?” “I’ve acted this way because Samantha I remembered the night our child was conceived and I haven’t wanted to try to remember anything else,” E.J. said. “I just didn’t want to remember hurting you the way I did, the night I… I… I forced you to have sex with me to save Lucas’s life… and I didn’t know how to tell you. I didn’t understand how you couldn’t hate me when I’ve so hated myself.” E.J. went and sat on the bed and sighed and held his face with his hands. “E.J., I did hate you for a long time,” Sami said sitting down next to him and grabbing his hand. “But you’ve proven to me both before you lost your memory and now that you do care about me and this baby. I know it doesn’t make a lot of sense. I can’t really understand it either, but I just know that I need you.” Sami stood up and started pacing. “I also know, E.J., that a lot of the things you did that hurt me were because of your family, just like the things I did that hurt you were because of mine,” Sami said. E.J. stood up behind her and pulled her back into his gaze. “Whatever you may have done to me, I’m sure I deserved it,” E.J. said. “Well kind of,” Sami said laughing. “And I’m sure whatever it was you did to me, it couldn’t have been that bad anyway,” E.J. said smiling. Sami laughed nervously as she remembered standing over E.J. as he was doused in gasoline and she held a lit match. “The thing is now that I’ve told you the truth I think I can go to my father and tell him that I’ve started to get my memory back,” E.J. said. “That I now know that he erased my memory to help me forget that night I raped you, but that you’ve forgiven me so everything is all right now. I can reason with him and we’ll just wait until the baby is born and then we’ll do the transfusion.” “No,” Sami said. “E.J., you can’t go to your father. And I’m not letting our baby help him. He’s kept us trapped here all these months, me by his DiMera goons, and you trapped by your memory loss so we could be pawns on his chessboard for him to do with what he wishes. What we have to do is find a way to get to Tony.” “Tony?” E.J. scoffed. “Yes, Tony. Your real father,” Sami said. AT THE BRADY PUB: “Doc, you’re finally here,” Roman said getting out of the booth at the Brady Pub to hug Marlena. “Yes, Roman, I’m here,” Marlena said. “Although I wasn’t expecting you to greet me so warmly after you stormed out of Chez Rouge.” “I’m sorry about that,” Roman said. “I’m sorry about everything and not explaining myself over the phone…” “Oh, don’t worry about it Roman,” Marlena said. “Just tell me what is so urgent that you had to see me again. Did you hear from Anna again?” “Well, I did get a call from Anna,” Roman said. “But not about my proposal. About Sami.” “Sami,” Marlena said grabbing Roman’s hand as tears filled her eyes. Just then John cleared his throat as he stood over them and Marlena quickly let go of Roman’s hand. “It took me a while, but I finally found a parking space, Doc,” John said as he sat down in the booth next to them. “Hi, Roman.” “Hi, John,” Roman said. “I was just telling Marlena about some news we got about Sami’s whereabouts. Anna overheard something about Sami when she was outside Tony DiMera’s office earlier.” “What the hell was she doing at Tony DiMera’s office?” John asked, before Marlena kicked his leg with her heel to let him know that it wasn’t a very tactful thing to say. “I mean… what did Anna find out?” Before Roman could answer Anna walked into the pub. “Well, it looks like Anna is here so she can tell you herself,” Roman said.

AT MYTHIC COMMUNICATIONS: Anna crept down the hallway and discovered Tony’s office door wide open, but when she noticed Kate Roberts was inside and talking to Tony she decided to linger outside the door and listen before making her presence known. Tony attempted to brush off Kate’s queries about his mysterious trip to New Orleans, but to no avail. “Tony, we’re partners,” Kate said. “You need to tell me why you’re taking the Mythic jet to New Orleans.” “It’s not important,” Tony said dismissively. “Like hell it isn’t,” Kate insisted. “All right,” Tony said. “I’ll tell you. I need to get to New Orleans to stop your son. Sami is being held captive there and I need to make sure he doesn’t find her.” Anna’s heart broke at hearing Tony’s cruelty toward Roman’s daughter. She quickly headed toward the elevator dialing her cell phone so she could call him and tell him what she found out. Meanwhile, Kate pressed Tony to explain what was going on. “Oh, like you care about Sami Brady,” Tony said. “You helped me after all. You covered for me when Roman asked how I found you all when I crashed your search party. And Lucas was so close to finding her when he was outside that attic door and you got him to give up on her and walk away.” “I… I… I didn’t do anything,” Kate said in a fit of conscience. “Lucas made the decision to walk away. I just helped him see that was the right decision.” “Well, you failed to help him make the right decision just now so I need to see to it myself that he never find her,” Tony said vaguely. “What does that mean?” Kate said. “Nothing,” Tony said kissing her cheek. “I’m sorry Kate. But I have to go.” Kate sighed as Tony grabbed his briefcase and headed out of his office. She sat at his desk chair and noticed a picture frame that he had been holding and looking at while he was on the phone. It was of Tony and Anna. Kate threw the picture down on the ground and it shattered. AT MAISON BLANCHE: “E.J., you’re not going to let them do this are you?” Sami said pounding his chest. “I’m sorry, Samantha,” he said dragging her into the hallway of the secret passage way of Maison Blanche. “Truly sorry.” Defeated and resigned to her fate, Sami didn’t even bother struggling as E.J. linked arms with her to escort her out of the medical room. She didn’t cry either. There were no tears left. But as they walked past his old room toward the fireplace passageway suddenly E.J.’s demeanor changed. “Don’t worry, Samantha. There is no way in hell I’m letting Rolf get his hands on our baby,” he whispered. “What did you say?” Sami asked. “Shhhh,” E.J. whispered in her ear as he gently covered her mouth before they stepped through the passageway. “Ahhhh E.J.,” Rolf said greeting them on the other side and taking a sip from a cup of tea. “It appears you found the missing patient and we can begin the surgery.” “Actually Rolf, I was just back visiting with my father and Lexie and it appears my father changed his mind about the surgery tonight,” E.J. lied. “He just wanted to visit with his daughter a little and catch some rest. You are NOT to disturb him.” “But…” Rolf said before E.J. quickly interrupted him. “Rolf,” E.J. said putting his hand on Rolf’s shoulder. “Lexie is a doctor. If his condition worsens she will tell us, but until she does why don’t you get some rest? You’re looking a little worn out yourself.” “Well… I….” Rolf stammered. “I insist,” E.J. said. “I appreciate you caring for my father around the clock, but I worry if you don’t get some rest soon you might do the umbilical cord blood transfusion wrong or something. Come on. I can see those eyelids drooping. You deserve a night off.” Rolf eyed him suspiciously but as E.J. smiled a wide open mouth smile Rolf let out a sudden yawn. “See, I told you,” E.J. said pushing Rolf toward the couch and onto it. “Now don’t worry about Samantha. I’ll keep an eye on her and the baby. She’s in good hands with me.” Sami looked back and saw Rolf slump over unconscious as E.J. ushered her up the stairs.