Chloe met with Nicole at the Java Café to vent about Carly. Nicole encouraged her to fight for Daniel. Chloe said Carly might be moving in with Chloe and Daniel. Nicole thought that sounded like something that Nicole would do. Chloe wanted to know why Nicole was in town. Nicole tried to explain, but Chloe didn't buy it. She knew that Nicole was there for Brady.

Nicole admitted that she was in town for Brady. She felt that she would have been with Brady sooner if she hadn't been involved with E.J. Chloe reminded Nicole that Brady was marrying Arianna. That didn't faze Nicole, because she planned to keep that from happening. Chloe encouraged Nicole not to do anything awful to Arianna, and she reminded Nicole about how bad things were between Nicole and Chloe when Chloe and Brady were together. Nicole said she was crazy when she did that before.

Hope thought back to when she saw Bo and Carly kissing for the first time. Carly stopped by the Kiriakis mansion to leave a book for Ciara from Bo, which interrupted Hopes thoughts. Hope overheard them talking and confronted Carly about Bo not telling Hope how sick Kim was.

Carly explained that Bo had to leave town quickly and had left messages, but Hope didn't call him back and hardly ever called him back. Hope told Carly to watch her tone of voice, but Carly said that someone needed to speak to Hope, and it might as well be Carly. Carly accused Hope of throwing her marriage away.

Hope clarified that she did not throw her marriage away, and Carly wouldn't have had a chance with Bo if Hope and Bo were not separated. Carly agreed that Hope was right, and she encouraged Hope to live with the fact that Bo chose to be with Carly. Hope told Carly that she was just in the right place at the right time. She explained that when things would get really bad, Bo would retreat into the past.

Carly said she wouldn't begin to understand what Hope went through when Hope lost her son, but she considered it a cheap shot to say that Bo would have affairs so he didn't have to grieve while Hope handled all that for the both of them. Hope said she didn't "give a damn" what Carly thought. All she knew was she went through some really bad times alone.

When Carly mentioned Patrick, Hope asked if Bo had told Carly about it. Carly said that Bo talked to her about a lot of things. She accused Hope of standing on her moral high ground when the fact was Bo had been hurt too. Hope said there was more pain on the way for Bo. Hope accused Carly of killing her own marriage and then having the "audacity" to kill Hope's too. Hope predicted that Bo would find himself all alone again.

Carly didn't care if Hope ridiculed her. She was in love with Bo and planned to be with Bo for the rest of their lives. Hope said she used to use the same word. " Can we not do the martyr thing, please, anymore? And just so you know, I'm not going to grovel, and I'm not going to continue to apologize, okay, so just forget about it," Carly said. She felt that her love for Bo and Bo's love for Carly would never change. After Carly left, Hope had a bad headache and went to bed.

Stefano prepared to show Sami the DVD of Anna confessing to kidnapping Sydney on E.J.'s orders. Sami said she didn't want to see the DVD. Sami said no matter what was on the DVD, she wouldn't believe it. Stefano tried to pique Sami's curiosity, but she refused to listen, so he said he planned to find another way to "enlighten" her. E.J. escorted Sami out of the room, and he explained that Stefano was trying to discredit E.J. in Sami's eyes because E.J. wasn't under Stefano's thumb anymore.

Sami asked E.J. to tell Stefano that she wouldn't let Stefano get between her and her family. After she left, E.J. went back to the living room. "You are so lucky that Samantha is such a stubborn bitch," Stefano said. E.J. asked what Stefano wanted. Stefano said he wanted E.J. to take responsibility for what he did.

E.J. asked if Stefano wanted him to tell Sami everything. He asked if Stefano wanted to see Johnny and Sydney again, because if E.J. told Sami, she would keep Johnny and Sydney from Stefano. Stefano said that if E.J. had trusted Stefano with the truth, Stefano would have moved "heaven and earth" to protect E.J. E.J. asked Stefano to show E.J. some love by keeping E.J.'s involvement in the kidnapping a secret.

Stefano praised E.J.'s skill in duping Stefano about Sydney's "death." While he didn't like being played for a fool or having his life threatened, he praised E.J. for getting Sami to believe in him. He called E.J. "a true DiMera." Stefano said he suspected E.J. when he found the bottle of children's medicine, but he said E.J. "deceived the ultimate deceiver." Stefano handed E.J. a copy of the DVD -- although it wasn't the only copy -- as a gesture of respect. He said E.J. "played it well."

Stefano said that E.J. had become a man. "You're my son. I'll always love you," Stefano said. He said in order for there to be complete peace and understanding between them, there was "one final condition."

Arianna wanted to go home, but Brady wanted her to stay at the Kiriakis mansion for the night. She felt self-conscious about sneaking past Henderson in the morning. Brady reassured her that Henderson knew that she was Brady's fiancée and wouldn't have a problem with it. Arianna said people advised her to rush and get married because Nicole was back and wanted Brady.

Brady denied it, but then he realized he'd made a mistake -- he didn't offer Nicole enough money. He wrote the check with the intention that it would get Nicole out of their lives so Arianna didn't have to think about Nicole anymore and could spend more time thinking about him. When Brady left the room, Arianna grabbed the check and decided to deliver it to Nicole in person.

Nicole realized that Brady loved her and just thought Nicole would be with E.J. forever. With E.J. out of the picture, Nicole had her sights set on Brady and intended to prove to Brady that Arianna was wrong for him. "Good luck with that," Arianna said. Chloe reminded Nicole to remember what Chloe said. After Chloe left, Arianna told Nicole that she and Brady had a chat about Nicole, and she presented Brady's check to Nicole as a gesture from Arianna and Brady. Arianna said that Brady felt sorry for Nicole and wanted her to leave town in exchange for the money.

Nicole took the check and asked when the wedding was. Arianna said they had decided not to rush into things. Nicole claimed that Brady was taking her advice. Arianna said Brady was too decent to abandon someone as needy and desperate as Nicole.

Nicole said that Brady was too smart to abandon a woman who had his heart and always would. Arianna said that she wasn't like Chloe or the other girls Nicole had pushed around. "I've been inside, the same as you. You mess with me. You're not going to like what happens," Arianna said. Nicole asked if Arianna was threatening her. Arianna suggested that Nicole take the check and leave town unless Nicole wanted to watch Arianna and Brady living happily ever after.

Justin stopped by the Cheatin' Heart to give Adrienne papers that her real estate agent had asked him to draw up. He asked if Adrienne planned to sell the bar. Adrienne explained that she wasn't able to keep a close enough eye on the bar. He asked whether she wanted to stick around and run the place herself. She wondered if he was asking her to stick around. Justin said he just stopped by to make sure she was doing what she wanted to do -- selling the bar. When he tried to leave, she challenged him to a game of pool.

Justin and Adrienne joked around and reminisced about when Justin would let Adrienne win at pool. He said he used to let her win because he wanted her to feel better about herself. Adrienne thought that nothing about their relationship was what she thought it would be. She realized that he hadn't returned to Salem because Victor wanted Justin to defend Daniel on a murder charge when he was really in town to get close to Hope.

Adrienne decided to sign the paper to have the bar sold. Justin said there was never anything between him and Hope. "Right, because she's so hung up on Bo, she wouldn't give you a tumble, but if that would change right now, you would leave skidmarks getting out of this bar," Adrienne said. Adrienne accused Justin of trying to encourage her to stay in town to make Hope think she was missing out on a good deal. Justin said that was beneath him and Hope, but Adrienne thought she was "right on the money."

Adrienne said that this time around, she wasn't falling for it. She signed the document and handed it to Justin. After Justin left, he tried to make a phone call outside the bar while someone watched from behind some boxes.As Adrienne was closing the bar, she heard a noise and ran outside to find Justin unconscious on the ground. He had blood on his head.

Sami met with Brady at the Brady Pub. She filled Brady in on Will's decision to move into the DiMera mansion with Kate because E.J. was staying at Sami's house. Brady was shocked that Sami had turned to E.J. after all that E.J. had put Sami through. Sami felt that E.J. had changed, because of everything that they went through with Sydney. Brady pointed out that E.J.'s way of changing involved spending all his time at Sami's house.

Brady asked how that was working out for Sami and Rafe. Sami said it had nothing to do with E.J. She explained that Rafe didn't want to work things out and didn't even let Sami be his alibi. She explained that Rafe was accused of beating up the district attorney, but he hadn't been charged with anything yet.

Brady reminded Sami that she had four kids and didn't need to lean on E.J. Sami said she wasn't relying on E.J. She said she had confronted Stefano. Brady asked why Will moved out of the house. Sami said it was because E.J. was living at her place. Brady got angry and told her to "throw the bum out." Brady said that E.J. was just trying to make another play for her.

Sami said E.J. knew that there was no future for her and him, and they made promises to God when Sydney was kidnapped. She felt they needed to honor those promises since Sydney was returned to them safely. Sami said E.J. was a better person. Brady thought E.J. was a goon who hired guys to beat Brady up on E.J.'s wedding day, because E.J. didn't have the guts to do it himself.

"He is that person, and that is exactly why I didn't want to tell him about Sydney in the first place. I know that, okay? But I also know that he hates who he was, and he doesn't want to be that person anymore," Sami said. Sami said E.J. had distanced himself from Stefano and wanted to be a good father. "I believe I am seeing the real E.J.," Sami added.

Chloe left a message for Daniel as she opened their apartment door. When Chloe saw Carly waiting in the living room, she hung up. Carly explained that Daniel gave her a copy of his keys, and she promised to do her best to stay out of Chloe's way.

At the DiMera mansion, Stefano agreed to end the war between him and E.J., and then ripped up the documents to change ownership of the mansion. "There is one final condition," Stefano said with a grin. Concerned about the price for Stefano's silence, E.J. questioned what lengths he would have to go to. Stefano explained that in exchange for his silence about the kidnapping, he wanted Johnny and Sydney returned to the mansion within the hour.

When E.J. exclaimed that he could not remove the children from their mother, Stefano said that Sami did not matter. "You have to understand that I just can't do a 180-degree turn. How do I explain to Samantha that you and I just suddenly reconciled after all these months," E.J. stammered. Unfazed, Stefano ordered E.J. to figure out how to accomplish moving the children back into the mansion that night or else suffer the consequences. "One hour. Non-negotiable," Stefano called out as a dazed E.J. stumbled out of the mansion.

Outside the Cheatin' Heart, Adrienne cradled Justin in her arms after finding him unconscious with a bloody head wound. Philip spotted Adrienne and called 9-1-1. "Who did this to you?" Adrienne pleaded to her estranged husband. Adrienne pleaded with Justin to hang on, and he whispered her name.

At Daniel's apartment, Chloe was disappointed to find Carly waiting on the couch. Carly asked whether Chloe was comfortable with Carly moving into the apartment. Forcing a smile, Chloe told Carly that she was fine with the living arrangements. When Daniel entered the room with a box containing a blanket, Chloe seemed to become uncomfortable and she grabbed the box out of Daniel's hands. Daniel protested that the drawer he emptied only contained a blanket, and blushing, Chloe agreed that was the case. Changing subjects, Chloe offered to clear out some space in the apartment and help Carly get settled in. As Chloe and Carly left the room, Daniel pulled the blanket out of the box and shook it. From the folds of the blanket, new baby clothing fell out onto the table.

When Carly returned to the living room, Daniel shoved the clothing back into the cardboard box. "I can't do this," Carly said. Daniel reminded Carly that she needed to go to the hospital, and Carly headed out. Once Carly was gone, Daniel asked Chloe about the baby clothing. Chloe explained that she bought the clothes when she thought she was pregnant and did not return the items since she ordered them through the mail. As Daniel stared at Chloe, she admitted that she liked to look at the clothing. Daniel hugged Chloe and told her that he understood.

"I know this is still painful. It is for me too. What worries me is that the same way you're not admitting this hurts, there are things that you are not being honest with me about," Daniel said. Daniel told Chloe that he got the feeling that she did not want Carly around. "I hate that Carly gave you a child and I can't," Chloe admitted.

Daniel urged Chloe to remember that she was his soul mate and that he wanted to share a life with her. "That's enough for me. That is more than enough," Daniel whispered. Chloe apologized for moping and explained that she was worried that Daniel was "being sucked back into Carly's life." Daniel stressed that his life with Carly was professional and that she would not come between him and Chloe.

After making love to Chloe, Daniel received a call from Carly telling him that she was not going to stay with him and Chloe. "It's just not fair to Chloe," Carly said. Carly then added that she would be living across the hall with Adrienne. Daniel agreed that it was a good solution and made plans for Carly to pick up her things later. After hanging up the phone, Daniel looked over at the clock on the bed stand and was unnerved to see he was still experiencing double vision.

At the hospital, Melanie told Stephanie that she was returning to the nursing program. With a grim look on her face, Stephanie countered that Melanie's readmission to the program was a bad idea. Melanie cautioned Stephanie to remember that Melanie's decisions about her life were not Stephanie's business. "What I do, where I work, is none of your business," Melanie said emphatically before walking away. "Hell it isn't," Stephanie muttered to herself.

In a nearby waiting room, Madeline Woods thanked her son, Chad, for supporting her and his father, but he shrugged off his actions as "no big deal." When Chad left to find his father's doctor, Madeline thought about how Kate had lingered outside the Java Café and stared at her.

Down the hall, the paramedics wheeled Justin into the emergency room while Nathan checked Justin's head wound. Roman approached Philip and asked him what the assailant looked like. Philip admitted that he did not get a good look at the assailant, and Adrienne chimed in that she noticed that Justin's wallet was missing. Nearby, Chad overheard the conversation and rushed back to talk to his mother.

After the doctor wheeled Justin's gurney away, Adrienne spotted Carly in the hallway and apologized for being rude to her the other day. Carly and Adrienne agreed to have dinner together and attempt to get their friendship "back on track." When Adrienne offered to help her out, Carly took Adrienne up on her offer.

A groggy Justin woke up in his hospital room to find Adrienne at his bedside. Adrienne informed Justin that he had been mugged outside the Cheatin' Heart. "You don't have to stay with me," Justin whispered. "You're right. I don't," Adrienne said with a smile. Adrienne headed out into the hallway to take a break from her bedside vigil, and Nathan called out to her. When Nathan started to talk about Justin's release from the hospital, Adrienne advised Nathan to call Victor or Hope. "Just so you know, he's not my husband anymore," Adrienne said as she held back tears.

In the hospital waiting room, Chad told Madeline that Justin was attacked in the same manner that his father had been attacked. Concerned, Madeline approached Roman and introduced him to Chad. Madeline noted to Roman that she thought Chad might have discovered something important about the attack on her husband. After talking to Roman, a curious Chad took Madeline aside to ask her about what had happened earlier at the Java Café.

In Maggie's kitchen, Melanie opened the back door to find Stephanie. Stephanie told Melanie that she wanted to explain why she thought Melanie's return to the nursing program was a bad idea. When Melanie attempted to slam the door in Stephanie's face, Stephanie shoved her way past Melanie and into the kitchen. "You can't see you're making a mistake. You're too self-consumed," Stephanie argued. Stephanie argued that she did not want Melanie to bother Nathan at work while he was struggling to move on.

"So I'm to deny myself the things I want, the career I want, so that what? Nathan has time to get over me? What about what I need?" Melanie said. Stephanie suggested that Melanie should find solace in her husband and start a family rather than return to the nursing program. Frustrated, Melanie told Stephanie that she did believed she was a mean and manipulative person. "I care about Nathan. All I'm trying to do is to protect him from feeling conflicted," Stephanie countered. With a twinkle in her eye, Melanie guessed that Stephanie and Nathan were dating again. "I thought I was insecure," Melanie joked.

"You can be honest about something. You read the letter I wrote to Nathan on my wedding day, didn't you?" Melanie asked. Stephanie admitted that she had read the letter and that she was not sorry that she kept the letter from Nathan. "I guess I'm not sorry for anything," Stephanie barked. "So you lied to me and to Nathan," Melanie stated. "You were the one who was wrong from the beginning," Stephanie argued.

As Philip approached Maggie's house, he overheard Stephanie and Melanie arguing inside the kitchen. "How could you write a letter to Nathan on your wedding day and tell him that you'd leave Philip?" Stephanie asked. Stunned, Philip leaned against the wall and contemplated what Stephanie had said.

At the Java Café, an annoyed Sami walked up to Kate and asked why she wanted to drive a wedge between Sami and Will. Sami accused Kate of enjoying the fact that Will chose her over his mother. "Will is never going to live in the mausoleum and actually you won't get to live there much longer," Sami said snidely. When Sami announced that E.J. was evicting Stefano, Kate threw back her head and laughed loudly. Kate proclaimed that Will wanted to live with her and that Sami would not be able to change that. Kate cautioned Sami not to underestimate Stefano and that E.J. would likely not be able to remove them from the house.

Back at Sami's apartment, Sami happily told E.J. about how adorable Johnny and Sydney were when they were playing together. Sighing deeply, E.J. stared at his briefcase, and refused to look at Sami's face. Noticing that E.J. was quiet, Sami asked how the eviction of Stefano went. E.J. explained that there were complications and that the situation had changed. "Will is not going to live there and you told him that? You kicked him out?" Sami asked. "Not exactly," E.J. said sadly.

E.J. explained that Stefano had lured him to the mansion and had no intention of handing over the house to him. When Sami questioned why Stefano had lured E.J. to the mansion, E.J. explained that Stefano wanted to see Johnny and Sydney. "I think he should," E.J. said softly. Bewildered, Sami asked E.J. why he was considering allowing Stefano back into their children's lives. When E.J. asked if Sami expected him to banish Stefano, Sami readily agreed that she wanted E.J. to do just that. "That's what we have talked about together. I don't understand why you are doing this insane 180," Sami exclaimed. E.J. argued that Stefano was truly sorry and that he wanted to let go of his anger.

Suspicious, Sami asked E.J. to take the night to think about what he was asking her to do. As Sami started to walk away, E.J. announced that he intended to take Johnny and Sydney over to Stefano right away. "Please tell me this is some sort of ironic, British humor. Please," Sami joked in disbelief. "I have never been more serious," E.J. said quietly. Sami refused to let E.J. take the children to Stefano. E.J. begged Sami to be reasonable, but angry, Sami lashed out.

"If you are serious about this whole Stefano thing then it is over. Any connection [between us] is completely severed," Sami yelled. "I don't want it to be over. I mean that. From the bottom of my heart," E.J. pleaded. Sami told E.J. that she believed his sincerity but that she felt as if something else was going on. E.J. admitted that something was going on. "And I think you have a right to know what it is," E.J. said somberly.

At the DiMera mansion, Stefano informed Kate that Sydney and Johnny would be by for a visit shortly. "Outside of you, darling, I have not been this happy in a long time," Stefano purred to Kate. When Kate seemed to lack Stefano's enthusiasm, Stefano asked her what was wrong. Kate admitted she was disconcerted by a run-in with Madeline Peterson Woods earlier that day. Annoyed, Stefano said that he did not want to talk about Madeline and wanted to concentrate on the joy of seeing his grandchildren again. Kate wondered aloud whether Sami would prevent E.J. from taking the children to the house.

At the police station, Roman announced that Rafe was free to go, because someone had attacked Justin using the same M.O. as the person who had attacked D.A. Woods. Rafe was ready to leave, but Roman first wanted to talk to him about Sami. Roman explained that he was worried because Sami was "allowing E.J. to shack up with her and the kids," and he wanted Rafe to help get her away from E.J.'s influence.

Just then, Arianna rushed in to pick her brother up, and gave him a relieved hug. They agreed to head to the Cheatin' Heart to celebrate his release.

Once they'd gotten a table at the Cheatin' Heart, Arianna admitted that she'd been concerned about Rafe, because he'd been so lonely and frustrated. She thought he should be helping Sami by taking down Anna DiMera and her accomplices. Rafe replied that couldn't help Sami anymore, because he had hit a dead end. He changed the subject to Brady and Arianna's wedding.

Arianna informed her brother that they weren't rushing into getting married, but they were doing well despite Nicole's interference. She then reminded Rafe that they were supposed to be discussing his relationship with Sami. Rafe sadly stated that even though he and Sami loved each other, there were too many problems that he didn't know how to fix. Arianna maintained that, since the kidnapping had torn Rafe and Sami apart, his solving the case would give them closure, and get them back together.

Philip arrived home to Maggie's just in time to overhear Stephanie demanding, "How could you, Melanie? How could you write a letter to Nathan on your wedding day and tell him that you'd leave Philip for him?" Philip's entrance interrupted Melanie's indignant retort. After he gave the bouquet of purple irises he'd been carrying to Melanie, Stephanie quickly said her goodbyes and left.

Melanie distracted herself with the flowers while she tried to explain that Stephanie was there because she'd seen Melanie's nursing-school application at the hospital. "She realized that probably we're going to be working together now, and she maybe just wants us to start getting along." Philip wondered if there was more that Melanie wanted to tell him, and paused for a long beat before suggesting, "Like thank you?"

Melanie quickly stammered out her sincere thanks for the flowers, and then busied herself with finding a vase, while babbling about how grateful she was for everything Philip had done for her. Philip revisited the subject of why Stephanie had been there. Melanie admitted that by the time he had arrived, things had gotten a little testy between her and Stephanie. Philip wanted to know why their voices had been raised.

Melanie confessed that they had been arguing because Stephanie was insecure in her relationship with Nathan, and blamed Melanie. Philip asked if Melanie had given Stephanie a reason to feel insecure. Melanie assured him, "When I said 'I do' on our wedding day, I committed my heart and my life to you, and I haven't gone back on that commitment." Unconvinced, Philip asserted that there had to be another reason, because Stephanie wasn't that paranoid.

Melanie admitted that before the wedding, she'd had doubts about marrying Philip because of Nathan-but she swore that any feelings she'd had for Nathan were in the past. Philip suspected that Melanie was still confused. Melanie insisted earnestly that when Philip had stood by her after the shooting, she'd realized that he meant more to her than anything else in the world.

Melanie finally convinced him by making him look her in the eyes while she declared that she truly loved him and only him. Philip kissed her, and soon they were upstairs in bed. After they'd made love, Philip lay in bed with a drink, and Stephanie's words to Melanie echoed in his head. As he watched his wife sleeping next to him, his eyes burned with resentment.

Nathan called Stephanie as she stopped by the Brady Pub to water her grandmother's plants. He told her that he would pick her up there for their date, then added that he thought about her a lot. "Well, I'm glad," she replied, beaming. "Thanks for letting me know."

When Stephanie returned from her grandmother's, she ran into Roman at the bar. They both hoped that Kimberly's bone marrow transplant from Bo's donation would be successful. Roman asked how things were going in Stephanie's life. "I've been in a bit of a rough patch," she admitted, then added as she saw Nathan walking through the front door, "But things are definitely looking up."

Over coffee, Nathan and Stephanie discussed what they should do on their date that night. Nathan wished they could take another ski trip together, because he regretted his flip-flopping about Melanie while he'd been with Stephanie. Stephanie assured him that she planned to work very hard to forget about Melanie. "I'm so lucky you didn't give up on me," Nathan replied, and then kissed Stephanie.

At the DiMera mansion, Stefano and Kate awaited the arrival of Stefano's grandchildren. Stefano noted that time was running out for Elvis to deliver the children, but asserted that Elvis knew better than to defy Stefano. Kate wondered what Stefano had on E.J., but Stefano would only say that he and his son had reconciled. Kate pointed out that E.J. might have a hard time explaining his complete change of heart to Sami. Unconcerned about Samantha's part in the decision, Stefano declared that if E.J. didn't deliver the children as promised, Stefano would destroy him.

Kate granted that E.J. had treated his father shamefully, but knew that Stefano loved his son, and worried about the consequences of Stefano being so uncompromising. Stefano could not forget all the times that Elvis had cruelly declared that Stefano was dead to him. "Well, if he doesn't come through for me again this evening, I'll be saying those words," Stefano maintained. "My son will be dead to me."

At Sami's, E.J. admitted that there was more going on than he'd told her. Sami was annoyed and furious that she'd fallen for E.J.'s claims that he wanted his father out of his and his children's lives. "You, E.J., are a DiMera through and through," she declared. "And that will never change." E.J. insisted that his decision to allow Stefano to spend time with Johnny and Sydney did not mean that he respected Stefano. Sami demanded that E.J. tell him what was really going on.

E.J. stated that the bond he and Samantha had developed meant more to him than she knew, in part because it was important for their children to know that their parents cared for each other. Sami pointed out, "You haven't told me why you think it's okay for our kids to be around Stefano DiMera, have you?"

An agitated Stefano paced, incensed because Elvis hadn't arrived yet with the children. Kate guessed that E.J. was trying to persuade Sami that it wasn't a terrible idea, and urged Stefano to call E.J. to find out what was keeping him.

At last E.J. thought of a cover story. "The reason, Samantha, is that he's very, uh...sick," he bluffed. "And I really can't refuse his request right now." As E.J.'s phone began to ring, he explained for a very skeptical Sami that because Stefano's diabetes wasn't under control after all, he wanted to spend a little time with his grandchildren. Irritated, Sami ordered E.J. to answer his phone, which was still ringing persistently.

When E.J. answered, Stefano growled, "Time's up. Game over." He added that he would give his son a few more minutes before calling the authorities if E.J. were on the way over. E.J. agreed, "Understood. I'll have the children with you immediately."

Sami flipped out and reminded E.J. that she hadn't consented to anything. E.J. quietly stated that, under the terms of their custody agreement, it was his night with the children, and he didn't need her permission to take them. Sami was livid, but conceded, "I guess I can't stop you from taking them over there-but I can make damn sure they don't go alone. I'm going with you."

Kate was surprised when Sami arrived at the mansion with E.J. and the children. Johnny immediately ran in to see his grandfather, who joyfully scooped the boy up. Glaring at Stefano with her arms crossed, Sami observed, "You seem perfectly healthy to me. You don't look sick." Stefano had no idea what she was talking about. E.J. quickly jumped in an explained that he'd divulged Stefano's recent health concerns to Samantha.

"I'm not sick," Stefano maintained lightly. "Anyway, that's what I've been telling myself. I certainly cannot let my competition know anything about this, now can I?" Kate suggested that it was time to show Johnny to his room. Sami agreed that it was a great idea-and she'd go, too. Stefano asked if he could spend a little time with Sydney, and E.J. reassured Sami that he would be there to supervise.

After the others had gone, Stefano told E.J., "Tomorrow, I am going to get my health back, you understand? Now, you can call it whatever you want, call it a medical miracle-whatever. But I am not going to play the part of some dying old twig." He added that E.J. would have to come up with another story if he didn't want Samantha to know the truth.

As Sami and Kate returned from upstairs, Sami announced that it was time to pack up the kids and go home. Stefano informed her that the children were supposed to spend the night. Before Sami could unleash the full force of her fury, E.J. gently tried to reason with her by offering to stay there, as well.

"Damn it, E.J.!" Sami hissed, but reluctantly acquiesced, and then bade a tender goodbye to Sydney. Sami left after saying goodnight to Johnny. Stefano then told his granddaughter, "Sydney, darling, now that our family is united, now we are going to celebrate all together, have a good time." E.J. just looked at his father coldly.

At the Java Café, Brady told Arianna that he had set up a job interview for her at the television station. She sensed that he was distracted, and he admitted that he had been thinking about Nicole and the check that he wrote to her. He couldn't find the check, and Arianna admitted that she had given the check to Nicole already and said it was from Arianna and Brady.

Arianna said that Nicole had driven her to do things she normally wouldn't do. Brady said he wouldn't let Nicole get in between him and Arianna, and if Arianna thought that he would let her do that, she had "another thing coming." Brady wondered why Arianna gave Nicole the check and went behind his back to do it.

At the Brady Pub, Nicole made calls to set up job interviews, but as soon as she told them her name, the companies weren't interested anymore. Brady showed up, and Nicole vented to him about how difficult it was to find a job. She felt like no one would hire her, because of what she did. Nicole misinterpreted Brady's idea to fix things. She thought he was planning to hire her at Titan.

Brady corrected her and said he thought she needed to leave town and go somewhere where people didn't know her or what she did. Nicole said that Arianna had a reason to feel threatened by her, because Nicole and Brady had a deep connection. Nicole started to kiss Brady, but he stopped her and offered to book her a flight out of town, and he left her with enough cash to start over somewhere else.

Arianna met with the news reporter, Cece Chavez. Cece said her general manager was impressed with his interview with Arianna. Nicole interrupted their conversation, and Cece casually excused herself so that Nicole and Arianna could talk. Nicole insulted Arianna, while Cece called the station to order that the television station send a cameraperson because Nicole was there.

Later, Arianna and Nicole exchanged words, but Cece and the cameraman interrupted them. Nicole threatened to tell Brady that Arianna had set her up. Brady ordered the television reporter to back off of Nicole. Nicole accused Arianna of setting Nicole up.

Carly stopped by the Cheatin' Heart to see Adrienne. Carly had been sleeping on a cot at the hospital and was anxious to move into the apartment with Adrienne. Adrienne offered Carly a spare key to her place, and she told Carly that she was looking forward to them living together. Adrienne vented to Carly about how she felt about Justin. She said it was hard to deal with having those feelings for Justin for so long and then have those feelings disappear. Carly didn't believe that Adrienne's feelings really had disappeared.

Adrienne said when she saw Justin hurt outside the bar, she felt afraid that she would lose him. Carly encouraged Adrienne to take advantage of her second chance before it was too late.

Stephanie and Nathan had made love all night, and afterwards, she told him that she predicted that they would live happily together.

Melanie was running off to the hospital for her first day back as a nurse when Philip stopped her so they could talk about Nathan. Philip wanted to know how she felt about working with Nathan again. Melanie said it wasn't a big deal and that she and Nathan were over. Philip said he just wanted to be sure that Melanie was comfortable working with Nathan again. She said she thought she showed him how she felt the night before, and she pulled him into a kiss.

Chloe asked Daniel where Carly was, and he told her that Carly had moved across the hall. That meant they would have privacy. They kissed. Then he left to go to work.

Hope called Justin while he was in the hospital and put Ciara on the phone to say hi. Justin promised to take Ciara to the park once he was released from the hospital. Hope sat on Justin's bed until he woke up and thought he was dreaming by seeing her standing there. Hope touched her hand when he tried to stop her from leaving.

Later, at the Java Café, Hope questioned Justin about his mugging. He said he only remembered leaving the bar, then the rest went blank. Hope said she was glad that he was okay. He started to leave to catch up on some work, and when he started to leave, Hope asked him to stay.

Justin agreed to stay for a while. Hope asked if Justin was leaving town anytime soon. She wondered if Adrienne being back in town would impact his decision to stay. Justin assured Hope that things were over between him and Adrienne. Hope said she was sorry for that. He asked if she was really sorry.

Justin told Hope that he sensed she was looking at her in a way because she was interested in him, but he figured he was seeing things that weren't there. Hope admitted that he wasn't seeing things. Hope admitted to Justin that she looked at him differently, but she said it was because Ciara had become attached to Justin. Justin had to leave for the office, but he asked to continue their conversation later that night, and Hope said she would be around.

Adrienne ran into Hope at the Java Café. Hope apologized for lying to Adrienne to convince Adrienne to return to Salem. Hope said she realized that she shouldn't have tried to get Adrienne to return.

Melanie returned to her duties at the hospital. She asked the nurse whether he was working that day. Later, she admitted to Daniel that she still had feelings for Nathan. Daniel gave her some advice. He said he had faith that Melanie would sort out her feelings. He promised to always be there for Melanie.

Chloe ran into Phillip at the pier and vented to him about Carly, but he was too upset to listen to her, and he walked away. Chloe apologized, and Philip explained that it wasn't Chloe who he was upset with -- he was upset with Melanie for writing the letter to Nathan saying she would leave him for Nathan if Nathan wanted her to.

Philip said Melanie had assured him that he was the one she wanted. Philip had wondered if Melanie married him because she loved him or because she felt obligated to. Philip felt like Melanie might have married him for financial security. Philip wondered why Melanie wouldn't have been honest with him about the letter to Nathan.

Chloe understood why Melanie didn't tell him, because Chloe wouldn't have told him either. She said she wouldn't say anything, because she would know that "that was then and this is now." Chloe assured Philip that Melanie was over Nathan, but Philip didn't believe that. He said he couldn't believe it until he looked into Melanie's eyes and until he saw her with Nathan.

Carly realized that Daniel was home from work early, and she suggested a medical technique to fix his eyesight. He paid her a compliment, saying that Melanie was lucky to have her as a mother. When Chloe got home, she saw Carly and Daniel together, and Carly was trying to help Daniel with his eyesight.

Melanie was working with Nadine when she noticed Nathan walked in the room. Philip lurked in the background and watched her and Nathan exchange glances.

As Nathan checked in for his shift at the hospital, Melanie's presence at the nurses' station surprised him. Philip arrived in time to witness their awkward encounter, and hung back to eavesdrop on their conversation. Melanie admitted to Nathan that she couldn't pretend that everything was all right between them. "From now on, nothing but the truth, okay?" she added. Nathan agreed that total honesty was a good idea.

Melanie confessed that she'd still had feelings for Nathan when she married Philip, but she didn't anymore. "I love my husband," she declared softly. "He's the best, and he makes me very happy." In his spot around the corner, Philip nodded, but still looked doubtful. Melanie hoped that things wouldn't be weird between her and Nathan at work, but he assured her, "We're cool. We've both moved on." As Melanie was expressing her relief, Philip left.

Maxine asked if Nathan and Melanie could check on one of his patients, so the two of them went into Mrs. Martin's room. Melanie helped Nathan check the elderly woman's vital signs, and Nathan reassured his patient that she should make a full recovery after her appendectomy. As the three of them chatted pleasantly, suddenly Mrs. Martin cried out in pain, and her monitors began to beep wildly. She gasped that she couldn't breathe, and then fell into unconsciousness. While the heart monitor flatlined, Nathan sprang into action, ordering Melanie to call a code blue and get a crash cart.

Maxine and Melanie assisted as Nathan tried to shock the woman's heart back into normal rhythm. When it became clear that his frantic efforts were in vain, Maxine gently yet firmly urged Dr. Horton to stop. At last he agreed, and pronounced Mrs. Martin dead.

Afterward, Nathan and Melanie sat numbly in the waiting room together. He told her that he'd just seen Mrs. Martin's most recent lab results, which had indicated a viral heart infection, but she had shown no symptoms. The surgery had stirred up the infection, and there was nothing they could have done to save her.

An obviously upset Nathan was surprised to find an equally distressed Melanie hiding out in the locker room later. As they sat and commiserated about the loss of their patient, Melanie put a comforting hand on Nathan's knee.

At the Brady Pub, an irritated Nicole ordered reporter Cece Chavez and her photographer, "Get that camera out of my face!" Cece insisted that she only wanted to hear Nicole's side of the story. Brady arrived and ordered Cece to back off, so Cece and the cameraman obediently slunk off to a corner table.

While Cece furtively watched and listened, Nicole accused Arianna of setting up an ambush interview, but Arianna indignantly insisted that she had not. The two women began screaming at each other, until Brady bellowed, "Hey-hold it! Enough!" Arianna and Nicole stopped briefly, but soon continued arguing about whom Brady should believe. Brady told Arianna that he believed her, but cautioned her not to let Nicole manipulate her.

Peeved that Brady had taken Arianna's side, Nicole started to storm out, but Brady stopped her. "Don't you ever put Arianna or me in the middle of your drama," he demanded. "Arianna has no interest in hurting you, she doesn't want to be around you, and your life has no interest for her-or for me. I'm done with you." Nicole looked away, her eyes brimming with resentful tears. "Brady, that is cold," she stated quietly. "And you are not done with me. You never will be." Brady then went outside to make a phone call. "Do you get it now?" Arianna asked Nicole. "He doesn't want you in his life anymore." Arianna followed Brady outside.

Cece and the photographer immediately rushed over to Nicole. Cece proposed that there were two sides to every story, and perhaps it was the time for Nicole to tell hers. She added that if Nicole agreed, the interview would air live in just a few minutes.

Soon Nicole was telling the tale of E.J., Sami, and the two babies on camera to Cece. Although compassionate, Cece pointed out, "Some people say you're a criminal, that you should still be suffering some form of punishment. If you could say anything to those people who still condemn you, what would you say?" On Cece's signal, Nicole answered directly into the camera in an earnest voice, "All I wanted was for my husband to be happy, and bring his baby home to live with us. What I did, I did for love."

After Cece signed off, she thanked Nicole for the interview. Cece's agent called her just then, and when she hung up, she excitedly told Nicole-and everyone in the pub-that The Cece Chavez Show was moving to New York that very day. Cece then asked Nicole to answer one final question, to insert into rebroadcasts of the interview.

Philip apologized for being late as he joined Brady at the Cheatin' Heart. He filled Brady in about the letter Melanie had written to Nathan. Philip added that she had reassured him that her feelings for Nathan were in the past, and she was happy that she had married Philip. Brady asked if Philip believed her. Philip replied that he could either live a bitter, lonely life, like his father, or he could trust Melanie's love and move on. With a grin, he indicated that he had chosen the latter, and Brady was pleased. "No one has ever made me happier," Philip declared.

After Brady left, Philip got a phone call from his assistant, who informed Philip that New York had picked up Cece's show. When Philip learned that Cece's interview was re-airing right then, he asked the bartender to turn on the television. Philip watched Nicole intently, as Cece asked her final question, "When you said you'd never commit a crime for the love of a man, was that the whole truth and nothing but?" Philip chuckled at Nicole's answer: "Well, that would depend on the man."

Nicole was still at the Brady Pub when Philip called and asked her to meet him for a drink at the Cheatin' Heart. When she arrived, he told her that the public had responded in record numbers to her interview. Philip then announced that he wanted Nicole to take Cece's place.

Nicole thought he was playing a cruel joke on her, but Philip interrupted. "You have got to stop expecting to be punished," he reassured her. "You did yourself proud today. You are back, baby!" He urged her to consider doing the job on a trial basis. Nicole finally saw that he was serious, and she enthusiastically accepted.

Arianna went to the Kiriakis mansion to see Brady, and found him working at the computer. She apologized for what had happened earlier, and admitted, "I don't like who I am when I'm around Nicole." Brady wished that she trusted how much he loved her, and kissed her to reinforce the sentiment. When Arianna's cell phone rang, she eagerly fished it out of her purse to answer it.

When Arianna hung up, she breathlessly informed Brady, "I got it! I am the production assistant to the roving reporter!" Brady congratulated her, and pulled her into his lap as they hugged. "You are going to love working with Cece; she's great," he declared. Arianna was thrilled and excited about the job, and pointed out that it would keep her too busy to even think about Nicole.

At the DiMera mansion, E.J. asked his father for advice on how to get Samantha to allow the children live there full-time. Stefano nonchalantly maintained that Elvis should simply lay down the law, and then pointed out that their deal was for the children to live at the mansion, after Elvis publicly reconciled with Stefano. E.J. argued that Samantha would never agree to that, plus it would upset her a great deal after the hell she had been through.

Stefano wondered why Elvis was suddenly so concerned with Samantha's feelings-and wondered about those feelings when she learned that the father of her children was the one who had put her through that hell. E.J. contended that if Sami learned the truth, she would make sure that neither man ever saw any of the children again. Unconcerned, Stefano retorted, "You think I'm afraid of her? Does she have any idea what I could do to her?"

A livid E.J. countered, "You harm one hair on her head, and our deal is off." Stefano couldn't believe his son was defending a woman who had lied to him about carrying his child. E.J. pointed out that after everything Samantha had endured, she had still shown compassion for Stefano by allowing his grandchildren to spend a night there, because she believed he was ill.

"My God. You really are in love with her," Stefano observed with sudden awareness. "How the hell could this happen-you idiot?" E.J. recounted how he'd resolved to make Samantha pay for lying to him about the pregnancy, but after kidnapping Sydney, he hadn't been able to go through with his plans to leave with Sydney and Johnny. Disgusted, Stefano pointed out that it was because Elvis had fallen in love with Samantha again.

E.J. quietly stated, "I certainly don't deserve her, but I do love her." Stefano worried that he'd lose Elvis the way he'd lost Antony, and added, "I cannot have my heart broken again." E.J. reassured him, "You're not going to lose me, father. You have me; you have my children. But don't ask me to choose between you and Samantha." With an incredulous roll of the eyes, Stefano intoned, "I don't believe-you are actually asking me to accept Samantha Brady back into your life." E.J. replied calmly, "I'm not asking you, father. I'm demanding."

E.J. then got a work-related phone call, and had to leave to check out a situation on the docks. Before he left, he asked Stefano to promise not to say anything to Samantha about the kidnapping, or about E.J.'s feelings for her. Stefano resentfully agreed.

Sami and Allie were waiting at the Java Café until it was time to pick up Sydney and Johnny, when Lucas called Sami. As Sami was expressing her displeasure, Rafe walked in, so she quickly hung up. Out of earshot of Allie, Sami irritably divulged to Rafe that Lucas wanted Allie to visit him in China. When Rafe asked where Sydney was, Sami reluctantly informed him that she'd had to let Sydney and Johnny spend the night at the DiMera mansion.

Rafe was dismayed, but Sami defended her decision: "Yeah, Stefano is a son of a bitch, but it's not like he eats children." She added that it was the right thing to do for the kids, because Stefano's diabetes had apparently done some damage to his heart, and supposedly his days were numbered. Rafe asserted that E.J. had manipulated her into agreeing. Sami insisted that wasn't the case, and she'd hated leaving the kids there.

Rafe flipped out when Sami revealed that Will had moved out and was living at the mansion. "Why didn't you just put your foot down?" Rafe demanded. "What, you can't say no to him, you can't say no to E.J.? What's going on?" He was surprised that Sami didn't seem able to take control of a situation anymore.

Sami angrily refused to let Rafe criticize her decisions, especially when he wasn't around to take part in them. She ranted furiously about what a decisive and determined person she was, but Rafe just listened with an indulgent, amused smile. As she went on and on, moving closer and closer to Rafe to make her points by jabbing him in the chest with her finger, she finally realized that she sounded ridiculous, and the two of them laughed.

By that time, their faces were mere inches apart. "God, I miss you," Sami whispered. "I miss you, too," Rafe agreed. Sami began to kiss him, but Rafe pulled away. He reminded her that their trust issues and her involvement with the DiMeras were too much for him to deal with. "Every time I'm around you guys, I feel like an outsider, Sami," he stated sadly. Sami tried to reassure him that he wasn't, but he apologetically told her, "I can't do this." He walked out, leaving her near tears.

When they ran into each other on the pier later, Rafe asked E.J. about the sudden decline of Stefano's health after having dealt with diabetes for years. Refusing to answer, E.J. noted, "I think that's personal." Rafe mused, "Well, something has to be going on, otherwise you'd never let Johnny and Sydney stay with the guy."

Sami arrived at the DiMera mansion to pick up Sydney and Johnny. As she headed upstairs, Stefano wanted to know, "Now that you and my son are on good terms, is it safe to say that you have...how can I put it? Bonded?" Unfazed, Sami retorted calmly, "What's it to you?" Stefano reminded her, "My son's happiness is very important to me." To that end, Stefano added, he had something to say to Sami.