Fortunately for Edmund and Dimitri the burst of water was not enough to completely flood the chamber. The water leveled off at chin-level allowing the brothers a few more minutes before their seemingly inevitable death. Edmund urged his brother to save himself, but Dimitri couldn't bear the thought of leaving his brother behind. Edmund snarled that Dimitri's stubborn decision to remain behind would result in a victory for Jim Thomasen. Edmund worried that his children would now lose their father and their uncle---they'd have no one to take care of them. Dimitri gritted his teeth as he continued to tug on Edmund's shackles. "I'm going to get you out of here," Dimitri grunted. "And make you pay for doubting me!" The winds picked up again and another cold blast of water entered the viaduct. Dimitri took a deep breath and dove underwater in one final attempt to snatch Edmund from the jaws of death.
Erica assumed that her knocking opened the door. She never even considered that someone might have opened it from the inside. She tiptoed around the loft looking for her ex-husband, but Dimitri was nowhere to be found. In true Erica fashion, she sassed that Dimitri "had better not be passed out on the floor somewhere" because she was in "no mood" to deal with life saving. She walked over to Dimitri's desk and noticed her wedding photo carefully placed on the desktop. In a far corner of the loft, the mystery man began to have flashbacks of years gone by. In his vision, he and Erica feuded over creative control of her autobiography. The man was furious with Erica for no cooperating with him and for not allowing him to have any input on the project. Bullish Erica wanted total control---and if she couldn't get it from her ghostwriter then she'd just have to write the book herself. The man laughed at Erica's statement and reminded her that writing takes a certain degree of talent. The writer had already seen what Erica was capable of writing: her diary, which he compared to sleeping pills. Erica raised her hand to slap the man, but he caught her hand in midair. He then lifted Erica into the air and planted a kiss on her lips. Back in the present, Jack arrived at the loft after receiving a call from his fiancée. Jack was upset with Erica for breaking into a dark apartment. Erica defended his decision, saying that Dimitri could have been in need of medical attention. Even though Erica hadn't seen anyone lurking about, she sensed that someone was there. She asked Jack to have a look around and, after some initial refusal, agreed to oblige her. Jack returned from his search, but he didn't come back empty-handed. He showed Erica a slip of paper that he'd found on the floor. Several numbers, not unlike a combination to a safe, were written on it. Erica knew that the writing was not Dimitri's, but something about it was very familiar. Erica told Jack about the photo she'd found on the desk, but Jack chalked it up to a stroll down memory lane for Erica's former husband. Erica reminded Jack that she'd also found an out-of-place photo album at Linden. Erica feared that someone was following her and trying to learn everything about her. Jack could see that Erica was really quite worried. He assured her that she would be okay and announced that he would be moving in with her to make sure that nothing happened to her. Erica was opposed to the idea of having Jack move in. She considered it a patronizing attempt to get her to leave Dimitri's loft. Jack gave her a kiss, but Erica insisted that a kiss wouldn't change her mind. Jack suggested that they get a move on before they were arrested for "felonious entry." Erica licked her lips and commented that the term sounded "sexy." With broad smiles on their faces, they both scampered. The intruder stepped out of the shadows with a frown. "Montgomery," he snapped. "You are beginning to annoy me." He then groused that he would have something to say about Erica's plans to marry the district attorney.
Hayley worried that Mateo was in pain. Jake tried to ease her concerns by hinting that Mateo's facial expressions might be caused by involuntary muscle spasms. Jake and Allie asked to speak to Hayley in the hallway. As soon as they were in the hall and had the door closed, Mateo uttered his first word since he'd called into the coma, "Brooke." But no one was around to hear it. Allie asked Hayley if she could exercise a little more patience. Hayley covered her face with her hands and apologized for being so easily aggravated. She said that it has been excruciating for her to have to sit by and watch her husband in his lifeless state. Hayley explained that she'd love nothing more than to be able to reach inside her husband's body and shake him back to life. When they returned to the room, they found Mateo stumbling around the room. While they were outside the room, Mateo sat up in bed and ripped the intravenous lines from his arm. Before Hayley could get to her husband, he crashed to the ground. Jake hoisted Mateo and put him back in bed. The two doctors found it incredibly if not unbelievable that Mateo had been able to use his leg muscles after weeks in a comatose state. Mateo started convulsing, his legs and arms flapping wildly. Mateo called out Brooke's name once again. Allie raced to the phone to try to locate Brooke, but she returned later and announced that no one knew where to find Brooke. Jake and Hayley held Mateo down so that he would not injure himself. In his visions, Mateo saw a clear image of the gallery and Laura's photos. Then he saw Brooke...
"You really know how capture the moment," Brooke growled. Jim was stunned. He asked Brooke where she'd gotten the photos and claimed that that images were taken out of context. Brooke reminded Jim that the camera doesn't lie and asked what had happened to hero from Flight 149. Jim offered to explain and Brooke told him that it would be his last chance to explain. Jim admitted that taking the pictures of Laura---and other children---was wrong. He claimed that he needed money desperately and had no other option but to take the pictures and since Laura needed the money too, it seemed like victimless crime. Jim reminded Brooke that he'd tried to tell her that there were things in his past that he was not proud of. "You hate me, don't you?" Jim asked. "Don't flatter yourself," snapped Brooke. Brooke noted that child pornography constitutes a felony. Jim asked Brooke if she'd told anyone about the photos. Indirectly, she told Jim that Edmund knew about the photographs. She told Jim that Edmund always loved Jim's work---and asked Jim if he knew where Edmund had gone. Jim was somewhat pleased that Edmund supposedly liked his work. Jim forced a look of concern on his face as he informed Brooke that he'd received a message from Edmund saying that he'd be going under cover. Brooke told Jim that she needs to see that he's the same man she fell in love with. She asked him to go back to the beach where he'd helped her deal with her anguish over the plane crash. Jim refused to return to the beach, saying that it was too late, too dark, and too stormy. Brooke changed the topic abruptly, telling Jim that Laura did not kill her mother---it was an unfortunate accident. Jim argued that he was trying to protect Laura from prosecution and embarrassment. The same type of protection that Jim offered Ricky? Brooke made it known that she knew the truth about what had happened to Ricky. She announced that Ricky and Jim were in cahoots to kidnap Laura and that Jim paid Ricky in heroin. Unfortunately, the teen didn't know that the heroin he'd been given hadn't been "cut" to dilute its potency. Jim accused Brooke of having an overactive writer's imagination. Brooke again asked to go to the beach. She recalled that Mateo and Hayley first met on the beach. She then cast a cold, calculated glance at Jim and asked him if he'd been watching Hayley and Matt before he tried to kill them. Jim was outraged by the accusation and insisted that he'd been the one to save the couple from certain death. Brooke asked Jim if he would have saved the couple if Edmund hadn't arrived in the nick of time. Jim nodded his head and played with his chin. He surmised that Edmund had been feeding Brooke falsehoods about him. Brooke smiled evilly and dropped her bombshell about knowing about the insurance policies Jim had taken out on her and Edmund. Jim stuttered slightly as he tried to explain that his lawyer told him that it was a smart business move. Brooke's eyes squinted. She praised Jim's knowledge of the insurance industry and said how horrible it must have been for Judy Morton to be cornered in prison and stabbed to death. Brooke knew that Jim played a hand in the woman's death and, more importantly, Jim knew that Brooke knew. Jim told Brooke that Judy had been killed by a jealous prison lover. Apparently the lover, he babbled, saw Judy talking to Edmund and decided to kill her in a perverse "if I can't have you, no one will" kind of mentality. Brooke also told Jim that she knew his tale about being pursued by loan sharks was a lie. Jim made an about-face and did his best to turn the tables on Brooke. He told her that Mateo and Hayley's run-in with thugs in New York was her fault for pressing the issue. And Judy Morton? "Again, your fault, sweetheart," Jim smiled. Jim listened to Brooke hurl a few more accusations before deciding that Brooke was in need of psychiatric help. He told her that her delusions are a sign that she is not fully over the trauma of the plane crash. He assured her that he would stand by her while she received the help she needs. Jim turned to walk away, but Brooke called out for him to stop. "Don't push me," she growled. Jim turned around and noticed that Brooke had a handgun planted firmly in her hands. She cocked the gun and pointed it directly at him. "You lying little..." Jim snapped. Jim now knew that Brooke had been plotting with Edmund and Dimitri from day one. Brooke demanded that Jim tell her where he'd hidden Dimitri and Edmund. "You're a little late, Brenda Starr. You've missed your deadline." Jim cackled. Then Jim amused himself by wondering where the term "Deadline" had come from. He took particular enjoyment in the word "dead." Brooke's face dropped as she realized that she might not be able to save her friends. Jim laughed maniacally as he savored every minute of his victory.
Amanda's performance in the school play was better than a sunny spring day---even if she was playing the part of a cloud! While Tim and Amanda went into the kitchen to round up some goodies, Trevor told Janet that he had had his doubts about whether or not they could perform their parental roles and not have their one-time feelings dogging them. The doorbell rang unexpectedly. Trevor sauntered to the door and found Axel beaming on the other side. He opened the door and was promptly embraced by the actor. Albert than ran across the room to Janet and gave her a big hug. Albert babbled that he had to cut his Los Angeles trip short because he "couldn't live without" Janet. Janet was totally baffled by what was going on around her and things were about to get even more bizarre! Tim and Amanda returned from their food excursion and were overjoyed to see Axel. Amanda, still in her cloud costume, asked Axel if he'd like to see her portrayal of a cloud. She and Axel then pseudo-waltzed around the livingroom! Janet grabbed Axel by the arm and told him that she wanted to speak to him. Seeing that things might get hairy, Tim stepped in to create a diversion. Amanda sat next to her mother and told her that she likes Axel much better without "the roadkill rug." Finally Janet had seen enough. She stormed the front door and told Axel that she wanted to speak to him immediately. Outside, Janet warned Albert that the lines between acting and real life were blurring and that he could get himself in trouble for pretending to be another person. Janet, of course, was an expert on the subject. Trevor opened the door and told the pair that he had a "big surprise" for both of them.
Mateo's visions continued. He could see Brooke... then he saw something in her hand. It was a gun. Just beyond Brooke's outreached arm stood an unknown stranger. Mateo squinted and was able to see that the man was Jim. Suddenly the placid dream world crumbled as Mateo once again began twisting violently in bed. "No! Not this way!" he screamed as he suddenly sat up in bed. Mateo had pulled out of the coma, but his emergence back into the real world was far from tranquil. Mateo could remember little about the visions he had, but he somehow knew that Brooke was in trouble. Jake and Allie suggested that Mateo be taken to the hospital so that he could be thoroughly examined by a neurologist. Hayley wasn't too keen on sending Mateo to the hospital, but she knew it was for the best. Allie left the room to phone the hospital. Mateo looked around and was unable to tell where he was. Hayley told him that they'd been spending time at Chandler Mansion and that Adam had been taking good care of them both. Unaware that he'd been in a coma, Mateo was upset that he'd ruined Valentine's Day. Hayley took his hand and broke the news that he hadn't been out for a few hours---he'd been "out of it" for nearly two months. After the ambulance arrived and Mateo was taken downstairs, Hayley sat alone in the bedroom for a few minutes. She knelt down and thanked God for bringing Mateo back to her. She knew that she'd never be able to say "thank you" enough, so she vowed to say it one final time. "I will never take for granted another day with the man I love," she sobbed.
The water continued to rise and now Edmund was forced to tilt is head back in order to keep his mouth above water. Dimitri was unable to free Edmund. When he resurfaced, Edmund again insisted that Dimitri save himself. Dimitri wasn't going to leave without his brother. On his second dive, he managed to pull free the final bar to which Edmund had been chained. The escape was now literally a race against time. Dimitri led the way up the pipe. Edmund followed, but his weakened condition and numb hand made it impossible to grasp the pipe. He tumbled backwards and fell back into the seawater. Dimitri dove into the water and searched around the blackness for his brother. After several agonizing minutes, Dimitri grasped his brother's midsection and pulled him above water. In a macabre bit of irony, the very water that had nearly taken their lives was now about to save them. Dimitri and Edmund floated on the surface of the water and were now closer to the escape hatch than ever before. Dimitri positioned himself underneath Edmund and pushed him into the duct. Then, using Sam and Maddie's names as forms of encouragement, urged Edmund to carry on and reach freedom. Tad, still searching for a way down to the beach, heard an undecipherable mumbling coming from a manhole-like opening in the ground. Underneath the ground, Dimitri tried to push the cover off, but he wasn't strong enough to budge the heavy steel cover. Tad stepped in to provide another hand. With much effort, the cover was moved aside and Edmund and Dimitri had reached safety. Edmund demanded that he be allowed to go back to Pine Valley and rescue Brooke, but Tad and Dimitri insisted that he be taken to the hospital. Tad lugged the weakened Edmund back to his car. Meanwhile, Dimitri phoned his voice mail service and learned that Brooke had left him a message. In the message, she told Dimitri that she's laid a trap for Jim. "I have to stop him," she said determinedly. "If something goes wrong, please tell Aunt Phoebe, Jamie, and Laura that I love them." Dimitri hung up the phone and sighed. "What have you gotten yourself into?" he asked aloud.
Brooke was horrified that she might be too late to rescue Edmund and Dimitri. Again, she asked Jim what he'd done to her two friends. "I must have misplaced them," Jim chuckled. Finally---an admittance of guilt. Brooke instantly knew that Dimitri had been the one that caused the bruises on Jim's face. Jim smiled and informed Brooke that he she "pulled this little stunt" a few days earlier, she might have been able to save Dimitri's life. Brooke knew that Dimitri and Edmund were being kept prisoner somewhere near the beach. Jim nodded, but he wouldn't divulge any more information. He took delight in telling Brooke that her friends had drowned. Brooke wondered if Jim was pulling another of his schemes and considered that Edmund and Dimitri might not really be dead. Jim cleared everything up for her. He asked Brooke if she's ever seen a fetal pig stored in formaldehyde. When she nodded, he told her that Edmund and Dimitri would probably be looking that way in a matter of minutes. "You should rot in hell," Brooke snarled. "How elegant," Jim mocked. He told Brooke that her million dollar house and fancy clothes don't hide the fact that underneath she is "trash just like Laura and her mother." "All broads are the same," Jim muttered. He then stated that "at least hookers know who they are," a comment that was meant to imply that Laura somehow believed that she was no longer the same little girl that had lived in the SRO. "Your misogyny is shining through," Brooke growled. Now Brooke had somehow lived up to Jim's expectations. He noted that her statement was much better than, "you slime. Go to hell." Jim, however, had heard the slime reference many times, most noticeably with a woman named Terry. Brooke's head moved back and forth slightly as she tried to figure out if she knew Terry. Jim ended her questioning, but explaining that Terry was Laura's mother. Terry Kirk was a "weak nonentity," by Jim's accounts. In addition, Jim called Terry "a slut [who] couldn't get her clothes off fast enough." Then came the thunderous explosion of the bomb being dropped. "For being so weak," Jim laughed, "[Terry] sure had a hard head." For years Laura had been haunted by the memory of being responsible for her mother's death. For years she'd been wrong. Jim happened upon the small trash fire that Laura had started in the basement of the SRO. He added an accelerant so that the fire would spread---and eventually hide the fact that he'd beaten Laura's mother to death. The ensuing blaze blossomed to four alarms. Brooke couldn't believe that Laura had been living with the guilt for so long. "There's a sucker born every minute," Jim cackled. Brooke picked up the phone so that she could report the "insidious disease" to the police. Jim bent down and yanked the phone cord from the wall. Jim turned to walk away. Brooke told him that he couldn't leave, but Jim saw otherwise. He told Brooke that he had siphoned off thousands of dollars from Tempo and squirreled the money away in Swiss bank accounts. And if Brooke were to try to hunt him down? Well, Jim grinned, accidents have a way of happening. Jim proposed a series of family photographs featuring Laura and Jamie. Jim sneered demonically as he told Brooke how cute Jamie would look in a naked pictorial. Jim again turned and walked towards the door. He knew that Brooke wouldn't shoot him in the back because "good guys don't shoot bad guys in the back." He waved his hand and assured Brooke that they'd be in touch. He announced that he'd send her a postcard---from Pigeon Hollow. That was the final blow. Brooke pulled back and released the trigger. A single shot hit Jim in the back. He fell forward, his face pressing up against the front door. He turned and looked Brooke in the eye. "You bitch," he growled as he took a few steps towards her. Again, Brooke fired. Jim fell to the ground, but the fight wasn't out of him yet. Brooke fired two more shots before Jim came to rest on the floor of the gallery. Brooke gasped. Her hands twitching nervously, Brooke reached down to check for a pulse. Without warning, Jim's hand grabbed hold of her!
Brooke was helpless in Jim's grasp. She gasped several times and shrieked in fear until finally Jim's injuries proved too much for him. He thumped to the floor and made no more movements. Dimitri raced down the pathway towards the gallery and skidded to a halt just outside the door. He opened the door and called out to Brooke, but when he saw Jim sprawled on the hardwood floor, he knew that he'd arrived too late. He asked Brooke to tell him exactly what happened. Brooke, still dazed by the events that had just unfolded, simply replied, "I killed him. I killed Jim." Dimitri walked around the body and reached out to Brooke. He asked her to give him the gun, but Brooke didn't hear a word he said. She turned around suddenly and seemed surprised to see Dimitri. Brooke found solace in knowing that Dimitri hadn't been killed. She looked around for Edmund and when she couldn't find him, she instinctively knew that something was wrong. Dimitri assured her that Edmund was not dead. Brooke turned around and looked at Laura's photos. She spoke haltingly as she told Dimitri that Jim had taken the photos of Laura. Dimitri was less interested in the photographs than he was in protecting Brooke. He asked her if Jim was armed and if she'd been hurt. "He admitted to everything," Brooke said. It didn't appear that Brooke was intentionally avoiding Dimitri's questions---she was simply overwhelmed by what had happened. Dimitri knelt down and checked the lifeless body for a pulse. There was none. "He was so smug," Brooke growled. She told Dimitri that Jim had admitted to embezzling thousands of dollars from Tempo. She went on to speak of all the crimes to which he'd confessed: the explosion that killed Maria, snapping the photos of Laura and dozens of other children, and killing Laura's mother. Brooke's eyes welled with tears as she announced that she was not going to let Jim hurt her son. Dimitri learned that Brooke had shot Jim while he was on his way out the front door. When he turned, Brooke sobbed that she shot him "again and again and again." Dimitri was relieved that Brooke was all right, while Brooke was just relieved that the nightmare was finally over for her and her family. Dimitri, however, told her that the ordeal wasn't going to be over until she handed over the gun. Brooke reluctantly gave up her weapon. Dimitri assured Brooke that he would take care of everything so that Jim never hurt anyone again.
After refusing treatment at several other facilities, Tad rushed Edmund to Pine Valley Hospital. By luck, Derek was at the hospital. Tad raced over to the detective and asked him to put out an APB on both Brooke and Jim. Derek rolled his eyes and informed Tad that the police don't just put out APBs for no reason. Tad explained that Jim had kidnapped and nearly killed Edmund and warned him that Brooke could be Mr. Thomasen's next victim. Allie entered the room and performed some routine evaluations on Edmund. She broke the news that Mateo had finally come out of his coma, a ray of light on an otherwise stormy day. Tad received a cryptic call from Dimitri. In the brief conversation, Dimitri told Tad that he'd found Brooke at the gallery and that Jim had been "taken care of." Tad wanted an explanation of what that meant, but Dimitri hung up before he could finish asking the question.
Down the hall, Mateo was given a surprisingly clean bill of health. Jake still voiced concern over the erratic brainwaves they'd observed while Mateo was still in the coma. Joe entered the room with a big smile and told Mateo that his waking up was the best thing that had happened all day. He insisted that Mateo undergo a few more tests just to make sure that he was going to be okay. Once Mateo had been taken away, Joe offered a sincere apology to Hayley for doubting that Mateo would awaken. Hayley assured Joe that she hadn't been offended by his outlook. After all, he was a doctor and was only going by the data he had in front of him. Hayley explained that her love for Mateo and conversely his love for her was what brought him back. After his tests were complete, Mateo thanked Jake for watching over him and making sure that he remained healthy. Jake refused any and all credit. He stated that Hayley was the one who had been responsible for taking care of him.
Jack and Erica returned to Linden and prepared for a little romance. Neither had any idea that they were being tailed. Mike Roy hid outside in the bushes. Seeing that Jack was once again interfering in his plans, Mike took matters into his owns hands. He placed a call to Jack's cellphone, thereby accomplishing his first goal of preventing anything romantic from taking place. Mike posed as an "Officer Trout" and told Jack that he'd apprehended a supposed-stalker down in the Loft District. The stalker had been found outside of Dimitri's building and he was toting some "strange stuff," namely pictures and biographical information about Erica. Jack hung up the phone and told Erica that he might have found the stalker that had been unnerving her. Erica wanted to go with Jack, but he insisted that she stay put and keep all the doors and windows locked.
Dimitri continued his quest for answers. He asked Brooke if anywhere had seen or heard the shooting. Brooke shook her head. He then asked her if anyone knew that she was going to be at the gallery. Aside from the message she'd left on Dimitri's answering machine, no one knew what she had planned for the evening. Dimitri told her that he would return home and erase her messages, thereby eliminating any evidence that she was at the gallery. "I killed a man," Brooke sniffled. "Without a body," Dimitri grinned sinisterly, everyone would assume that Jim had disappeared. Dimitri explained that he was going to dispose of the body and clean up all evidence that pointed to her involvement in Jim's death. Brooke felt that the police had to be contacted and that it was wrong to hide the shooting. Dimitri argued that what was wrong was Jim's abuse of children and his other maniacal deeds. "That's why I killed him," Brooke said assuredly. Dimitri tried to explain to Brooke that no one--especially the police---would care about all of the crimes that Jim had committed. What they would, however, focus on was the fact that she shot and killed Jim. The media would have a field day and Brooke's children would be forced to endure a frenzy of negative publicity. "Thank you for wanting to protect me," Brooke smiled weakly. Compelled to do the right thing, Brooke headed for the phone and called the police.
At the Pine Valley Police Department, Derek issued an APB on both Brooke and Jim. He asked several of his veteran officers to scour the area for any signs of the pair. Jack entered a few seconds later and asked if he could see "him." Derek cocked his head to the side and gave Jack a funny look. Derek explained that he'd just issued an APB on the man. Now it was Jack's turn to wrinkle his brow. His eyes raised, Jack told Derek that he'd received a phone call from Officer Trout telling him that a stalker had been apprehended. Derek pursed his lips and told Jack that the PVPD didn't have an "Officer Trout." Apparently, this was someone's idea of a fish story.
Opal arrived at Linden House wanting to take her mind off of her marital problems. She feared that she'd ruin Erica and Jack's "love crib," but Erica welcomed a visit from her friend. Opal sadly noted that while she had placed dozens of calls to her Lovebug, Palmer had not contacted her since his arrival in Japan. Erica suggested that Opal stay with her for a "Girls' Night In." Opal loved the idea and opted to raid the kitchen for some goodies. While she was doing that, Opal suggested that Erica open up the windows and let some fresh air into the house. Erica walked nervously to the French doors that opened to her patio. She looked outside and carefully opened the doors. Opal gave Erica a free tarot card reading. The cards prophesized a new lover in Erica's future. Erica rolled her eyes and laughed. She told Opal that she's already found her perfect lover in Jack and that no one could ever split them apart. Outside, Mike overhead Erica's comment. He growled that he would never get the chance to be that new lover if he couldn't get Erica alone. Jack burst into the house a few seconds later accompanied by a police escort. Opal thought that Jack wanted to make love to Erica, so she excused herself and headed for the door. Jack hesitantly told Erica that the call he'd received was a fake and that the stalker was still at large.
Janet wanted to leave, but Trevor wouldn't let her go before telling her about his big surprise. Albert and Janet filed back into the house and learned that Trevor wanted to throw them a wedding. Everyone around her chattered endlessly about the ceremony, but Janet was left to wonder why they were all acting so peculiarly. Janet explained that Trevor's offer was much too generous. Trevor, however, told Janet that he wanted to do his part to show that he had no hard feelings for her choosing Axel of him. Amanda asked to be a flower girl and Tim wanted to be an usher. Janet turned down Tim's request. Tim admitted that he'd acted like a jerk in the past, but insisted that he wanted to be a happy family for Amanda's sake. Albert nudged Janet and told her that Tim was extending an olive branch. Janet flashed a glance at Trevor and ordered him to meet her on the porch. Once Trevor and Janet were outside, Amanda checked to see if Albert knew that they were just acting. Albert smiled and told Amanda that he's convinced that Janet and Trevor were made for each other. He then spoke to the little girl very sweetly. He told her that he was sorry that he didn't get to see her performance in the school play. He then told her that she shouldn't fret over the fact that she'd only been cast in a small part. He encouraged her to do her best and promised her that one day she would be applauded for her performance. On the porch, Janet accused Trevor of toying with her. Trevor denied the charges and once again insisted that he was only trying to do the right thing. He was enjoying watching Janet squirm. In an attempt to turn up the heat, Trevor asked Janet if she was turning down his offer because she had doubts about Axel. Janet stormed back into the house and found Albert and Amanda doing a jig around the livingroom. Tim entered with a tray of tea and was just in time to hear Janet's big announcement. Janet couldn't very well turn down the offer in front of everyone. "You!" Janet snapped pointing at Albert. "On the porch." Again, Janet and Albert filed out to the porch. There Janet lashed out at Albert for making things so complicated. Albert had an idea, though. He told Janet that his brother, Reuben, was also an actor and commented that he'd just finished a month-long run off-Broadway. Albert suggested that they hire Reuben to play a priest at their wedding. "This is not Janet's Playhouse Theatre," Janet snapped back. Trevor walked onto the porch and asked Janet if everything was okay. Janet turned slowly and told Trevor that they'd accept his offer---on one condition; They wanted to be able to choose the minister. Trevor agreed and Janet and Albert called it a night. After the bride-to-be and her groom had left, Tim and Amanda appeared on the front porch next to their father. They all exchanged high-fives to celebrate the success of their plan.
Back at the gallery, Tad raced inside and nearly stumbled over Jim's body. He looked down at the body in horror before looking directly at Dimitri. "This is what you call 'taken care of'?" he asked. Dimitri explained that he did what he had to do. Tad walked over to Brooke and sat beside her on the steps. He asked her if she was okay. "I had to do it," Brooke said stoically. Tad's eyes widened as he realized that Brooke had been the one that killed Jim. Flanked by two fellow officers, Derek entered the gallery and immediately saw the body. A pool of blood had now accumulated next to Jim. Derek bent over and checked for a pulse. He crudely mused that he could cancel the APBs he'd issued. Derek figured that he was the only one who didn't know what had gone down and wanted an explanation. Since Brooke had placed the call, Derek decided that she was the person he should start questioning. Dimitri rose from his seat on the steps and walked towards the detective. "Brooke arrived after the shooting," Dimitri announced nobly. "I killed Jim Thomasen."
Still enjoying their post-wedding passion, Gillian and Ryan took some time out from making love to discuss their future together. Gillian, delicately probing to find out more about Ryan's wealthy family, remarked that she doesn't know much about Ryan's past. Ryan enjoyed playing into the heir-apparent role. He told Gillian that he's a fabulously wealthy billionaire thanks to his family's media empire and thoroughbred breeding. Gillian was taken aback by the "b" in "billionaire." Ryan grinned devilishly as he claimed to have been born with a silver ladle in his mouth. Before he'd said something that would hint that he was lying, Ryan quickly changed the subject. He suggested that they take their honeymoon in Hungary. That way they could spend time in the Andrassy castle and Ryan could meet Gillian's family. Gillian smiled nervously and agreed that it was a great idea. She then announced that they'd have to postpone the trip because the castle "indisposed" while undergoing major renovations. The couple then cuddled as they discussed alternate locations for their honeymoon.
Tad rose to his feet. "You killed Jim Thomasen?" he asked Dimitri. Brooke spoke up and asked Dimitri to let her speak. Dimitri repeated that he'd been the one to kill Jim and added that he'd do it again just for good measure. Brooke walked over to Derek and told him that he shouldn't listen to Dimitri, For some reason, Broke sighed, Dimitri feels a need to protect her. "Jim needed to be stopped," she said coldly. Derek's face clearly showed his confusion. From the background, Tad begged Brooke not to say another word until after she'd spoken to an attorney. "I did the right thing," Brooke said confidently. "I killed him." Derek told both Brooke and Dimitri that they'd have to go down to the police station to make an official statement.
Jack asked Erica if she'd received any strange phone calls or letters recently. Erica couldn't recall anything out of the ordinary except for a nagging feeling that someone was following or watching her. With a stalker tailing her, the feeling wasn't so out of the ordinary. Jack wanted to call the police and ask that an officer be station outside Linden at all times. Erica adamantly refused the suggestion. Jack decided to act as Erica's "bodyguard" as he carefully eyed every inch of her body. Again their attempt for physical intimacy was put on hold by Jack's ringing cellphone. This time the call was legitimate. Derek told Jack that he had a situation on his hands that needed his immediate attention. Jack made Derek repeat his statement several times just to be sure that it was really him. Jack tried to get out of going down to the station by asking Derek to contact one of the assistant district attorneys, but Derek insisted that Jack be the one to handle the matter. Before leaving, Jack again tried to persuade Erica to take on additional security. Erica explained that having a squad car parked outside of her house would cause more trouble for her. The media, she said, would see the police car and that would lead to tabloid articles---and eventually Bianca would be harmed by the scandal in some way. Jack understood Erica's concerns and backed off. After Jack left, Erica armed the security system and motion detector. A blinking light signaled that the system was online. Confident that no one could penetrate her fortress, Erica went upstairs to get ready for bed.
Marian literally dragged Liza into a private dining room at The Valley Inn. Marian insisted that she and Liza were going to eat raspberry soufflé to get their minds of off their man problems. Marian also had a second motive---she wanted to apologize again for sleeping with, as she said, "Ad--- um, Stuart." Liza accepted her mother's apology and demanded that Marian not mutter another word about Stuart, Adam, or the divorce. Marian asked Liza about her scheme to get Gillian married. Between forkfuls of soufflé, Liza told her mother that she managed to save Scott from Gillian's grasp by substituting grooms. Marian tried to figure out who might have stepped in. She drooled at the prospect of being close to "that well-proportioned" Ryan Lavery. Liza told her mother every detail, right down to the fact that both Ryan and Gillian were penniless. Kelsey burst into the otherwise empty room and begged Liza for some help in luring Scott back. She stopped cold and realized that Liza might not want Marian to know what she;d done. Liza invited Kelsey to join them and explained that Marian knew everything. Kelsey again thanked Liza for helping get Scott of the hook, but explained that Scott hadn't come running back to her yet. Before any sage advice could be tossed Kelsey's way, Opal entered the dining room and chirped that she was ready to join the party. Opal had found Belinda sitting alone at the bar with only a briefcase to keep her company. The trio invited their two friends to join them at the table. Belinda told the women about her non-existent love life now that Miles had headed to Japan. Japan must have been the hotbed for broken romances, Opal sniffled, because Palmer had run off to Japan and was probably cavorting with a geisha girl! Liza asked all of the women to stop their babbling. She insisted that women do not need men to justify their existence. Marian, of all people, commented that, "men are nice to have around, but you don't need them to find happiness." Marian couldn't believe what she'd just said. She flagged down a waiter and asked him to bring her a "cheesecake for one." The waiter returned a few seconds later with an entire cheesecake. Opal realized that her problems also required a little something extra, so she and Marian split the cheesecake. Liza was enraged by the pitiful display and stormed out of the room. Marian later explained that Liza was irritable because she still wasn't over her divorce from Adam. Belinda thought about what Liza had said and realized that she didn't need a man in order to be happy. She did, however, hope that her work would pick up soon so that she wouldn't be haunted by her loneliness. Belinda and Kelsey headed home, leaving Marian and Opal to finish off the cheesecake by themselves. Opal continued to fret over the notion that Palmer might be cheating on her. Marian wandered off into thought and spoke of how mesmerizing it can be when "two cultures" collide. Opal was greatly offended by the way Marian spoke of her husband's perceived infidelity. She looked over at Marian and the gleeful look on her face made her realize that the "two cultures" were not Palmer and a geisha girl---they were Marian and Stuart. Marian shook herself out of her daze and insisted that her affair with Stuart was a once and done thing. Opal decided that she would return home and wait by the phone for Palmer to call. Once Opal was gone, Stuart approached the table and asked Marian if she'd seen Liza. "Liza's not here," Marian smiled. "I guess you'll have to make do with me." A giddy little smile appeared on Stuart's face as he nodded in agreement.
At the police station, Dimitri tried to justify his decision to take the blame for Jim's death. He said that Jim had never harmed Brooke---but he had tried to kill him. In addition, Dimitri felt that he "owed it" to Brooke because he had failed at an earlier chance to kill Jim. Had he killed Jim outside of the viaduct, Dimitri said that Brooke would never have had to worry about Jim. Brooke demanded that Dimitri allow her to tell the truth. She was under the misguided notion that all she had to do was explain all of the crimes that Jim had committed and that she would then be praised for getting rid of him. When Jack arrived, Derek told him that both Brooke and Dimitri had confessed to the homicide. Jack turned to them and asked them if they would explain what had happened. Brooke explained that she had been the one to kill Jim. This time instead of defending Brooke, Dimitri confessed that he had not been present at the time of the shooting. Brooke told Jack how Jim had been responsible for poisoning Mateo and Hayley. Jack was flabbergasted by the accusation, but without any evidence he couldn't really do anything. Dimitri piped in that Jim had kidnapped him and Edmund and tried to kill them. Tad was able to provide the proof needed since he'd been the one who'd found them. Trevor entered the station and refused to allow his client to answer any questions unless she was going to be charged with a crime. No charges were slated, but they remained a possibility. Brooke reminded Trevor that she had not been the one to request his service; Tad had been the one who'd phoned him on Brooke's behalf. Brooke insisted that she wanted to give a statement. Brooke asked Tad to call Jamie and tell him what had happened so that he wouldn't have to hear about it on the news. Derek prepared the interrogation room and announced that he was ready to begin.
Back at Linden, Mike wasted no time in sneaking into the house through the back doors. He hid behind a wall while Erica returned downstairs to pick up some reading material. She checked the security system and realized that the motion detector was not armed. She went through the enabling process and went back upstairs. Mike tiptoed over to the security system and disarmed it. He then opened the front door and slammed it closed so that Erica would know that someone was in the house. Erica walked to the top of the steps and called out Jack's name. She scurried down the steps and again asked Jack if he'd returned home. "No," a man's voice replied. "It's not Jack." Erica's heart raced. She picked up a glass vase from a nearby table and informed that intruder that she was armed. When she told him that she'd shoot, the voice replied, "Been there. Done that." Erica wondered what the cryptic reply meant. "I died in your arms once," the man said with a slight chuckle. "Don't make me do it again." Mike then flipped on the light and revealed himself to Erica.
At Pine Valley Hospital, Adam worried that Mateo could slip back into a coma if the results of his brain study were not read quickly. Jake agreed that there was an uncertainty surrounding Mateo's miraculous recovery. He told Adam that he'd lean on the lab to make them speed the process. Liza walked down the hallway and was surprised to see that Adam was back in town. She decided that it might be better for her to leave so that things didn't get sticky. Adam insisted that she stay, but not for him---for Hayley and Mateo. Liza informed Adam that she received her settlement check and thanked him for his generosity. "Don't thank me." Adam replied. He told Liza that the money was not a gift. "I could tell," Liza said back. "There was no velvet box." The pair filed into Mateo's room. Hayley asked her husband to rest, but Mateo argued that after being in a coma for two months he really didn't want to sleep. Hayley didn't want Mateo to sleep either; She feared that she might lose him again. Mateo felt a sense of déjà vu with Hayley, Liza, and Adam surrounding his bed. Only a little over a year before, he and Hayley were married in a hospital room. Of course, Hayley had been the one in the bed. Things had changed since that time. Hayley told Matt that Liza and Adam had divorced while he was comatose. Mateo apologized for not knowing, but Adam said that there was no harm done. "One in two marriages" end in divorce, Adam noted. "We proved the rule." Jake entered the room with the test results. Amazingly, everything checked out as normal. There were no clear signs as to why Mateo had waken up. Liza and Adam left. On his way out, Adam thanked Jake for taking good care of Mateo. Jake, who has never gotten along with Adam, told Adam that he could express his gratitude by donating money to the hospital. Adam caught sight of Camille, who had dropped by the hospital to find Tad, and became distracted. As Camille walked down the hall, Adam followed in pursuit.
Stuart explained that he wanted to thank Liza for running interference in Scott and Gillian's wedding plans. Marian smiled as she invited Stuart to join her at the table. She told Stuart that Liza had been there earlier for a "girl chat" session. When Marian told him that Liza left the party with a headache, Stuart mistakenly thought that Adam might have been the "headache." The pair then began talking about all of the happiness that Liza and Adam were missing out on by being separated. As they talked about romance on the beach, picnics, and midnight skinny-dipping, Marian and Stuart became increasingly uneasy. Both appeared to be thinking more about their night of passion than reuniting Adam and Liza. Eventually they pulled themselves back together and worked on devising a plan to get their loved ones back together. Stuart was a willing participant until he learned that he might have to tell a few white lies to pull off the coup. Stuart explained that things always go wrong when he doesn't play by the book. Besides, Stuart worried that Liza would hate Marian for being deceptive. Marian explained that "motherhood is about sacrifices." Stuart looked at Marian and smiled. He was enamoured by her devotion to Liza and complimented her on being a wonderful mother. Stuart opted to wish on a star to get Adam and Liza back together. Marian said that she wasn't very good at wishing on stars. Stuart stared into Marian's eyes and bashfully told her that he'd teach her how to wish on stars. For the first time in her life, Marian was being treated like a lady. This was uncharted territory for her, but she relished the feeling. The two called it a night and headed in their separate directions. Marian, however, hung around to watch Stuart walk away.
Erica remained convinced that the man standing before her was not Mike Roy. "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated," he grinned. Mike offered to kiss Erica to offer proof of his identity. Erica was overcome by Mike's appearance and passed out. Mike carried her to the sofa and placed a cold compress on her forehead. When Erica came around, she again insisted that she was hallucinating. Death, Mike mused, "like a lot of things [doesn't] last." Since Mike had died in her arms, Erica concluded that the man standing before her was a look-alike. To test whether or not he was really Mike, Erica began asking him questions about "Raising Kane." Mike knew all the answers, but that didn't satisfy Erica. She deduced that the imposter had studied up on Mike before making his appearance. Even when Mike stated that the working title of the autobiography was, "I'm the Luckiest Girl In the World," Erica still refused to believe that the man was really the man she'd once planned to marry. "You died in my arms thirteen years ago," Erica argued. Erica learned that the supposed death was staged. Mike explained that he was an unwilling partner in a government operation. He also noted that if he told Erica any information about the operation, she'd have to be killed. Erica wasn't buying the tale. Mike regretted that the secret mission had taken him away from the woman he loved. He had been told that the mission would last only a short time---and now he was finally making his return to Pine Valley. "You are the most breathtaking combination of brains and beauty to walk this Earth," Mike said smoothly. Erica now knew that the man was no fake; this was definitely Mike Roy. Slowly the pieces fell together and Erica realized that Mike was the "stalker." Mike told Erica that he didn't want to simply appear at her door because it would have given her a heart attack. He had, however, given her a clue that he was back. The slip of paper that Jack had found at the loft, the one that had a series of numbers scribbled on it, was not a secret safe combination. The digits were the dates of his death. Mike also told Erica that he had returned to town once before hoping to console Erica after his almost-death. When he returned, however, he found Erica in bed with a former monk---Jeremy Hunter. Erica was aghast by the notion that Mike had watched her making love to Jeremy. She hauled off and slugged him in the stomach! This was hardly the homecoming that Mike had anticipated. Mike expected to stroll into town and pick up where he and Erica had left off. He hadn't taken into consideration that Erica had moved on to another man---and another---and another and so on. Erica claimed to be "strangely unmoved" by Mike's return and coldly noted that after thirteen years she'd closed the file on her relationship with him. For being "unmoved," Erica responded quite passionately when Mike suddenly grabbed her and started kissing her.
Things in the interrogation room heated up for Brooke. One by one Jim's crimes were listed. Brooke tearfully told Jack how Jim had taken advantage of Laura and other children by coercing them into posing for pornographic photos. Jack, however, failed to see how this news related to the shooting. Belinda demanded that Jack allow Brooke to continue speaking since she was doing so voluntarily. Brooke argued that she had to tell the whole story in order to justify what had happened at the gallery. She explained the details of Laura's mother's death and how Jim had blackmailed Laura into keeping silent about the photos. A man entered the room and asked Brooke how she knew about the supposed murder. Brooke replied that Jim had confessed to it at the gallery. The man flashed a frown and snarled that the "only corroborating witness was on a slab in the morgue." Trevor ordered Brooke to stop speaking. Jack explained that the man asking the questions was Keith McClean, one of his Assistant District Attorneys. Jack wondered why Laura and Jim would have kept in touch after what had gone down in the past. Brooke sighed and explained that that Jim had followed Laura to Pine Valley to try to get his own piece of the pie. Laura traveled to town because of a postcard given to her by an old friend, Brooke noted. When Brooke accused Jim of being responsible for the crash of Flight 149, Keith threw his hands into the air. He wondered why anyone would board a plane and then blow it up. Dimitri jumped in and informed him that a bomb hadn't downed the plane because there were no detonators or timers attached to the explosives. The explosion was a horrible accident. Dimitri remained committed to protecting Brooke. He told the two attorneys that Jim should have been stopped long before the shooting. Tad chimed in that no one was going to put up a plaque commemorating Jim's accomplishments. Jack was annoyed by the prevalent implication that he should turn his back to what had happened in the gallery. Keith decided that most everything Brooke had said could be verified by Laura. He asked to speak with her and when Brooke revealed that Laura was out of the country, things took an ugly turn. Keith now believed that Brooke was using her daughter as an alibi. Dimitri told Keith that Jim had kidnapped Edmund and nearly killed him. Fortunately, Edmund would be able to corroborate the story. Now the story was finally winding down to its stunning climax. Brooke said that she'd lured Jim to the gallery to get him to tell her where he'd stashed Edmund and Dimitri. Keith asked how the gun entered the picture. Dimitri quickly stated that he'd given it to Brooke. That wasn't what Keith had in mind. He asked Brooke how the gun had made its way to the galley. "I took it there," Brooke offered easily. Trevor closed his eyes and shook his head. Brooke made things difficult for herself when she agreed that she used the gun as a form of encouragement to get a confession from Jim. Brooke told everyone that Jim had responded to her accusations calmly---and diagnosed her as paranoid. Brooke broke down in tears as she explained that she had to stop Jim because he was on his way to harm Jamie. Jack desperately tried to get Brooke to say that Jim was threatening her or trying to harm her, but Brooke failed to see his hints. She admitted that Jim was walking away from her and that he was on his way out the door when she shot him. Belinda and Trevor decided that Brooke had endured enough for one evening and offered to take her home. After everyone had left, Derek returned to the room and handed over a copy of the coroner's preliminary report on Jim's death. Keith looked over the document and announced that Brooke had, in fact, shot Jim in the back. "I'll get a warrant," Keith said without emotion. Then he seemed almost pleased with himself. "Brooke English is looking at a murder charge." Keith walked out of the room as Jack buried his head in his hands.
