At the Brady Pub, Sami accused E.J. of "sputtering a bunch of nonsense." "How do you do it, Samantha? His sister is dead because of you, and yet he's still your little lapdog. I don't quite understand," E.J. said. That infuriated Rafe, who tried to attack E.J., and Sami tried to calm Rafe down. In walked Justin, who also told Rafe that attacking E.J. would be playing into his hand. Justin was there to announce that he was Arianna's lawyer and needed to talk to the family about her will.

Sami asked Justin what was in the box, and E.J. wanted to know too. Justin said that Arianna had contacted Justin after she and Brady had gotten engaged. Arianna also made a list of people to whom she wanted to leave her "personal effects." "Like the proof that you shot me," E.J. told Sami. Justin put the box on the table, while getting some forms for the family to sign. Sami stared at the box. E.J. sat next to her and asked what she thought was in the box. She said she had no idea.

E.J. believed that she knew what evidence Arianna had and that it would be a bad day for Sami. Justin explained that he had no idea he might actually have to execute Arianna's will. Justin had wanted to make it to the service, but he had also taken along a copy of the will because he didn't know if Rafe knew it had existed. Sami told Justin that they could read Arianna's will, because the pub was closed.

Sami was nervous that Justin had the proof that Sami had shot E.J., but Rafe pointed out that Justin had said he was out of town the day that Arianna had died, so that meant she couldn't have left the camera with Justin or amended her will. Sami theorized that Arianna might have given the box to Justin's assistant or secretary, and the box was the right size to fit a camera in it.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Nicole, Philip, Brady, Kate, and Stefano toasted to their newfound closeness. Kate toasted that Vivian would get everything she deserved. Victor was happy that his marriage had an escape clause. "'Til death do us part," Victor said. Everyone raised their glasses.

Melanie marched in and demanded to know what Philip was doing. She was upset that he hadn't attended Arianna's memorial service because he preferred to drink with his family. Victor told her to be angry with him, because he had kept Philip there to celebrate closing a deal. Philip apologized. Melanie chastised Brady, too, for missing the service and asked what was more important than that.

Brady left to apologize to Gabi and Rafe for missing the service. Nicole ran after him and offered to also go to offer her condolences. At the Brady Pub, Brady warned Nicole not to say anything nasty to Sami, and Nicole promised she wouldn't. Brady apologized to Rafe and Gabi for not making it to the service, because Victor was having some issues. Rafe said it was okay, because Brady had been there for Arianna when it counted. Gabi said Arianna had known Brady loved her. Before Brady could leave, Justin asked him to stay, because he was mentioned in Arianna's will.

Sami asked Justin what Arianna had left to E.J., but Justin said he couldn't disclose that until he read the will. He also said that technically, Sami shouldn't be there, because she wasn't in the will. Sami told Rafe that Arianna had left something for E.J. in her will. Justin said it was a video will. Rafe was eager to get it over with.

Sami asked Nicole what she was doing there, and Nicole explained that she had accompanied Brady. Sami said that Sydney wasn't there, and she planned to make sure Nicole never got her hands on Sydney again. E.J. butted into their conversation, saying, "Well soon, Samantha, neither will you -- or Johnny. See I'm taking both of my children away with me, and I'm gonna do everything I can to pretend the two of you never existed," he said. Nicole asked what E.J. was talking about. Sami ordered E.J. to leave, but Justin told him to stay, because there was a request for him in Arianna's will.

Justin played the DVD, and Arianna bequeathed her rosary to her mother and her car to Rafe, and she asked him to call their mother once a week like Arianna had done and tell their mother he loved her. Arianna left her jewelry to Gabi, as well as her DVDs, and she asked Gabi to take care of Rafe. Gabi asked Justin to stop the DVD.

Gabi hugged Rafe and asked if she could leave, and he said to go, since she'd had to deal with enough for the day. Justin said that after Arianna had completed the will, she had gone to Justin's office to add a codicil -- a bequest for E.J. Justin gave E.J. a figurine of St. Anthony, the patron saint of miracles, which Arianna's mother had given to her before Arianna had gone to prison. Rafe told E.J. to take good care of it. Arianna had left everything else to Brady.

Philip told Melanie that he had lost track of time. She pointed out that they were laughing when she had walked in. Melanie asked him whether there really was a business deal. "In a way," Philip said. Melanie asked him to be honest and tell her what had happened. Philip asked Melanie to trust him. He said it was a good thing that they hadn't moved in, because Kate and Victor were in on something, and Philip didn't want Melanie to know everything.

Philip said what was happening could be dangerous. Melanie was worried about Philip. He said he was fine, and he stressed that he needed her to trust him. Victor asked what they were talking about. Melanie said that Philip had asked her to mind her own business, and she planned to. Victor offered Melanie some champagne. Melanie congratulated Victor on his business deal, and Victor said it wasn't so much that they'd closed a deal as it was that they'd had a "big problem" that they were finally able to put to rest.

Melanie told Kate that she was leaving with her father to pick up a rocking chair from the Horton cabin as a gift for Chloe. Kate said that Chloe would be thrilled and made a joke about her singing arias and knitting "booties." Kate had to leave, and Melanie offered to walk out with her. Melanie told Kate that she wouldn't put up with Kate's "snide crap" about her family. Kate clarified that she was talking about Chloe. "Right, my father's wife," Melanie said. "If think you don't see a lot of Philip now, just keep up your funny jokes, and I'll make sure you never get to see him," Melanie added.

Kate warned Melanie that Chloe would never change her "lying nature," and one day Daniel would "wake up and wish he had never set eyes on her." Kate said that Daniel and Chloe were "the cutest couple of the year." At the pier, Melanie called someone and said, "I've had enough of your lies. I need to see you right now."

Philip felt bad for having to lie to Melanie. "Secrets and lies, Philip, are the basis of a healthy marriage," Victor said. "And you know this because you've had so many healthy marriages?" Philip said. Victor said Philip wasn't lying to Melanie; he was protecting her. Victor said that Melanie might be "a little squeamish" about burying someone alive. Victor had grown fond of Melanie and really wished that she and Philip could have moved in. "Even trapped in a sarcophagus, Vivian screws up everything," Victor said.

Victor knew that Maggie enjoyed having Philip at her house. Victor was glad that Brady had stopped Vivian from burying Maggie alive. Philip theorized that the reason five people didn't care if Vivian had stayed in the sarcophagus was because Vivian had planned to bury Maggie alive in it. Victor said that Vivian's theory didn't make sense, because Maggie wouldn't have anything to do with Victor and thought "quite correctly" that Victor "was an old reprobate."

In addition, Maggie respected his marriage to Vivian more than he did. Victor felt Vivian was more than jealous -- she just couldn't stand Maggie's goodness, and she had to destroy it. Philip pointed out that they wouldn't have to worry about Vivian anymore. Philip and Victor went upstairs to Vivian's old room, and Victor delighted in knowing that they could watch Vivian in the sarcophagus.

Someone entered the mausoleum and opened Vivian's casket. At first, Vivian thought she saw Philip. Then she believed she was dying, because she saw a light. She realized that she was free and not dead. She thought Philip had saved her. A hand pulled her up. It was Gus. He gave her some water to drink, but she didn't want it. She still felt disoriented. Gus said that he would have gotten to her sooner, but Victor had ordered one of his goons to tie up Gus and throw him into a dungeon.

Gus wanted to leave quickly before they discovered that Vivian was free, but she felt she couldn't leave yet. Vivian wanted revenge, and Gus agreed to help her. Vivian called Maggie. She said she was back in Salem, and there was a crisis at the Kiriakis mansion. Maggie asked if Victor was all right. Vivian said Victor was okay, but she concerned about his soul. Vivian asked to meet Maggie for her guidance, because Victor had done something terrible. Maggie agreed to meet her alone at the mausoleum.

When Maggie showed up and saw Vivian with Gus, she said she didn't want to discuss Victor in front of Gus. Maggie noticed how terrible Vivian looked and asked if she had been sick. Vivian said she had been at "death's door." Maggie asked if Vivian had been in a sanitarium, and Vivian said she had been in the sarcophagus. Maggie asked how Vivian had been locked in the sarcophagus. Vivian blamed Victor, but Maggie didn't believe her. Vivian said that Victor wanted to get rid of Vivian so he could pursue Maggie.

Maggie thought Vivian's theory was "ridiculous" because Victor hadn't pursued Maggie. Maggie also said that putting someone in a coffin was "stupid and ridiculous," and Victor was neither. Vivian balked at Maggie's words. Maggie said it was more like something that Vivian would come up with. Maggie didn't buy Vivian's story. Before Maggie left, Vivian said she had known that Maggie was at the mausoleum and heard "every bloody word."

Vivian said there was a closed circuit TV in the sarcophagus, so Vivian had heard Victor and Maggie talking about Victor's "warm, loving heart" and how complicated Victor was. Maggie realized that Vivian was telling the truth about being in the sarcophagus. Vivian said that Victor had enjoyed every minute of Vivian being trapped in the sarcophagus.

Maggie said they needed to call the police, because they couldn't let Victor get away with it. Vivian assured Maggie that Victor would pay, and it would be worse than anything Victor had done to Vivian. Moments later, Vivian and Gus walked out of the mausoleum together, while Maggie was trapped inside the sarcophagus. Maggie yelled for Vivian to let her out.

Chad went to his father's office at his father's request, and the secretary explained that all that his father had wanted to do was give Chad his mail. Chad opened an envelope that contained his birth certificate, and it revealed that Stefano was his father. Chad went to the DiMera mansion and pounded on the door. Will answered it and asked what he was doing there -- Will had been there picking up some of his stuff. Chad wanted to know where Stefano was. Will said that neither Stefano nor Kate was home.

Will followed Chad and demanded to know why Chad was upset. Chad showed Will the birth certificate, but Chad believed that it was a joke. According to the date on the birth certificate, Chad was a year older than he really was. Chad asked if Will thought Stefano was behind it, but Will said that if Stefano had thought that Chad was Stefano's child, he wouldn't have been anonymous about it. Chad asked whether the rest of the DiMeras might have done it.

Will said they were busy with other things, and if any of them had thought there was a chance that Chad was Stefano's son, they wouldn't have messed with Chad. Chad vowed that whoever was behind the birth certificate would pay. Will offered to help Chad get to the bottom of who had sent it. Chad wondered who hated him enough to do something that "heartless."

Chad immediately thought of his conversation with Kate. Chad told Will that he wanted to "do the research" before he said anything, and he asked Will to stay quiet about it. Will said he had learned the hard way to keep the DiMeras out of his business no matter what.

After informing Maggie that Victor had locked her in the sarcophagus, Vivian put Maggie into the same sarcophagus. Maggie scolded herself for agreeing to meet Vivian alone in the mausoleum. Maggie called out, but no one answered. Maggie choked back tears, and said out loud that someone would realize that she was missing and search for her.

Outside the mausoleum, Vivian thanked Gus for rescuing her from her crypt. "And now home wrecker Horton will get exactly what she deserves, and it will be satisfying to have seen firsthand what a distasteful ordeal it is," Vivian said cheerily. Gus warned Vivian that Victor would punish her severely if he learned that Vivian had trapped Maggie in the sarcophagus. With a sigh, Vivian asked Gus for a few minutes of freedom before she began to worry about her future.

Gus took Vivian to a hotel, and upon entering the room, Vivian asked Gus to order room service and champagne to celebrate. When Gus reminded Vivian that Victor would track them down if he learned about the switch with Maggie, Vivian quieted him down. "We've covered our tracks. The coffin monitor's not sending signals. No one can see inside. Maggie can only hear me, and no one knows that she's rotting in there instead of me," Vivian said. "I still feel like your plan could go wrong," Gus said quietly.

In Vivian's bedroom at the Kiriakis mansion, Victor grabbed the remote control in order to show Philip the live feed into the sarcophagus. "Let's see what our guest is doing," Victor said. When Victor pushed the button on the remote, the feed was not available on the monitor. Philip was content to walk away, but suspicious, Victor insisted that he needed to know what was going on with "that horrid woman." Victor put the earpiece in, and he attempted to talk to Vivian. When there was no response, Victor demanded that Vivian talk to him.

In her hotel room, Vivian heard Victor's voice on an earpiece that she had with her. Vivian responded to Victor's call. When Victor noted that he could not see Vivian on the monitor, she purred that she would be happy to fix the monitor if Victor would let her out of the sarcophagus. "Never mind. I can go without seeing your face," Victor grumbled.

After Victor turned off his earpiece, Vivian cheerfully informed Gus that they had successfully rewired the audio feed from the sarcophagus to her earpiece. "No one is going to know that I am out of the coffin and free. Now let's just hope that your magic worked," Vivian said excitedly as she switched over to the audio feed out of the sarcophagus. When Vivian reached out to Maggie, Maggie promised that she would not tell Victor about the sarcophagus if Vivian set her free. "We've had our differences, but we can work through them. We'll try to see the best in each other from now on," Maggie offered.

"That's very touching, Maggie, but that's a moot point, you see, because from now on, your life isn't in my hands, it's in Victor's," Vivian said sweetly. Vivian explained that Victor believed she was in the sarcophagus, so until he decided to release Vivian from it, Maggie would be trapped. Maggie vocalized her belief in Victor's humanity and claimed that he would not let Vivian die in a coffin. "I have to believe that Victor never meant to hurt you and maybe this was some kind of misguided prank," Maggie said as she fought back tears.

"Let me clarify something. I did all the planning and it wasn't a misguided prank," Vivian said. Vivian explained that she had custom-made the sarcophagus for Maggie, but that her plan had fallen apart when she had become trapped instead. Vivian swore to make Victor pay for hurting her. "What are you going to do to Victor?" Maggie asked. Annoyed, Vivian disconnected her audio feed to Maggie. Frantic, Maggie pushed on the lid to the sarcophagus and worried aloud that she needed to warn Victor that Vivian was out for revenge.

Back in Vivian's bedroom, Victor continued to fiddle with the monitor. Since Victor was still concerned about the picture on the monitor, Philip suggested that they head down to the mausoleum. When Victor and Philip walked into the mausoleum, Victor became agitated. Inside the sarcophagus, after pushing on the lid until she was out of breath, Maggie dropped her hands to her side and discovered the remote control. Maggie pushed a button and the camera view of the mausoleum switched on. Seeing Victor and Philip on the screen, Maggie cried out with joy.

Victor asked Philip to post a guard at the mausoleum to secure the perimeter, since he could no longer see Vivian on the monitor. As Victor started to leave, Maggie cried out to him to stay. Victor stopped dead in his tracks. "As much as I hate that woman, I feel a need to see her face-to-face," Victor said. "I just want to look into Vivian's beady eyes and let her know that she is getting exactly what she deserves. This is all her doing," Victor said gruffly. Philip suggested that Victor open up the coffin and confront Vivian. With a grin, Victor point out to Philip where the lever to open the sarcophagus was located.

In her hotel room, Vivian rejoiced in her newfound cleanliness after taking a bath. Gus prepared a plate of food for Vivian and asked Vivian how she was feeling. With a grin, Vivian announced that they needed to make sure that "Maggie Horton's never found."

Down on the pier, Melanie called Chloe and said, "I'm so over your lies. I need to see you right now." Chloe attempted to assure Melanie that they should keep the secret from Daniel, but Melanie insisted that Chloe cancel her doctor's appointment and meet Melanie at the pier. As Melanie hung up the phone, she muttered to herself, "I can't do this anymore." "Can't do what anymore?" Daniel asked as he walked onto the pier.

With a mournful look on her face, Melanie answered, "Hide the truth from you." When Daniel pressed Melanie for answers, she promised to tell him everything later at the cabin. Melanie noted that she needed to catch the last ferry to the cabin so that she could clean it up before Daniel arrived. With a gruff nod, Daniel agreed but made Melanie promise to talk to him later at the cabin. After Daniel had left, Chloe arrived at the pier. When Melanie noted that Chloe was late to meet her, Chloe explained that her doctor had insisted that she keep her appointment.

After Melanie asked Chloe not to talk about her doctor's appointment, Chloe started to ask Melanie if she would help her and Daniel pick a name for the baby. Annoyed, Melanie asked Chloe not to "suck up" to her. "While you were confused about my father's feelings towards you, instead of going and talking to him and trying to get to the bottom of the situation, you did the mature and honorable thing; you slept with a guy that you hardly even know," Melanie said sarcastically. Melanie explained that she was going to tell Daniel the truth.

Chloe noted that the truth would be hurtful to Daniel, and that there was no point in telling him about the affair. "It has no bearing on his life right now. It's not like it's ever going to happen again," Chloe exclaimed. "Have you never freaked out before and made a mistake?" Chloe asked. Melanie stood her ground and said that she intended to tell Daniel, but that she would give Chloe enough time to tell Daniel the truth before Melanie did. "If the truth about my affair comes out, it's gonna destroy your life too," Chloe said.

Surprised, Melanie asked if Chloe was threatening her. With a sigh, Chloe explained that she meant that Melanie could damage her relationship with Daniel. Melanie was not swayed by Chloe's argument, and she said that she would risk her relationship with her father so that she would not have to lie to him anymore.

At the hospital, Lexie asked Daniel how Melanie was handling Arianna's death. Daniel admitted that Melanie was angry with Chloe about what she had said before the wedding. "I was hoping that my wife and daughter could get along, especially with a new baby on the way," Daniel lamented. As Daniel expressed his worries about Melanie, Chloe entered the hospital and listened to Daniel and Lexie talking. Lexie informed Daniel that the key to the boat for the Horton cabin was at the nurse's station. When Daniel went to check on one last patient, Chloe crept over to the vacant nurse's station and took the boat key.

After leaving the pier, Melanie caught the ferry out to the Horton cabin and started to tidy up the place. When Melanie pulled the sheet off of the rocking chair, she imagined what the birth of Daniel's baby would be like. In her fantasy, Melanie congratulated Daniel, but he was upset with Melanie for telling him about the affair. Back in reality, Melanie gave herself a pep talk and said that she needed to tell Daniel the truth no matter what. As Melanie turned, she heard the front door open.

Expecting to see Daniel, Melanie called out to him. Instead, Chloe walked through the front door. Chloe begged Melanie not to tell Daniel. When Melanie asked Chloe how she had gotten to the island, Chloe showed Melanie the boat key. Melanie demanded that Chloe hand over the boat key, and Chloe ran outside and threw the key into the lake. "We are not going anywhere until I convince you to keep your mouth shut. Even if it takes me all day and night," Chloe said.

Melanie called Daniel on her cell phone and asked to talk to him. As Melanie darted around the room to avoid Chloe, Chloe doubled over in pain. Melanie covered the speaker on her cell phone and warned Chloe that she was not falling for her fake labor pains. "I think the baby's coming," Chloe said breathlessly.

At the Brady Pub, Brady was unnerved by the announcement that he was the heir of the bulk of Arianna's belongings. "We broke off our engagement months ago, and I haven't even seen her in weeks. I don't feel right accepting anything from her," Brady said. E.J. stood up and announced that as Arianna's former attorney, he would be willing to accept responsibility for the contents of the wooden box. Scared, Sami jumped out of her chair and grabbed the box from Justin. "No! Absolutely not!" Sami objected. Rafe attempted to calm Sami, but she argued that E.J. had no right to handle Arianna's estate.

"I am the only person that she trusted," E.J. responded. "She only trusted you because she was naïve and gullible, and you were taking advantage of her," Sami countered. E.J. argued that Arianna knew that Sami was no good for Rafe and that the proof was that Rafe had given up his career and was lying for Sami. "Nice being a father of four kids, didn't even sire them," E.J. whispered. Fed up, Rafe grabbed E.J. by the collar and shoved him.

Justin intervened and noted that the wooden box contained legal papers. As Rafe and E.J. backed away from one another, Roman entered the pub. Roman announced that a witness to Arianna's hit-and-run accident had come forward and was down at the station. Roman asked Rafe to join him as he questioned the witness, and Rafe and Sami agreed and followed Roman out of the pub. Setting his jaw, E.J. quietly left the pub after Sami and Rafe. Alone, Nicole suggested to Brady that they should head back to the mansion. Slowly shaking his head, Brady said that he needed to stay behind and deal with the papers that Arianna had left him. "I just want to take care of her last wishes. I owe her that," Brady said.

After going through the papers in the wooden box, Brady went to the bank and opened Arianna's safety deposit box. As Brady emptied the contents of the box, he paused to look at a photo of him with Arianna. "You were happy, weren't you?" Nicole asked. Brady admitted he was happy with Arianna but noted that his relationship with Arianna had soured over trust issues and not because of Nicole. Shaking his head, Brady's eyes teared up and he wondered aloud why Arianna had run into the street.

At the police station, Rafe met with the witness, Mr. Satterfield. Mr. Satterfield started to tell Rafe about the license plate when E.J. barged into the room. When Sami protested E.J.'s demand to sit in on the questioning, E.J. countered that he had as much right as Sami to be in the room. Mr. Satterfield recognized E.J. as one of the people that had attempted to help Arianna, and asked Roman if E.J. could stay. When Mr. Satterfield continued his testimony, he told Rafe that Arianna had seemed distracted when she ran in to the street. Mr. Satterfield added that he did not believe that Arianna had known what happened to her.

"I do recall seeing a small object get tossed from her purse," Mr. Satterfield said. On this, E.J. and Sami both leaned forward with interest. The witness described the object as "shiny, probably an electronic device." Sami downplayed the importance of the missing evidence, but E.J. asked Mr. Satterfield about where the object had landed. Unsure, Mr. Satterfield claimed he did not know, and then he left with Roman to fill out paperwork.

Once alone, E.J. asked Sami if the object that had flown out of Arianna's purse was the evidence proving that Sami had shot E.J. "Stop it, E.J. There is no evidence," Sami lied. "I think your luck, Samantha, just ran out," E.J. said with a grin. "Bring it on, E.J." Sami said. After E.J. left, Rafe reminded Sami that the area of the accident had already been searched and that if the camera had fallen into the gutter, it would be waterlogged and useless. "You think it's over?" Sami asked hopefully.

Brady and Nicole returned to the Kiriakis mansion with the contents of Arianna's safety deposit box. "I'm going to make sure her family gets this stuff," Brady said. Brady needed to attend to a matter, and left Nicole alone in the living room with the box of Arianna's things. "Too, too sad," Nicole said as she sat down in front of the box. Nicole lifted the lid and perused the contents of the box. Noticing a bag at the bottom, Nicole unzipped it and pulled out a flip camera.

Nicole examined the camera, wrestling with whether to look at the contents. "Oh, what the hell. There could be something juicy," Nicole said as she pressed play. On the video was Sami's confession to Arianna about shooting E.J. Stunned, Nicole's mouth fell open. "Oh, sweet mother of God!" Nicole uttered.

Stefano and E.J. discussed E.J.'s efforts to retrieve whatever might have fallen out of Arianna's purse the night she had been killed. E.J. believed that if he found the proof Arianna had that Samantha had shot him, he could get his children back. Stefano wondered what E.J. would do if they never found it-or if Samantha turned out not to have been the culprit. Stefano asserted that E.J. was missing out on precious time with his children, so it was time for "Plan B," although he refused to reveal the details of the plan.

E.J. pointed out, "The last time you thought it was a good idea that you didn't give me the details was when Nicole switched babies-and that didn't work out very well for me, did it?" Stefano wondered if E.J. were really willing to do whatever it took to get his children back. E.J. maintained that he was handling things, and asked Stefano to stay out of it.

Marco arrived with a woman's compact, which E.J.'s men had retrieved from the sewers. Frustrated that it was the only thing that had turned up so far, E.J. irritably ordered Marco to keep looking. After Marco left again, Stefano implored E.J. to face reality. "And do what, let you take care of things?" E.J. demanded. "Not on your life-never, ever again!"

E.J. had gone when Marco returned, and apologized to Stefano for eavesdropping. "You heard my son tell me to mind my own business, hmm?" Stefano asked. Marco asked if he should go ahead with an assignment they had discussed. Stefano replied, "Absolutely."

Outside, E.J. suddenly had an idea. "Of course!" he said to himself. "I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier."

At the mausoleum, Philip and Victor began to open the sarcophagus to free Vivian, who they thought was still inside. A frightened Maggie watched from the monitor inside, but there was no audio, so she couldn't hear what they were talking about. Victor put on the earpiece and addressed his wife, "Hello, Vivian, are you ready for company? Because here we come!"

From Gus's hotel room, Vivian urged Victor not to open the lid. "There's been a little mishap in here, and well, I'm not at my best, to say the least," she said apologetically. "Fine. Goodbye-good riddance," Victor growled, and then told Philip what Vivian had said. As she watched Victor and Philip leave, Maggie cried, "No, Victor! Don't leave me here!" She began to sob hopelessly.

Vivian was crestfallen that Victor had told her "good riddance." Gus tried to cheer her by asserting that Victor had never deserved her. Vivian was determined to make Maggie suffer, because she was convinced that Victor had been in love with Maggie all along. Vivian turned on her earpiece and cheerfully greeted Maggie, who wanted to know what Vivian was going to do to her. "Do?" Vivian chirped. "Why, absolutely nothing!"

Through angry tears, Maggie warned her, "Unlike you, there are a great many people who care about me, and they're gonna start to worry when I don't come home." Vivian calmly divulged that she had been planning Maggie's disappearance for months, so it would appear that Maggie had simply taken the cruise she'd been planning. Maggie plaintively demanded to know what she had done to make Vivian hate her so much. "I never touched Victor," she insisted.

Vivian snapped that she'd watched Maggie make her move on Victor-when it was supposed to have been Maggie in the sarcophagus, watching Vivian seduce Victor. She taunted Maggie by singing, "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle on your snout," before hanging up. Sobbing, Maggie futilely pounded on the inside of the sarcophagus.

Vivian was worried about what would happen if Victor discovered that Gus had escaped. "I hid my guard under some blankets, bound and gagged," Gus assured her. "Even if they find him, I left a trail to the airport, and if they check the Internet, they'll think I took a flight to Johannesburg." Vivian grumbled that her previous adversaries had all been worthy of her time and effort, "But Maggie Horton? Oh, my God, Gus, what has my life come to? I've sunk so low!"

Rafe emerged from Johnny's bedroom at the loft, and told Sami that the boy had been upset about Arianna. Rafe added that he didn't know how he would have gotten through the previous few days without Sami. Sami assured him that she-and the children-would always be there for him. Rafe declared that he wanted to get married right away.

Sami was overjoyed, but she knew he was still reeling from his sister's death. Rafe maintained that Arianna only wanted him to be happy. Sami still blamed herself for what had happened to Arianna, and she was worried about who might find Arianna's camera.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Nicole watched the video of Sami's confession to Arianna about shooting E.J. on Arianna's camera. "What the hell am I supposed to do with this?" an astonished Nicole whispered to herself. "Sami put a bullet in E.J.'s brain and threw the gun in the river? Oh, my God!"

Brady returned just then, and asked why Nicole was going through Arianna's things. Nicole furtively slid the camera into her purse, and assured Brady that she had just been looking at them. "It's just sad, seeing this, knowing she's gone," she explained somewhat ineffectually. Brady's ringing cell phone interrupted them then.

To put Sami's mind at ease, Rafe called Brady to ask if he'd found a camera in Arianna's things, explaining that he thought there might be family pictures on it. Brady looked through the box, and informed Rafe that the camera was neither in the box nor on its list of contents. Rafe promised to pick up the rest of Arianna's things a little later.

After hanging up, Brady wondered whether Arianna's camera was the reason she had died. "E.J. told me that Arianna was onto something, some kind of smoking gun that would prove who shot E.J.," Brady explained to Nicole. Feigning surprise, Nicole asked Brady what he would do if he found that kind of proof. Brady maintained that while it wasn't likely that Sami had shot E.J., he wouldn't blame her one bit if she had.

Brady had just begun to go through Arianna's things when Victor arrived home. Victor immediately ordered Nicole to leave so that he and Brady could talk. After Nicole had gone, Victor declared, "You're no longer going to have any contact with the 'wicked witch of the graveyard' out there. That way no one else can figure out where she is." Victor then got word that Gus had escaped. Brady worried that Gus had gone to the police, but Victor guessed that Gus would head straight to the mausoleum to free Vivian. The two men hurried out.

When Victor and Brady returned, they had learned from the caretaker that no one had been to the mausoleum since they had. Victor made a quick call, and then reported to Brady that Gus had gone straight to the airport for a flight to South Africa. "With Gus out of the country, we got nothing to worry about," Victor declared, but Brady didn't seem convinced.

As Nicole wandered past the Brady Pub, a woman playing with her toddler daughter out front evoked memories of when Sydney had been a baby. Eyeing the video camera in her purse, Nicole wondered, "If I could get a second chance with Brady, why not Sydney?" She considered airing the video on the news, but then realized it was hardly a guarantee that she could get custody of Sydney.

Sami was relieved when Rafe told her that the camera wasn't in the box, but she admitted that she still felt guilty. Rafe believed that she had just snapped-justifiably-after everything E.J. had put her through. "It's all good now," he whispered. "It's all behind us-and I'm gonna make sure that it stays that way."

Sami anxiously pointed out that although she wanted that, "I shot E.J. in the head. And I have to live with that-and you have to understand that I am, as it turns out, capable of something like that!" She added that she had always caused terrible things to happen, and she couldn't marry Rafe unless he was fully aware of that. "Bad things happen to Sami Brady; I get it," Rafe reassured her. "I can handle it. I love it-and I love you. And nothing is ever going to change that." He kissed her to demonstrate, and soon they were having sex.

After they had gotten dressed, Rafe left for the Kiriakis mansion. When there was a knock on the door a few seconds later, Sami assumed that Rafe had returned, but instead she found Nicole on the doorstep. Nicole stated that she wanted to see how Sydney was doing. "She's great, because she's never going to be near E.J. or you ever again," Sami replied. "Actually that's not true," Nicole declared calmly. "I'm going to be a part of Sydney's life-a big part-and you're going to make that happen, Sami."

Rafe went to the Kiriakis mansion to retrieve Arianna's box from Brady. Both men admitted that they felt like they'd let Arianna down.

At the Horton cabin, Melanie was on the phone with Daniel, about to tell him about Chloe's affair. Chloe shrieked in pain, and announced breathlessly that the baby was coming, but Melanie wasn't buying it. Frantic, Chloe knocked the phone out of Melanie's hand, and it broke apart as it hit the floor. A furious Melanie accused Chloe of faking contractions just so Daniel wouldn't find out the truth. Screaming, Chloe retorted, "This baby is coming now!"

As Chloe struggled to lie down on the bed, Melanie managed to put the phone back together. Melanie calmly asserted that Chloe was only having Braxton Hicks contractions, and then dialed Daniel again. But before she could tell Daniel anything, Chloe screeched, "Oh God! My water just broke!"

A panicked Melanie surprised Daniel with the news that Chloe had gone into labor after following Melanie to the island. Daniel urged Melanie to stay calm while he found a boat, since the next ferry wasn't until the next morning, and Chloe had taken the Hortons' boat and lost the keys. He assured her that he would be there to deliver the baby, since the average labor lasted about 20 hours, and then asked to speak to Chloe. Daniel offered encouragement to his terrified wife, and promised to be there as soon as he could get there.

After Chloe hung up, Melanie apologized for accusing her of faking. She tried to assure Chloe that everything would be all right, but quickly realized that Chloe's contractions were happening with increasing frequency.

Philip arrived at the hospital for a board meeting just as Daniel was throwing supplies into his backpack. Daniel quickly filled Philip in about Chloe's labor and the lack of transportation to and from the island, and Philip leapt into action. "Meet me at the pier, get what you need, I'll get my boat-we'll be there in no time," Philip instructed.

Philip was already on the pier when Daniel arrived a short while later. Philip offered to go along, especially since the baby was early, but Daniel assured him that it was only four weeks ahead of schedule. "It's measuring big, you know, nice and healthy, so I'm optimistic," Daniel stated. "And I've got everything I want in the bag to make sure things go right. Let's just hope that he or she doesn't make an early appearance before we get there."

"This is not how I planned it!" Chloe gasped. "I wanted Daniel holding my hand, and I wanted Puccini playing in the background-and I wanted drugs!" Melanie placed a cool cloth on Chloe's forehead, and coached her through the next contraction. She covered Chloe with a sheet, and cautioned, "If we're gonna do this, I have to take a look at what's going on down there."

Although panting and moaning in obvious pain, Chloe lay back obediently, and Melanie gingerly checked to see how Chloe's labor was progressing. Her eyes widened, and she tried to remain calm as she called her dad. Daniel told her that he would arrive within a half-hour or so, but Melanie asserted, "I don't think the baby's gonna wait that long, Dad."

Later, although Chloe was exhausted from pushing, Melanie gently but firmly directed, "It's extremely important that we get the baby out, okay? So you need to take all the strength that you have and push as hard as you can, because the baby needs you." Chloe screamed as she bore down again.

At last, Melanie announced that the baby's head was out, but then noted that the cord was around its neck. She commanded a frightened Chloe to push as hard as she could, so that Melanie could remove the cord once the head and shoulders were out. Chloe pushed, but suddenly Melanie observed worriedly that the baby was blue from lack of oxygen. "Oh, my God!" Chloe wailed. "Is my baby dead?"

At the Horton cabin, Melanie told Chloe that the baby's face was turning blue, because he wasn't getting enough oxygen. Chloe worried that the baby was dead, but Melanie told her to "shut up and push." Chloe didn't care what happened to her. She just wanted Melanie to save her baby. Melanie said the baby kept slipping back into the birth canal. Chloe thought that Melanie didn't want her baby to be born because she knew how horrible Chloe had been, and Chloe worried that her baby would die because she had cheated on Daniel.

Melanie said that what Chloe had done to Daniel had nothing to do with what was going on, and she yelled for Chloe to push. Daniel and Philip arrived, and Daniel took over for Melanie and suctioned the baby's mouth. The baby started crying, and Chloe was eager to hold him. Daniel gave the baby to Chloe. Daniel told Chloe that she and the baby needed to be checked out at the hospital. Chloe wanted to pick a name for the baby, and Daniel said they could think of one at the hospital.

Chloe asked if Melanie wanted to hold the baby, and she handed the baby to Melanie. Chloe said that she owed Melanie a lot and that the baby would always hold a special place in Melanie's life and in Chloe's. Philip took a picture of Chloe, Daniel, and the baby.

At the Brady Pub, Caroline told Stephanie that Caroline had saved two marriages by changing the DNA test results. Stephanie believed that her mother was right and that Daniel would figure it out. If Daniel found out, that would be between Daniel and Chloe, Caroline said, and Stephanie wouldn't be the one who had ruined it. Caroline reminded Stephanie that Melanie had sent a letter to Nathan on her wedding day. Stephanie believed it had been because Melanie liked to keep both Philip and Nathan on a string. If Stephanie told the truth, Melanie would get exactly what she wanted, Caroline said.

Caroline wasn't bothered that Philip didn't know he was going to be a father, because Philip had given away his first-born child to strangers to adopt. Stephanie pointed out that people could change. Caroline told Stephanie that telling Philip would ruin everyone's lives. Stephanie said she had already made up her mind about it -- she had called Roman to meet. Stephanie said she was prepared for the fallout. Caroline joked about Roman having to put his own mother in jail. Stephanie said she planned to meet Roman at the hospital, and Caroline decided to accompany her, because she had promised Kayla that she would look after Stephanie.

At the hospital, Roman spoke to Nathan about one of Nathan's patients. He congratulated Nathan on his engagement, and mentioned that he and Stephanie were planning to meet. When Stephanie and Caroline arrived at the hospital, Stephanie asked Roman to give her a chance to speak with Caroline alone. Stephanie told Caroline that she planned to tell Roman that Stephanie had switched the test results, not Caroline, because the only reason that Caroline had switched the results was because Stephanie had been whining about Melanie. Caroline said it wasn't all about Stephanie. Caroline couldn't stand seeing "an innocent baby being brought into that criminal household and raised by a lousy father." Caroline didn't know that about Philip, Stephanie said.

Stephanie said that Caroline and Shawn had worked through him finding out about Bo, and Stephanie believed that if Melanie and Philip, and Daniel and Chloe were meant to be, they would work through it. Caroline pointed out that Daniel was Melanie's father, and Melanie's husband was the father of Chloe's baby. Caroline didn't think it would be that easy for them to work through. Nathan showed up and mentioned Stephanie's meeting with Roman. Stephanie was about to go find Roman when Daniel wheeled Chloe in with the baby, accompanied by Melanie and Philip.

Nathan took the baby to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), while Daniel took Chloe to her own hospital room. Stephanie asked Melanie and Philip what had happened. Philip explained that Melanie had helped Chloe, who had gone into labor at the Horton cabin. Philip said he and Daniel had arrived just as the baby was being delivered. Stephanie asked if Philip had been there when Chloe had her baby. Philip said yes and asked if there was something wrong with that. Stephanie said no, but she said she couldn't imagine what it would be like walking in on a delivery. Philip said the experience had been intense. Melanie was grateful that Philip and Daniel had arrived when they did, because she'd been "a little freaked out."

Melanie walked into Chloe's room as Chloe and Daniel were kissing. Daniel went to check on the baby, so Melanie spoke to Chloe. Chloe thanked Melanie for what she had done, but Melanie said she'd done it for her little brother, because he deserved to have something that she'd never had -- parents that loved him and would do anything for him. Melanie said she wasn't going to tell Daniel about Chloe's affair. Daniel wheeled the baby up from NICU and asked Philip if he wanted to hold the baby. Daniel watched Philip hold the baby and remarked about what a natural Philip was.

Caroline watched as Philip held his son. Melanie walked out of Chloe's room and said that the baby looked like he was going to be a heartbreaker. Daniel was eager to return the baby to Chloe. Daniel put the baby in Chloe's arms. He told Chloe that he wanted to name the baby after his dead mother. Chloe thought Daniel wanted to name the baby Lilian, but Daniel said that his mother's maiden name was Parker. Parker Jonas, Chloe said. She could tell the baby liked his name. Philip watched Chloe, Daniel, and Parker from outside Chloe's hospital room.

Stephanie pulled Caroline away. Melanie hugged Philip as they both looked at the new family. Philip said holding Parker made him realize that he was ready to be a father. Roman found Stephanie and Caroline, and Stephanie told him that she had changed her mind about talking with him. After Roman left, Stephanie felt bad about her decision, and Caroline assured her that she had done the right thing. "For now, for as long as I can," Stephanie said.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady told Rafe that there had been no camera in Arianna's possession. Brady wondered why Rafe was so focused on finding the camera, and he thought it was because Arianna had proof that Sami had shot E.J. Rafe tried to deflect Brady's questioning, then E.J. showed up. E.J. explained that he was there for the videotape just like Rafe. Brady asked what videotape E.J. was referring to, and E.J. said the videotape of Arianna's will. E.J. said he didn't have anything to remember Arianna by, so he wanted a copy of the will. Brady told E.J. to see Justin. E.J. tried to look through Arianna's things, but both Brady and Rafe objected. E.J. thanked Brady and left.

Brady said that it looked like Rafe and E.J. were after the same camera. Brady said he knew that Arianna had gotten hit after she and Will argued. Rafe asked if Brady was really "taking stock" in what E.J. had said. Brady said he hated E.J., but "like my grandfather always says, a broken clock is always right twice a day." Brady asked if Sami had shot E.J. Rafe denied it. Brady said he hated E.J., and he didn't care whether Sami had shot E.J. or not -- he just hoped that any proof Arianna had implicating Sami was gone.

Rafe said that E.J. was "just blowing smoke," because he knew that Sami was going to get full custody of the kids. Brady was glad. Rafe said that E.J. was going to do everything possible to get back at Sami. Brady hoped that E.J. wouldn't find whatever proof Arianna had said she had. Rafe denied that Sami had shot E.J. and said he was her alibi, and E.J. couldn't prove otherwise. Rafe said that there was no proof in Arianna's safety deposit box of who had shot E.J. Whatever his sister had or thought she had must have died when Arianna did, Rafe said. Brady didn't think that E.J. believed that. Brady said E.J. had nothing to live for anymore and there was no telling what he might do.

E.J. went back to the DiMera mansion and called Justin's office for a copy of Arianna's will. E.J. had an idea. He looked at the figurine that Arianna had left for him and wondered what she had been trying to tell him. He smashed the figurine to bits. He looked through the remnants of the figurine for a clue, but there was nothing to be found.

At the apartment, Sami told Nicole that she wasn't going to let Nicole or E.J. near Sydney. Nicole believed that Sydney would be back in her life with Sami's blessing. Sami thought Nicole was delusional, but Nicole insisted that she was thinking clearly. She told Sami that she knew everything about how Sami had shot E.J. Sami said Nicole couldn't trust E.J., but Nicole said that she didn't learn about Sami shooting E.J. from E.J. Nicole found it amusing watching Sami try to cover her guilt. Nicole told Sami to check her email to see what Nicole was talking about.

Nicole opened the email for Sami, and Sami watched the video that Arianna had taken of her confession. Sami asked how Nicole had gotten it, and Nicole asked, "How do you think?" She admitted to finding Arianna's video camera. Nicole explained that she was the first one to look in the box of Arianna's belongings. Sami asked if Brady knew about it, too, and Nicole said that he didn't have a clue. Nicole assumed that no one else knew because Sami wasn't in jail. Sami dumped the contents of Nicole's purse on the table, looking for the video camera.

Sami asked Nicole where the camera was. Nicole said she didn't have it with her, but it didn't matter, since she had "downloaded the video so all of cyberspace" could watch Sami's confession. Nicole played the rest of the video. Sami stopped the video. Nicole told Sami that if the police found the gun in the river, they could still take fingerprints from it. Nicole joked that Sami should tell all her "homies at the women's prison" that Nicole said "whassup." Sami deleted the email. Nicole told her that she had downloaded the video in other files, and unless they could make a deal, Nicole was "ready to go viral."

Sami asked why Nicole didn't "nail" Sami with the proof, and Nicole said it was because there were extenuating circumstances. "It was E.J. you shot," Nicole said. Nicole talked about how she had walked on eggshells around E.J., and she'd never told E.J. about her miscarriage, because she knew she would be out "on her tail." Sami identified with how Nicole had felt about E.J. Sami knew that Nicole didn't want to tell E.J. what Sami had done. Nicole agreed, but she said Sami had to do what Nicole wanted -- let her have a relationship with Sydney. She suggested being Sydney's godmother.

Nicole said she had been a good mother to Sydney. Sami reminded Nicole that Nicole wasn't Sydney's mother -- she was the woman who had kidnapped Sydney twice. Nicole explained that Sami hadn't been thrilled about having E.J.'s baby, so she had thought she was doing Sami a favor. Sami explained that she had gone into hiding to protect Sydney from E.J. and Stefano. Nicole could see Sami's point, but she said she had just wanted to give E.J. his own child. Nicole asked Sami to admit that Nicole had been a good mother. She said that with her criminal background, she would never be able to adopt a child, so Sydney was "it" for Nicole.

Sami said she hadn't done everything she could have to protect Sydney from E.J., and hadn't done all of that to hand Sydney over to Nicole -- "not even for five minutes." Nicole pointed out that Sami had shot E.J. in the head to protect Sydney, and she said that unless they could work out an arrangement, the only time Sami would see Sydney was "during visiting hours." Nicole heard Sydney crying in the other room, and she tried to go check on her. Sami blocked Nicole from going to see Sydney.

Nicole told Sami to "have fun in the big house." Nicole said that being in prison would seem "like a bubble bath" compared to what the DiMeras would do once they found out that Sami had shot E.J. Sami asked if Nicole wanted E.J. to get custody of Sydney. Nicole said no, but she had tried to make a deal with Sami and Sami wouldn't cooperate. Nicole started to leave so she could file her story. Sami stopped her, and Nicole went back inside Sami's apartment.

Sami tried again to convince Nicole not to go public with her confession. Nicole said she just wanted to be a small part of Sydney's life. Sami said that would never work, because people would figure it out, E.J. especially. Nicole said that Sami could tell him that they'd had a heart-to-heart and Sami had seen how much Nicole loved Sydney. Nicole planned to say that Sami had experienced a sudden burst of generosity and wanted Nicole to have a second chance and turn her life around.

Nicole promised they would take it slowly with Sydney and give Sydney a chance to get to know Nicole again. Nicole suggested having a sleepover or taking Sydney on a trip. "And then what, she starts to call you 'Mommy' and it never ends, because I never get to say no, because you are holding that recording over my head?" Sami asked. Nicole said that Sami would have her freedom. Sami questioned Nicole's idea of freedom.

"You will have complete control, my life will be hell, and you will turn my daughter against me," Sami said. Nicole said only Sami could do that. "Or you can, when you play the tape and she hears my voice saying that I shot her dad and then she will hate me, but it's okay, because you are there and she'll turn to you," Sami said. Nicole said Sami should have thought about Sydney before she pulled the trigger. As Nicole tried to leave, Sami attacked her. Sami pushed Nicole, and Nicole hit her head on the counter, leaving blood dripping from the counter.

Kate was jogging on the pier when she ran into Chad. Chad admitted that he had been waiting for her, and held out the envelope containing his birth certificate. "Did you send this to me?" he demanded. "It's a birth certificate that says that I'm Stefano's son. Someone sent this to me with no name, no note -- and I think that someone was you."

Feigning shock, Kate asked, "Why in God's name would I do something like that?" She pointed out that the document might be a fake. Chad suspected that if it were, Kate had probably done it, because she'd been "playing" him for so long. Kate insisted that she'd been trying to help him after his mother's death and his father's abandonment.

Stefano called Kate just then, so she warned Chad to keep quiet while she was on the phone. A cranky Stefano wanted to know where Kate was. She reminded him that she ran several days a week, and promised that she would be home shortly. "I'm not so sure about that. I think we have a lot to talk about," Chad said loudly. Stefano demanded, "Who was that?" Kate assured him, "It's nothing, love. Absolutely nothing."

After Kate hung up, she warned Chad that he didn't want to get on the wrong side of Stefano DiMera. Chad maintained that he wasn't scared of anyone, but he did want to know why Kate wanted to make his life more miserable than it already was. Kate argued that she was doing no such thing, but cautioned Chad to be very careful how he proceeded regarding the birth certificate. She explained that while Stefano could be a very generous and loving family man, he could also be a formidable, dangerous enemy -- especially if he thought someone was after him or his family.

At the DiMera mansion, Stefano yelled at Marco for having not turned up anything in the search. "This woman, Arianna, is an amateur," Stefano growled. "But obviously she knows who shot Elvis, and she had some proof. And you bring this to me again -- nothing?" He ordered Marco to put more men on the job, and to deal with the culprit -- no matter what.

When Kate returned home, she claimed to Stefano that she had merely decided to run a few extra miles. As she was headed upstairs to shower, Chad called the mansion from a pay phone. Stefano answered, but Chad remained silent. "Who is this?" Stefano demanded. Finally Chad hung up. Kate guessed that it had been a wrong number, but Stefano didn't think so.

A guard escorted Hope to the prison visitors' area, where she was stunned to see her cousin Jennifer. But instead of reacting with delight, Hope covered her face with her hands miserably. "What are you doing here?" she asked, looking at the floor. Jennifer was taken aback and said, "Is it just me, or are you not really happy to see me?"

After the guard cautioned Jennifer against physical contact with the prisoner, she left Hope and Jennifer alone. Hope confessed that it was hard for her to see people whom she'd let down, and then asked why Jennifer had returned to Salem. Jennifer looked at her with amazement, and stated, "Hope, I came back here to get you the hell out of here!"

Jennifer explained that she'd been researching the drug that Hope had taken. Hope maintained that she knew all the data about the medication, but instead of presenting an affirmative defense, she had chosen to atone for her crimes by being imprisoned. Exasperated, Jennifer countered, "The kids are gone -- Abby is doing a semester in Spain; Jack Junior is at boarding school -- and I am free. And I want to get you to be free with me!"

Hope was touched, but wondered where Jack was. Jennifer explained that Jack was "off chasing a story," and she had some things to work out with her grandmother's estate. Hope was sorry that she couldn't help Jennifer deal with that, but Jennifer just wanted to know how Hope really was doing. Hope insisted that she was fine, because Bo had pulled strings so that she could work in the prison infirmary.

Hope added that she thought Jennifer wanted things to go back to the way they were, but Hope couldn't give her that. Jennifer admitted that her visit was partially intended to add to the pressure on Hope to fight to get back to her life. Hope assured Jennifer, "I am so thrilled to see you. You're not just my cousin; you're like my sister, and I love you. I really want to see you again -- would you come back before you return to London, please?"

Hope rose to return to her cell, and a worried Jennifer asked if Hope needed anything. Hope insisted that she was "good," but Jennifer wasn't buying it. She pulled Hope into an embrace, and just then, the guard returned. "I told you, no physical contact!" the guard barked. Jennifer made Hope chuckle by continuing to hug Hope, and barking right back, "Why don't you come in here and stop me, then?"

Bo was on his cell phone at the Brady Pub, angrily ordering an employee to widen the search for Arianna's killer, when Carly arrived. After he hung up in frustration, Carly informed him that she'd done some research, to see if she could find out anything more about the death of the inmate at the prison -- and she'd actually found out something interesting. Bo wondered how he could get the information to Hope.

Bo called Jane, the warden at the prison, and asked if he could see Hope again, even though he'd already visited once that day. While Lee listened in, Jane reminded Bo that it wasn't a good idea to show him or Hope any kind of special treatment by bending the rules. She asked if she could relay a message to Hope. Bo wanted to tell Hope that he had some new information about her case, and that Ciara was doing fine.

When Bo hung up, he admitted to Carly that the warden didn't trust him -- so he couldn't be the one to pass on Carly's information to Hope. Carly declared that it was time for Plan B. Bo was worried about Carly's safety, but she argued that Hope had to be their first priority.

Jane worried to Lee that Hope had voiced her suspicions about April's death to Bo. "We gotta find a way to keep the commissioner at bay, and keep an eye on Hope," Jane maintained, adding, "If she starts getting mouthy, we'll find a way to shut her up."

Bo was just leaving the Brady Pub when Jennifer arrived. After they hugged, Bo was surprised when Jennifer divulged that she'd already visited Hope. Jennifer admitted that Hope seemed "really, really closed down," but she'd also seemed almost as excited about working in the infirmary as she had been when she'd become a detective.

As they went inside and sat down, Jennifer demanded to know why Hope felt like she needed to punish herself. Bo didn't know, because he knew how much Hope missed Ciara. Jennifer contended that Hope missed Bo, as well, but Bo disagreed. Jennifer then explained why she had returned to town, and admitted with a smile that she was struggling with "empty nest syndrome."

Jennifer said that she had really missed Salem, because all of her friends and family were there. "Who knows? Maybe I'll come back for good," she added. "Hope would love that; so would I," Bo replied. "But what's really going on here?"

Hope was surprised when the guard led her back to the visitors' area -- and even more surprised to find Carly waiting for her. After the guard left, Carly quietly divulged that Lee Michaels, the woman with whom Hope was working in the infirmary, had been a doctor before she'd had her license revoked for illegally prescribing painkillers -- which was why she was in prison. Hope was blown away, since Lee had not helped when April had gotten sick, and she had lied about why she was in prison.

Hope added that Lee had also claimed that a patient had died of tuberculosis, when the death had been from cardiac arrest after a broken leg. Hope and Carly concluded that Lee had probably had something to do with the deaths. Carly told Hope that Bo wanted her to be careful, and Hope thanked Carly for looking into April's death. Hope wanted to know how Bo was doing. "Not good," Carly admitted. "Hope, how could he be? You're in here."

Jane learned that Hope had just had her second visitors in the span of a couple of hours -- and neither visitor had been on Hope's original list of friends and relatives. "I don't like it," Lee complained. Jane declared, "If Hope keeps asking questions about April, she may just need to be isolated."

As Sami struggled with Nicole to keep her away from Sydney, Nicole smacked her head on the corner of the kitchen counter, and fell to the floor, unconscious. Sami freaked out, and ran to Nicole's side to see if she were all right. Sami worried that she had killed Nicole, just as Sydney began to cry in the next room.

A panicky Sami was trying to figure out what to do when Rafe returned home. Rafe began CPR, and ordered Sami to call 9-1-1. Before Sami could finish dialing, suddenly Nicole gasped and sat up -- and threatened to press charges against Sami for having tried to kill her. Scoffing, Rafe declared that he wasn't afraid of Nicole. Nicole retorted that he should be, because she knew that Sami had shot E.J., and she could prove it.

Nicole opened Sami's laptop, and showed Rafe the video from Arianna's camera of Sami's confession. "One press of a button, and I can make it go viral," Nicole warned. "She'll be in prison before she can say goodbye to her children." Rafe slammed the computer shut, and moved menacingly toward Nicole.

"You're not going to be pushing nothing if you're dead, are you?" Rafe growled, backing her up against the door. "You've got about thirty seconds to tell me what's gonna keep you from pushing that button -- and this better be good." Terrified, Nicole cautioned Rafe that if he killed her, the video would go public. Rafe quietly reminded her that he knew how to clean up a crime scene. Looking past him, Nicole imploringly assured Sami that she only wanted to be a small part of Sydney's life.

After pointing out that she had not taken the video to E.J., Nicole insisted that she wanted what was best for Sydney, and she knew that was Sami. Sami and Rafe acknowledged to each other that they didn't have any other choice. Rafe told Nicole that they had to take it very slowly, because they didn't want to arouse suspicions, and then asked her to leave. Nicole asserted that Sami was really lucky to have a guy like Rafe, and quietly left.

Sami threw herself, sobbing, into Rafe's arms. Trying to look on the bright side, Rafe pronounced the deal a good thing, because at least if they let Nicole see Sydney, E.J. would never find out about the camera. He added that as much as he hated her, he believed Nicole had Sydney's best interests at heart. Sami expressed her gratitude to Rafe for rescuing her once again.

No one else appeared to be home when Nicole arrived at the Kiriakis mansion. As she poured herself a drink, she fantasized about helping a teenaged Sydney decide what to major in at Harvard. In the daydream, Sydney called Nicole "Mom" and badmouthed Sami. "You have been more of a mother to me than she ever has," dream Sydney declared. "Sometimes I think my life would have been just hell if I got stuck with her. I love you so much." Snapping back to reality, Nicole cautioned herself to take things one step at a time.

Sami asked if Rafe had just been trying to make her feel better when he'd told her that she had nothing to worry about. Rafe assured her that he'd meant every word, because they were only going to play along with Nicole, "For as long as it takes to make sure she can't ever touch you again."