Days of our Lives Recaps: The week of January 18, 2010 on DAYS

Comprehensive daily recaps for Days of our Lives, dating back to 1996.

Monday, January 18, 2010

by LaDaisia

Rafe caught Sami and E.J. at the pier as they were preparing to leave the ransom money for the kidnapper. When he questioned them, they made excuses, but Rafe saw right through each one of the excuses. E.J. told Sami to tell Rafe the truth. She told Rafe about the ransom note and how the kidnapper had told Sami specifically not to tell Rafe or anyone else about it. Rafe told E.J. to leave the money at the drop spot.

After E.J. left, Rafe told Sami to meet him at home. She asked who he was calling. She told him not to call the FBI, because Rafe could get Sydney killed. Rafe asked E.J. to take Sami home. Rafe told Sami to follow Rafe's orders.

Arianna tended to Brady's wounds from when he thwarted the armed robbery at the Brady Pub. Brady was still bothered by the notion that Arianna could have gotten shot, and she reassured him that she was fine thanks to him. Brady left to see Melanie, who said she needed to see him immediately. Roman called Arianna and set up a meeting with her at the pub because there was a problem.

Troy told his hit man that he didn't have to worry about trying to kill Arianna anymore, because Troy planned to handle it.

Roman told Arianna that he needed to end the undercover operation. She urged him not to pull the plug on the operation, because that meant she would be sent back to prison. Roman said that he had told the authorities the same thing that Arianna did, but it didn't do any good. Roman said there was nothing that he could do. Arianna asked Roman to let her talk to the higher-ups, but he said that it wouldn't change anything. Roman agreed to set up a conference call. Roman assured Arianna that he wanted her to stay on the case as much as she did.

Troy saw Roman leave the pub, and he vowed to kill Arianna that night.

Arianna was on the phone with Roman's superiors and was begging for more time to investigate the drug ring in Salem when Troy walked in. "Cesar, please tell them. Help me. Back me up here please," she pleaded. She saw Troy and rushed off the phone. Troy asked who "Cesar" was. She lied and said it was a friend from her old neighborhood. Troy said he wanted to set up a meeting with her later in her room. "Maybe the big boss man might show," he said. She was excited about the thought of meeting the boss, so she agreed.

Vivian tried to encourage Hope to seek revenge against Carly for sleeping with Bo. Hope had told Vivian that she didn't want to talk about it, but after Vivian raised the possibility of revenge, Hope said she had changed her mind and welcomed a chance to vent. Hope said that Carly and Bo had been acting like they were keeping a "deep, dark secret" from Hope. Hope asked whether Vivian knew, but Vivian said that she didn't.

Vivian apologized for being insensitive to Hope by bringing up Bo's affair. Hope remembered the puzzle box that Vivian had hidden in her closet. Hope vowed not to be the only one in the dark about Carly's secret any longer. Meanwhile, Vivian called Gus to the mansion to talk. When Gus arrived, she told him about the restraining order that Bo helped Carly take out on Vivian, so Vivian asked Gus to follow Carly to discover who Carly's daughter was.

Gus was surprised that Vivian didn't know for sure who Carly's daughter was. Vivian said she was "fairly certain" that it was Mia McCormick, but she needed to know for sure. Vivian asked Gus to find a birth date on Carly's daughter. She felt that once she got rid of Bo and his restraining order, Carly and her child would be at Vivian's mercy.

Outside Maggie's house, Melanie overheard Carly tell Bo that she needed to "tell her the truth." When Melanie asked whether they were talking about her and why, Carly covered by saying that she was referring to Hope. Melanie guessed what Carly meant by "the truth," and she assumed Carly was planning to tell Hope that Carly was pregnant.

"Oh my God! What is wrong with you? What are you -- some teenage boy? Have you never heard of birth control?" Melanie told Bo. Carly denied that she was pregnant, and Melanie wondered what else she was keeping from Hope and what could be worse than sleeping with Bo. Bo tried to convince Carly to leave. "Yeah, that's right. Keep going. Why talk to me when you could be cheating on your wife some more?" Melanie told Bo.

"I should probably keep Philip away from you, shouldn't I, since you seem to have a thing for the Kiriakis men," Melanie told Carly. Bo tried to get Melanie to shut up, but she kept talking. "You really wanted to go all cougar on me," Melanie said. Then she had a frightening thought. "Oh my God! Is that why you didn't want to marry Philip?" Melanie added. Carly said that she didn't want to see Melanie get hurt.

"There she goes again. First, she cares about how I think about her, and now she doesn't want to see me get hurt. And I don't know what it is with you, lady, or why you care, but I can't figure out why you don't just leave me alone and let me live my life," Melanie told Carly. Melanie said she was "freaked out" by Carly's "phony interest."

Bo berated Melanie for being disrespectful and rude to Carly even before Melanie knew that Carly and Bo were involved. "Did you tell your boyfriend I was mean to you?" Melanie asked Carly. Melanie said that only reinforced Melanie's "weirded-out feeling" that Carly cared too much about Melanie's life "for no reason at all."

"Maybe she cares because she's a kind person," Bo said. "All the more reason it's so weird, since all I've been is rude and disrespectful to her," Melanie said. Brady arrived and interrupted their conversation, so Bo and Carly took the opportunity to leave. Melanie vented to Brady about how Carly got under Melanie's skin.

Melanie told Brady that she wanted to ask Arianna to be her maid of honor, and she wanted Brady to give her away at the altar. She had originally planned on having Mickey do it, before he passed away, and Max was busy in London. She sensed Brady's hesitation and assumed that he believed it was a mistake for her to marry Philip.

Brady told Melanie that he was concerned that she was rushing into marriage too fast. He was concerned that she was giving up nursing. Melanie said that she might not have to give up nursing to go on a long honeymoon. She hoped that she could get a leave of absence from Daniel, because he was on the review board. Brady agreed to walk her down the aisle. Melanie was apprehensive, though, about having to work with Carly at the hospital.

Anna was eager for the kidnapping plot to be over. Anna told Sydney that she planned to give the baby monitor to Benny, who was outside the door, and if Sydney cried, he would hurry to her. Anna assured Sydney that she would be back as soon as possible. After Anna left, her phone rang. It was E.J., who was desperate for her to call him back on the special number that he had given her.

Maggie met with Hope at the Java Caf, but Maggie was eager to get home and fix Alice's lunch. Hope reminded Maggie that Melissa was with Alice, but Maggie said that Alice kept asking for Maggie. Maggie said that Alice was in a "fragile state and the least little thing sets her off." Hope asked Maggie to meet with her to give Maggie a chance to let someone else be concerned about Maggie. Maggie said that she didn't want to focus to be on herself, because "being needy" was not Maggie's style. Maggie said she would rather not deal with losing Mickey.

Maggie accused Hope of focusing on Maggie so that Hope didn't have to focus on her own situation with Bo. Hope assured Maggie that she was focused on Maggie because she loved Maggie. Hope felt that her own pain was minor compared to Maggie's. Maggie told Hope to let her help Hope. Maggie asked if Hope still wanted Bo back like she did before she found out about Bo sleeping with Carly.

Hope said that Bo was with someone else. "Not because he loves her," Maggie said. Hope asked how Maggie knew that. "I know Bo Brady loves you. That's how," Maggie said. "Hope, listen to someone who knows all too well how fleeting it can be," Maggie added. She urged Hope to fight for Bo.

Carly vented to Bo about how frustrated she was with the way Melanie treated Carly. Bo wanted to change the subject so that Carly could stop beating up on herself. "So how long should I let this go -- forever?" she said. "No, I don't think so," Bo said. He said that there were ways to undermine what Vivian was doing, to expose what she was up to and make her stop. Carly felt that Melanie deserved better than to have a mother like Carly, and Carly anticipated that when Melanie found out that Carly was her mother, she would want nothing to do with Carly.

Bo assured Carly that she had made every effort to connect with Melanie. He explained that Melanie had a tough life, but he said that Carly gave up her daughter so that Melanie would have a life. Carly said she felt the pain of having to give Melanie up as a baby every time Carly saw Melanie. Carly blamed herself for giving Melanie up for adoption, but Bo told her to stop second-guessing herself. Carly was resigned to the thought that she would never be a mother to Melanie. After Carly left, Bo said to himself, "You're wrong, Princess. It will happen. I'll make sure of it."

At the Kiriakis mansion, Vivian asked Brady about Melanie, since she was marrying Vivian's "son." "Vivian, Philip is not your son," he said. "I carried him for nine months, and he certainly is, so I'd like to learn more about the bride-to-be, my future daughter-in-law," Vivian said.

Melanie waited in Daniel's office, but Carly walked in. She explained that Daniel was in emergency surgery so Carly was taking over for him. She asked how she could help Melanie.

Back at the DiMera mansion, Rafe gave one of his colleagues the ransom notes and Sami and E.J.'s phones to trace the kidnapper's calls. Rafe got word that everything was in place at the drop site. Rafe was frustrated that he had been lied to for weeks. Sami asked Rafe to try to understand. E.J. left the room to give them some privacy, and Sami apologized to Rafe.

Sami told Rafe that the kidnapper had made it clear that she wasn't supposed to contact the authorities. Rafe told her to trust him "for once." E.J. was frustrated that Anna wasn't answering her phone. He left her a message, telling her that Rafe had found out everything. Sami said that she wanted to tell Rafe, but he had told her that he had to "play it by the book." Sami told him what Hope had said about how if Hope and Bo had just paid the ransom like Ciara's kidnappers wanted, Ciara wouldn't still be traumatized.

Sami asked how Rafe found her. He admitted that he had an FBI colleague follow her. "So I guess I'm not the only one who isn't trusting," she said. "No, the difference is I was right not to trust you," he said when E.J. walked in. E.J. asked if everything was okay. Without answering, Rafe left the room to answer a call. E.J. acted like he was frustrated about Rafe knowing about the ransom. He said that they didn't know whether it would have made a difference to tell Rafe about the ransom sooner.

E.J. pointed out that it wasn't about Sami and her "boyfriend." "I know that, but I still think he could have helped us. I still think he would have known what to do, and now we're never going to know. We're never gonna know if we did the right thing to get Sydney, get her back. I just want her back," Sami said. E.J. started to comfort Sami when Rafe walked in to tell them that someone was seen approaching the ransom money at the pier.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

by Spalding

Kate was looking at wedding magazines in the Java Caf when Vivian sat down at her table. When Vivian referred to Philip as her son, a furious Kate grabbed Vivian's wrist and growled, "Don't you ever refer to him as your son again."

Annoyed, Vivian went to the other side of the caf and talked to Gus about Carly's daughter. Vivian remained convinced that Mia was the daughter, but Gus admitted that he did not have any more information to prove that Vivian was right.

At Salem Hospital, Nathan arrived for his shift and was surprised to learn that Stephanie had scheduled another doctor to cover his hours for him. Nathan admitted that he preferred to work when he was feeling upset, but he thanked Stephanie for taking the initiative to reschedule his shift for him.

Nathan and Stephanie went over to the Brady Pub to grab a cup of coffee, and Stephanie handed Nathan an envelope. Nathan opened the envelope to find a press release announcing that he was the recipient of the "Tom Horton Intern of the Year." Stephanie told Nathan that she had shown the press release to Mickey prior to his death, and that Mickey had been very proud of Nathan. "I don't think I'm gonna ever stop missing him," Nathan lamented. Nathan thanked Stephanie for helping him get through Mickey's death and kissed her tenderly.

Melanie waited in Daniel's office to talk to him about scheduling a leave of absence from her nursing work in order to honeymoon with Philip. To Melanie's chagrin, Carly entered the office and announced that Daniel had asked her to cover his appointment with a student nurse. Carly handed Melanie the forms to request the leave of absence and stared at Melanie while she filled out the forms. Uncomfortable, Melanie joked that she did not like a "murderess" staring at her. Carly cautioned Melanie to remember that she was asking Carly for a favor.

When Melanie made an off-handed comment about her birthday, Carly thought about the day that she gave birth to Melanie. Angry, Lawrence had forbidden Carly from taking any pain medication to help her through the labor. As Carly stared off into space thinking about the labor, Melanie asked Carly if she were okay, which snapped Carly back to reality. When Melanie continued to fill out the form, Carly again started to stare at her. Uncomfortable, Melanie announced that she needed to "get away from the crazy lady" and walked out of the office.

In the hospital hallway, Melanie ran into Kate, who insisted on talking to her about wedding plans. Melanie gruffly dismissed herself, leaving Kate to stew about the confrontation. Nurse Maxine joked with Kate about Melanie's stubbornness. When Kate wondered aloud whether she could get through to Melanie, Maxine noted that the only person that Melanie listened to was Maggie.

Still sitting in Daniel's office, Carly thought about the day she gave birth to Melanie and how Lawrence had tormented her throughout the whole painful process, before announcing that she had given birth to a baby girl. Once the baby was born, Lawrence held the little girl and kept her away from Carly. Smiling, Lawrence told Carly about how he had been prone to dropping things lately. "I have to ask myself, what do I drop next?" Lawrence said as he turned to Carly and grinned.

"She's the living, breathing personification of your betrayal," Lawrence noted grimly. "All I want from life is to live happily with you. But she makes that impossible," Lawrence added. Carly promised to stay with Lawrence and give away her daughter. "And never see her again?" Lawrence asked. Crying, Carly agreed. Shaken by her memory, Carly woke up from her daydream in the present day. As Carly wiped the tears from her eyes, Melanie returned and was surprised to see what state Carly was in.

Carly noted that she was pleased to see Melanie again, but Melanie explained that she had returned to get her jacket. "I was worried that you were going to drop out of this program because of me," Carly said quietly. Melanie assured Carly that Carly did not matter to her. Melanie explained that she was more interested in being a full-time mom than having a career. Carly suggested that Melanie wait to have kids since she was still young, but Melanie disagreed. When Melanie noted that she and Philip had terrible childhoods, Carly asked Melanie about her family. Smirking, Melanie informed Carly about her father, who had prostituted her to his bookies.

Stricken by the news, Carly could only shake her head in disbelief. "I'm so sorry," Carly whispered. "Both of my parents are dead. The best thing that could have ever happened to me," Melanie concluded. Stunned, Carly closed the office door and asked Melanie whether she had ever met her mother. Melanie said that she did not know her mother and added that if her mother was spending time with her father, she likely was not a very good person either. Carly attempted to assure Melanie that her mother must have loved her, but Melanie became very defensive.

"I don't need your sentimental crap. I was raised knowing you can't trust anyone or anything and it has only made me stronger," Melanie said. Melanie begged Carly to stay out of her life, then stormed out of the office. "What have I done to you?" Carly cried out. As Carly sat in the office alone and crying, she imagined that Lawrence was sitting in the room next to her. "Look what I made you do to her. I won, Carly," Lawrence said before cackling loudly.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Philip asked Bo to be in his wedding ceremony. Bo was reluctant, so Philip explained to him that he wanted his brothers to be at his side during the ceremony. Grinning, Bo agreed. Switching gears, Philip asked Bo whether he was going to reconcile with Hope. Bo admitted that his marriage was over. Philip added that he was aware that Bo was dating Carly, but that he could not let him invite Carly to the wedding. Philip started to apologize about excluding Carly, but Bo added that in light of Carly and Hope's confrontation at Maggie's, he did not believe Carly was interested in going to the wedding.

As Bo leaned back in his chair, he noticed that Vivian was entering the front door of the mansion and disappearing behind the door in the hallway. Raising his voice, Bo said that he did not believe Carly would be attending any family gatherings. In the hallway, Vivian listened intently as Bo told Philip that he was the reason that Carly had returned to Salem. "We've been in love for a long time. We still are," Bo said, raising his voice slightly for Vivian to hear.

Smirking, Philip told Bo that he did not believe Bo's story and pointed at Bo's wedding ring as proof. Bo pulled off his wedding ring and asked Philip not to tell anyone how long the affair had been going on. Vivian walked into the living room and asked Bo whether he was there to visit Hope. Bo glowered at Vivian, then walked out of the house. Vivian noted to Philip that she overheard what Bo said about his affair with Carly. Philip reminded Vivian that telling anyone about the affair would only hurt Hope. After Philip left the room, Vivian shook her head. "Poor Hope. Collateral damage," Vivian said.

Alone in the living room, Vivian wondered aloud about what Bo had said. "If Carly came to Salem to see Bo, maybe the daughter has nothing to do with this?" Vivian said. When Philip returned to the living room, Vivian asked him whether Bo usually opened up to him about personal matters. Philip cautioned Vivian to forget about what she'd heard. "I would never do anything to hurt Hope," Vivian insisted. "Unless it would hurt Carly more," Philip countered.

Huddled in the corner of the living room, Vivian called Gus on her cell phone to inform him that she feared they were on the wrong track. "She may have killed Lawrence just to be with Bo," Vivian announced.

Over at Maggie's house, Melissa and Maggie returned home after Mickey's funeral. Melissa talked about how much she enjoyed hearing all the stories about Mickey at the service. "I'm so lucky to have him as a dad," Melissa said through tears. After hugging goodbye, Melissa left to catch a flight home. Alone in the house, Maggie looked around the living room. "Watch out for her, Mickey, okay?" Maggie said. As Maggie looked heavenward, there was a knock at the door, which startled her. Thinking that the visitor was Melissa, Maggie opened the door to find Kate on her doorstep.

Maggie invited Kate inside, and Kate wondered aloud where Melanie was. Confused, Maggie asked Kate why she would say that. Kate noted that Melanie was close to Maggie and she thought Melanie would be there at Maggie's side. Slightly ruffled, Maggie smiled wearily and offered Kate a cup of tea. Kate declined Maggie's offer and countered that she should be taking care of Maggie. "Imagine having to deal with something like this with nothing stronger than tea," Kate said. Exhausted, Maggie turned away from Kate, because she was unwilling to pick a fight. Kate continued talking, noting that Mickey was the only man that would have allowed Maggie to fill up the house with "strays."

"He liked a full house. He liked the kids," Maggie said. Kate noted that Melanie had been a handful when she arrived in town and thanked Maggie for getting through to Melanie. "Would you like to take notes?" Maggie asked. "You're not really here because you care that Mickey died. You're here because you want to learn how to fool that poor girl into thinking you're human," Maggie said. Kate denied the accusation, but Maggie was not swayed. Maggie warned Kate that Melanie was smart enough to see through her.

When Kate played innocent, Maggie told her that she was going to do everything she could to protect Melanie from Kate. "You ticked me off," Maggie growled. Opening the door, Maggie barked, "Now get out of my house!" After Kate sauntered out, Maggie breathed deeply and said, "That felt good."

At the Java Caf, Bo informed Abe that he had let Vivian overhear him tell Philip that Carly had returned to Salem for him. Bo explained that he was attempting to lead Vivian "off the trail." Worried about Hope, Abe noted that Bo's plan could end up hurting Hope. "Do you think about her or just Carly?" Abe asked. Bo said that he cared about both women, but Abe shook his head. Noting that Bo had used the phrase "off the trail," Abe asked Bo what he meant. Bo explained that Carly had a secret that he was protecting.

"Your life would be a hell of a lot simpler if Dr. Manning had never come back," Abe noted. Bo reminded Abe that Hope had moved out of the house prior to Carly's return, and that things would still be complicated if Carly had not reentered his life. Worried, Bo told Abe that he was concerned that Vivian might tell Hope about the lie he had told Philip earlier. Abe suggested that Bo tell Hope the truth, but Bo reminded Abe that Hope lived with Vivian and that she might slip up in front of Vivian. Bo said that he would have to wait for the situation to be resolved before he could tell Hope the whole truth. Chuckling, Abe asked Bo whether he believed there would be a happy ending after everything that had happened.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Melanie stopped by to visit Philip and tell him about her meeting with Carly. Melanie wondered aloud why she had opened up to Carly about her family, and Philip hugged Melanie tightly in order to comfort her.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

by ChickenGrrl

As Mia arrived at the Java Caf, Chad was urging Gabi to join him and his family in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics. Mia scowled.

After Chad had returned to work, Mia approached Gabi. "I know you like Chad," Mia asserted, "but I think he asked you to go to Vancouver to make me jealous." Gabi was confident that Chad really wanted her to go. "I think you want me to believe Chad is just playing games with me because you don't want to lose him," Gabi guessed, and countered that Mia was using Will to make Chad jealous.

Mia then joined Will at a table, and declared that she planned to attend every one of his cross-country track events.

Later, Gabi excitedly announced to Chad that her mom had agreed to let Gabi go to Vancouver, but naturally Mrs. Hernandez wanted to speak to Chad's parents first. Chad was thrilled. When Kinsey and Tad arrived, Chad shared the good news with them. Once Kinsey and Gabi went to the ladies' room, Tad asked Chad, "So, the Gabriella invite. Does that mean you and Mia are history?" Chad shrugged, noting, "How many times does she have to say, 'Get out of my life,' before I get a clue, right?"

Tad later teased Kinsey that if there were an event for narcissism, she would easily win the gold medal. Ignoring him, Kinsey ran outside to gloat to a friend about going to the Olympics, and Tad followed her out. Chad apologized to Gabi for Kinsey's obnoxiousness. Gabi was just excited that she got to go, and confided that she'd once secretly wanted to be an Olympic figure skater. Chad confessed that he had wanted to be a swimmer at the Olympics.

After eavesdropping sullenly on the other teens' conversation, Mia told Will that she had to run home to get a textbook and would meet him at school. Before leaving, she kissed him, and declared that she was glad they were back together.

On his way out, Will ran into Kinsey, who facetiously stated that she was sorry he wasn't joining them in Vancouver. Will replied that he would rather spend time with Mia.

At the cemetery, Mia placed flowers on Grace's grave, after she brushed snow off the marker. "I just came to say 'hi,' and tell you how much I miss you," Mia said. She confided wryly that Chad's dating another girl had made Mia realize that she wasn't over Chad-but she liked Will, too. "I want them both, and I know that's wrong, but I just can't lose another person in my life," Mia admitted sadly.

Bo was drinking coffee at the Brady Pub when Melanie walked in. Bo approached her and declared that they needed to talk, since they were about to become family. With a heavy dose of sarcasm, a skeptical Melanie pointed out that she didn't need anyone else telling her how to run her life. Bo assured her that wasn't his intention; he just wanted to make sure she knew that she had people in her corner-for example, Bo and Maggie, and Carly, who truly wanted to be Melanie's friend.

Melanie refused to believe that Carly cared about her, but Bo urged her to give Dr. Manning a chance. Melanie declared, "All I know about Carly is that she offed her husband and then stole Hope's, okay? So I don't want to have anything to do with her." Melanie then left in a huff.

In the parlor at the Kiriakis mansion, Vivian proclaimed to Hope that she'd learned Carly's secret. Vivian described how she'd overheard Bo telling Philip that Carly had returned to Salem with her sights set on Bo-and she had been pursuing him for a long time. Hope didn't buy it for a minute, but Vivian pointed out that the sequence of events was practically proof. Hope ordered Vivian, "From now on, keep your theories to yourself. If I need answers, I'll get them myself." Hope stormed out.

On his way to a board meeting, Philip tracked Carly down at the hospital, and asked why she'd wanted to see him. Carly explained that Melanie had apparently changed her mind about rejoining the nursing program after learning she'd have to deal with Carly, and Carly didn't want to stand in the way of Melanie's career. Carly asked Philip to apologize for her to Melanie, since Melanie was ignoring Dr. Manning's calls. Philip reluctantly agreed.

When Carly mentioned Melanie's childhood, Philip confirmed that Melanie's father had mistreated her, but then ordered Carly to stay out of his and Melanie's lives. Carly was taken aback, so Philip informed her that he'd learned how she'd intended to get Bo back long before she returned to Salem. Carly emphatically denied it, then seemed to realize why Bo might have said it, and rushed off.

Later, Philip and Justin left the board meeting together. Justin observed that Philip had obviously been preoccupied during the meeting. Philip declared unhappily that Carly was ruining Bo and Hope's marriage, and added sardonically that the Kiriakis men seemed to be cursed when it came to relationships.

Bo was at home, on the phone with one of his officers, when Carly pounded on the front door. She was furious with Bo about what he'd said to Philip. Bo argued that Vivian had been listening in, and he'd done it to throw Vivian off the trail of Carly's daughter. "Better a scarlet letter than a black armband," Bo noted. Carly worried that Bo had put himself in danger by making it seem that he was "available to be caught" when she pursued him.

Just then, Hope knocked on the door. Hope was rattled to see Carly in the Bradys' house, but quietly asked why Bo hadn't told her that Carly had returned for him. Bo replied merely, "I'm sorry," leading Hope to conclude that what Vivian had contended was the truth. "Now I know that she's always been on your mind, all these years," Hope declared sadly. "Now I know that our marriage has been a complete lie-all of it."

Carly tried to insist that Bo hadn't known that she'd been planning to return for him, but Bo interrupted her to apologize to Hope for Vivian's hurtful gossip. Hope seemed not to hear a word either of them said. "You took off your wedding ring," she observed, stunned. "Was that before or after you slept with her?" Bo tried to explain, but Hope cut him off. "You son of a bitch!" she hissed. On her way out the front door, she angrily yanked a picture off the wall, hurled it to the floor, and shattered it, before she slammed the door behind her.

As Bo cleaned up the broken glass later, he fielded another call updating him about Sydney's kidnapping. He told Carly that he had to head down to the station. "I'm sorry," Carly stated ruefully. "I know how much what just happened with Hope hurt you." Bo replied bitterly, "She made her bed; now she's got to lie in it." He reiterated his vow to protect Carly and her daughter, and then left.

Justin found Hope in the parlor when he went to the Kiriakis mansion to drop off the minutes from the board meeting for Victor. As soon as he saw the devastated look on Hope's face, he asked what was wrong. "Carly never stopped loving him," Hope replied. "She came back to get him-and he welcomed her with open arms." Heartbroken, she collapsed in sobs against Justin's shoulder. Justin held her while she cried, stroked her hair, and asked what he could do to help her feel better.

Hope looked into his eyes, and allowed him to press his lips against hers. She kissed him back for a moment, but then pulled away. "I'm not ready," she whispered. Justin understood, and declared that Bo didn't deserve her. Hope thanked him for being there for her. "For you, anything," he replied sincerely.

Melanie's face lit up when she returned to the Brady Pub and found Philip waiting for her. She told him about how Bo had tried to convince her to be Carly's friend, and Melanie didn't understand it. Philip guessed that Bo just wanted the women to get along, for Bo's sake. Melanie reminded Philip, "I'm just not a big fan of Bo and Hope, after that whole 'accusing me of killing my dad' thing. I do kind of feel sorry for Hope, though."

Melanie then confessed that she was starting to get excited about the wedding-and she'd decided she wanted a bigger one. "Oh, how marvelous!" trilled Vivian from behind them, and then she urged Melanie to let her help with the planning. Philip rolled his eyes when Vivian declared, "You're just like the daughter I never had."

Sami, Rafe, and E.J. waited at the DiMera mansion for news about Sydney's kidnapping. A worried Sami told Rafe she thought he should tell the FBI team staking out the pier to leave. She feared that the woman who had been checking out the ransom bag would notice that she was being watched, and it would further endanger Sydney's life. Rafe refused, because he didn't trust the kidnappers to return Sydney once they had the money. In the foyer, E.J. secretly tried to reach Anna, but had no luck.

Rafe got a call from the FBI notifying him that the stakeout team had arrested the woman on the pier after she'd grabbed the bag, and had taken her to the police station for questioning. Rafe left for the station, and an excited Sami and E.J. hurried out after him.

At the police station, Rafe checked in with his people. He reported back to Sami and E.J. that the woman stated that her name was Marian O'Brien, and she had seen E.J. leave the bag the night before and had decided to take it. The FBI was keeping Bo updated by phone. Sami was skeptical of the woman's story, and noted that the woman had waited until the next morning to make a move.

Rafe wanted Sami to take a look at Ms. O'Brien to see if she looked familiar, since Nicole had recognized a woman's voice when Sydney was kidnapped. While Rafe went to arrange it, Sami caught E.J. trying to call Anna again, but he quickly invented a cover story. Rafe had an officer open the blinds to the interrogation room, and when Sami looked in, she asserted that she had seen Marian O'Brien at the pier numerous times before. E.J. took a look too, but he didn't recognize her.

Rafe informed Sami and E.J. that the woman had an alibi for the time when Sydney was kidnapped, and claimed she worked in a warehouse near the pier; the FBI was verifying both stories. A livid E.J. declared that the FBI had made a mess of everything-and it was Rafe's fault if Sami and E.J. never saw their daughter again.

Later, Sami fretted to E.J. that the kidnappers might hurt Sydney if they found out about the stakeout. E.J. tried to reassure her. Rafe emerged from the interrogation room, and informed Sami and E.J. that Marian O'Brien's stories had all checked out, so they'd had to let her go. Sami was disappointed, and E.J. was irked that they were back to where they had started.

Anna returned to the cabin with groceries and supplies. As she placed a stuffed animal she'd bought for Sydney in the playpen, Anna realized she'd left her cell phone behind. She sent a quick text message to E.J. to let him know that everything was fine. E.J. sent a reply that everything was going according to plan.

Rafe tried to reassure Sami that the FBI had handled thousands of kidnappings, and they would get Sydney back safely. A police officer announced that a fax had just arrived for Sami and E.J., and handed it to Rafe. Sami grabbed it and read the note, which was cut-and-pasted like the others: "You brought in the Feds. You will never see Sydney again." Sami burst into terrified sobs.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

by LaDaisia

Carly imagined Vivian stabbing Melanie to death. "I took from you what you took from me -- an heir for an heir," Carly imagined Vivian saying. Carly vowed not to let Vivian hurt Melanie.

At the Brady Pub, Vivian tried to convince Melanie to let her help find Melanie the perfect wedding gown. Melanie was resistant to the idea. Melanie tried to tell her that Philip didn't want Vivian involved in Melanie's life.

Nathan called Stephanie to tell her that he would be late for their date because he was busy at work. Stephanie didn't mind. She planned to visit with her grandmother in the meantime. She went into the pub and saw Melanie and Vivian. Melanie used Stephanie as an excuse as to why she couldn't go shopping for a wedding dress with Vivian. Melanie claimed that she and Stephanie had planned to look for a dress together, and she tried to get Stephanie to leave with her immediately.

However, Stephanie said that she couldn't go with Melanie, and pretended to cancel their "plans." She said that she had lunch plans, but she and Melanie could go shopping later. Melanie agreed to go to the store later with Stephanie, but Vivian said that later wouldn't do, because Vivian's stylist was on the way to the mansion. Melanie's ears perked up when Vivian mentioned the word "stylist," and she left for the mansion with Vivian.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Hope told Justin that she needed time and wasn't ready to get involved with anyone else. Hope said she wondered whether her marriage was ever worth saving. Hope assumed that having Justin read stories to Ciara made him miss his family even more, but Justin said that it helped.

Anna told Sydney that E.J. informed Anna that things went smoothly. Anna said that it might be "the end of the road" for them. Sydney started crying, and Anna wondered what was wrong. Anna comforted Sydney and realized that she was getting a fever.

At the police station, Sami received a fax that said, "You brought in the feds. You will never see Sydney again." Sami burst into tears, and E.J. asked what happened. Rafe showed him the note. Sami realized that E.J. was right about what would happen if they informed Rafe about the ransom note.

"How many cases have you done like this? You know better than anyone that Sydney is of no value to her," Sami yelled at Rafe. "What is she gonna do to my little girl?" Sami asked. Rafe told Sami that every case was different, so he couldn't tell her what was going to happen. E.J. assured Sami that he wouldn't let anything happen to Sydney, and Rafe said that no one would let Sydney down. Rafe said that the fax was traceable and the kidnapper had "slipped up."

Rafe said that the reason why the kidnapper didn't want Sami to go to the authorities was because Rafe would hunt the kidnapper down. Rafe went to talk to forensics briefly. Sami asked E.J. what they should do next. When Rafe returned, he asked Sami whether the kidnapper seemed to know Sami, E.J., or Nicole. Sami said the kidnapper seemed to know Sami, because she talked about all the bad things that Sami had done. She said the kidnapper also let her speak to Sydney.

Rafe said they discovered that the fax was sent from "an unregistered mobile device" that was in the local area code, which meant that Sydney was nearby. "Well of course she's nearby. She was going to pick up the ransom until these guys interfered," E.J. said. He apologized for yelling at Rafe. He asked if Rafe had local search ships, and Rafe said he did.

E.J. asked how many miles the ships were covering, and Rafe said, "Too many." Sami blamed herself. E.J. said that he wouldn't play by the rules, and he promised to hunt down the kidnapper if it was the last thing that he did. "And if you do that, that will be the last thing that you do," Rafe told E.J. Sami argued with Rafe for forbidding E.J. to do anything he could to help Sydney.

"I can't have him going behind my back again," Rafe said. E.J. said that he just wanted to find Sydney, and he left to go talk to his men. Sami told Rafe not to get in the way of E.J. "doing what he needs to do" to get Sydney back. Sami pointed out that the DiMeras were powerful, and that would help them get Sydney back. Besides, Sami said, she trusted E.J. "Since when," Rafe asked. "Since I don't have a choice, since now," Sami said.

When Sami and Rafe returned home, they argued about the way she handled the ransom note. "Why couldn't you just trust me," she said. "Because I was right -- you were lying," he said. "For a good reason, and if you hadn't found out about that ransom note, I would have Sydney right now. Rafe said that CSI looked at the surveillance tape and no one went near the money except for the woman that was arrested.

Sami regretted Rafe finding out about the ransom. He asked what she would do if the kidnapper had asked for more money. She said she would do anything to get her daughter back. She said she kept the ransom note a secret, but it wasn't to hurt Rafe -- it was to get Sydney back. Sami and Rafe argued. She said he wasn't always right. "You're just an FBI agent. You are not God. You're not psychic, and you're not even Sydney's father," Sami said. Then she ran out of the room.

Nathan volunteered to put back a personnel file that Carly had, and he realized that it was Melanie's file. He had thought that Melanie quit. Carly said that she had wanted the hospital to hold Melanie's position in the nursing program until she got back from her honeymoon, but Melanie had decided that she didn't want to be in the program. Carly asked if Nathan was surprised by the news. He said he was just curious.

Carly said she heard that Nathan and Melanie used to date. Nathan wondered who she'd heard that from, but Carly said it didn't really matter. Nathan thought that Melanie might have told Carly that Nathan was the reason why she was quitting the nursing program for good. Carly said that Melanie wouldn't have told Carly anything like that, because she and Melanie weren't close.

Carly asked why Nathan thought that Melanie had left the program because of him and whether things didn't end well with him and Melanie. "Obviously not -- she's marrying another guy. I really hoped that we could still be friends, but...you know, maybe it's better that she's leaving town," he said.

Back at the mansion, Melanie picked out a dress to try on. Victor called Vivian and wondered what went wrong. She told him what she had overheard Bo telling Philip that Carly had intended to go after Bo before she returned to town. Vivian wondered if Bo was the only reason that Carly was in town and whether Carly's long-lost daughter had nothing to do with it at all.

Vivian said that Gus was still searching for more information on Carly's child. Vivian said Carly's child could be anyone. Victor was getting impatient. He said whenever Vivian exacted revenge on Carly, Vivian needed to keep a low profile. She agreed and rushed him off the phone, because Melanie had returned with the wedding dress on. Melanie and Vivian bonded

Melanie was happy with the dress and planned to wear it on her wedding day. Vivian found out her stylist had been holding the dress for the Countess of Wessex, but she was able to convince her stylist to give up the dress to Melanie. Melanie asked why Vivian was helping her since she didn't know Melanie. Vivian said it was because she knew that Philip loved Melanie. Vivian asked Melanie to wear a necklace that Vivian's mother had given her. Melanie was happy to wear the necklace.

Julie met with Hope at the pub, and Hope informed her that Carly was in town because she wanted Bo and had tried to get back into Bo's life for years. Julie seemed skeptical. She didn't believe that Carly had been in love with Bo all along and "had such a hold on him that when she returned to Salem, he couldn't resist her considerable charms."

Julie reassured Hope that Bo loved Hope, but Hope wasn't convinced. "You don't hurt someone you love like that. You don't turn around and sleep with another woman just because," Hope said. Julie tried to defend Bo, but Hope cut her off. "I know. I moved out of the house. I took Ciara with me. I told Bo that I needed time. I needed time -- just needed some time. I guess he was ready to move on. It's just that it was so easy for him," Hope said.

Julie surmised that Carly had been aggressive towards Bo, and Hope thought that Bo was playing the hero role. Julie said that Bo didn't do anything for Carly that he wouldn't have done for anyone he cared about. "He didn't have to fall in bed with her. He's not my hero anymore. Never will be again," Hope said.

Julie tried to get Hope to admit that she still loved Bo. "I wish I didn't. Then it wouldn't hurt so much," Hope said. She thought that it was too late for her and Bo. "Oh, no. It's never too late," Julie said. Hope confided in Julie that Justin hoped there could be something between Hope and Justin. Julie reassured Hope that it was okay to lean on an old friend.

Hope said that Bo was the only man in her heart. Bo loved other women, Hope said, while Hope had never loved another man. "I don't think I ever will," she said. Justin asked what Hope planned to do about it.

Nathan went to the pub to meet Stephanie and ran into Hope and Julie. Julie told him that Melissa was pleased to see him with Stephanie. Later, Nathan and Stephanie kissed while they were having lunch at the pub. She asked if he minded that she was going to the wedding. He didn't mind, but he didn't want to go. He decided that they didn't need to let Philip and Melanie know that he and Stephanie were dating.

Carly ran into Victor at the hospital, and he asked if she was trying to avoid him. "I am constantly amazed that a man like you could have produced a son like Bo," Carly said.

"That's exactly what I want to talk to you about," he said. "Your moral repugnance?" she said. "No, yours," he said.

"Oh, I would think that if you could forgive Vivian for trying to kill Kate and Kate for trying to kill a number of people, you could surely get over your resentment of me after all these years," she said.

"Resentment? It goes far beyond that. For what you did to me, I say, 'Goodbye and good riddance.' For what you did to my son, you're going to be sorry you ever showed your face in this town again," Victor said. He said Bo was using Carly to punish Hope. Carly said that Victor's interest in Bo's sex life was "unhealthy."

"I won't say this again -- you leave us alone," Carly said. "You won't have to. I'm as disgusted with Bo's behavior as I am sick of looking at your face," Victor said. He told Carly that Philip planned to take Melanie on Victor's yacht for their honeymoon, and Victor and Vivian planned to join them. Carly objected.

Victor asked if Carly didn't want him to leave town. "I don't care what you do. I doubt that Philip and Melanie are thrilled at the idea of having you and that other thing tag along with them on their honeymoon," she said. Victor asked why she was concerned. Carly said it didn't concern her, and she ordered him to get out of her life.

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily. I know what you did to Lawrence. Hurt my son, and I'll hurt you," he threatened and then walked away. "Hurt my daughter -- you won't have the chance," she said to herself.

E.J. went to the cabin where Anna was taking care of Sydney. Anna told him that Sydney had a fever. She thought that Sydney might be sick. Anna worried about what they would do if Sydney needed a doctor. He reassured Anna that Sydney would get medical attention if she needed it. "There are certain people in this world who need to suffer," E.J. said. "Her mother is one of them. She is not," he added, referring to Sami and Sydney respectively.

E.J. said that Sami blamed Rafe for botching the ransom drop. Anna said that no matter what Sami did, she would never get Sydney back. E.J. said that Sami didn't know that. He was delighted that Sami was turning on Rafe and trusting E.J. Anna said that Sami "never was very bright." E.J. bragged that it was his plan all along to hand five million dollars to the Feds.

Anna thought the money would go to her, because he implied it "heavily." She wanted to know when she would get her money, and he asked her to be patient. Anna realized that E.J. wasn't planning to give Sydney back to Sami.

Vivian and Melanie were at the Java Caf talking about how Melanie planned to wear her hair at the wedding when Carly walked in. Carly imagined ordering Vivian to take her hands off of Melanie or Carly would kill Vivian with her "bare hands."

Friday, January 22, 2010

by Spalding

At the hospital, Bo told Daniel about the restraining order he had issued against Vivian. Shrugging, Daniel wondered whether the restraining order would keep Vivian at bay. Bo asked Daniel to call him if Vivian appeared at the hospital while Carly was on duty, and Daniel agreed.

In the cottage hideaway, E.J. cradled Sydney in his arms while Anna questioned whether E.J. had any plans to return Sydney to Sami. "I'm getting the feeling that you aren't sure when it's going to end or if it's going to end," Anna noted. E.J. assured Anna that the Sydney situation would be over soon. Shaking his head, E.J. shared with Anna that he had overheard Sami and Rafe discuss their preference for raising Sydney without E.J.'s involvement. "They will pay for that," E.J. murmured.

"E.J. I'm glad you've got everything figured out, how you're going to make Sami suffer for lying to you, but you know, at some point, Sydney is going to need a normal life, a family," Anna said softly. "I can't be a nanny forever," Anna joked. E.J. promised to pick up a refill on Sydney's medication and then left. Anna gently touched Sydney's forehead and noted that she was still running a fever. "There's so little medicine left," Anna said worriedly.

At the Java Caf, a startled Carly saw Vivian hugging Melanie. Unable to stop herself, Carly marched over to Melanie and warned her to avoid Vivian. Melanie objected to Carly's meddling in her life. "Vivian wants to destroy you, and I won't let it happen," Carly countered. Rolling her eyes, Melanie told Carly that she was overreacting. Carly pleaded with Melanie to heed her warnings, but Melanie steadfastly refused to listen. As Melanie and Carly verbally sparred with one another, Vivian's smile got bigger.

"Do tell, Carly. I'm very interested in why you're behaving like such an utter fool," Vivian purred. Ignoring Vivian, Carly warned Melanie to be careful. "You need to know that Vivian Alamain is sadistic, cruel, merciless, a card-carrying sociopath," Carly added. "What am I to you?" Melanie asked Carly. "Why are you trying so hard to be a part of my life when you're just clearly not?" Melanie continued. Carly explained that whether she and Melanie were friends or not, she would warn her if there was "an oncoming train."

Turning her ire on Vivian fully, Carly told Vivian to stop harassing her or else Vivian would face the consequences. Vivian chuckled to herself and told Carly that she was upsetting Melanie. Daniel entered the caf and noticed Vivian and Carly arguing. Frantic, Melanie grabbed Daniel's arm and pulled him over toward Carly, and begged him to intervene. Daniel reminded Vivian that there was a restraining order against her, but Vivian defended herself by noting that Carly had approached her and Melanie.

As Carly started to walk away, she knocked over a cup of coffee onto Melanie's wedding dress. Stuttering out an apology, Carly attempted to calm Melanie. "What is it with you and coffee?" Melanie asked incredulously. Carly offered to replace Melanie's gown, but Melanie explained that the dress was a designer original. "Leave me alone!" Melanie yelled. Daniel pulled Carly away from Melanie's table, as Vivian comforted a tearful Melanie. Vivian promised to have the designer replicate the dress for her, and Melanie seemed calmed by her reassurances. "I can't let Carly Manning ruin you big day with my son, now, can I?" Vivian cooed.

Once Melanie stopped crying, Vivian attempted to cheer her up by informing her of Victor's plan for him and Vivian to join Melanie and Philip on the yacht for part of their honeymoon. Surprised and displeased, Melanie looked at Vivian in horror. "I'll run that by Philip," Melanie stammered before heading home to the mansion. Once Melanie had gone, Vivian thought about Carly's impassioned speech to Melanie earlier. "I wonder why Carly was so protective of Melanie?" Vivian mused aloud. "It would be unfortunate if...oh. Very unfortunate. I better do some checking," Vivian muttered.

Outside the caf, Carly told Daniel that she lost her temper when she saw Vivian befriending Melanie. Daniel warned Carly to stay away from Vivian for her own good. Carly started to explain why she was upset about Melanie, then stopped and noted that she could not tell Daniel about her secret. Daniel assured Carly that he "had her back." "Why are you so protective of someone that you hardly even know?" Daniel asked. Shaking her head, Carly thanked Daniel for his help and walked away.

Chloe visited Brady at the Kiriakis mansion to tell him that Nicole had been repeatedly calling her for updates on Sydney. "She misses you, Brady," Chloe said. Brady disagreed with Chloe's assessment, and noted that Nicole had ordered him to stay away from her. Chloe suggested that Brady should ignore Nicole's orders and reach out to her in prison. "Just call her and chat her up a little bit," Chloe said. Slowly shaking his head, Brady refused, explaining that it was not good for his relationship with Arianna. "I told Arianna I moved on. And I have. That's the end of the story," Brady said firmly.

Troy went to Arianna's room to tell her that a new drug shipment arrived and that he needed her help in moving it as quickly as possible. Brady called Arianna to tell her he was running late, and Arianna assured him that she was busy with "pub business" so he could take his time. Once Arianna was off the phone, Troy showed her a sample of the new drug shipment. Arianna admitted that she had a buyer lined up. As Troy attempted to pass the baggie of drugs to Arianna, he fumbled the baggie, and dropped it on the desk where it broke open.

Arianna complained about Troy's clumsiness, and noted that Brady was coming over later and she had very little time to clean up the mess. As Arianna hurriedly attempted to salvage as much of the drugs from the spill as possible, Troy paced behind her, twisting a scarf in his hands. Troy advised Arianna to remember that she could be replaced and that he was in charge of her. Arianna noticed Troy's grip tightening on his scarf and nervously backed away from him. Angry, Troy told Arianna that he would not let her take his place. Arianna reached for her gun, but Troy grabbed her first, and began strangling her with the scarf.

E.J. arrived outside Arianna's door and heard a crash inside. E.J. rushed into the room and pulled Troy off of Arianna. Coughing, Arianna grabbed the phone to call the police, while E.J. shoved Troy into the hallway. "You son of a bitch! Whatever you think you're doing, you get out of here fast," E.J. whispered to Troy as he shoved Troy toward the exit. E.J. ran back into Arianna's room and checked on her. With her last bit of strength, Arianna told E.J. that the police were on their way, then she passed out on the bed.

When Arianna woke up, she thanked E.J. for saving her life. Roman rushed into the room and asked Arianna for her statement. Arianna explained that she had been attacked by a pub regular named Troy. Roman noticed the drugs on the table nearby and asked Arianna to explain them. Coughing slightly, Arianna told Roman that the drugs had fallen out of Troy's pocket when they struggled. Roman asked E.J. and Arianna to go to the police station to review mug shots, but before they could answer, Roman learned from another officer that Troy had been captured.

At the Brady Pub, Philip apologized to Bo for being rude about Carly. Bo waved off Philip's apology, and noted that he had made plenty of comments about Philip's life in the past. Philip assured Bo that he still wanted Bo to be a part of the wedding but reiterated that Carly could not attend the ceremony. "I understand," Bo said.

When Philip arrived home at the mansion, he found Chloe talking to Brady. After Brady left, Philip asked Chloe for her opinion about a necklace he had purchased for Melanie to give to her on the birth of their first child. Philip explained that he wanted to have a large family with Melanie since she did not know her mother and because her father was horrible. Philip briefly talked about his plans for the wedding before he asked Chloe how her wedding planning was going.

When Chloe said that she was taking things slowly with the wedding planning, Philip questioned why she was dragging her feet since he knew she wanted to have kids. Clearly uncomfortable, Chloe said that she would think about it and then she excused herself and hurriedly left.

Melanie returned to the Kiriakis mansion and complained to Philip about her confrontation with Carly. Attempting to calm Melanie down, Philip advised her that the dress wasn't important. "I'd marry you in the nude," Philip joked. Disarmed by Philip's joke, Melanie smiled.

Down at the police station, Roman led Troy in for questioning. A worried Brady arrived to check on Arianna, and she informed him that Troy had attempted to strangle her. Frantic, Brady lamented the fact that he was not there to protect Arianna. E.J. interrupted Brady to inform him that E.J. was the one to stop Troy's attack. Curious, Brady asked E.J. why he was visiting Arianna, but E.J. received a phone call and walked away.

On the other side of the station, E.J. answered a call on his cell phone from Anna. Worried about Sydney, Anna asked E.J. to remember to pick up Sydney's medicine. Noticing that the officers were leading Troy back into the room, E.J. quickly assured Anna that he would not forget, and then he hung up the phone to eavesdrop on Roman and Arianna. Roman told Arianna that the police had found a large quantity of cocaine in Troy's car, so he would be going to prison for quite a while.

"So does this mean..." Arianna asked questioningly. Roman whispered that they would talk later, while Troy watched them suspiciously. Troy thought about a phone conversation he overheard where Arianna mentioned "backup." Comprehension dawned on Troy's face and he called out, "Oh my, God. You're a narc!" In front of everyone, Troy turned to E.J. and said, "She's a narc."

Bo answered his front door to find a distraught Carly. Carly began to rant about Vivian and worried aloud about how Vivian was growing closer to Melanie. Carly informed Bo about what happened at the Java Caf, and Bo reminded Carly to avoid Vivian. Sighing, Carly told Bo that if Daniel had not shown up when he did, Carly might have told Melanie that she was Carly's daughter. Carly assured Bo that the secret was still safe.

Standing outside the caf, Vivian called Gus and asked him to continue his investigation of Mia but to also research Melanie's past. Vivian explained to Gus, "It's probably a long shot, but I was spending some time with Melanie this afternoon and Carly showed up and there was something in her eyes when she looked at that girl."