Your Ineptitude Boggles The Mind

Notice: The Prevuze team will be traveling for the next several days. We have done this many times before and have successfully published Prevuze at the same time. This time, however, we will be out of broadband range for much of the time. We're going to do our best to get it out. We have arranged for a backup author, if necessary, but things will still be slow. In any event, we apologize for any inconvenience and hope you will bear with us. Things should be back to normal by about next Wednesday, if not sooner. It is, after all, a holiday, and we hope you have a good one.

EJ enters Stefano's death chamber and meets the great Tony DiMera. Tony has been released from jail and is watching over the ailing Stefano. He lectures EJ. He reminds him their father is fighting for his life and EJ has come there without Sami and the little demon DiMera seed she is carrying. That could be a deadly mistake.

Lucas tries to feel the baby kicking. The baby doesn't cooperate. Lucas walks away, but suddenly Sami feels it. Lucas rushes back over.

Hope and Marlena are together in the pub. Hope thinks this is like a horrible dream – almost as bad as watching DOOL. She wonders why God keeps taking her children. Marlena tells her she has to stay strong. Victor comes in. Hope asks what the hell he is doing there. He tells them he knows Phillip is returning today and probably would go straight to a bar. Hope tells him he is not welcome and he should leave. She blames Victor for what has happened to Claire. If it weren't for the custody suit she would still be alive. If it weren't for the fact she has idiots for parents she'd be home asleep in her crib, too.

Phillip and Bo walk in. Phillip has gone whiney. He says he tried to save Claire but couldn't. Bo updates Hope on Belle's condition.

Shawn sits beside Belle in the hospital. He's turned whiney too. If he had listened to her, Claire would still be alive. Belle dreams. She finds herself in bed calling for Claire. Strange lights go on and off. The shadow of a mystery man appears. Belle cries, "Where is Claire? What have you done with my baby?"

Marlena says she has to get to the hospital. Hope decides she will drive her. Victor announces he has hired his own search team. If Claire is out there, they will find her. Phillip is skeptical. Bo thinks if she survived they would have picked her up by now. Phillip stops the arguing, "She's gone. Claire is dead. Can we just let her rest in peace?"

Shawn rambles on. He wishes he could take the pain away, but Claire is in heaven. No matter where she is, if she's ditched Shawn and Belle, she's definitely in heaven.

Belle tells the shadow she wants to see her daughter. She blathers, "God should have taken me instead."

"Whad'ya think I'm nuts," asks God.

Who'da guessed it. The shadow is John. Belle falls into his arms. John has come to tell her Claire is alive. John knows because he has hovered between life and death and has seen everyone who has passed to the other side. He hasn't seen Claire, so she must be alive. Sorry, John, there's a flaw in your logic. Claire was headed for heaven. She wouldn't have crossed your path. John says, "She's alive, baby. The rest is up to you." He starts to go.

Belle begs him not to leave. John turns, "I'll always be here for you, pumpkin."

Belle wakes and has some kind of fit. Shawn goes for a nurse.

Phillip tells Victor all the money in the world will not bring Claire back. He thinks he cut himself out of Claire's life when he reenlisted, "It was my job to keep her safe. And now, my little girl is gone."

Claire relaxes on the beach of her deserted island and thinks, "I'm sure glad I thought to bring this book and iPod."

Sami and Lucas enjoy the moment. Sami knows soon she will be up to her neck in diapers. She worries about who the baby's father is. Lucas tries to think positive. Sami wonders what she has done to deserve him. "It's hard to say," says Lucas, "But you have to admit, you've done some pretty bad things." Lucas remains positive. He hugs her. Sami scowls.

Tony says he had a compassionate judge and got out of jail early. EJ wonders how much that cost him. Tony says Stefano is in desperate need of stem cells. He wonders where Sami's baby is. Tony stops EJ from going in to see Stefano and tells him if he hopes to speak to Stefano again he will do exactly as he is told, "You bring me Samantha Roberts now!"

EJ screams back, "Wait your turn!"

Lucas says if he gets a new job he gets a new boss. Anyone would be better than EJ. Sami says she has money she has been saving. Lucas gets macho. A man likes to provide for his family. Sami says she has everything she wants. She has him. Mr. positive goes negative. If EJ escapes he will come after them. Sami says things will be fine. She vows never to be EJ's victim again.

Tony refuses to let EJ see Stefano. He thinks EJ is an embarrassment to the DiMera name. They argue about who has accomplished the most for the DiMeras. Tony sneers, "Your ineptitude boggles the mind."

EJ says there is more to this than Stefano. His child is also involved. Tony is shocked that EJ is putting the little bastard ahead of their father. If EJ doesn’t bring him the stem cells there will be hell to pay.

Phillip thinks they have to accept the fact that Claire isn't coming back. Victor insists they will find her. Phillip softens. He knows this is hard for Victor too.

Belle tosses and turns. Shawn tries to comfort her. Marlena and Hope come in. John watches and drools as Amy the nurse administers drugs. Amy leaves.

Marlena thanks Shawn for taking care of Belle. Marlena sits beside Belle. She says Claire is at peace, "She's with the angels now."

Belle looks at Marlena, "You don't understand. Claire's alive. She's alive." Belle smiles. The drugs have kicked in.

Belle insists it's true. Claire is alive. She swears she isn't in denial. Marlena asks Shawn and Hope to leave. Belle says, "Dad told me Claire is alive."

Shawn asks Hope what to do. "Be there for her," says Hope, "Listen to her."

"That's a lot to ask," says Shawn.

Hope hugs Shawn and discovers his wound. Shawn tells her what happened. Hope wants him to see a doctor, and swears vile things will happen to Bo for not telling her. Shawn shays he has more important things to worry about.

Phillip says on the island Shawn, Belle and Claire were like a real family, "Or as close to reality as anything gets on this show." Tragedy brings people closer, so they put aside their differences. He hopes Victor will support him on this. Victor tells him he's making a big mistake. Claire might still be alive. Phillip should beware of fraternizing with the enemy. Victor won't rest until Claire takes her proper place in the Kiriakis family.

Lucas says the hardest thing he ever had to do was stop himself from killing EJ with his bare hands. Sometimes Sami wishes she had done it. Lucas doesn't think she is capable of something like that. Sami didn't want her baby's life to start off like that. She swears she won't ever let anything happen to the kid. Translation: the kid is doomed.

They go back over well-trodden ground. Sami says, "I'm happy with who I am... and I'm happy with you and our kids..."

Lucas interrupts, "Our kids? We still only have one, you know."

Sami says, "No, we have you and Will – two juveniles. and I'm not gonna let anybody take that away from me."

EJ doesn't like Tony's threats. Tony tells him if Stefano dies, so does he. He gives EJ one hour to bring Samantha to him, "You do not want to disappoint me ever again." Tony huffs off. EJ stares and sighs.

Lucas and Sami smooch. EJ stalks out in the hall. He holds an envelope and stares at it.

EJ knocks. Sami goes to get it. She opens the door and sees the envelope, but no one is there. As she bends down – pain. The last time there was a normal pregnancy on DOOL was when Alice was born. It's a copy of "The Knot" and a note from Carley wanting to do a follow up article. She wants Sami to meet her at Chez Rouge. They wonder why Carley didn't just call. Sami thinks that's weird, but has to go since Carley wants her right away. Lucas tells her to hurry back.

Shawn tells Hope before this happened he had this crazy idea they would be a real family. They had worked things out. Everything was good and then they lost Claire. He's afraid he's going to lose Belle too. Every cloud has a silver lining.

Belle tells Marlena John came to her. She tells her what John said. Marlena believes her and tells her John has come to her in dreams, too. Belle is euphoric.

Hope insists Shawn and Belle will get through this. Shawn reminds her Claire is what brought them together. Shawn says Belle has a crazy idea they will find Claire. Bo rushes in. Hope slaps him around for not telling her about the gunshot wound. They urge Shawn to get medical attention. Shawn says he isn't going anywhere.

Marlena thinks it's a possibility that Claire is still alive. She tells Belle about finding the coin in John's hand after their phone conversation. Belle thinks that was a miracle. Hope, Bo and Shawn come in. Belle says they need to get the word out that Claire is still alive. She tells them about the dream. Everyone looks dumbfounded. Belle asks, "You believe me, don't you?"

Hope, Bo and Marlena leave. Belle tells Shawn she knows her story sounds weird, but John has visited Marlena, too.

Outside, Hope asks why Marlena is encouraging Belle about the dream. Marlena says, "Belle isn't the only person who has had a visit from John in her dreams. John has come to me also."

Ebenezer Scrooge comes up and says, "He's visited me, too. The ghost of Christmas future wasn't Marley."

Hope thinks Marlena needs a psychiatrist. Marlena thinks they should talk later when Hope might be more accepting of her cockamamie story. She leaves. Hope asks Bo what he thinks about Marlena's story. Bo says Marlena's dreams have been on the money in the past. Marlena comes back and says she's going to go see John.

Lucas works on thank you notes as the doorbell rings. It's Celeste. Lucas tells her Sami is gone. Celeste says EJ knows Sami's baby belongs to him. Lucas says that's ridiculous. Celeste tells him their other ways to tell these things than amnio, "The baby was conceived to save Stefano's life."

Sami walks up to her car and gets in. EJ pops up and sticks a handkerchief over her mouth, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I truly am." FF unconscious Sami.


Previews
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Willow tells Shawn, "I heard you were back in town. I thought you might like to know how your baby is doing."

Chelsea tees off on Nick, "You either tell Willow to take a hike, or you can say goodbye to me."

EJ tells Tony, "You will have to kill me before you can get a hand on Samantha or my child. Are you clear?" Pan to Sami sitting in a chair shaking as Tony chuckles.