May You Rot In Hell Part Deux

The group in Ireland stands around the cranky old woman. Marlena just can't believe it's Colleen. The rest pipe in with their disbelief. The old woman insists she really is Colleen Brady.

The tweenies reconnoiter at the pub. They debrief about their recent meeting with Crawford. "He has one mission in life," says Max, "To see someone pay for his son's death."

But my credit card is maxed out," whines Chelsea.

Stephanie says it's Ford's own fault he died. And they didn't mean for Max to be involved. Max says he still can make a deal with Crawford. Chelsea thinks the deal he wanted to make didn't involve Max. She thinks maybe she shouldn't have said anything in the first place. Nick tells her she did the right thing. Just to make things more interesting, Crawford comes into the pub. He swaggers over to their table, "I just came from the morgue. I saw Ford's body. It was terrible. It was... it was... shaped like a cylinder. I've had a change of heart."

Sami bounces they crying Ali. Sami thinks she may have a cold, but hopes it's not the flu.

Lucas calls. He asks which one of the babies is crying. Sami tells him it's Ali. She rants at him for not being there, but of course blames herself, "I caused this but I feel like I want to hate you."

Bo challenges the crusty old coot. She claims she really is Colleen Brady. She's heard Sami is the spitting image of her when she was younger and is pleased about that, "Over the years, may love for Santo held me together and tore me apart at the same time."

Colleen tells them what happened after they thought she killed herself. It's more or less the Reader's Digest version. She wanted everyone to think she killed herself, but to do that would have been a mortal sin, so she didn't jump. She ran and hid and Santo went back to his life with his wife and son. Her hope of a future with him was dashed. She heard Santo never smiled for one day after that and Stefano bore the brunt of his father's pain, "And Stefano blamed me for all the days of his life."

Max reminds Crawford of his deal. Crawford slugs down a shot of booze and says maybe he can't win but he can make Chelsea's life hell. Max reminds Crawford of the girls Ford raped. "There is no proof he did that," says Crawford, "but there is proof he is dead." He thinks the victim was Ford. Stephanie says they didn't want to kill him, they just wanted him to stop hurting people.

Crawford rants at Chelsea, "Somehow you lured him to the house. He never would have come there on his own, so that's another piece of evidence against you."

Chelsea says Ford was arrogant. She denies she pushed him. Crawford says, "I'm going to the DA. I'm going to have him press full charges. May you rot in hell for what you did."

Crawford storms out. Nick consoles Chelsea.

Sami rants at Lucas, "I still love you but I want to kill you." As she rants she discovers EJ standing at the door. She tells Lucas she can't talk anymore and hangs up. "How long have you been standing there," she bellows, "What are you doing here?"

EJ remains calm, "I live here... for the moment."

"What does that mean," snorts Sami.

"Our situation has changed dramatically," says EJ, "We're going to start working with a good script and a real plot."

Colleen says Santo's love was merely a memory to her. Stefano was consumed with hate for all his life. He held Colleen responsible. Colleen insists by faking her death she gave Santo back his life, "In other words I saved him the torture of living with a nasty old nag like me."

Bo isn't buying it, "Does anybody believe her?" Some do, some are skeptical. Colleen gets in Bo's face and screams, "I'm Colleen Brady. I'z barn with that name. It's the name I'll carry to me very last breath." Bo hopes that last breath comes sooner rather than later.

The brat throws a fit. Nick tries to console her but she beats him away, "Would you feel differently if Mr. Decker were threatening you?"

"No."

Billie rushes in with Kate. She knows Chelsea didn't do it and thinks Crawford knows deep down she didn't either. Kate tells the group she knows how to help Chelsea as she drags her out of the pub, "Bloomingdale's is having a sale." Billie follows.

Guards bring Lucas into Roman's office. He says he has something to tell Roman, "I want to confess. I did it. I shot EJ in the back. I was trying to kill him. I don't want a trial, just time served. All I ask is you get me in the same cell with Carmine."

Colleen insists it's the truth. Afterward she moved to another part of Ireland, changed her name and became a seamstress. She didn't stay in Ireland. She went to South America. She never got married. "I worked making clothing. I started by making clothes for the children. Then the women liked my work so much they asked me to start making clothes for them. Then I also started making men's clothes. One thing led to another and the business grew. I found out I had a knack for finances, too, so I changed my name to Levi-Strauss, started a company and made a nice chunk o' change." She says she only recently found out she had relatives in Salem. She asks all their forgiveness, but says she took something of theirs. Colleen summons Crystal, who stands at the door and motions for Claire.

EJ says they are there so they can be safe from Stefano. He tells her Stefano is no longer a threat. "What," asks Sami, "Is he dead? I doubt that. He's pretended to be dead so many times he probably has his own drawer at the morgue."

Kate and Billie take Chelsea to see Victor. They tell him about Ford and the fact that Crawford is trying to put Chelsea in prison. "Consider the matter taken care of," says Victor.

Chelsea asks, "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

A stenographer records things as Lucas makes his confession. Abe tells him he's doing the right thing. They will have it typed up and Lucas can sign it. Abe asks why he is doing this. "Sami loves me but wants to kill me," explains Lucas, "I look at it as protective custody."

Abe says most people don't plead guilty without a deal. He thinks there is something more. Lucas says he talked to Sami. She knows he's guilty and there is no reason wasting the taxpayers money, "It won't be a life sentence."

"It's not a picnic either," says Roman. Lucas says all he can hope for is that the judge will be lenient.

Stephanie thanks Max for standing up for them. Nick leaves. Stephanie thinks Max really handled Crawford. "If helping you isn't the right thing to do," says Max, "then lock me up."

Claire runs to Belle. Shawn joins in the joyful family hug. John wanders as Colleen smiles. "You win some you lose some," says Claire.

John slides the knife into his hand. Marlena walks over and reminds him Claire is his granddaughter. John retracts the knife, "How nice."

Bo goes over to Colleen and says she has some 'splainin to do.

Victor gets off the phone and tells Chelsea, "It's all taken care of."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"What is it, again, you do for a living," asks Chelsea.

"I'm a businessman," says Victor, "That's all you need to know. It's best not to dig too deeply."

Billie thanks him. "Anything for Chelsea," says Victor.

Chelsea asks another favor, "You know... Max sort of moved Ford's body."

"Sort of...," asks Victor.

Chelsea comes clean and tells him the tale of Max the body-snatcher. Victor says if Max is charged he won't get much more than a slap on the wrist, but there isn't much he can do for him.

Bo lectures Colleen for taking Claire. Hope piles on. Colleen rants and says she had to do it because she feared Stefano. Bo and Hope assure her they already know Stefano is a sociopath. She didn't have to take Claire to convince them of that. Bo threatens to press charges. Colleen defends herself, "I had to protect her. I felt that way about protecting everyone from Salem. Everyone. Including Brady. Brady Black."

Stephanie and Max sit at a booth. Stephanie gushes, "You are awesome when we need you."

"What do you mean 'when WE need you,'" asks Max, "How about you?"

"OK," says Stephanie, "When I need you. You are the only one who would have been dumb enough to help with Ford."

Billie and Chelsea come back into the pub. Chelsea tells Max and Stephanie about Victor making one phone call and getting her off the hook, "Unfortunately, Max, Victor said he couldn't do much to help you."

EJ tells Sami about Stefano's coma, "They say he's catatonic, vegetative."

"They don't know how this happened," asks Sami.

"All they know is he was watching DOOL," says EJ, "Lexie could do more tests, but Tony and I agree with her that we shouldn't. We are going to send him to a state sanitarium and he will be there until he meets his maker."

"Imagine that meeting," says Sami.

Ali's crying interrupts. EJ shushes her and she quiets down. He tells Sami he really regrets following in Stefano's footsteps. Sami understands, "You can't go back and change the past, EJ."

"No," he agrees, "Unless you're a DOOL writer. But I can be a better man for you and the children." Ali cries again and EJ picks her up and bounces her. Ali adds motion sickness to her list of ailments. Sami asks if they get to go home now. EJ says that's what it looks like. He continues to bounce Ali as Sami gets a call from Lucas.

Sami isn't in any mood to talk to Lucas, but he begs, "I want you to come and visit me and bring Ali so I can say goodbye."

Crawford arrives at Victor's place. Victor has him come in and sit down, "There has been a misunderstanding."

Colleen says she does not have Brady. She doesn't know where he is. She asks Chloe if she knows. Chloe says no and walks off. Phillip follows. "I pray no evil has befallen him," says Colleen.

"What evil could be worse than being a part of this wacko bunch," asks John.

Marlena reminds John Brady is his son. John don' give a flip.

Hope and Bo ask why Colleen had to kidnap Claire and Brady. "For safekeeping," says the old crank, "That's alll I'm goin' t'say right now."

John stares the stare of the damned. He drops the knife into his hand again as everyone gathers around Claire. Marlena comes over to John and they lock eyes.

Outside, Chloe cries. Phillip comes up to her but she walks off. Inside, John approaches Colleen and sits across from her. Pan in on Colleen.


Previews
========

You can watch the previews later today on our PREVUZE II website.

May You Rot In Hell

Tony comes into the pub, sees Anna and goes over to her table. Anna ain' interested. She tells him she's preparing for a job interview. She also thinks Tony doesn't take her seriously.

Sami and EJ are in the safe house. With nothing else to do, they actually pay some attention to the babies. Sami gets a call from the DA's office. She hangs up and announces, "They were just notifying me of Lucas' trial date and that they expect me to testify. It saves money if they phone in their subpoenas."

Stefano vegetates as Lexie begs him to talk. Roman interrupts the one-way conversation. Lexie says the tests show no indication of a stroke. Roman chews on that as Lexie says she thinks Stefano is trying to communicate with her. Roman wants her to take a break. Lexie wants to help Stefano if she can. Roman ushers her out as Stefano's mind begs her not to go.

Outside, Patch joins them. He says he and Kayla have brought Stephanie in for counseling. He asks Roman if he is working on the Decker case.

Roman is shocked, "You know I can't tell you that. I can blab everything in the world about my other cases and let you and other untrained civilians tag along on cases, but I can't tell you if I'm working on a case."

Patch understands. Once they have that straight, Roman launches into talking about the case. He gives Patch everything but the password to the SPD computer system, "Now that Crawford knows where the body is, he may think he has gotten justice." Patch thinks there was justice when Ford died.

Shawn tells the McGoon brothers, "We're looking for Crystal."

Aloysius says, "Everyone's looking for Crystal tonight."

Belle Says, "She has our daughter and we're not leaving here without her."

Bo and Hope search upstairs. They use their handy-dandy skeleton key kits to get into the rooms up there.

John hides his knife. Marlena looks at the old woman and gasps, "It's impossible. I didn't think Betty Crocker was real."

Roman doesn't want to talk about the Decker case, so Patch asks about Stefano. Roman doesn't see how anyone could have done anything to him. Patch gets a call. It's Adrienne. She asks him to meet her at the Brady pub. The semi-masked man is on his way.

Meanwhile, Roman tells Lexie not to beat herself up over Stefano. Lexie beats herself up. Stefano's mind begs for help.

EJ knows Sami is upset about the possibility of Lucas going to prison. Sami says she hates this situation and what it is doing to her kids, who are too young to give a flying leap... Not to mention what it's doing to the audience.. Now she is stuck with EJ in the safe house. EJ knows he has disappointed her but gives her his word, "I am not going to leave you."

Shamus tells the fearsome foursome they don't know where Crystal is.

Bo and Hope continue to sneak around.

Marlena looks at the old woman and gasps, "You're supposed to be dead."

The old woman smiles, "Poor girl. Havn't ye learned, no one ever dies on this show."

Stefano vegetates. Lexie asks Roman to get in touch with EJ and ask him to meet her there. Roman agrees and leaves.

Tony wonders what happened. Anna gives a concise recap of recent events, "We came back to Salem, you bought a company and I dumped you."

Tony can't understand why Anna is so upset about him buying a company, "This is business, not shopping."

Anna accuses him of patronizing her. "I wasn't patronizing you," says Tony, "I was insulting you." He digs himself into a deeper hole by claiming she wasn't the talent or brains behind his former operation, "I ran that cocoanut stand on the island without any help at all." Anna thinks he just called her stupid. Saved by the bell... Lexie interrupts with a call and asks Tony to come to the hospital.

EJ gets a call and Roman tells him to come to the hospital. True to form for people in Salem, EJ doesn't ask what it's about; he just leaps for the door.

Patch meets Adrienne. Big hug. She announces Justin, the boys and her are leaving Salem.

Bo, Hope and Crystal sneak around the bed and breakfast. Somehow, they manage not to bump into each other.

The McGoon brothers say others have been there looking around. Shawn wants to know who it was. He threatens to call the cops but Crystal makes an appearance and says that won't be necessary. Belle goes off the scale and demands to know where her daughter is.

The old woman says she will answer everyone's questions and all mysteries will be resolved.

Anna calls and schedules an interview.

Patch wonders why Adrienne is leaving. She says she loves her job, but loves Justin more, "He just got a job offer in Dubai. This is goodbye."

A nurse hands Lexie more reports. Lexie takes three-tenths of a second to review them and announces that they are results for someone other than Stefano who may be very sick. Roman asks if he can help. Lexie hesitates, "Yes, there might be a way you can."

The fearsome foursome demands to see Claire.

John flashes his knife as the mystery woman assures them she is alive even though there are some who wish she weren't. Bo and Hope walk into the room. Bo looks the old woman over, "Who's this?"

Hope says, "It can't be."

Marlena says, "That was my reaction, too."

"I am," says the woman.

"Not possible," says Bo, "I didn't think Mrs. Butterworth was real."

Anna makes the appointment.

Adrienne says she will ask Max to run the Cheatin' Heart until she figures out what to do with it, "I figure once Max is done with it, the place will be bankrupt and there won't be much work left."

Patch whines, "I'm going to miss you. I know I've been a pain in the butt..."

"You're a pin in the butt," says Adrienne, "But you're my pain in the butt." Adrienne says she will write. Hugs, tears, goodbyes. Adrienne leaves. At the door, she turns for one last tearful look, throws him a kiss and leaves. Patch screams, "Shane! Shane! Come back!"

Lexie says things aren't good but, as always, they need more tests. Tony and EJ walk in. Lexie fills them in. She's asking their help in deciding what to do with Stefano.

Crystal says she can't take them to Claire.

Bo and Hope have lots of questions for Marlena, like what are they doing there and why did she break John out of the hospital. "Roman's going to have a problem with this," says Bo.

Marlena claims John was in protective custody so it was OK for her to break every rule in the book and spring him. John butts in, "Stefano wanted me to find this woman."

Hope says she thinks the woman has the answers to their questions. The old woman gets a bit cranky, "Well, I was about t'answer them when y'interrupted me."

Bo gets a bit cranky himself, "Well no one is stopping you now."

Caroline comes over to Anna's table. Anna rants about Tony. She thinks he doesn't appreciate her. She tells Caroline she followed up on the prospective job, "He is going to regret underestimating me."

"It sounds like he's going to regret ever knowing you," says Caroline.

Tony, EJ and Lexie stand at Stefano's bedside and discuss his condition. "I think something mysterious happened to him," says Lexie.

"Yes," says Tony, "We're aware of the fact that all of medicine is a mystery to you. What did you find when you checked for brain activity?"

"I knew there was something I had forgotten to do," says Lexie, "I don't know if I should. Maybe this is fate. This way he can't hurt anyone."

Tony thinks it's ironic. The fate of the great manipulator lies in the hands of the people he manipulated the most. Stefano's brain screams, "I loved you and now you must repay that love."

Lexie says they need to decide how they really feel about Stefano and then they will know what to do, "It's a little-known codicil to the Hippocratic oath... I promise that I will first, do no harm, unless I don't like the person and then I can let him rot."

Crystal says she can't hand over Claire because she can't be sure Claire will be safe with Shawn and Belle. Crystal catches on fast. Shawn and Belle beg Crystal to reconsider and decide they will just go search the place. Aloysius and Shamus step in but Crystal calls them off, "Upstairs." Shawn, Belle, Phillip and Chloe practically kill each other to see who can rush up the stairs first.

The old woman says Stefano and she have been playing cat and mouse ever since he found out she's alive. She has money and kept track of what Stefano is doing. Her base was the dilapidated storefront in Salem. She may have money, but apparently not enough to get a better place. She tells them she was behind the Claire-napping. Just as she says this, the fearsome foursome rushes in and Belle demands to know where her daughter is.

Patch meets Roman at the hospital. He tells Roman about Adrienne's plans, "She told me Justin got a job with the Doobie Brothers. I didn't even know he could sing." Roman fills him in on Stefano, and then asks to talk to Kayla. He says Lexie got test results on another patient and it's something he and Kayla need to know.

Tony stands at Stefano's bedside and accuses Stefano of never loving him. Stefano's brain argues. Tony says he feels nothing as he looks at Stefano in this condition.

Tony moves away and it's EJ's turn to bash Stefano. Stefano's brain knows EJ will not turn his back on him. EJ says when he thinks about the evil Stefano has done he knows he turned what he had with Samantha into something cold and heartless. He then comes up with the rationalization of the century, "Because of you, I forced myself on her and have to live with that for all the Days Of Our Lives. All so you can have an heir. Well, where are your heirs now?"

EJ moves away so Lexie can come up and take her shot, "You nearly cost me my marriage. Thank goodness I had Tek to run to. You held me captive for months. I was luckier than my brothers. I didn't have to fight so hard to escape your influence."

Stefano's mind rages as Lexie says she took an oath and thinks she might be able to find a way to help him, "You must, Alexandra!"

Lexie goes over with the boys and asks what they should do, "Should we help, or leave him like this where he can't harm anyone?"

Belle demands to know where Claire is. The old woman says she's safe. Chloe wonders if she knows anything about Brady. Phillip tells her to concentrate on Claire. They wonder if she can prove who she is.

The woman says she always outsmarted Stefano and his soldiers.

Marlena pipes up, "If this woman is who we think she is, she would never hurt a Brady child, would you?"

"Not just a child," says the woman, "I'd let the whole damn family suffer for a half century while I hid out."

Patch tells Roman he and Kayla will help. He'll fill Kayla in and catch the next flight to Ireland.

Stefano's mind rages. He thinks Rolf might know what to do. On the other side of the room, Lexie, Tony and EJ debate what to do. Lexie thinks the world will be better of without Stefano. EJ thinks maybe without him he would know what unconditional love is. Tony walks over and kisses Stefano's forehead, "May you rot in hell."

Stefano's mind screams, "YOU SOB!"

So, they all agree; Stefano is to vegetate forever. They leave the room. Stefano's mind yells, "NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The woman insists she would never hurt a Brady. "Then you really are her," says Marlena.

"Yes," says the woman, "I'm Colleen Brady."


Previews
========

You can watch the previews later today on our PREVUZE II website.

Whistler's Mother

I-Felta & Co. are gathered at the cop shop. The whiz kids decide they are in trouble. Billie lectures them for not coming to her before things got out of hand, but she figures without a body the cops have nothing, "In most circles, this is known as Habeas Corpus," says Billie, "On DOOL, we refer to it as Habeas Crapus."

The girls strategize (I use the term loosely). Chelsea and Morgan argue. Chelsea just won't hear of any more shenanigans. Of course, since she let the cat totally out of the bag, that wouldn't do much good anyway. Stephanie calls Max. She tells him where they are, "OK, I'll tell them." Stephanie hangs up and says, "Max will never tell where he put the body."

A leaking hydraulic line delayed Phillip's plane. The boys argue about who should have known what and when. The girls try to break it up and say they want to focus on Claire. Belle broods. Shawn stares. Chloe wonders if they will find Brady there, too. She flashes back to telling Phillip about her and Brady.

Bo fakes an Irish accent as Hope decides they are lost. Hope definitely did not leave her nagging skills in the States. Bo is confused about which side to drive on. A passing semi refreshes his memory. Hope checks the map and thinks they are near a pub where they could get a great serving of gooseberry crumble. Her phone rings. It's her direct line to Interpol. They inform her their intelligence has figured out Crystal is in a town called New Ross. Hope tries to figure out what "New Ross" spelled backwards means.

John and Marlena enter a nearly empty pub. John announces that it's the St. Obbin Bed and Breakfast in New Ross. John says this is Obbin's hometown, "The target is here. I can feel it."

Marlena says, "That's not the target. You're leaning against the radiator. Maybe they're around back."

John says, "Stay here. I'll have a look."

Marlena says, "No. You're not getting out of my sight."

"It always was nearly impossible to get away from you," mumbles John.

"What did you say," says Marlena, "I didn't hear you."

"I'm right by your side," says John.

Marlena remembers her threat to take him down with meds if he gets out of hand. She clutches her purse and follows him.

A proprietor comes out. His buddy Igor follows. The proprietor asks if he can help. John asks about a room. The proprietor claims they are full. John asks if he can have a look around. They tell them to get out. Igor makes a few grunting sounds. John wonders if they are hiding something.

Hope yammers directions. Bo absorbs some of it. She says it's 35 kilometers to New Ross, "So how much is that in miles?"

"That's about 20 miles," says Bo.

"My metric converter says it's 50 miles," says Hope.

"That's if you're using dog-kilometers," says Bo.

Tense times reign on the plane. Belle wonders why Shawn keeps looking at her. "I'm a glutton for punishment," says Shawn. He and Phillip bicker. Belle wonders why things aren't settled between Shawn and Phillip as her IQ approaches absolute zero.

Billie says the main concern is to keep the girls out of prison. "We screwed up," says Stephanie, "That doesn't make us criminals."

"Why do I feel like one," asks Chelsea.

Billie tells them to stay calm and quiet. She tells them they don't have to answer Roman's questions without an attorney. Crawford and Roman join them. Roman is somber, "I hate to do this but... the DA signed an arrest warrant. Chelsea will be charged with the murder of Ford Decker."

Billie stands up for Chelsea. Crawford says he will leave the matter of her innocence or guilt up to the courts. Stephanie steps in and defends Chelsea. Crawford goes off the deep end, "I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYTHING MORE FROM YOU, SLUT!"

Roman comes to Stephanie's defense. Stephanie rages, "Ford came from you. He probably learned it from you. How many women have you raped, Mr. Decker?"

Roman thanks everyone for acting like adults. He calms Stephanie down and repeats his threat to Crawford. He'll throw him in jail if he has to.

Chelsea whines and says she didn't murder Ford. Crawford doesn't buy it.

Belle moves Chloe and sits by Shawn. "What can I do to settle this," she asks, "I love you and want to be with you, but you have to understand I still care about Phillip."

"I don't sleep with everybody I care about," says Shawn.

"I screwed up, OK," says Belle.

"UP has nothing to do with this," says Shawn, "I believe it was Phillip.

Bo is worried about Chelsea. Hope is too, but thinks she will be OK. She wants to focus on finding Claire. Bo followed her directions and they are lost again. They bicker about directions. Hope decides they are going the wrong way. Bo figures she had the map upside down. Salem's finest continues to argue about how to read a map and drive on the right... left... correct side of the road. Bo's phone mercifully interrupts. He listens, hangs up and announces that the New Ross police have lost Crystal.

"I didn't know there was another police force as incompetent as the SPD," says Hope. Bo decides they will go door-to-door to find her if they have to.

Belle insists she was weak. Shawn doesn't think weakness is an excuse. Belle figures that strategy won't work so she says she slept with Phillip because of unresolved feelings. She pours out her love for Shawn. She loves him and only him, "Shawn, I love you... and I want to build a life with you and Claire and any other kids we might have."

Chloe and Phillip soak it in.

Marlena thinks they need to go. John thanks the boys for their help, "Your Irish hospitality is warming the cockles of my heart."

"I love it when you talk dirty," says Marlena.

John and Marlena leave. The boys make sure they are gone and head to the back. John and Marlena double back and sneak upstairs.

Chelsea claims innocence. The girls gang up on Crawford. Billie tells them to shut up. Roman seconds that idea. The audience cheers. Roman and Crawford get into it. Stephanie jumps in with another shot, "Your son was an evil predator!"

Suddenly, Billie has an idea...

Chloe takes Phillip to the compartment up front, "I just thought you didn't need to hear all that coming from Belle and Shawn."

"Nobody deserves to have to listen to that," says Phillip.

Belle goes back to brooding. Shawn comes over and says he loves her but he can't buy everything she is saying. He doesn't know how he is supposed to trust her anymore. Belle says she loves him and only him, today, and even loved only him when she was married to Phillip. Shawn says she has to be held responsible for her decisions. He thinks Belle and Phillip would be together if Claire were Phillip's daughter.

Hope drives. Bo stares at her and smirks. It's not very often he gets to sit and stare at his beautiful wife when her mouth isn't moving. He still sees the girl he fell in love with. Hope thinks being in the country of his ancestors has made him soft in the head. Bo assures her his head is soft no matter where he is.

We go through a series of flashbacks of their wonderful life together... Bo and Hope meeting... Their wedding... Skinny dippin' in the lagoon... Flying in a balloon... Bo doing Billie in the pit... Hope romping with Patrick on the beach...

"How close are we," asks Hope.

"Very close."

John and Marlena continue to sneak around.

Crawford suggests Chelsea plead guilty and tell them where the body is. Roman asks what Billie thinks. Billie thinks they might be able to work something out. Her plan: Chelsea will not plead guilty. She reminds Crawford he has no evidence and no proof of Chelsea's guilt, "You can't win. If you drop the charges, we will produce the body."

Stephanie screams, "NO!" I wonder what part of 'shut up' confuses her.

Chloe comes back out and asks, "Are you guys done?"

"Yeah," says Shawn. He leaves. Chloe sits beside Belle, "You know you're jerking them both around."

"What else do you do with a couple of jerks?"

Shawn tells Phillip he's tired of this. "Tired of what," says Phillip, "Hating me?"

"No," says Shawn, "This monotonous plot. I don't hate you. I'm ticked off."

Phillip sees an opening. He thinks it over, "I banged his wife and he's 'ticked off.' The guy is dumber than I thought." He turns to Shawn, "I can handle 'ticked off.'"

"So can I," says Shawn.

Chloe insists she had nothing to do with Brady's disappearance. She loves him. "Do you," asks the ever-poignant Belle.

Shawn and Philip decide they are a lot alike. "We certainly have the same taste in women," says Phillip.

Bo gets back in the car. He tells Hope he found someone who saw a woman carrying Claire into a bed & breakfast near there.

Roman is on the phone as Billie appeals to Crawford. Crawford rants, "I know it won't bring Ford back, but someone has to pay."

Roman gets off the phone, "The DA will agree to the deal if Mr. Decker will."

Crawford goes uber-dramatic on us, "Mr. Decker says... ... ... the end of time approaches... ... "No deal!"

Phillip tells Shawn he knows they both love Belle, "But she is your wife. I just borrow her from time to time."

Belle accuses Chloe of trying to sink her claws into Shawn. Chloe reminds her she sunk her claws into Phillip. Chloe knows Phillip will get over Belle. Belle wonders how Chloe feels about Shawn. Chloe says she cares for Shawn but knows he is Belle's husband.

Belle says she loves Shawn with all her heart. She doesn't want anyone else for the moment. Chloe insists she wants Brady back. So that settles it. Belle and Shawn will be together, Chloe and Brady will be together. Phillip is in the toilet.

Phillip says he knows Belle will choose Shawn. The boys shake and decide it's time to go get Claire.

John and Marlena continue to sneak around the bed and breakfast. John eyes a used dinner tray as they head into a room. Marlena decides the room is empty, but John checks it out, "Not that I don't trust you or anything."

Bo and Hope come in downstairs. Bo gets a call from Shawn. He gives the phone to Hope, who tells Shawn they are getting close. She tells him they are in New Ross.

Crawford doesn't see any reason to take any kind of a deal. He gets in Chelsea's face, "You're going to jail."

Stephanie steps in and says she is a victim of Ford's, but won't be one of Crawford's victims. She says she will testify and tell the world what a creep Ford was. Cordy backs her up. Morgan says she has the same stories she can tell. They ask if that's what Crawford wants his son's legacy to be. Crawford eases up. Roman asks what he wants to do. Crawford just wants to know where the body is. We pan across the line of girls.

Hope tells Shawn they are at St. Obbin's bed and breakfast. Bo takes the phone and tells Shawn the witnesses said Claire looked fine. Shawn hangs up and the fearsome foursome heads for New Ross. Meanwhile, the plane goes into its landing pattern.

The proprietor and his goon come back into the bed and breakfast.

John creeps into the room. Marlena asks him to look into her eyes. John stares his nouveau squintless stare. Marlena asks, "Are you going to kill someone?"

John unzips his jacket, "No. Go ahead. Frisk me." Marlena gives him the once over, head to toe. "Oh," moans John, "Do it again."

"Not that I don't trust you," says Marlena. Marlena moves into the next room. John deadpans and lifts a butcher knife off of the tray.

Crawford once again asks where the body is. He says if they tell him, he will have the DA drop the charges. The girls whine in unison, "But we don't know where the body is."

In steps Max the body-snatcher, "I know. I'm the one who took him away.

Bo tells the proprietor and Igor he's looking for Crystal. The boys hesitate, but up at the top of the stairs Crystal says, "It's all right. You can look around but you're already too late."

John and Marlena enter the next room and discover an old woman in a rocking chair. Marlena gasps, "Whistler's Mother! "


Previews
========

You can watch the previews later today on our PREVUZE II website.

Freezing His Asssss... pirations Off

Steve comes into the hospital and is shocked to find Kayla at work. She asks if he's all right. "No," he whispers, "Our baby girl. She was raped. I couldn't protect her. I want to kill the SOB who did that, but he's already dead. No, I'm not all right."

Bo and Hope are at the cop shop. They thought they would check in with Abe before they go to Ireland. Abe doesn't give a flying leap where they are going, as long as it's out of town. Abe says Interpol is tracking Claire in Ireland. They aren't moving in because Brady is also a prisoner. Hope says, "Hopefully we'll find out who's behind all this once we get to Ireland."

Bo says, "God knows what else we will find once we get there."

Hope says, "A plot, maybe?"

Anna tells Tony they could have stayed in their hotel instead of coming to the pub. Tony is in the mood for some good old-fashioned home cooking. Since he can't get that, he'll settle for the swill they serve at the pub. She tries to interest Tony in some good old-fashioned room service. Tony thinks that might do for dessert. They both think hopping around the Mediterranean together was wonderful. Neither wanted to end the vacation, but all good things must come to an end. Bad things, like DOOL, just keep going and going and going... She thinks their past mistakes may be why they are so good together.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," says Tony.

"Then you must be superman," says Anna.

Tony announces, "I'm going to do something... but it shouldn't come as a total surprise to you."

Caroline joins them and mercifully ends the small talk. Caroline just doesn't know where start to tell them what's been going on in town since they left, but the little trooper somehow finds a way to start yapping about it.

The cop guarding Stefano's room fills Roman in on Stefano's condition.

Marlena says she knows what John's mission is. He insists he's not going to kill someone. Marlena can't be sure. She says they will do this her way, not his. Marlena knows Stefano programmed John to complete his mission no matter what. John remembers Stefano's words, "I'm not a killer, Doc."

Marlena says, "Don't knock it until you've tried it. But you are a liar, and on this show, that's a lot worse than being a killer."

Abe says as soon as Bo and Hope get back Hope's reinstatement is good to go. She has to get a physical first. They try to convince Bo to see a doctor also, since his annual physical is due. "It's bad luck to see a doctor if you're not sick," says Bo, "Unless the doctor is Lexie, and then it's bad luck to see a doctor even if you are sick." They leave and Abe makes a call.

The doctor says it appears Stefano had a massive stroke. Roman asks if Marlena is in the hospital. "She's up in the psych ward," says the cop, "...where she belongs." Roman orders the guard to watch Stefano 24/7 and leaves.

Kayla begs Patch not to do anything he would regret. "But we're already married," says Patch. He totally wigs out. He thinks Stephanie will be scarred for the rest of her life. Kayla reminds him Stephanie has their support and the worst thing Patch can do is to react with hate. He knows better than to let Stephanie see it but, by gum, he's going to react with hate. Kayla gets a page. Patch says he will be OK. Kayla leaves. Patch agonizes.

Caroline fills Tony and Anna in on Claire's kidnapping. She leaves. Anna asks if Tony thinks Stefano is involved. Tony thinks he's involved somehow. He will put out some feelers. He tells her he has a surprise for her. It's something that will make them both happy. Anna just can't believe it. Tony just doesn't know how to tell her. Anna can't contain herself, "Just say it, Tony."

Tony spills the beans, "I've decided I'm going to put down roots here in Salem." Anna beams. "I've bought a business," he announces. Anna practically hurls. He describes the business.

"Just what I always wanted – an advertising agency," says Anna. He says she seems disappointed. He wants to know what she was expecting. She walks off. Tony remains clueless.

Bo and Hope meet Kayla. They are there for their physicals. Bo is a bit embarrassed to have his sister examine him, so Kayla will find someone to look Bo over. Lexie comes up and volunteers. Bo runs for his life.

Kayla takes Hope into the examining room. Hope tells Kayla they are off to Ireland. Her busybody antenna pop up. She thinks Kayla seems distracted. "I'm worried about Steve," says Kayla. The excitement sends Hope's blood pressure through the roof.

Patch purposelessly staggers around the waiting area. Crawford comes in. Patch won't let him pass. He says he won't forgive Ford for what he did. Crawford reminds him Ford is dead. Patch says he won't even forgive him when he comes back to life. He defends the girls and accuses Crawford of using the dean to protect his son. Patch gets nasty. He thinks Ford deserved to die. Crawford reminds Patch he's protecting Stephanie and the other girls, who have committed murder. He just wants Ford's body back so they can give him a decent burial in a brand new water heater instead of that old junker. Patch thinks Crawford wants more – he thinks he also wants to make everyone pay. Crawford says that's right. Patch says he had a lousy father. He knows about lousy fathers and he knows Crawford didn't care about his son or he would have realized what kind of person he was. Instead he let Ford hurt all those girls. Crawford says the sorority girls are responsible and will pay. Patch goes macho, "You have no idea who you are dealing with."

"Neither do you." Crawford storms off.

The doctor orders every test in the book for Stefano, "Something caused this and I'm determined to find out what it is."

Stefano thinks, "Marlena Evans did this to me. You have to learn the truth so that you can help me."

John can't believe Marlena thinks he would lie. Marlena thinks he would say anything to escape. John brings up Obbin. He says he told her about that because he trusts her. He promises he won't hurt her as long as she helps him.

Roman comes in and asks to talk to Marlena in private. They go outside. John smirks.

Tony tries to mop up. Anna wants to be left alone, "You mean to tell me you have no clue?"

Tony is clueless, all right, "I'm thinking."

"Think harder."

Tony thinks she's upset because he didn't consult her before he made his business plans. Anna rants. He planned things without thinking of her. She wishes him the best and storms out.

Roman tells Marlena about Stefano.

Marlena asks if Roman thinks she did something more than give Stefano truth serum. Roman couldn't put two and two together with a computer. Marlena defends herself and Roman drops the subject, "No more questions or accusations." She hugs him and asks about Stefano's whereabouts. Roman fills her in. "Well," says Marlena, "Don't expect any improvement in his condition."

"Sure," says Roman, "Now, back to that math problem... Two plus two is... carry the one..."

John sits alone in his room and vows to take out his target and complete his mission. If Marlena gets in his way, he will take her out too.

Lexie examines Bo. They talk about her reinstatement. She has a secret, "My name has been submitted for chief of staff. From the outhouse to the penthouse, as they say." Bo is sooooo happy for her. They giggle and hug as Bo makes a note to find a new hospital.

Hope thinks there is something Kayla isn't saying. Kayla says she's just worried about Steve and Stephanie. The gossip queen goes into action and pries it out of her. Kayla tells her about the rape. Hope is devastated. She hugs Kayla and pulls out her cell phone, "Hello? Acme Billboard Company? I'd like to rent one of your bigger models."

Marlena stands off to the side and listens as the doctor says he can't find anything wrong with Stefano. He has ordered blood tests.

Anna stands and shivers in the cold. Tony joins her and asks what is wrong. She tells him he should know. Tony makes a feeble attempt at damage control. He says what he knows is he had a wonderful time with her on the cruise. He realizes how lucky he is to have her in his life. She thinks that's about as lucky as Tony is going to get tonight. Tony wants things to be just as they are. He proudly announces things are so wonderful between them he doesn't see any reason to change anything, "If it's not broken, don't fix it."

He's lucky his leg isn't broken. Anna flames, "It's broken all right! And you broke it!" She storms back into the pub, leaving Tony to pick up the pieces.

As Tony stands there with his thumb in his ear, Ethan joins him. Ethan just can't believe his luck in running onto Tony.

Kayla tells Bo that Hope is OK. Lexie confirms Bo is OK, too – pending the results of the dreaded blood tests. Goodbye, Bo. Patch joins them and offers to help with their search for Claire. Bo will let him know if there's anything he can do. Kayla takes Patch aside and goes over well-trodden ground asking if he is OK. Patch is OK except for his crushed hand, which he smashed into a wall. Dr. Johnson immediately goes into action. She calls maintenance to make sure the wall is OK.

Abe joins the group and announces he has some great news.

The doctor says Stefano has lapsed into a coma. They are waiting for test results. Roman decides to wait with him.

Marlena sits at a computer and types, "Oh, Sami, every time you changed the blood test results you got caught... because you are not a doctor and didn't know how to get away with it."

John lies in bed and thinks, "You really think you are smarter than me, Blondie? I'll let you think that and play you for a lovesick fool. Chuckle."

Marlena completes her mission and grabs bunches-o-pills from the medicine cabinet, "John, one false move and I will take you down and once you are down... then I'll use these to control your every move.

Ethan Blaine introduces himself to Tony. He works for the company Tony bought. He's the company's go-to guy. He turns on the afterburners and tells Tony everything he can do for him, as well as how ambitious he is. Someday he wants to be a corporate executive. "I admire ambition," says Tony, "But manic energy makes me uncomfortable. Turn it down a couple notches, why don't you?" Tony orders a portfolio of all accounts. Ethan already has all that ready for him.

Anna guzzles a manhattan. Caroline asks where Tony is. "Hopefully," says Anna, "he's out there freezing his assss... pirations off."

"What did he do," asks Caroline.

"It's what he didn't do," whines Anna, "He didn't propose to me." Caroline dishes out her brand of advice. Anna snarls, "Let that damn advertising company he bought keep him warm at night."

Caroline suggests she go after a competitive job. Caroline says she heard some guys talking about needing an exec for their advertising company. She writes down the name of the company and gives it to Anna.

Abe big news is, pending the results of the physical, Hope is reinstated. The Salem Enquirer catches wind of this and stops the presses. Abe says he called the mayor and had him push it through. He hands Hope her badge and says there are a few things they have to talk about.

Marlena returns to John's room. She tells him he is wealthy and has his own private jet. They will use that to get out of the country. John asks about the flight plan. Marlena says she will change the plan once they are in the air. Their passenger list will be one person short. He asks how she will get him out of the hospital and onto the jet.

Marlena holds up a key and unlocks his cuffs. She gives him scrubs to change into. John is impressed. Marlena goes outside while John changes. Carla walks up to her and asks where John is. Marlena tells her John has been taken down for testing. Carla says that wasn't on John's schedule.

Marlena blows up, "I always knew you were lazy, but I never realized you were also incompetent. Have you ever considered writing for DOOL? I ought to turn you in." Carla apologizes and gets out while her head is still attached to her body.

The masked man comes out of his room and joins Marlena as she makes a call to Dr. Carrington. Marlena tells him she was a bit harsh with Carla and lost her temper. She asks him to give Carla a week off with pay.

Stefano's blood work arrives.

Abe reminds Bo and Hope they have no jurisdiction over there, "So no hot dogging, and I want you to keep me posted."

Kayla examines Patch's hand. She says she is worried about him. He tells her not to worry. They need to focus on Stephanie right now.

"Next time," says Kayla, "slam your head into the wall. Your hand isn't hard enough to take it."

Lexie reads a memo and sighs, "OMG! I've been approved as chief of staff. I guess this means I'm not banned for life anymore, either." A nurse interrupts her reverie and tells Lexie that Stefano has been admitted with a possible stroke.

Anna tells Tony they are through. She tells him she is not a woman to be trifled with. Poor Tony couldn't get a clue if one dropped on him from the sky, "When did I ever trifle with you?"

Hope tells Bo it's good to be back. Bo smiles, "It's good to have you back, detective Fancy Face." Detective Fancy Face cuts him off at the knees for calling her detective Fancy Face. They head out to find Claire and Brady. Meanwhile, Ciara books her own flight to Ireland to go in search of her parents.

John compliments Marlena on the escape. Marlena tells him they can't fail. "The word is not in my vocabulary," says John. Marlena makes a call and changes the flight plan for Ireland.

Lexie joins Roman in Stefano's room. The doctor fills her in on Stefano's condition. He says he doesn't know how the stroke happened. Lexie walks over and looks down at Stefano the vegetable. Stefano rages inside his mind, "Help me, Alexandra! Help me!"


Previews
========

You can watch the previews later today on our PREVUZE II website.

May The Force Be With You

May the force be with you... And may a good weekend be with you, too.

Obbin

Shallow breathing Mad Dog Evans vows to get even with Stefano for all the things he has done to her family, "For future reference, Stefano, refuse meds from someone who hates you. On second thought, ignore that advice. You won't be needing it."

Marlena shakes Stefano, "Wake up!" No reaction. "Rise and Shine!" No reaction. Frustrated Marlena beats him, "I don't want you missing the party." She takes out a dime bag and waves it in front of his nose. He wakes. "Hi," says Miss Congeniality, "I was beginning to wonder If you would ever wake up."

"Me, too," says Stefano, "I was watching DOOL and that will put anybody out."

Hope joins the top brass in the cop shop. Roman tells them about the run in between Shawn and the thug they have in lockup. His name is Robert McCullough. Hope asks how Shawn is, "He's OK," says Roman, "He has a big knot on top of his head, though. In fact, it's the first time they've ever found anything up there." Hope wonders what will happen to Shawn. Bo asks if this will keep him from being a cop.

"It should," says Abe.

Chaos reigns at the pub. Crawford Decker makes threats and demands to know what happened to his son. In the background, they clear off one of the tables in case Patch and Kayla get horny again. Patch restrains Decker who asks him, "What if it were your child?"

"My child was raped," says Patch.

Decker needs to know. He turns to Chelsea, "Tell me what happened."

"OK," says the brat, "I'll tell you."

Hope defends Shawn. Abe says they will look the other way, as usual, but someone needs to talk to Shawn about his antics. Hope says she will talk to him. Roman says it should be a police officer who talks to him.

"Like I said," says Hope, "I will talk to him."

Abe asks, "Does this mean you're coming back?"

Hope says, "I don't think I ever left."

Roman says, "I knew we couldn't be lucky enough to get rid of her. Welcome back detective Brady."

"Oh, well," sighs Ciara, "I guess if I ever want to see my parents I could rob a donut shop."

John yanks at his restraints and screams. Nurse Judy brings pills. John don' wan' no stinkin' pills. "It's either this or an injection," says Nurse Judy.

John says his tantrum was fake. He just wanted to get Judy-licious into his room. He gives Judy the once-over, "Now I've got a name to go with my fantasies."

"You're incorrigible," giggles Judy.

"I think I'm falling in love," sighs John.

Judy buys his line of BS, "You'd better be a good boy, or I will have to give you something."

"As long as it isn't drugs," says John, "I'm watching you." Judy leaves. John watches. Once Judy is gone, John remembers Stefano telling him about "the enemy." This person is always one step ahead of Stefano, but he has created a great machine to find this person. Stefano says it's time to give John the name of his objective.

Pizza face Rob sits in the interrogation room and insists he isn't going to talk. Roman breaks out the rubber hose. Rob leans forward and whispers, "Once I am outta here, I'm going to jump bail."

"What did you say," asks Roman, "Say it a little louder so the tape recorders can pick it up."

Rob raises his voice, "I said, you're a fine figure of a man."

"I guess that beating he took blinded him," says Abe. Roman tells Abe to shut up and invites Rob to dinner.

John flashes back to Stefano telling him to remember the name and find that person, who is in Europe.

Chelsea says, "We have to tell them what happened." Patch and Kayla step in and assure Stephanie they will help her any way they can.

"Even if it means having sex in private," asks Stephanie.

The brat says they just meant to scare Ford.

Speaking of scary, the crazed Marlena talks to the dazed Stefano. She says she gave him muscle relaxants. She asks if he can speak. He can, but not loudly, which means he can't yell for the guard. Marlena proceeds to tell him what she will do. She says she mixed up a cocktail she will inject into him. Stefano tries to call for the guards. Marlena tells him he will be paralyzed. He'll be aware of what is going on, but outwardly will be a vegetable. This condition will be permanent, "You will be committed to an asylum and will stay there for all the Days Of Our Lives."

"You can't do this," he mumbles.

"I can do it," says Marlena, "I am doing it. It's not about revenge, but if I have any hope of recovering John, I must make sure you are completely incapacitated. And the mixture is untraceable."

Stefano slurs, "You're insane."

Marlena says, "No. This is the most sane thing I have ever done."

Stefano says he won't let her do this. She says he is in no condition to stop her.

"You are a doctor," says Stefano, "Don't forget the Hippocratic Oath."

"Never heard of it," says Marlena. She says she doesn't want to do it, but has to. This gives her no joy. If it did, she would be no better than he is. She had to find a way to make her family safe and bring her husband back.

Rob says he didn't know where they were taking Claire. Crystal did. He just knows it was out of the country. Bo and Hope watch as Rob insists they will never find Crystal and Claire.

Chelsea tells the tale of the night at the so-horror-ity. Crawford stares. Stephanie weeps. Crawford is stunned, "Why didn't you call 911?"

"No one could remember the phone number," says the brat.

Stephanie tells Chelsea she shouldn't have said anything. Chelsea assures Crawford they tried CPR, but Ford was already dead. Crawford accuses Chelsea of pushing Ford down the stairs. Patch has to step in and restrain him.

Rob says he never worked for Stefano, and he knows Crystal is afraid of him. Bo and Hope watch through the mirror and wonder if he is lying.

Stefano insists what Marlena is doing can be detected. Marlena says someone would have to look for the drug, but probably would never do that. Stefano tells her if she neutralizes him they will never get John back, "I can prove it."

Marlena is exasperated, "OK, one last reprieve. What was John's mission?"

Crawford wants justice. He says if it really were an accident they would have called 911 or the police. He asks what they did with the body.

John has another flashback. He sits in the laboooooratory going through papers, "Obbin, where are you? Talk to me, Obbin..." He puts down one paper and picks up another, "Got you! There you are!"

John snaps up in bed.

Marlena asks about the mission. Stefano says he will give her John back. He tells her about downloading John's brain, "I used a CD, but all I really needed was a floppy. I downloaded it, and I can upload it, too."

Marlena thinks he is lying, "I'm going to inject you on the count of three. One... Two..."

JAM!

"Three..." She huffs and chuckles, "Sorry, I just couldn't wait." She presses the plunger, "This is for Shawn and Caroline and Roman and my twins. It's for Bo and Hope and me. And the last drop is for John."

Stefano zones, "I curse you, Marlena Evans. I curse the entire Brady family."

"And with that you can rest," says Marlena, "But it won't be in peace."

"I thought Samantha and Elvis' marriage would bring peace," says Stefano, "I grew up never knowing peace. I saw my father die for the love of a Brady. It filled me with anger... hatred. But I thought at least if I could help fulfill the love of his life for him, he would find peace."

Marlena asks why he went after John. Stefano says she is a fool. She has no idea what she doesn't know. But he knows and will never tell. He will never rest until he fulfills his destiny, "You'll never know what the mission is until it's over." HA – gasp – HA – gasp – HA. His eyes roll and he goes catatonic. Mad Dog Evans smiles.

Rob says there were times Crystal used another name – Desiree Wilson. Bo and Hope gasp, snort and stare.

Chelsea tells them about moving the body. Decker wants to know who helped. He knows someone walked out of the place wearing Ford's clothes and wants to know who it was. He speculates it might be Nick. Chelsea says it wasn't Nick and claims she doesn't know who it was. She also doesn't know where they buried him. Crawford wants to know. Patch restrains Crawford and tells Chelsea that's enough.

Crawford says anyone who gets in his way will pay. He storms out. Patch hugs Stephanie. Kayla sighs.

Marlena tells Stefano she knows he can hear her, "You are evil through and through. You will never hurt anybody again. Your evil will fester inside you. I can't imagine how that will feel, being tortured every day of your life, having to watch DOOL without being able to fast forward or change the channel. You will want to die but your doctors won't let you. You will try to cry out, but nothing will come out of your mouth. You will spend the rest of your life trapped inside that flesh-covered jail." She cackles and says when she gets John back they will pay him a visit, "You won't be able to do anything." She packs up and calls for the guard, "I'm afraid Mr. DiMera has suffered a stroke."

Kayla says they will have to call a lawyer. Patch says he has already made some calls. Kayla also announces she has called someone. On cue, Max walks in and says Chelsea doesn't have to protect him. He admits taking the body.

Bo, Hope, Phillip and Chloe violate the hospital's two-person visiting rule in Belle's room. Bo and Hope tell the gathered throng about Crystal using the name Desiree Wilson. "OMG," says Shawn, "She has Claire." It took both brain cells to figure that one out.

Patch tells Maxwell he's in pretty deep. Max proves that's the only deep thing about himself when he refuses to reveal where he buried Ford's body.

Kayla says, "Maybe we should leave and let the dust settle and give ourselves a chance to clear our heads."

"I think most of the heads in the room are pretty clear of anything already," says Nick. He and Chelsea leave. Kayla hugs Stephanie. Patch lends a touch.

Hope says they're headed for Ireland. The fearsome foursome wants to tag along but Bo and Hope veto it. Hope says, "I guarantee you we will not come home without Claire, unless she puts up a real fight." Bo and Hope leave.

Phillip goes into action, "I will have the jet fueled and ready to go in an hour."

Marlena tells John Stefano will never bother him again, "I took care of him. He's still conscious, but we're the only ones who know that. He's a vegetable."

"Good," says John, "I remembered something. I was given a word... Obbin. If I tell you what it means will you trust me? I researched Obbin. It's the name of name of a priest from Ireland years ago."

"Thank goodness," says Marlena, "I tried it backwards and Nibbo didn't make any sense at all. You will never be free until you complete your mission, but I can't let you do that. I'm not stupid."

"You're lying to me again," says John.

Marlena says, "Your mission is to kill someone. I can't let you do that." John says he needs to go to Ireland to fulfill his quest and asks her help.

"This may be the dumbest thing I have ever done," says Marlena.

"Hardly," says John, "But I'll take that to mean I can count on your help."

The guards discover Stefano. They decide he's a vegetable – as good as dead. Stefano rages inside his paralyzed body, "You jackass! Look at me! I am conscious! I am fully aware! Look at my eyes! LOOK!"


Previews
========

You can watch the previews later today on our PREVUZE II website.

Horrible, Arrogant, Pompous Ass

Stephanie walks into the pub and sees her hormone crazed parents smooching and crawling all over each other as patrons get sick and run out. Stephanie scolds them for putting on such a disgusting display in public. Patch makes things worse by dropping the baby bomb on her. It's not exactly the greatest news Stephanie has ever had. Patch senses something is wrong in Stephanie's world, aside from the fact she just found out she's about to become a sister.

Outside, Chelsea and Nick watch. Nick continues his campaign of trying to get the brat to go to the police.

Shawn knocks on the door of the abandoned building. Mr. ugly sticks his face through the crack in the chained door and asks what Shawn wants. Shawn says he's there to pick up a little girl. Chloe frets.

John plays with a computer and watches images. Dr. Carrington asks him to continue. John isn't in the mood, "You're as boring as this damn show."

John offers to continue if Dr. Carrington's hot nurse comes over and helps push his buttons. Carrington tells him to get his mind back on the test. John drones, "I'm ready for round two and whatever is behind that curtain, Bob."

Roman is totally unhinged. He talks on his phone in his office and screams that he wants his men to do anything that will bring Claire home. He keeps up the tirade as Marlena walks in. "I'd like to see a prisoner," she says.

Roman knows it's Stefano she wants to see, "Why did you bring your bag?"

Dr. Carrington keeps trying to get John to play with the computer. John wants to play with the nurse. The doctor tells Carla she's becoming a distraction. Carla leaves as John gets more lecherous. Outside, Sami asks Carla how John is. Carla tells her to ask the doctor.

Marlena reminds Roman she has access to the prisoners there at the lockup, as the resident hotshot psychiatrist and busybody. She says she brought the bag because she has some meds. He wants to know what she might use them for. "Just in case Stefano slips into anaphylactic shock."

Roman asks, "You think he might be bitten by a bee?" Marlena says if Stefano is reluctant to answer she might be able to make him more cooperative. Roman changes his tune. He decides Marlena can help. He OK's her taking her bag-o-meds in there, "Try to do it by the book." Roman leaves. Marlena makes a call.

Carrington answers. Marlena asks about John's results. Carrington says John has no emotions whatever, "That's not normal." Amazing – twelve years of med school and he can figure out a person with no emotions is not normal. Carrington asks if Marlena is at the meeting she told him about. Marlena fakes a bad connection. Roman tells her things are all set with Stefano.

The goon frisks Shawn. Shawn says, "I'm just here to pick up a little girl. That's it."

Goon-boy asks, "Who sent you?"

Shawn says, "Stefano DiMera." Gooner acts as if he's going to let Shawn pass, but as he walks by, Goonie gets Shawn in a choke-hold.

The two Neanderthals struggle. Chloe comes up behind them and whams the goon with a two-by-four.

Brainiac gets mad at her for butting in, "I had the guy just where I wanted him! Besides, you could have damaged that two-by-four." Shawn and Chloe survey the heap-o-flesh sprawled out on the floor and speculate. "I wonder who we are dealing with," says Shawn.

A shadow moves in from the back of the building, "Stefano's enemies."

Nick and the brat do the, "I'm here for you" routine. Chelsea thinks everyone will hate her for ratting.

"That's not true," says Nick, "They hate you for a lot of other reasons, too."

Patch senses something is wrong, "What's the matter baby girl?"

Kayla says, "I think we should tell him."

Patch asks, "Tell me what?"

"Your fly is open."

Shawn recognizes Rob as being the guy from the Clairesnatching van. He grabs him and demands Rob give him his daughter.

They bring Stefano in. Roman tells him they fired two guards for bringing things to Stefano, "The good times are over." Marlena comes in. Roman says he will be close by. Roman leaves.

Stefano chuckles, "I'm delighted to see you, Marlena."

Marlena says, "You won't be."

Stefano comes clean, "Actually I was lying in the first place. No one is ever delighted you see you."

Carla tells Sami she can go in. Sami walks into John's room and tells him she knows he doesn't remember her but she's going away and wanted to say goodbye. "Wait," gasps John, "I think I do remember you."

Nick says Chelsea's friends will understand, "Twenty years in jail will mellow anyone out. This is the right thing to do."

Patch presses. Stephanie bawls. She just can't say it. Kayla steps in, "Something happened to her."

"Tell Papa what happened," he moves closer. She bats him away.

Kayla stammers, "She... she was raped, Steve." Tears, tears, tears.

Chloe calls the cops. Rob tells Shawn to back off. He pulls a gun and tells Shawn they have Claire. Shawn tells Rob his plans have just changed. He's not leaving until Rob tells him where Claire is, "You won't shoot me if you really are Stefano's enemy." Behind Shawn, the creep stirs as they argue. Sirens wail in the background as goon-boy gets up and comes at Shawn with the two-by-four.

Stefano says Marlena is wasting her time. Marlena says she is going to give him sodium pentathol.

"You can't," says Stefano, "My doctor wants me to cut back on sodium." He plays it cool, "And if you do give it to me, you think I will break like a cheap toy."

Abe joins Roman and asks if he missed anything. "This is DOOL," says Roman, "Nothing ever happens." They watch as Stefano tells Marlena he is immune to truth agents.

Abe catches on, "Roman, she can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"We can't just be giving people truth serum," says Abe, "If people on this show started telling the truth, we'd be ruined." Roman says he will do what it takes to get Claire back. Abe's standards fall like a house of cards. He caves in and agrees to let them give Stefano the drug, "Can someone become immune to truth serum?"

John says he knows Sami and asks her to come closer, "I recognize that face."

"You should," says Sami, "I was a pain in your butt for years." John can't believe that. Sami wants to give him a hug.

John smiles tenderly, "Go for it."

Sami moves in. John grabs her throat. Sami's tongue shoots across the room as she gags for air. John squeezes. Sami turns blue.

Carla walks into John's room as Sami lies cold and dead across John's bed. Carla lets out a scream that will blow your TV speakers. John stares.

FAKEOUT! Sami gives John a big ole hug. John tries to grab her, but can't. Sami says, "You were like a second dad to me... except for the times when we hated each other."

Patch wants to know who did it. Stephanie tells him Ford drugged her. Patch figures Ford is the kid who disappeared. Stephanie says it happened about three months ago. Patch says Ford had better be dead or he will kill him. Then he finds out Kayla already knew about it. Patch ain' happy 'bout that. He gets on Kayla for not telling. He asks if Stephanie is getting help. "Yes," she cries, "I didn't want you to think I was somehow... ruined."

"Nothing could ever ruin you," says Patch, "You're my baby girl. This is a sick world. I wanted to protect you, but I couldn't do that. Why couldn't I do that?" Hugs and tears.

Chelsea bolts as Crawford Decker goes into the pub.

Marlena administers the drug. Stefano goes into a trance.

"He's out of it," says Abe.

"And he's drugged, too," says Roman. Roman starts the video camera rolling.

Marlena questions Stefano about John, "Do you like John?"

"No." She asks why John was at the mansion. Stefano is silent. She asks about the mission. Stefano says, "To seek... destroy... revenge." Marlena asks whom John will destroy. Stefano drones, "He will not stop until he finds his target and eliminates them."

Shawn turns just as the two-by-four is about to land on his head. The guy drops the board and runs. That was one close call for the two-by-four. Shawn tackles Rob, "Where is my daughter?" Rob isn't talking. Shawn makes mince meat out of his face. The cops rush in and pull Shawn off.

Angst reigns in the pub as Patch morphs into Dr. Phil. Crawford watches. Patch approaches him. Crawford defends Ford and tells Patch his son is missing. That's not Patch's problem. Crawford begs Stephanie to tell him what happened to his son. Stephanie says they told the police everything, "I can't feel any pain for your son."

Nick drags the brat back and forces her to watch Crawford's misery through the pub window, "It's time for you to tell the truth."

Shawn struggles. He demands to know where Claire is.

John says he would love to be able to hug Sami back. Sami has to go. She's sure John will get his memory back. She leaves. John yanks. He remembers Stefano telling him, "This woman is your mission."

Marlena asks what the target is, where it is, who it is. Stefano gets a headache. Marlena brings him a pile-o-pills. Abe and Roman come back in. Abe orders them to take Stefano to solitary, "No more pheasant under glass," says Roman. They take him out.

Marlena doesn't think they will get any more out of him. Abe says if they don't charge him, Stefano will walk. Roman reminds him even if they do charge him, Stefano will be free anyway, "What amount of bail could we set that he couldn't pay?" They leave the interrogation chamber.

Shawn surveys the old building and asks the officer for his light. He climbs up and knocks something down. On the floor, we see a folio with Brady pictures.

"Your son raped me," says Stephanie, "I hate him." Crawford says the accusations against his son irrelevant right now. Patch goes into a rage. Stephanie says, "I swear I don't know anything about what happened to Ford."

Chelsea steps in, "I do. I'm sorry, sir, but Ford is dead. Not only that, but the warranty on the Theta water heater has been voided."

At the cop shop Shawn tells Rob to talk. Roman steps in and says he will take over. Rob turns and looks at Roman. His face looks like roadkill gone bad. Proud Uncle Roman asks if Shawn did this.

Roman sends Shawn home. Rob protests, "He assaulted me!" Roman tells Rob he's going to tell them about Claire.

Rob clams up. Roman says, "Strong, silent type, eh? That won't help here."

John remembers the mission.

A guard dozes as he watches Stefano. Marlena comes in and asks to see him. The guard walks into the cell and tries to wake Stefano, but can't. Marlena asks for a couple minutes alone with him. The guard leaves. Marlena kneels, "Sleeping well? No that wasn't aspirin I gave you. It was sleeping pills, you horrible arrogant pompous ass. What you did to my husband and me... We will just call it all even after this." Marlena gets into her bag and stares at Stefano.


Previews
========

You can watch the previews later today on our PREVUZE II website.

Knitting Classes In Crazyville

Chelsea remembers Nick telling her they don't have a future if she doesn't come clean. He knocks and she lets him in. They rehash the meeting the sor-ho-rity girls had. Nick asks what happened during the meeting. Chelsea says she tried to get all the other girls to go to the police and tell the truth. They voted and it came out in favor of telling the cops. Then Stephanie showed up and discovered several hanging chads and they decided not to. Nick says, "So you decided not to tell the police? That is a big mistake. If you tell them now, they'll be able to bungle the case sooner."

Bo paces in the snow. Sullivan meets him. Bo asks about the Ford Decker investigation. Sullivan goes through the details and tells Bo what the girls said at his when he talked to them. Bo asks, "The sorority girls... They're involved?"

Sullivan says, "Yeah. And I think they are all lying."

Belle yanks her tubes, walks over to her dresser and packs to leave. A nurse discovers her and asks what she is doing. Belle says she's going for her daughter. Phillip comes in and carries her back to bed.

John pulls at his restraints. He sees a blurry Marlena come in. She tells him he's in the psych ward and is sedated. John accuses her of lying to him. Marlena defends herself and says he did this to himself.

Shawn and Chloe look up the tattoo design on the Internet. Chloe says, "Oh, wait! Stop! Scroll back!"

Shawn finds a picture that matches the tattoo. He identifies it as a Celtic woman's warrior knot, "This could be the key to finding out where they took my daughter."

Belle babbles. She needs to know what's going on with Claire. Phillip consoles her. Nurse Ratchet bellows, "From now on your feet don't touch the floor." Phillip orders her to rest.

Marlena says John was holding her by the throat when he tried to escape and that's why it's his fault he's in this predicament. He claims he's the victim. Marlena says they don't know what is happening. She reminds him of the mission. She says when she mentioned Stefano, John screamed.

"Like a little girl," chuckles John, "Did I scream in pain or anger?"

"You screamed in terror," says Marlena, "Someone turned on the TV in your room and DOOL was on."

"I've had my brain dry-cleaned and act like a drooling idiot."

"At least you're making some progress," says Marlena, "Stefano dry-cleaned your brain. What does Stefano expect you to do?"

"Knit," says John, "Afghans and sweaters. Do they have knitting classes here in Crazyville?" Marlena vows she won't give up on him. John stares his vacant stare. Marlena brings him food. He wants to feed himself. Marlena refuses to let him, so he asks for a nurse. Marlena says Dr. Carrington would like to move him to a more secure place.

"You mean a nut house," says John. Marlena says since she is the next of kin, Dr. Carrington needs Marlena's signature to do that. She agrees to make a deal. She won't sign if he remembers his mission. She wonders if he knows what it is and just isn't telling.

Phillip tells Belle her dad has been through an ordeal and so has she. She thinks it's hard not to go see him, "He always gives me hope." Translation: He puts up with her whiney shenanigans. Phillip thinks Belle should go see him.

Chelsea tells Nick how Stephanie talked the girls out of going to the cops. If Stephanie had told what happened right away none of this would have happened. Nick says he loves her and will stick by her through this. The breakup is off. He kisses her.

Sullivan says Crawford thinks the sorority sisters killed his son and Bo's daughter is behind it.

Phillip packs up Belle's IV, picks her up and puts her in a wheelchair, making sure they follow the nurse's orders and her feet don't touch the ground.

Chelsea says she really thought Nick was going to leave her. Nick says he wasn't, but she needs to tell the police. Chelsea says she just can't betray her sisters. Nick vows to be there with her. Nick tells her about Lochlan and Decker accusing her mom. No reaction from Chelsea. Nick says he has to go.

Sullivan says Crawford suspects Chelsea because of the flyers she passed out. He also tells Bo Crawford is accusing Billie of looking the other way. Bo wants to see the case files. Sullivan agrees to give them to him and leaves.

Shawn and Chloe research the symbol on the Internet. Shawn thinks they have to find out more about Crystal and Rob, "I think I know exactly how to do that."

John says he wants to remember. He wonders how Marlena will recover the memories. She suggests hypnosis. John refuses. Marlena presses and says he would have said yes if he really wanted to remember. She thinks his refusal to cooperate may be part of his programming. Belle and Phillip interrupt. John smiles as he sees Tinky come in. Belle wonders why he is in a psych ward handcuffed to the bed. In Belle's world, adding two and two is quite a chore.

Chelsea sits alone and contemplates the fire. A knock on the door interrupts her daze. Bo asks if he can come in. He says he's there as a cop, not as her dad. "Good," she says, "I didn't want to have to deal with intelligent questions right now." He asks about Ford's disappearance.

Shawn wants to go back to the storefront where Marlena first saw Crystal. He's decided to break in. Chloe protests but Shawn reminds her this is his daughter they are talking about.

Phillip leaves. Belle asks why John is chained to the bed. John smiles, "It's OK, Tinky." It's not OK – Belle wants answers. Marlena offers to talk outside. "What don't you want me to hear," asks Mr. Paranoid.

Outside, Marlena tells Belle she shouldn't have come and John is restrained so he won't hurt himself. Marlena says John doesn't remember anything. Belle can't believe that's possible. "He called me Tinky," she whines.

Marlena says she told him her nickname, "We can all help him get well."

Belle asks, "Do you think there is a chance we can get the old John back?"

"We certainly hope not," says Marlena.

Chelsea insists they all gave detective Sullivan their statements. Bo knows she isn't being honest. He wants answers. He chews her out and demands she tell what she knows. He tells her loyalty isn't as important as the truth.

Chloe won't let Shawn do this. She says it could cost his career. He says that means nothing compared to finding Claire. Chloe decides to tag along. If Shawn won't let her go with him, she threatens to call Bo. Shawn caves. Roy and Dale head for dry gulch.

Marlena says they're doing what they can to get John well. Belle reminds her she brought him back when Stefano had control of him before. She tells Belle she isn't the doctor of record now.

Dr. Carrington walks up and Marlena introduces Belle. He says he's doing everything he can to help John, but is still in the process of deciding on the treatment. Carrington goes inside. Belle blithers. She knows Marlena won't quit until she brings John back. Marlena promises to press on.

Shawn and Chloe arrive at the building. As they try to figure out what to do, they hear a noise come form inside the building. "Somebody's in there," gasps Sherlock.

Belle whines about needing John back. Phillip comes up and wonders if it was a mistake to bring her here.

"It's a mistake to let her out in public no matter where you go," says Marlena.

Belle blithers, "I wonder if Claire is scared right now?"

"She must be terrified you will find her," says Marlena. She assures her Claire will come home and will need all her love and strength. Phillip asks if he can bring Belle up there again. "It's a psych ward," says Marlena, "She'll probably spend most of her life up here." She goes back inside.

John begs Dr. Carrington not to give him drugs. Carrington tops him off and says John will sleep for a while, and if he still refuses to be fed, they have to give him something in an IV. Carrington fiddles around as Marlena tells the sleeping John she and Belle love him, "GASP! I know how to help you. You showed me how to get the answers I need."

Chelsea continues to claim ignorance. Bo is aware of that, but wants to know what she knows about Ford's disappearance. The brat claims there is nothing new to tell. On the way out he turns, chuckles and says he expected more from her. He plays the Zack card. He hoped she would have learned more from that experience, "You lied about what happened to him and I was willing to believe you. It nearly destroyed my marriage. I'm not gonna let that happen again."

She claims she's doing what she believes is right. "We become the choices we make," says Bo, "And you've made bad ones in the past, but I thought I saw signs you have changed."

"I don't want to hurt anybody," whines the brat. Bo tells her it's not too late. She thanks him for coming by. He hugs her and tells her he loves her, turns and goes. Chelsea bawls.

Shawn sneaks and surveys the building. He wants Chloe to be a lookout. She protests, but stands aside as Shawn knocks. A muffled voice answers. Shawn says he's not the police, but he's not going anywhere until they open up. The door opens, but it's chained. A face asks what he wants. Shawn says, "I'm here to pick something up." He shows the guy a picture of the Celtic warrior woman's knot.

Phillip and Belle debrief about their visit with John. She thanks Phillip for helping. He says he would do anything for her. He gives her a peck on the forehead as he leaves to make a call to see if his team has new leads on Claire. Belle prays for Claire's return.

Dr. Carrington asks Marlena if John asked her to help him escape. "No," lies Marlena, "It was more about the mission."

Carrington says, "He's working you, Dr. Evans."

Marlena says John doesn't remember her, but she has feelings enough for both of them. Dr. Carrington asks what she meant when she said John showed her how to get the answer.

Marlena says, "Somebody else knows about it and can tell me what I need to know." She leaves. John squirms.


Previews
========

You can watch the previews later today on our PREVUZE II website.

For Better, For Worse, For Crazy, For Impossible

Billie joins Nick working at a table at the pub. Nick tries to blow her off but she presses. She wants to know what happened at the Theta house. Nick clams up.

Max shows up at Patch and Kayla's place with a breakfast burrito, "A recipe passed down by Caroline Brady herself."

Stephanie snatches the sack. "And he cooks, too," she exclaims, "And how thoughtful... you included a bottle of Beano! " Stephanie wonders why her parents aren't up yet. Max works his eyebrows, "Maybe they had a late night."

Suddenly, Stephanie loses her appetite, "Eeeuuuwwww." As they walk over to the couch, Stephanie says she thinks it's good to be able to laugh again.

"You're right," says Max, "The thought of your parents having sex is hilarious." Stephanie's phone buzzes and flashes as they dig into the burritos. Stephanie thinks of Ford as she eats. Suddenly, she gasps, "The meat in these burritos... You haven't seen Sweeny Todd, have you?"

The brat leaves a message when Stephanie doesn't answer. She tells her she is arriving at the IFT house, "Call me when you get this." She goes into the house, finds the girls and tells them about Crawford and the contact lens they found.

Bo meets Hope who is at the hospital to check on John and Marlena. He philosophizes, "I know when you get married the vows say, for better or for worse, but how about for crazy, for impossible?" Hope assures him they will get through this, "I'm just really worried about Claire."

Bo says, "We'll find Claire. But we may never know where Ciara got off to."

Hope says, "We'll find Claire together. Which is why I think it's time I got back in the game. That and the fact that you can pick up a lot more juicy gossip when you're working with the police."

John lies in his drug-induced stupor. He asks Marlena what she is doing there. She says she doesn't give up easily, "I'm stubborn enough to think I can break through the wall around your brain."

"If you do, you'll find an empty courtyard," says John. He just wants out. Dr. Carrington walks in with drugs. Marlena doesn't want more pharmacological treatment. Dr. Carrington reminds her he's in charge. He injects truth serum into John's IV as John rages.

Dr. Carrington asks simple questions, "What is your name?"

"My name is John," says the pawn, "Or so they tell me. It doesn't feel right." Marlena asks about the name he was born with. John doesn't know anything about that. He says he has to go on a mission.

Marlena questions about the mission and gets nothing, "Was this a mission that Stefano gave..."

John shudders when she mentions Stefano and repeats, "Stefano!" Marlena calms him down. John curls his lip.

Stephanie and Max share the burrito. He tells her to take all the time she needs to get better. She doesn't expect him to put his life on hold for her. "What life," asks Max. He says he thinks she needs some rest.

Carmen lectures Chelsea for leaving evidence behind. "I joined a sorority not the Mafia," says Ashley.

Chelsea makes a case for revising their story. Carmen says, "The creep is dead. What other story is there to tell?"

Chelsea says, "The truth. I'm thinking that's what we should do."

Morgan freaks, "We hid the body! You can't go back in time and change what happened, unless you're a DOOL writer."

Hope wants back into Stefano's game. She has decided she's going back to the force full time, "I love being a mother, especially when you never have to take care of the kid, but I think I can help out on the force."

Nick claims innocence. Billie says, "Nick, I know you well enough to know when you are hiding something. Plus, Chelsea is in the middle and she already has a criminal record."

"I'm her boyfriend not her conscience," says Nick. Billie says by keeping quiet, he's not protecting her. He's sentencing her, "Tell me what happened to Ford."

Of course, Dean Lochlan and Crawford Decker just happen to stroll in as she says that. "That seems to be the question on everyone's mind," booms Crawford, "Where is my boy? Where is Ford?" Dean Lochlan tells Crawford to cool it, but Crawford keeps it up. The dean announces detective Sullivan will stop by the Theta house today. He hopes the girls come clean.

Billie tries to mitigate things with Crawford, "I'm sorry for your pain."

Crawford won't have it, "Your daughter ran over a kid. It was her brother from what I hear. A great parent you are." Dean Lochlan says if he finds out there was a cover up, both Nick and Billie are out of a job. Crawford and the dean leave.

Whatever hell Ford is in," says Billie, "he's going to drag us down with him. So tell me what's going on."

Max offers to run errands for Stephanie. Stephanie worries that she's losing interest in boys, "Boys have been interested in me all my life. In the fifth grade, I smashed Chuck Reynolds is the face with a dodgeball for looking at me. I guess that was my way of telling him I liked him."

Max gives his retarded smile, "If it will make you feel better you can hit me in the face with a dodgeball."

"I wouldn't want to damage the dodgeball," says Stephanie. He offers to take her back to the IFT house. She refuses.

Chelsea makes her case, "His family has a right to bury him, and they might need a new water heater, too." They remind her this was her idea in the first place.

Bo thinks Hope becoming a cop again is risky. They bicker about whether or not she should go back to work full-time. Bo says no. Hope says yes. You know how that one comes out.

Outside John's room, Marlena tells Dr. Carrington John's memory has been wiped clean. She wants traditional therapy and recommends taking him off meds. If he won't be violent, Carrington will consider that, "I have another idea... but I don't think you will like it."

Max asks why Stephanie doesn't want to go to the sorority. Stephanie whimpers, "It's just... Chelsea arranged for an emergency meeting to vote on whether to keep Ford's death a secret." Max thinks they should hi-tail it over there. He tells Stephanie she's a victim. Her vote should count, "I know you. We used to share a racetrack." He offers to call Frankie and says he might be able to get her off the hook. She worries Max might not get off. "I don't care about me," says Max, "All I care about is you. In an avuncular kind of way, of course."

Nick says he doesn't know any more than what Chelsea already told both of them. Billie wonders if he really wants to stick to that story, "Clue me in or we will all get nailed to the wall." He can't.

Chelsea makes a passionate plea. She says she doesn't know what it's like to lose a child, but she knows what it was like for Hope and her dad to lose Zack. Morgan thinks Ford deserved what he got.

Dr. Carrington thinks it would be inappropriate for Marlena to treat her own husband. He wants to move him to the psychiatric ward. Marlena don' wanna. They argue. He says he still wants Marlena to consult, "But others will have to take over."

Dr. Carrington leaves. Marlena seethes, "Like hell they will."

Max says this isn't about him. Stephanie says she can't allow him to sacrifice himself. Max decides he will go along with whatever the girls vote. Stephanie worries about the public humiliation of a trial. She falls into his arms crying.

Chelsea knows where Morgan is coming form but thinks it's not that simple. She knows the cops are suspicious and know this is the last place Ford was at before he disappeared. She thinks it's only a matter of time until the truth comes out.

"I am scared," says Carmen, "You are beginning to make sense."

"Whenever I start making sense, the whole town should be scared," says Chelsea, "I think it's time to vote."

Bo thinks Crystal probably wants what is best for Claire, since she took the trouble to arrange for her meds. Hope wonders who her new police partner will be. Bo gets that screwed up look on his face and says he hadn't considered that. She accuses him of being jealous. Bo says he is in a way, "But not in a romantic way. I like seeing your brain work. Any functioning brain fascinates me, since I see so few of them. You're cute when my little detective is at work."

"Don't patronize me," growls Hope, "I'll still be around to brainstorm with. Of course, if I'm with you, I'll have to do it alone."

Bo whines, "But your head will be in synch with someone else's. Although I agree you should get back to work. It will be a big change." Hope vows to do it. "I got your back," says Bo. Smooches.

As Bo and Hope lose themselves in a disgusting public display of affection, Billie walks up behind them, "AHEM!" She tells Bo she tried to call, but his phone is turned off, "Its' Chelsea. I think she's in really big trouble."

Max consoles Stephanie. He says she doesn't have to go to the police. He wants to take her back to the sorority.

Morgan is indignant, "VOTE? This isn't a reality show!"

"You're right," says Chelsea, "There's nothing real about this show." She goes to get a deck of cards, "Take a card and put it on the table. If you put it face up, it means we are holding our heads up high and telling the truth. Face down is silence."

Marlena talks to John, "Are you in there?"

"The lights are on but nobody's home," says John.

Hope joins them. Marlena tells her about the psych ward and Dr. Carrington taking her off the case. She doesn't know what she will do, "I am going to get to John and I don't care what anybody else says or does." Hope tells her to be careful. She will help if Marlena needs it. Marlena says she will do this herself.

Hope leaves. Marlena stops the IV and tells John to wake up, "I have to talk to you."

Billie fills Bo in. She says they are investigating her for orchestrating the cover-up. Bo says he noticed on Christmas Chelsea was acting strange. So at least on Christmas, she was behaving normally.

The girls vote. Chelsea – face up. Morgan – face up... no, face down... no face up... no face down... JEEZ! MAKE UP YOUR MIND! Finally – face up. Cordy – face up.

Outside, Stephanie thanks Max for bringing her to the sorority house. He gives her a good luck ring, "It kept me alive when we were racing. That and staying off tracks you were on."

Stephanie walks into the sorority house. Chelsea tells her what's going on. Right now there are three cards up and one down. Stephanie says if they tell the truth Ford becomes the victim. They argue. She doesn't want her and Cordy to be the campus sluts, "I want that honor all for myself." She tells Morgan about the rape. Morgan hugs. Stephanie says, "If you tell the cops, you ruin Cordy's life and mine." That does it. There is a rush to the table where all the cards except Chelsea's go down. Everyone stares at Chelsea.

Morgan declares a consensus. Chelsea thinks this is a bad idea. She tells Stephanie she is making a mistake. The doorbell interrupts the verbal donnybrook. Carmen answers. Detective Sullivan asks, "Can we come in?"

Sullivan's goons follow him inside. He wants to interview each of them separately, and starts with Carmen.

Billie says she knows Bo has a lot on his plate. "My plate is never too full for family," says Bo.

Marlena tries to wake John. John zones and huffs. She asks about the mission. John drifts. Marlena vows, "I will snap you out of this and nobody will stand in my way."


Previews
========

You can watch the previews later today on our PREVUZE II website.