Tis The Season, Bitch!

Victor continues to lecutre Phillip. Stephanie eavesdrops as Phillip yells, "You want me to fail! I've had it! I quit!"

"So," asks Victor, "Whenever something doesn't suit you you just dump it."

"I guess so," says Phillip, "My brain didn't suit me so I dumped half of it at Salem Raceway... My face didn't suit me... My leg didn't suit me..."

Melanie shows up and ramps up another verbal barrage with Stephanie. Stephanie says, "Phillip tired to help you and all you did was turn your back on him."

Melanie smirks, "Tis the season, bitch!" They stand face to face.

One gal in the audience turns to another, "All I want for Christmas is for them to kill each other."

Daniel asks about Chloe. The nurse tells him Lucas came and took her home. Apparently we've missed the traumatic donation scene where everything went wrong and Daniel had to revive both Kate and Chloe from the dead while simultaneously parting the Red Sea. Daniel has a flashback to molest-a-rama.

Lucas comes up to Chloe wrapped in a towel, shivering. Most intelligent people would put on a shirt, but this is Lucas. Besides, we have to have the obligatory shirtless guy sccene. He says he has a meeting with a Hearth and Home investor. Smoochies. Duty calls Lucas and we learn Maggie is on her way over to get Allie because they need someone competent to watch her while Chloe sits around the cabin alone gorging on bonbons. Chloe flashes back to her full-body exam with Daniel and pulls away. She tells Lucas to hurry or he will be late for the meeting. Lucas leaves. Chloe zones.

EJ gives Nicole a single rose, "I would have gotten a dozen but the economy is affecting everybody." He says she and the baby mean the world to him. He loves her and wants to hold her in his arms all night long.

He kisses her but Nicole pulls away, "No you can't!"

Rafe calls in and says Hilda can take the holidays off. Sami listens, and rushes back into the bathroom when Rafe hangs up. Inside, Sami collapses. She hits the bathroom floor with a thud which registers 9.1 on the Richter scale over at Salem labs. Rafe rushes in and sees her broken, lifeless body lying on the floor, "OMG! This bathroom floor is going to need a whole new tile job."

EJ wonders what's up. Nicole says, "You can't come in here looking like a chiseled God and expect me to fall at your feet. Especially when I'm not sure you have my best interests at heart. You don't trust me with seed money for our child's future. Seeds are a lot more expensive these days." EJ thinks love should amount to something. "It should," says Nicole, "About 750 G's. But I am not sharing my bed or my life with you. Not until I get a more lifelike fake baby bump."

Sami sits on the couch and insists she's OK, which is the cue for more pain to set in. Sami doubles over. Rafe panics.

"THE BABY!"

Lucas has wised up and dressed. OK, he's dressed, anyway. He smooches Chloe and leaves as Maggie shows up. Maggie says she is so glad things went well for Chloe and Kate. She surveys the rustic Horton cabin, "Time stands still here. It's kind of like being in a permanent DOOL episode. You can stay here forever and just focus on the person you love."

"That's true," says Chloe, "I was just sitting here focusing on me."

Daniel goes in to see Kate. Back from the brink of death in all her makeup, Kate looks longingly into his eyes and says, "I'm looking forward to Christmas. And I don't mean just because I'm still here. I'm looking forward to spending it with my family... and you. And maybe even giving Stefano an answer to the proposal he made about six months ago."

Victor and Phillip argue about money and Melanie. Victor nukes, "You were ready to sacrifice your company just because some woman got under your skin."

"It's not my skin," says Phillip, "They replaced that along with the face."

Unfortunately Stephanie and Melanie stop short of a catfight. Stephanie wants Melanie out of there. Melanie says Victor doesn't want her to leave, so she should show some respect, "I've managed to oust you from Max' life and will figure out a way to do the same with you and Phillip."

EJ thinks Nicole is in a bizarre frame of mind and leaves. Nicole rages and cries.

Rafe is on the phone with the doctor. Sami has him feel the baby kick. He tells the doctor what's happening and the doctor advises him. Rafe hangs up and says the doctor just thinks this is stress related. He blames himself, of course, "There is no way around this. I have to resign."

"No way," says Sami, "I can't break in a new incompetent adolescent G-Man this close to Christmas."

Phillip asks, "How is Melanie under my skin? I can't stand her. I scrapped the project because she is bad news."

"Women have always clouded your judgment," says Victor, "Belle alone cut your IQ in half." Phillip leaves.

Stephanie and Melanie argue as Phillip comes out. Phillip and Stephanie leave. Victor says, "Melanie... I'd like a word with you."

A gal in the audience turns to the gal next to her, "I hope that word is 'DIE.'"

Sami begs Rafe to stay. Rafe says he got sentimental about Christmas. He can't let his feelings get in the way of doing his job, "This is about his safety. I'm going to call my friend."

"I don't want your friend," whines the thirty-something juvenile, "I want you."

Nicole's phone rings. She looks at the caller-ID and sees Dr. Baker is calling. She decides not to answer, "I don't want you any more. I want EJ. I know what I have to do and better do it soon."

EJ sits in the rumpus room and talks to his imaginary friend, "Nicole, what is going on?"

Nicole comes up behind him, "You really want to know? I'm afraid if I let you get close you'll find out the truth and I'll lose you for good."

Chloe tells Maggie the Horton cabin is where she found herself again. Maggie knows Chloe makes Lucas happy, "The question is, Does Lucas make you happy?"

"When he's gone," says Chloe.

Daniel asks, "So, when you get out of here do you want to hang out? Maybe take in a movie? Thumb wrestling?" Kate hands Daniel a box. He opens it and gasps, "OMG! You got me a necklace! Just what I wanted!"

"It's for Chloe," says Kate. She asks him to drop it off at the Horton cabin for her.

Sami don' wan' no stinkin' stranger guarding her. Rafe is confused, "Not too long ago you thought I was just an arrogant jerk. And I thought you were a spoiled brat."

"See," says Sami, "We were wrong." Even Sami can't swallow that one, "OK... we were both right."

Rafe agrees to stay, "Sooner or later I will have to go." Sami decides it's time to move on to other things. She heads for the counter to make some tea and turns to look at Rafe. Suddenly, everything goes blurry. Sami swoons and Rafe helps her to the couch.

"I'm OK," insists Sami, "I feel light headed."

"That's normal," says Rafe, "Vacuums don't weigh anything."

Nicole says, "It's about the baby. It is driving me crazy and that's why I'm acting irrationally."

EJ says his relationship with her is different than other relationships he's had, "Most of them want their money in advance. I have never felt as close to someone as I do with you. I will always (say it with him) be there for you and our child." Kiss. Grope. EJ gasps, "Wait a second! That feels different."

Kate says the long-forgotten Bill Horton gave that necklace to her on Christmas Eve back in the day, and she wanted to give it to the special woman in Lucas' life, "That woman has never been in his life until now." Daniel agrees to be her delivery boy.

Maggie says she just doesn't want to see Lucas get hurt, "Lucas is the best man I know," says Chloe, "He's honest... Loving... Dumb as a doorknob..." Maggie leaves with her mind at ease. Chloe's mind is always at ease. Dead things don't have too much to worry about.

Phillip and Stephanie argue outside the pub. He has told Stephanie about quitting his job. She reminds him he told her the first rule of business is not to get emotional, "And the second rule is always to make sure you have an income so you can shower your girlfriend with trinkets." Phillip agrees maybe he was a little hasty. Stephanie encourages him to get his job back, "Before you go Christmas shopping for me."

Phillip is doubtful he can get it back, "And if I do, Dad will find some way to punish me. Like making me work with Melanie."

Victor tells Melanie he has decided to pick up the option on her fuel project. "I will be happy about that," says Melanie, "as long as your son is running things."

Victor tells her Phillip is no longer there, "I hope that doesn't affect the deal."

"Actually," says Melanie, "it kind of does."

Chloe gets a call. Lucas tells her his car broke down. He's stranded on the pier."

"Why were you driving on the pier," asks Chloe.

"How else was I going to float the car over to the Horton Island," asks Lucas. He tells her the tow truck will be there in 30 minutes to an hour, "I love you."

"I love you too." She hangs up and decides she will give Lucas an early Christmas present to unwrap.

Daniel snoops outside the cabin. He finds the hide-a-key.

Victor tells Melanie Phillip's absence will not affect their dealings. He gets a call. Melanie leaves. Victor answers. Phillip says he is calling to apologize, "I was insolent and disrespectful."

"You forgot two-faced," says Victor. Phillip asks for his job back and Victor gives it to him.

"But," says Phillip, "You have to trust me."

"All right," says Vic, "No more stepping in on you." Melanie listens.

EJ just thinks things feel different because the baby bump is getting bigger. Smoochies. He asks Nicole to reconsider having him spend the night in her bed. Nicole says the doctor thinks it's important she get a lot of sleep. She's been having night sweats and being close to EJ at night would really make her sweat, "As soon as I've make it throught this pregnancy, we will lie together for all the Days Of Our Lives and not just cuddle."

Sami says she feels better. Oh, thank God I was so worried! Sami brings up her favorite subject, EJ, and wonders if it's fair to keep the baby a secret. "Sounds like you're changing your mind," says Rafe.

Victor is back on the phone, "We need to discuss something. It concerns the future of Titan."

Phillip walks into the pub and tells Stephanie he got his job back. Stephanie is thrilled and points out they are standing under the mistletoe. She moves in. Melanie watches and seethes, "Pretty soon, Stephanie, you will be the ghost of Christmas past."

Lucas shivers at the dock, "Where is that truck?"

A drunk passing by says, "Maybe it's up on the road where most people drive... just a hunch."

Daniel unlocks the door to the Horton cabin. Chloe, dressed in her teensy teddy, hears the rustling and rushes to greet Lucas. She opens the door, "I hope you're ready to unwrap your..."

YIKES! DR. GROPENSTEIN!

Sami insists she isn't changing her mind about EJ and the baby, "I'm happy about the baby, but it makes me a little sad."

"Hmmm...," says Rafe, "Happy... Sad... Manic... Depressive... I see what you're saying."

EJ moves in on Nicole and gropes around like Dr. Dan on a busy day. Nicole thinks things are getting a bit out of control and pushes him away. EJ goes for ice cream so they can cool down. "That was close," says Nicole. She wanders across to the nativity scene and picks up the Baby Jesus, "I don't want any more scares like that unless you can arrange a virgin birth."

Baby Jesus is shocked, "I didn't even know you knew what a virgin was."

The doorbell interrupts Nicole's tender moment at the crèche. Nicole answers to find Dr. Baker making a housecall. "You didn't return my call," he growls, "I need to know if you got the money."

EJ yells form another room, "Darling, who's at the door?"

Nicole tells the doctor, "I'm working on it. I need time. I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

"I need an answer now."


Previews
========

You can watch the previews later today on our PREVUZE II website. Prevuze II should be up no later than noon, Eastern Time.

If you enjoyed today's recap and haven't left a donation in a while, please consider doing that. If you aren't in a position to donate, support our advertisers. And you could also consider leaving a comment. We enjoy those. Look at it this way... I've already read Prevuze. YOU are MY entertainment.