A Heartbroken Red-Faced Blubbering Mess

Sami opens the door to her place to find Nicole there. Nicole sees the basket case standing in front of her and asks what's wrong.

EJ leaves a phone message asking what's bothering Nicole. Rafe walks up.

Will and Mia kiss. Of course, Chad comes up and soaks it all in.

Stefano bounces Sydney on his knee, "You are a DiMera through and through. You are also a Brady but we don't want to tell anyone about that."

Sami tells Nicole Rafe left. Nicole asks, "Why did he leave."

Sami says, "We had a fight. It's over." She erupts into a fountain of tears.

Sami reminds Nicole she said from the beginning not to trust Rafe. She shows her the letter and says Rafe lied to her. Nicole reads and gasps, "This says he committed murder." Nicole asks if Sami believes what the letter says.

EJ sees Rafe. He tells him he figures Rafe doesn't care about anything or anyone as long as he and Sami are together, "True love conquers all, eh?"

"Can you say that in English," asks Rafe, "I don't speak Canadian."

"What I'm saying," says EJ, "is as long as you have Samantha, your attitude is damn the rest of the world."

"No," says Rafe in his patented monotone, "Just damn you."

Chad breaks up Will and Mia's little game of spin the bottle, "In less than a month we'll be back at school." Chad asks Will about cross country. Will says, "Yeah, I'll be going out for the team and we'll kick Salem West's butt."

"You're right," says Chad, "We'll crush them." He turns to Mia, "So Mia, you didn't tell him?"

Abe, Lexie and Theo arrive at the DiMera mansion. Everyone makes over Theo and Sydney. Lexie introduces Theo to Sydney. Theo gets all hot and bothered when they won't let him play with Sydney's toys and he starts wailing for his toy dog Charlie. Abe takes him outside to find his toy.

Lexie tells Stefano, "Theo has trouble verbalizing his thoughts."

"I don't have that trouble with my son," says Stefano, "In order to verbalize thoughts, you have to have thoughts in the first place." He assures Lexie he loves Theo and nearly breaks down as he says, "I don't like seeing him upset."

Rafe comes into the pub. He tells Arianna he came to say goodbye, "I'm leaving Salem."

Sami says she doesn't think Meredith would lie. She reads from the letter, "My sister knew a secret bout Rafe that would destroy his FBI career. Rafe and Emily had an argument before the ceremony, then the accident."

Sami says she asked Rafe about this but he wouldn't answer any questions. "I think you're missing something," says Nicole. Her Happy Meal is definitely missing a few pieces.

EJ arrives and Lexie tells him they are there to wish Sydney a happy half birthday.

"We're celebrating half birthday's," asks EJ, "You know, coincidentally, today is my 3/4 birthday. Do I get a present, too?"


Lexie thinks it over, "Yeah, I never thought of that. I can't believe it but today is my 9/16 birthday..."

As Lexie leaves Stefano wishes her good luck with finding Charlie. Lexie teeters on the brink of a nervous breakdown, "Thanks. I sure Hope we find him. And, by the way, Father, we wouldn't forget you... Happy 5/32 birthday."

EJ wonders where Nicole is, "What could be more important than celebrating fractional birthdays?"

Alice pops out of her visit to Wonderland, "OMG! This means there is no such thing as an 'unbirthday.'"

Rafe says, "I'm gonna get out of here... clear my head."

"If your head were any more clear," says Arianna, "It would be a bigger vacuum than outer space."

Do you know why space is a vacuum? Because the writing on DOOL sucks.

Rafe tells Arianna that Sami won't be going with him. "She must be upset," says Arianna.

"I haven't told her yet."

"I get it," says Arianna, "You're leaving because of Sami."

Nicole sort of defends Rafe, "Maybe he's not answering your questions because this is difficult to talk about."

Out in the audience, Maude turns to Henrietta, "It's not as difficult to talk about as it is to listen to."

Sami asks, "So, in other words, he'd rather break up with me than talk?"

"Talking to you can be pretty painful," says Nicole, "But I think you should give him the benefit of the doubt." Sami thinks it's weird Nicole is defending him.

Chad 'splains he and Will are going to be classmates, since he's transferred to Will's school. Will lies and says Mia had already told him, "I just forgot about it. Sorry dude, you're not on my radar."

Mia chimes in, "You think we just sit around talking about you all day? Get over yourself, babe."

Will and Mia leave and Kinzie walks up. Chad tells her he wants to come up with a better strategy to break them up. Kinzie thinks it's a tall order, "They are pretty tight."

Rafe gets a call from his boss and walks off, "What are you saying, Mr. Legree... you actually want me to show up at work? I think that's a little unreasonable." While Rafe talks, Arianna scoots outside.

Sami tries a little twisted logic, "You're defending Rafe because you looked the other way with EJ when he tried to have Phillip killed and kidnapped Stephanie." Nicole says she loves EJ unconditionally. Sami says she is grateful Nicole let her see Johnny and told her about the headstone, but she says she has to draw a line somewhere and that's why she didn't tell EJ about Grace, "But that doesn't matter because Grace and Rafe are both gone. It's because of everything I've done. I have to pay for all the horrible things I've done." Nicole insists this isn't Sami's fault.

Stefano says he knows EJ and Nicole argued. He asks why. EJ tells him it's because of Nicole's secrecy. He feels Nicole is keeping something from him. EJ brings up Rafe. He says he saw Rafe this morning and Rafe backed off, "He seemed distracted." Speaking of distractions, Sydney cries. EJ picks her up and leaves. Stefano stands alone and chuckles, "You're playing right into my hand, Senor Hernandez."

Rafe gets off the phone and looks for Arianna. Abe and Lexie come in looking for Charlie. They ask Rafe if he knows anything about Charlie since they might have left him in the pub and Arianna is his sister. And we thought it was Sami who was using twisted logic. Rafe dunno nuthin' (as usual). Lexie freaks because they can't find the toy. Abe goes to make some calls (not to mention get away from Lexie's nuclear blast). Rafe and Lexie talk about the big half-birthday celebration and Rafe realizes Grace would also have been six months old, "Not only that... I mean, I don't like to draw attention to myself, but today is my 4/5 birthday." Rafe asks about Nicole and wonders why Grace's death hit her so hard.

Sami answers a knock at the door. Arianna rushes in. Nicole decides this is her cue to leave. Sami asks, "Why are you here?"

"I want to know what you did to Rafe," says Arianna.

"I don't think I should talk about things like that to his sister," says Sami, "I don't like to brag even though I am pretty good in the bedroom."

Will wonders why Mia didn't tell him Chad is coming to their school. Mia says she just forgot. Will thinks that wouldn't be something she would just forget, "There must be a reason you didn't tell."

"You're right," says Mia, "There is."

Nicole arrives back at the mansion. She finds Stefano in the rumpus room and sees the gift. He tells her about Abe and Lexie's visit and says they were all wondering where she was. "I was with Sami," says Nicole, "She's a heartbroken red-faced blubbering mess thanks to you." Nicole tells Stefano about the letter.

Stefano chuckles, "Sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction."

"Nothing is stranger than the fiction on this show," says Nicole, "And I don't think Rafe is capable of murder."

"That's OK," says Stefano, "As long as Samantha believes he is."

Rafe magically comes up with Charlie. Lexie sighs with relief and thanks him. Abe congratulates Rafe on his detective work, "I was about to recommend you for the SPD, but if you're that good at solving mysteries, you wouldn't qualify."

Rafe leaves to "take care of things."

Sami defends herself, "I didn't do anything to Rafe."

"Then why did he decide to leave town," asks Arianna.

Sami insists she has nothing to do with this. She rages over Meredith and shows Arianna the letter, "Here, read it."

Rafe visits Grace's grave, "You'll always be a Brady to me." He flashes back to finding Nicole there.

Stefano accuses Nicole of being an ingrate, "You want to keep that idiot around to ruin your life!"

"EJ isn't going to ruin my life," she says.

Stefano accuses her of being the poster girl for kindness and compassion. Stefano demands she express gratitude for his shenanigans. Nicole says, "Unlike you, I don't enjoy hurting people. I have made mistakes, but at least I regret them."

"What do you want," growls Stefano, "A gold star?"

"I just don't want to cause any more pain," says Nicole.

Stefano says it's her against Sami, "You have done the unforgivable. You stole a baby!" EJ comes in and demands to know what they are arguing about.

Nicole says, "I was just telling Stefano as rich as you are I'd think you could afford a better hearing aid."

Mia says she didn't say anything about Chad because with everything going on it didn't seem important. She insists Chad means nothing to her, "That part of my life is over."

Chad and Kinzie have bopped over to the gym. Kinzie huffs, "This plan of yours is turning into a complete time-suck."

"If you ask me," says Chad, "it's turning into a complete story-line-suck." He says he thinks there is something up with Mia other than drugs, "I'm going to find out what it is."

Rafe sits at Grace's grave and says he's there to say goodbye, "I want to tell your mother the truth but there is no way I can."

Arianna says the letter makes it sound like Rafe killed Emily. Sami demands to know what Arianna knows. Arianna evades her and leaves. Sami stares.

Stefano excuses himself. EJ asks what the argument was about. Nicole says Stefano thought she was being insensitive, "I just want a normal happy life and it depresses me to talk about Grace." EJ wants to know if she wants him to forget his daughter just because the subject depresses her. Nicole says she wishes he would focus on their living daughter. She says she loves him and respects the fact he is mourning Grace, "Are we OK?"

"Sure."

"I love you," says Nicole, "And I want a beautiful future for us." Hugs. EJ stares.

Rafe gets back to the pub and finds Arianna. He asks where she went. Arianna tells him she saw Sami and saw Meredith's letter.

"Did you say anything to her," asks Rafe, "Don't try to stop me from leaving. you know I have to do this.

Sami plays with Allie and tells her Rafe will miss her, too, "What am I doing? I love him. I want to give him a chance to explain. That's what I have to do. I should call him and ask."

Before closing, Prevuze would like to take this opportunity to extend its best wishes to everyone celebrating a 7/16 birthday out there in DOOL land.

NOTE – you can now follow Prevuze on twitter at: http://twitter.com/prevuze Prevuze II has a video of the daily show previews, which should be available by noon (EST) on any given day. To see Prevuze II: CLICK HERE