Boxers Or Briefs?

We begin at Bo and Hope's house with Hope wrapping presents. Bo comes in, "You look beautiful sitting there. It's good to have you back here."

Hope says, "Well, figured I should come back for a while. You always forget to water the tree."

"All I want for Christmas is for you and Ciara to come home."

"That's up to you."

Henderson comes into the den with a bouquet of flowers as big as the Paris Botanical Gardens, "These are for you. Madame."

Vivian is nonchalant as she fiddles with her tarot cards, "These cards tell all. Is there anything you'd like to know?"

"When you're leaving," asks Henderson.

"WHAT?"

"I was just inquiring about your schedule, madame." Henderson leaves while he can still walk.

Vivian finds the card of justice, "What could that mean, Carly?"

Lexie finds Carly at the nurses' station. She welcomes her back to the hospital and they share small talk.

Maxine walks with Melanie. She criticizes Melanie's bedside manner, "The patient you were just with needed a sponge bath, not a critique. He may be a little large, but he's 87 and a trustee of this hospital. You could use a little work on your people skills."

"And be sweet like you?" Melanie gets fifteen yards for unsportsmanlike conduct. Maxine points across the room to the new attending physician and says Melanie should meet her. Maxine walks off as Melanie sees the new person is Carly, "Great, the woman I kicked out of Maggie's house." What goes around comes around.

Brady lectures Arianna for trusting EJ. Arianna defends EJ and says she fells for him because his daughter is missing and his wife lied to him. She thinks Nicole is right where she belongs.

...And that would be in jail. Nicole paces in her cell and wonders if people have forgotten about her. EJ steps up, "I haven't,,, I'm here because you are going to tell me everything about whom my father is working with."

Mystery Woman sings, "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" to Sydney. Sydney frantically looks for her earplugs.

Rafe is on the phone with his FBI contact telling him they need to be sure it's a woman that took Sydney, and they need to know for sure Stefano was involved. He hangs up and makes another call to the jail. Stefano's personal guard who is apparently Rafe's good buddy answers and tells him Stefano is asleep. "Not for long," says Rafe, "I'm on my way."

Bo gets upset because Hope turned things around on him, "You move out and I ask you to move back and you tell me it's up to me. It's not. We're stuck in a pattern so tell me how we get out of it because it's driving me crazy."

Nicole stammers and rambles and tells EJ what she can remember about the kidnapping. EJ says the woman who took Sydney was HER. "I didn't hit myself over the head," says Nicole.

"Right," says EJ, "and now you have everyone running on a wild goose chase. I think you and father are wasting our time until your next move."

Nicole objects, "I am not working with your father. I know this woman has Sydney. Find her!"

Rafe and his contact are at the pub. The contact surreptitiously slips a vile vial to him under the table, "I will swear in court that I never gave this to you."

"This is the first time I've ever looked forward to talking to a DiMera," says Rafe.

Melanie bounces up to Carly. Carly asks about her arm. Melanie tells her the burn was really nothing and apologizes about vetoing the plan for her to live at Maggie's. "That's all right," says Carly, "I've settled into the cutest little cardboard box down by the pier."

Vivian walks up with the huge bouquet of flowers and finds Melanie, "My goodness, what happened to your fashion sense. You almost look like a student nurse."

"I am."

"Well," gasps Vivian, "someone has to be one, but one never expects to meet one personally." Melanie scoots.

Vivian turns to Carly, "Scrappy little thing. I don't much like that." She tells Carly the flowers are for her.

Back at the pier Arianna and Brady continue to argue about Nicole. Brady thinks EJ should be in prison too.

EJ grabs Nicole through the bars, "I know you know." Nicole yanks her arm away and tells him he's bossy.

Stefano calls the guard and asks for water. The guard hands it to him as Rafe comes in. Stefano guzzles as the guard leaves. Rafe says, "They say you're supposed to drink eight glasses a day."

Stefano turns and sees him standing there, "Go away."

Go away.

"No," says Rafe, "Actually, you and I are going to have a little chat."

More Brady-Arianna-o-rama. Things have thawed a bit. Arianna tells him EJ said he didn't just bump into her, but he tracked her down. That pushes every button Brady has. He explodes as Melanie comes up.

Carly and Vivian bicker. Carly tells her to get out. Vivian smiles, "Victor and I just wanted to mark your return to the killing fields... I mean, stomping grounds."

"You and Victor?"

"Yes," says Vivian, "We share more than animal passion. But how inconsiderate of me to talk about my happiness when you've just been widowed. It's a shame Lawrence died. Now you will have nothing but misery."

Hope says, "We don't talk any more, we spar. You're not happy."

"Of course not," says Bo, "I'm married to you."

Carly wonders if that was a threat. Lexie comes up. Carly says she has the perfect place for the flowers. She leaves that to our imagination and walks off. Lexie makes a crack and does the same.

Melanie tells Arianna about EJ taking her her money. Brady leaves. Melanie advises Arianna if she lets EJ get between her and Brady she's an idiot. Arianna decides not to let EJ get between her and Brady in spite of that.

EJ continues to badger Nicole for information. Nicole continues to deny, "I don't know anything. Talk to Stefano."

EJ snorts, "Nobody is gonna get him to talk."

Rafe is inside the cell with Stefano, "We're gonna get to the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

Stefano gets a little woozy, "Did you put something in the drink?"

"As a matter of fact," says Rafe, "I did. It has a big long Latin name I can't pronounce, but suffice it to say it's truth serum."

"I guess 'sodium pentathol' wasn't on your FBI entrance exam," says Stefano, "You can't use that. My doctor has me on a low-sodium diet." He gets disgusted and throws the water bottle across the room.

"Let's start with something easy," says Rafe, "Boxers or briefs?"

"You are a sneaky bastard," says growls Stefano, "You can't do this."

Rafe proudly announces, "I already did. I will do whatever it takes to get Sydney back and put you and your lady-friend away forever."

Mystery Woman goes through her kidnapping scrapbook.

Rafe continues, "So... EJ had Brady beaten up?"

"Yeah, thank God that scar was just behind his ear."

"What did he do?"

"He went to EJ and Nicole's wedding."

"To stop it?"

"No, you imbecile," yells Stefano, "to catch the bouquet."

Arianna panics and runs off to talk to Brady. Melanie congratulates herself on her matchmaking skills.

Carly checks out her patient and walks back out to the nurses' station. As she passes, she gives the flowers a glance.

Vivian is at the Java Café. Her phone buzzes. She reads a text message and sighs, "Dear Carly welcome back to the work force."

Hope sneers, "This is about the both of us." Dang. I'll bet even Bo had figured that one out.

Bo reminds her, "We stood at an altar and promised this was for better or for worse."

"You have made that promise to more than one woman," says Hope. A referee steps in and warns pure-as-the-driven-snow Hope about hitting below the belt. Hope takes it back, "That was uncalled for. It's just that I'm worried about something and I think you will be mad if I bring it up. It's... Carly's secret... Bo, I keep thinking about you and Billie when you found out your daughter was alive. Tell me you and Carly didn't have a baby."

"If we had another one like Chelsea, I think I'd kill myself," says Bo, "but this thing of Carly's is about her life, not mine. It has nothing to do with us."

Hope is skeptical, "I have to take that on faith, right?"

"You have to trust me," says Bo, "Your husband. For now."

Arianna arrives at the mansion. Brady answers the door, "Are you collecting for the EJ defense fund?"

Arianna wants to talk, but thinks they should go somewhere else so Victor can't overhear. Brady suggests the Java Café. "I have a better idea," says Arianna. She drags him off.

EJ and Nicole keep it up. Nicole worries, "I Hope Sydney is all right."

"ALL RIGHT," screams EJ, "She was all right before YOU took her!" EJ figures Stefano took Sydney because he didn't trust him to bring up his own daughter.

Stefano protests, "You can't do this."

Rafe is smug, "I already have."

Stefano huffs and puffs, "This is illegal."

"You think I care," says Rafe, "We're not going to use this information in court. All I want is to get Sydney back... for Sami. How about a few warmup questions? Which one was your favorite Beatle? What was your pet's name? Oh, here's a good one... Did you try to kill me?"

"No."

"OK, let's be more specific... Did you pay someone to try to kill me?"

Stefano chuckles. The chuckle turns into a belly laugh, "Yes I did."

Rafe smiles, "See... the truth will set you free. Did you help Nicole with the switcheroo?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a granddaughter named Sydney?"

"Yes."

"Do you know where she is right now?"

Hope wonders if Bo is threatening her. Bo says if she doesn't trust him they don't have much of a marriage. Things degenerate. Hope thinks Carly's rights are trumping everything, including their marriage.

"That's how you put it," says Bo.

"This is how I put it," says Hope. She moves in and plants a kiss on him, "I love you."

"And I love you," says Bo, "But apparently that's not enough for you."

"No." Wow. I guess this would be a real mess if these kids weren't so head-over-heels in love with each other.

Arianna brings Brady back to her place and tosses him into the bed. Brady protests, "Hey, do you think I'm easy?"

"I think it's time for Plan B," says Arianna. She rips his shirt off.

"I think I'm gonna like Plan B," says Brady.

Melanie is at the Java Café with Vivian. She suggests Vivian should volunteer at the hospital, "That would be a good way for you to give back."

"I have no idea what that means," says Vivian. Vivian wants to know what Melanie wants Phillip to get her for Christmas. Melanie isn't' sure, so Vivian advises her about gifts from men, "I like real estate myself."

Melanie tells her she is spending a quiet Christmas alone with Phillip. Vivian asks what she knows about Carly. Melanie tells her tonight was their first night working together but she knew her before that.

Carly and Lexie chat. Carly gives her diagnosis, "It turns out Mrs. Parker's problem was just too many late-night burritos."

"There's a lot of that going around," says Lexie.

Carly heads in to check on Mrs. Parker. "Late night burritos," says Lexie, "Sounds great."

Inside the room, Carly pulls the covers back to check out Mrs. Parker and instead finds a...

DEAD BODY!

Stefano sweats and wonders what's happening to him. Rafe tells him he can't fight it, "Do you love your children?"

"Yes."

"Do you hate Samantha Brady?"

"Yes."

"Did you take Sydney?"

Stefano stammers, "I... I... no, I did not. No. I did not do it. No." EJ listens and shakes his head.

Lexie rushes into the room with Carly. Carly shows her the little surprise, "Where is Mrs. Parker and how did our 'friend' here get in that bed?"

Carly finds a sprig of baby's breath in Mrs. Rigormortis' hair, "This wasn't a mistake." She flashes back to the flowers.

Bo snorts, "I can't do this," He runs upstairs. Hope grabs her coat. A family picture falls. She picks it up, contemplates it, takes it and runs out. Bo runs back downstairs and shrugs his shoulders.

Nicole curses Stefano.

Stefano says he wouldn't do that to Elvis, "He is my son. I would do anything for him." EJ listens. Rafe asks if Stefano asked a woman to take Sydney. Stefano says no.

Rafe leaves. On the way out, he passes EJ, "He's telling the truth."

Mystery Woman sings "Itsy Bitsy spider." We pan back...

ANNA!

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