Days of our Lives Recaps: The week of September 15, 2003 on DAYS

Comprehensive daily recaps for Days of our Lives, dating back to 1996.

Monday, September 15, 2003

by AMANDA KING

At Belle and Mimi's dinner party, the mock trial they began in order to decide whether Rex was guilty of attempted murder raged on. Philip asked Belle if she finds Rex guilty or not guilty. Shawn was irritated that that they only considered character witnesses without revisiting the actual crime itself. Rex defended himself by explaining that just because his family lost money on a deal-gone-bad didn't mean that he would kill someone. Belle quieted the group by telling them they were all out of order and by ordering Cassie to "stay out of it." When Philip asked Belle again what her verdict was, Belle in turn asked if they would all live with her answer. When nobody spoke she announced that she found Rex not guilty and everyone applauded except Shawn. "How could you?" Shawn yelled and reminded Belle that she promised to be impartial, but that now she was siding with her brother, Rex. Belle tried to explain her decision by reminding Shawn that as a pre-law student he should know that there was not enough solid evidence to convict Rex and that Shawn was allowing his feelings cloud his judgment. Rex took that opportunity to swear he didn't commit the crime, but Shawn questioned that if Rex was innocent, then who did it? Belle told him that they might never know who tried to kill his parents and Shawn decided that maybe Rex was also responsible for Colin Murphy's murder. Rex lamented that he would probably get blamed for all unsolved crimes now. Belle then reminded Shawn that at one point he thought that he had killed Colin so he couldn't really blame Rex for that murder. She went on to say that they should give Rex the benefit of the doubt and that while she thought Rex was not guilty, she never said he was innocent. Philip wondered aloud if the crimes were possibly linked. Then Shawn picked a fight by announcing that all the DiMeras were guilty in some fashion and he wouldn't be surprised if Rex was doing all of Tony's dirty work since he worshipped Tony. With that remark, Shawn and Rex jumped up to fist fight and Philip found himself in the middle trying for a truce. When the two were stopped, Shawn informed his audience that everyone knew that Cassie and Rex had been genetically engineered and that he thought Stefano had it arranged it so that the twins could come to Salem and carry out his legacy. Belle played the role of peacemaker by reminding Shawn that they had no proof that that was true. Rex and Cassie said they didn't know why they were brought to Salem. Although the group was dubious, Shawn relayed that he thought Stefano was still out there. He reminded them that the twins had the mark of Stefano on their wrists when they came to Salem, but Belle replied, "so did my dad." Belle defended the twins stating that they were just victimized by Stefano. Belle angrily told Shawn that she was the daughter of Stefano's "Soldier Black", and demanded to know if that made her an evil DiMera also. In the background Rex smiled to himself, pleased at the riff he had caused between Belle and Shawn. Belle then asked if Shawn would go after her dad next since he was Tony's half-brother. Shawn tried to retract Belle's statements by telling her that her dad was a good guy, but that she had to be blind not to see the truth about Rex and Cassie. He said that he didn't want anyone to get hurt and that he wasn't not going to stand by and watch it happen. Shawn told them that he won't ever believe that Rex is innocent. On that note, Philip grabbed Cassie's arm and announced that they were leaving. Outside, Cassie whispered to Philip that this was the perfect time to make a move on Belle. Back inside, Belle wondered aloud why she had suggested a mock trial and why she had ever agreed to be the judge. Rex thanked her for trying anyway. Mimi asked Rex to leave them alone and then told Belle that she made the right decision voting Rex innocent. But Belle pondered whether or not she had lost Shawn in the process. Upstairs, Shawn went to the roof to vent his anger and was angry that Belle had chosen Rex's side over his. Back at their apartment, Rex began to get another headache and then menacingly stated that no Brady would ever stand in his way.

Jack stripped off his phone repairman disguise while he walked along. Behind the bushes, a shadowy figure aimed a gun at him. Jack heard the gun cock, but figured that he was hearing things and kept walking. Quickly the gun was fired and Jack fell to the ground and settled in the gutter. Soon he was found by a man walking by who called 9-1-1 to report a dead man in the road. As Abe arrived at the scene, Jack was being examined, and Abe asked about the body unaware that it was in fact Jack. The cop said that Jack had been called in dead because of all the blood, but that it was due to a cut on the head and that Jack was one lucky snoop. Abe headed over to check on his friend and while he wondered why Jack was in a jumpsuit, Jack came to. When asked to recount his story, Jack said he heard a gunshot and dove for the bushes but hit his head on the pavement instead. Abe then sent his officers to look around for shell casings and it dawned on Jack that somebody tried to kill him. Jack couldn't remember the shooter, but admitted that he had his suspicions and that he didn't want to tell until he had proof. Jack finally admitted that he thought someone in the Kiriakis house had tried to kill him. Abe took that cue to head off to arrest the killer and Jack hurried off to follow him.

Maggie, Jennifer and Mickey went back to Alice's house to look for a pair of glasses, but instead they smelled smoke! Mickey quickly ran upstairs to check on Alice while Maggie and Jen headed for the kitchen. On the table, Jennifer spied Jack's picture on fire and stared worriedly at the photo. Maggie doused the photo with water and Jennifer asked, "who could've done this?" Mickey came downstairs and stated that his mother was asleep and Jen worried that something terrible was going to happen to Jack. Jennifer demanded to know how a picture caught on fire when there was no one else in the room and decided that it was a sign. Mickey tried to explain the phenomenon logically by saying that it could've been a spark from the desk lamp, but Jennifer hurried to call Jack's cell phone anyway. When she still couldn't reach Jack, Jennifer worried because he had kept his story and the drawing of his will a secret from her. Jen took another look at the picture and said that she could feel that something was wrong and felt cold all over even though Maggie was warm. Jennifer then called the newspaper and found that Jack had offered to take write a routine story. She didn't believe that Jack was alright because he wouldn't normally accept a routine assignment. Maggie tried to reassure Jen and said that maybe the story was important for everyone's future. Jennifer then left with Maggie to go to the Carver's home to find out more about the story that Jack was supposedly covering. Mickey stayed behind and wondered if something really was wrong while he looked at burnt picture again. He was startled when Alice came downstairs and said "It's happening, isn't it?" She asked how the burnt photo happened and said it was another bad omen from Tom. Alice then looked at Tom's picture and asked him to ask the Lord to keep them safe. While Mickey inspected the light to figure out how fire was started, he heard a noise and thought it was Alice, but when he turned around, it was Tom's apparition again, but this time it didn't speak.

Abe entered house just as Lexie brought Theo downstairs. Abe held Theo and affectionately offered to give the baby a bath and read him a story. A pleased Lexie then asked him what they would ever do without him, to which Abe replied that they would never have to know. Abe took the baby upstairs while Lexie told herself and that they needed Abe and that he couldn't die. When Abe reappeared after putting baby down, they talked about Theo. Lexie told her husband that she liked the changes she had felt since Abe had decided to retire. She then told him about a second honeymoon to Italy she was hoping to have once he was finally retired from the police force. Lexie was obviously excited about a future without the constant threat of danger lurking over their heads. Abe reminded her that he had a few more cases to finish up, but Lexie tried to talk him out of working on them because of the danger. Abe told her that there were direct links in the Colin Murphy case leading to someone in the Kiriakis household. Lexie tried to talk Abe into delegating the investigation to Roman, but he said that Roman was his friend and that he had to retire in a way that he felt good about. Just then the phone rang and someone at the police station informed Abe that there was a civilian down in front of the Kiriakis estate. Abe rushed to check it out, but Lexie was visibly upset. She headed upstairs to check on the baby, and on her way back down the doorbell rang. It was Jennifer and Maggie asking for Abe. After Lexie explained that Abe was out on a police call, Jennifer told Lexie of her fears. Jen and Maggie then brought Lexie up to speed regarding the burning picture and Lexie offered to let Jennifer stay there until Abe returned. Jennifer then called Abby, but Jack had not called to tell his daughter goodnight either, as was his tradition. She told Maggie, "if Jack's not dead, I'm going to kill him," but then apologized for acting so crazy. When Lexie went to the kitchen for some tea, Maggie tried to calm Jennifer's nerves by telling her that she was sure Jack would be alright and that Lexie should be more worried about Abe than Jen should be about Jack. Maggie told her what that Alice wasn't the only one who had seen Tom's ghost. She said that Abe had seen him also and heard him call out Abe's name. Just then, Lexie overheard and dropped a platter all over the floor in her shock.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady noticed that Nicole's drink was still cold and wondered where she could've gone. He heard a noise outside like a gunshot, and began rushing around to find out who else may have heard the noise. Brady noted that it was strange that both Victor and Nicole had disappeared, and then went into the entryway to ask if Henderson had heard anything. Brady worried that there could've been another attempt on his grandfather's life. Nicole soon sauntered back into the room like nothing had happened and headed for her drink. She acted nervous when Brady asked if she had heard the gunshot. She asked what had happened and just then Victor came back inside the house. Brady told him his fears and both Nicole and Victor acted like they hadn't heard anything and Brady headed for the door to investigate. Both Nicole and Victor said "NO!" Brady revealed that there could be a hitman on the property and couldn't understand why didn't they want him to check it out. Victor said it was too dangerous and Nicole said to leave it alone. Victor said the repairman was a fake and that he got rid of him and he won't be back. Nicole said and Brady overheard her threaten to tell Victor's dirty secrets. Brady asked why Victor was being so casual about it all and went on to suggest that maybe it was Larry Welch's accomplice. Soon after, Victor dismissed Brady so that he could talk to Nicole alone and called her his killer wife. Nicole responded by reminding Victor of his responsibilities concerning her role in the Colin Murphy murder. Just then, Abe showed up at the door in order to question Jack. Abe ended the conversation by stating that he was there about the shooting and that he believed that he who pulled the trigger was right there in the room.

Tuesday, September 16, 2003

by Joan

Belle tried to make up with Shawn after her "not guilty" decision at the mock trial. Explaining the decision was more a ploy - allowing Rex to become trusting and let his guard down, seemed a good idea to Shawn. Meanwhile, Rex was more pleased with Belle's judgment, because of Shawn's disappointment. While Shawn felt Stefano was in some way pulling the strings, Rex was in an argument with Mimi. Angrily denouncing his Brady ties, Rex said he would carry on the DiMera legacy as he was genetically created to do.

At the DiMera Mansion, Tony's impatience angrily pressed Stefano for info about the Twins - asking - as if to confirm - that they were his children. Tony was told they were not only his but belonged to the rest of the world as the next generation of DiMeras. In discussing Abe, father and son agreed on the solution to get the Commander out of the way. Tony laughed that the 'processional cart was already before the horse', as he glanced at a funeral wreath with picture of Abe.

Visiting her brother, Lexie confided the information about Abe. While the story of the vision quietly pleased the Count, he dismissed the tale as superstition. But when Lexie asked if Stefano was still alive, Tony convinced her that their father was just ashes in an urn. Still concealing the floral arrangement and Abe's picture, Tony promised to be a vital force in Baby Theo's life - as they focused on the Christening. But Lexie said she'd side with Abe if he didn't allow a major DiMera influence. Afterwards, Tony picked up the urn, with thoughts of deeds that would be for Alexandra's own good, declaring "Dead Carvers, Brady's and Horton's don't come back to life - only DiMeras do." Tony's musing about the dangers of Abe nearing too many secrets caused Bart to ask -- his secrets or Stefano's.

Maggie told a distressed Lexie about Abe hearing Tom speak his name. Recalling the ominous tale of foreboding death, Lexie recovered - if just to convince herself it wasn't true. But remembering Celeste and Alice's experiences, she believed Abe would be next. Leaving Theo with Jennifer and Maggie, Lexie went to try to save her husband. But while Jen and Maggie convinced themselves of creating mass hysteria, Mickey arrived - to see them safely home. Suspicious, the two women learned that Mickey had seen Tom as well. A police dispatcher's call alerted Jen that an unidentified reporter had been shot.

At the Kiriakis Mansion, as Abe questioned Victor and Nicole, Jack burst through the door claiming he wasn't did - pointing to Nicole saying "you missed." Angry about Jack's involvement, Abe became suspicious when Brady claimed to be the only one in the Mansion to have heard a gunshot. When Victor ordered Abe and Jack out of the house, Abe refused to leave - claiming, "There's a killer in this room." Playing a cat and mouse game of who had what information, Jack admitted hearing something on the bugging device about Colin's killer - but nothing concrete. Abe's assurance that justice will be done, unnerved Nicole. But while Brady accused Victor and Nicole of hiding something, Abe withheld the identity of the suspect - as Jack worried they both had to watch their backs.

Wednesday, September 17, 2003

by AMANDA KING

At the Kiriakis mansion, Brady did his best to unravel the mystery behind Nicole and Victor's absences when he heard the gun shot outside. He reminded them both that while they were not inside at that time, they lied to Abe when he questioned their whereabouts. Before they could answer him, the doorbell rang and a cop announced that he had orders from the Commander to search the premises for clues about Colin Murphy's murderer. In a state of shock, Nicole watched nervously while Victor allowed the cop to snoop around. As soon as the officer was gone, Victor asked to speak with Nicole privately. Brady hesitated and then left them alone and Victor wasted no time in asking Nicole if she shot at Jack Deveraux. She found it rather funny that he would do the crime and then try to blame her. Victor reminded Nicole that it would be foolish of him to shoot Jack since that would only cause Jack to be more curious and lurk around the mansion to dig up even more dirt. Jennifer then announced that Victor would make sure that she was not accused as Colin's murderer or he would be wearing an orange jumpsuit right alongside her. Victor concluded that Nicole would start to feel cornered by Jack and Abe's probing and would give in and tell the truth. Nicole then brought up the point that if she were discovered, she would be sure to tell Bo and Brady the truth. Just then Brady rounded the corner and demanded to know what truth they were talking about. Nicole tried to backpedal, but Brady would not hear of it. Victor yelled that Brady overheard way too much around the house and th0at when he invited him to live there he never thought he would become a live-in spy. Angrily, Victor left the room and decided that he and Nicole would talk later. When Victor was gone, Brady grabbed Nicole's arms and demanded to know what the big secret was that she and Victor shared. Nicole told him that he was hurting her, but that she wasn't surprised since he came from an "abusive genetic pool." Brady agreed that Victor could be ruthless, but that he had a lighter side also, but Nicole failed to see that side of him. Brady then offered to help Nicole with her marriage to his grandfather if she would let him. Suddenly, Victor appeared in the doorway and was irate to find Brady and Nicole still together. He asked if he could speak to his wife alone and after Brady exited, he told Nicole not to wrap his grandson up in her lies. He berated her and told her that she was trash, but she told him again that if she went to jail for Colin's murder that she'd make certain that Victor went along with her. Meanwhile, Brady cooled off outside while the cops got ready to leave the premises. On his way back in, he spotted a surveillance bug on the doorframe and pried it loose with his pocketknife.

At the Carver's home, Abe returned to find Lexie grateful to see him alive and well. She explained that she had overheard Maggie say that Abe had seen Tom's ghost and it had called out his name. She worried that the old wive's tale would come true and that Abe was doomed. Abe agreed that weird things had been happening, but that there was a simple explanation for them and there was no such thing as ghosts. Lexie told him that she wanted him to call the station and resign tonight. He told her that he had to finish up his caseload first and that he couldn't leave while Bo and Hope's case was unsolved. When he headed upstairs to check on Theo, Lexie seized the opportunity to call Roman to come talk some sense into Abe. When he arrived, Abe returned downstairs and Lexie was surprised to find that Roman didn't know about Abe's retirement. Abe explained to Roman that he wasn't sure how to tell his best friend that he was leaving. Just then, the baby woke and Lexie went to check on him. Abe took the opportunity to ask Roman if he would be the new Commander when he retired. At first Roman declined, but then when he realized Abe was serious he accepted. Abe asked him to first hire Tech from the ISA and then to rehire Bo and Hope with their prior seniority. Roman agreed and stood to leave as Lexie returned. Abe left as the baby began crying again and Lexie became angry to learn that Abe was not retiring until a later date. Roman assured Lexie that her husband would be fine and that she should trust him. Abe came back down and gave Lexie a gift to open. She tore off the paper to find a bulletproof vest for Abe to wear until he was able to retire.

Jack sneaked down the hallway and quietly pushed open the door to his bedroom, but Jennifer was not there. From behind Jennifer scolded Jack and he raised his hands in defeat. She saw the bandage on his head and realized that he was the reporter that had been shot at by the lakefront district. Under Jennifer's angry glare, Jack admitted that he was indeed that reporter, but says that he's ok. Jennifer reminded Jack that he shouldn't provoke Tony and Victor because they are ruthless and don't care that he has a wife and daughter who love him. He admitted that he hated seeing Jennifer affected this way and she replied that she wasn't going to live in fear anymore. She told him that if he was going to continue on this way, they didn't have much of a marriage. When he told Jennifer that he didn't realize it would upset her so much, she yelled, "You don't know me at all!" Jack was hit hard by this statement and assured Jennifer that he did love her and that he came home and always would.

While Bo and Hope discussed returning to their jobs at the police department, Bo lamented that he hated giving up bounty hunting so soon after starting, but that he didn't want to turn down Abe. Both agree that Abe must truly need protection if he asked them to watch his back. The phone rang and Bo answered to find Tommy, his informant, on the line. He told Bo that the word on the street was that someone was trying to buy an untraceable gun. Bo asked who the target was and Tommy replied that it was someone big and that it would be front page when it went down. He told Bo that those types of guns cost a lot of money and were very hard to find. As they hung up, Bo worried that some possible targets would be Abe and Jack because they were both close to completing their big case and story. However, Hope had another fear. She wondered if the mystery shooter would be gunning for her and Bo! Reassurance from Bo didn't seem to help, but he promised that they would be ready to protect themselves and their friends and family. Soon there was a knock at the door. Roman entered the house and told Bo and Hope about Abe's impending retirement. Bo then briefed Roman about the situation with the untraceable gun and the four possible targets: Abe, Jack, Bo and Hope. Roman calmed them by stating that they'd get the gun buyer, but Bo said matter-of-factly that "if someone really wants to commit a murder, no one can stop them."

Tossing and turning in her bed, Celeste dreamt about Theo's christening. Just as she leaned down to smell the flowers, she stepped back and looked perplexed. She turned to leave, but on the other side of the door is the church. Celeste stood to look at the candles, but then turned as she felt a presence. Just then, the candles all blew out! As she turned, she saw Alice sitting in the pews and sat to talk about the christening. To her chagrin, Alice told Celeste that it was not Theo's christening, rather it was a funeral! Suddenly, all the flowers were gone and a coffin appeared at the front of the chapel. She opened the lid and gasped as she saw Abe lying there.

Thursday, September 18, 2003

by AMANDA KING

Nicole stormed into the room angrily and informed Victor that his bodyguard had barged into her room and emptied the suitcase she was packing. Victor said he had told the guard to do that and asked why she wanted to leave so badly. Nicole explained that it was no longer safe for her in Salem because Jack and Abe could figure out that she killed Colin Murphy. Victor scoffed at her and announced that it might happen sooner than she thought and then showed her the front page of the newspaper. The feature assured that an arrest and indictment was close. Nicole decided that the only thing left to do was confess since Victor wouldn't let her run. She dialed the phone and reminded Victor that she had no other choice and she would tell the police that Victor knew about the murder from the beginning and then framed Larry Welch for the death. When the police answered the phone, Nicole told them "she'd like to confess." Instead of saying more, she hung up the phone, which Victor told her was a good choice. Nicole worried that if Abe had enough evidence on them to take to a grand jury then they would be spending a lot of time behind bars. Victor assured her that no one would be going to jail and that the problem had been taken care of. Victor agreed with Nicole that Jack could be more dangerous than Abe, which lead her to believe that Victor was going to kill off Jack and Abe. Victor asked what her problem was and grabbed her by the arms.

In and out of a restless sleep, Jennifer called out to Jack and reached for him. She rolled him over next to her and screamed when she saw blood on his forehead. Then, Jennifer woke up from her nightmare. She was grateful that Jack was all right and that she had only been dreaming. Jack tried to calm her down, but Jennifer was worried that whomever shot at him the night before would be back to finish the job. He told his wife that the police weren't even sure that what they had heard was even a gunshot, but Jennifer didn't care and told him that he was officially off the case as of that moment. She remembered she had to leave to help Lexie and Hope with Theo's christening, but wanted Jack to promise her that he would not leave the house until it was time to go to the church for the christening. She warned him that if he didn't promise she wouldn't leave and that Lexie and Hope would have to get along without her because she and Abby couldn't get along without Jack. He promised, but as Jennifer left the room to take a shower, Jack revealed that he had had his fingers crossed. He whispered that unfortunately that was one promise to Jennifer that he couldn't keep.

In Salem Place, Kate and Roman stopped for breakfast. They were happy and in love and couldn't take their eyes off each other. Kate told Roman that she loved being with him and Roman said that he did also and wondered why it couldn't be like that all the time. Kate asked him if he was asking her to live with him and he said yes! The only problem was that if they were going to live together, Roman wanted Kate to have a ring on her finger. Suddenly Roman conveniently remembered that he had one last gift to buy for Abe's retirement and he kissed Kate and left to go shopping. Across the mall, Roman window-shopped and then stepped into a jewelry store. When he came back out, Bo was outside and questioned him on his recent jewelry purchase.

Sami tossed a balled up piece of paper into the trash and Lucas followed behind her and pulled it back out. He tried to convince her to let Brandon move on with his life and simply sign the annulment papers. He was aghast to find that Brandon's lawyers had written Sami several times and that this was Brandon's attempt at getting Sami to sign the papers. Sami tried valiantly to get the letter out of Lucas's hands, but he kept reading on. Lucas told Sami that Brandon would file for a divorce if she didn't sign them, but Sami was confident that if she could just get Brandon to listen to her, then they could work out their problems. Sami told a laughing Lucas that she planned to approach Abe and ask for his help in getting Brandon back. Lucas told her that Abe would protect Brandon because like him, Abe wouldn't want his son around a woman like Sami. With that, Sami angrily stomped away to talk to Abe. As Sami left, Kate walked up and she and Lucas agreed that Sami would never find a man to love her. Kate told Lucas that she'd found happiness with Roman and that she thought that Roman was planning to propose to her. Lucas seemed genuinely happy for her and told her so, but wondered what would happen if Roman were to find out about Kate's past as a call girl for Stefano. Kate admitted that she worried about that for a while, but that she thought it would be fine now. As if on cue, Kate's cell phone rang and Abe asked her to come over right away. Kate said it sounded serious and she and Lucas decided it must be about Roman's proposal. After a negative experience in her talk with Abe, Sami angrily stormed back into Salem Place. She lividly told Lucas that she could kill Abe for doing this to her and Lucas warned her not to talk like that.

While Lexie hung streamers for Theo's christening celebration, she got a surprise! Abe startled her and Lexie was angry that he snuck up on her. Suddenly, Abe quieted her down and said that he'd heard a noise. He grabbed his gun and went to the door to check out the situation. Instead of a prowler he found a stray dog and came back inside to calm Lexie. She pointed out that Abe was as scared as she was, but Abe said "I'm only being cautious." He then presented a gift to Lexie. She opened the small box to find a necklace with her and Theo's birthstones embedded in it. He told her that he loved her, and Lexie offered him an indirect ultimatum. She said that if he loved her and Theo, that he'd quit the force now without finishing his caseload. Instead, Abe handed her an envelope with his retirement paperwork enclosed. Just then, the baby woke up and Lexie went to get him ready for his big day. As she prepared to leave to meet Hope at Salem Place, she spied the morning newspaper headline. "Are you crazy?" she demanded. She couldn't believe that Abe would announce they were close to an arrest, and hoped that Bo and Hope's attacker wouldn't come after him in an attempt to stop him from speaking out. Abe said they couldn't keep running scared and that the only thing they should concentrate on that day was Theo's christening. Outside, a shadow lurked in the window. As Lexie and Theo left the house, Abe got his gun out in order to be safe and then heard a noise. He went to the door and found Sami on his doorstep. She asked him for his help in getting Brandon back, but Abe told her not to waste her time because he wouldn't help her. Sami played on Abe's sympathies by asking him to help Brandon forgive her like he forgave Lexie. Abe told her that Lexie was different and was a kind woman while Sami was only a liar. Sami felt abandoned and asked if Abe had stopped loving her, and Abe told her that he didn't know her anymore. Sami yelled that it was all Abe's fault and that she could kill him for doing this to her. As she wished Abe dead, he escorted her to the door and found an officer there delivering files containing information about Victor. Abe locked the door behind Sami and couldn't believe what he'd found in the file. He called Kate immediately and asked her to come over. When she arrived, she asked if Abe wanted to talk to her about Roman and he admitted that he did. However, Kate was shocked that instead of discussing Roman's possible proposal to her, Abe wanted to spill the truth about her past with Stefano to Roman.

Bo and Hope woke up early in bed and weighed their options in returning to the police force. Bo stated that he was leaning toward returning and Hope admitted that she was excited about the prospect. As Hope leaned in to kiss Bo, he guessed by the look in her eye that she was interested in having another baby! Just then, the phone rang and Hope leapt over Bo to answer it. Lexie asked Hope to meet her at Salem Place before the christening for some last minute purchases. Bo agreed to meet Hope at the church and they set off on their separate ways. As Lexie and Hope strolled through Salem Place, Lexie gnawed at her fingernails and Hope attempted to calm her down thinking she was jittery about the upcoming christening service.

Celeste sat quietly in the chapel and smiled to herself at the thought of her grandson's christening. Suddenly, she remembered her dream from the night before and quickly prayed for Abe to be spared. She walked slowly to light a candle, but was startled as Father Jansen touched her shoulder. Celeste asked him if he believed in evil. Father Jansen said that he knew there was evil in the world, but that we should pray and believe. Celeste thought aloud that someone was going to die today and that they were powerless to stop it. A little later, Hope and Zack appeared and Celeste anxiously asked where Lexie and Abe were. She admitted to Hope that she'd had a terrible vision. Lexie overheard as she recounted her dream to Hope in which Abe laid in a coffin.

Friday, September 19, 2003

by Joan

At Salem Place, Bo caught Roman shopping for a costly engagement ring, and reminded his brother to not let Sami get in the way of his happiness. Eager to propose to Kate after the Christening, Roman shared the news with Lucas who had no problem - but also warned Roman about Sami.

At the Carver's, Abe suggested that Kate tell Roman of her past work for Stefano - or he would reveal the contents himself. Fearful of losing Roman, Kate was resolved to stop Abe. When she tearfully discussed Abe's plans with Lucas, he tried to convince her that Roman would be forgiving and about the planned proposal. Lucas left her promising to do whatever necessary to stop Abe. But a desperate Kate made arrangements to purchase a gun - and lied to Roman who saw her making the exchange.

Running into Rex and Tony at Salem Place, Abe reminded Tony he was "stuck" with Rex as a son - asking Rex to come to his office after the Christening with his father and a lawyer. A rebellious Rex noticed Tony carrying a gun which the Count explained as a "precaution." Rex then insisted that Bart surrender his gun to him. Sami's anger with Abe had caused her to tell Lucas that her Godfather would pay for not helping her - while Lucas advised her to move on. But once Abe showed her a Family Bible - assuring Sami her name would never go next to Brandon's - Sami's hatred took shape. Fantasizing about marrying Brandon with Abe gone, she broke the lock of a Salem Place Safety box with her heel, stealing a Security Guard's gun. Lucas mused about the perks of working for the DiMeras as he prepped his own gun.

At the Kiriakis Mansion, Brady walked in on Victor & Nicole - challenging the two for an explanation after of the bullet he'd found outside. Now suspicious of them, Brady promised to find out what was going on. Once alone, the couple made plans. Claiming he could handle Carver and Deveraux, Victor borrowed Nico's gun - so his own could not be traced. Having her own plans for Jack & Abe, Nicole removed Victor's gun from the drawer.

At St. Luke's, Lexie was shaken by Celeste's morbid premonitions about Abe. Determined to save her husband, Lexie hysterically phoned to keep him away from the Church until after Celeste's ominous twelve-o'clock hour. Lexie's feeling that she'd just told Abe she loved him for the last time worried Jen, who'd been unable to reach Jack. As guests gathered at the Church, Celeste sensed an aura of danger around Rex. Bo was suspicious when Tony signaled Rex, and the two made excuses to step away.

Planning to stop Abe, Kate made excuses to a quizzical Roman about not going with him as planned to the Christening - assuring him of her love no matter what. Brady was surprised at Nico's unusual ignorance of Victor and Nicole's whereabouts. And as the clock tolled Twelve, Jack rushed out the door for the Church - and Abe lovingly gazed at a family picture but sensed something outside the house.