Time: May 2007
Location: New Orleans mansion in disrepair
Chapter 1
This was not the honeymoon Samantha Brady-Roberts had been dreaming of these past 15 years. After ten tries, she finally got her wedding to the man of her dreams. Or so she thought.
Yet as she laid in the dark tossing and turning on a rumpled air mattress, next to her snoring husband, surrounded by paint cans and listening to the night rain fall on the windowpane, Sami wondered just why she agreed to her wedding planner's idea that she celebrate her wedding with this bizarre remodeling project to rebuild an old mansion of some old crazy man who had left the place after Hurricane Katrina.
Sami decided she would get herself a glass of water and see if that would help soothe the uneasy feeling she had about this place. As she walked down the grand staircase to the kitchen clutching her stomach she thought back on her wedding humiliation and the way she slugged E.J. She also thought about Lucas's decision to stand by her. Neither moment was as satisfying as she thought it would be. But before she could consider why, a shadowy figure crept up behind her.
Sami went to scream but the man covered her mouth before she could let out a sound.
"Samantha, you really need to get out of this place," a familiar voice said, slowly removing his cupped hand from her lips.
"No, E.J., I think it's YOU who needs to get out of this place. What are you doing here? This is my honeymoon. Lucas is my husband. He found out the truth and he stood by me. He loves me. You're just going to have to deal with it," Sami said.
"Ah yes, I will have to deal with that, darling, but before we can take care of that we need to get you out of this dreary place and into accommodations more befitting a woman... in your condition."
"My condition?" Sami says with an incredulous glare. "And what are you kidnapping me now? Can't you Dimeras come up with something original FOR ONCE?"
"Listen, Samantha. I am not trying to kidnap you. I am not here to scare you or to hurt you. I am trying to warn you. I… I can't explain it all right now. But just promise me that you'll convince Lucas in the morning to give up this home makeover business and just eh… take up somewhere in New Orleans a little more fun, more luxurious, more romantic for the rest of your time here."
"Promise YOU? Pfft. Why? Is it too inconvenient for you to stalk us out here in the middle of nowhere so you can sabotage our honeymoon just like you did our reception?"
"No… I… I was afraid this would happen." E.J. turns away from Sami. "I can't protect you, can I?"
Sami pulled him back into her gaze.
"No. You can't. And I am not interested in your protection. I have LUCAS to protect me."
E.J. laughed.
"You mean the man you've had me rescue from near-death situations twice in the past twelve months, my dear? Sadly, if you refuse my help, I think you… and our baby… are alone on this one."
Sami stared intently at E.J.'s face for several seconds trying to discern the hidden meaning behind his cryptic warning until she was distracted by the sound of what she thought was a man's laughter.
Chapter 2
"Sadly, if you refuse my help, I think you… and our baby… are alone on this one," E.J. whispered with regret as he clutched her shoulders with his hands.
Sami stared intently at E.J.'s face for several seconds trying to discern the hidden meaning behind his cryptic warning until she was distracted by the sound of what she thought was a man's laughter.
"Did you hear that?" Sami asked.
"Hear what, darling?" E.J. said, clearly perplexed.
"It sounded like… it… well… nothing. I… just want you to leave. Leave me alone. Let me have this one moment of happiness without you and these games and my secrets getting in the way of it."
"Oh, so should we wake Lucas then and let him know I'm here? Oh Lucas! LOOOOOO-CUSSS!" E.J. calls up the stairs.
"What are you DOING? Please just get OUT of here before he sees you!" Sami scolded.
E.J. laughed and grasped her left hand.
"Good to see married life hasn't changed you too much, my dear," E.J. said before kissing her ring finger.
"Ugh. Just GO!"
E.J. obliged and shut the front door behind him just as bleary-eyed Lucas appeared at the top of the staircase.
"Was someone here just now? Was E.J. here?!" Lucas shouted.
"What? What are you talking about?" Sami said biting her lip.
"There was a man calling my name. I'm pretty sure he had a British accent."
"Well, as you can see, no one is here but me. I was getting a glass of water. Honey, go back to bed. You must have been dreaming."
"Well… OK… I'll be waiting for you."
"OK. I'll be right there."
Lucas headed back to bed. Sami sighed and rubbed her stomach.
"Oh what are we going to do?" she whispers to the baby growing inside her. "I thought if I married Lucas, if I got Lucas to be my husband then we'd be home free, but this wedding didn't really solve anything, did it?"
Sami headed toward the kitchen to get her water when something caught her eye and caused her to stop in front of the bookcase. She noticed an old copy of "Gone with the Wind" on the bookshelf and picked it up.
"Wow. A copy from the original printing."
Sami leafed through the pages.
"And in such good condition. I'd love to take some time to read this again. I wonder if the owner would mind if I borrowed this."
"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."
"Tony!"
Chapter 3
"Tony!" Sami exclaimed before covering her mouth in shock.
"Sami. Did you miss me?" Tony said with a smile.
"How did you...? What... what are you doing here? I thought you were in jail!" Sami said before contemplating just how the night could get worse.
"Oh I was. Thanks to YOU, of course. But I've paid my debt to society and am a free man now," Tony said while fishing around in the inside of his suit coat pocket.
"What do you want from me? Tony, you have to know, I'm sooo sorry for everything. I promise I won't tell anyone I saw you..."
Tony finally retrieves a black handgun from the inside of his coat and brandishes it.
" No, you won't tell anyone you saw me. And I agree you'll soon be quite sorry for every single trick and scheme and lie and backstab you've ever done."
"Tony, no! You can't do this."
"Can't I?" Tony said grinning from ear to ear.
"No. You can't," said a male voice, belonging to a man who walked in the mansion through the front door to Sami and Tony's surprise.
"This is no concern of yours, brother. In fact, if you had taken care of business, I wouldn't have to be cleaning up this mess of yours."
"E.J., what is he talking about? Was this whole thing just some scheme of yours and Tony's to get back at me for helping put Tony behind bars? Ugh. I think I'm going to be sick. I can't believe I..." Sami whispered with regret.
"You can't believe what, Samantha?" E.J. asked, his eyes squinting to try to see the truth Sami tried so hard to conceal.
"I can't believe I... ever thought you were my friend is all," Sami said throwing her hands in the air. "You know I shouldn't be surprised that you and Tony were working together all this time."
With that, Tony broke out into a fit of laughter.
"Sami, you must know that none of this has turned out as I intended." E.J. said before turning toward Tony. "Listen, Tony, there must be another way to handle this. Let me take care of this."
"Ha! Because you've done such a spectacular job taking care of this so far."
"Tony, I won't let you harm Samantha." E.J. said stepping in front of a frightened Sami.
"Won't let me, eh? That's funny. Because you know as well as I do that I have no intention of harming Samantha." Tony said to a defiant-looking E.J. and a confused Sami.
Chapter 4
"Tony, I won't let you harm Samantha." E.J. said stepping in front of a frightened Sami.
"Won't let me, eh? That's funny. Because you know as well as I do that I have no intention of harming Samantha." Tony said to a defiant-looking E.J. and a confused Sami.
"Then just what is your intention?" Sami asked even though she didn't really want to know.
"Oh hasn't E.J. told you?" Tony said grinning. "Well, you see, it's quite simple, Sami. That baby you're carrying is going to save our father's life."
"STEFANO? What do you mean my baby will save Stefano Dimera? How is that even possible?" Sami said as E.J. tried to put his hand on her shoulder to console her. She brushed it away.
"Well, I don't want to confuse you any more than I have to with all the scientific details, but once you give birth to this baby, its umbilical cord blood will be collected and we will finally be able to restore Father's health."
"Sami, I'm sorry..." E.J. said before Sami interrupted.
"I don't care. I won't let you do this. I won't let you use my baby to save that monster!" Sami said as she angrily lurched toward Tony. "When this baby is born I'm having the umbilical cord blood, or whatever it is you're trying to get from me, destroyed so that you can never get to it."
"That's why I'm going to be keeping an eye on you for the remainder of the pregnancy, Sami." Tony said, gesturing with the gun to remind Sami she had little choice in the matter.
"Tony, just put the gun away. Let's talk," E.J. said trying to play peacemaker.
"Talk? Yes, let's talk, brother. Let's talk about how you left me in prison and I had to rely on Celeste to get me out of jail. Let's talk about how your tenure as CEO at Mythic has been an utter failure and your pathetic company is bleeding this family dry. Let's talk about how miserably you've failed at controlling Steve Johnson, finding Shawn Brady and when the moment of truth came, you were too much of a coward to shoot John Black."
Sami is shocked. Tony continues as his eyes turn from E.J. to Sami.
"And why have you failed at all these simple tasks? Because you were too busy chasing after some girl. Some girl who's married to someone else and detests you with every fiber of her being." Tony laughs.
Sami looks at E.J.'s face and senses the hurt in his eyes. She reaches out to express her sympathy, before realizing what she was doing and pulls her hand back. E.J.'s lip stiffens as he tries to regain his pride.
"Regardless, I won't let you hold Sami captive. She will need to see a doctor during the pregnancy. Let's work out some other solution."
"You know, E.J. I'm getting quite tired and I'm sure FATHER is getting quite tired of the way you seem to have your loyalties a bit mixed up these days," Tony said with a frown. "Your mistakes have proven too costly to this family already for me to allow you to jeopardize this now."
"What does that mean?" EJ asked.
"It means that you are going to be joining Samantha in captivity. We can't have you trying to play hero, can we? Besides it will be easier for me to clean up your messes without you around to make more of them." Tony smirked.
"Now Sami," Tony said pulling out a notepad and pen from a desk drawer. 'I need your help to ensure that no one goes looking for the two of you."
"How is a piece of paper going to accomplish that?" Sami asked incredulously.
"Well, you see, Sami, you're going to write a letter informing your new husband that you have decided to run away with my brother, here, after realizing your true feelings for him and learning the baby you are carrying is a Dimera."
"But we don't even know this baby is a Dimera. E.J.?"
"Actually, we do know, Sami," E.J. said
"What?!" Sami asked, exasperated.
"During your hospital stay. When you thought you were dying. Well a test was done. And I am the father of your baby. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before the wedding."
"But why? You knew before the wedding and you didn't tell me?"
"I didn't think you'd believe me, Samantha. And you were so certain that Lucas wouldn't forgive you when the truth came out that I thought... well... there's nothing I can do about that now."
"Are you two finished yet?" an impatient Tony asked. "OK, good. Now start writing. And make it convincing. We can't have that little weasel of a former associate of mine snooping around where he doesn't belong. He could be waking up soon."
Sami sits down to write the note while Tony watches over her shoulder. Sami starts to cry.
"Oh, what now?" Tony sighs.
"I don't know what it is you want me to write, Tony. I've never even dumped anyone before let alone been the one to leave one of my husbands."
Sami sets down the pen and paper and sobs into her hands.
"Here, Samantha." E.J. sits down next to Sami and hands her his handkerchief. "Can I help you?"
Sami looks at him.
"I guess." Sami says through a sniffly nose. She picks up the pen and paper again.
"OK, Samantha, this is what you write: Dear Lucas, I am so sorry that I am unable to tell you this in person but there is something that you must know, something that means that we can never be together."
"Oh you're just loving this, aren't you, EJ?" Sami glares, quickly recovered from her moment of weakness.
"Well, I'd be lying if I hadn't fantasized about a similar scenario, my dear, although it never involved my brother pointing a gun at us."
Tony grins and waves the gun at them in salute.
"Anyway, back to the letter, Samantha," E.J. says, then dictates. "Lucas, it was wrong of me to keep the fact that E.J. and I were together the night this baby was conceived a secret from you all this time. I really thought you would leave me if you knew and that is why I waited all those months and until after the wedding to tell you. But you see, when the truth came out and you did stand by me, I was actually disappointed."
"That's not true, E.J. No matter how much you wish it was," Sami says defensively.
"I know, darling. I know." E.J. sighs.
"Can we wrap this up soon? Lucas could wake up at any moment and if he does we'll have to shoot him." Tony warns.
"Well, in that case..." E.J. says, before Sami punches his shoulder.
Sami decides to finish the note herself. She reads aloud: "You see, I wanted you to leave me so that I would finally be free to be with E.J. without feeling like I was letting down you and Will and all of my family. But I can't keep lying to myself or to this baby, which I have known all along was E.J.'s and not yours."
Sami starts to tear up. E.J. looks at her sorrowfully.
"Please understand that I didn't want to hurt you and even though I know that you and Will can never forgive me for this, know that I love you both. Just not enough for me to stay in this marriage when I can't give you the kind of love you deserve and when I can't deny my true feelings for E.J. Wells. Good bye. Love, Sami"
Sami cries some more. E.J. doesn't know whether to try to console her or let her be.
"Finally," Tony says.
"So where are you taking us?" Sami asks.
"Taking you? Why you're already here?" Tony laughs.
"What?"
"Welcome to Maison Blanche, Samantha." E.J. says.
