Sami kept going over in her head just what was said as she let her tears out. Carrie sat with her and let her cry, and now that the tears were easing up a bit, Sami felt a little guilty. Here she was crying over something that she had the power to fix if she just used her head. Lucas admitted that he wanted her and he cared enough about her not to go on another round on the vindictive merry go round. Lucas was going to be hers if she just played her hand smartly. He had to realize that he cared because he loved her. Once he realized that then she could tell him how she feels about him and they can live the life that they should have led all along. In the meantime she also wanted to prove to Carrie that she was a better person now, a sister who loved her.

Carrie saw a smile emerging on Sami's face and asked, "You feeling better?"

Sami wiped the tears from her eyes and announced, "I have to go shopping."

Carrie replied, "Cool, I'm going. What are we buying? A racy negligee?"

Sami shook her head no before replying, "I need a pink shirt with kittens on it, and some jeans. I packed the wrong things because I was playing the wrong hand earlier. This time I know Lucas will fall in love with me because I have the perfect plan."

Carrie tried to tell Sami, "He already loves you silly. It's obvious."

Sami put on her shoes ignoring Carrie's observation. Lucas was a schemer and a manipulator when he wanted to be, and Carrie would see what he wanted her to see. So with a little shopping and an attitude adjustment on things Sami Brady was going to win her husband's heart! This time things should work out.

The Brady sisters started giggling on the stairs when they heard Marlena gasp and voices all start talking at once. They walked into the main room and saw Eric standing in the room being bombarded with questions.

Eric stopped talking when he saw his twin and older sister standing in the doorway. He then loudly asked Sami, "You married Lucas! Are you insane?"

Sami rolled her eyes at Eric and asked him, "Aren't I allowed a second chance with a man who was more than a friend and lover years ago? Or are second chances only for you and Greta?"

Carrie interjected, "I really want to meet this Greta."

Eric countered Sami's point, "I'm not here for a second chance with Greta. I am here to stop the wedding."

Sami laughed. She couldn't help it before she replied, "Like Lucas stopped my weddings to Austin and Brandon?"

Eric wasn't too fond of the comparison Sami just made, but all he could say was, "Greta doesn't really love Nathan."

Sami had a smirk on, knowing that she won that one easily before she turned to Carrie and said, "You coming shopping with me or not?"

Marlena quietly asked, "Can I come shopping with my girls?"

Sami stared at her mother for a moment before saying, "I'd really like that."

Marlena grabbed her purse and joined the party heading to the stores. ~*~

Meanwhile Lucas continued walking down by the river Seine. As he was walking a little boy's toy ball rolled by his feet. Lucas automatically picked it up and looked for the child. The little boy looked so sad when Lucas brought the ball over to him. Lucas told him in the best French that he could remember, "Voici votre boule." (Here's your ball.)

The boy replied sullenly, "Ma haine de parents. Tout qu'ils est combat." (My parents hate each other. All they do is fight.)

Lucas saw the young couple in a verbal display not unlike what he and Sami have been in. He told the boy, "Vous ne savez jamais ce qui pourrait se produire demain." (You never know what might happen tomorrow.)

The boy smiled a little at Lucas before wandering back to his parents. Lucas stood up to walk away when two people called to him.

Greta and Austin were walking back to her home when they saw Lucas talking with the little boy. Greta said, "I didn't know you spoke French. I'm impressed."

Lucas really didn't want to see Austin right now. But he couldn't avoid his older brother at the moment. Lucas said, "I, unfortunately, sat through too many language classes in my day."

Greta laughed from the same experience in her life. Austin couldn't relate to the joke. Lucas finally said mostly because he was in bad mood and he never liked his brother anyhow, "Hi Austin. How are you feeling on your anniversary?"

Austin really want to hit Lucas for that one. But he choose to be the adult and replied back, "You'll know soon enough when your wife leaves you."

Lucas answered him right back, "You don't know anything about my family."

Austin argued back, "You're married to Sami. She loved me for years."

Lucas yelled at him, "You think she loved you? Is that what you really think? Sami had a childhood crush on your sorry ass which was boosted with her need for vengeance against Carrie. Funny thing is even then she had my son."

Austin yelled back and pushed Lucas a little for show, "You're still stuck because Carrie never loved you and that's why you had sex with Sami. Don't even try to tell me that was anything deeper than a one night stand."

Greta tried to get in between the brothers as she yelled, "Stop this! This isn't good for anything."

Lucas ignored Greta's warnings and pushed Austin back a little as he yelled, "You tried to take over my family when you wanted to hurt Carrie! Your pride was hurt when Carrie got tired of waiting for you to stop playing Sami's white knight. But despite your interference Sami is my wife and Will is my son."

Austin replied, "I can't believe that I'm related to you. You forced me to help Sami when you put her on death row."

Lucas countered immediately, "Like you did anything that actually helped Sami. But know what I always hated about you? You never take responsibility for your actions."

Austin yelled, "What the hell does that mean? You're the brat who spent his time scheming to ruin my life!"

Lucas replied, "So it was my fault you couldn't keep your wife happy? It was my fault you didn't know how to choose who you wanted to spend your time with?"

Greta had no idea who threw the first punch. But she watched in horror as the pair of them fell into the river. She rushed to the edge and called out, "Austin! Lucas!"

Lucas and Austin emerged from the water laughing. They both climbed out of the water on their own. Greta asked them both, "What's so funny?"

Lucas replied, "This was the first time we were ever honest."

Austin agreed and said, "Yeah. The Brady sisters have a strange effect on the pair of us."

Greta helped them both stand up as Lucas asked, "Do you still think about Carrie?"

Greta caught Lucas' eye and tried to figure out why he wanted to know. Greta knew Carrie had joined the wedding guests last minute. But she figured it out on her own when Austin replied, "I wish that I didn't. I'd be a better employee. How is she doing with Mike?"

Lucas thought about how he should answer but he saw no reason to withhold the information when he said, "They broke up. Mike's with Angel now and Carrie moved back to Salem."

Austin was stunned into silence.

~*~

As Kate's oldest two sons made peace, the shopping expedition was going well. At a French department store Sami bought out the active wear, pink shirts, and jeans. Marlena said to her, "I haven't seen you wear this stuff in years."

Sami replied like she was sharing a secret with her mother, "Lucas told me that he wanted me to just be myself around him, and besides I was only wearing jeans and a shirt the night Will was conceived. Maybe he was telling me the truth."

Marlena fixed Sami's hair a little and told her, "I always did like Lucas. Now I know it's because he loves my daughter."

Sami desperately wanted that to be true. And if her new scheme was successful, she would have Lucas' heart just as she wanted.

Carrie joined the mother daughter moment to ask, "What are the pink kitties representing?"

Sami smirked a little before she explained, "It's a private joke kind of thing."

Carrie laughed reading in between the lines that the private joke was a bedroom thing. ~*~

Austin, Lucas and Greta all found a café and ordered something hot to drink. Greta took off for a minute to go to the pharmacy to buy the pair of them aspirin. Austin and Lucas sat by themselves and had their first civil non-forced conversation of their life. Lucas apologized for sticking his nose in Austin's life, and Austin apologized for the same thing.

When Greta returned they were talking about who they thought was going to win the Stanley Cup. She sat down and told them, "All they had were these. I explained to the pharmacist what happened and he assured me that these would take care of any ailments."

Lucas reached for the bottle and popped three down before returning to his coffee. Austin then did the same thing. ~*~

Sami, Marlena, and Carrie all returned to chez Salem for the night. Carrie went to her room. Marlena rejoined her husband. And Sami was shocked to see that Lucas wasn't back from his walk yet. She changed for bed but waited up for him. ~*~

The conversation started getting more boisterous and jovial. Lucas even found himself laughing at one of Austin's corny jokes. Austin laughed as Lucas ordered the strangest things in French. Greta sat there confused.

Finally Greta looked at her watch and said, "It's getting late. I'm sure Sami will be looking for you."

Lucas replied as he tried to stand up, "Yeah I need to see Sami. why can't I stand still?" Lucas retook his seat realizing that he felt a little buzz.

Austin tried to stand up and started to ask, "Are you feeling all right?" But he too had to sit back down.

Greta realized something was wrong and read the bottle that the pharmacist sold her. It warned to only take one pill, and the pair of them popped them like candy almost on the hour along with their coffee. Greta had no way of getting both of them back by herself, so she said, "Lucas do you have a number so I can call Sami?"

Lucas pulled out his wallet and after fumbling for a minute, he found the house number. Greta took the number and used her phone. ~*~

At the house Eric heard the phone ringing. He looked around to see who was going to answer before he picked up to say, "House of Traveling Salemites, how may I direct your call?"

Greta almost hung up the phone at the sound of Eric's voice. She found her voice as she said, "Eric, I seemed to have drugged Lucas and Austin. Can you get Sami to come collect Lucas?"

Eric wrote down where Greta said she was, but he didn't tell Sami. Eric wanted to talk to Greta, and he could deal with Lucas if he had the opportunity to see Greta again. Eric borrowed one of the cars parked in the driveway and drove to the café. He walked in and saw that Austin and Lucas looked absolutely terrible even if they were laughing and having a good time. Eric walked over and asked, "What happened to you two?"

Austin said, "Hey Eric, pull up a seat."

Greta told Eric, "They had a fight but now apparently their best friends."

Lucas looked confused and said, "Sami's my best friend. Austin's my brother."

Eric said, "I'm sure Sami will want you home then Lucas. Let's go."

Lucas stood up again unsteadily as he said, "She'll kill me if I come home like this."

Eric helped him steady himself as he said, "Sami will kill me if I don't get you home."

Greta followed right behind holding Austin steady. Eric started to say something to her, but she refused to meet his eyes. She took the backseat of the car with Austin, leaving Lucas to the front seat.

Minutes later Eric pulled up to Greta's house. The guards looked ready to throw him off the property until Greta opened her door commanding the guards to help her with Austin. Once the guards had Austin, Greta turned around and told Eric, "Good night."

Eric tried to call out, "Wait." Greta instead walked out of sight.

Eric drove the car across the street as Lucas told him, "Greta doesn't love Nathan so you might have a chance."

Eric asked him more curious than anything, "How would you know?"

Lucas smiled like he thought what he was going to say was amusing, "Austin told me."

Eric rolled his eyes and helped his new brother in law into the house.

When Eric walked Lucas into the bedroom, Sami saw Lucas was completely dirty, beat up and out of it. She rushed over and asked, "What happened?"

Lucas noticed the cute little kitten embroidered on her nightgown and smiled before he explained, "Austin and I had a fight."

Sami smelled his breathe for signs of alcohol because she was really going to murder him if he was drinking. Eric seemed to know what Sami was doing and he explained, "He had a reaction to some French version of pain killers. Do you need my help?"

Sami told her twin, "No. Thanks anyhow."

Eric nodded his head and left.

Sami walked over to the seat Lucas found for himself and said, "Come on. Let's get you into bed."

Lucas told her, "We can't. Not until my plan works."

She started unbuttoning his dirty shirt and said, "You smell terrible."

He replied, "We fell in the river. Sweetheart I don't ever want a divorce from you, not like Austin and Carrie."

She helped him into the shower since she refused to sleep next to someone who smelled like sewage as she told herself that once love was there, she'd never give him a divorce.