After Greta left the hotel, Eric knocked on Nicole's door. He hadn't liked that Greta was so upset, but she had to understand why he agreed. In the past he never really tried to do anything for anyone other than himself, and if he could help his sister's life get a little easier, then he was going to try. Greta was always trying to do the right thing, and she deserved someone who tried his best to equal her.

Still in her bathrobe and wearing pink fuzzy slippers, Nicole was blow drying her hair and figuring out the best way to hold onto Lucas' money and win Eric back at the same time. So when she heard a knock on her door, she dropped the blow dryer. Her first thought was 'who would knock on my door?'

Figuring that it was just housekeeping, she walked to the door, and to her shock Eric was standing there. Nicole panicked because opening the door in pink fuzzy slippers and not a push up bra couldn't be good!

Kate watched from the hallway as Eric asked Nicole, "Can I come in for a minute? I want to talk."

As Eric closed the door behind her, Kate prayed that Eric had just a little of Sami's ingenuity to pull this off. Getting a confession on tape or even better getting Nicole to sign divorce papers without reading weren't the job for a lightweight moralist. She was going to have to intervene eventually to pull this off right, but Eric Brady and possibly Brady Black would be the keys to bringing Nicole down. Nicole Walker was not going to hurt her son and get away with it!

Greta bought herself a car with cash from a dealer who was more interested in making a quick buck than checking references. She couldn't leave a paper trail behind her. If she used her credit card, Eric could find her. He was her husband. And she needed to be alone more than anything right now.

She kept wishing that she never saw Eric standing outside the castle looking for her. If she hadn't seem him and felt her heart stir at the sight, then she would be married to Nathan and on her honeymoon right now. With Nathan she was safe; her heart wouldn't always be vulnerable. But of course if she hadn't then she also wouldn't have married Eric or created the best moments of her life in these past few weeks. If she stopped moving then she was going to break down and she couldn't let herself, not again.

Eric always had a soft spot for Nicole Walker, and Greta felt stupid believing that Eric might love her a little more. But his quick acceptance of Kate's plan to play nice with Nicole proved that Eric Brady was never going to remain in her life permanently. And Greta refused to live in a day dream. Dream worlds never existed for the daughter of Stefano Dimera, and in the end Brady's and Dimera's won't mix.

Carrie woke up alone. The pillow still smelled like Austin and her body definitely remembered being held all night long. She couldn't remember if it was a dream or not. But she imagined that only minutes ago as she still slept Austin was moving her hair back and kissing her neck. It was that daydream that stirred her awake, but he was gone now. But before she could panic, the bedroom door opened, and she saw Austin carrying a breakfast tray complete with a red rose.

She asked him, "Where did you get the rose this early in the morning?"

Half dressed, he half smiled and told her, "I have my secrets. Are you hungry?"

She shook her head no and said, "Not yet. I just want you."

He put the tray down on the antique desk and went back to the bed to sit next to Carrie. Doing small things for Carrie always made her smile and he wanted her to always smile. He took her hand and started playing with her fingers before saying, "I ran the water for a nice bath, just in case you wanted…"

Carrie's mind went to a magical night when she took a bubble bath with Austin in a huge old fashioned tub. The memory made her wistfully smile before answering, "We did work out quite a bit yesterday."

She liked using Austin's arm as a means to get out bed. He was strong and chiseled in all the right places. So she followed him to the bathroom and had to stop and catch her breath. The entire bathroom was filled with red roses and candles, and the tub had red rose petals floating in the water. There was even classical music playing softly in the room. She put her hand on his face to make him look at her. She was going to cry, but she needed to thank him for this. She finally said, "You didn't have to…"

He interrupted her with a soft kiss before telling her, "I wanted to make you happy Carrie. You deserve to be happy."

Carrie was living in her dream world and nothing could take away from this moment of perfect happiness. Austin always understood her secret fantasies and made them come to life. To capitalize on this moment Carrie held his hand and led him to the bathtub.

He shook his head no when she motioned for him to get in before he explained, "I want to wash your hair first Cleopatra."

She settled into the tub but asked, "Do you remember that costume party?"

He lathered his hands and answered, "You looked so sad and lonely Carrie, and I told you that someone as beautiful as you shouldn't feel so lost and alone."

She smiled at the memory. She helped Shawn Douglas plan a costume party for Billie and Bo, back when everyone thought that Hope was dead. Shawn wanted his father to be happy, and she wanted to help others be happy even though she was sad and alone. She dressed as Cleopatra simply because the costume was on sale. At the party Austin spent the whole evening trying to make her smile, and they weren't even dating then. It was so long ago, but it felt right that Austin remembered that night as clearly as she did.

And his fingers felt so nice on her scalp, so very strong but so gentle with her. His movements were just a reflection of who Austin really was, and why she always loved him; being with Austin Reed felt beyond right.

Austin cleared his throat to get her attention and said, "In the past few days, I think we've reconnected. I still love you possibly even more than I did before, and I know that I'm not the father of your child but I want to be there for you and…"

She jumped out of the bathtub. Did he really think that she was pregnant? Granted she told him that before Greta's almost wedding to that rich guy a while back, but she also told him that day that she lied about it. She was trying to push Austin away from her at that point! She wrapped herself in a towel trying to decide how to tell him that she wasn't pregnant.

Austin was confused at Carrie's behavior. Surely she wasn't upset that he still loved her! She couldn't be, not after yesterday and all that time leading up to yesterday. Before she could run out of the bathroom he caught her and asked, "What's wrong? What did I say?"

She shook her head no and explained, "Nothing. Austin, I don't even know how to explain this. I'm not…"

He interrupted her from explaining herself to say, "I can wait until you're ready to admit your feelings Carrie. I want to be here for you and the baby."

He thought that she didn't love him since she didn't say it back. She was in a fine mess now. If she said that she loved him then her explanation for her lie made no sense. But telling the truth could mean the end of their reunion. For the first time in her life Carrie understood why Kristen Blake chose a purple pillow or why she stole Susan Banks baby. And the realization that she was connecting to a psychopath worried her just as much.

Lucas' eyes focused on the one person in the room. Sami was so confusing when she was vulnerable or upset. She was almost innocent looking in those odd moments when she wasn't trying to ruin his life. And it felt nice holding her hand. When he realized that he was touching her, he let go of her hand. His mind kept telling him that getting close to Sami Brady would be a disaster.

Sami woke up when Lucas pulled away. His eyes told her that he was confused, so she tried to reach out to him, "On our wedding day you surprised me with all the trimmings and the romantic setting. Lucas, I love you and I know in your heart that you love me too."

She loved him? In the depth of his soul, he felt himself stirring at her softspoken words. Love? Was part of him returning the emotion? But then his head reminded him that he was responding to Sami Brady; a woman that would dance on his grave for being Will's dad instead of Austin. Sami Brady was out to destroy his life, certainly not to make him feel loved or wanted. But then why did he want to respond to her?

Sami saw that Lucas was struggling with something. She asked him, "Do you want me to tell you about our wedding? As you can guess it wasn't something that either of us spent time planning. We had a plan to help Carrie and Austin reunite. It was our way of proving to ourselves that we weren't selfish teenagers anymore. Anyhow I proposed that we get married, and you took care of everything. I woke the next morning with a dress that I picked out at Ballistix when I was seventeen. You remembered the dress."

Lucas remembered shopping with Sami at Ballistix for some clothes for Will when they thought that Austin was the father. He even remembered the dreamy eyed look that Sami gave to a wedding dress that day.

Sami continued in her story of the wedding, "We weren't going to tell anyone about our wedding. It was going to be an elopement of sorts with two witnesses, but everyone invited themselves. We were married at the country club overlooking a bluff. No one believed that we were getting married, but the day was perfect."

Lucas saw the look of joy on Sami's face. He wanted to remember. If he remembered then he'd know if she was lying or if somehow, someway what she was saying was the truth. Part of him believed her story completely, and wanted to fill in details, but his head was cautious. Sami would do or say anything to corner him.

She saw that he wanted to say something so she asked, "Do you remember?"

He shook his head no and asked very hoarsely, " Water, please."

She nodded her head and poured him a glass. The fact that he didn't have a heart attack and listened to her had to be a sign. He had to remember because she didn't know what she would do without him.