The Chase Continues

"Where are they?" EJ and Sami spoke at the same time.

"I believe they are at the attic", Stefano said while sipping his tea, "This has gone cold. "Could you please ask doctor Rolf to sent me a new cup of tea", Stefano asked from EJ as he was getting on his feet. Sami had ran out of the room and was probably making her way up to the dusty space. EJ nodded:

"Of course father. Thank you. I've better go and make sure she wont hurt herself in the dark."

"Son", Stefano said and gave a sigh of relief as EJ stopped to listen what he had to say.

"Father?"

"You still think of me as such then?" Stefano asked.

"Of course father. Genetics isn't everything", EJ replied and walked out of the room. He kept his word and made sure that Stefano got his tea before EJ followed Sami to the attic.

At the Brady pub Marlena and John were finishing their pie when Bo and Hope walked in. Bo went to greet his mother as Hope sat right away opposite of Marlena and John. Bo came to the table with another pie and Caroline soon followed with the coffee pot.

"Thank you Caroline", Marlena said as Caroline was about to return to the kitchen.

"Yeah, thanks ma", Bo commented and waited her to leave before addressing John, "What exactly did you want to talk about John?"

"You know it as well as I do. The party last night and that toast Stefano made", was his reply.

"I'm sure it was some odd joke just as EJ said", Marlena interrupted.

"It wasn't a joke. Come on Marlena, you saw that Stefano was serious when he made the toast", Hope countered, "EJ obviously didn't agree and said that only to divert everyone's attention."

"No he didn't. EJ was behind this. We all know he has a thing with Sami", Bo protested.

"I'm pretty sure EJ didn't know about toast until seconds before it was made. I saw him fiddling around Benjis wife before the toast", John told about his observations, "Besides, Sami was the one who looked like she knew what was about to happen."

"Sami knew? Why do you say that?" Hope asked.

"Apparently John thinks Sami was avoiding us at the party", Marlena wrote off her husbands opinion.

"Why was Sami at the party? She's happily engaged to Lucas and she wouldn't agree to marry a man who raped her", Bo wondered, "You don't think she's been blackmailed again? Do you?"

"That would explain why she was there. But what is Stefano up to? Why throw a party like that? What's the motivation? Our invitation had just a mention of proud parents being present to witness their offspring's greatest accomplishment. What did yours say?" Marlena said.

"Our invitation had a reference to our children and something about ensuring a better future for them", Hope revealed and took another bite of the pie, "What could it mean?"

"You don't think he's talking about the feud between our two families and ending it?" Bo asked.

"That could explain it", John commented.

"But why now?"

Sami was creeping around in the dark DiMera attic. She was desperately trying to locate something, anything resembling letters or a literary work. She gave a sigh of relief as a small beam of light reached her and the box she was rummaging.

"Is that better?" EJ asked.

"Thank you! I didn't realize how much stuff is in here."

"There is a large piece of our history in here", EJ replied and found his way to her. He had to crouch in the shallow space and Sami made a place for him to sit down as she closed the box she had been searching for the letters in vain.

"Nothing there. Do you have any idea where they might be?" she asked. EJ raised the flashlight and looked around. He noticed a chest under a pile of old clothes.

"Try that", he suggested and watched as Sami reached for the chest. She was able to pull it closer and examine it more carefully. There were fine engravings on the box.

"S.E.D."

"Santo Ernesto DiMera", EJ clarified the engraving for Sami.

"It's locked and I don't see the key", Sami frowned.

"Do you have any hairpins? What?", he asked as Sami gave him an incredulous leer, "There's still so much you don't know about me."

"I can believe that", she said and handed EJ one sticky hairpin to be destroyed. EJ took the pin and picked the lock in the chest terrifyingly quick.

"How did you do that?"

"I've had some practice. I've got a chest just like it and I kept loosing the key. Finally it was just easier to keep a stock of hairpins around than spent time looking for the key", EJ explained and opened the chest, "Looks like we found the letters. Do you want to read them here or do you want to go somewhere else?"

"I want to know what happened, I want to know now." Sami took the first letter and opened it.