Chapter Seventeen: The Bigger Picture
"Little late in the evening for a social call, eh, brother?" EJ swings his feet to the floor and sits up on the couch. Tony sits on the opposite end and looks over at him. "I'm just here to check on my brother, and to give you a little news, perhaps to get some news in return." Tony watches the ease with which Sami moves through EJ's apartment as she fixes Tony and herself a drink and brings EJ more water. Looking at Sami, Tony wonders what she ever could have seen in Lucas. Personally, Tony thought he was completely worthless and had only ever given him work because he thought it would give him a better glimpse of Sami. Something about her was intriguing and he had wanted to know more about her. "She'll make one hell of a DiMera some day," Tony thought to himself. "So," he says aloud, "which one of you wants to tell me what really happened the night of the party?" EJ and Sami exchange a glance, then both look at Tony. He takes in their look and laughs. "Oh, come now," he says to them, taking a drink from his glass, "give me some credit. It's obvious to me that Lucas didn't shoot EJ that night." "Oh," Sami looks at Tony, "who did?" He smiles and holds his glass out to her in salute. "Why, you did, of course."
*****
*flashback* Sami waits a moment before getting out of her car to follow Lucas. She takes off her shoes so she can move quickly without being heard. She meets EJ at the predetermined spot and hides behind some crates. Soon enough, Lucas comes staggering in their direction. EJ moves slightly into the shadows so that he can be seen without being instantly recognizable. Lucas strains his eyes in the dark and stumbles forward. Sami sticks out her foot, tripping Lucas, and he falls to the ground, hitting the side of his head on the pavement, knocking him unconscious. Sami moves from her hiding place and looks at EJ. He stands straight, shoulders thrown back, directly in front of her. Sami takes the gun from her purse and aims. EJ braces himself and looks her in the eyes. "Do it," he mouths to her, silently. "I love you," she mouths back, and pulls the trigger. Sami has to fight the urge to run directly to him. The shot has been fired and now time is of the essence. She puts the gun in Lucas' hand, putting his finger on the trigger. She picks up her shoes and runs back through the darkness, quietly and quickly. She knows she has to be careful, just in case there was anyone else at the pier. No one could hear her. Finally, she reaches a spot a safe distance away, slides her shoes back on, and moves into the lamplight. "Lucas!" she shouts, looking around her. "Samantha," she hears a voice say weakly, "over here."
*****
"Why didn't you tell Father of your little plan?" Tony asks, after hearing their story. EJ laughs at the question. "Samantha wanted to, but I refused. If he was against it, he'd interfere, and if anything, well, went wrong, she would have had Father to deal with, and I would have rather not left her to face that kind of vengeance alone. But as it is, it all went exactly as planned, and now the fun part starts." Tony observes his brother's face and lowers his voice slightly, saying, "You really do love her, don't you?" EJ replies instantly, "I do, and now, no matter what happens between us, she can never doubt that." "That's quite a risk to run, to prove your love to a woman, eh?" Tony can't imagine actually feeling that strongly for any woman. EJ grins and looks at his brother. "A risk well worth the reward, I assure you." "You said you had news, Tony?" Sami inquires. "Yes, indeed I do. I thought it might interest you both to know that Lucas has been officially charged with the attempted murder of EJ Wells."
Bo and Roman sit at the police station, looking over their paperwork on Lucas Roberts. "I gotta tell you, it seems like a pretty cut-and-dry case. Chalk it up to a crime of passion. He wanted her, she said no, so he thought he'd remove what he saw as the only obstacle between his and Sami's relationship." Bo nods, "That's pretty much the way I see it, too. He's going before the judge tomorrow to set bail. I'm sure Kate will have him out of there as soon as she can. She wants him under her wing so she can tell him what to say and try to do some damage control." Roman thinks about Kate and raps his pencil against his desk. "I wonder just how much she really knows about all this…"
Stefano and Tony sit in the study of DiMansion, sharing a brandy. "Well, Father, you were right," Tony states. "Of course I was," Stefano retorts, "stupid for anyone to think that I'm unaware of anything that's going on in this town." Stefano stares into his brandy snifter, apparently deep in thought. Finally, he looks up at Tony. "She certainly has a conniving mind, that one. And she's obviously an excellent actress, which leads me to my point. Is she playing my Elvis for a fool? Does she really love him?" Stefano looks at Tony inquisitively, and Tony looks away, wondering what would happen to Sami if he said no.