Carly was determined to go to jail for shooting Melanie even though Bo was adamant about her letting him help her stay out of jail. Bo told Carly that Hope planned to visit Melanie and urge her to tell the truth about Melanie's shooting. Carly found it hard to believe that Hope would help her, but Bo insisted that Hope was just trying to do the right thing. He understood Carly's cynicism.

Carly said that no matter how much Hope resented Carly, Hope had a good heart and was a person of integrity. Carly realized that was why Bo loved Hope so much. Bo said he thought that Carly understood. Carly started to take back what she'd said, adding that of course Bo loved Hope, because they had kids. Bo kissed Carly and told her that he had a history with Hope, but things changed and people outgrew each other. He said what he and Carly had felt right. Carly agreed.

Hope paid Melanie a visit. Melanie figured that Hope was there to talk about the shooting, but Hope said she was there as a friend, then corrected herself and said she was there as an officer of the law. When Hope mentioned Carly as Melanie's mother, Melanie told her not to make a serious decision without knowing all the facts. Melanie said that Carly wasn't her mother, and she wondered why Hope was defending Carly. "Has it slipped your mind that she's sleeping with your husband?" Melanie asked.

Hope told Melanie that they weren't talking about Hope -- they were talking about Melanie doing the right thing. Hope said that Melanie had to know that Carly wouldn't intentionally hurt Melanie. Melanie said that Carly threw Melanie away when Melanie was born, left Melanie with "some loser, and didn't look back." Hope said that there were extenuating circumstances.

Hope said that Carly was trying to protect Melanie. Melanie didn't see it that way. She said that Carly failed miserably, which was probably why Carly shot Melanie, Melanie said. Hope repeated to Melanie that there were extenuating circumstances. Hope accused Melanie of saying that Carly shot her out of spite.

Bo asked Carly to stop trying to be a martyr for her daughter, and he predicted that Vivian would be caught. Bo urged Carly to think about Melanie, because if Carly went to prison, that would be abandoning her daughter again. Hope walked by while they were talking and assumed she had interrupted at a bad time, but Bo said it was okay. He asked if she had talked to Melanie, and Carly asked how it went. Hope said Melanie claimed not to believe the shooting was an accident and was determined to punish Carly.

Carly didn't think that Melanie would ever understand why she had to give Melanie up at birth. Hope said that hopefully one day Melanie would understand. Carly hoped for that, too, but she said if Melanie didn't, Carly would have to live with that. Bo had to leave to go to the police station. He planned to work on Gus to see if he would give up Vivian in exchange for a better deal.

After Bo left, Hope told Carly that it was possible that Melanie would change her mind. Carly was grateful for Hope's encouraging words, but she felt that going to prison would be best for everyone, including Hope. Hope asked what she meant, but Carly said "never mind." She said that she planned to plead guilty at her hearing. Hope told Carly that it could be years before Carly was released from prison if she pleaded guilty, but Carly thought it would be best for Melanie and Bo.

Hope asked why it would be best for Bo, and Carly said it was because Hope was Bo's wife and Bo and Hope were having a hard time. "Maybe he turned to me, but I know, and I think you do, too, that you are so important to him, and you know if I'm out of the picture, I really believe the two of you can find your way back to each other," Carly said. She asked if Hope thought she was being presumptuous.

"Presumptuous? Noble. Stepping aside so my husband and I could find our way back to each other, I mean you truly have a heart of gold," Hope said. Carly tried to clarify, but Hope didn't want to hear it. "You can take your patronizing little offer, and you can go straight to hell with it," Hope said.

Max returned home for a visit and stopped by to see Caroline at the Brady Pub. Caroline filled Max in about Carly being Melanie's mother and what happened at Melanie's wedding. Max wished he could stay longer, but he had a conference to go to out of town and only had a layover of a few hours. Caroline encouraged Max to go see Melanie, because she needed her big brother.

Max stopped by to see Melanie, and she was happily surprised to see him. Melanie asked about Chelsea, London, and how he was doing. He said everything was fine, but he wanted to know how Melanie was. Max apologized for missing her wedding, and he felt like he could have done something to prevent the shooting if he had been there. Melanie asked if Max had heard about Daniel being her father, and he had. Melanie felt like she and Max were still brother and sister, because Trent had raised them both. Max said he felt the same way.

Max said he loved Melanie because she was a great person. Max tried to offer his advice about Carly, but Melanie didn't want to hear Max defend Carly. Melanie felt that Carly deserved to go to jail for what she'd done. Max said that if Melanie let Carly go to prison for something she didn't do, the person who would suffer would be Melanie.

Nicole was forced to scrub the cell floor with a toothbrush. The guard used her cell phone to take a picture of Nicole scrubbing the floor. Nicole muttered something under her breath and threatened to do bodily injury to the guard. "Watch it, sweetpea," the guard said. Nicole asked the guard what she said, but the guard ordered her to get back to work. Nicole started thinking again about the voice of the kidnapper. She thought about who else used to say "sweetpea." When the guard walked over to her, Nicole looked at her shoes and imagined seeing Anna in the guard's uniform.

Nicole began to doubt remembering that Anna was the kidnapper, because it didn't make any sense. Then she remembered one time when Anna referred to Sydney as her "sweetpea," and remembered that Anna was the kidnapper.

E.J. spent time with Sydney at Sami's house. Sami was upset, and E.J. encouraged her to talk about it, but she made it clear that she didn't want to talk about it. She was determined to get Rafe to focus on her and the kids again. Sami figured that if she could help Rafe find the kidnappers, he would start to focus on her again. E.J. assumed that wouldn't happen, but Sami said that Rafe was working on a big lead.

E.J. asked Sami what kind of lead Rafe had, but she didn't know any details to tell him. E.J. said he didn't have faith in Rafe to find Sydney's kidnapper after the way Rafe had botched the ransom drop. Sami had faith in Rafe though.

Rafe and his partner broke down the door to the cabin where they believed Sydney had been held, but no one was there and, judging by the cobwebs, it seemed like no one had been there for a while. Rafe called Sami and asked her to meet Rafe at the cottage. Sami mentioned that E.J. was at her place with Sydney, so Rafe asked Sami to bring E.J. with him. E.J. got nervous when he heard what Rafe said, and he asked Sami if Rafe mentioned where the cottage was.

Sami didn't know, but she assumed that Rafe might have a lead or know who the kidnapper was. When Sami and Rafe made it to the location, Rafe said that he believed the cottage might have been the base of their operations, because the last time the kidnapper called E.J. on his phone, it was from that area, and the cottage was the only structure there. E.J. was agitated, and Rafe picked up on it. E.J. claimed that he was agitated, because he wanted to find the kidnapper.

E.J. claimed that Rafe called Sami and E.J. to the cottage to torment them. Rafe said that he only did it to see if E.J. recognized anything from the video in the cottage, but E.J. said he didn't. Sami explained that the video only focused on Sydney. E.J. said it was a waste of time, and he asked Sami to leave with him, but before they could, the other FBI agent walked in with Mr. Tapas, the caretaker from down the road. Rafe asked if there was something that looked familiar. Mr. Tapas looked at E.J. The caretaker didn't have anything useful to tell them.

E.J. tried to rush Sami out of there, but Sami wanted to stay and see if there was anything that would lead them to the kidnapper. E.J. pretended to be grateful that the kidnapper took care of Sydney and returned her safely. E.J. said the kidnapper was smart and didn't leave traces of Sydney in the cabin. He wanted them to focus on being happy to have Sydney back. Rafe said he was done at the cottage, because the lab was on the way to conduct analysis. Before they left, Rafe vowed they would find the kidnapper -- it was just a matter of time.

Meanwhile, Anna, on a flight to Costa Rica, was waiting for her plane to leave. Anna missed Sydney already. She looked in her purse for Sydney's picture, but then she realized that she might have left it at the cottage. If discovered, the FBI could run her fingerprints, trace her back to Salem, and she'd be arrested. She dumped the contents of her purse onto the tray in front of her but couldn't find the picture. She started getting stressed out, realizing that the picture might have her fingerprints on it. If E.J.'s cleanup crew didn't find the picture, Anna realized, she would go to jail for kidnapping. Anna vowed that if she was going to go down, he would too.

The plane had a mechanical problem, so Anna's plane was delayed.

When Sami and Rafe returned home, Sami said that Sydney missed Rafe. Rafe said he missed Sydney too. Sami told Rafe that she, Rafe, and Sydney were a family. Rafe said he had to find the person or persons who took Sydney and bring them to justice.

When E.J. got home, Anna called him from the plane. E.J. asked why she was calling. She explained that her flight had been delayed, and she wanted to check in to see if there were any developments. E.J. ordered her to leave town immediately, but Anna clearly couldn't do anything about the plane's mechanical problems.

Anna asked why E.J. sounded panicky, and he said that Rafe had found the cottage. She asked if Rafe found anything and what would happen if he did. E.J. asked if Anna really was "that dense." E.J. said that if Rafe found anything incriminating in or around the cottage, Anna and E.J. were history. The pilot announced that the mechanical error had been fixed, and Anna's plane would be able to take off. She asked E.J. to give Sydney a kiss for her.

At the prison, Nicole wondered to herself how Anna could possibly have taken Sydney, but then she suddenly remembered that Anna had always called Sydney "Sweetpea"-just like the kidnapper had. Shouting for the guard, Nicole demanded to use the phone. The guard, Mrs. McTavish, refused-until Nicole bribed her.

Aboard her flight leaving Salem, Anna was relieved to hear the captain announce that the plane was next in line for takeoff. But she was soon impatiently fidgeting in her seat and wondering why they were still on the ground. She was startled when her cell phone rang-and Nicole was on the other end. "Long time no talk," Nicole said cheerfully.

Nicole invited Anna to visit her in Statesville, but Anna asserted that she was on a plane that was about to take off. "Well, get off that plane, board another, and you can be here within the hour," Nicole demanded pleasantly. "And why would I do that?" asked Anna. "Oh, Anna, I think we both know exactly why," a chuckling Nicole replied. Feigning innocence, Anna refused Nicole's demands, then hung up abruptly. Unfazed, Nicole said to herself with a confident smirk, "She'll come."

Soon, McTavish was leading Nicole to the visitors' room-but instead of Anna, Nicole found her mother waiting for her. Beaming, Nicole declared that she was happy to see Fay-and happy in general. Fay was taken aback, especially when Nicole asserted, "For the first time in I can't remember how long, I have hope." Fay recounted her daughter's long list of crimes, and firmly urged Nicole to face reality. An irked Nicole ordered her mother to leave.

McTavish led Fay out, but almost immediately returned to the visitation room and announced, "You have another visitor." Nicole grinned smugly as Anna walked in. "You made some ridiculous allegations and I want to know why," Anna demanded. Nicole's jovial demeanor turned icy as she credited Sami with originally uttering the words that Nicole hurled at Anna: "You bitch! You stole my daughter!"

Stephanie found Nathan at the hospital and declared that they needed to talk about the two of them-and Melanie, so they went to the Java Café. Stephanie confessed that she'd seen Nathan at the hospital before the wedding because she was supposed to have been delivering a letter to him from Melanie. Nathan demanded to know what the letter said, but Stephanie lied that she hadn't read it.

Nathan asked why Stephanie hadn't given the letter to him. She reminded him that he'd said repeatedly that he didn't want anything to do with Melanie, so she had decided to tell Melanie that he'd refused to read the letter. Nathan was furious and stormed out, as Stephanie insisted ineffectually after him, "I just did what I thought was right!"

Justin arrived on the pier just as Hope was telling Carly to go to hell. Carly informed Justin that she planned to plead guilty to shooting Melanie, although he warned that with Judge Goldberg, she could go to prison that very day. Carly was aware of that, and asked Justin to leave her and Hope alone for a few minutes. He reluctantly agreed.

Carly thanked Hope for trying to talk to Melanie. Hope argued that it made no sense for Carly to go to prison to protect Melanie from Vivian, but Carly insisted that she had to do it. Hope expressed her sincere sympathy for what Carly was going through. As Hope left, Justin returned, and tried again to talk Carly out of pleading guilty, but Carly was adamant.

At the cemetery, the caretaker led Vivian to the site of the new monument for Lawrence's ashes, which she had ordered so that she could visit her nephew while she was in Salem. The caretaker unveiled the monument for Vivian, who then asked to be left alone. Privately, Vivian vowed to avenge Lawrence's death.

Hope arrived at the cemetery to visit Zack's grave, and was surprised to find Vivian there. Vivian sympathetically asserted that their losses gave the two of them something in common. Hope bristled, and ordered Vivian never to compare the deranged Lawrence to innocent Zack again. Vivian insisted that Lawrence was good-hearted, and she couldn't get the memories of his murder out of her mind.

"How can you have her live in your house and play with your daughter?" Vivian demanded indignantly, alluding to Carly. Hope revealed that Carly was about to plead guilty for Melanie's shooting, which delighted Vivian-and she asserted that Hope should feel the same. "I don't delight in other people's misery," Hope contended, and then left. Vivian knelt and caressed the granite marker. "Victory is finally ours, darling," she purred to Lawrence.

Melanie and Max continued catching up in her hospital room. Melanie was thrilled when Daniel arrived and announced that she could go home later that day. Daniel asked Max to say hello to Chelsea, and then left Melanie and Max alone again. Max urged his sister to try to accept that she had a whole new family, or at least give Daniel a chance. "I'll think about it," she snapped with mock petulance. "Just to get you off my back." Max gave Melanie a goodbye hug.

After Max left, Daniel went back in to see Melanie. "I never thanked you for saving my life," she stated somewhat awkwardly. "I was happy to have the chance," Daniel assured her. Melanie then asked if they could agree never to discuss Dr. Manning. Daniel pointed out, "You can't just snap your fingers and take her out of the equation. She is the reason that you are my daughter, the reason that I am your father."

Unimpressed, Melanie wondered if things would really have been so bad if Carly had just told the truth. Soon, father and daughter were breezily teasing one another. Melanie asked shyly, "Can we make a plan to hang out? Like, you and Chloe and me and Philip?" She explained that she wanted to get to know him better, and Daniel warmly agreed.

As Daniel was leaving to get Melanie's release paperwork ready, Justin called him. Daniel then returned to Melanie's room and informed her that Carly was about to plead guilty-and Melanie was the only person who could help Carly. Flustered, Melanie insisted she needed more time because she hadn't decided what she wanted to do yet.

At the Brady Pub, Bo informed Philip that Carly intended to plead guilty for shooting Melanie. Philip was pleased. Bo sharply reminded his brother how dangerous Vivian could be, but Philip maintained that he only cared that Carly stayed out of Melanie's life. "I won't let anyone ever hurt her again," Philip declared. "Nobody-no one is going to ruin our wonderful life together."

As Philip and Bo were bickering, Max showed up, and Bo greeted him with a hearty embrace. Max coolly congratulated Philip on his marriage, and then informed him that that Daniel was about to release Melanie from the hospital. After Philip left to call his wife, Max caught Bo up on life in London: Chelsea missed her dad and Hope, and Billie was recovering well from her accident.

Bo confided that his own life had gotten kind of complicated, and Max admitted that he had a hard time believing that Bo and Hope could ever be over. Clearly uncomfortable, Bo pointed out that sometimes relationships fell apart for reasons no one understood. Bo then got a text message, and reluctantly announced that he had to leave. "Tell that daughter of mine to get her skinny butt home," he ordered Max, hugging him, and then Bo rushed out.

Philip approached Max and acknowledged, "Me and Melanie-I know you don't approve of our marriage." Max only wanted his sister to be treated with respect, which he didn't think Philip was capable of. He warned Philip not to hurt Melanie, and then stalked out.

Stephanie was surprised to run into Max on the pier. He filled her in about his life with Chelsea, and Stephanie confided that although she was seeing someone new after her breakup with Philip, there was a problem. Max wanted to know more, but Stephanie would only say that she was determined to fix things, because she knew getting past it would only make her and her boyfriend closer.

Nathan rushed into Melanie's hospital room, but found Daniel sitting on Melanie's empty bed. "Where's Melanie?" Nathan asked breathlessly, just as Philip walked in. "Why do you care?" Philip demanded.

At the courthouse, Carly remembered how her relationship with Melanie had thawed before Philip and Melanie's wedding. "It went so fast," Carly uttered with a sad sigh. "But now it's gone." As the others slowly filed in, the District Attorney, Charles Woods, gloated to Justin that the case was headed for a swift resolution. "It's not," maintained Bo.

Carly interceded, but Bo was determined to keep her from pleading guilty by holding up the hearing with procedural errors. Carly tearfully asserted that she deserved to pay for having hurt so many people with her selfishness.

Judge Goldberg took his seat and called the room to order. D.A. Woods announced that the defense had something to say, and Justin concurred. Carly addressed the judge: "Your Honor, I would formally like to change my plea to guilty." Woods did not object, and recommended the maximum sentence. Judge Goldberg ordered Carly to stand so he could pass sentence, but before he could rule, Melanie burst in.

Anna visited Nicole in prison and questioned why Nicole had ordered her to visit. "You, bitch! You stole my daughter," Nicole shouted. Anna denied the charge, but Nicole noted that she saw and heard Anna at the bus station. Nicole demanded that Anna tell the truth and, shaking in fear, Anna seemed to crack under the pressure. "All right, I did it! I took Sydney!" Anna cried out. When Nicole asked why Anna had stolen Sydney, Anna joked that she was not responsible for everything that went wrong in the world.

"Face it, honey. She was never yours. She's E.J's and Sami's, and the only baby stealer in this room is you," Anna said before she started to walk away. Nicole threatened to call Roman and tell him her suspicions about Anna. Curious, Anna stopped at the doorway. Anna angrily walked back to the table and asked Nicole whether Nicole thought Roman would believe her. Anna pointed out that Roman would demand evidence, and that Nicole did not have any. Grinning devilishly, Nicole admitted that she remembered hearing the kidnapper say "sweetpea," which was Anna's nickname for Sydney. Nicole noted that the voice of the kidnapper matched Anna's voice.

Smirking, Anna said that she had a good relationship with Roman, whereas Nicole had put Roman's daughter through hell for months. "Which one of us do you think he'll believe?" Anna reiterated. Anna explained that there was no way she could benefit from kidnapping Sydney. Smirking, Nicole countered that five million dollars seemed like a benefit. Not giving an inch, Anna laughed at Nicole's suggestion and noted that Tony had left her plenty of money. "And then there's that. Tony's death. So sudden. It must have left you wanting revenge," Nicole said. "Stealing my baby was your way of getting revenge," Nicole added.

Anna disagreed with Nicole's suggested motive by noting that Philip was the cause of Tony's death. Nicole explained that Tony died "trying to prove himself" to Stefano. "You're the one who stood there and watched my Tony die and didn't do one damn thing to help him," Anna cried out. "You took Sydney to get back at me," Nicole exclaimed. On the verge of tears, Anna admitted that she hated the whole DiMera family. "I hate everybody that was involved with Tony's death. But I have managed to move on and accept the things that I cannot change," Anna said. Nicole urged Anna to admit that she stole Sydney and noted that if Anna were not guilty, it would not have been so easy to get Anna to leave her plane and visit Nicole in prison.

Nicole suggested that she was going to call Carrie and Austin to check Anna's alibi for the time of the kidnapping. Raising an eyebrow, Anna called Nicole's bluff and told her to call Carrie and Austin. Since Anna noted that she was traveling at the time of the kidnapping, Nicole threatened to call Rafe to follow up on her alibi. Anna cautioned Nicole to move on and forget about Sydney, since the little girl was home safe. "Look, I'm not admitting anything but, what do you want?" Anna asked. "That's more like it," Nicole purred.

In E.J.'s apartment, E.J. watched Sydney while Sami called his cell phone to tell him she would be running late. After hanging up the phone, E.J. smiled and commented to Sydney "your mother and I get along famously... This is much better than the original plan," E.J. mused aloud. E.J. expressed his excitement at being able to watch Sami fall apart firsthand. Grinning, E.J. explained his plan was to make Sami fall in love with him and then break her heart.

In the Java Café, Chad served Gabi a cup of coffee but could not stop himself from glancing over at Mia as she walked into the café with Will. Mia and Chad both thought about the kiss they shared recently, and, noting the distant look on his face, Gabi asked Chad what was wrong. Across the room, Will commented on Mia's necklace and told her that he was happy they were "exclusive." As Will reached across the table and kissed Mia, Chad's face fell.

Noting the look on Chad's face, Gabi turned around and spotted Mia and Will at the nearby table. Gabi asked Chad whether he was bothered by Mia. Chad sat down next to Gabi and explained that he did not feel it was fair for him to go out with Gabi when he was still hung up on Mia.

At the DiMera mansion, Stefano worked to find the kidnappers. Kate commiserated with Stefano on the difficulties of dealing with Sami. Kate suggested she knew how to get Stefano a visit with Sydney. Kate called Will and told him that she had bought a whole bunch of gifts, and that she wanted Will to persuade Sami to let him and his sister have the presents. When Will hesitated, Kate added that the gifts were a ruse in order to spend time with Will and Allie. Will promised to meet Kate at the apartment. Smiling, Kate hung up the phone and told Stefano that Will would be at the apartment shortly.

Back at the Java Café, Will excused himself in order to go meet up with Kate. Mia offered to wait at the café for Will, and Will promised to be back shortly. As Mia gazed eagerly across the room at Chad, she muttered to herself, "Don't worry about me. I'll be just fine." Mia walked over to Chad to get a refill on her coffee and asked him why Gabi ran out earlier. Chad explained that he broke up with Gabi because he did not want to date her when all he could think about was "kissing you." Mia admitted that she still thought about Chad even though she was dating Will. When Mia noted that her relationship with Will was not serious, Chad asked her out. Mia agreed to the date but she told him that no one could know about it, "especially not Will."

Suspicious, Chad asked Mia why she wanted to leave Will in the dark. Mia explained that Will was going through tough times at that time, and she wanted to wait to tell him. Mia assured Chad that she still wanted to go out with him, and in the middle of the café, Mia kissed Chad. After Chad's shift ended, he took Mia down to the pier. On the park bench, Chad kissed Mia, but Mia pulled away, noting that someone might spot them. Chad suggested that they find a private spot, and Mia agreed to meet up with him at the Java Café. As Mia walked away, she dropped the necklace that Will had given her. Chad spotted the necklace and examined it.

Gabi walked around the corner on the pier and saw Chad staring at the necklace, which he dropped. Gabi asked Chad for Kinsey's information so that she could contact her about schoolwork. Feeling awkward, Chad said he had to leave and ran off. Gabi sat down on the bench and saw the necklace that Chad had left behind.

At Sami's apartment, Will arrived home to find E.J. with Sydney. E.J. informed Will that he was watching Sydney until Sami or Rafe returned home. Will asked E.J. why he was still staying at the apartment. Before E.J. could say any more, Harold called E.J.'s cell phone and asked him to return to the DiMera mansion for an emergency meeting. Unbeknownst to E.J., Harold had called at Stefano's direction.

When E.J. noted that he would be back shortly, Will countered that E.J. did not need to return to the apartment. Nodding, E.J. left. Will was playing with Sydney in the living room when Kate knocked on the front door. Will opened the door to find Kate bearing gifts. When Will noted that Sami, E.J., and Rafe were all out of the apartment, Stefano appeared in the hallway and told Will how pleased he was at the news. Surprised by Stefano, Will stood in the doorway and was stunned as Stefano brushed past him into the apartment.

"You didn't tell me that he was coming too," Will told Kate. Stefano told Will that he had talked Kate into taking him with her to see Sydney. Stefano asked Will to "open his heart" and let Stefano see his granddaughter. Unsure, Will told Stefano that he could visit with Stefano and then he joked with Kate that her gift was a bribe. "You can stick around for a little while," Will said resignedly.

Will and Kate went over to the Java Café to talk, and left Stefano alone with Sydney. Kate thanked Will for letting Stefano spend some time with his granddaughter, and Will admitted that if Sami found out, Will would be grounded. As Will looked around the room for Mia, E.J. entered the Java café and was surprised to see Will there.

Down on the pier, Gabi called Chad's cell phone to tell him about the necklace. As she hung up the phone, Will walked up behind her and spotted the necklace in her hands. "Where did you get that?" Will asked. Shrugging, Gabi said that Chad had left it on the bench.

Worried, E.J. hurried back to Sami's apartment and was startled to find Stefano sitting next to Sydney's playpen. E.J. snatched Sydney into his arms and reminded Stefano that he had "no rights" regarding Sydney.

At the courthouse, the judge was about to pronounce sentence on Carly for her guilty plea when Melanie burst into the room, and interrupted the proceedings. Stammering, Melanie asked the judge if she could make a statement. As Justin started to note to the judge that Melanie's statement had no relevancy to the sentencing, Carly interrupted to say that she wanted to hear Melanie's statement. After the lawyers agreed to allow the statement, the judge noted that the statement would be a matter of public record. "That's exactly how I want it," Melanie said.

Melanie recapped her history with Carly by starting with the first coffee spilling incident and including all the incidents where Carly had taken a strange interest in her life. "What I'm getting at here is not once has Dr. Manning ever told me the truth. She's been lying to me since the second I met her, so I'm starting to think she's completely incapable of telling the truth," Melanie announced. Bo interrupted to defend Carly, but Carly warned Bo to let Melanie finish her statement.

Melanie continued her statement and explained about Carly's visit in the hospital when Melanie learned that Carly was her mother. Melanie admitted that she was so "freaked out" about the news of her parentage that she did not want to think about it until that day when some people she loved convinced her to attempt to remember what had happened the night of the shooting. "I remember Carly's face with the gun. She didn't mean to shoot me. She didn't want to hurt me. It was an accident," Melanie said.

"I'm telling you the truth now. I wasn't before. When I gave my first statement, I was hurting and scared and I just wanted to get back at Carly for giving me away," said Melanie. Melanie explained that she did not feel like Carly intentionally tried to harm her. "She's not guilty," Melanie told the judge. The judge called a recess and asked for the parties not to speak to one another during the interim while he spoke to counsel. Out in the hallway, Carly confided in Bo that she was worried about Melanie because "despising me was the one thing keeping her safe."

After the recess, the judge informed Carly that he was dropping the charges and ruling the shooting to be accidental. "I believe a period of probation is adequate for the lesser charges," the judge announced. A thrilled Carly hugged Bo fiercely, and gazed over his shoulder hopefully at Melanie. Bo left to follow up on some police business, which left Carly alone in the judge's chambers with Melanie. Carly thanked Melanie for her testimony, and she reached out for Melanie's hand. Shaking her head vigorously, Melanie asked Carly not to touch her.

Vivian stopped by the Kiriakis mansion to see Victor. He wondered why she was in such a good mood and assumed that she had Carly in the trunk of her car, but Vivian said that wasn't necessary because Carly's life had already "gone up in flames."

Vivian assumed that Carly was on the way to prison and was realizing how stupid it was to plead guilty to trying to kill Melanie. Vivian noticed that Victor was planning to host a party. He told her it was a fundraising dinner for the governor. Vivian wanted to go home and change so she could go to the party, but Victor said that Vivian wasn't invited.

Victor said that Vivian wasn't living in the mansion anymore because she had tried to kill Melanie. Vivian played the victim, and she left.

Kate talked to Stefano and found out that E.J. had caught him with Sydney. Kate reassured him that they would keep trying to find ways for Stefano to be with Sydney. Kate walked into the Brady Pub and saw Philip. She asked about Melanie, and Philip told her that Melanie had been released from the hospital. Kate wondered where Melanie was.

Philip got a call from Justin about how Melanie helped Carly avoid prison. He shared the news with Kate, who wondered why Melanie would help Carly avoid prison. Philip went to see Melanie, while Kate tried to find Vivian to rub the news in her face.

Daniel told Chloe that Melanie was on the way to the courthouse to clear Carly, because Daniel had asked her to. Chloe thought that Daniel had pressured Melanie to help Carly. They argued, but then Daniel realized that Chloe was upset about the situation they were in, especially because of the timing of it. Chloe pretended to be handling it, and she said she was feeling better. Daniel said he was relieved that there weren't secrets between him and Chloe.

Carly tried to reach out to Melanie, but Melanie didn't want anything to do with her. Melanie said that she kept Carly from going to prison, because it was the right thing to do, not because she wanted anything to do with Carly. Carly said she thought that there might be a chance that Melanie would allow Carly to be Melanie's mother, but Melanie told Carly to stay out of her life. When Carly said she couldn't, Melanie reminded her that she was "great at it for years."

Carly realized that Melanie didn't tell Philip about her plans to save Carly from jail, and she was concerned that people might be upset with Melanie for it. Melanie said that she told the judge that Carly was innocent as a way of cutting ties with Carly. Melanie said she did it for Daniel. Daniel was just as angry with Carly for what she did, Melanie said. Melanie got emotional thinking about what Daniel told her -- that he would have loved to raise her.

Melanie said that Daniel convinced Melanie to help Carly, because it was the right thing to do. Melanie yelled at Carly that she didn't want anything to do with Carly. Philip walked up and asked what Carly had said. He comforted Melanie while Carly left. Melanie asked how he knew where she was, and Philip explained that Justin had called him.

Chloe started to tell Daniel that she hadn't seen a therapist like he asked her to do, but Daniel was paged, so he had to leave. Carly walked by, and Chloe said that she needed to get some things straight with Carly. Carly warned Chloe that Daniel needed time to deal with the fact that he had a daughter, and didn't need to deal with anything else. Daniel interrupted them and sent Chloe away, while he talked to Carly. He said that Carly didn't owe Daniel anything, because he convinced Melanie to help Carly for Melanie's sake, not Carly's.

Carly asked Daniel to keep Carly informed about how Melanie was doing. Daniel refused to keep secrets from Melanie or Chloe. Carly reminded him that Vivian was still on the loose. He promised to protect Melanie, but he refused to help Carly.

Anna told Nicole that she didn't have to prove anything to Nicole. Anna advised Nicole to accept that Sydney was back with Sami, and Nicole needed to move on. Nicole threatened to call Sami to tell her that Anna was the kidnapper. Anna asked what Nicole wanted, and Nicole said that she wanted Anna to get Nicole released from prison.

Anna told Nicole that she couldn't stage a jailbreak, and Nicole said she didn't want Anna to break her out -- she wanted Anna to get her out of jail legally. Nicole reminded Anna that Anna had a lot of clout. Nicole said she noticed that Anna had a crush on the governor, and she wanted Anna to arrange a pardon for Nicole. Anna laughed.

Anna said that Nicole didn't have anything on her. Nicole threatened to call E.J., and she noticed Anna's reaction. "Well what do you know? I think I finally hit paydirt," Nicole said. Anna said that E.J. wouldn't even take a call from Nicole, but Nicole felt that E.J. would listen to her accusations. Anna reminded Nicole how Nicole had stolen E.J.'s child with Sami and kept the truth hidden for months.

Nicole threatened to tell the police, Sami, and/or Stefano unless Anna agreed to help. She gave Anna 24 hours to get the governor to pardon Nicole, or Nicole would make good on her threat. Anna tried to leave a message for the governor, and she found out that he would be at the fundraiser at Victor's house.

Nicole waited for Anna to get her pardoned. Meanwhile, Anna stopped by the Kiriakis mansion to try to get into the house and get the pardon for Nicole. She rang the doorbell. When Victor answered, Anna said she knew it was a surprise to see her. "Yeah, it is a surprise, because I distinctly remember telling Henderson to take the trash all the way down to the curb," Victor said.

At the Java Café, Kate overheard Vivian making preparations for the party at Victor's house. Kate told Vivian that Carly had been released from custody. Kate filled Vivian in on the details.

Carly ran into Kate down at the pier, and they bonded over the fact that both of their children weren't happy with them. They recognized that they had a mutual enemy in Vivian. Kate warned Carly that Vivian knew about Carly not going to prison, and Carly needed to watch her back. Bo called Carly, and she told him that Melanie only spoke up on her behalf because Daniel asked her to. Vivian saw Carly and informed her that she didn't live up to her part of the deal. "What am I supposed to do about that?" Vivian asked.

Philip surprised Melanie with his decision to have them move into Maggie's house to help take care of Maggie. Melanie was excited to hear the news, and he carried her over the threshold. Melanie asked how Philip convinced Maggie to let them move in with her. He said that he told Maggie that they would help Maggie out, and that besides Daniel, they were the only ones who knew about her condition. Melanie started to kiss Philip, but Maggie interrupted them.

Philip left to handle some business. Maggie asked why Melanie moved in to take care of her. Melanie said that they were family, and family took care of each other. Melanie asked how Maggie was doing. She said she had her good and bad days. Melanie told Mggie to tell Melanie whenever she was having a bad day.

Maggie asked how Melanie was, and Melanie admitted she was having a good and bad day -- good for finding out she and Philip would be moving in with Maggie, but bad because she told Carly she wanted nothing to do with her. Melanie considered Maggie to be the mother she never had, and she was resigned to making sure Maggie was healthy.

Maggie said that Melanie couldn't ignore that she had a mother. Melanie thought she had been successful at it so far. Maggie said that Carly would be a part of Melanie's life whether Melanie liked it or not. Melanie thought she didn't owe Carly anything else and wouldn't care if Carly fell off the face of the earth.

Philip ran into Chloe at the Java Café, and she admitted that she couldn't sleep at night and didn't tell Daniel about not seeing a therapist. Philip asked if she would tell Daniel that she wasn't going to therapy, but she didn't think she wanted to. Daniel had stopped by with flowers and overheard Chloe and Philip talking about her lying to Daniel about therapy.

Philip offered to talk to Daniel, but Chloe didn't want him involved, since Daniel was Philip's father-in-law. Philip saw Daniel on his way out and told Daniel that Philip and Melanie had moved into Maggie's house. Daniel surprised Chloe with the flowers, and she noticed he was upset. Daniel asked why she had been lying to him.

At the Java Café, Daniel tried to talk to Chloe about her refusal to see the psychiatrist he'd recommended. Chloe reacted defensively, so Daniel offered to go to therapy with her.

On the pier, Vivian taunted Carly, who pointed out that everyone knew that Vivian had tried to kill Melanie. "So if anything happens to her, like even a little paper cut, people are coming after you," Carly warned. Vivian vowed that although Carly wasn't going to prison, Lawrence's death would be avenged some other way.

Undaunted, Carly emphasized that if anything happened to her or Melanie, Vivian would be the first suspect. Gus emerged from his hiding place after a signal from Vivian, who contended that she might take her chances and have Carly killed anyway. "From now on, the sword of Vivian hangs over thy head," Vivian purred.

"Back away from her-now!" Daniel ordered as he arrived on the docks. Carly assured him that she was all right, but with a nod toward Vivian, asked, "Can you make it shut up?" Vivian refused to leave, so Daniel threatened her unfalteringly, "If you try to harass Carly, or you even come near my daughter, I will put you in a psych ward where you belong, spending your golden years weaving baskets."

Vivian noted that Lawrence had wanted the father of Carly's bastard killed, as well, but Daniel only welcomed a legitimate opportunity to take Vivian down. "I think we've reached an impasse. This meeting is no longer productive," Vivian conceded, clearly a bit rattled, and then she skulked away.

Carly admitted that Daniel's ferocity impressed her, and although she was grateful that he wanted to protect her, she wasn't his problem. Daniel argued that it was his duty as Melanie's father to also protect Carly, in case Melanie decided some day that she wanted Carly in her life. Carly wanted to know if that meant she and Daniel were friends again. "I think it's more like we have a common enemy," he admitted.

At the prison, Nicole traded insults with the guard, Lois, who seemed to relish tormenting her prisoner. Nicole cheerfully maintained that she would be getting out of there very soon, and asked to borrow Lois' phone. Lois handed over the cell phone, but reminded Nicole, "The same rates we talked about apply."

At the Kiriakis mansion, Victor greeted Anna with contemptuous sarcasm. Anna claimed she was there to see Philip, and when she learned that he'd moved out, she faked a dizzy spell so Victor would get her a glass of water. "On one condition," Victor replied. "You tell me why you really came here."

Anna tried to invent another cover story, but before Victor could throw her out, the governor's arrival interrupted them. Governor Jim Ford was thrilled to see his old flame, Anna, and embraced her warmly. "What a coincidence!" she exclaimed. "Is it?" demanded a suspicious Victor.

While Anna was chatting with Victor and the governor, Nicole called and demanded to know what was going on. "What's going on is that you're keeping me from talking to the governor," Anna hissed, and then hung up. After a not-so-subtle hint from Governor Ford, Victor left. Anna confessed that she had gone to the mansion to see Jim, and asked about his wife, Veronica. Jim assured Anna that he and his wife had a "flexible" arrangement, but sensed that Anna hadn't really sought him out to rekindle their relationship.

"Jim, do you remember you once told me that you would do anything for me? The time has come," Anna stated. She showed Nicole's file to the governor, and maintained that everything Nicole had done had been out of love. Jim flatly refused, arguing that it would be political suicide to pardon Nicole-and to cross the DiMeras. "Jim, if you don't pardon her, I am in big, big trouble!" Anna cried.

As Jim dried Anna's crocodile tears, he asked what was going on. Anna wouldn't divulge the details, but promised, "If you do pardon her, I'll do anything to show you how grateful I am." She began kissing him, and he willingly succumbed. "This is crazy," he declared, laughing.

Vivian and Gus went to the Java Café, where she called Victor. He tried to refuse to see her, but she argued that it was about Carly and therefore urgent. When Victor arrived, Vivian informed him that Melanie's testimony had exonerated Carly. "Don't worry about it," Vivian reassured him. "The law didn't take care of her, but I will."

Arianna went to the FBI field office to see Rafe, but he barely looked up from his work. She finally got her brother's attention by casually announcing that she was getting married. Rafe teased her about the ring, but then hugged her and offered his heartfelt congratulations.

E.J. was hanging out at the townhouse with the kids, while Sami was using her computer and looking for a job. E.J. was clearly miffed when she confessed what she was doing, because he wanted to support his family, but they had to table their discussion when Brady stopped by. Brady was none too pleased to find that E.J. had been staying at Sami's, and told her so when E.J. went into the children's room.

"I feel like I just walked into an episode of Gangster Knows Best," Brady remarked. Sami explained that E.J. was staying with her, and helping out with the kids, while he tried to get rid of Stefano. Brady knew that Rafe couldn't be happy with the living arrangements, and argued that Sami had to kick E.J. out.

E.J. eavesdropped from the hallway, and vowed to himself that he wasn't going anywhere. He returned to the living room as Sami was hotly arguing that Brady had no right to tell her how to live her life after what he did for Nicole. Brady insisted that he'd only dropped by because he had good news to share with Sami, so E.J. offered to stay with the kids while Sami and Brady went out for a while. Brady privately warned E.J. not to hurt Sami, and then Brady and Sami left.

Sami and Brady stopped outside the Brady Pub before going in, and she apologized for jumping down his throat. Nicole called Brady just then, but when he answered, she found herself unable to speak, and hung up. "For God's sake, Nicole, get it together!" she admonished herself. "You're not going to get him back with tears-not this time." Brady just assumed that the call had been a wrong number.

Brady and Sami were surprised when they went inside and found Arianna and Rafe drinking champagne and toasting her engagement. While Arianna and Brady got some sparkling cider at the bar, Sami tried to encourage Rafe to get out of the office during the middle of the day more often. But Rafe was determined to keep working on the case until he found out who kidnapped Sydney. Sami then confessed that she had noticed a real change in E.J. since they'd gotten Sydney back, and he seemed not to even care who had taken her.

Rafe bristled, but before it could escalate into an argument about E.J., Brady and Arianna returned. Sami congratulated Brady, and made a fuss over Arianna's ring. As they discussed possible wedding dates, Sami mentioned her job search. Rafe was a bit taken aback, especially when Sami asked him to write her a recommendation for a clerical position that she'd learned about online-at the local FBI office. "I don't think it's a good idea," Rafe asserted.

Before Nicole's time with the guard's phone was up, Lois returned and announced that Nicole had a visitor. Nicole was surprised to find an upset Chloe waiting in the visitors' room. Chloe related what had happened with Daniel, and added that the only reason he wanted them to see the therapist together was to make sure she went. While Nicole listened sympathetically, Chloe continued to vent her anger about the situation with Daniel and Carly.

As she wound down, Chloe confessed that she didn't want to end up alone because of Carly, like Hope. Nicole firmly reassured Chloe, "Daniel is crazy about you." She added gently that Chloe's lying to Daniel made it clear that there was a problem, and Chloe agreed. "So now you're going to have to do what every woman has to do to keep a relationship alive," Nicole declared. "You have to fool him."

Nicole explained that Chloe had to convince Daniel that she would do anything to make their relationship work, and that she was his number-one ally. "And never let him forget that Carly kept his own daughter from him for over twenty years," Chloe guessed, and Nicole applauded her friend's perceptiveness. Chloe was grateful that Nicole had taken the time to listen, despite being behind bars. Nicole hinted that might not be true for much longer.

When Lexie dropped by the townhouse with Theo, E.J. answered the door with Sydney on his hip. Theo ran back into the bedroom to play with the twins. E.J. confided to Lexie that although the Brady family still hated him, things between him and Sami had gotten much better. "According to Harold, they are more than 'better.' According to him, you're living here now," Lexie pointed out. "So tell me, brother: What are you up to?"

E.J. put Sydney down for a nap and rejoined Lexie in the living room. He didn't understand why his sister didn't believe that he was only staying with Sami to be close to his children, and to protect them from Stefano. Lexie believed that E.J. still had feelings for Sami. "We've been through a lot together, Lexie-that is it!" E.J. argued, insistent that he didn't want to get between Samantha and Rafe.

Theo ran back into the living room and announced that Sydney was crying, and Lexie volunteered to check on the tot so she could spend some time with her niece. After she left, E.J. asked if Theo had been having fun with the twins. "Yeah," Theo replied, adding, "Johnny told me your secret." After making sure that Lexie couldn't hear them, E.J. asked what secret Theo was talking about. "About Sydney-that she was never gone," Theo said happily. "She was safe with you all along."