EPISODE: 10,488
DIRECTED BY: Albert Alarr
TAPE DATE: 12/15/06

Belle and Shawn get Claire; Steve chats with EJ; Sami finally gets her award.

SAMI’S APARTMENT
Sami and Lucas are dressed up for the award ceremony and she tries to entice him to blow off going and stay home for another round in the bedroom. He convinces her otherwise by saying her dad worked so hard on getting this for her and besides, he carries a big gun. She laughs and they kiss when Will walks in and captures it on his cellphone camera. Lucas asks for a copy and pulls out his own cell camera to capture a picture of Will with Sami as Will’s vest reads “My mom is Sami Brady and yours isn’t”. His friends made it for him. Will is proud of her.

MEXICO CITY
Steve is not only in Mexico City already (we won’t even ponder where he got a passport and what name is on it) but walks up to EJ in the bar. EJ knows who Steve is despite not looking at him while he enjoys a local female resident’s neck. Steve pulls the warrant for EJ’s arrest out of his pocket after ordering himself a tequila. EJ inquires about the rest of the posse, but Steve says he’s there by himself. EJ says for Steve to take it back to Abe and Roman and they’ll know where to file it. Steve suggests EJ turn himself in, but EJ knows the Salem PD have no jurisdiction in Mexico and knows how long it will take to extradite him. He walks off saying..Hasta La Vista, baby. Steve joins him at the table with another Tequila for both of them. EJ has the pretty Senorita on his lap as Steve explains he’s his new best friend as he points out John’s in a coma after EJ shot him and how he almost killed him and his wife with that poisonous gas. EJ points out they didn’t die though and his prayers are with John and his family, denying shooting him. He whispers in the girl’s ear and she goes to the bar. EJ says when Samantha was helping him escape he knew he’d have to get away from Salem and the keystone cops for a while. Steve says when he closes his eye, EJ sounds like British royalty, but he’s not. In fact, the eyewitness they have who saw EJ shoot John called him a low class coward. When EJ looks startled at that revelation, Steve says…”that’s right Squire Crumpets, the cops have a witness.” EJ tells him he won’t return to Salem as eyewitnesses are something you see in the “cinema”. The Salem PD tried to get Patrick Lockhart to help them and now John’s in a coma, he’s not returning. Steve grabs his arm and asks who helped him escape (uh, he told you earlier that Samantha did Steve..too much tequila?) EJ tells him to remove his hand from his arm and points out the local patrons don’t appreciate it (apparently the senorita got them on guard) as they all walk toward the two men. Steve says he’s not threatening him and EJ points out that’s good, as Patch has his own problems, citing his memories coming back to haunt him. Steve is surprised that EJ knows about this. He grabs him and demands to know more as EJ describes what’s happening to Steve exactly, calling him “Patch”. Steve demands to know if Stefano’s behind all this and EJ laughs as the other guys pull Steve off of him, saying Steve will know soon in a place where Angels fear to tread. The men protect EJ and Steve finally screams and tackles him. EJ tells the men to get him out of there and shouts for Steve to say hi to Benjy for him.

Later EJ tells the bartender to bring him the bill and even though he’s told it’s on the house, EJ still insists on the bill. He reaches for his wallet and finds both it and his cellphone missing. We see Steve unconscious in a courtyard, flat out on the patio. He comes to and reaches in his jacket pocket to find EJ’s phone and wallet, laughing.

SALEM U HOSPITAL
Max and Mimi are in the front seat and Belle and Shawn in the back as Max goes over the plan to grab Claire from Philip after her doctor appointment to get her immunizations. Mimi’s a little nervous about it, being her first kidnapping she says. Shawn rationalizes it’s not a kidnapping as Claire belongs with them. Belle won’t do it until she says goodbye to John and rushes out of the car. She tells John what’s going on and now in tears, says goodbye…asking him to wake up so he can tell Mom what’s happening. She gets up to leave and Marlena is standing there, asking why she’s telling her father goodbye. Belle tells Marlena what they’re going to do and Marlena tries to talk her out of it. Belle explains Philip is getting Claire immunized to take her out of the country and it’s her last chance. Marlena says okay and they’ll help them. Hug, Kiss. Shawn walks in and learns Marlena knows and she tells him to take good care of her girls and Belle confirms she knows. He and Belle leave.

Later Shawn gets a call from Mimi saying that Philip and Claire just arrived. Shawn tells her to have Max keep the car running and after hanging up, tells Belle this is it as he slips into the mens room to hide. Philip rounds the corner carrying Claire, asking Belle why she’s there. She tells him to see her father as he’s not doing well. He’s sorry to hear that, saying John’s one of the best as little Claire says mommy (her real life mom must be off stage, too cute). He says Claire might be sick and she asks if she has a fever, then asks to hold her. He finally lets her and she coos to Claire, saying how she’s got her in her arms and calls SHAWN…who rushes from the mens room and tackles Philip yelling for Belle to run. He punches Philip’s newly transplanted face a few times. Philip puts up a pretty good attempt considering he’s been hospitalized for so long and only one leg, but Shawn rushes away saying Claire’s his daughter and to stay the hell away from her and runs to join Belle. He gets in the car waiting at the front door saying Philip’s right behind him and Philip dashes out the door as the car sits there (was Shawn fastening his seat belt first, LOL?) long enough for Philip to pound on the top of the car demanding they give her back (yeah, like THAT’S going to make them do it). Race car driver Max Brady floors it and away they zoom.

THE PUB
Chelsea whines to Kate about how Sami’s done all these bad things but still gets an award. Kate calls the brat ungrateful as she’s had two families who loved her. Kate tells her to face Bo and Hope have their own family and to get over it. Chelsea tells her to apologize and she doesn’t as Chelsea said believe it or not, she was lonely growing up. All she ever wanted was a large family to sit around and talk with and be with on holidays. Kate argues breeding dilutes the gene pool as they look at Sami laughing across the room as she talks to a couple of gals. Chelsea tells Kate she knows Kate really hates Sami and it’s tearing her up to see Sami get this award.

Bo and Hope worry about how Shawn is dealing with losing Claire. Kayla arrives and Bo is surprised she’s there. He explains he thought she would be with Steve. Kayla tells him that Steve left that morning for the assignment Bo gave him, but doesn’t understand why Bo would think she’d go along with him. Kayla gets justifiably angry to learn where Steve is and that Bo sent him to face a killer alone. He tells her about Steve freaking out at CPS and promised he wouldn’t tell if he saw a shrink. Steve “fumed and snorted”, but agreed to do so. He steps away to try and call Steve on his cell.

Roman walks in and loudly announces Salem’s Woman of the Year (which year?), and proud to say she’s his daughter..as Sami and family walk in to applause. Sami looks a little embarrassed by it all. Chelsea talks to Sami privately, asking how after all she’s done in her life, she gets an award. Sami enlightens her that this family stands by their own, no matter how much you annoy them, they encourage you to do the right thing and show them you’ve got the right stuff. She encourages Chelsea to show them she does too. Chelsea thanks her for the pep talk and for helping her and Billie get the apartment down the hall.

Marlena walks in and Sami excuses herself to go hug her mom. After Sami asks how John’s doing, they hug and Marlena tells Sami how proud she is of her and suggests she go mingle. Sami agrees, saying they’ll catch up later. Kayla, Bo and Hope ask Marlena if she’s heard from Belle and she tells them yes and it’s too late to stop them now. Puzzled, they ask from what? She tells them and Bo tries to call Shawn, saying they have to stop them as Marlena refuses, saying they’re doing the right thing.

Kate tells Will that Sami couldn’t have saved Lucas by herself. Will tells Kate to stop trashing his mom or she’ll lose both him and his dad if she continues doing so.

Roman presents Sami with her award and she thanks him and everyone for giving her a second, third and fourth chance. She especially thanks Lucas for giving her the strength to do what she had to do to save his life. He also saved her life too because she doesn’t know how she’d live without him. He gets up and hugs her and Marlena does too. Marlena returns to talk to Bo and when he says Shawn and Belle are breaking the law, Marlena tells him that Philip h ad a passport in Claire’s name and was getting her inoculations. He and Victor were planning on taking Claire to Europe, they had no choice. Hope tells Bo they’re doing exactly what he would do in their place.

Kate bites the bullet and tells Sami that she saved her son’s life and wants to start fresh, extending her hand (with two nails painted and two not) to shake. Sami looks around and completes the handshake.

An angry Philip arrives at the pub screaming that Belle and Shawn kidnapped his daughter and anyone in the room who helped him is going to pay. Cue deer in the headlights expressions on the faces in the group as the previews roll….

STEVE (to Kayla and Bo).look what I found in the dude’s wallet. It’s his travel visa. If he wants to replace it, he’ll have to come back to the old US of A.

PHILIP to MIMI: Belle and Shawn started this war, but I’m finishing it and I’m not taking any prisoners.

BELLE to SHAWN (as she holds Claire): Do you really think that we’re never going to be safe?

LEXIE to TEK: What are you talking about?
TEK: Let’s go together, let’s run away.

As the credits roll…
Linda