Marlena comes to Chez Rouge and encounters E.J., insisting that she needs his help. She explains how John’s been having episodes with his headaches, revealing that he had an episode at the pub and had to be taken to the hospital. Marlena wants him to convince John to have more tests run, adding how he could do something honorable for Sami and little Johnny. E.J. laughs and notes how Marlena plays dirty. He agrees to give it a shot. A smiling Marlena takes his hand and thanks him.
A jolly Stefano enters the living room mansion singing, much to John’s annoyance. He asks John how his headache is. “Fine,” replies John. Stefano raves how he and Johnny had a wonderful time taking a stroll, then brings up little Claire and surmises that John misses her. He begins to describe his day with Johnny, but John doesn’t care to hear it. Stefano deduces that John’s foul mood is because of Marlena. He advises John to stay away from Marlena, referring to her as a dangerous woman who will destroy his life. John pours a drink as Stefano recalls how he was once in love with Marlena. “I believe the word ‘obsessed’ was tossed around a few times,” recalls John, which amuses Stefano. The Phoenix rehashes what Marlena did to him, which put him in a catatonic state. He advises John to sign the divorce papers and finally get rid of this “ugly episode” of his life. John questions how he knew about the divorce papers. “I know everything John. It would do you well to remember that,” he conveys.
After Stefano walks out, John picks up the divorce papers, then has another headache and collapses, which Stefano witnesses from afar. Stefano disappears and John struggles to get up. Nicole arrives and proceeds to call an ambulance, but John urges her to hang up. She surmises that his headaches are getting worse, which John confirms. He offers to make an appointment to get himself checked out tomorrow. Nicole announces that she came by to tell him that their deal’s off, in that she doesn’t need his help to get E.J. anymore. “I don’t want him a part of my life or my baby’s,” she affirms. She expresses how frustrated she is that she has feelings for E.J., admitting that she has no willpower when it comes to “that jerk.” John tries to assure her that E.J. has made an uninformed decision and warns her that it will be rough raising the child on her own, especially since Victor’s taking back his divorce settlement. “Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine,” she quips. John gently states the facts, in that she doesn’t have any income or anyone to help pay her bills. He brings up how he has lots of money, but Nicole refuses to take handouts from him. He wants an opportunity to do something nice to impress Blondie. Nicole expresses how his offer means a lot to her, but she doesn’t want his money. “What I do want, I want your friendship,” she expresses as she takes his hand.
Sami looks for a pacifier at the Horton cabin and finds a rattle in the diaper bag from Stefano, wondering how she’s going to protect her children from him.
Sami falls asleep on the couch and dreams about a teenage Johnny sitting in the DiMera living room smoking a cigar with Stefano. She swipes the cigar away from him and tells him he’s too young to be smoking and drinking. Johnny wonders why he even bothers coming home. “What did I hear you say about your sister?” questions Sami. Johnny says nothing and brings up how he has another sibling on the way. “Whose is it this time, mother? Father’s or Lucas’s?” he asks. Sami asks him why he’s being so hurtful. Stefano implores Sami to take her “miserable hysteria” somewhere else, since they need to discuss Johnny’s upcoming winter semester. Johnny reveals that Stefano’s going to encourage his professors to give him straight As, figuring it would be stupid to waste the family’s power and influence. “What happened to your morals? What happened to working hard?” Sami questions.
Sami has another dream of witnessing a grown-up Johnny and Stefano threatening to kill a man, who is begging for his life. Stefano implores his grandson to give the man what he deserves. Sami screams no as a gun is fired, then wakes up. Lucas is there and rushes to her side. “Lucas, I have to find some way to protect my children from Stefano,” insists a shaken Sami.
Sami later recounts dreaming about Johnny and seeing him act more like Stefano, drinking and shooting someone in cold blood. Lucas assures her that it was just a dream and believes she’ll raise him the right way. Sami admits she’s terrified that she won’t be able to protect Johnny from Stefano. Lucas offers to help her, but Sami doesn’t know if they can stop Stefano. She shares her suspicion that Stefano may know she’s pregnant. Lucas implores her to tell E.J. before Stefano does. Sami worries about protecting another baby from Stefano and doesn’t know if she can put this new baby in jeopardy like that. Lucas takes her by the hand and says he knows she’s scared, but still insists that she must tell E.J. about her baby. “Don’t you think everyone’s life would be better, if we still thought Johnny was your child?” questions Sami. She rehashes how everything went wrong once they found out Johnny belonged to E.J. She insists they would still be together, and everything was ruined because of the one simple truth. Lucas believes she’s exaggerating. Sami vows to protect her child, especially after seeing Stefano with Johnny today. “I am not going to tell E.J. that he is the father of my baby,” she declares. Lucas advises her to be reasonable and not to let fear drive her into a bad decision, one she’ll end up regretting. Sami is determined to let her child live a happy and normal life, free from the influence of Stefano. Lucas threatens to tell E.J. if she doesn’t, then walks out. Sami chases after him and insists that they have to talk about it.
