MAJOR PLAYERS:

Hope Williams Brady	Bo Brady	John Black	Dr. Lexie Carver	Marlo	Bart
Princess Gina Von Amberg	Dr. Marlena Evans	Stefano DiMera	Commander Abe Carver	Dr. Rolf	Cameron Reese
Glen Reiber	Barb Reiber	Shawn Douglas Brady	Baby JT	Baby Isaac

MINOR PLAYERS:

Captain Roman Brady	Jennifer Horton	Nancy Wesley	Celeste Perrault	Chloe Lane
Hattie Adams	Jack Deveraux	Dr. Craig Wesley	Jan Spears	Phillip Kiriakis

PROLOGUE:

The baby switch storyline was just one of the many chapters in Days of Our Lives history that involved the evil Stefano DiMera's campaign against the citizens of Salem. In particular, Stefano's evil left a mark on his daughter Lexie Carver. For the first time ever, viewers saw a side to Lexie's personality that is reminiscent of her father Stefano. Lexie threw aside her kindhearted persona and resorted to dishonesty, paternity switching and even blackmail to get what she wanted. It was also during this storyline that Days of Our Lives bid farewell to Stefano's portrayer Joseph Mascolo, who left Days to join Bold and the Beautiful to play Massimo Marone. This saw the departure of one of soap's most notorious villains. Even though Stefano had left town, his legacy was never forgotten. The baby switch was just one way in which Stefano had left his evil mark on Salem that was really felt, even after he had left town. Lexie was left to take over control of the DiMera dynasty and her character became another major villain in daytime soap.

THE STORY:

PRINCESS GINA'S LEGACY

In 1999, Stefano DiMera had activated the microchip in Hope's neck and transformed her into his art thief accomplice Princess Gina Von Amberg. Princess Gina once had a passionate affair with her partner in crime John Black. Stefano had erased John's memory by implanting a microchip in his neck. John is in love with Marlena and they had a daughter Belle but John was unaware of his past as Stefano's mercenary and Princess Gina's lover. Once Hope's transformation was complete, she had no interest in Bo. She was only interested in pursuing John, the love of Gina's life. Once again, Bo and Hope became estranged due to Stefano's mind control.

In that year, John and Marlena traveled to Hawaii for a much deserved honeymoon vacation, but they did not count on Gina/Hope's interference. John spotted a drowning woman and swam out to sea to rescue her, but he was kidnapped and held captive on board Gina's submarine. Gina/Hope brainwashed John into his former identity and the two made passionate love on board the submarine. After John returned to shore, Gina/Hope then made love to Stefano. Because of the microchip in his neck, John recalled nothing of his love making with Gina and resumed his life with Marlena and their teenage daughter Belle.

Soon after, Hope was locked in a Parisian castle with her nemesis Stefano while the real Princess Gina took over Hope's identity. During her time in captivity, Hope discovered that she was pregnant. Because Hope's recent Gina memories had been erased by the latest satellite transmission, Hope had no idea that she was estranged from Bo and slept with John and Stefano. John's microchip began to malfunction and he recalled his love affair with Gina/Hope on board the submarine, but kept his newfound knowledge a secret from Marlena.

In 2000, Hope and Stefano were rescued from captivity and Bo and Hope enjoyed a much awaited reunion. Bo realized that he could not be the father of the baby, since the couple was estranged during Hope's time as Princess Gina. He decided to keep this knowledge a secret from Hope in an effort to put aside the past and concentrate on his family. Bo and Hope's son Shawn was delighted at the news of a new baby and looked forward to having a brother/sister as well as having the bond between his parents solidified.

Meanwhile, both John and Stefano began to worry about the paternity of Hope's baby. If John had fathered Hope's baby, his marriage to Marlena could suffer. If Stefano was exposed as the father, he could be arrested and sent to prison for good. John sought Stefano's help in making sure that Hope would never recall her time as Princess Gina. Stefano replied that John had the ability as a surgeon and could remove the microchip from Hope's neck himself. Secretly, Stefano planned on bringing back John as his mercenary.

MARLO ENTERS INTO THE PICTURE...

Rolf's pregnant and drunken niece Marlo arrived in Salem. Coincidentally, Marlo was at about the same stage of her pregnancy as Hope was. Stefano decided to mastermind an elaborate baby switching scheme so that he could hide the paternity of Hope's baby. He enlisted Rolf and Bart's help in making sure that Marlo and Hopes' babies would be switched at birth. Meanwhile, Abe and Lexie had been trying for months to conceive a baby the natural way so gave up and decided that they would adopt. Stefano then encouraged Abe and Lexie to adopt Marlo's baby. Despite some reservations, Abe and Lexie both agreed. However, Stefano and Rolf both got more than they bargained for and found it impossible to keep Marlo under control. On several occasions, Stefano caught Marlo drinking alcohol. Stefano and Rolf even had to lock Marlo in the secret room to stop her from drinking.

ROLF SWITCHES THE BABIES...

On the same day that Hope went into labor, Rolf injected Marlo with a drug that would make her go into labor so that the two women would give birth at the same time. At the Salem University Hospital, Bo and Hope had a quick wedding with their son Shawn as a witness before the baby was born. Hope gave birth to her son JT and Marlo gave birth to Abe and Lexie's adoptive son Isaac. The two baby boys were then taken into their cribs in the maternity ward. Disguised as a female doctor, Rolf entered into the room and switched the bracelets on JT and Isaac. Although both bracelets looked no different to begin with, they magically changed names, thanks to the special name tags that Rolf invented. The nurses believed that they made a mistake and placed the babies in their 'right' cribs. Bo overheard this mix-up and thought nothing of it. He also noticed that JT looked a little different than he did when Hope first gave birth, but didn't make anything of it.

Bo, Hope and Shawn were devastated to discover that JT was suffering fetal alcohol syndrome. Hope blamed herself for 'her' son's condition, since she had been drinking and smoking during her time as Princess Gina. Hope feels that the baby is rejecting her. Hope and Bo rush the baby to the hospital after it loses consciousness. Stefano tries to get DNA sample out of Isaac while john tries to get a DNA sample out of little Johnny. Isaac was a perfectly healthy baby, which Bo thought was odd considering that Marlo was a drunk. Lexie brought baby Isaac over to Hope's house. They place the two babies in bassinets out back. John arrives and mistakes Isaac for Johnny. Johnny gets rushed to the hospital once again. As hope spent time with Isaac she notices that he does things that Shawn use to do when he was a baby.

As Bo leaves to Ireland Johnny goes back into the hospital. Baby Johnny dies. But the doctors get him to start breathing again. That's when hope and Lexie decide to have the babies baptized. That's when Johnny became JT. Bo, Hope and Shawn's love and nurturing helped to pull JT through the health crises that he faced.

Although Bo realized that JT could not have been his son, he still bonded with him and loved him like his own. Hope believes that Stefano could be JT's father. And she is afraid he might try to kidnap him.

MARLO'S DEATH AND LEXIE'S SECRET...

Marlo continued to cause trouble for Stefano and Rolf. During an argument, Rolf lost his temper and pushed Marlo down the stairs. He then snapped her neck on his knee to ensure that she was dead and then disposed of the body in the river. Lexie had found out about Marlo's death, but Stefano convinced her to keep quiet about what she knew. If the press was to ever find out, Lexie and Abe could lose their son Isaac. Despite her reservations, Lexie complied with Stefano's request and kept her knowledge of Marlo's death a secret, although she felt guilty about lying to everybody, including her husband Abe. For the first time, Lexie resorted to dishonesty, but would do anything to make sure that she could keep Isaac.

JOHN DROPS A BOMBSHELL ON SALEM...

Stefano and John worked at getting a blood sample to find out the true paternity of 'Hope's' baby. Stefano was forced to manipulate the results, since he was the only one who knew about the baby switch.

John then dropped a bombshell on his wife Marlena that could shatter their marriage forever - he announced that he is the father of Hope's baby! Although Marlena was shocked by John's announcement, she eventually forgave John and realized that both he and Hope were under Stefano's complete control. John also admitted to Hope that he fathered her baby. John, Marlena and Hope decided to keep 'JT's true paternity a secret from Bo, although they felt guilty about leaving him in the dark.

HATTIE ENTERS INTO THE PICTURE...

Stefano and Rolf noticed a woman working at Hudson Diner who bore an uncanny resemblance to Marlena. Stefano decided to use Hattie as part of his plan to have his mercenary John back. He planned to kidnap Marlena and replace her with Hattie. With Marlena out of the picture, Stefano could work on John and transform him back into the mercenary that he once knew. Rolf disguised himself as a plastic surgeon named Dr. Steiner and convinced Hattie to have surgery so that she can look more like Marlena. After several operations, including Rolf's dentistry, Hattie began to look like a carbon copy of Marlena Evans. At the same time, Hattie began to fall for Marlena's ex-husband Roman Brady. When Marlena encountered Hattie in Salem Place, she experienced flashbacks of her twin sister Samantha, who had been killed by the Salem Strangler years ago. Marlena was astounded by Hattie's resemblance to Samantha. Hattie would later play an important role in the baby switch story line.

MARLO'S BODY REAPPEARS...

On New Years Eve of 2000/2001, Bo and Hope exchanged vows at a beautiful wedding ceremony. During the reception, some of the guests went ice skating on the frozen lake.

Belle, Shawn, Phillip and Chloe found a dead corpse holding on to the mysterious can that they found last summer when they built Mimi's new house. Lexie was horrified to discover that the body belonged to Marlo. She feared that if the body was identified, she could lose her adoptive son Isaac. A distraught Lexie sought out Stefano and begged for his help in covering up Marlo's death. Rolf and Bart stole Marlo's body from the morgue and dissolved it in a vat of acid. Hattie saw the body in the foyer of the DiMera mansion, but Dr. Steiner/Rolf covered up by claiming that she only saw an old Halloween prop.

Unfortunately, the Salem PD was able to draw a sketch of the dead woman and identified the body.

GLEN AND BARB ARRIVE IN SALEM...

A man named Glen Reiber read the news report on Marlo's death and decided to travel to Salem. It turns out that Glen was Marlo's ex-boyfriend and could be the father of her baby. Abe and Lexie took a trip to Green Mountain lodge where they met Glen and his wife Barb. Glen and Barb explained their situation to Abe and Lexie and the two realized that Glen could be Isaac's biological father. Lexie did not tell Glen and Barb that she and Abe adopted Marlo's baby and she manipulated the couple, trying to convince them to concentrate on having a baby on their own. Abe was shocked by Lexie's manipulation and began to suspect that Stefano was having an evil influence on his wife.

When Glen found out that Abe and Lexie adopted Marlo's baby, they ordered a DNA test to find out his true paternity. Because Lexie did not know about the baby switch, she decided to take matters into her own hands and arranged for the test results to be rigged. Lexie enlisted Brandon's help in switching the results of the DNA test to make it seem that Glen is not Isaac's father. Since JT was having a medical check up on the same day, Brandon decided to swap Isaac and JT's blood samples! Lexie and Brandon were both horrified to learn that Glen is really JT's biological father. Lexie confronted Stefano about the test results and realized that the babies had been switched at birth. Lexie decided to keep her knowledge of the baby switch a secret so that she and Abe would not lose Isaac.

THE TUSCANY EXPLOSION...

Stefano ordered Rolf and Bart to rig explosives at the East side lab to foil Glen and Barb's search into Isaac's paternity. Rolf decided to set additional bombs at a lab near Tuscany, the power plant and the Salem Bridge.

Many of Salem's residents dined at Tuscany that evening, including Bo, Hope, John, Marlena, Victor, Nicole, Phillip, Chloe, Nancy and Craig. Marlena and Hope got into a heated argument about JT's paternity. Lexie overheard the argument and realized that JT is not Bo's son. Suddenly, an explosion ripped through Tuscany and injured Lexie. In mercenary mode, John rescued Lexie and took her to the hospital. Nancy Wesley overheard Lexie having a nightmare about the baby switch and became suspicious. Stefano threatened Nancy into keeping silent and she agreed. She even kept her suspicions and Stefano's threat a secret from her husband Craig to avoid Stefano's wrath.

Because of the power plant explosion, Belle and Shawn were trapped in the elevator to Marlena and John's penthouse. This caused Belle to suffer an anxiety attack because of her claustrophobia. Brady fell on top of the elevator trying to rescue Shawn and Belle. John rescued Brady and released Shawn and Belle from the elevator.

Jennifer baby sat JT that night and drove him home, with JT in Isaac's baby capsule. Jennifer drove along the Salem bridge, just as it exploded, placing the two in great danger. Jack managed to rescue Jennifer from the car, but JT's baby capsule fell into the river. Glen and Barb spotted the baby capsule with Isaac's name on it and assumed they had found Isaac. Glen and Barb decided to kidnap him, mistaking JT for Isaac. Phillip and Chloe spent some time alone near the river, where they carved their initials on a tree. Chloe had spotted a couple taking the baby, but did not recognize him as JT.

Glen took a DNA sample from 'Isaac' and sent it to a remote lab for testing. Jennifer became hysterical over JT's disappearance and Jack tried to get through to her, telling her that the accident was not her fault. Hope on the other hand attacked Jennifer and told her that she wished she had never returned to Salem. When Chloe found out about JT's disappearance, she flashed back to the couple taking the baby from the river and immediately told Bo and Hope what she saw. Bo figured out that Glen and Barb had kidnapped JT and mistaken him for Isaac. After seeing a news report on JT's disappearance, Glen and Barb realized that they took JT, having mistaken him for Isaac. Bo, Hope and Shawn were relieved when Glen and Barb returned JT safely to them. Hope gave Jennifer a humble apology for her behavior and the two resumed their close friendship. Hope also decided to mend fences with Marlena after the fight they had at Tuscany. Although Lexie recovered from her injuries, she continued to keep her knowledge of the baby switch a secret from everybody, even her husband Abe.

Glen and Barb demanded DNA testing for Isaac but Lexie had no concerns, since she knew very well that Glen is not Isaac's father. Meanwhile, the test that was done out of town on JT when he was kidnapped by Glen and Barb had arrived on the Reiber's doorstep. Barb was shocked when she learnt that Glen is really JT's father and figures out the truth behind the baby switch. Because Barb wanted her and Glen to concentrate on having a baby of her own, she decided to throw out the test results and keep Glen in the dark.

STEFANO'S DEPARTURE FROM SALEM...

Dr. Rolf/Steiner and Stefano continued with their plan to transform Hattie into Marlena. Hattie's began to have a nightmare about the body she found in the foyer of the DiMera mansion. In her dream, she was dancing with Rolf and all of a sudden, he morphed into the dead corpse that she saw. Hattie's conscience prevailed and she informed Roman about the body. Hattie's confession finally gave the Salem PD a reason to lock up Stefano DiMera for good! Knowing that he was in trouble with the law, Stefano tried to convince Lexie to leave town with him and she agreed, but regretted having to leave Abe behind. The Salem PD surrounded the DiMera mansion and Stefano held Lexie hostage. Stefano and John had a face off in one of the secret passageways in the DiMera mansion. Lexie overheard their argument and realized that John was the father of Hope's baby. After a heated struggle, Stefano fled from the DiMera mansion and skipped town. (This was the last viewers got to see of Stefano DiMera, since his portrayer Joseph Mascolo had left Days of Our Lives and joined Bold and the Beautiful as Massimo Marone). Lexie, Rolf and Bart were left to take over the reigns of the DiMera empire in Salem.

Lexie demanded that she and Abe move into the DiMera mansion together, although Abe was against the idea. Lexie took delight in taking over the DiMera mansion, ordering the household staff around and even playing with Stefano's chess board! Bart addressed Lexie as Ms. DiMera and she replied "it's Mrs. Carver you idiot"!! Bart felt right at home, since that is what Stefano often called him! Abe was disgusted by what he saw of Lexie's behavior and their marriage was heading for trouble.

ROLF AND LEXIE'S EVIL PLAN FOR HOPE...

Hope began to seek out John's help in finding out about her life as Princess Gina. During a visit, Hope commented how strange it was that Isaac was perfectly healthy and JT was ill. Hope commented that 'it was almost as if the babies had been switched at birth'. Lexie panicked and realized that Bo and Hope could be close to discovering the truth. Rolf came up with a plan to stop Hope from finding out the truth behind the baby switch. He planned to reactivate the microchip in Hope's neck and transform her back into Princess Gina. If the transformation were successful, Hope would be so distracted that she wouldn't even care about learning that the babies had been switched. Feeling threatened by Bo and Hope, Lexie agreed to Rolf's idea.

BLACKMAIL...

Barb arrived on the doorstep of the DiMera mansion and began blackmailing Lexie. She demanded $1 million for her silence about the baby switch. Rolf orchestrated a brutal attack on Barb that left her in hospital. Barb suspected that Lexie and Rolf were both behind the attack and increased her price to $2 million.

THE DIMERA MANSION PARTY...

Lexie organized a mother of the year party at the DiMera mansion in honor of her 'friend' Hope. During the party, Lexie and Rolf planned on activating Hope's microchip. She ensured that John and Greta were on the invitation list so that she can see how Hope would react to them after the transformation. Lexie arranged for a portrait of Hope and JT and one of herself and Isaac to make the party complete. John immediately distrusted Lexie and became suspicious of her motives for throwing the party. Rolf hid in the secret room in which he had hidden an electrical device to activate Hope's microchip. Rolf and Lexie kept in touch with hidden speakers and video cameras to make sure that the activation of Hope's microchip was a success. To make the party complete, Stefano sent Lexie a beautiful piece of jewelry with a picture of the phoenix - the famous DiMera trademark. Rolf took delight in seeing that Lexie had truly become a DiMera.

Lexie's party became a nightmare when she had several unwanted guests arriving. Glen and Barb arrived on the doorstep and Barb continued her blackmail threats against Lexie. Phillip arrived uninvited to see Chloe, but he activated an alarm in the house. Lexie was livid with Phillip for coming uninvited and threw him out. Rolf began blasting Hope with Gina memories, which disturbed her deeply. John, Bo and Marlena witnessed Hope's strange behavior and Bo decided to take Hope home immediately, suspecting that her condition had something to do with the DiMera mansion. Lexie put on the waterworks and begged Hope to stay so that she could cut the cake. Hope eventually agreed and Rolf continued blasting her with memories. Hope rushed to John and told him what was happening. John and Hope secretly went up to one of the bedrooms where John began removing the chip from Hope's neck. During one of Rolf's transmissions, Hope momentarily went into Gina mode and kissed John, but then returned to herself after John finished the job. Unfortunately, Bo walked in on Hope and John's kiss. Bo was immediately livid and he punched out John. Finally, Hope was forced to confess to Bo that John fathered JT. Bo was furious with Hope, John and Marlena for keeping him in the dark about JT's true paternity.

Lexie came apart under all the pressure surrounding her and ordered everybody out of the DiMera mansion. Barb continued her threats against Lexie, while Rolf silenced her with a poisonous dart. Abe had begun to suspect that Lexie was hiding something from him and demanded to know the truth. To bide some time, Lexie rushed Barb off to the hospital. Rolf showed Lexie a syringe that they could use to silence Barb permanently but they were stalled by the other doctors. Barb came to and finally admitted to Glen that he is really JT's father. When Abe finally confronted Lexie, she only told him portions of the truth, neglecting to tell him about her knowledge of the baby switch.

THE TRUTH COMES OUT AND THE BATTLE LINES ARE DRAWN...

In 2002, Glen hired attorney Cameron Reese and began to sue for custody of JT. Roman was forced to tell John, Marlena, Bo and Hope that Glen is really JT's father. All were shocked to discover that the babies were switched at birth. Everybody suspected that Lexie had known about the baby switch for a long time. Despite the truth being exposed, Bo, Hope and Shawn all loved JT and remained determined to keep custody of him. Lexie realized that if Glen and Barb got custody of JT, the Brady's would sue her for custody of Isaac. Lexie prepared to leave town but was stopped by the police, who confiscated her passport.

Rolf and Lexie found out some incriminating information from Cameron's past and used it as ammunition to get Cameron on their side against Glen and Barb. They even offered Cameron a large amount of money to comply with their demands. Cameron tried to discourage Glen and Barb from suing the Brady's for full custody of JT, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. The courts ordered DNA testing, which confirmed that Glen is indeed JT's father.

Belle and Shawn decided to 'kidnap' JT and enlisted Lexie's help in hiding them in the DiMera mansion. Belle and Shawn hid with JT in one of the secret rooms and tried to teach JT to say "I won't go" in hopes that the judge would see how much JT loves the Brady family. To make herself look good, Lexie told Bo and Hope where Belle, Shawn and JT were hiding. The Brady family were forced to face up to the reality that they may lose JT.

THE MYSTERY OF ISAAC'S TRUE PATERNITY...

John, Marlena, Bo and Hope began to question Isaac's true paternity. Since several babies were born on that night, John and Hope might not even be Isaac's parents. The four also suspected that Stefano may have rigged the results that made John believe that he was the father of 'JT'. They even theorized that Stefano could be the father of the baby! John decided to investigate Isaac's true paternity, but realized that he could not trust Lexie. He resorted to desperate measures to expose the truth. After knocking down the door to the DiMera mansion, John tied Lexie up. He then kicked down Rolf and threatened Eliana. While Lexie and Rolf were restrained, John collected a DNA sample from Isaac.

John and Marlena then visited with Bo and Hope while Marlena snuck into their bathroom and obtained a sample of hair from Hope's brush. Marlena then ran DNA tests at the hospital to confirm that Hope is indeed Isaac's mother. However, the DNA test results proved that neither John nor Stefano is Isaac's biological father.

Hope became struck by the reality that Isaac is her own flesh and blood. She realized that she would probably lose JT and decided that she was going to have to get custody of Isaac. Hope also began having mysterious white flashes that could provide her with clues to her past. Bo also began having the same flashes but neither could figure out their significance. At about the time of Isaac's conception, Princess Gina/Hope had brainwashed Bo into being a pawn in Paris. To test out the transformation, Gina/Hope and Stefano had Bo perform on the streets of Paris as a mime artist. There is a possibility that Gina/Hope and Bo could have made love during this time. This would have made it possible for Bo to be Isaac's father, even though Bo and Hope believed that they had been estranged.

LEXIE LAUNCHES HER ATTACK AGAINST THE BRADY FAMILY...

Jan Spears had become pregnant after Nicole Walker's father Paul, who had raped her in Puerto Rico last year. To prevent Jan from having an abortion, Shawn made a drastic decision and offered to pose as the baby's father. Jan, who had developed feelings for Shawn went along with the whole scheme without hesitation. Shawn told the big lie to everybody, including his girlfriend Belle as well as his parents. Because of his lie, Shawn was forced to sacrifice his relationship with Belle.

Lexie, Rolf and Cameron began preparing for the possibility of battling with the Brady family over custody of Isaac. Lexie decided to use Shawn's situation with Jan as well as Hope's affair with John as ammunition to smear the Brady's reputation and to make Bo and Hope look like unfit parents. Lexie even planted negative tabloids about the Brady family in the paper. Abe was disgusted by Lexie's underhanded tactics and made it clear that Lexie had become a totally different person from the woman that he married years ago. Lexie realized that Abe would not support her schemes to keep Isaac and so decided that all bets were going to off in the war for custody of Isaac. Lexie's mother Celeste Perrault arrived back in Salem and immediately began to experience negative vibes about Lexie and suspected that she had succumbed to the 'DiMera curse'.

Sadly, Glen and Barb were awarded custody of JT. After holding Isaac at Dot. Com, Hope felt an immediate connection with Isaac and refused to hand him back to Lexie. Bo and Abe convinced Hope to hand Isaac back for the time being until the courts ruled on his custody. Bo and Hope contacted Mickey and began the ball rolling so that they could get custody of Isaac.

JT LEAVES SALEM

On May 1, 2002, JT left Salem with his biological father, Glen and stepmother, Barb (in a heartbreaking episode sponsored by Kleenex that featured additional scene time).

 

BO AND HOPE SEEK ISAAC

For a day or more, Hope is still holding vigil in the nursery and refuses to leave. She tells Bo that she feels closer to JT there. He tries to comfort her, saying it is too painful for her there, but she tells him that she needs this time to grieve and that she can't let go. He tells her that there is another little boy out there that needs her as well. She clings to Bo and asks him to never leave her. Bo eventually gets Hope to leave the nursery and tries to get Hope's mind off things by asking about her dreams. She replays the flashes of white in her mind and narrates them for Bo. She realizes that the dreams are not in Salem, but in Paris, because she sees signs in French. She tells him about John being there and the man with no face. She also tells him about the third man, with the gloved hand, but that is all she can remember. Hope becomes frustrated as they try to figure out what it all means. She is tired and wants to rest, but Bo keeps her from going back to the nursery. Doug calls to check on her being worried about her as well. Bo promises to call him later so he and Julie can visit. As she tries to get comfortable on the sofa, she finds on of JT's toys tucked in the pillows. Later, as she is sleeping (with Bo watching over her) he says he must help her figure out the dreams.

Roman calls and tells Bo about Lexie making a run for it. Hope wakes up, demanding to know what is going on. He tells her and she insists on going along. He asks her if she is up to it and she says "Are you kidding? I've already lost one son today...I'm not about to lose another!

Lexie isn't about to let her son be torn away from her. With help from Stefano, Rolf and Bart, it is arranged that she and Isaac will head out of town via the local airstrip, where they will never return to Salem. Bo and Hope are onto the plan and head to the airstrip, hoping to stop her before she kidnaps their son. Meanwhile, at the police station, John is still on his computer, trying to locate the lost aircraft. At the airstrip, Bo and Hope watch helplessly as they watch the chopper fly away. Bo calls John, who tells him that he has picked up on some kind of radio signal in their vicinity. Bo tells Hope to stay put and he goes off searching for the source. Lexie and Isaac are hiding in the bushes watching. John calls the air traffic control people demanding that they ground the chopper. Marlena asks him how…but before she can even get out her question, he bites her head off, telling her "NOT NOW". Meanwhile, Rolf is hiding in a barn, talking to the pilot on the radio. The pilot tells him that he was spotted by air traffic control and didn't pick up Lexie. Rolf is furious, but hears a noise outside (Bo is on the phone with John).

In the bushes, Isaac says "mama" and Hope thinks she hears something. Bo goes in the barn and searches around. He hears a radio transmission and flips back a tarp to find a radio. But before he can do anything, he is whacked over the head by Rolf. Back at the airstrip, Hope wanders off. Once Lexie thinks the coast is clear, she comes out of hiding with Isaac. But it was a trick…Hope comes rushing out, saying she KNEW she heard something. Hope demands her child, but Lexie refuses to hand him over, saying that NO ONE will take away her child. Back at the police station, Jen and Colin have arrived, with Jen continuing to look over her shoulder for Jack. Mickey arrives as they follow him in. As others gather around, Mickey gives Abe the custody papers and the warrant for Lexie's arrest. Abe is devastated as Roman offers to handle it for him. But Abe says it is something HE must do. Mickey tells Shawn that he will do whatever he can, but Shawn is a bit annoyed and mumbles something about JT. Mickey tells him that his parents need his support right now.

John announces that they have Lexie cornered at the air strip as everyone takes off. Jen and Colin offer their assistance and head out as well. As they race to the scene, Abe tells Roman that he has no idea what he is going to say to Lexie. In the barn, Rolf ties Bo up as Hope tries to reason with Lexie, but she is determined to take Isaac and leave. The chopper approaches again as Hope begs Lexie not to go through with it. Lexie puts Isaac down for a minute to gather her stuff. The lights shine in her eyes and when she can see again…Isaac is gone. Rolf orders the pilot to land to get Lexie, but he refuses, saying he can see cops arriving. Rolf panics and says if the cops are coming, he is out of there and takes off. Both Hope and Lexie search for Isaac as they scream his name. Behind Hope, you see Bo emerging from the bushes carrying Isaac. He hands him over to Hope as Lexie freaks out. Bo holds her at bay as Roman and Abe arrive. She is hysterical as she screams for Isaac. Abe takes her purse and pulls out her passports, saying that he wanted to be wrong about her. She blames Abe for not helping her as Roman tells her about the custody papers. Lexie flips out, trying to get to Isaac and tells Bo and Hope that it is NOT over…she will get her son back. Lexie still hasn't grasped the seriousness of what is going on as Abe turns her around and handcuffs her and she begins to ask what he is doing. He tells her that he loves her but doesn't know who she is anymore and begins to read her the Miranda rights. She cries and begs him not to do this. Abe leads her away as she continues to cry for Isaac. Bo and Hope watch in tears.

Shawn, Jen, Colin, John and Marlena all arrive. Hope holds Isaac tight as they gather around them. She hugs him thinking of all the time she has missed. Colin offers to examine him as Jen excitedly hugs Shawn, who watches on, unemotionally. Bo fills them in on what all happened. Bo and Roman are both curious as to how John knew so much about air traffic control, but he sidesteps their questions, saying it isn't important. Colin announces that Isaac is fine as Roman offers his car for the Brady family to go home. Jen and Colin return to the police station. Colin talks about how John Black saved the day. Jen says that she has a close circle of family and friends. He wonders if he could get in that circle and she flatly tells him no…she doesn't need him. She leaves, telling him that she has to get to the office to file the story. Bo, Hope, Shawn and Isaac are in the car headed home (with Isaac chattering up a storm). Hope talks about how happy she is and Isaac says "mama". But she knows he isn't talking about her…he doesn't even know her. But Bo assures her that they will have the rest of their lives to get to know each other. Hope tells them all that she loves them so much and that they will make it as a family. (Isaac says "I know"). Then we see Abe leading (a zombie-like) Lexie into the police station and to her cell. After he leaves, she collapses against the wall crying hysterically for Isaac. Abe goes to his office and looks at the pictures of his family on his desk. He loses it and begins crying uncontrollably. Back in the car, the Bradys are headed home as Hope holds Isaac close. Without a word spoken, she looks at him with tears rolling down her cheeks

BO AND HOPE SEARCH FOR PATERNITY INFORMATION

While happy to have Isaac home, Hope becomes convinced that a trip to Paris will help her figure out what happened during her time over there as Gina, when she was pregnant with her son. Bo continues to remind her that Isaac is his son, even if they don't share the same blood. However, Hope still seeks the truth. They head to Paris on John's jet, taking along Doug and Julie to help care for Isaac.

Their first night in Paris, Hope is excited as Bo has a surprise for her. He returns with a small bag and has someone play a song for them (of course it's "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love") and they dance. She has flashbacks of them dancing at an earlier time (Bo is clean shaven in the flashback). They talk about finding the truth, but she is afraid Bo will get hurt…but he assures her it is worth the risk. He tells her that she dance with him as Gina. He tells her it is okay to remember who she was with…as long as she remembers who she is with NOW. As they dance, she tries to remember, but can't. He gives her the gift…her favorite chocolates, but that doesn't trigger anything either. Looking at him, she has a flash and tells him she remembers dancing with the man, but can't see his face. Bo suggests that maybe Gina is keeping her from remembering so she calls outloud for Gina's help. Bo decides that maybe she has had too much wine and chocolate (LOL). Off in the distance, Hope hears the bells of Notre Dame ringing and remembers Gina being with Bo at midnight. She kisses him and tells him that Gina wanted to do that as well that night. She becomes optimistic and is sure that they will find the truth here. They talk about Isaac and how much time they missed with him and also of how they miss JT. Bo says he will never forgive himself for turning away from her and JT in the beginning. He says this time, he will stand by her, no matter who the father turns out to be. As they kiss, someone (a man's hand pushes away the bushes) is watching them. On their way back to the hotel, they see a street mime. Something is strangely familiar about him. Hope starts having flashes and sees Bo as a mime as well. She looks at him and says "It's you Brady…it was YOU!!"

PROVING HOPE'S THEORY

Hope is convinced that Bo was the man who danced with her, while dressed as a mime. Bo doesn't recall the event and isn't totally convinced. The Bradys decide to act on their hunch and want to head back to Salem immediately. They keep the information to themselves, although Doug and Julie are quite aware that something is going on. Bo and Hope get them off their backs by telling them the "secret" is that they are changing Isaac's name. He will now be known as Zack, in order to ease the transition. On the plane ride back to Salem, Zack calls Bo, "daddy." Hope wishes he could learn to call her "mama," but knows it will take some time.

While everyone in Salem prepares to celebrate Isaac's re-christening when he returns, Bo and Hope only have a DNA test on their mind. Immediately upon their arrival back in Salem, they head to the lab for DNA tests. Melissa Anderson and Kimberly Brady return to town for the special event. The christening begins, with everyone headed to the church. It becomes clear to everyone that something is going on with Bo and Hope. But, they refuse to tell anyone, only saying that they expect a "mystery guest." They are incredibly anxious every time the phone rings and leave cell phone numbers with the lab "just in case." At the church, as everyone awaits the beginning of the christening, Bo and Hope stall, waiting for the phone call.

Later, we see Bart arrive at the church dressed as a bum. As the cops stop him, Lexie slips in unnoticed, dressed as a cop. Rolf slips into a confessional booth and watches from behind the curtain. Kim and Marlena catch up with Kim pulling her aside, asking what is wrong. Marlena is worried about John's recent behavior and his obsession with Stefano. Abby admires the Baptismal Font with Jack nearby. She worries if the water is cold and goes to stick her hand in it, but Jack stops her (with Rolf watching and worrying). Jack talks to Abby about her Baptism (with Jen listening…and for just a brief moment, she smiles at him). Doug and Julie both wonder who the mystery guest is that Hope hinted at. Alice has an idea, but won't divulge any information.

Back in another room, Bo and Hope (along with Shawn now) call the lab for results. Sami slides up to Belle and suggests that she "cozy up" to Shawn today, since Jan is no where insight. Belle gives her a disgusted side look. Jen is now holding Zack, surrounded by Jack, Brandon and Colin as those three bicker. Jen just gets up and leaves. Father Jansen questions Caroline if the family wants to go through with the entire ceremony (water and all) since he has already actually been Baptized. She assures him that they do. John comes by and mentions to Jansen that he wants to talk with him privately sometime in the near future. Jansen tells him to just call…he will be glad to. I think Marlena overhears this exchange. Everyone begins to wonder where the parents are, so popShawn goes to look for them.

He finds the emotional family in the back room and shoos them out. PopShawn wishes them well and assures Bo that Zack will be a Brady, no matter what. In the sanctuary, Bo takes Zack from Jen (who is calling Bo "daddy"…how cute). Hope announces that the "mystery guest" that she alluded to is here…and it's Zack's father. LOL…as everyone gasps and begins to look around. Then she explains that BO is the biological father and goes on to explain. Julie acts upset that they didn't tell her and Doug while in Paris. But Hope says they wanted to be sure and that they just got confirmation.

All applaud and Hope says that finally they have a happy ending. (Mickey says no, it is just a new beginning). Lexie, who has now slipped into one of the confessional booths is listening/watching this all take place. Shawn talks about how he has been missing JT and wishes he were there as well but he is in their hearts. Shawn talks about losing JT and about his bad behavior lately. He says that now he has another brother and he believes that it was all part of God's greater plan and believes that JT was in their lives for a reason…even though they didn't understand at the time.

He says that Grandma (Caroline) was right…you gotta have faith…even when it looks like things won't work out. He says that he is proud to be a part of this family. (Could we be seeing the last of "nasty attitude" Shawn?) Lexie watches as Rolf and she talk (he is in the next confessional). He tries to convince her that he is doing the right thing, but she wants him to stop. Belle admires Shawn for what he said.

LEXIE HASN'T FINISHED

As the Bradys are happily celebrating at the church, Lexie has escaped from University Hospital, where she was in the mental ward. Rolf has convinced her that a special poison is her secret to getting her son back. The poison will be put in the baptismal water and when it is poured on his head, it will temporarily make it appear that the child has died. This will allow Lexie to take him, revive him and run away with him, while everyone mourns his "death." However, Lexie, who cares for her son too much, doesn't believe in Rolf's methods and fears for her son's life. Rolf, dressed as a priest, has slipped into the church and put the poison into the water. However, he is distracted and realizes he put too much poison into the water. Lexie sneaks into the church, dressed in a Salem PD uniform. She heads to the confessional, where she finds Rolf. Although he tells her he hasn't put the poison in the water, she doesn't believe him.

Alice tells Bo and that she was praying for them all along and that love always finds a way. The Baptism starts as Zack calls Bo "daddy" again. His name is revealed as "Beauregard Isaac Theo (for Abe) Brady" as Lexie pleads with Rolf to stop it. She finds out that the water is already poisoned just as they are about to pour it over Zack's head and she panics. He promises her that if they go through with this, Isaac will be hers forever. With his words echoing through her head, she watches with a look of horror on her face.

When Father Jansen almost spills some of the water, she realizes that it is indeed poisoned. She screams "NNNOOOOO!!!!" and charges out of the confessional like a mad woman over to the font. (All of this is in slow-motion, capturing the startled reactions of many in the process). She slaps the goblet out of Father Jansen's hand, then turns over the Baptismal font. John and Roman restrain her demanding to know what is going on. (While all this is happening, Rolf slips away, naturally). Marlena, Kim and Colin rush to assistance as Lexie screams that the priest was trying to kill her baby and she had to stop him (all thinking she meant Jansen). Colin gives her an injection as she begins to calm down, John asks "stop WHO?" She whispers "Father". Hope frets that this will never be over. The ambulance comes and they now have Lexie on a stretcher and are wheeling her out.

Abe encourages Bo and Hope to continue with the Christening as he plans on going with Lexie. John and Bo return to the sanctuary and tell everyone that at Abe's request, they will continue as planned. The ceremony restarts while in the vestibule, Colin and Marlena talk with Abe about committing Lexie. Brandon (who is out there as well) defends Lexie, saying they don't understand. Abe asks Marlena for her opinion and she recommends a full evaluation at the hospital before proceeding. Lexie struggles with the restraints and begins yelling "I want my baby" over and over as everyone in the church hears this and Zack begins crying. Abe looks as if he would crawl up under the carpets, if he could…poor guy.

BACK AT THE PUB

The Christening is over and all the Bradys and Hortons are gathered at the Brady Pub for a party. The mood is a bit somber as there are lots of little conversations going on. PopShawn makes a toast where he talks about Abe and Lexie and encourages everyone to pray for them, as they are just like family as well. Bo thanks everyone for their love and support and toasts his 2 sons.

Thanks to David for beginning this storyline. Pieces of information from the Early Edition updates from May 2002 were added to in places, in addition to information from me and angelica.

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