Philip and Kate showed up at the Bikini Bar and quizzed Gabby on Shawn and Belle's whereabouts while Shawn watched in horror from the stairs. He raced up to warn Belle, while Gabby lied and said they had never been at the hotel. Up in the room, Shawn told Belle to go ahead without him while he distracted Philip. Belle refused; they were a family, and they were going to stick together.

Meanwhile, Kate found Claire's teether, and Philip confronted Gabby about her lies. She finally broke and said Shawn and Belle had been there, but they had left. Philip didn't believe her, so Gabby showed him Belle's wedding ring and said they'd paid for their room and board with it.

E.J. reeled from learning the baby wasn't his, and Sami was surprised at just how devastated he was. He poured his heart out to Sami, and although she told him there would never be anything between them, there was a part of her that actually felt sorry for him. E.J. took off, promising to never mention that night in Lexie's car again. Alone, E.J. was studying the lab report when he got a call from Kayla, saying she had proof that he was the one who had stolen John's kidney for Stefano.

E.J., sick of being toyed with, broke into the lab to find out if Sami's results were on the up-and-up. Nick caught him and kicked E.J. out. Nick realized E.J. was probably checking up on Sami. E.J. faked a call to Lucas as Sami's doctor. E.J. told him there was a problem with her pregnancy, and he needed to see Lucas at the hospital immediately.

Max and Kayla were on the way back from Italy, but had to stop over in New York City. Max talked about his feelings for Abby, and Kayla encouraged him to take a chance. Meanwhile, Abby was having a great time with Jack -- until her dad confronted her about Max. He told her the reasons why he didn't want Abby seeing him. Later, Max showed up at the hotel room, and Abby was thrilled to see him -- until Jack knocked on her door, and she realized she couldn't be caught in her hotel room with Max.

While Philip searched the Bikini Hotel, Shawn, Belle, and Claire hid out in Gabby's room. As they waited anxiously, a puzzled Belle found a carriage and toddler clothes in Gabby's closet. Meanwhile, with Kate's help, Philip discovered the room the three had been staying in, but no one was there. He then headed for Gabby's room, where Duck prevented him from entering. Taking a cue from Gabby, Duck insisted Shawn, Belle, and Claire were long gone.

Philip and Kate left. Afterwards, Shawn, Belle, and Claire emerged from their hiding spot. Shawn and Belle thanked Gabby for her help. Belle thought of Gabby as her friend. Gabby convinced them they were safe at the hotel, and they agreed to stay.

E.J. learned Sami had never had an amniocentesis. Meanwhile, Nick told Sami he had caught E.J. snooping around on the lab computer. She feared he was onto her.

Abby forced Max to hide in her hotel closet when Jack arrived. After Jack left, Max realized he had missed his plane, and there were no more flights to Salem that night. Abby asked him to stay with her, and they moved toward a kiss -- until Chelsea showed up looking for a shoulder to cry on. Chelsea was also forced to spend the night, ruining any potential romance between Abby and Max.

Kayla filled Roman in on her trip to Italy and showed him the photos she had taken of Stefano's transplant scar. Roman flipped out, warning her in no uncertain terms to steer clear of E.J. Later, E.J. accosted Kayla and warned her that if she ever went anywhere near his father again, he'd kill her.

E.J. found Sami at the Brady Pub, planning her wedding, and blasted her for lying to him about having an amniocentesis.

Chelsea reported to Abby that someone was framing her for setting Bo and Hope's house on fire. Abby was appalled that Chelsea had asked Nick to make the incriminating hairbrush disappear from the lab. Abby convinced Chelsea to head home with her and tell Bo the truth. Back in Salem, Nick debated whether or not to steal the hairbrush. In the end, his love for Chelsea won out, and he stuffed the evidence into his backpack.

Willow pleaded with Philip to bail her out, insisting his niece was framing her. A suspicious Philip finally got Willow to admit that someone had put her up to robbing the Bradys' home -- E.J. Wells.

Feeling pressure from E.J., an emotional Sami pleaded with Lucas to remember that she had always loved him, no matter what. Lucas assured his bride-to-be she could never do anything to make him stop loving her. Later, E.J. once again railed at Sami for deceiving him about the amniocentesis. E.J. threatened to tell Lucas that he and Sami had "made love," and the baby she was carrying could be his.

A desperate Sami pretended she was secretly hoping E.J. was the father. E.J. was skeptical, but a seductive Sami eventually convinced him they had a future together. E.J. made her promise to tell Lucas the truth, break off the engagement, and allow E.J. to take care of her.

Meanwhile, Lucas met with Kate for lunch. She informed him that E.J. had told her that Sami was having cold feet about the wedding. Lucas was enraged, and he vowed to cut his mother out of his life for trying to interfere.

Abby found Nick at Chez Rouge and told him Chelsea had decided to confess the truth to her father. Nick raced off to the police station as Chelsea locked horns with Willow. Willow taunted Chelsea, confident the results of the hairbrush analysis would put Chelsea in jail. Nick arrived and privately told Chelsea he had done as she'd asked -- he'd stolen the hairbrush. There was no need for her to talk to Bo because there was no longer any evidence against her. Chelsea was moved. She threw the incriminating hairbrush in the trash, but when she turned her back, Nick retrieved the brush and stashed it in his backpack.

Roman took Max to task for helping Kayla go up against the DiMeras. Later, Roman asked Max about Abby. Max pretended his interest in Abby was innocent. Roman suspected otherwise. He revealed that he had spilled the beans regarding Max's visit with Abby to her Aunt Maggie. At the same time, Maggie let Abby know that Abby was not allowed to see Max ever again.

E.J. decided to put Sami to the test. He informed her she had 24 hours to tell Lucas the baby wasn't his and to break up with him. Then, she was to meet E.J. at the cabin where he had pulled Lucas out from under the rafter. If she did not show up at 9:00 p.m. -- on the dot -- E.J. would blab to Lucas that he'd slept with Sami and make it seem like they had been in love all along.

Sami promised to be at the cabin on time and asked what would happen after that. E.J. announced that they'd fly to Las Vegas, where they'd be married. He assured her that if she became his wife, he wouldn't take the baby away from her. Later, Sami made a phone call, saying she needed to meet right away -- to discuss killing E.J.

At Chez Rouge, Abe and Celeste shared a tender moment as he thanked her for helping him get through the previous few months. Celeste confided that she felt like she had a family again. Kate interrupted their dinner to query Celeste as to why Sami was suddenly her best friend. She wanted to know what they were hiding. Abe defended Celeste.

Lucas discovered E.J. had been cooking the Mythic books and defrauding the company. He shared the knowledge with Billie and claimed he was going to expose E.J. to the authorities. Billie worried their mother would go to jail, too, and convinced Lucas to keep quiet.