Stefano brought Susan Banks, a pregnant woman, to Salem. With a blond wig and false teeth, Susan looks exactly like Kristen. Susan agreed to impersonate Kristen when needed and to give her baby to Kristen, in exchange for a large sum of money. Meanwhile, Marlena began to become more and more suspicious of Kristen and even told Laura Horton that if she didn't know any better, she'd say Kristen wasn't pregnant. Kristen was dealt another blow when her brother, Peter, was murdered by Jack Deveraux.

Susan Banks went into labor on February 20, 1997, and was rushed to the hospital. Kristen arrived and disguised herself as a nurse so she could watch. John surprised Kristen by having brought a priest who was going to marry them before their child was born. Marlena learned this and attempted to stop the ceremony, but she was too late. John and Kristen were married, but it was actually Susan that John married. The baby, John Jr., was born. Susan handed the baby over to Kristen and was about to leave town when she heard the news about the baby. John Jr. had a heart defect and needed surgery. Susan returned to the hospital and told Kristen that she wanted her baby back. Kristen managed to calm Susan down and convinced her that it was in the child's best interest to be raised by herself and John because they could provide the money for the medical care the baby needed. Kristen thought she convinced Susan this was for the best, but Susan began to believe that John was her husband, not Kristen's. Susan confronted Kristen and told her that she wanted her baby back and threatened to tell John the truth, but Kristen told Susan that John would hate her and send her to jail.

Kristen was told by a doctor that she should begin to breastfeed the baby. Kristen managed to convince Susan to breast feed the baby disguised as her, but later she realized Susan was growing to close to the baby and she ordered her to use a breast pump and deliver the milk to her. Susan returned to the DiMera Mansion and refused to leave without her baby. John returned home and Kristen was forced to make up a lie to keep Susan from telling John the truth. Kristen told John that she had hired Susan as their baby's nanny. Meanwhile, Stefano arranged for a secret room to be built in the mansion where she could lock Susan inside.

Susan soon learned that Kristen wanted to lock her in the secret room. Susan was crying in Salem Park when Hope found her and suggested she talk to a friend, Dr. Marlena Evans. Susan went to see Marlena and told her that an evil woman was trying to steal her husband and baby. Susan told Marlena that vampires were after her. To calm her fears, Marlena gave Susan a rock and told her it would keep vampires away. Marlena came to the DiMera mansion and found the rock she had given Susan on the floor. Everything came together and Marlena realized that Kristen lost her baby and was passing Susan's off as her own. Unfortunately, Kristen tricked Marlena into going into the secret room. Once locked in, Kristen told Marlena that Stefano was going to come and pick her up.

Susan began to worry about Marlena and Kristen told her that Stefano had kidnapped Marlena and he'd do the same to her. Later, Susan found a small TV Monitor that was hooked into a camera in the secret room. Susan saw that Marlena was in there and she decided to release her. However, Kristen stopped Susan just in time and told Susan that if she let Marlena out, Marlena would tell John the truth and that John would hate both of them and marry Marlena. When Marlena admitted to Susan that she loved John, Susan realized she had to keep Marlena locked up. Susan secretly began to learn to impersonate Kristen so she could take her place as John's wife. Susan tricked Kristen into entering the secret room by saying that Marlena had escaped. Once inside, Susan locked Kristen and Marlena into the room together. Susan then took over Kristen's life and managed to fool everyone. From a television monitor inside the secret room, Marlena and Kristen were forced to watch Susan seduce John.

Vivian and Ivan became suspicious about Kristen's behavior, not aware that she was actually Susan. Susan told them that Susan had left town, so she didn't need their help any longer. Susan's twin sister, Sister Mary Moira, showed up in Salem looking for Susan. John told her that Susan left town awhile ago. Sister Mary was worried about her sister because she had gotten a strange letter saying that Susan had married him and had his baby. John just laughed it off. Susan got a call from Stefano, who believed she was Kristen. Stefano told her that he was coming to Salem to pick up Marlena. Susan realized she had to do something too keep John fast.

Susan planned an Elvis themed wedding for herself and John, which Kristen and Marlena were forced to watch from the secret room. Desperate to stop the wedding, Kristen tried to dig through the wall and ended up hitting a gas line, which knocked Kristen and Marlena unconscious. Stefano showed up dressed as a waiter and was planning to escape with Marlena. Unfortunately, Laura showed up, still wearing her pajamas from the hospital, and accused Kristen, who was really Susan, of kidnapping Marlena. Laura slapped Susan and her fake teeth landed in Vivian's glass of champagne. Susan confessed everything and John managed to save Kristen and Marlena from the secret room, both had passed out. Kristen and Marlena eventually came to and the truth about what Kristen, and Susan, had done came out. Kristen was punished and Marlena and John soon became engaged.

Susan moved into Marlena's penthouse with John Jr, whose real name is Little Elvis. Susan's sister, Sister Mary Moira demanded that Susan tell her who her baby's father was. Susan finally blurted out that Elvis was the father of her baby. Celeste soon came to see Susan and warned her that the father of her baby was going to attempt to kidnap little Elvis. Soon after Kristen showed up to see Susan and the baby and she gave Susan a drugged peanut butter and banana sandwich. Unfortunately, she didn't drug it enough and woke back up and saw Stefano with Little Elvis. Susan then realized that the man she thought was Elvis, was Stefano in disguise. Stefano warned Susan that if she told anyone the truth, she would never see Little Elvis again.

Kristen became somewhat crazy and thought that if she could get Elvis back, John may be able to love her again. Kristen goes to Susan and tells her that the only way the baby can be protected from Stefano is if she raises him. Kristen lured Susan over to the DiMera mansion and drugged her with spiked eggnog. She then tricked Susan into signing away all legal rights over little Elvis to her. Kristen, disguised herself as Susan, and then kidnapped little Elvis. When Susan confronted Kristen, Kristen had the legal documents that proved the child was now hers. Susan almost attempted to kill herself, but John stopped her before she could jump into the icy Salem River.

Susan went to get her brother, Thomas (the third triplet), to help her steal back little Elvis. However, Sister Mary Moira stopped Thomas before he could do anything sinful to Kristen. When Stefano learned what Kristen had done he was outraged and helped John steal back little Elvis and return him to Susan. Kristen took Susan to court, but Susan, John, and Marlena double crossed her. John delayed Kristen and Susan pretended to be Kristen at the courthouse and said what she did was wrong and withdrew the legal agreement Susan had signed. When Kristen learned what they had done to her she was furious.

John arranged for Susan and Little Elvis to leave the country safely and live in peace. Marlena and John said goodbye to Susan and watched her leave. Susan arrived in England and met Violet Crumb, the owner of the local pub. Susan also met Violet's son, Edmund P. Crumb. Susan and Edmund instantly fell in love.

Meanwhile, Jonsey Jones, Vivian Alamain, and Ivan Marais came to England so Jonsey and Vivian could marry in Jonsey's homeland. Unfortunately, Jonsey's homeland was where Susan was hiding out. Susan and Vivian came face to face and screamed. Eventually, Vivian convinced Susan that she was not here to steal Elvis, but to marry Jonsey. Jonsey and Vivian were legally married in February of 98. Susan and Edmund stood up for them and a wedding picture appeared in the local paper. Susan decided to fax the wedding picture from the paper to Marlena. Unfortunately, Kristen had broken into Marlena's penthouse when the fax came through and Kristen learned that Susan was in England. Edmund and Susan had a whirlwind courtship and Edmund decided to go into London to buy Susan and engagement ring. While he was away, Susan received a mysterious phone call from a woman who said she had to meet with her.

Kristen kidnapped Sister Mary Moira and called Susan. She told Susan that she was to fly to Salem immediately and were a white dress. She was to bring the baby or her sister would be murdered. Penelope Kent came to see Susan. Penelope looked exactly like Kristen, but talked with a British accent. Susan thought she was Kristen, but Penelope told Susan that she was her long lost sister. Susan's mother couldn't afford to raise four children, so she gave her up. Penelope was adopted by an orthodontist, who fixed her teeth. Penelope told Susan she saw her picture in the paper and just knew they were sisters. Penelope was an actress, who was unfortunately dying of an incurable disease. Susan told Penelope that a mean woman named Kristen was trying to take her baby back in Salem. Penelope thought this would be her last adventure and decided to help Susan. Penelope and Susan dressed up in the same white outfit and flew to Salem. On the way there, Penelope ingested a lot of alcohol and Placiden, which she said calmed her fear of flying.

Kristen had made arrangements to sell Susan into white slavery and take off with Elvis. Susan showed up at the house and talked with Kristen. Kristen offered Susan a soda, and Susan accepted because she thought there was no way she could drug a canned soda. However, she was wrong. Kristen asked where Elvis was and Susan said she left him in England. Susan got into an argument with Kristen and threatened to kill her with a letter opener. Susan eventually passed out from the drugs and Kristen made her getaway, dressed as Susan. Susan was kidnapped by the man and taken to a palace were she was to be the latest harem girl for "The Supreme Leader."

Susan was busy plotting how she could escape from the island palace she was in. Susan escaped, but was caught and was ordered to be executed. When Susan was forced to be executed, she noticed he began choking on a chicken bone. Susan saved him by performing the Heimlich maneuver and then he took a liking to her and decided that she would be with him 24 hours a day. Susan managed to knock the supreme leader over the head and escape with a tiny chest full of diamonds. Susan called Edmund to warn him about Kristen and spoke to Violet and learned about the honeymoon being in Bermuda. Susan deduced that Kristen was pretending to be her and stole her baby and Edmund.

Susan hired a pilot to fly her to Bermuda where she surprised both Kristen and Edmund. Susan exposed Kristen, and both Kristen and Edmund were confused as to who had been killed in the pool. Right then Susan realized that Penelope had been killed. Susan told Edmund and Kristen about her fourth sister, Penelope Kent, (who had been given away as a child), who had come to Salem to help her. Edmund admitted to killing her, but Susan said she knew that it was an accident and that Penelope was dying anyway. To get revenge on Kristen, Susan arranged for her to be sent back to the island prison where she had sent her to. Edmund and Susan were married for real on April 21, 1998.

Before leaving Salem, Kristen had pulled off one last scheme. Kristen had left a note for Marlena from Susan thanking her for everything she had done for her. Kristen also included a piece of chocolate candy that she knew Marlena liked. However, Kristen had filled it full of penicillin, something Marlena was deathly allergic to. However, it was Belle who actually ate the chocolate. Luckily, Roman came to the penthouse and found her next to an open bottle of Brady's penicillin pills and thought Belle had eaten them. Roman gave Belle an injection of insulin and rushed her to the hospital. Roman's quick thinking saved Belle's life. As he watched Marlena and John with Belle, Roman made one of the most important decisions of his life. For months, Marlena was struggling to choose whether she wanted to spend her life with John or Roman. Seeing that she truly loved John and that Belle needed both her parents, Roman unselfishly backed away from Marlena. Soon after they reunited, John and Marlena became engaged once again.

In England, Susan had a funny feeling and called back to Salem. She learned what had happened to Belle and was happy to hear that Belle was safe and that John and Marlena were back together. Susan sent a message to Kristen, who had been locked up in the supreme leader's dungeon, that her plan failed and that John and Marlena were engaged. Susan, Elvis, and Edmund lived in England and Susan periodically checked in with Stefano, pretending to be Kristen so his suspicions weren't aroused. When a grown E.J. moved back to Salem to live with Stefano, E.J. mentioned speaking to Susan and Edmund on the phone, from time to time.

In September 2014, Susan returned to Salem to warn E.J. that she had a bad feeling that he was in danger. E.J. assured her that he loved her, but that he was fine. Susan was right. E.J. was shot to death a few days later.