It is the next day, the day JENNIFER and COLIN are to be married. Meanwhile, back in Africa, JACK and STEVE have been up all night trying to reminisce.

SCENE ONE: INT. STEVE’S ROOM/AFRICA

JACK & STEVE are sitting across from one another on the bed and eating their respective meals. In between bites, a tired JACK is trying to catch STEVE up to date.

JACK: And voila, there you were, right in front of me. Like the dream.

STEVE: (thinking about it for a moment) I still say you’re crazy.

JACK: And I say you’re the living dead. We’re even now, aren’t we? I told you what I know, you told me what you know. Now to get all of it to make sense.

STEVE: (eating a French fry) I’m still lost, though. You and I were married to the same woman. How did that end between the two of you?

JACK: Um…(trying not to bring up his past misdeeds)…it just did, that’s all. We, you and I, and Kayla and I, we eventually got past our differences.

STEVE: But-no, nevermind.

JACK: No…go ahead.

STEVE: I…no, forget about it. So now, here we are.

JACK: (sighing) Here we are. Two brothers trapped in a room. Hey, at least mom didn’t send us to bed without dinner.

STEVE: (chuckling) I guess that’s a good thing, huh?

JACK: Yeah. A good thing.

JACK stops to notice STEVE deep in thought, as if trying to hear something outside the door.

JACK: What? What is it?

STEVE: (putting his finger to his lips) Shhhhhhh.

JACK watches as STEVE gets up and walks quietly to the door. He quickly opens it up and GUARD, who was listening in, falls inside.

STEVE: Just as I suspected.

JACK: Correction, make that two brothers and an overweight, obviously uncoordinated guard trapped in a room.

GUARD: (grunting as he gets up) No, correction, make that two brothers and an honorable Englishman trapped in a room.

He rips off his mustache and beard in front of the two of them. JACK looks on in shock.

SCENE TWO: INT. STEVE’S ROOM/AFRICA

IN PROGRESS

JACK: Shane! You’ve really let yourself go.

STEVE: You know this guy?

SHANE: Oh, bloody hell, of course he knows this guy. You know this guy as well.

JACK: (to STEVE) Think thinner, with more refined taste.

SHANE: Still the same aren’t you, Jack Deveraux?

JACK: I figure if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

SHANE: (nodding towards STEVE) Have you made any progress?

JACK: Was I supposed to be? Wait, don’t answer that. No. Do. Shane, what the hell is going on here?

SHANE: A lot, Jack. A lot.

JACK: (getting up in frustration) A lot? Is that all you can give me? For Christ’s sake, Shane, I’ve been locked up in this, this place, for I don’t know how long, kidnapped on a mission I didn’t want to be on in the first place. I’ve been chained up, fed food that I normally wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole, and threatened. I’ve poured my heart out to a guard who turns out to be an old friend. I’ve become reacquainted with my long-dead brother. And all I want to be doing is working a local beat at a local paper somewhere in the Midwestern United States. So, I’m sorry, “a lot” isn’t going to cut it for this, this, ex-newspaperman! I want the whole story and I want it now.

STEVE: (watching JACK catch his breath) Is he always like this?

SHANE: (unamused) I’m afraid so. (beat) Are you quite finished?

JACK: Are you going to tell me the truth?

SHANE: You leave me with no other choice, do you? If you’d just have a seat-

STEVE: Wait a minute, how do we know we could trust this guy?

JACK: Because, because…trust me. Sit. (JACK sits on the bed and taps it for STEVE to sit down)

STEVE: (mumbling) Do I know this guy?

JACK: Ex-brother-in-law. Long story. We’ll get to that in a minute. (to SHANE) We’re ready.

SHANE: (sighing) Okay, let’s see if I can get it all to make sense.

JACK: Trust me, Shane, anything will make more sense than it does now.

SHANE: Right. Well… You see…

OUT on SHANE beginning to tell them what the hell is going on.

SCENE THREE: INT. STEVE’S ROOM/AFRICA

A little while later. A tired SHANE takes a seat in the desk chair.

SHANE: So that brings us where we are now.

JACK: So, let me get this straight-Stefano DiMera and Shawn Not D Brady were the best of friends until a woman came between them, this Margot lady?

SHANE nods.

JACK: Margot loved both men but couldn’t decide whom she wanted to be with. Her father, rich and powerful, decided that she should be with Stefano, considering her background. A poor fisherman would never do for someone of her status. Just as she was realizing that Shawn was the love of her life, she was forced into a marriage with Stefano and although married, Stefano could never quite capture her heart, which pined for Shawn. They carried on a torrid affair behind her husband’s back and Shawn had finally convinced her to run away with him to America, but on the night that they were to leave, Stefano wreaked his revenge, killing all of Shawn’s family in an explosion before they could say goodbye. The only one left was his sister, Mary, who Stefano took as his new bride, after killing his current one for her betrayal?

SHANE: Sounds like a bad romance novel, doesn’t it?

JACK: Purely harlequin. I half-expected you to speak of ripped bodices and nights of passion. (beat) Anyway, Shawn was devastated and quickly put two and two together, running to the side of his love. Only he was too late. He arrived to find Stefano instead, who taunted him that he will forever suffer from his wrath for crossing him. So there’s the bad blood, but it gets worse. Stefano’s father, Dante, decided to punish both Shawn and his son, who had let the betrayal occur in his eyes, even further. He had Margot’s body buried in three separate locations, as well as her deathbed letter and a map to her fortune. Shawn could care less about the fortune, but he wanted to make sure she got a proper burial and to read her last words. Stefano, blinded by greed, wanted her fortune, which contained rare and precious jewels. This, this is what this is about?

SHANE: I think I said it more eloquently, but yes. Stefano’s entire torment over the last century has been because of this woman, Nigel’s sister.

JACK: And Nigel wants his piece of the fortune too?

SHANE: Exactly. That’s why Nigel employed you and Bill, to level the playing field between he and Stefano, who have one part of the puzzle apiece.

JACK: But Bill’s by himself.

SHANE: On a mission entirely different. A phony map, if you would. It was the only way he could get you over to Africa. Threaten Jennifer’s father, the son-in-law immediately steps in, right?

JACK: Right. (beat) What about Oliver?

SHANE: No luck. Oliver’s main finds came with the aid of another, more-skilled tombraider, who was a reluctant as you were to help at first.

JACK: (curious) And who would that be?

SHANE: (slyly) Why don’t you ask your brother? I’m sure he can answer that question for you.

OUT on JACK, looking over to STEVE in shock.

SCENE FOUR: INT. STEVE’S ROOM

JACK: Maybe we do have more in common than just DNA. But how, Shane?

SHANE: Pure and simple. Stefano, in his vengeance mode, decided to buy a comatose Steve from our old buddy, Lawrence Alamain. With a few tricks here and there, we were led to believe that Steve was-

JACK: Was pushing up daisies.

SHANE: You could say that. I came across this information sometime earlier this year around the time we were busting Colin Murphy, if that’s what you want to call him.

JACK: So Colin Murphy’s definitely not Colin Murphy? Bo was right.

SHANE: Exactly. The real Colin Murphy died admirably some five years ago in the African jungle, treating tribeswomen to free prenatal care. It seems he died of some virus, much like malaria.

JACK: (getting worried) So-

SHANE: This is not the real Colin Murphy, no. The real Colin Murphy was, however, a good-hearted man despite being the progeny of Stefano and Shawn’s sister Mary, who, might I add, was a dreadful person. This gentleman is none other than Tony DiMera’s old chap, Sebastian Keller, who, after Tony’s death became quite the son to Stefano.

JACK: And he snuggled up to Jennifer because he wanted to make sure that Bill and I stayed gone on missions for Nigel while our worth was being determined. But, wait, how did both Colin, I mean, Sebastian, and Steve come to work with Nigel, not Stefano?

SHANE: Greed. At least that was the reason on Sebastian’s part. Nigel cut him a bigger percentage if he got Steve to trade alliances and kept Jennifer at bay while you and Steve searched for the last piece of the puzzle.

JACK: So…so this was set up? And they were going to kill us at the end of all this? Man, talk about bad hosts.

SHANE: Tell me about it. I haven’t had a decent meal in weeks.

JACK: So you’re here because the ISA figures they could kill two birds with one stone?

SHANE: That and to see what exactly is in the last vault. Besides some of Margot’s remains, nothing worthwhile has been found. I have a feeling though, that whatever it is will be powerful.

JACK: Powerful enough to fuel this feud, even after all these years. And the African Princess?

SHANE: A diversion. Nigel needed something to keep Bill interested. Her and Sebastian’s relationship was a genuine one, though. He falls hard, one of his weaknesses.

JACK: (under his breath) Jennifer.

SCENE FIVE: INT. STEVE’S ROOM/AFRICA

SHANE: Don’t worry about Jennifer. We have Bo on things back home. He doesn’t know what’s going on here, but he’s taking care of the homefront.

JACK: I know. That’s what worries me.

SHANE: Now, to plan our eventual escape.

JACK: (getting up) Whoa, eventual?

SHANE: Well, we do need you and Steve to find this vault first. I’ll be here to protect both of you.

JACK: Forget the vault. Jennifer’s in trouble, I know it. (shouting) No eventual. Now. N-O-W. Now!

SHANE: (standing up to try and calm him down) Jack, listen-

JACK: No, Jack will not listen. You know how to get us out of here. Shane, he’s already lost twelve years, don’t make it any more.

SHANE: Steve, can you help me here?

STEVE: What can I do, man? Baby brother’s got a point.

JACK and SHANE both stop and look curiously at STEVE.

STEVE: What?

JACK: Nothing. You…you just called me baby brother, that’s all.

STEVE: That’s what you are, aren’t you?

JACK: Yeah, but…(to SHANE) Shane, you have to see my frustration here.

STEVE: I’m sure he does. Let the man talk, Jackson.

SHANE and JACK stop again to look at him.

STEVE: Could you both quit doing that?

SHANE: Right. Jack, I promise you that nothing will happen to you and your loved ones.

JACK: (sarcastically) Did you promise that to him twelve years ago (nodding towards STEVE)?

SHANE: (emotionally, after a moment) I’m sorry for that. You don’t know how much it hurts, knowing…

STEVE: Tell us what you need us to do.

SHANE: Steve, I never meant for you to get hurt-

STEVE: (firmly) I said, tell us what you need to do.

SHANE: I need you to work with Nigel and Oliver. To find this vault.

STEVE: Then we’ll do it. I’ve lost enough time as it is, a little while longer won’t hurt. (beat, noting JACK’S apprehension) And you assure us that his…that his Jennifer is alright?

SHANE: (honestly thinking things are okay) Safe and sound. Everything is going according to plan.

JACK reluctantly flashes a nervous smile. He can feel that something is wrong.

SCENE SIX: INT. LOFT/SALEM

JENNIFER, asleep on the sofa, wakes up to COLIN standing over her and smiling. In his hand is a hanger, holding a wedding dress.

COLIN: Good morning, love. Ready for our big day?

OUT on JENNIFER, nervous beyond belief.

END OF EPISODE 91

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