Bo surprises Hope with a living room full of balloons for her birthday. She pops the balloons to discover her present: a day at the Salem Inn spa and a romantic night in a Salem Inn suite. Suddenly, she sees Larry's face threatening Shawn on one of the balloons, leaving her fearful and short with Bo. Meanwhile, Shawn takes Belle to the Horton Cabin for some alone time, unaware that Larry is hiding out there. Larry slips into the mud room and Shawn/Belle discover the fireplace has been used and wonder if someone has been there. They go to get wood and Larry aims his gun at them, but Belle knocks on Larry and he falls unconscious. As Shawn builds a fire, he sees Belle shivering and thinks they should go home. On the way out, he spots Larry's Santa suit and wonders if someone broke in. Larry emerges from the mud room and is glad he didn't shoot the kids because it would've compromised his plan to kill Bo. In the meantime, Bo and Hope go to the Salem Inn, where Hope talks Bo into getting a massage too. In the corridor, Hope has another vision of Larry and covers with Bo...
Brandon arrives at Dot Com and runs into Jack, who's waiting for Jennifer. Brandon calls Sami and she reveals that she's at the Salem Inn and tells Brandon that she saw Jennifer there. He tells Jack, who is immediately alerted. Meanwhile, Colin and Jennifer make love and she gets his promise that Jack doesn't threaten him. Jack shows up at the inn and asks Sami about Jennifer's whereabouts, but Sami lies and said she left and Sami makes a hasty exit as well. Jack pulls Bo aside and voices his concern for Jennifer; Bo pays Colin a visit, while Jennifer hides in the bathroom. Colin says he's alone and Bo buys it and leaves. Jennifer comes out and Colin urges Jennifer to leave Salem with him, but she can't and runs out. He thinks it's because of Jack and Colin calls Sami, insisting she meet with him; he blackmails her into luring Jack to Lookout Point on New Year's Eve to tell him that she saw Colin taking Jennifer into his bed. She balks at the idea, but caves when he threatens to expose her paternity switch. Jennifer calls Jack and covers about missing their meeting, but he's still worried about her. Alone, Colin fantasizes about his plan - after Sami tells him about Jennifer, Colin will step out of the shadows and push Jack over the cliff and everyone will assume a distraught Jack killed himself...
Victor replaces the check in Nicole's glove as she enters the room; he abruptly leaves and Nicole tenses as she sees the check sticking out of the glove, fearful Victor saw it. Nicole meets Brandon and confides that she's been unfaithful and she's being blackmailed. Brandon threatens to kill whoever is blackmailing her and Sami comes upon the scene. Nicole goes to do damage control with Victor; Brandon's lifted the check from Nicole and is livid when he sees the check made out to Colin Murphy...
As the Kiriakis household prepared for a New Year's Eve wedding, Victor confirmed with Nico that an invitation was sent to Colin. After finding the blackmail check, Victor was planning payback for both Colin and Nicole. Roman confronted Victor about his threats to Kate and Sami. After assuring Kate of her safety, Victor told Roman that a plan to destroy Sami was a fabrication and threw Roman out when threatened with jail – should he hurt Sami. Bo accepted Victor's invitation to act as his Best Man and then headed to the Horton cabin - to follow up on a possible break-in there.
Although Brandon believed it was a mistake to give in to Colin, Nicole persuaded him to return the check, assuring him the money would rid her of Colin, leaving her to assume responsibility for whatever might happen after she married Victor.
At the DiMera mansion Tony made excuses for addressing Cassie as Marlena. During a visit from Sami, Tony surmised Colin's plan was to kill Jack. Reminding Sami that revealing this would result in her own sins going public, Tony offered to handle Colin himself.
A call from Larry Welch brought orders to kill Bo immediately or Colin himself would be killed. Colin now demanded the file Welch had taken from Grant's office. Nicole arrived with the check, but hastily left as Colin propositioned her again. Once gone, Colin declared she would be his ticket to the future.
Kneeling at the grave of his mother, Daphne DiMera, John spoke to her about his father. When Tony arrived soon after, John indignantly refused to acknowledge him as a brother. As Marlena tried to intervene, Tony mentioned the brothers' quarrel was over her. Ironically, once apart, each brother was similarly thinking of putting the other in his grave.
Due to the New Year's holiday, all soaps will be pre-empted for various holiday programming. On behalf of everyone at Soap Opera Central, I would like to thank you for making 2002 an incredibly successful year for us. It means a great deal that you visit the SOC site and take time to offer feedback, post on our boards or partake in the polls. I hope that we'll see you back in 2003. And here is hoping that your 2003 is even better than 2002.
Bo and Hope go to the pub and run into Roman; Hope has more visions of Larry, while Bo and Roman discuss the possible break-in at the Horton Cabin. Kate arrives dressed to the nines for her New Year's date with Roman only to learn they're spending the night at his place. Sami crosses with Colin and they both threaten to reveal what the other has done. Jack's tweaked by Jennifer's behavior and she privately tries to tell Bo about Colin's threat toward Jack, but Colin enters and she aborts the idea; she suggests Colin spend New Year's Eve with her, but he says he has duties to tend to. At Roman's house, he and Kate discuss their failed relationships and end up making love. Sami comes over and realizes Roman's with Kate; he can't help her with Colin, so she steals Roman's gun...
As the wedding is near beginning, Brandon rails Nicole about the blackmail and Victor reveals that his focus of destroying Kate and Sami is now being focused on his future bride. Jack follows Colin to the Kiriakis Mansion and Jennifer meets Jack there; Bo, Hope, and Shawn arrive at the mansion, where Hope sees Larry and tries to exorcise the image from her mind. Bo senses something is wrong with Hope, but she covers when Colin arrives. Chloe and Brady also arrive, enamored with one another. Nicole is worried that Colin is there and even more so when Victor says he invited him. Nicole goes upstairs and finds a note from Colin saying that he'll continue to blackmail her. Jennifer corners Bo and finally tells him about Colin's threat toward Jack and painfully admits she thinks she neutralized Colin by sleeping with him. Meanwhile, Colin takes great pleasure in telling Jack that he slept with Jennifer. Brandon vows to stop Colin for hurting Nicole and Sami. Hope steps out onto the terrace for some air and overhears Colin on the phone, saying he intends to kill Bo...
As Cassie pouts over Shawn, Rex urges her to get a life. Tony learns Colin is planning to leave town and overhears the twins say they must protect the DiMeras. He tracks down Rolf and demands to know what Rolf's done to them. Tony has something else to deal with and has Rolf babysit the twins. Cassie tells Rex to find Dr. Putnam while she goes to find Shawn...
Hope turns after hearing Colin say he plans to kill Bo and sees Larry standing there, gun in hand. She goes back into the mansion and stumbles into Shawn, covering her emotional distress. Bo assures Jennifer he'll bring Colin down for threatening Jack's life. Brandon is cornered by Fay, who gets him to admit he's upset with Colin; she urges him to go for a walk to clear his head, but becomes worried when he doesn't return in time for the ceremony. Sami returns to the mansion with Roman's gun and Belle almost catches her with it. She covers and encourages Belle to do anything she can to protect what she has with Shawn. Sami takes off and Belle tells Shawn how strangely she was acting. Jack tells Jennifer that Colin lied to him and said Colin and Jennifer made love; Jennifer confirms that it's the truth and Jack storms out of there. Jennifer cries on Hope's shoulder and then runs off into the night as well; Hope has another memory of Larry and disappears from the wedding.
Nicole reads Colin's note and is furious that he plans to continue blackmailing her and still has a copy of their encounter on tape. Victor, who's been watching her, makes his presence known and asks about the note, but Nicole covers. He gives her a chance to come clean, but she doesn't; Bo interrupts, looking for Colin, and confides in Victor that Colin's been stirring up trouble. Victor tells Bo he'll handle Colin, but Bo is just as determined. Victor calls Nico and tells him to take care of Colin. Bo's frustrated when he can't find Colin and has to take his place next to Victor as the wedding begins, unaware that Colin is taking aim at him outside. Nicole doesn't appear on cue and Bo and Victor go to look for her; Bo also realizes Hope isn't there and sends Shawn to search for her. Colin mutters to himself because he's lost the perfect shot on Bo and suddenly realizes that someone is watching him. Victor finds Nicole and brings her into the room, looking shaken as she finally weds Victor. Shawn returns empty handed, nervous, and Bo, Belle, and Shawn split up to search for her. Chloe and Brady leave the reception to be alone at the loft, as Isabella looks on.
Victor tries to get Nicole to reveal why she was late and tells her he knows the real reason. Nicole is unnerved and Fay, still upset that Brandon hasn't returned, realizes Nicole isn't wearing her veil; it's seen outside the house, torn. Jennifer returns, numb, and sees Jack return. Jennifer apologizes, but Jack doesn't want to hear anything about Colin; she says Colin will always be with them and reveals that he's dead. Sami sneaks into Roman's house and returns the gun, revealing she took it to save her and Brandon. Bo finds Hope at home, shocked to see her hand covered in blood. As Belle searches for Hope, she lets out a blood-curdling scream when she stumbles upon Colin's dead body...
