As Lindsay readies to make her big break, she thinks nothing will stop her. "Lindsay is a lot tougher than when she went in," maintains her portrayer, Catherine Hickland. Especially after she survives a savage beating. "R.J. hires Tillie to kill Lindsay, all so that he can [save face with] Keri about his past. She figures it out because she heard[R.J. and Tillie] talking , so she put two and two together And the fight is very violent. After that," Hickland continues, "Lindsay is just thinking one minute at a time. And at this minute, she is just thinking about getting free."
Alas, Lindsay's freedom will not come cheap, and cellmate Allison Perkins will make her pay dearly for it. "She knows that Allison is very dangerous," Hickland acknowledges. "Being in prison all these months, she's had to outfox everyone - Allison the most - but they are also allies, and Lindsay knows Allison is her only way out." The duo escapes via a laundry room vent, and Lindsay manages to blackmail R.J. - whose murder plan went awry - to provide the getaway car. But when R.J, is nowhere in sight when the jailbirds get outside, Allison thinks she's been set up, and forces Lindsay back into the rat-infested vent. When R.J, finally does arrive, Allison frees her prisoner, but remains skeptical. Thinking the whole scheme is a trap. Allison insists that the trio split up in separate cars as they head to the safe haven that R.J. has arranged: Rae's empty home.
Meanwhile, Nora is dealing with a schemer of her own: Blair Manning! Determined to break up Nora and Troy for Sam's sake, Blair is back in bag-girl mode when she plants a hotel key in Troy's pocket, and later arranges for Hedy to leave a seductive message on the M.D.'s answering machine. When Nora finds the key, she decides not to question her lover about it. "Nora is not a jealous person," insists her alter ego, Hillary B. Smith. "If she had anything more than idle curiosity about his past [or other women], she would investigate it herself. The relationship is still in its discovery stage. 'I want to know you better ... and I want to know all about you.' Right now, they are having that first thrust of emotion. Plus," she adds, "he just adores her son, so it's perfect." Given Nora's confidence, it's not surprising that she drops everything when she gets a call from her little boy. Away at camp. Matthew has forgotten the special pillow that Starr gave him, and Nora promises to bring it right away. Unfortunately, her car breaks down en route on Llantano Bridge.
What happens next is most shocking to Nora, who believes she has put her past with Lindsay behind her. "Nora has not been imagining the moment [when she'll come face-to-face with] Lindsay at all," says Smith. "She just has been trying to pick up the pieces of her life, and rediscovering love and what it feels like. But she never underestimated Lindsay," the actress continues. "She's afraid of her. She changed her life in so many ways ... ruined her marriage ... the paternity of her child. Everything that Nora had is gone because of that woman. Nora has always overestimated being careful about Lindsay. However," Smith concludes, "she has no idea that Lindsay has made a break for it." For a brief, blissful while, at least.
What happens next could change the futures of both sworn enemies forever.