Kate Roberts
Kate's past carries many scars and more than a few secrets. While married to the abusive Curtis Reed, Kate had two children, Austin and Billie. In the late '70s, Kate found herself drawn to Dr. Bill Horton and eventually had an affair with him. She also became pregnant by him. When Curtis found out about her affair and pregnancy, he beat her and threw her out. Curtis then took further revenge by telling her that their other two children were dead. But Kate still had her son by Bill Horton -- a son she named Lucas.Many, many years later, after Kate established a new and very successful life for herself and her son, she returned to Salem. She even married the powerful Victor Kiriakis, which brought her a place at Titan Publishing. Soon, Kate discovered that the journal she had written while in therapy with Dr. Marlena Evans several decades ago had fallen into Jack Deveraux's hands. Jack submitted the journal to Titan Publishing where Kate nabbed it and quickly locked it away. Still, her past came back to haunt her again when the presumed dead Curtis reappeared. He tried to blackmail her and then turned up dead -- for real this time. And Billie Reed, Curtis's daughter, was the prime suspect.
She even married the powerful Victor Kiriakis, which brought her a place at Titan Publishing.
During Billie Reed's trial for murder, much came out about Curtis' links to Kate -- their former marriage and the fact that Billie and Austin were actually Kate's children. The fact that Curtis had been alive when Kate married Victor Kiriakis invalidated that union, and made Kate a target for Vivian Alamain who wanted Victor back.
Vivian made certain that all of Salem knew that Lucas was Bill Horton's illegitimate son. Vivian had herself in vitro fertilized so that she, not Kate, would carry to term the baby Victor wanted. As if that wasn't enough, after Vivian drugged an airplane pilot's coffee, Kate's plane went down and she was presumed dead for about a year. During that time, Kate was actually on a fishing boat.
After a year, Kate made a returned to Salem, arriving in time to see Victor and Vivian together in bed. Kate immediately became enmeshed in a love triangle and a power struggle at Titan with Vivian. When Vivian tried to get custody of the baby she had carried -- little Phillip Kiriakis -- Victor suffered a stroke. He could no longer intervene between the two women. Victor's second stroke, and Vivian's arrest due to her being caught up in DiMera's schemes, put Kate in control and she threw Vivian out.
However, Kate's secrets weren't secure. Sami had uncovered blackmail material on Kate. Sami promised to stay silent for as long as Austin stayed with her. Kate was forced to help, while Sami kept her on a short leash, unable to do more than small favors for Austin and Carrie. Austin and Carrie married on the heels of the revelation that Will was really Lucas' son. Sami has been able to manipulate Kate by threatening to reveal that she was once a high-priced call girl and that she hired Franco to destroy Hope and Bo's relationship.
The truth finally came out about Franco, and, needless to say, created tension among many people in Salem. But there was still a secret Sami knew about Kate. And when Victor saw mysterious photos of his wife, he collapsed and was sent to a nursing home. Kate was furious with Sami and blamed her for Victor's condition. Kate made several trips to see Victor at his nursing home. He slowly recovered and eventually returned to Salem for good.
Payback time. Sami got a taste of her own medicine when Kate framed her for Franco's murder. Sami was sent to prison and ultimately ended up on death row. Throughout this time, Kate felt little sympathy for Sami. But Lucas, the real murderer, felt guilty. He didn't want Sami to be put to death for something she didn't do.
It's no secret that Kate would do anything to make her children happy. So when Will's custody hearing was on the horizon, Kate paid Nicole five million dollars to marry Lucas. Nicole reluctantly agreed and Lucas won custody of his son over Austin and Carrie. However, when it was time for Sami to be put to death, Lucas ran in shouting "I shot Franco!" Much to Kate's dismay, Sami was released.
At Greta's Coronation, Kate tried to stop the massacre that she had helped put in motion, but failed. Much to her delight, Victor was shot and, presumably, killed. This meant Titan was all hers. Unfortunately, Angela Moroni was also killed and, per her dying wish, her father gave Roberto's confession tape to Sami. Using this tape, Sami regained custody of Will.
Kate returned to Salem the queen of Titan, but that didn't last long. Victor returned, at first haunting her as a ghost. After Victor's mansion was burned, he came out of hiding and kicked Kate out -- of Titan and his life. Lucas was severely burned in the fire and was sent out of state for care, while Kate got a job at a diner and used Philip to get money out of his father so she could get back on her feet. Eventually, this ultimate survivor did get back on her feet and got a job at Titan's competition, John Black's new company Basic Black.
Not long after Kate started working there, Lucas came out of his coma and returned to Salem. His return helped soften the blow she felt after Austin's aborted wedding to Sami, when he felt compelled to leave Salem for good. Kate was glad Austin hadn't married Sami, but her problems were far from over. Nicole was determined to make Kate's life a living hell, stealing clients out from under her and ultimately getting a promise from Victor that both Kate and Sami would be destroyed. Ultimately, Kate was forced to team up with another enemy, Sami, to try to bring Nicole down. Then, Billie returned to Salem. Kate had mixed feelings about her daughter's return. First, Billie was working in the dangerous occupation of law enforcement and second, Kate feared Billie had returned to try to get Bo back. Billie convinced her mother otherwise.
Kate was glad Austin hadn't married Sami, but her problems were far from over.
Kate's life took a surprising turn when she began a relationship with Roman Brady. He certainly didn't seem her type, but he seemed to be exactly what Kate needed, even if Sami isn't too happy about it. Their relationship took many turns as they grew closer and farther apart. Kate was afraid to tell Roman about her past; she didn't come out with it until she had been arrested as the Salem Stalker. She had to tell him what her argument with Abe had been about; to her surprise, he forgave her. Once she had been cleared of all charges, they started planning their wedding. They exchanged vows on New Year's Eve, only to have Roman struck by the Stalker that very night.
Kate was understandably devastated by Roman's murder. She barely managed to hold herself together and was horrified when the identity of the Stalker was revealed. Marlena was responsible for Roman's murder and she said she had done it all out of love for him. Little did any of them know at the time that all the murder victims -- and Marlena -- were alive and living on an exact replica of Salem on a tropical island.
After Roman had been dead several months, Kate began to toy with the idea of finding a new love. She and John Black were both lonely and convinced themselves and each other that their loved ones would want them to move on, with each other. They shared some passionate kisses and were ready to make love with Bo burst in on them with the news that Roman and Marlena were alive.
At first, Kate refused to believe this news. She agreed to have Roman's coffin exhumed. Everyone was shocked to discover both it and Abe's coffin empty. Then Celeste put in her two cents; she thought all the "dead" Salemites were still alive!
The only thing distracting Kate from this turn of events was her son Lucas's engagement to Sami Brady. Kate was determined to do anything in her power to stop that wedding from taking place; she even brought Brandon Walker back to town to throw a wrench in the LUMI works. After a daring rescue, many of the "dead" Salemites returned to town; unfortunately, her beloved Roman was not among them. On the bright side, her daughter Billie had been discovered on the island and came to town, as well. Kate was eager for Billie to renew a relationship with Bo and pushed them subtly together. She continued to fight Sami and Lucas and, with the help of Eugenia, eventually succeeded. Thanks to Kate, Lucas found Sami and Brandon in bed together on the morning of the wedding. The wedding was off and Lucas hardly suspected a thing. But Sami did. Another feather in Kate's cap was the wedding of Philip and Belle. She believed these two belonged together and did everything in her power to make it happen. When Philip shipped out with his Marine unit the day after the wedding, Kate soon discovered that Belle still had feelings for Shawn. She accused Belle of trying to kill Philip; when he was taken hostage, she was even angrier with Belle. Meanwhile, Kate was also helping John over his addiction to painkillers. As she did, the two of them grew closer, believing that Roman and Marlena were really dead this time. Little did they know, their loved ones were still being held hostage and were also growing closer. Both couples made love. As Roman and Marlena finally headed back to Salem, John proposed to Kate and she accepted! The engagement is off, but Roman and Marlena still have not told Kate and John the truth. The truth, as it always does, came out when John and Marlena and Roman and Kate were trying to renew their vows. When Marlena fainted, Roman shouted out "be careful, she's pregnant!" At first, John thought the baby was his. Later that night, everyone learned the truth. When Marlena was trying to stop a fight between the two men, she took a tumble down the stairs at her penthouse and lost the baby. When she learned that truth, she developed amnesia. Much to Kate's chagrin, Roman was determined to stay by Marlena's side. Kate and Roman's marriage was over. As is her nature, Kate turned her attention to trying to make the lives of her children perfect. One of her most important goals was to, once again, keep Lucas from marrying Sami. This time, with a little help from Nicole and Tony DiMera, she learned that Sami had been "Stan!" In a dramatic move, she exposed this truth at the wedding. Unfortunately, who was waiting to pick up the pieces of Sami's once-again tattered life? Austin. Now Kate had to keep those two apart. Meanwhile, Kate also had two grandchildren to protect. She had insure that the truth about her son Philip's daughter Claire never came out (that Shawn was really her father) and she had to make sure Chelsea didn't go to jail for killing Zack Brady. How did she manage that one? She bribed Officer Eve Michaels for the videotaped evidence against Chelsea. Unfortunately, she never got the tape and when Eve was murdered, Kate became a suspect. And Sami popped back up again. After Carrie chose Lucas, Austin decided to hook up with Sami. Kate did everything in her power to keep those two apart, including trying to get Salem newcomer EJ to seduce Sami. Kate was amazed (but delighted) when Sami did the leaving and refused to marry Austin. So Austin was hurt. He'd get over it and he wasn't married to Sami. Kate is nothing of not single-minded.
Kate and Lucas notice Steve's growing chemistry with Billie. Kate encourages the connection. John interrupts and informs them of Eve's death. Kate is stunned. John questions Kate, who gets nervous and leaves the pub. John worries that Kate is involved.
Kate breaks into Eve's apartment looking for evidence that might incriminate her. Roman shows up, holding Chelsea's missing evidence disk, and accuses her of paying Eve to steal the disk. Kate admits she wanted to help her granddaughter. Eve approached Kate, then double-crossed her by giving her a blank disk. Kate plays the victim, but Roman arrests her! Down at the station, they learn that the disk is a home video. Kate is released!
Furious about Kate's meddling, Bonnie divulges to Philip that his mother knew about Claire's real paternity all along. Philip confronts Kate about her knowledge of Claire's paternity. She slips and reveals Victor also knew.
Kate attempts to enlist Roman's help in keeping Sami and Lucas apart. Roman refuses, but says he'll protect Will. EJ, who walked in on a Carrie/Sami fight, lets Kate know their plan is working, but she suspects he knows more than he's sharing. To Kate's dismay, Will wants to give Sami another chance and Lucas supports his decision.
EJ tells Kate he's over trying to seduce Sami. He's used to getting what he wants from a woman. Kate offers to meet his "needs" and they start to make love, but EJ's good time is interrupted yet again by Lucas and Will. Kate warns Lucas and Will not to let Sami back into their lives.
EJ wants Kate to talk to Roman and find out what the police know about him. Kate says she'll do it, if EJ will have sex with her. Outside in the satellite truck, John zooms in only to see Kate and EJ having sex. Sami interrupts EJ and Kate hides in the bedroom. Sami tells EJ that Bo questioned her about him. John warns Kate about EJ. Kate calls EJ saying they have to meet and we wonder whose side she is really on.
As John and Bo watch, Kate tells EJ about John's warning her off of him. John calls and asks to meet up with EJ. Once EJ leaves, Kate searches his apartment for incriminating evidence. Later, we see EJ returning, about to walk in on an unsuspecting Kate. Bo calls in Sami to distract EJ just in time. In the truck, Kate shows John an onyx ring she found at EJ's. It bears the sign of Dimera!
EJ informs an angry Kate he wants to offer Sami a full partnership with them in Mythic. Sami is stunned by the offer. EJ admits to Kate he offered Sami the partnership because he wants her to have his baby!
Max and Mimi tell Kate they think Victor is hiding Philip. Kate cleverly steals Victor's keys. At the Kiriakis mansion, she discovers Philip and they tearfully reunite. Victor reveals his master plan to Kate: Philip will get a new face and Victor will manipulate Shawn and Belle so Philip will get sole custody of Claire. Kate agrees to help.
Kate learns how Sami saved Lucas and later tells Roman she doesn't believe it. Sami, Lucas and Will are closer than ever and Kate is fit to be tied. Roman announces that Sami will be honored with a police citation for her good deed. Kate is there and Will warns her to get over her doubts and give Sami another chance or Kate will lose him and Lucas. Roman presents the award and then Kate stuns everyone by telling Sami she wants a fresh start.
Kate tells Lucas she thinks he's making a mistake trusting Sami. Kate thinks Sami's covering the fact that someone helped her move the beam and save him. Lucas doesn't believe her. Kate vows to herself to prove she's right. She does, by setting up a fake TV docu-drama. Sami is unable to lift the beam in the re-enactment. Lucas accidentally reveals to Kate that Sami is pregnant. Sami realizes Kate set her up. Meanwhile, Kate and Roman meet with a physics expert who asserts that Sami could never have lifted the beam alone. Roman calls Sami to the police station where she insists she is telling the truth. While Roman is away, she steals a disk from EJ's case file labeled "John Black Surveillance."
At the hotel conference room, Sami switches the stolen police tape with Kate's presentation tape. Kate makes an impassioned speech about Mythic's moral standards and runs the tape. It turns out to be footage of Kate and EJ having sex! Kate is humiliated but EJ convinces the audience that the tape was doctored.
Kate tells Lucas she thinks Sami was with EJ the night John was shot. Lucas doesn't buy it and disowns Kate.
Lucas brings Kate an invitation to his and Sami's wedding, but she later reveals to EJ that she still doesn't trust Sami. EJ suggests Kate get more involved in the wedding planning in order to keep an eye on Sami. Kate calls Lucas and offers to throw Sami a bridal shower.
EJ tells Kate that he suspects Sami is getting cold feet. Kate tells Lucas that Sami is having second thoughts about the wedding. Lucas is sick of her interference and tells his mom to go to hell!
Abe and Celeste are sharing a tender moment at Chez Rouge when they are interrupted by Kate. She accuses Celeste and Sami of hiding something about the night at the cabin and asks Abe to get the truth.
Lucas shows Kate Mythics's fudged accounting records but she refuses to call the SEC. Lucas rails against Kate and reveals that he's mad at Sami for letting EJ get so close to her. Kate thinks there is something going on between Sami and EJ, but Lucas refuses to believe it. Later, Kate confronts EJ about the books.
Kate figures out that Brandy Mathas is an anagram of Samantha Brady. She drags Lucas out of the hotel suite to share her discovery. She thinks EJ and Sami are eloping! Lucas denies the accusations and demands she leave them alone.
Kate tries to break into Lucas' hotel room with a fire axe. A porter stops her and opens the door for her. Kate thinks Lucas is dead but he stirs awake. Just when she tells him Sami has left with EJ, a freshly showered Sami enters from the bathroom. Lucas tells Kate he wants her out of his life until she gets mental help.
Kate overhears that EJ and Celeste are in cahoots and pays a visit to Abe and snoops around his house. She finds the photo of Sami and EJ in Lexie's car. Kate arrives at the hospital with the photo, but EJ stops her from entering Sami's room. He says she can't ruin what he's been planning for Sami and Lucas' wedding. She hands over the photo.
Sami and Lucas are pronounced man and wife! Later, Kate confronts EJ about not stopping the wedding and he says he's left that up to Kate – at the reception. Everyone heads to Chez Rouge, where Marlena presents a video of Sami and Lucas. Stuck right in the middle is the photo of Sami and EJ. Kate outs Sami and demands Lucas leave now that he knows she's a liar. He surprises everyone by asking Sami if she still wants to be his wife. She says yes, he sweeps her up and carries her to the door. Later, EJ reveals to Kate that Sami's baby could be his.
Lucas calls the S.E.C. and reports EJ. Kate arrives furious, but Lucas reminds her of the chances he gave her that she threw away. She's not welcome around his family until she changes her ways.
Lucas tells Billie and Kate that he doesn't know if he can handle it if Sami's baby turns out to be EJ's. Billie later reveals to Kate that Nick stole the hairbrush from the lab to protect Chelsea. Kate dashes out and finds Nick at the hospital and threatens to tell his boss about the hairbrush if he doesn't rig the amnio results. Later, Sami's doctor gives Nick the amnio sample and asks him to perform the test himself. Nick tells Kate he did as she asked and the results show EJ is the father of both babies.
Kate asks Stefano for some money, then they have sex. Kate visits Roman and confesses she slept with Stefano. Roman wakes up and begs Kate to stop selling her soul. Lucas and Sami press Kate to see if her recent money has come from Stefano. Kate admits it, and Sami privately deduces that she had to sleep with Stefano in order to get it. Stefano calls Kate and, while Sami and Lucas listen, tells her to retrieve the leather folder from Andre -- and destroy it!
Kate visits Stefano, who tells her Sami and Lucas are getting a divorce. Lucas arrives and rages at Kate, thinking she schemed with Stefano to derail his marriage. He declares he's no longer her son and is changing his name to Horton.
EJ comments that Sami's babies look nothing alike. Could they have different fathers? EJ asks Kate to help ensure Sami and Lucas get divorced. She hesitates, until she sees the nurse change the babies' last names to Horton. EJ says they need to convince Lucas that Kate will be hurt if he doesn't let Sami marry EJ. EJ shoots a round of bullets into Kate's car to make it look like she was attacked. Roman later takes Kate's statement about the attack and Lucas presents his mother with a gun. Kate sees the DNA results for the twins and learns the boy is EJ's.
Lucas learns Stefano has no knowledge of Kate's shooting. He confronts Kate and accuses her of faking the shooting. He calls EJ, who claims it was all Kate's idea.
Kate goes to see Lucas, who says he'll only let her back in his life if she stops Sami and EJ's wedding. Kate reloads her gun. As Sami starts down the aisle, Steve, Kate, Roman, Lucas and a mystery woman are all there. We see three guns but don't know who's holding them. Sami and EJ take their vows, the priest declares them married, and then three shots ring out. EJ is hit in the back. Kate brings her gun to Philip.
Bo and Shawn question Lucas who insists he was nowhere near the church, and also that he didn't know Kate owned a gun. Meanwhile, Stefano is trying to scare Kate into confessing she shot EJ when Bo arrives. He tells Kate she's at the top of his suspect list. Bo wonders if Roman will use his friendship with Kate to get into her apartment, so he can search it for the gun. Kate meets Philip and is forced to admit she fired the gun but didn't hit EJ. Philip agrees to dispose of the gun.
Roman shows Kate a bagged gun he claims to have found near her apartment. Kate knows it's a set-up but confesses to Roman that she gave her gun to Philip. When her prints are found all over a gun, she is arrested.
Philip visits Kate at the police station and she accuses him of trading favors with Shawn: the gun for Belle. Roman tells Kate that he may be charging her with attempted murder now that they have her gun. Kate asks Roman to steal it from evidence and kisses him. Roman refuses. Kate later eavesdrops as Roman learns from another cop that Marlena's gun matched the other stray bullet in the church. Roman tells the cop to keep quiet and Kate seethes.
Kate offers to help Lucas win Sami back by convincing her that the DiMera's have reneged on their deal to end the vendetta. Lucas accepts. She hatches a plan to cut Steve and Kayla's brakes in a fake assault on the Bradys. Lucas balks – he doesn't want anyone hurt – but Kate insists she won't get caught and no one will be harmed. Lucas gets a call that the police have traced Kate's gun and he realizes they're in deep trouble. Bo and Hope locate a photo of the buyer of Kate's gun –Lucas. And he purchased two guns.
Lucas tells Kate he shot EJ and she begs him to leave the country. He agrees, but only if the cops are able to match the bullet to his gun.
EJ tells Sami he can find Kate (who's with Lucas) using the GPS tracking system in her car. Kate and Lucas are parked near the airport. Kate says a trucker is coming to take Lucas to Mexico – and she's going with him! They are about to leave when Sami arrives. Lucas tells her he shot EJ. Kate visits Lucas in jail, vowing to fight for him. She and Philip try to convince him to plead not guilty by reason of temporary insanity. The plan is to get Sami to say she drove Lucas insane! Kate encourages Lucas to write a letter to Sami, which Kate then delivers.
Kate runs into Roman and begs him to do something about Lucas. Roman can't. Kate cries and Roman comforts her, and they build to a kiss.
Kate reveals to Chelsea that she just bought a fragrance line and is hiring either Tony or Anna's firm to market it. Daniel arrives and Chelsea introduces him to Kate. Kate can tell Chelsea has a little crush on Daniel and asks him outright if he's married. Chelsea is mortified but Kate urges her to go for Daniel if things don't work out with Nick.
Chelsea is drowning her sorrows at the Cheatin' Heart, upset over Bo's illness. Kate arrives and tries to stop her, but Chelsea gets angry and runs out. Kate calls Nick, Max and Stephanie for help. Eventually Kate finds Chelsea but can't wake her up. She gets a call from Shawn, who tells Kate to call the hospital right away. Daniel arrives, takes Chelsea in his arms and whisks her off to the hospital, to get her prepared for the transplant surgery.
As usual, Kate has her fingers in a lot of different pies. How much trouble she gets in remains to be seen.