Babe Carey

**Arabella "Babe" Carey** (formerly **Cramer**, **Chandler**) was a character on All My Children who appeared on show from 2003-2008 when the character was killed off. She appeared in ghost form in 2009 and 2011. However, she may be alive due to David Hayward's Project Opheus.

## Summary

For much of 2004 to 2005, the character of Babe was involved in the baby switch storyline that crossover to One Life To Live which involved One Life's Kelly Cramer, Paul Cramer and Kevin Buchanan and All My Life's JR Chandler. and Bianca Montgomery.

### Family

Arabella "Babe" Carey was born April 10, 1983 along with her twin sister Marissa Tasker to their mother Krystal Carey. Krystal became pregnant with Babe and Marissa after a one night stand with David Hayward. Krystal now having much money couldn't afford to raise two children so she sold off one of her daughters so that she could keep the other. Babe is the older sister of Leora Hayward and Jennifer "Jenny" Martin. Babe was married to Adam "J.R."Chandler Jr three times and the couple share one child together, a son Adam "AJ" Chandler, III.

## Storylines

Off screen, in San Diego, Babe is working as a waitress in a restaurant on a ship at the docks. She meets and marries rich boy JR Chandler after just three weeks of knowing him. Her story in the soap opera starts with their arrival in Pine Valley. JR reunites with his wealthy family and his stepfather, Tad Martin, announcing that he has a new girlfriend. That night, Babe (yet unknown to everyone in Pine Valley) attends a party and becomes very drunk and has sex with JR's stepbrother, Jamie. The next day, JR introduces Babe to his family as his new wife. Jamie is shocked to see that the same unnamed women that took his virginity is his sister-in-law. But Jamie vows to keep their night a secret. However, JR's father, Adam, does not like Babe and plans to separate JR and Babe.

Weeks later, Babe discovers that she is pregnant. Jamie finally admits to JR that he slept with Babe, bringing doubt over who is the baby's father. JR confronts Babe, but when she claims that Jamie had come on to her, JR cuts Jamie out of his life. When Babe discovers that she is 9 weeks into her pregnancy, it eliminates the possibility of Jamie being the father.

With the paternity situation almost resolved, Babe reveals another secret: her marriage to JR is invalid, because she is still married to Paul Cramer from the nearby town of Llanview (from another ABC soap opera, *One Life to Live)*. Tad tracks down Babe's mother, Krystal, in Texas. After hearing Babe is married to an extremely wealthy man and is pregnant, a proud Krystal, who has not seen her daughter in years, decides to travel to Pine Valley to make sure that Babe's happiness is not jeopardized. Babe is happy to see her mother and confides in her that she still has doubts of JR being the baby's father and that she is still legally married to Paul Cramer.

JR demands a DNA test be conducted, so Babe calls up Paul and promises him money if he will make sure the test proves that JR is the father and allow the annulment to go through. Babe and Krystal are able to get Paul drunk and send him away. Paul is angry and vows revenge on Babe. When Tad finds out about Babe's marriage to Paul, he wants to tell JR, but Krystal is able to seduce him and keep him quiet. Although looking forward to the birth of her child, Babe has to face her next obstacle: Adam and his accomplice, Mary Smythe, are plotting to get Babe out of JR's life as soon as the child is born. JR finds out about his father's scheming and cuts him out of his life as he did to Jamie; at the same time he renews his friendship with his brother, Jamie, and asks him to be the baby's godfather.

### Bianca and birth of Little Adam

Babe strikes up a friendship with Bianca Montgomery during December 2003. They grow close and become best friends. At a cabin, while a storm goes on outside, Babe helps Bianca give birth to her baby daughter, Miranda Mona Montgomery. Bianca falls unconscious and Babe leaves to go get help. She breaks into Dr. David Hayward's cabin and calls Paul at Llanview Hospital for help. The day before (on *One Life to Live*), Paul helped his sister, Kelly, give birth to a baby boy, but the baby died right after birth. Kelly, believing a baby would be the only thing that could save her marriage, begged her brother to get her a child. Paul helps Babe get back to the cabin, where he delivers her son by the fireplace.

Paul seizes this opportunity to give his sister a baby in a storyline that becomes known as the baby switch. He drugs Babe, puts her in a helicopter, and stages a helicopter crash near a river in the forest. When Babe awakens, Paul tells her that the helicopter crashed and her baby is dead. She loses consciousness again. When Adam Chandler and JR arrive at the scene and threaten Paul, should anything bad have happened to their heir, Paul twists his story around and tells them that it was Bianca's baby that fell into the river and that Babe's child survived. JR's family is elated that Babe's baby is alive, but Bianca's family is devastated by the news. In Llanview, Paul gives Kelly Babe's son (later known as Adam Chandler III, then Little Adam, and currently AJ), telling her that the boy's mother was a poor homeless woman who did not want a baby.

Later on, Babe finds out that the baby she thought was her own is really Miranda Montgomery, Bianca's baby who was thought to have died in the storm. Babe is so distraught over the reveal that her son has been the one to die in the storm that, with convincing by Krystal, she decides to keep the baby. But she eventually discovers her son to be alive, and that JR is indeed the biological father of the little boy. When the truth is finally revealed, it causes a severe rift in Babe and Bianca's friendship, although Bianca is more distant than hostile toward Babe. Babe's romantic relationship with JR also ends.

### Choosing between JR and Josh

Babe and Josh Madden's relationship gets off to a rocky start during a hot summer night in July 2005. They become fast friends after Josh helps Babe get back Jamie's car from a few drunken, violent frat boys at a roadside bar. They bond on the beach and share stories of their past and become close.

As time goes by, Babe feels increasingly guilty of holding Jamie back from his dream of becoming a doctor. Due to the terms of his aunt Phoebe's will, Jamie will have to leave Babe (now his fiancee') to acquire his inheritance. According to the terms of the will, Jamie will have to be the one to end the relationship; it has to be his choice to have nothing to do with Babe. Babe hatches a scheme with Josh to convince Jamie that she and Josh are lovers. Jamie does not believe her and is heartbroken that Babe would not accept his word of Phoebe's will not being important to him if he has to give up Babe. Babe and Jamie end their romance due to her scheme.

Josh and Babe become close friends. On October 31, 2005, Josh tells Babe that he cannot deny it anymore: he is falling for her, and he wants her to be happy and to enjoy her life and not worry about JR or Jamie anymore. During this talk, they share a kiss. Babe is taken aback by Josh's declaration. Although she is flattered, she tells him she simply is not ready to be in another romantic relationship. Babe later becomes romantically involved with JR again, however, which later leads to a murder attempt made on her by JR when JR has an extreme mental breakdown.

Closer as friends over summer 2006, sexual tension between Babe and Josh becomes evident. Even though still married to JR, Babe starts to have romantic feelings for Josh and feels the need to be there for him when Dr. Greg Madden (the man he believes to be his father) goes missing. Babe supports Josh, talks him down, and tries to be there for him as a friend. When it is found that Greg Madden has died due to being buried alive underground for weeks, Babe sticks by Josh and seeks to help him through this. This enrages JR, causing more problems for their marriage. Due to the lack of communication, JR's murder attempt on her, their increased fighting, the Greg Madden murder mystery looming over their heads, and the search for Kate (JR's long-lost sister), JR and Babe begin shutting down on one another. This leads Babe to turn to Josh, confiding in him even more and spending more time with him.

Josh, reeled from the revelation of originally being Erica Kane's abortion, runs off to the private jet that Greg had owned. Babe runs after him to attempt to level his head and try to get him to see reason. Josh is too far gone and plays along in listening to Babe, telling her that he will stay in Pine Valley to hear Erica out. However, Josh sneaks off and starts the plane, kidnapping Babe and jetting off to an unknown destination. The plane runs out of fuel and crashes on a deserted island. Josh and Babe's families fear they are dead.

During their time on the island, Babe and Josh become closer than they were before. They sit by the fire, talk, share a kiss, and later snuggle together for warmth. Josh reveals to Babe that he loves her and wants to be with her. But Babe continues to insist that she wants to be with JR; if Josh cannot accept only her friendship, they will have to end their relationship. Josh reluctantly agrees. They are rescued by JR, Jamie, and Julia Santos.

On a business trip for Fusion Cosmetics, Babe and Josh meet with an outrageous rock star, Zarf, to try to get Zarf's song to use for a Fusion promotional campaign. After much drinking, Zarf finally agrees. Josh and Babe drink too many jello shooters while trying to convince Zarf to sign. Drunk, they take cold showers as a way to sober up, but it doesn't quite work, as they almost kiss. Instead of lingering on it, they move past it.

Babe's relationship with Josh continues to anger and frustrate JR, causing more tension between them. However, Babe refuses to end her relationship with Josh, instead telling JR that they are just friends and that JR should trust her. But as Babe begins to realize she is developing deeper romantic feelings for Josh than previously, she starts to distance herself from him. Though Babe and Josh reconnect on the night that Colby Chandler, JR's sister, is thought to be dead. Babe is struggling with coping with all that has happened that year. Feeling overwhelmed by JR's murder attempt on her, the Greg Madden murder, her feelings for Josh, and JR emotionally pushing her away, she gives into her passion for Josh and has sex with him. Despite this, she soon after chooses JR as the man she is romantically meant to be with.

### Zarf (Zoe) and the Satin Slayer

After their exciting business meeting in August over the Fusion Cosmetics campaign, Zarf comes to P.V. searching for Babe after a grueling world tour. He wishes to get in contact with her to talk with her and catch up. When Babe arrives, she introduces Zarf to Bianca. Zarf falls in love with Bianca at first sight. As Babe and Zarf's relationship grows, they become closer and start working on the ConFusion campaign and after a strained talk with Bianca, an embarrassing over-the-top drag performance and an arrest by the Pine Valley Police Department, Zarf "comes out" to Babe and admits that he is transgender and that he is truly "Zoe" and a lesbian. Babe accepts her and it is exactly what Zoe needs. After this confession, their friendship continues to blossom.

Zoe is accused of killing the Fusion women and is considered the main suspect for the Fusion deaths by a serial killer. Babe doesn't believe this and provides Zoe with safety under her roof and fights back against those who try to harm Zoe, and helps her come out to everyone. Unfortunately, not everyone is accepting.

December 2006, Simone Torres is found dead on the floor of the Fusion office in a white dress with a ribbon and gardenias. Her death is concluded to be of natural causes and it is revealed that her heart stopped beating. A week later, Erin Lavery is found dead on the roof of the Fusion building with a white ribbon and gardenias attached to her hands. It is then decided by Derek Frye that there is a serial killer on the loose.

During January 2007, the killer attacks again, almost killing Danielle Frye and mistakenly taking Dixie Cooney as his victim in an attempt to kill Babe. The serial killer then targets Babe as his next victim by tying a white ribbon outside the gate of the Chandler Mansion.

After a brutal breakup with JR, due to JR being tired of Babe's affection for Josh, she is in the Chandler Enterprises parking garage with her bodyguard. After talking to Zoe, she and her bodyguard leave the parking lot, and the serial killer attacks. Babe finds her bodyguard lying dead on the ground and is quickly attacked by the Satin Slayer, who plunges a needle into her neck and poisons her with V-tach, a drug which causes ventricular tachycardia. She "dies" on February 12, 2007. The show features a double funeral for Dixie and Babe, but after the funeral, on February 16, 2007, Babe is shown waking up in what appears to be a hospital bed.

Joe Martin, Jackson Montgomery, Jeff Martin, Josh, Kendall Hart Slater, and Zach Slater all know that Babe is alive. At Josh's request, Joe and Jeff make it their mission to make everybody think that Babe is really dead. Babe suffers a heart attack and briefly slips into a coma after being poisoned by the Satin Slayer. She is secretly taken to a room at Zach's casino, where Josh takes care of her while she recovers from her attack. When she wakes up, Josh initially lies and tells her she is at the hospital. He does not tell her that her family and the rest of Pine Valley believes she is dead, and leads her to believe that JR does not care at all. Zoe mourns for her best friend. Bianca is devastated at the news of Babe's "death", and shows regret for not forgiving her when she had the chance. Later, with the revelation of Babe being alive and well, Bianca has her chance to do so, and finally and truly repairs their damaged friendship. After Bianca tells Zoe that Babe is still alive, Zoe is naturally happy as well. JR and Babe see each other for the first time since her presumed death and he asks her for forgiveness in how he has treated her in the past, but Babe feels that they are better left separated. Ironically enough, Babe's near-death finally earns her Kendall's forgiveness as well for the incident with Miranda. Kendall even stands up for Babe against Greenlee Smythe's attacks on her, lauding Babe's achievements at Fusion. Greenlee eventually drives Babe to quit, but she is forced to hire her back when it is discovered the music promotional campaign she has secured with Zoe is contingent on Babe's presence at the company. Even Erica shows some forgiveness towards Babe, thanking her for helping Kendall and keeping Fusion going after the accident with Spike.

### Failing an attempt at a life without JR

Babe focuses on several projects, such as keeping Fusion running, working on acquiring her G.E.D., and helping Krystal with her new business venture of revamping the Roadside Bar, now titled The Comeback. She also becomes close to Jamie again. She is held up when a man thought to be Annie Lavery's brother, Richie Novak, comes to Krystal's bar looking to rob the place. A new guy named Wes, who shows an immediate attraction to her, is there to help her fend off the ex-convict. The robber is soon after discovered to be dead, and that he was not Annie Lavery's brother after all, but was rather a man her brother most likely hired to "play" the part of Richie. Due to their experience in the hold up together, Babe and Wes grow closer and she gives him a chance at a romantic relationship with her by going out on a date with him. While on the date, and after a few uncomfortable moments with JR, as well as advice to Amanda about being wary of JR, Babe agrees to another date with Wes. After more time spent with him, it is eventually revealed that he is Richie Novak.

A rift between Babe and Richie soon develops due to his deception. Richie tries to get Babe to give him another chance, but Babe is adamant that she does not need Richie in her life. During this time, JR and Babe see more of each other. At Krystal's bar, they bond over old times and other matters. Babe sees a side to JR that signals that he has matured more since they divorced. When JR needs a ride back to his home, Babe offers to take him. Once there, sexual tension between the two is evident. As Babe states that she should leave, JR goes in for a goodbye kiss to her cheek. The kiss leaves them in a more awkward state, and JR apologizes. However, their desire overtakes them as JR says that he misses kissing her. The two make love. While in bed, JR suggests that they marry again and is elated that he has "his" Babe back. Even with this obvious connection between the two still apparent, Babe tells JR that their recent love-making was just comfort sex, and that she is not in love with him anymore. He pretends that he is not hurt by this declaration of hers, but it is clear to Babe that he is. She promptly apologizes for hurting him and leaves.

JR begins drinking again and slips into depression. He is, however, able to recover from the relapse and reconcile with Babe. Months later, he and Babe are closer again, and are more about raising their son together while not being romantically intertwined with each other. But during a snowday with Babe and Little Adam, JR suggests to Babe that she keep the idea of them as lovers open for consideration. Having enjoyed her recent time with JR, Babe accepts his request. Still perplexed by Richie, she talks with him at times, her concern more directed at the fact that he has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant to survive. His sister, Annie, is thought to be the best candidate to be his donor, and Babe is determined to convince her to save him. But her efforts are revealed hopeless when test results show that Annie is not a good donor match for Richie after all. The revelation comes that someone else in Pine Valley is the perfect bone marrow match for Richie. With the help of her mother, Babe discovers that JR is the match. Feeling that he will not donate the bone marrow on his own due to his hate for Richie, she decides to entice JR during a runway where she wears a sexy red dress. Once she gets his attention, she propositions him with a game of strip poker. If she wins, he will have to save Richie's life. If JR wins, he can have anything he wants in regards to her. The deal is made, and JR and Babe play for the prize at Babe's home. Both half naked by the time the game nears an end, it is JR who wins. But he surprises Babe with the news that he already knew he was a match for Richie, and that he was already going to help him. Babe is intrigued by this new, softer side of JR, and JR mentions to Babe how they both want each other. They embrace, and the two make love.

Richie is able to secretly abstract JR's bone marrow, while setting JR up to look as though he was out all night with a hooker the day he went missing. A drugged-up JR, unaware that his bone marrow has been stolen, insists to his family and Babe that he was drugged and he knows Richie did this to him. Initially Krystal is the only one to believe JR, but Babe later finds out that JR is telling the truth about Richie and apologizes to him. She sees Richie pay the hooker that was with JR the night Richie stole his bone marrow. Babe punches out the hooker. She goes on a mission to find out what other stuff Richie has done to JR or anyone else. During this mission, JR saves Babe from being raped by some guys when she goes undercover as a prostitute to clear JR's name and find out what crimes Richie did. Trina decides to tell the truth about Richie and her part in framing JR when Richie stole his bone marrow. JR promises Trina some money to get out of prostituting and go somewhere Richie is not due to fear that Richie will kill her since she told JR what Richie did. With Richie finally gone, JR and Babe come happily together again.

### *Bella* and demise

After Richie's death, Fusion is at a height of excellence. During this time Babe and Amanda, who have renewed their friendship, develop a "secret project" which they think Kendall and Greenlee will approve, since Fusion is doing so well. The project turns out to be a fragrance designed for working women. Kendall refuses to support it, but Amanda offers to use part of her fortune to finance the fragrance. Kendall insults Babe for the working girl perfume being modeled after her, and this is when Amanda decides to call the perfume "Bella". Kendall and Greenlee let Amanda and Babe do the project on their own, and the perfume has high buzz. Amanda and Babe get into a little argument about which woman should be the promotional figure for Bella, in which Babe and Amanda want themselves on it. They ask Kendall, who could not care less, who then chooses Amanda. Amanda takes it as a compliment before Kendall says how the "slutty" look should appeal. Amanda organizes a launch party which goes well, except for Taylor Thompson killing Randi Morgan's pimp in the bathroom hallway. Things are working wonderfully, and JR and Babe decide to use Bella to launch her career, and they decide they should take over the company. They also begin to plan their next wedding and decide to have a second child. However, Adam has a plan of his own with the assistance of Peter Cortlandt who taints the Bella perfume at the launch party. Colby gets sick, but no one notices that it is due to the perfume. Greenlee later gets sick, but calls it the flu. When a wedding party arrives at P.V. Hospital, Angie Hubbard says that it is a toxin in Bella that is causing the sickness. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration then shuts Fusion Cosmetics temporarily down. While Adam is encouraging lawsuits against Fusion, Babe resigns and tells the company to blame the Bella scandal on her. She also admits that she and JR were planning to take over. She had an ulterior motive, as she and JR are planning to move to San Diego anyway. However, they have to come back when Adam has the subpeonaed to the Bella trial. JR and Babe do not make it to the trial, as they are caught up in a series of tornadoes that strike Pine Valley. Babe sacrifices herself to keep Little Adam from dying, making her internal and external bleeding worse. While in the hospital, she asks JR to marry her. They cannot find a minister as Babe is running out of time before she loses her life, but they exchange vows, regardless, alone in the hospital's chapel. They kiss and declare that they made each other better people and that they love each other from the deepest parts of their souls; that their love will never stop, no matter what. After a light hug, Babe dies in JR's arms.

Babe reappears on June 4 and 29, 2009 as a ghost to both David Hayward and JR. She appears to David, telling him that her death was not his fault and he apologizes to her for not being there during her childhood. She vanishes and leaves Marissa Tasker, her fraternal twin sister, in her place, telling him that he still has a daughter left in the world. She appears to JR on June 29 when he visits her gravesite, asking himself how he can ever live without her; he calls her by her true name, Arabella.

Babe appears one last time on September 21, 2011 as an apparition to JR. She tries to help JR get through the rough time in his life as he has lost his house, his company, and his son. Her attempt to save JR fails when JR realizes that she is still dead and not really back.