Steve's Childhood

Five year old "Stevie" Johnson had attempted to kill his father Duke by setting his bed on fire; Stevie just wanted to protect his mother (Jo) who was battered by Duke every night. Jo knew that Duke would hurt Steve too if things didn't change. For his protection, she left Steve and his baby brother Billy up for adoption. At the orphanage, Steve vowed to always protect Billy, no matter what.

Not long after, Billy was adopted. Steve was left all alone at the orphanage and made a friend that he protected from the bullies- Marcus Hunter. Steve was never adopted- he lived at the orphanage until he was a teen ager.


Kayla's Childhood


Kayla grew up in the happy stable Brady family home; Roman was her eldest brother and Kimberly her older sister. Bo was her baby brother. She was a feisty, compassionate and happy
child and her family was beloved in Salem.

Steve Loses His Eye
Years later, in the merchant marines, best friends Steve and Bo were smitten with the same girl: Britta Englund (Bo and Britta were lovers, but she loved Steve). Neither man knew she was
really a spy. She tricked them into getting the same dagger tattoos- clues to the location of a hidden treasure in Stockholm. Britta tricked Bo into revealing secrets to the Soviet Government,
and when he returned, he saw Steve in bed with Britta. He attacked Steve and knifed his eye out (later this was ammended and they referred to Bo "punching" out Steve's eye).

Kayla Leaves Salem
After failed romances with Chris Kositchek and David Banning, Kayla left Salem for a job as a nurse, in Cleveland.

Steve Arrives in Salem

Private investigator Bo Brady was on Savannah Wilder's trail. He was close to proving that her video cassette business was a front for Victor Kiriakis's drug smuggling business. Savannah
decided it was time to get rid of Brady, and she hired a one eyed man named Steve Johnson to do the deed. Steve taunted Bo and Hope, threatening to kill them. (Naturally, the story moved on and Steve never had to actually kill them). His history with Bo made this an easy task for Steve.

Steve and Kayla Meet

Steve was all too happy to work for Emma and scare Kayla Brady- he was still bent on revenge against Bo, and Kayla was Bo's beloved sister. Kayla first laid eyes on Steve in Salem, at Shenanigan's , and was not impressed by Steve's treatment of her.

The Love Story From Then On

Most of the conflict in this love story arose because of Steve's troubled past. He shut Kayla out because he was too afraid to trust anyone- and claimed that they didn't belong with each other because they were from "two different worlds". Kayla saw through the pain and the mask Steve wore, and broke through to his heart. She fought him, and fought for their relationship every step of the way, until finally he admitted he loved her.

Next Page:
Time Line

Back To:
Liz's Stephen Nichols and Mary Beth Evans Scrapbook


Characters: Memorable Moments


Steve and Kayla's Unforgettable LoveStory:Index