August 12, 1997: It was the best of times and the worst of times for Edmund and Maria. The truth of Maddie’s paternity was poised to be revealed (the tot was sired by Edmund, not Dimitri), but a plane crash was about to leave Maria presumed dead. “This is as great a way as I had hoped for Maria to leave,” said La Rue. “[Maria’s fate] is left relatively open.” It wasn’t until 2002 that viewers would learn what happened to Maria after that fateful flight.
May 14, 2002: On the heels of La Rue’s announcement that she’d be returning to AMC, she and Callahan showed off their most recent collaboration: newborn daughter Kaya. “Now that I have her, I can’t believe that I didn’t have her sooner,” beamed La Rue. 
June 11, 2002: Callahan and La Rue — joined by Edmund’s bride-to-be, Julia Barr (Brooke) — dropped hints about the storyline ushering La Rue back to Pine Valley. “You’re going to see the back of my head the first couple of times,” La Rue laughed. “I’m going to be hair acting.”
