"When Megan [McTavish, head writer] came up with this whole concept,” says Carruthers of the Satin Slayer tale, "it was about, 'How do we emotionally impact [upon] all the people we care about?' And obviously high stakes, and life-or-death stakes, really raise the bar of emotion. When you can tap into the personal relationships and the love and the caring and also the hopes and fears of all these people we've invested so much time and support in, you have compelling storytelling.”

But why was Dixie designated to sacrifice her life to the storyline? "It's unexpected,” notes the exec. "Obviously, the fallout now becomes universal. It's not just the women at Fusion and the people who are connected to them; it universally encompasses every member of the canvas when you start looking at all the different tentacles coming in.

"In order for a story like this to have real impact, it's not just about the reaction of our environment to the people who are lost,” she continues. "You have to understand that it can affect anybody, you know? It's not just the girls in Fusion who you only see once a week. It's people who are pivotal to the environment, as well. I'm trying to say this in a way that doesn't undercut what the Fusion girls have meant to the canvas, particularly those three characters who've been attacked [Simone, Erin and Danielle], but a character with as much history as Dixie.... It shows that nothing is sacred and nothing is safe. By jumping off that diving board, not knowing what's at the bottom of the pool, you've now taken the story to a whole new level.” It is, ironically, how safe most fans assumed McClain's status to be that contributed to Dixie's vulnerability. "In order to keep the audience, who is as savvy as they are —— which we love, by the way — on the edge of their seat, they have to be able not to anticipate what the outcome is going to be. And to me, part of what we do is the element of surprise. Surprise that's validated by the play-out of the story, obviously; it's not just surprise for surprise's sake.”

And even though Dixie has "died” in the past, Carruthers is of the opinion that the story her demise will generate this time around justifies the tough decision. "The great news for us is, all those people who are left behind are forefront on our canvas and amazing performers and the stories are endless. What's not going to happen is a rehash,” she assures. "Obviously, Tad and JR have been through mourning. This is a little bit different because she didn't run away and is in a very good place with everyone.

"What is happening on ALL MY CHILDREN right now,” she concludes, "is a regrounding of our environment and our history. The serial-killer story is not so much a serial-killer story [as it is] about reestablishing the connections between the people we love, whether the connections are fiery or warm and touching and loving. When people are hit in the core with loss, somehow there is a layer of emotional junk that is cut away and you get to the core of who the characters are and what this environment is. It allows everyone here to sort of have a rebirth and for the audience to be reborn with them. I think everything we're doing in this direction, whether it's the transgender story, which is a huge social issue, or it's a story of grief and losing the people you love that ultimately leads to hope and life and people reaching out to each other, I think it's classic ALL MY CHILDREN at its best.”