Salem says goodbye next week to Dr. Carly Manning and Lawrence Alamain when they fly off to Paris to live happily ever after.

And for Crystal Chappell and Michael Sabatino, the real-life sweethearts who have been on DAYS for almost three years, it's the end of one exciting chapter in their careers and the beginning of another.

On October 15, you'll be able to see Michael on B&B. "I'm so thrilled about joining them. It looks very promising," he told SOAP OPERA MAGAZINE.

Crystal isn't about to leap into a new show right away. "i'd do another soap, but not right now," she says. "I want to rest. At this point, I'm shy of commitment. But try me in a few weeks. I do love to work."

In their final scenes on DAYS, Carly gets her memory back and goes to Bo. They make a major decision regarding their relationship.

Meanwhile, Lawrence sits in his plane with his son Nikki, about to take off for Paris. He's heartbroken, fearing Carly has regained her memory and decided to remain in Salem.

Actress Chappell is pleased with the ending of the long storyline.

"I was glad that Bo and Carly could talk about how time had changed them," she says. "Even if there had been a future for Carly in Salem, that scene was necessary. They needed to move on."

And so does Crystal.

"I've had a lot of great times on DAYS. I met Michael there. I gained a wealth of information, and now I know what daytime is all about. I feel good about that.

But she also admits to a few pangs of sadness at saying goodbye. "It's hard to leave Carly. After she was buried alive, I would have liked to see her emerge ready to eat up life, voracious for a new start. It's sad not to be able to see where she will go beyond this."

Crystal confesses she'll miss many of the crew members who've helped her, "a lot of faces and voices coming from out of the darkness as you stand on the stage.

"Most of the cast members are unfamiliar to me now," she added. "We worked in our own story, and interacted very little. But I do believe many paths will cross again."

Sabatino feels Crystal was dropped from the show because he was - that she was hurt professionally by their real-life relationship. They've lived together for the past two years.

"I believe we are going out the door together because we are a couple in real life, yes," he says. "There has been a misconception that Crystal and I wanted to be an onscreen couple. Neither of us thought it practical; it was too complicated."

But the storyline involving John, Marlena and Roman "took precedence" over Carly and Lawrence's story, Michael said, "and eventually, they had nothing left for us to do."

In a sense, he feels fortunate that his character Lawrence lasted as long as he did. "It began as a short-term role. Somehow, between what I was doing and the audience response, I lived for three years."

But Sabatino doesn't hide the fact that he disagreed with the decision to finish off Lawrence. Once he was told he had no future on the show, Michael became very outspoken.

"I was asked many questions about what was going on," he says. "I answered honestly. I couldn't stand there and tell the naked emperor that I loved his wardrobe."

Yet Michael concedes, "I've had a wonderful time in daytime. I enjoyed this character, no matter what went on with management and story."

Now Sabatino's really looking forward to being a white-hat hero on B&B instead of the dark character he's portrayed on DAYS.

"I'm so used to being a villain. B&B's head writer Brad Bell told me my first scenes will incolve protectively taking a woman home from a bar because someone spiked her drink on her 30th day of being sober. I'm usually the one to spike the drink!

"I start at B&B four days after wrapping up DAYS," Michael added. "I whimpered a little when I realized I had no time to take a little trip. But I love working. I hope to take a big bite and dive in deep."