Paul Ryan and Meg Snyder

Paul Ryan and Meg Snyder are fictional characters and a popular couple on the American soap opera As the World Turns. Paul is currently played by Roger Howarth (July 7, 2003 - Present) and Meg is currently played by Marie Wilson (June 16, 2005 - Present). The couple has been given the nickname "PEG" (a portmanteau of Paul and Meg) by their fans.

History

Even though their characters have been on and off the show for years, their storylines never really connected until 2005. During this time Paul Ryan was living with Emily Stewart and Meg Snyder had just moved in with Dusty Donovan. Paul was keeping a secret. He knew that Craig Montgomery had switched his child with Paul’s sister Jennifer Munson with another baby that died shortly after birth. Thereby, taking the child away from his mother Jennifer. Paul hated Craig, and thought, at the time, that this was the best solution for his sister. To not have to deal with Craig Montgomery (who at this time was serving a jail sentence for running his wife, Rosanna Cabot Montgomery, off the road which left her comatose).

Meg’s boyfriend Dusty was trying to help Jennifer solve the mystery of her missing baby, whom she did not believe had died. Dusty had developed feelings for Jennifer by this time and Meg was jealous. Dusty asked Meg to help in get a DNA test done which she did and confirmed that Jennifer’s baby was alive. Meg was approached by Paul, who confirmed what Jennifer believed—her baby was alive! Using Meg’s fear of losing Dusty to Jennifer, Paul convinced a conflicted Meg to alter the test. As the weeks went by though, Meg couldn’t live with the guilt and hinted to Dusty the truth. Using Meg’s clues, Dusty confirmed that Jen’s baby had been switched and was indeed alive. Unfortunately for Meg, he also discovered that she’d kept quiet about the truth for months. Furious, Dusty wrote her off and kicked her out.

Paul ended up in jail for falsifying evidence. Out on bail, he and Emily made plans to get married but Jennifer asked Paul to do something selfless for once in his life. Remembering her words, Paul told Emily that he couldn’t marry her because he couldn’t let her ruin her life. Already stressed beyond the limit due to the lies of the last few months, an enraged Emily shot Paul in the back. Emily then covered her tracks by tossing Paul over the cliff.

Meg found Paul and got him to shelter, an abandoned cabin in the woods. Meg wanted to get him to a hospital but Paul refused, instead he offered Meg 1 million dollars to nurse him back to health. Against her better judgment, she agreed. During this time, Meg and Paul became closer as set back after set back, she continued to nurse Paul. And Paul confided in Meg about his history with the woman in his life. Later, Paul decided that perhaps it’d be best if he was ‘dead’. Since he was facing jail time if he ever returned to town. Paul got Meg to help him stage his suicide. Meg worried when Paul came down with pneumonia. After the town believed the planted evidence and declared that Paul was dead, a memorial service was planned. Paul decided he wanted to attend to see what his family would say about him. Meg resisted and went for him. But Paul ended up going anyway. There he saw his sister Jennifer and realized she felt guilty about how she had treated Paul before his death. Meg realized Paul was at the services and read him the riot act. Emily heard Paul’s voice, but Paul was able to hide before she saw him. Meg covered, but Emily was suspicious. Realizing that he jeopardized being found, Paul paid Meg and told her she was free to go. Meg left him with medicine and then left town.

Almost having been found at the cabin by Emily and cohort Henry Coleman, Paul disguised himself and took a room at the Wagon Wheel Motel under an assumed name. He then hired a psychic, in the hopes of getting in touch with his sister Jennifer. Paul realized that Meg had come back to town, and dropped her a note (while in disguise) for her to meet him at the Wagon Wheel Motel. Meg was surprised to see him there and Paul told her that he had a plan to come back from the dead for his sister. Meg was skeptical, but helped him. Paul asked Meg to bring some money to the psychic, where Dusty saw them and figured that she hired the psychic to try to get Dusty back. Paul apologized to Meg for the position he had put her in and comforted her. Then they shared their first kiss. Emily realized that Meg knew where Paul was and followed her to the Wagon Wheel Motel, where she saw Paul and Meg kissing through a window. Paul, realizing that there was no way for him to come back from dead, asked Meg to runaway with him. She accepted and they made plans to leave town together.

Emily told Dusty that Paul was alive and told Dusty where Paul was. Dusty showed up a fight ensued and both men disappeared. Paul went to his crypt where Jennifer found him and they were reunited. The police also found him there and he was placed under arrest. Dusty turned up missing. Thinking that Meg had killed Dusty, Paul confessed to the crime. Meg heard Paul’s confession and believed that Paul killed Dusty. Meg found Dusty’s wallet which had blood all over it and dumped it in the river to protect Paul. Meg was also arrested when Meg was found with blood on her gloves. The charges against Meg were dropped and Meg and Paul realized that neither of them had killed Dusty. They figured that Emily must have had something to do with it. Paul decided he had to get out of jail to help find Dusty for Jennifer. Paul decided to try to get close to Emily so that Emily would trust him and possibly tell him where Dusty was. Paul told Emily that Meg betrayed him and she was all he had left. Emily made Paul prove his love and told him to marry her, right there in jail. He did and then Emily anonymously sent a picture of Dusty holding a current day’s newspaper to Jennifer. Paul recanted his confession. Jennifer implored her father Hal Munson to let Paul go free. He was her only lead to Dusty and Paul might lead them to where he is. Paul asked Meg to search his penthouse for clues as to where Emily might be keeping Dusty. Meg did and found some padlock keys. Paul met with Meg at the Lakeview, where Emily spotted them together. Emily was furious and in order to prove his loyalty, slept with her. Meg told Paul that the padlock keys were used for chains at farms. That perhaps Dusty was being held at a farm somewhere. Meg realized that Paul and his wife slept together and was visibly upset. Paul and Meg declared their love for one another. Emily, still suspicious of Meg, had Dusty’s bloody shirt planted in her car. The police, acting on an anonymous tip pulled her over and arrested her. Paul stepped up his plan to find Dusty and prove Meg’s innocence. Jennifer found out from Paul what he suspected about Emily and they came up with a plan to make Emily believe that Dusty had been found. The plan worked and Emily as expected went to the farmhouse where Dusty was being held as Jennifer followed her. Soon Paul and the police also showed up. Dusty was found and Emily escaped. Paul happily told Meg she was free. Realizing Emily was still a danger to Meg, Paul joined the search for Emily and found her at the top of the cliff where she shot him. Distraught, Emily jumped in an attempted suicide. Paul and Meg were able to keep her alive.

Paul and Meg were finally free to be together and made love for the first time. At the hospital it was discovered that Emily was now pregnant with Paul’s baby. Paul tried to convince Emily to have an abortion and at first she agreed. Then she changed her mind and decided to keep the baby. Paul only wanted Meg and saw the baby as an obstacle in his relationship with her. Paul decided to give up his parental rights to the child. After seeing a sonogram of his baby, Paul couldn’t go through with it and asked Meg to raise the baby with him after Emily goes to jail. Meg, after giving it some serious thought, agreed. Emily didn’t want her child being raised by Meg and once again threatened to have an abortion. Paul called her on her bluff and told him she couldn’t do it.

Jennifer’s baby became sick and it was learned that he had a rare form of blood cancer. Emily agreed to use her baby’s stem cells to help Jennifer’s baby. Paul was livid that no one consulted him before all this was done, but was happy that the procedure was successful and both babies were ok. Paul’s sister Jennifer then fell fatally ill, but before she died she told Paul she forgave him for his part in keeping her son away from her.

During Emily’s trial, Dusty came foreword and on Jennifer’s behalf asked the to set Emily free. He refused to testify. Paul protested and let the court know that Emily had shot him. However with no evidence to back his claim (since he staged it as a suicide), the court had no choice but to let Emily go. Paul declared that he would fight Emily in court for full custody of his child. This angered Meg, who by this time just wanted some peace. She told Paul to find a way to peacefully co-exist with Emily for the sake of the baby. Paul then proposed, but Meg felt it was too soon for marriage and he needed to get things in order with Emily before she could accept his proposal. Eventually Meg did accept Paul’s proposal and they were engaged. Paul and Meg decided to keep their engagement a secret since Emily had been experiencing problems with her pregnancy. However the truth came out and Emily made plans to flee with her child. Henry told Meg of her plans to leave and Meg stopped her. While they argued at the Snyder farm, a freak snowstorm hit Oakdale. To keep a stubborn Emily from going out in the storm, Meg locked her in the barn. At that moment, an hysterical Emily went into labor. As Meg was trying to help Emily, the barn caught on fire. Luckily, the pair was rescued by Paul but, tragically, Emily and Paul’s baby was stillborn.

During this time Craig Montgomery was released from prison. And was determined to get custody of his son from Dusty. He also flirted with Paul’s fiancé Meg relentlessly, in order to rattle his cage. It didn’t take long before Paul was obsessed with getting Craig out of all of their lives. When it became apparent that Craig was going to win custody of Johnny, Dusty decided to take action. Emily learned that Dusty was going to threaten Craig with a gun. At Craig’s urging Emily switched the bullets with blanks. Paul having witnessed this, put the real bullets back in the gun. Knowing she wouldn’t approve, Paul hid his actions from Meg. Dusty shot Craig. When Emily figured out that Paul was the one that put the real bullets back in the gun, Paul tried to convince her to keep quiet about what she knew. Paul and Meg decided to push up their wedding. When Craig found out, he told Emily who went to the wedding and told the bride everything about how Paul had switched the bullets. A devastated Meg questioned Paul and then told him their relationship was over.

Paul was beside himself and tried to get Meg to give their relationship another chance. Paul was driving recklessly after one of these attempts failed and hit a truck. He had a near-death experience and Meg saved his life. While recuperating he realized he now had a gift of visions of events that he can see before they happen. Unable to understand what was happening to him Paul hid himself away in the cabin where Meg first took care of his gunshot wound a year earlier. At first, Meg did not believe in his visions and thought he might be using them as a way to win her back. Meg lost a patient she was caring for. Soon after she was heading up a blood drive and Paul arrived swearing up and down that something terrible would happen there. Thinking Paul was at it again trying to get her back, Meg had him sedated, then went back to the blood drive. The husband of the patient that died earlier then showed up and held everyone at the blood drive hostage. He let everyone go except Meg, when he realized that she was his wife’s nurse. During her conversation with the gunman, Meg realized she might have forgotten to write down all of the allergies in her medical chart. The police shot the gunman. Meg realized Paul was right about in his vision and vowed to never doubt him again. Meg was consumed with guilt over having realized she inadvertently caused the death of her patient. She started down a self-destructive path and let Craig forge a diary entry that cleared Meg of any wrong doing. When Paul called her on the lie, Meg went to Bob Hughes and confessed her part in the death of the patient. She lost her job. She moved out of the Snyder farm and into the Wagon Wheel Motel, where she tried to drown away her guilt with alcohol and sleeping pills. Craig found her there and revived her. Grateful for his help, Meg succumbed to his advances and slept with him. Paul, having just had another vision saved the lives of Meg’s little niece and cousin, found her to again ask for another chance. He realized that she had just slept with Craig and vowed to fight for their relationship. Craig wanted to take his relationship with Meg further, but Meg put the brakes on and asked him to just be a friend.

Paul began having very vague visions about Holden Snyder ’s son Ethan and a bear. He warned Holden and Holden destroyed the bear. Holden’s wife Lily Walsh Snyder had become involved in a baby food project. She had also become dependent on diet pills which had begun to cloud her judgment. When Paul continued to have visions that something was wrong with baby Ethan, he took Ethan and brought him to Meg. Meg worried when the baby was burning up with fever. They rushed him to the hospital where Ethan was diagnosed with e-coli. Paul felt that the baby food that Lily had helped promote, was the source of the e-coli and worried it would spread. Paul’s theory proved correct and they destroyed all the baby food. Through all of this Meg began to realize that Paul had changed and he was trying to use his visions to do good things. They reconnected with a kiss at the farm. Paul then took Meg to the cabin where they made love. Not ready to commit completely, Meg asked Paul to take their relationship one day at a time. He agreed. During this time Craig was hoping that he and Meg could become closer. Craig offered to help Lily settle the lawsuits that came as a result of the bad baby food project. Lily was grateful for Craig’s help since she was worried about her son Ethan and strung out on diet pills. Meg was also appreciative of Craig’s generosity. Lily signed papers and did not read them, but what she ended up doing was signing over her mother’s, Lucinda Walsh company over to Craig. When Meg found out what Craig had done she was livid and vowed revenge.

External links

* [http://www.cbs.com/daytime/atwt/about/bios/ CBS Daytime]
* [http://www.paulandmeg.net/ PaulandMeg.net]