Photo Credit: JPI Studios

Frustrated and tired, Lexie unloads on Hope, blaming her for Ciara and Theo running away. Abe shows up with a neighbor who spotted the kids hanging around her landscaper’s truck the day they disappeared. Abe thinks Ciara and Theo might have hitched a ride to the company’s home base in the town of Centerville. Abe follows up the lead while Hope and Lexie work things out. Meanwhile, Theo and Ciara come upon a tough runaway named Leah. Ciara holds her ground, asking for something to eat. Leah is affected and gives them some food. In return, Ciara insists Leah take her necklace, which was a gift from Hope. Later, a cop questions Leah and when she tries to flee, she drops Ciara’s necklace.  At the loft, Dario finds Rafe2 with Alicia, the woman he picked up at the bar. Dario blasts his “brother” for cheating on Sami. Dario is even more annoyed that “Rafe” doesn’t care that they have Arianna’s killer in custody at the hospital. Gabi arrives and is happy that “Rafe” didn’t leave town after all, but her hopes are dashed when he once again leaves. Gabi points out to Dario that he accomplished his mission – finding Arianna’s killer. Does this mean he’s going to leave Salem? Meanwhile, Rafe2’s getaway comes to a halt when he gets a flat tire outside of town. The real Rafe makes his way through the forest but soon finds himself surrounded by the asylum guards.

Victor runs into Chloe at the Brady Pub and learns she is living with Maggie. Maggie sticks up for her new ward. Victor is stunned and tells Maggie if she takes Chloe in, she’ll never see him again. Defiant Maggie is fine with that. Meanwhile, Melanie thanks Brady for letting her stay the night at the Kiriakis Mansion. Victor arrives and apologizes to Melanie for the way Philip hurt her. They share a warm moment as Victor says she is always welcome in his home. Victor then informs Melanie about Chloe’s new living situation. Melanie is outraged, thinking Chloe is taking advantage of Maggie. She goes and Victor and Brady start to thaw their frosty relationship. Later, Melanie runs into Chloe and rails at her, until Maggie shows up and orders her to stop. The asylum guards have Rafe cornered in the woods. He backs up and falls into a ravine – apparently to his death! Meanwhile, his doppelganger accidentally discovers Ciara and Theo by the side of the road. He promises not to turn them in if they promise not to tell anyone they saw him. Ciara readily agrees, but Theo is more reluctant. Rafe2 fears he may have to take drastic measures. Meanwhile, Bo and Hope arrive in Centerville to grill Leah, the runaway, who gives them a tip about the kids’ whereabouts. Following the lead, Bo comes upon the kids with “Rafe,” who is about to lose his temper. EJ informs Stefano that he plans to divorce Nicole. Stefano knows this is about Taylor and urges him not to be rash; he doesn’t need to stir up any trouble. Later, Stefano learns that Rafe is believed to be dead.

Taylor tells Nicole that she’s moving out, but her plans are delayed when she learns of Theo’s disappearance. Taylor visits Lexie and offers her support. Meanwhile, Nicole subtly grills EJ about Rafe but gets nowhere. She confides in Chloe her theory that EJ had something to do with Rafe’s accident and subsequent personality change. On the pier, Nicole overhears Vivian and Gus saying it’s impossible to figure out who was being held in the DiMera basement. Vivian decides to find another way to get Stefano on her side. After she and Gus leave, Nicole gets her hands on their DNA results and begins to connect the dots.

Maggie and Melanie argue about Chloe, and they part on bad terms. Brady comforts Melanie and promises to always be on her side. Meanwhile, Victor thanks Maggie for helping him and Brady melt the ice. However, he and Maggie continue to disagree about Chloe. EJ tells Taylor he plans on divorcing Nicole. She is opposed to the idea, as she doesn’t want to hurt her sister. EJ insists he’s getting the divorce because Nicole deserves better and he wants her to find the happiness he’s found with Taylor. He thinks Nicole can find that happiness with Brady. Taylor’s defenses break down and she kisses EJ. Nicole tells Chloe about her belief that EJ, with Stefano’s help, held Rafe in the DiMera basement and messed with his mind. Chloe worries about Nicole’s safety. Nicole privately realizes her mother knew all. Nicole backtracks a bit and swears Chloe to secrecy. Then she rushes home – where she’s stunned to find EJ kissing Taylor!

Bo is happily reunited with Ciara. Rafe2 worries that Bo overheard him be harsh with her and Theo, but Bo hails “Rafe” as a hero for finding the kids. At the police station, Bo and Hope assure Ciara they are staying together as a family; she was mistaken to think they were divorcing because of her. Bo asks the imposter how he found the children. He lies, claiming he tracked down the truck they took. Later, Theo reunites with Abe and Lexie. “Rafe” gets Theo and Ciara alone and tries to convince them he was searching for them, despite what he said earlier. The kids remain wary of their “hero.” Bo informs the imposter that he needs to stay in Salem a little longer to wrap up the case. Meanwhile, the real Rafe crawls out of the ravine, very much alive. Stefano manipulates Abigail into telling Chad she doesn’t think the hospital internship is right for him. Chad, thinking Abigail no longer likes him, tells Stefano he’ll take the DiMera job after all. Nicole sees EJ and Taylor kissing. Instead of confronting them, she slips away and considers her options while talking to a vision of Fay. Nicole is upset about her sister’s betrayal, but realizes she has power over EJ – and she decides to use it. She summons a lab tech to get confirmation that Rafe’s DNA matches that found in the DiMera basement. Meanwhile, EJ takes Taylor out for a romantic picnic. Taylor admits her love, and EJ kisses her. Taylor makes clear all must be resolved with Nicole before they can move forward. EJ assures her everything will work out fine – for everyone. Elsewhere, Nicole falls apart, feeling completely alone.

Jennifer admits to Daniel that she saw him kissing Carly. Daniel explains Carly was overly emotional – it wasn’t romantic. Melanie interrupts to tell Daniel that Philip left town with Parker. Daniel is hit by the news. After Melanie leaves, Jennifer pulls Daniel into a hug to console him. He pulls away, telling Jennifer he has feelings for her, but he understands that she doesn’t feel the same way. Jennifer shocks Daniel by admitting she does – and then kisses him! Melanie tells Carly about Troy attacking her the previous night. Carly is mortified she missed all her calls due to being drugged out. Later, she runs into Adrienne, and they talk about how love turned Adrienne’s life around. Carly starts to wonder if Daniel could be a solution to her problems rather than drugs. She suggests to Melanie that they visit Daniel, not knowing that at that very moment he and Jennifer are sharing their first kiss. Dario decides to stay in town, and Gabi wonders if it’s because of a girl. Dario denies it, but he later asks Melanie out to dinner. Melanie is taken aback and gently says she’s not ready to date. Dario suspects she’s interested in Brady but decides he won’t let that stop him. Later, Dario asks Adrienne for a job at the Cheatin’ Heart. Meanwhile, Will and Gabi resolve to stay together no matter what happens with his mom and her brother. Chloe is hit hard when she receives her final divorce papers. At Adrienne’s urging, Justin offers Chloe his assistance. He knows life must be rough now that she’s lost Parker. Chloe rebuffs him, saying she’ll find a way to survive on her own. Later, Chloe’s mood brightens when a stranger hits on her.

Bo and Abe formally thank “Rafe” for finding their children. Theo, however, tells Lexie that “Rafe” is mean, mean, mean. The imposter covers, admitting to being a bit stern with the children. Later, Bo and Hope share a warm, happy moment with Ciara, their family once again complete. Meanwhile, Rafe2 is stunned when Sami returns and offers him a hero’s welcome. Thinking the old Rafe has come back, she states that she wants to try again… Rafe2 is not happy about this, and he comes up with a plan to nip this in the bud. Taylor tells EJ the last thing she wants to do is hurt Nicole by taking her husband. EJ promises he’ll take care of everything and is positive Nicole will end up happy, too. He and Taylor kiss. At the same time, Nicole confides in Chloe and declares she wants revenge on her husband and sister. Chloe hopes she doesn’t go toe-to-toe with EJ, but Nicole won’t be deterred. Nicole calls the lab tech, anxious for the DNA results, but they’re not ready. She then goes home and comes face-to-face with EJ and Taylor. Jennifer and Daniel’s kiss leads to him asking her out, and she accepts. Carly and Melanie arrive at the apartment and learn about the date. Melanie heartily approves while Carly must hide her disappointment. Later, at the hospital, Carly takes some samples from a pharmaceutical rep and pops the drugs. At the Brady Pub, Adrienne informs Abigail that Jack responded to Adrienne’s email but failed to even acknowledge his family. Later, Jennifer spies Abigail checking out Jack’s blog, where it seems like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Abigail feels bad for her mother, but Jennifer reveals she has a date with Daniel.