In 1986, the rapist attacking Salem's women turned out to be Ian, Melissa's ex-lover. Melissa, meanwhile, after finding out Pete was involved in some illegal activities, had fallen for Soviet dancer Lars Englund. However, when Pete was hurt in an accident while saving Bo Brady's life, Melissa couldn't bring herself to leave him. His paralysis was a psychosomatic attempt to hold onto Melissa. Kayla opened a waterfront clinic on her return to Salem, and she fell in love with Steve Johnson, who worked for Victor Kiriakis.
Kiriakis, it turned out, had fathered Bo, when Caroline had a brief affair with him. Bo and pregnant Hope moved into the Kiriakis mansion. Bo explained to her that the arrangement was part of an attempt to foil Victor. Not long after, she had a miscarriage.
Marlena believed that the mysterious Pawn, John Black, was her presumed dead husband, Roman, and they reunited.
Jennifer Horton returned to town as a runaway from boarding school, but she got her act together when she moved in with her grandparents. When her friend Matt, a drug addict, attempted to jump off a ledge, Marlena saved his life but almost lost her own when she fell. After spending almost a month in a coma, she and Roman were remarried, but it was not long before she was kidnapped by Orpheus. Roman and other friends followed the trail to Stockholm, where they found Marlena thanks to ISA assistance.
Liz and Neil Curtis divorced, and she left Salem. Mike became involved with Jewish doctor Robin Jacobs. Steve was briefly involved with Britta, his old flame, but she was working for Victor, and eventually she left town.
Shane and Kimberly separated when she thought her baby might really be Victor's child. They got back together, but Andrew was kidnapped and they separated again. The holidays were less than joyful when around Christmas Marlena was presumed dead in an explosion set off by Orpheus, and Shane discovered the bruised and dead body of his ex-wife, Emma, on New Year's Eve.
