How Kristen And Lani Almost Became Nuns On Days Of Our Lives

The following article includes references to infant loss.

"Days of Our Lives" has given fans plenty to talk about over the decades. However, one of the most shocking moments from the NBC soap opera came when the show opted to jump ahead in time an entire year. The "Days of Our Lives" time jump occurred during a period when Jennifer Horton (Melissa Reeves) was in a coma, per Nine. Jennifer's coma lasted a full year, but viewers saw it all go down in a matter of a few episodes. When Jennifer woke up, things had drastically changed in Salem.

Many characters had their lives completely altered during that time. Some "Days of Our Lives" characters had sadly died, such as Adrienne Kiriakis (Judi Evans), per Soaps in Depth. Meanwhile, others, such as Ben Weston (Robert Scott Wilson) and Will Horton (Chandler Massey), were in jail. Life changed for so many beloved Salemites, and fans learned about all of these stunning storylines through Jennifer's eyes as she discovered everything that happened during her year-long coma.

One of the most surprising twists of the time jump was that two characters — Lani Price (Sal Stowers) and Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk) — fled Salem and found friendship in each other while training to become nuns.

After the "Days of Our Lives" time jump was explained, viewers began to put the pieces of the past year together. It was revealed that JJ Deveraux's (Casey Moss) girlfriend Haley Chen (Thia Megia) died, and Kristen DiMera had a hand in her death. The tragedy happened when Kristen gave birth to her daughter. She and her boyfriend Brady Black (Eric Martsolf) were over the moon about the little girl's arrival but were soon heartbroken to learn that the child died (via Celebrating The Soaps). Sadly, Haley, a nurse at Salem University Hospital found herself in the crossfire of Kristen's grief. She chased down Haley looking for answers about her daughter's death and ultimately pushed Haley down a flight of stairs causing her to fall to her death, per Soaps in Depth.

Kristen panicked after Haley's death and in the madness of her grief, she fled Salem and headed to Europe where she joined a convent and was in training to become a nun (via Daily Soap Dish). Kristen was trying to atone for her past mistakes and keep a safe distance from Salem while leaning into her faith, and she wasn't alone. Lani Price was also there during a low point in her life.

Around the time Kristen DiMera left Salem, "Days of Our Lives" viewers also discovered that Lani Price fled town. Lani's story was also tragic and started when she was simply doing her job as a police officer. She found herself in a dangerous situation with Vivian Alamain and was forced to fire her gun. However, Vivian's son Stefan DiMera (Brandon Barash) stepped in front of the gun and took the bullet to save her life, per Soap Dirt. Stefan died, leaving his wife Gabi Hernandez (Camila Banus) heartbroken. His heart was later donated to a very ill Julie Williams (Susan Seaforth Hayes), which saved her life (via Soaps). However, Gabi's powerful connections with DiMera allowed her to get revenge. She had a pacemaker placed on Julie's new heart and a device that allowed her to control her heart rhythm, per Daily Soap Dish.

Gabi then began blackmailing Lani using Julie's life as a bargaining chip. She told Lani that she would have to break off her wedding to Julie's grandson, Eli Grant (Lamon Archey) in the middle of their ceremony and publicly humiliate him if she wanted Julie to live. Lani felt that she had no other choice but to follow Gabi's orders, and she ended up crushing Eli at the altar. Soon after she left Salem and found herself at the same convent as Kristen where the two women became friends and helped each other through some dark days.

"Days of Our Lives" fans never got to see Lani Price and Kristen DiMera become official nuns, but the two were close to taking their final vows. However, they were both pulled back to Salem before they could do so. Kristen returned home to see Brady Black, and the pair eventually learned that their daughter Rachel was still alive (via Soaps). The little girl was switched at birth with Sarah Horton's (Linsey Godfrey) late daughter by Xander Cook (Paul Telfer) and Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston).

Meanwhile, Lani returned home to find that Eli Grant had moved on and was in a romantic relationship with Gabi Hernandez. She was shocked and disgusted that Gabi had sucked Eli into her web of lies and eventually exposed all of the blackmail and pain that Gabi had caused, per Soap Opera Spy. Eli immediately ended his relationship, and he and Lani eventually reconciled. Lani and Eli went on to get married and welcome twins, Carver and Jules.

The nun storyline was fun while it lasted, but "Days of Our Lives" fans could never really imagine the two women (especially Kristen) as nuns.