Holdin' on to love to save your life

While Jordan continued her crazy crusade, Ciara kept the faith that Ben would bring her home. Abigail clung to Chad's promise to return Charlotte safely. Sonny and Will had held out long enough and were reunited for Valentine's Day! And Kate hung onto life just long enough for Rafe to ride to the rescue! Yes, it was a week of love, or something like it, in Salem. So, let's get all Cupidy in this week's DAYS Two Scoops!

Yet another Valentine's DAYS has come and gone, friends. This year, I had two suitors fighting for my attention. Ben and Jerry. Who won? I did. For sure. But that wasn't the only fighting going on this February 14th. Ben fought to save Ciara from Jordan. And you know what? He did! And it was all CINfully delicious. Let's take a look...

Without a doubt, Ben and Ciara have their obstacles. There's even a level of "Srsly, girl!?" that she should even think about being with him. He's a reformed serial killer who's made mistakes since, after all, but, you know what? I don't care, I love CIN.

It's rather a unique love story. There are more landmines and red flags than eating week-old Chinese takeout leftovers, but, damn it, they're captivating due to the chemistry between Robert Scott Wilson and Victoria Konefal, along with the writers taking their time to address said landmines and red flags.

But for every uneasy CIN moment, there are swoon-worthy ones. Ben and Ciara's mutual fantasies/daydreams were amazing. They do have a connection. Plus, it was rather triumphant the way he fought his way to save her life then, later, finding out she came back to Salem because, "I want us to be together." Insert swoons. So, nope, the road won't be easy, but it's been fascinating so far, and I'm in it for more.

Meanwhile, I was on the fence about Jordan becoming DAYS' psycho du jour, but I think I'm on board now. In a Melrose Place-esque twist, Jordan pulled her hair up, and that exposed a gnarly scar on the back of her head. It seems Tammy Sue was in a bad car accident last summer, and she's been having problems since then. Really? We hadn't noticed at all, Jordan. Please don't set us on fire...too.

But, for real, it was an aha moment! Now we (probably) know what turned her into the recently returned mind-jumbled Jordan. Though, if she had pulled off a wig by that hair handle thingy on the top of her head, exposing an even bigger scar, the Melrose fanboy in me would have probably joygasmed from the nod. But, I digress...

You know when I really knew that Jordan was crazy? When she tried to burn down the cabin. That doesn't work, Jor. It just doesn't. That place must be made of Vibranium. Like, seriously, Cher will be shacked up there, watching The Fast and the Furious Part 101: Dalmatians Driving! after the apocalypse. Some things will just last forever. So, give up trying to torch that place, future firebugs of Salem.

Along with nearly torching Ciara and later bashing Ben on the noggin, Jordan also took time to take out Kate. That was a bit poetic, given their history, but I had my issues. I mean, this is Kate Roberts we're talking about. She has martinis for breakfast then goes out drinking. If nothing else, the lady can hold her liquor, and I'm glad Gabi realized that. I think Kate could handle being bested by Jordan more than someone calling her a sloppy drunk. That would be sacrilege.

Actually, I'm more upset that Kate turned her back on Jordan. That was rather careless. Kate is one of the most seasoned schemers in Salem, and turning your back on your foe is an amateur move. Never underestimate opponents, Katerina. Stefano is still alive, after all, and would be so disappointed if he heard. Oh, and he heard. You know he still has the 4-1-1 on what's happening in Salem.

Speaking of, what happened with Kate is that she was drugged by Jordan and left for dead. Gabi put two and two together and told Rafe, who followed a gut feeling, and he saved Kate's life. She may not get her room deposit back, since he broke down the door, but she's appreciative of him, nonetheless. Which leads me to wonder -- are we heading for a redux of Kate and Rafe? It could have been the lingering drugs in her system, or maybe she was just genuinely grateful, but she seemed to have a spark in her eye when she watched him walk away. Plus, there's this...

Rafe came home to find Ted kissing Hope! After la Lawyer of Love and the commish palled around while looking for Ciara, Ted talked about his feeling for Hope. He's smitten. He's in. Then he kissed her! Hope didn't exactly kiss him back, but he didn't receive a smack, which makes me wonder if there's just a wee bit of Fancy Face who's tired of playing it safe. While I don't want another affair storyline at the moment, if Safe officially imploded and Hope moved on with Ted, I wouldn't be mad. At all.

"Moving on" reminds me -- Chad and Abigail are reunited, and it feels so good! After a wacky ride, Charlotte is home. She's back in Abigail's arms. Chad lived up to the promise and put her there. That led to an awakening by Abigail and a relatively honest chat between her and Chad. They covered everything from blame to pain to punishment to recovery. And in the end, they decided they can't live without each other any longer! You don't say, Chabby. You don't say.

In the wake of casting news, I think this is an appropriate place for Chad, Abigail, and their family to be. DAYS doses us with dire drama all the time. I'm glad we're getting (or hopefully getting, okay, expecting to get -- Ron, don't let us down) a happy ending for characters who really, really, really deserve a beat of bliss after the past few years.

Oh! And to answer your question. That squeal you heard off in the distance soon after "Chabby" reconciled was Julie doing a celebratory shriek of "Yes, I told you so!" then her patented "I Was Right!" Happy Dance. Oh, what the hell, Jules. Let's boogie!

LOOSE ENDS: Lauren Koslow and Kate Mansi crushed the scenes between Kate and Abigail! The use of Kate's tragic history with Curtis and the children was very smart (and I appreciated it, as a DAYS history aficionado). I also liked the uneasy truce between them. It all worked. Though, as poignant as the scenes were, the little devil sitting on my shoulder wanted Kate to follow up at least one line with, "You remember Austin, don't you, Abigail?" Because we all know she does. #awkward

This CIN/Cray Cray Jordan storyline is doing wonders for Eli! He's getting back to the swagger he had when he first came to Salem. Yes, Eli, yes, yes, yes! He deduced that Ben sounded legit worried about Ciara in the voicemails he left her. He concluded that he wouldn't even have left her voicemails had he had her. And he determined that things just weren't adding up. Yes, Eli. You are right, sir. A gold star for you!

Do you think it physically pained Hope to thank Ben? Okay. Just kidding. For real, Kristian Alfonso lit it up during those scenes. She wasn't given a lot of dialogue, but she did wonders with the material. There seemed to be a moment there when Hope realized how far down the narrow Blame Ben rabbit hole she'd fallen and that it almost cost her Ciara because she hadn't explored other possibilities. I think Hope is far from putting on a CIN cap, but I'm hoping her Ben Blinders are finally coming off for her sake. Here's to crossing fingers for a Better Fancy Face tomorrow.

Congratulations, John -- it's a boy! Diana informed her Once-Roman that Leo is his son. John was delighted. By "delighted," I mean disappointed and disturbed. He would have rather Diana returned his Richard Marx cassette and the commemorative piece of the Berlin Wall he bought at a Salem Place kiosk that she took when she sneaked out of town years ago. Ah, 1989. Those were simpler times, eh, John?

Needless to say, Leo being John's son is sure to stir up a lot of drama. Even Roman knows this. He told John to wait until after Valentine's Day to tell Marlena. Diana doesn't want it told, either. Though I think John already spoiled Valentine's Day with that mug. It's a cute real-life gift, but on a soap? John could have done better and bigger. But, again, I digress...

John didn't tell Mar Mar yet. But I'm thinking he may not have any reason to. Something has my Spidey Senses tingling. I suspect Leo isn't John Black, Jr. Diana doesn't seem to be the most trustworthy dame. Plus, her argument that he had "moved on" wasn't the most impactful. People "move on" from their ex taking a few trinkets with them, but not telling them about a child deserves a little more of a college try. Nice try, though, Lady Di.

Oh. Oh! But I love everything about Gabi helping Sonny to take down Leo. Her newfound shifty skillset will have the current Mr. Sonny Kiriakis shaking in his heart-shaped box. If she can destroy Stefan, Leo will be a breeze.

In fact, I love that Stefan seems to simultaneously despise and admire Gabi. Well, admire her viciousness as he has that same nasty streak. I was also surprised that he admitted she utterly ruined his life. Oh. She did. I was just surprised he admitted that. I'm still not mad at Gabi for that part of her savage scheme.

Yes, Chloe. Yes! You go. While it's still a little suspect that she's staying with Stefan, I stand firmly beside her reasons not to do so with Brady. She's right! He needs to get his stuff together. He does. He so does. She's also correct about not wanting to rebound in anything similar to a Chloe/Lucas way. The Chlomeister would be wise to adopt a dating scorched-earth policy.

Though I also get Brady's retort. Stefan is sleazy. And, as Brady said, "He was in love with a woman who didn't exist." He's not wrong. Maybe he should take her on the run to Canada. That worked well for him in the past. I kid. I kid.

Stefan may be a delusional rapist, but he is certainly hospitable. He was his version of very kind to Chloe and the children once they moved into the mansion. He even quipped the he was "counting on you and the kids to bring cheer into the mansion." He also wants to hear Chloe croon! We all do, Stefan. We all do. Then again, she has dark hair, so maybe he's hoping she'll be a proxy for "Gabby." She should worry if her new friend starts calling her that.

Boom! Eve brought up Abigail marrying Dario to keep him in the country. Laurisa totally brought that up a few weeks ago, too. Though I suspect Eve and Laurisa have different reasons. Eve wants to protect Jack's campaign from scandal for purely unselfish reasons, I'm sure. Laurisa doesn't want to watch a rinse and repeat of that "oh so fun!" storyline. I'll be firmly on Team Laurisa if you need me (and that's not only because she has wine and snacks).

Speaking of J.J. and Haley, they played kissy face, and she pretty much showered him with adoration. She loves that he's trustworthy. She's glad she shared her secret with him. She knows he'll never hurt her. As she went on, I could only hear Jabba the Hutt's laughter in my head. This isn't going to end well for them.

HOT Chad and Ben teaming up then "Chabby" reuniting during an already CINsational Sweeps week? Yes, please. More, please!

NOT Oh, Sarah. Sweetie. Come here. Come sit by me. Sit. Sit. If you have to worry, "I hope he [Rex] didn't meet someone and..." when your guy goes out for goodies, as Liz Lemon would say, "Shut it down. That's a deal breaker, ladies."

LINE OF THE WEEK Leo (to Sonny): "Do you want to put your future -- not to mention your beloved Will's -- in the hands of twelve people who were too stupid to get out of jury duty?"

RANDOM THOUGHTS While Thursday's episode was exciting, it was also a little jarring going from lovey-dovey couples declaring their affection to a crazy woman setting Ciara on fire. Next year, the writers might want to take a cue from Halloween and do a stand-alone episode for Valentine's Day. You know, really get back to that "love in the afternoon" soap mantra without the wonky juxtaposition.

Sarah is a well-balanced character, if you think about it. Just when she hits a low zig, she zags back up to a high. Case in point, she and Rex are a misfire, but I could watch her make fun of Eric for the "Jeneric" disaster all day long. Hilarious!

How did I never know there was a screening room in the DiMera mansion!? If you need me, I'll be there. Can someone please send Harold down with popcorn, Scotch, and chocolate? And thank you.

I'm proudly wearing my "I *Heart* Doc!" T-shirt and matching socks. I adore that Marlena knows when John and Roman are up to something. She has her master's degree in Roman 1.0 and 2.0, so those fools should know better than to attempt to hoodwink her.

Rex brought up Chez Rouge! Yes, please.

Sonny and Will's Valentine's Day was sweet, but I'm gladder they brought up some of the murkier past between them. It seems like all is forgiven. I guess a little believed death and resurrection puts things into perspective.

Salemites pick the weirdest places to remain incognito. Escapee Ben took Hope to the park then went to Horton Town Square. Jordan sat in front of the Brady Pub. People, go to the pier. Nobody goes there anymore. It's safe for most shady endeavors!

Leo surely knows how to personalize a Valentine's Day card. Maybe he created it at the same place John got that personalized "Jarlena" mug.

Remember that "Hot Mug Shot Guy" everyone seemed to go gaga for a few years back? I think he's met his match. The news bulletin bearing Ben's was pretty legit, too.

Am I the only one who can't see Julie sitting around knitting a blanket for a baby? I can see her buying (or stealing) one from a department store, but Julie comes across more scrolling through Salem gossip columns on her tablet than knitting.

J.J.: "My buddy, Eli, I, uh, wanted to help look for evidence, but he pretty much kicked me out." Haley: "Because you're not a cop anymore?" Me: "Well, yes. There's that."

I chuckled that in Ciara's daydreams about Ben, he was wearing normal street clothes, while in his visions of her, she was dressed as the lovechild of Princess Jasmine and Selena. Victoria looked stunning, though!

I'm surprised Maggie supported Chloe's choice to stay at the DiMera mansion. You'd think she'd want her grandchildren close and for them far away from Stefan, given what he did to Abigail. Weird.

When Jordan was with Ben, and Ciara was drugged and tied up, did anyone else wonder who was tending to the baby?

While J.J. and Haley are kind of boring as a potential couple so far, I could watch J.J. tell her Salem stories all day. Haley's reactions are great.

I was surprised that with Hope's Judo chopping prowess and Kung Fu grip, she just stood there and watched Ted and Ben wrestle around on the ground. Then again, I don't entirely blame her.

Unless I missed a beat, I'm shocked that nobody thought of Gabi as a suspect in kidnapping Charlotte. Well, Stefan mentioned something along the lines while arguing with Gabi. Though he'd have Charlotte wearing a dark wig by now to look more like her mother, if he was still in control. So, yeah. He doesn't count.

Leo and his heart-shaped box totally gave me a Nick Fallon flashback!

Wow. Sometimes it's hard to remember Rex is a doctor. I mean, really, where would one get blueberries in February? Someone needs to invent some kind of store where one would go to for things like groceries. It could be divided up into sections like produce, dairy, meats, wine, ice cream, toiletries, etc. Nah. That'll never happen. Hunting and gathering it is!

PARTING THOUGHTS So, friends and fellow DAYS fans, that's it for the week of February 18. As I'm off to the DiMera mansion's screening room with a bag full of Blu-rays, booze, and discounted Valentine's Day candy, Laurisa will be back next week to check in on all things Salem! And, "That's a fact!"

What are your thoughts on ? What did you think of this week's Two Scoops? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.