Days Of Our Lives Relationship Timeline: Xander And Sarah
"Days of Our Lives" has given viewers so many memorable love stories over the years, per Cheat Sheet. The NBC soap opera introduced fans to couples such as Hope Williams (Kristian Alfonso) and Bo Brady (Peter Reckell), Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) and John Black (Drake Hogestyn), Jennifer Horton (Melissa Reeves) and Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford), Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney) and EJ DiMera, and even younger couples like Chad DiMera and Abigail Deveraux and Ciara Brady and Ben Weston.
The couples have always been the backbone of "DOOL," since the show's original pairing of Tom and Alice Horton (via TV Fanatic). Over the decades, there have been lasting love stories and fleeting romances. However, fans have loved watching all of the love and drama play out on the screen.
One of Salem's most dramatic couples in recent years has been Xander Cook Kiriakis (Paul Telfer) and Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey). While the pair certainly knows how to push each other's buttons, they've also been a steamy and loveable duo over the years.
Xander was a bad boy before meeting Sarah
"Days of Our Lives" fans first met Xander Cook Kiriakis in 2015, per Soap Central. Xander had family ties in Salem as his uncle is Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston). He was also previously close friends with Eric Brady (Greg Vaughan). Xander met Eric and a woman named Serena Mason when they were all in Africa. Eric and Serena began dating, but when they split, Xander struck up a romance with Serena. Eventually, Eric left Africa and returned to Salem, and Xander and Serena followed a few years later. This time, the duo were partners in a diamond heist (via Soaps).
Once the heist ended, Xander settled into life as a Kiriakis family member. However, he did butt heads with his uncle Victor. Xander's criminal ways eventually caught up with him when he landed himself in jail. While behind bars he teamed up with other Salem criminals Clyde and Orpheus, per Soaps in Depth. The trio escaped and wreaked havoc on Salem during a blackout. Eventually, Xander left Salem, and it was later discovered that he had blackmailed Nicole Walker (Arianne Zucker) into marrying him. Once that blew up in his face, Xander returned to Salem and moved into the Kiriakis mansion, where he met Sarah Horton, the daughter of Victor's wife, Maggie Horton (Suzanne Rogers). Naturally, there were sparks right from the beginning.
Xander and Sarah had a dramatic start to their romance
In 2019, Xander and Sarah first laid eyes on each other. Of course, Xander was interested in Sarah right away, and immediately began to make his move. However, the good girl doctor wanted nothing to do with Victor's criminal nephew. However, Sarah looked to Xander for comfort after dealing with the heartbreak of ending her engagement with Rex Brady (Kyle Lowder) and the end of her relationship with Eric Brady. The two had a one-night stand, and "Days of Our Lives" viewers immediately began to ship the couple who became known as "Xarah" (via Soaps).
Not long after their first romantic encounter, Sarah found out that she was pregnant with Eric's baby. However, because Eric had just reunited with Nicole, who was presumed dead, she didn't want to throw a wrench into their lives. She and Xander hatched a plan, and told everyone that Sarah was pregnant with Xander's baby (via Soaps in Depth). When "DOOL" skipped ahead an entire year, Xander and Sarah were revealed to be parenting her daughter, Mickey, together. However, fans were soon let in on a terrible secret. Sarah and Eric's biological daughter had actually died moments after birth due to trauma from a car accident that Sarah had been in. Not wanting Sarah to be hurt, Xander and his uncle Victor swapped her baby with that of Brady Black and Kristen DiMera's daughter.
When the baby swap was finally revealed, Sarah was devastated and left Xander at the altar on their wedding day.
The couple worked through some dark days together
"Days of Our Lives" viewers watched as Sarah tried to come to terms with the loss of her baby, as well as handing over little Mickey to her real parents, Brady and Kristen. As Sarah began to move on from the trauma, Xander did everything he could to win her back. Of course, Sarah wanted nothing to do with him at that point and even asked Brady Black to help her keep Xander at bay by pretending that they were dating (via Soaps). However, Xander didn't care and stopped at nothing to get back on Sarah's good side.
Xander never stopped loving Sarah and proved his love with his actions such as buying a headstone for Sarah's late child. Xander even helped to save Sarah's mother Maggie when she tried to kill herself. After everything, Sarah couldn't fight her feelings for Xander and the two finally got back together. The couple agreed to a fresh start and seemed genuinely happy as they grew closer and closer.
The pair even worked together in an effort to get information about Xander's cousin, Philip Kiriakis, who came to Salem and wanted Xander's job at Titan Industries (via Soaps in Depth). Sarah even went as far as to cozy up to Philip and pretend to split with Xander to gather intel for her man.
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The couple's plan for the future was ruined when Sarah was kidnapped
Although Sarah and Xander's plan to keep Philip away from Titan was exposed, the couple didn't falter. The duo was so in love that they both proposed to each other on the same day. Xander popped the question with a diamond ring, while Sarah brought a sweet treat to profess her love. However, the couple's wedding day was ruined when Kristen DiMera returned to Salem and kidnapped Sarah. Kristen then disguised herself as Sarah and dumped Xander, leaving him before they could say their vows yet again (via Soaps in Depth).
Kristen took Sarah and sent her to a private island. Believing that Sarah was gone from Salem for good, Xander eventually moved on with Jack's long lost daughter, Gwen. Xander and Gwen fell in love and even got engaged. However, Sarah was eventually found and returned to Salem. Sadly, Sarah wasn't in her right mind when she was found and was brainwashed to believe that she was a former "DOOL" character named Renee DuMonde (via Soaps).
Things have never been easy for Xander and Sarah, but fans can't help but root for the underdog couple to eventually find their happy ending together.