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Rafe Hernandez
Rafael Alejandro “Rafe” Hernandez is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives. Created by co-head writers, Dena Higley and Christopher Whitesell, Rafe has been portrayed by actor Galen Gering since the character’s debut on October 31, 2008. Rafe was married to Samantha Gene “Sami” Brady.

The protective, older brother of Arianna Hernandez, Dario Hernandez and Gabriella Hernandez, Rafe is the first of his family to appear in Salem. Details of the character’s back story are sketchy, but it is revealed that he was raised by his mother, his father being absent during most of his adolescent years. Rafe spent some of that time at the orphanage run by the nuns at the Convent of the Holy Cross, and was mentored by Sister Agnes.

2008 The Safehouse

Rafe arrives in Salem as the FBI agent assigned to guard Sami Brady, who has entered the witness protection program after witnessing the murder of Salem’s mayor, at the hands of the DiMeras. Sami’s father, Commander Roman Brady had requested Rafe’s services. Due to the nature of their safehouse environment and Sami’s antagonistic belligerence to Rafe’s watchful eye, their early relationship is characterized by bickering and bluffing. Early on, Rafe realizes that Sami is pregnant and she confesses that she is carrying the child of her ex-husband, EJ DiMera. Sami is desperate to keep the pregnancy a secret, to safeguard the child from the corrupt DiMeras, and so Rafe agrees not to reveal her situation. Rafe’s life is on the line when he is attacked by the hitman trailing Sami while shopping for stuffed penguins for her twins for Christmas. He is again captured and stabbed while Sami is giving birth at a nearby clinic, where the nuns have taken her. Rafe escapes, finding Sami and the baby at the Convent of the Holy Cross where the nuns give them shelter to recuperate in seclusion until the hitman is seized. Roman agrees to give them more time, but eventually Rafe prepares to say goodbye to his latest assignment and baby Grace, with whom he has already bonded. Sister Agnes and Sister Theresa both comment on the special relationship he has with both mother and daughter. Sami leaves her newborn daughter with the nuns while she concocts a plan for the baby’s protection and returns to her other three children in Salem. 2009 Losing Grace

Rafe turns down a high profile job in New York to live in Salem and assist Sami with her plan to announce that she adopted a child (Grace) while in witness protection, so as not to reveal the baby’s true parentage. Their relationship further blossoms as Rafe becomes a special part of each of her other children’s (Will, Johnny and Allie) lives. He loses his prestigious FBI position after it becomes known that he became involved with his client, and takes a job as a construction worker. One night, while working the night shift, he is summoned to University Hospital where baby Grace is suddenly near death. Rafe remains at Sami’s side as she loses her daughter to bacterial meningitis, and during the aftermath of telling her family and the Dimeras that Grace was EJ’s child.

The Baby Switch

The DiMeras are desperate to eliminate Rafe, now employed by the Salem Police Department, from Sami’s life, as he is beginning to uncover clues to a cover up. They enlist the help of Meredith Hudson, the deranged sister of Rafe’s former fiancé, Emily, who was killed in a car accident on the day of their scheduled wedding. Rafe still feels guilty for Emily’s death, as he was the driver of the car. Meredith takes Rafe hostage, violently beating him in the head repeatedly with bricks and a fireplace poker, and finally dumps him in the Salem River. Close to death, he is rescued by Dr. Carly Manning, unable to tell her his identity. Barely recovered, Rafe returns to Sami, who thought he had abandoned her. They share a brief, tender reunion before Rafe completes his mission to prove that Sami’s baby had indeed been switched at birth by Nicole Walker Dimera, Sami’s arch enemy. Sami’s baby was actually Sydney, the baby EJ and Nicole were raising. Rafe brings Sydney home to Sami and the Brady family welcomes her into the fold.

2009-2010 The kidnapping

Their happiness is short lived as Sydney is soon kidnapped. Weeks later, Rafe is able to prove that Nicole had taken Sydney and fled. However, before the little girl can be returned, she is kidnapped again while in Nicole’s care. The baby snatchers make demands to EJ and Sami in return for her safety and they are warned not to involve Rafe. Sydney is soon feared dead, which devastates Rafe, who had diligently worked to find her. While the love between Rafe and Sami is evident, they are both too hurt to acknowledge how much they need each other. Weeks go by until EJ turns up with her in Salem, portraying himself as the hero. Rafe is immediately suspicious of Sami’s ex-husband and continues his investigation. He leaves the country and is imprisoned in South America, due to the Dimera’s influence. During the summer of 2010, she makes plans to re-marry EJ to create a family for her children as she feels Rafe no longer loves her. Rafe escapes from jail and goes immediately to Sami, who he learns has moved into the Dimera mansion with her children. Rafe informs Sami that he will not rest until he has solved the mystery of Sydney’s disappearance. He manipulates Nicole for information, and Sami sees them together, thinking they have been intimate. She flees back to the mansion and demands that EJ marry her as soon as possible. Rafe obtains the information he needs, a cd recording Nicole has of EJ admitting to his father, Stefano, that he had masterminded Sydney’s kidnapping with the help of Anna DiMera,to punish Sami for keeping the truth about Grace from him, an eye for an eye.

Rafe tries to protect Sami

Rafe intercepts Sami and EJs’ wedding just as they are about to exchange vows and tells Sami the truth. They take the children from the mansion, and later share a sweet reunion at the Brady pub, vowing never to be apart again. They spend a romantic night at Rafe’s apartment but Sami is alerted that EJ plans to flee with their children, Johnny and Sydney, and while Rafe is asleep, returns to the mansion to confront her ex-husband. She finds him passed out, with a gun in his hand. Sami snaps and takes the gun from his hand, shooting him in the head. Rafe is unaware of what has happened, and after calming Sami from several nightmares and talking at length about their future, proposes to her. Sami, thinking E.J. is dead, accepts and the couple informs the family of their plans. Sami’s uncle, Police Commissioner Bo Brady informs them that E.J. is fighting for his life at University Hospital. He regains consciousness and pretends to think that he and Sami are still married. Sami is encouraged to play along, so as not to endanger his health anymore. Rafe and Roman finally confront E.J. about his trickery and inform him of impending charges of child endangerment and kidnapping. Rafe’s sister, Arianna, becomes close to E.J. and subsequently loses her life at the hands of the Dimera thugs. Rafe is crushed at the loss of his sister, who knew that Sami had shot E.J. Rafe believes that Will, Sami’s son was the shooter and that Sami is protecting him, leading Sami to tell him the truth. Although Rafe is a man of the law, he loves Sami more than his job, so he resigns from the police force and persuades her to move up their wedding date to protect her. He arranges a romantic evening wedding in the woods, with only the priest, Sami’s children and grandmother, and his younger sister, Gabi present. Following the ceremony, E.J. and Nicole blackmail the newlyweds into handing over custody of Johnny and Sydney. Rafe again comforts Sami in time of loss.

2011 Johnny’s cancer

Soon after, another tragedy strikes as Johnny is diagnosed with fast spreading cancer of the eye. This was found early, due to Rafe’s insistence on medical attention for the boy, after examining a wedding photo of Johnny. EJ is furiously jealous of Johnny’s close relationship with Rafe, as witnessed at the hospital and later, when the boy runs away from the mansion to find his step-father at the police station. The Dimeras concoct another plan to break up the Hernandez marriage.

The Car Crash & The Doppleganger

Stefano hires a street thug to undergo plastic surgery and voice training to impersonate Rafe. While he still has some facts to learn about Rafe and Sami’s life together, their timeline is sped up when Rafe is involved in a serious car accident. The doctors admit that Rafe’s memory and personality may be impaired due to his head injuries. He regains consciousness long enough to hear Sami’s heartfelt pleas for him to recover and her admission that he is the best thing that has ever happened to her. EJ overhears her tell her husband how much her children love and need him. Stefano introduces his son to the doppelganger, (also played by Gering) and they immediately have him switched with the real Rafe at the hospital. Rafe is kept prisoner in the Dimera basement as R2 takes over his life with Sami. He comes face to face with his doppelganger, realizes what the Dimeras have done, and consequently, Allie’s life is threatened. In an attempt to save her and return to Sami, he escapes, but just as he reaches his own doorstep, he is captured and beaten. Stefano and EJ realize they have met their match, taunting Rafe and erasing his memory, sending him off to a mental institution guarded by their thugs. The only thing that Rafe has in his possession is a key, which he feels will lead him to his past. Sami endures distressing times with R2 as he makes his way into her bed and into her children’s lives, feeling guilty that she caused these changes in her husband’s memory and personality, as the car crash was her fault. R2 also impersonates Rafe in his law enforcement career and causes internal problems at the station. During this time, his brother, Dario arrives in Salem and notices a drastic change in his older brother, as does sister, Gabi. The man the family knows as Rafe appears irresponsible, selfish and anything but a hero. For the sake of her children, Sami leaves R2 and ends up at the safehouse where her lovestory with Rafe began. Concurrently, Rafe escapes his guards and is aided by a nun to find his way back to the safehouse, still not knowing his own identity or having any memory of his past life. When he reaches the safehouse door, he realizes the place is important to him, he hears a woman inside crying, and he tries his key. Sami is shocked and afraid to see who she thinks is R2 standing there, but soon notices he is acting strangely and believes he is trying to fool her. Rafe implores her to tell him who he is and what happened at this special place. Soon, R2 arrives and Sami protects Rafe, stepping in front of the gun that R2 has pointed at him. R2 knocks Sami down, injuring her and Rafe lunges at him. After Sami comes to and the couples tends to each other’s injuries, they gag and tie R2 up while they decide what to do next, fearful of the Dimera’s next move. Little by little, Rafe’s memory returns, the couple joyful reunites and Rafe decides to impersonate the impersonator in order to obtain evidence against the Dimeras. This plan is foiled when R2 is killed in the Salem jail just before he is to provide incriminating information against the Dimeras. Sami and Rafe are able to use the leverage of this knowledge, however, to regain custody of Johnny and Sydney.

Sami's health scare

Rafe and Sami enjoy a few months of happiness with their family and even contemplate having a baby of their own. They decide to give themselves more time as Allie has just returned from spending weeks in Hong Kong with her father, Lucas Horton and is just beginning to accept Rafe again following the emotional abuse she suffered at the hands of R2. Soon, however, Sami experiences symptoms of pregnancy and the couple is elated that a baby may be on the way. Much to their despair, they are informed that Sami has ovarian cysts that may be cancerous and she is scheduled for surgery. Rafe is beside himself with worry, and pleads with Dr. Lexie Carver to save his wife, his "whole world." Sami has a allergic reaction to the anesthesia and Rafe worries again he may lose her. The family rejoices when Sami recovers and is declared cancer free. Rafe treats his wife to an expensive dinner at Chez Rouge and a romantic night at home.

2011-2012 The John Black case and aftermath

Sami’s mother and stepfather, Dr. Marlena Evans & John Black, return to Salem, along with her sister, Carrie and husband, Austin Reed, with whom Sami also had a romantic history. The family enjoys a brief reunion until John is charged with corporate espionage, ripping Salemites of their fortunes invested in his company, Basic Black. Carrie, now a lawyer, and Rafe conspire to clear John’s name, which leads to rifts in both the Hernandez and Reed marriages. Sami is haunted by her memories of witnessing Marlena and John’s affair and feelings of animosity toward them resurface. The morning John’s trial begins, Rafe convinces Sami to join him and the children at the Brady Pub in a show of support. Unbeknownst to them, EJ has arranged for a hit man to kill John and the shooting results in Johnny going missing. News reports indicate that a body matching Johnny’s description has been found, and Rafe goes to investigate. He finds that the boy is actually not Johnny and later finds the lad hiding at the Pub. Meanwhile, Sami angrily confronts EJ because she suspects that he has kidnapped yet another of her children. EJ feels guilty because he believes he has caused his own son’s death and a huge argument ensues. While Rafe and Will are discovering a scared but fine little Johnny and are searching frantically for his mother, Sami and EJ have angry sex on the Dimera couch and Will secretly sees them, just as Sami had seen her mother and John all those years ago. Later that night, Sami is reunited with Johnny after Rafe finally reaches her by phone. Will also witnesses the reunion but remains cold and distant, causing Rafe to worry about their relationship. While Sami is mortified by her actions with EJ, she is determined to keep the facts from Rafe, fearing that it will end their marriage. She hurriedly plans a Christmas vow renewal ceremony, which Rafe considers unnecessary but he goes along with her plan to make her happy. They enjoy a romantic Christmas and New Years Eve. However, Rafe is worried and suspicious of Sami’s new job with Mad World cosmetics, where she is secretly a mole hired by Madison James to spy on rival, and Sami’s schemingex-mother in law, Kate Dimera of Countess Wilhelmia Cosmetics. Rafe continues to work with Carrie to prove John’s innocence and ends up being fired by Roman, who cites disloyalty to the force. Austin and Sami both doubt John’s innocence, feeling that his personality was changed by the Dimeras brain altering devices they used on him in the past. Both marriages begin to suffer due to Sami’s secret and John’s case, leading to jealousy of Austin on Rafe’s part, and a closer relationship between Rafe and Carrie, who open a law office with a detective component. The practice has difficulty getting off the ground and both partners, lonely in their marriages, feel an attraction toward one another. As they celebrate their first paying case with a kiss, Sami walks in on them. She demands that Rafe move out of their loft, while being eaten up with guilt over her own transgression. Rafe is wracked with guilt over the kiss with Carrie and vows to do whatever it takes to win his Blue Eyes back. He then overhears Will tell a friend what he witnessed at the Dimera mansion the night Johnny was missing and Rafe’s world crumbles. He confronts Sami, who admits her betrayal, barges over to the mansion and punches EJ, revealing to Nicole what her husband and his wife did. He confides in Carrie that his relationship with Sami may be over, but urges her to save her own marriage. Later, he discovers that Nicole, despondent over the breakup of her marriage, is expecting EJ’s child. In order to protect another innocent child from the clutches of the Dimeras, Rafe offers to claim the child as his own. Nicole switches the DNA test results to name Rafe as the father and he and Dr. Jonas agree to keep her secret.