Days of our Lives Recap Jan 12: Alex realizes he’s the stalker’s target
In the Days of our Lives recap for Monday, January 12, 2026, Leo bonds with Xander and a bottle of tequila, Brady leans on Sarah, Dimitri visits Javi, and Alex makes a dangerous decision.
Days of our Lives Recap
At Stephanie and Alex’s, Steve told them that putting a wedding announcement in The Spectator could be dangerous.
Stephanie hoped that the announcement would push her stalker over the edge, and said that was why she wanted it published.
Steve understood Stephanie being frustrated, but didn’t think trying to flush the guy out was a great idea. Alex agreed and said that since they were going to have a long engagement anyway, they should wait on announcing it to the world.
Stephanie told them that she was tired of living the way they were. She said she wanted to be able to enjoy a dinner out with her fiance without her dad having to be there for protection, and she was taking back control.
Steve showed Stephanie and Alex a message board that he’d found on the dark web about them. The message was about getting rid of Alex so he could be with Stephanie.
Steve showed them the screen, and there were photos of them kissing in the square. “That’s from this morning. He got close enough to take pictures!” Stephanie gasped. “Or kill,” Alex added.
Stephanie realized that the guy was a lot scarier than she thought. Alex was reeling from the information that he was the one in danger and agreed it was time to go to the police.
However, Alex still wanted to send out the engagement announcement. He refused to live his life in fear of the guy and made Stephanie submit the announcement.
At the DiMera mansion, Dimitri kissed Leo and then asked how he felt. Leo told him again that he loved Javi. Before he could leave, Dimitri told him that they both felt something when they kissed.
Dimitri said that he gave up his freedom for Leo, and he deserved an explanation. He couldn’t believe that Leo could settle for someone else after all they’d been through.
Dimitri said it felt like yesterday that Leo was ready to run away with him and give everything up. He asked if Leo would do that for Javi. “He would never need me to,” Leo told him.
“You loved me, warts and all,” Dimitri said. He told Leo that he believed nothing had changed between them. Leo told Dimitri that he had changed a lot since they were together.
Leo started to struggle with Dimitri in front of him, calling him his love. Dimitri held his hand and said they were cut from the same cloth and understood one another in a way that Leo and Javi never would.
“You don’t know that. You don’t know Javi,” Leo told Dimitri. He said he had to go and walked out.
At the hospital, Sarah emerged from Chanel’s room and pulled Paulina aside to tell her it wasn’t a miscarriage. Paulina told Javi he could visit Trey anytime, then took the baby home.
Sarah asked Javi how he was doing as she’d heard about the wedding. Javi couldn’t express how he felt, so Sarah just hugged him.
Sarah told Javi that just because a situation was complicated didn’t mean it was irreparable. “I’m just afraid to hope. I don’t know how many more goodbyes I can take,” Javi told her.
At Titan, Xander fired Brady. Maggie tried to intervene, but neither man wanted to work with the other anymore. In the hall, Brady told her he knew that he had just promised her not to leave and apologized for calling Titan a sinking ship to Xander.
In the hallway, Maggie promised Brady she’d protect his team and that she’d save the company on her own. Brady said he’d see her at dinner.
Maggie went back into the office and told Xander to think before he acted. She suggested he take the day off, and she and Philip would handle the shareholders’ meeting.
Maggie called Sarah and told her what happened. She wanted to go talk to Xander, but Maggie advised against it. Maggie told her that Brady went home and that she was worried about Xander and Brady.
Sarah left work to go see Brady and hear his version of what happened. Ultimately, Brady said it was a blessing in disguise.
Brady said the push would make him finally go out and find his new calling in life, away from the corporate world.
Brady said it was a bad idea for him and Xander to work together. He just hoped that he wasn’t disappointing his dad by walking away from the company.
Sarah assured Brady that he was also John’s legacy and he would be proud of him. A tearful Brady brought up Rachel and how he didn’t want to make things harder for her.
Brady explained that Rachel still didn’t understand that her parents weren’t going to be together. That said, he planned to talk to her therapist about his relationship with Sarah.
In the square, Dimitri saw Javi and asked if he remembered him. Javi vaguely recalled him as the proverbial ex who ruined his life. Dimitri offered Javi a pick-me-up.
Dimitri sat down and told Javi that he blamed Gwen for his disappearance and that Leo came by to see him. Javi surprised Dimitri by revealing that he had sent Leo there so he could deal with his feelings.
Dimitri told Javi that he kissed Leo and that he liked it so much that Leo kissed him back passionately. Javi was going to throw his coffee in Dimitri’s face, but he’d drunk it all. “I guess it’s the thought that counts,” Dimitri quipped.
Javi realized there was no point in talking to Dimitri and went back to work.
Xander and Leo ran into each other outside of Marlena’s office, both in need of an emergency session. Since she wasn’t there, they decided to be each other’s counselor.
At the pub, Xander and Leo drank tequila as Leo told of his Dimitri problems. He said the kiss brought back old feelings, and now he felt like Javi deserved better than him.
Xander could totally relate, as that was how he felt about him and Sarah. “I just love Sarah and Victoria so much, I had to walk away,” Xander shared. Leo said that was deep and asked if he regretted leaving.
Xander said he regretted it every minute of every day, but then on days like today, when he’s reminded of who he is, he knew he made the right choice.