Eli and Lani weren’t together at the time, but seeing as how they were both Salem PD, it was inevitable that they’d run into each other. Seeing her through withdrawal after being exposed to a synthetic drug during a case isn’t exactly the meet-cute most would want, but hey, whatever works, works!
Originally, Lani was with JJ and Eli had been set up with Gabi, but through a series of unfortunate events, the two ended up thinking their significant others were having an affair. They weren’t, but that didn’t stop Lani and Eli from hopping into bed together for a wild night of passion!
Naturally, Lani became pregnant with Eli’s child, which they decided to raise together. Besides, JJ and Gabi weren’t exactly thrilled about the cheating, so those relationships weren’t going anywhere… Sadly, though, Lani and Eli lost their baby, who they named David, after Lani went into labor too early.
Lani worked through her grief over losing David as best she could. The problem, though, was that her version of working through grief was by becoming far too attached to the infant that Rafe was caring for. That didn’t go over well with Eli and their relationship suffered.
By now, though, nothing could keep Eli and Lani down! And no one was happier than Eli’s grandmother, Julie, when he and Lani decided to set a wedding date. Except maybe the fans. But that’s debatable.
On what was to have been the happiest day of their lives, Lani was forced to leave Eli at the altar. Lani was being blackmailed by Gabi, who threatened to harm Eli’s grandmother. Eli was shocked when she tried to convince him she didn’t love him enough to marry him.
Time in Salem went all wibbly, wobbly and jumped forward a year, during which Lani lived in a nunnery in Europe (where she and Kristen became besties!) before returning to Salem. After Gabi’s blackmail scheme was exposed just as she was about to marry Eli, he and Lani reunited and were finally happy again.
Eli was anxious to marry Lani after all the tragedy and manipulation. He put her enagagement ring back on her finger after proposing in Horton’s Square. Lani went to her calendar to set a wedding date and realized she was late. Er, her period was. She was just on time for the engagement.
Pregnant with twins, Lani and Eli married at Julie’s Place with Marlena officiating. While their whole family gathered, an uninvited guest crashed the festivities. Luckily, a gun-toting Vivian was subdued (though keep an eye on her, because she’s coming back to cause trouble later) and the couple successfully jumped the broom.
Shortly after Lani gave birth, Ivan kidnapped the twins from the hospital for his Madame, who was grieving the absence of her own (now adult) twins. Eli and Lani, being cops, tracked them down and rescued the babies they named Carver and Jules, in honor of the twins’ grandparents, Abe and Julie.
The Grants lived in loved-up bliss with their twins for months — until Aunt Paulina showed up. You see, Paulina was actually Lani’s mother, who sent her away to protect her from her abusive father, TR. Unfortunately, he came to town, too and shot Eli, which landed him in a coma.
Upon learning her biological father shot Eli, Lani shot TR dead. However, Paulina took the rap before Lani had a chance to recover from the shock of what she’d done. The lie may have kept Lani out of jail, but it left her drowning in guilt!
It didn’t take long for Lani to break down and confess everything to Eli — at which point he told her to lie, lie and lie! In fact, his biggest problem with her shooting her unarmed father was why she thought it was even a big deal!
Eli thought everything was going fine (other than Lani confessing to seeing her dead dad everywhere, but that’s normal, right?), until his wife broke down at Abe and Paulina’s wedding and confessed her crimes to everyone in attendance. Worse? Eli was the one who had to arrest her. (Wait, wouldn’t he at the least be in trouble for obstructing justice or something?)
Thanks to a plea deal, Lani only got a slap on the wrist and a couple years in jail. But thanks Vivian raising a ruckus in Statesville, it wasn’t safe for Lani to stay there! Instead, Eli and Rafe got her a cushy prison in Maryland, and Eli packed up the entire family to follow her. It was wonderfully romantic… in a twisted, (justifiable?) homicide way.
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