Jack and Jennifer Deveraux - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Jack Harcourt Deveraux and Jennifer Rose Horton Deveraux are fictional character

Fictional character

A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...

s and a supercouple

Supercouple

A supercouple or super couple is a popular or financially wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or even obsessive fashion...

from the NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

daytime drama Days of our Lives

Days of our Lives

Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...

, whose history spans from 1989 until 2006. The two have been portrayed by more than one actor/actress since their inception, but were originally, most recently and most famously portrayed by Matthew Ashford

Matthew Ashford

Matthew Nile Ashford is an American actor best known for the long running role of Jack Deveraux on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives.-Personal life:...

and Melissa Reeves

Melissa Reeves

Melissa Reeves is a long-time American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Jennifer Horton, a role she originated in 1985 on the long-running NBC series Days of our Lives -Personal life:She was born in Eatontown, New Jersey.Since March 1990, Reeves has been married to soap opera actor...

. Fans have nicknamed the couple "J&J" or JnJ" (for Jack and Jennifer) on internet message boards. For their portrayal of Jack and Jennifer's romance, Ashford and Reeves won Soap Opera Digest Awards

Soap Opera Digest Awards

The Soap Opera Digest Awards were an awards show held by the daytime television magazine Soap Opera Digest. The awards were founded in 1984 to replace the less-lavish Soapy Award; those awards shows had run since 1977. The Soap Opera Digest Awards are meant to promote excellence in the soap opera...

for Favorite Supercouple in 1991 and Best Love Story in 1992.

Jack and Jennifer are generally considered to be Days of our Lives last supercouple, and the only one who made their mark as a supercouple in the 1990s rather than the 1970s or 1980s. While there have been popular couples after Jack and Jen, none are generally considered to have made it to supercouple status.

Backstory

Jack Deveraux

Jack Harcourt Deveraux, Sr. is a fictional character on the soap opera Days of our Lives. He is the most prominent member of the Johnson family and is most famously played by Matthew Ashford. After a four-year absence, the character has recently returned to "Salem" to reconnect with his estranged...

was the adopted son of Harper Deveraux. Harper was a U.S. Senator, and Jack was an aspiring politician, but it was revealed that Harper was a sociopathic killer. At one point, Jack was a suspect for the killings in town, and it seemed that his father was actually trying to frame him.

Unbeknownst to Jack, he was really Billy Johnson, Jo Johnson's son and Steve Johnson's baby brother. Jo had given up her boys for adoption when she feared that her abusive husband Duke would kill them. Young Steve Johnson watched helplessly as his baby brother Billy was adopted and taken from him.

Jack was raised in the lap of luxury, but he was not given a very compassionate upbringing. When he came to town, he tried to woo Kayla Brady and when Steve found out Jack was really his brother and that Jack was dying from Hodgkin's disease, he pushed Kayla away and encouraged her to marry dying Jack. Jack recovered, and Kayla was unable to consummate their marriage. Jack felt that Kayla just needed time to get to love him, and he tried to be patient. Kayla became sick when Harper began poisoning her, and Steve saved her life. Steve told Kayla why he had pushed her away and then the two began an affair, with plans to end her marriage to Jack after his election. Jack found out about the affair and was enraged by Kayla's constant rebuffs and promises that she would one day be ready. When he was rebuffed again, he showed her the pictures and then he raped her in a violent rage.

In the ensuing months, he descended full-time into his anger and let it shape and define him. Desperate to please his father (who was a sociopathic misogynist), Jack tried to be Harper's son and he worked hard at bringing down the people who had scorned him: Kayla and Steve. He tried to warn Steve away from his wife by having him beat up. Eventually Steve and Jack fought on the rooftop of the loft where Jack had lived with Kayla. Jack fell and almost died, but Steve gave his baby brother a kidney, saving the younger man's life.

Eventually Jack found out he was Steve's brother and he was angry and bitter. He gave Kayla a divorce but still maintained that he was provoked into his attack on her, and refused to call it rape. He plea-bargained to domestic assault when she took him to court, and continued to harass her whenever he saw her. He claimed he had been railroaded into that pleabargain.

Meanwhile, Melissa Horton, his assistant and Jennifer Horton

Jennifer Horton

Jennifer Rose Horton is a fictional character on the NBC daytime drama, Days of our Lives, a long running dramatic serial about working class life in the fictional town of Salem. Jennifer was created by scriptwriter Pat Falken Smith, and executive producer Betty Corday...

's cousin, was in love with him. He was encouraged by his stepmother Angelica to use Melissa's feelings for him to try to secure Harper's Senate seat, left empty by Harper's conviction for murder. The other candidate was Melissa's adoptive father, Mickey Horton, and Angelica felt that Melissa's support of Jack would lend strength to his campaign.

Melissa saw Jack making romantic plans with another woman on the day of their wedding and she left him at the altar. Jack's career aspirations as a politician were in shambles, and he spent a great deal of time and energy trying to destroy Mickey Horton's reputation, as well as that of Mickey's nephew and Jennifer's brother: Dr. Mike Horton. Having completely alienated his biological family as well as the Hortons and Bradys, Jack was mostly a social pariah.

Early history (1989-1990)

Desperate to keep 'The Spectator' from printing an expose on his dirty dealings as a politician, Jack purchased a controlling share and changed his destiny. He abandoned his political goals and became a newspaperman. At first, Jack's involvement in the paper was purely intended to squelch the truth, but soon he became caught up in the actual business of reporting the truth.

Jennifer was young and fairly inexperienced in the ways of life. Although she had had many puppy-love romances, Jennifer had yet to consummate them, waiting for the 'right guy'. Jennifer began a college internship for Jack as a cub-reporter. Her initial feelings towards Jack were unfavorable due to his treatment of Kayla and Melissa, but Jennifer soon learned that her boss had a different side to him.

Jennifer refused to let Jack make excuses for the terrible things he had done, and she called him on the carpet whenever he tried to use his newspaper to gratuitously hurt people he didn't care for. She also gently pushed him to try to get closer to his family.

Jennifer was dating Emilio Ramirez, a former gang member who had also had some negative dealings with Jack during the days when Jack was actively tormenting Steve and Kayla.

Jack started to develop feelings for Jennifer and started half-heartedly pursuing her while trying to throw monkey-wrenches into her relationship with Emilio, who he deemed to be a deadbeat and not good enough for her. Jennifer didn't seem to return those feelings at first, but began to see that Jack wasn't someone she needed to fear and the two formed an odd friendship. Emilio left town after a skirmish involving Adrienne (Jack and Steve's younger sister) and her ex-husband Justin. Emilio, who had slept with Adrienne, had tampered with Justin's car, and although he wasn't sent to jail, Jennifer could not be with someone who would do something like that.

Jennifer wanted to foster a baby girl named Hannah after Hannah's mom was convicted of robbery and sent to jail for three years. Ironically, Hannah's mother had committed the crime so that she would have the shelter of prison when giving birth. Jack, who himself felt he had been abandoned by his mother Jo, refused to write an editorial supporting Hannah being with her mother in jail.

Jennifer was then injured in the pursuit of a story for the Spectator and a frantic Jack realized that he was in love with her. He concocted a plan to fake marriage with Jennifer so that Jennifer and he could spend more time together in a more intimate setting. At first, Jennifer was very wary of the idea and point-blank brought up the fact that his track record was lousy and he was very difficult to trust. In the end, she agreed to the plan, but the foster agency refused to give a baby to a man who had assaulted his ex-wife.

Jack was hurt by this, but Jennifer was honest with him about how his past made it hard to trust him. Jennifer decided to move into the apartment Jack had rented out to fool the social worker, and with some behind the scenes maneuvering by the still-tricky Jack, she ended up fostering the baby for a short while.

Jack was adorably endearing helping feed and care for the very young child, and seeing him with the baby made Jennifer develop warmer feelings towards him. Jennifer lost custody when Sally's parents decided to take custody of their granddaughter. Jennifer was furious with Jack for failing to warn her about this when he had known it was happening, but in the end, turned to him for comfort when she realized he just didn't know how to tell her.

Emilio came back to town, and Jennifer ended up getting involved with him again, but by now, Jack was always on her mind. She did not yet realize she loved Jack, but she verbally and emotionally sparred with him in a way that gave off super-couple sparks. Jack continued to try to move in on Jennifer, but refused to admit that was what he was doing.

Jennifer's constant urging that he do the right thing ended up having a huge effect on Jack. The newspaper business was also a very good influence on him, and before he knew it, he found himself wanting to do good things for the sake of doing them, and not for the sake of being thought a hero. He tried to subtly get closer to Steve, Adrienne and Jo, Steve was very leery of the purported change.

Steve's presumed-dead wife Marina came to town and blackmailed Steve to help her find a key. Intrigued by this, Jack started to try to snoop around and Steve kept warning him to keep out of it. Eventually Jack struck up a friendship with Marina's very kind sister Isabella who she had been keeping locked up in a sanitarium. Jack helped Isabella escape, and the two struck up a genuine friendship. At this time, Isabella's blind acceptance of him, as well as the other good influences in his life had pushed Jack into becoming the kind of person who took responsibilities for the things he had done. Jack began to feel that he was a terrible person who didn't deserve a woman like Jennifer. He was terrified he would end up hurting her like he had hurt Kayla, or the way Harper had hurt all the women he had attacked, or even the way Duke had hurt his mother and sister.

As Jack began to realize the depth of how bad his past actions were, he frantically sought to push Jennifer away. Jo Johnson and Isabella Toscano both tried to get him to see that he and Jennifer made sense. Jennifer had fallen in love with Jack by now, and was finally admitting to herself. Although initially against the match, her grandmother was also starting to see the magic between the two.

Jack ended up finding the missing key and helping Steve find Kayla who had been kidnapped by Victor Kiriakis who also wanted the key, since he had been searching for it for years. This finally brought Jack together with Steve and although his relationship with his family was still on shaky legs, Jack was asked to be Steve's best man at his remarriage to Kayla who was also struggling to accept the reformed Jack. During the Key incident, Jack had tried hard to persuade Kayla not to leave Steve, and Kayla had finally realized that Jack really did want to help bring Steve and Kayla together.

Jack discovered that the treasure behind the key was Isabella's mother's diary. The diary revealed that Isabella was Victor Kiriakis

Victor Kiriakis

Victor Kiriakis I is a fictional character on NBC's Days of our Lives. The role has been portrayed by John Aniston since 1985. His time on the show has been 1985 to 1997, 1998 to present with a brief storyline driven absence in 2004 when his character was "killed off" but found alive on the island...

's daughter, and that Isabella's father, Ernesto had killed Isabella's mother. Frantic to protect Isabella from this harsh and terrible truth, he ripped out the truth-revealing pages and gave her the rest of the diary.

Jennifer tried to force Jack into declaring himself by getting engaged to Emilio, but Jack held steady. Jennifer tried on numerous occasions to seduce him, but Jack tried very hard to resist her, believing firmly he did not deserve Jennifer.

Harper contacted Jack in an effort to get Jack's help in convincing the parole board that he should go free. Jennifer and Jack shared a very passionate set of kisses when Jennifer tearfully begged Jack to start seeing himself as a good man. Jack was convinced that he was just like Harper and that he owed to Harper, as his son, to help him.

Jennifer desperately wanted Harper to leave Jack alone, because Jack was doing so well at travelling a redemptive path. Jennifer felt Harper was a toxic weight around Jack's neck. Furious that a 'little girl' presumed to tell him what to do, Harper told a frightened Jack that he would kill Jennifer if she continued this behavior. Although Harper was in jail, Jack knew that his adoptive father would find a way to make it happen, so he pushed Jennifer away by firing her.

Jennifer was quickly hired by WATB, a television station and ended up becoming an anchorwoman.

When Jennifer was set to marry Emilio, Jack kidnapped her on her wedding day so that she would have time to think about her future and he confessed his true feelings. Of course, Jennifer was asleep during his heartfelt speech. They ended up on a ledge together after Jennifer ran off when she realized he was faking a news report of dangerous bears in the area. Jack finally appeared to be giving into Jennifer and the two were gently kissing on the ledge when Melissa and Emilio came and rescued them.

Jennifer was furious at Jack for pushing her away yet again and told him that she would marry Emilio. Emilio decided to delay the wedding, and was developing feelings for his singing partner, Melissa, who returned those feelings. Neither Emilio nor Melissa were ready to admit those feelings to themselves or each other.

Jack and Jennifer ended up on a cruise together in the name of work. The cruise was secretly being orchestrated by Isabella's presumed-dead alleged father Ernesto. Ernesto set the whole thing up so he could kill everyone involved with Isabella. Ernesto wanted Isabella dead for accidentally killing Marina. Ernesto had already poisoned and killed Isabella's mother long ago.

During the 'Cruise of Deception' arc, Jack and Jennifer finally made love on a remote island after being shipwrecked.

Alamania and other roadblocks (1991-1998)

When they got back home, Jack was still nervous about one day hurting Jennifer. He was getting used to the idea of them as a couple when he ended up killing Harper accidentally when he tried to stop Harper from shooting Steve on Steve's wedding to Kayla (Jack had been best man when Steve tried to marry Kayla after the Marina incident nullified Steve's marriage to Kayla, but the wedding was interrupted when Kayla was wrongly arrested for Marina's murder. The real killer was Isabella who had killed her sister accidentally and then blocked it from her mind).

After killing Harper, Jack was hammered by the press about his dark and dangerous past. It brought back all of his fears and self-loathing and despite counsel from Steve and Jennifer's persistent love, he pushed her away yet again, this time making her feel so hopeless that she embarked to New York on an adventure to try to protect her boarding-school best friend Katarina from an arranged marriage to Lawrence Alamain.

Jack tried to rush to New York to protect her and although the two declared their love and reunited, she refused to give up her subterfuge. In the meantime, Steve was 'killed' by a bomb meant for Bo Brady. All evidence pointed to Lawrence as being behind Steve's death, because Lawrence had a vendetta against Bo from years ago when Bo helped Katarina (aka Carly Manning) get away from him when he and Katarina fought when she found out his true identity. He had tried to fool her into thinking he was someone else so that she would fall in love and marry him. Bo's interference destroyed his plans and he wanted revenge.

Jack rushed back to Salem when he found out Steve had been hurt and he spent hours at the hospital with Kayla and his mother and sister. As he grew closer to his family and began to build a better relationship to Kayla, Steve took a turn for the worse, and died. Jack then realized that you could not push the ones you loved away, as you might not ever get a chance to tell them how you really feel.

During this time, Lawrence forced Jennifer to go through the wedding by kidnapping her and her Grandmother and making them go to his country. Jack flew to Lawrence's home country and he tried once again to rescue Jennifer, but he was hit on the head prior to the wedding and while he was incarcerated, Jennifer was raped by Lawrence Alamain.

Meanwhile, Frankie Brady

Frankie Brady

Frankie Brady is a character on the American soap opera Days of our Lives.The role of Frankie was played by veteran Emmy-Award winning actor Billy Warlock from July 1986 to October 1988, from November 1990 to July 1991 and from June 26, 2005 to November 24, 2006...

was also being held prisoner by Lawrence as bait. He was really Katarina's brother Francoise.

Traumatized by the rape, Jennifer flinched whenever Jack tried to get close after they got back to Salem. Remembeirng how and why Kayla always rejected his advances, Jack began to suspect Jennifer and Frankie of having an affair when Jennifer begged Frankie to move in with her after rejecting Jack's offer to live together. Jennifer then turned down Jack's proposal, but when he came back as Santa Claus, she relented, feeling some of the old love for him. Jennifer was reeling from the rape and was having trouble dealing with the fact that Jack himself had committed rape. She was unable to tell Jack, and the misunderstandings began to mount. Every time Jennifer flinched, Jack was reminded of what went on when he was married to Kayla and begged Jennifer to tell him if she wanted out of the relationship. Jennifer refused to acknowledge that anything was wrong, and their relationship was temporarily derailed when Jennifer slapped Jack and called him a rapist when he tried to force her to kiss him to remind her of the passion between them. The kiss triggered a flashback of what happened with Lawrence, but a heartbroken Jack thought that Jennifer had finally come to her senses and begun to see that he really was a dangerous man.

Jennifer begged him to forgive her, but he was deeply hurt and ended the engagement. He ended up marrying Eve Donovan so that they could both inherit Nick Corelli's fortune. Jack needed the money to stop Lawrence (who had followed them all to Salem) from buying Diana Colville's half of the Spectator.

Jack married Eve (in name only) after seeing Jennifer and Frankie at the midtown motel. Jennifer was there to meet a source, but seeing Frankie holding a tearful Jennifer after Frankie insisted Jennifer tell him what was wrong with her, he got the wrong idea.

Jack and Jennifer were thrown together in another adventure when they were forced to share a train cabin during the Train arc where they were trying to find the murder weapon used to kill Nick Corelli. Eve was accused of killing Nick and Jack and Jennifer were trying to prove her innocence. Eve and Frankie were developing into a couple, and Jack continued to pretend he had no feelings for Jennifer left.

After a lot of hurt and misunderstandings, Jennifer finally confessed to Jack what had happened. The revelation caused him a great deal of anguish—not only because the woman he loved had been suffering so much, but because he felt that he was no better than the man who had done it to her. Jennifer finally convinced him to at least try to give their relationship a chance.

Jennifer pressed charges against Lawrence and Jack stood by her side, gaining new insight as to how he had made Kayla feel during their own trial for his rape of her. The experience brought Jack and Jennifer even closer together, aided surprisingly by Kayla who urged Jack not to let his own past prevent him from being there for Jennifer. Kayla and Shane worked with Jack and Jennifer to bring Lawrence down, and Jack admitted on the witness stand that what he had done to Kayla had truly been rape. Unlike Jack, Lawrence was convicted of marital rape and served a few years of jail time.

Jack proposed to Jennifer as soon as the trial was over, and the couple finally got married in 1991. The ceremony took on a Wild West theme and the newlyweds honeymooned in Hollywood, California. They had sex on the set of a game show, conceiving their daughter Abigail. Soon after, Jack felt sure he was having a relapse of Hodgkin’s Disease

Hodgkin's lymphoma

Hodgkin's lymphoma, previously known as Hodgkin's disease, is a type of lymphoma, which is a cancer originating from white blood cells called lymphocytes...

and set on a mission to find Jennifer a suitable new husband. Nevermind the fact that Jack was in perfect health. Abby, however, developed a mystery illness that Jack traced back to his own father’s shady business practices. Wrought with guilt, Jack left town, leaving Jennifer alone to raise their daughter.

Soon, smooth-talking Peter Blake entered the picture and Jennifer’s heart. Peter and Jennifer married at Aremid in 1995, despite Jack’s return to Salem. Jennifer didn’t realize that Peter (Stefano DiMera

Stefano DiMera

Stefano DiMera is a fictional character, a villain on the American soap opera Days of our Lives. Created by head writer Pat Falken Smith, he is portrayed by Joseph Mascolo...

’s adopted son) had conspired to make Jennifer’s mom look crazy. When Jennifer found out about Peter's shady past, she served him with divorce papers, but she refused to take Jack back. Jack suspected that Peter planned to kidnap Jennifer and Abby and he was right. The two men struggled and Peter was presumed killed. After one glorious Christmas with Jennifer and Abby, Jack was sent to prison for Peter’s murder. Jack later escaped to find Jennifer, after an alive Peter kidnapped her. When all was said and done Peter was in jail and Jack and Jennifer were back together and living in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

with Abby.

The Deverauxs return to Salem (2000-2007)

In Africa, Jennifer didn't exactly find the devoted husband and father she was hoping Jack had become. Jack, who had lost his paper and his fortune, became obsessed with the idea of making his money back and began to get himself involved in get-rich-quick schemes, many of which Jennifer found impractical and shady. To make matters worse, these business ventures would often cause Jack to disappear, sometimes for weeks at a time, without so much as a phonecall to Jennifer. Eventually deciding nothing had changed, Jennifer packed up her stuff and left with Abby one day while Jack was gone, without telling him they were going (which was first to Ireland and eventually back to Salem.)

On a tip from Jennifer's grandmother Alice Horton

Alice Horton

Alice Horton is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives, portrayed by Frances Reid from the show's debut on November 8, 1965 until December 26, 2007...

, Jack learned that Jennifer was to be in Paris for coronation of Princess Greta Von Amburg. Jack, who was in Italy in the time, managed to get to Paris before Jen could, and ambushed her at the coronation. There they had it out, Jennifer blasted Jack for his antics in Africa and for his stubborn refusal to grow up and begin shouldering the responsibilities expected of him as a husband, father and man while Jack expressed his outrage and Jennifer's just skulking off with their daughter without so much as a word. Eventually, after tempers calmed and they were able to discuss the problems rationally, they agreed to return to Salem where they would attempt to work out a custody agreement of Abby. Jack, however, had much more in mind. In his latest attempt to win Jennifer back, he suggested the three of them all move in together under one roof, as neither of them had a place to stay, and the stability would be good for Abigail. Jennifer protested the idea, but was goaded into when Jack suggested that if he was able to put Abby before their personal differences, she should as well. While the arrangement was initially confrontational at best, with Jack and Jennifer constantlly verbally sparring with each other, eventually after Jack managed to rescue Jennifer after her car went over a bridge and comforted her after she thought the same car accident had killed the infant son of her cousin, Jennifer began to entertain the idea that perhaps Jack was really, finally, changing into the kind of man she thought he was when they were married.

Meanwhile Jack used the attractive Princess Greta Von Amburg, with whom he struck up a friendship for purposes of his scheme to win Jennifer back, to make Jennifer jealous, which Jennifer saw immediately through. However, when Jennifer began to date the sensitive and romantic Brandon Walker, Jack was determined to continue, especially after he interpreted it as working. The plan hit a snag when Greta developed real feelings for Jack. As his heart belonged to only Jennifer, Jack tried to let her down gently, but when Greta (who had recently been dumped twice for other women) realized she was being rebuffed again, she began crying. Wanting to spare her feelings, Jack told her was gay and thus just wasn't attracted to any woman. After a few complicated (and hectic for Jack) months of trying to make Jennifer think Greta and he are involved while trying to make Greta think he's gay, eventually the truth came out to Jennifer. Jennifer was livid at Jack for playing both her and Greta for fools, and plotted to seduce Jack in the shower in an effort to catch him in his own lie. Jennifer's scheme, however, does not go according to plan as Jennifer finds herself unable to resist Jack as well. When Jack, guilty at this all this happening as a result of his deceptions, stops the interlude just short of sex, Jennifer finds herself surprisingly disappointed and very confused as to how she feels.

Not long after this, Greta finds out Jack's straight and leaves town, and Jack is now left distraction free in his, now more honest, pursuit of Jennifer. The relationship between Jennifer and Brandon eventually fizzles and Jennifer begins dating Colin Murphy a mysterious Irish man she met in Africa who she had originally gone to Ireland to meet. Briefly, Jack dated Billie Reed which made Jennifer jealous, although she refused to admit it. Jack comforted Jennifer when her cousin Hope was suspected dead which lead to a passionate embrace. But Jennifer pushed him away once again. Hurt and angry by her mixed signals and her feelings for Colin, Jack eventually put distance between them. Jennifer soon realized Colin was a con artist and that she truly loved Jack. She told Jack she wanted to get back together. He was hesitant but agreed to spend Christmas with her and Abby where they finally declared their love for one another. Colin was not happy with Jack and Jennifer getting cozy again. Jennifer overheard him threaten Jack's life. To prevent this from happening, she distracted Colin by sleeping with him. Jennifer was sick with guilt when Colin told a heartbroken Jack. That same evening, Colin was murdered. Both Jack and Jennifer suspected each other (for the obvious reasons) and Jack even turned himself in to deflect suspicion off of Jennifer. Eventually the murderer turned out to be neither of them. Jennifer was dismayed once again when she suspected she was pregnant with Colin's baby. After she told Jack, he told her he would stick by her side no matter what. Thankfully, she was not and on Valentine's Day, Jennifer proposed to Jack. In May 2003, they finally remarried.

In October 2003, Jack began working with police officer Abe Carver, leading to both men supposedly being murdered by the Salem Stalker (Marlena Evans

Marlena Evans

Dr. Marlena Evans Black is a long-running fictional character on the NBC daytime drama, Days of our Lives, a long running serial about working life in the fictional town of Salem. She was played by actress Deidre Hall since 1976, with a few minor breaks in between from 1987 to March 1991 and...

). Jennifer was forced to disconnect a brain dead Jack's life support, but she was comforted by the fact that she was now pregnant with Jack's second child.

In May 2004, it was revealed that Jack and all of Marlena's victims were alive and being held on a tropical island by Tony Dimera, who had faked all of the murders. Jennifer eventually found her way to the island, and gave birth to a son named Jack Patrick. While escaping Tony's island, Jack was again presumed dead after a tsunami, but was again Tony's prisoner in a castle, including the sexy Cassie Brady

Cassie Brady

Cassie Brady is a fictional character in the soap opera Days of our Lives. The role was played by actress Alexis Thorpe from July 8, 2002 to 2003 , 2004, 2005 .- Character's background :...

who was Jack's cellmate. During this time, despite possible temptations on either side by Patrick Lockhart

Patrick Lockhart

Patrick Brian Lockhart was a fictional character on the television drama Days of our Lives.The character of "Patrick" was played by actor Brody Hutzler from 2004 to 2007.-Character history:...

(a good-looking conman working for Tony who had man who had Jennifer in his sights) and Cassie for Jack, both managed to be one of the only couples (of many) dealing with fake dead spouses who stayed true to each other. In April 2005, Jack lead another escape from the castle and he Jennifer were reunited at the bedside of a minorly injured Abigail (she had been in a car accident) and Jack got to know his infant son, Jack "J.J." Deveraux Jr.

In June 2005, Jack received news that he was dying and only had about 3 months left to live due to a rare blood disease. Instead of trying to find out more about his illness, Jack worked to set Jennifer up with her old boyfriend, Frankie Brady

Frankie Brady

in order to protect her from the aforementioned Patrick, who he was sure would be after her the moment Jack was gone. Jack was again presumed dead after a car accident, although his body was never found. Jack had decided to stage his death, since he didn't want his loved ones to watch him die.

In actuality, Jack was dying in a hospice outside of Salem, and had no intention of returning to Salem. Jennifer had learned of Jack's devotion to her marrying Frankie and wanting to grant his final wish had moved on with Frankie and was (fairly unenthusiastically) preparing to marry him, despite Abigail's strong objections. Jack's plans changed when one of his hospice workers turned out to be his presumed dead brother Steve Johnson. Steve had no memory of who he was and was living under the name Nick Stockton. After confirming they were brothers by a DNA test, Jack agreed to return to Salem if Steve accompanied him.

The duo returned to Salem in spring 2006 during Jennifer and Frankie's wedding ceremony, and the brothers were reunited with their widows. Jennifer's opinions were mixed because although she was elated to find out the man she loved was alive, she was as angry at him as she'd ever been for letting her think he was dead when he wasn't. Jack continued to get worse and Jennifer was unable to break away from her commitment to Frankie, despite not truly being in love with him. She felt guilty about hurting Frankie, who was representing the stability and steadiness she had always wanted and which Jack had never really provided for her, and wary about any possibility of a future with Jack who up until now had repeatedly come in and out of her life.

Frankie found on the internet a drug trial that could help Jack, and it worked leaving Jack, Jennifer and Frankie caught up in an uncomfortable triangle. Soon after, Jack and Jennifer were kidnapped when Jack was investigating the recent murder of a cop that sparks began to fly. After escaping their captors and getting lost in the woods, Jennifer vented some of her anger out at Jack, and they eventually had sex. Jack collapsed soon afterwards due to cold and hunger and still not up to his full strength after the illness. Jack recovered however, and Jack and Jennifer were reunited for what is currently the final time. Jennifer gently let Frankie know that she cared deeply about him, but Jack had always been the love of her life, and she was going to build her life with him. Finally realizing that Jennifer never would be his, a heart-broken Frankie eventually left Salem.

The couple received great news when Jack and Jennifer were both offered dream jobs in London. Wanting a fresh start, Jack and Jennifer left for Europe with J.J. while teenaged Abigail, who supported her parents move but didn't want to leave her school and friends, remained in Salem with family.

Jack returned briefly in April 2007, when Abby and he went to New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

for her spring break. Not long after that, Abby decided to spend the summer of 2007 in England with her parents.

The disappearance of Jack and 2nd Divorce (2010-present)

Jennifer returned briefly to Salem in June 2010 for Alice Horton's funeral. In November 2010, she moved back to Salem but without Jack. It was explained that Jack had left on a walkabout to Australia to "find himself", much to Jennifer's chagrin. Despite significant events occurring to their family - most notably Jennifer almost dying due to her heart being removed from her body in a black-market operation - Jack has remained completely silent and out of reach of communication, with only occasional blog posts and terse e-mails existing to suggest Jack is even alive. All phone calls go unanswered and no one in Salem has seen him in almost a year.

Abigail returned in February 2011. Jennifer began dating Dr. Daniel Jonas during the summer of 2011. Jack returned to Salem on September 23, 2011. Daniel was preparing to ask Jennifer to move in with him, when an eavesdropping Jack literally fell into the cake beside them, once again reuniting the supercouple. Jack later explains to Jennifer that he was not on a walkabout, but a hostage in Afghanistan while working on a story. After realizing Jack didn't purposely leave her, Jennifer is torn between the two men who adore her: 1) the father of her children with whom she has a long history (but whose unreliable) and 2) the other whose she's only known a few months but has so far done no wrong.

External links

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