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#2A Laura is on the phone to Nikolas, telling him she has good news. Stefan takes the phone from Nik and asks Laura what it is she wants? Nik takes it back and asks, "When can I see her?" They arrange to meet at the park. Luke overhears this, and looks like a thundercloud. Stefan warns Nikolas, "Her interest in you is temporary, as was her interest in your father." Nikolas wonders, "If you hate her so much, why do you hang onto that?" (Gesturing towards her portrait). Stefan admits, "Remembrance." Laura would like Luke to make an effort. Luke says handing Lulu over is enough of an effort. After Laura leaves, Bobbie asks, "Why aren't you leaving with your wife and daughter?" Luke guesses the "Little Spawn must be missing his bone marrow, as he's done nothing but suck our blood since the day he got here." Carly comes up and talks for a second, and leaves again. Bobbie says, "I thought you were presenting a united front." Luke complains, and Bobbie shows some understanding of Laura's position, knowing how she would feel if she found her daughter. Luke observes, "This is a whole different ball of umbilical cord here. Your daughter didn't show up from nowhere and start ripping your family apart." At the park, Nik and Lulu are bonding over a game of Cat's Cradle. Nik mentions that Foster doesn't have fleas and Laura and he discuss senses of humor. Nik tries to get an ice cream for Lulu, but the vendor has closed down. When Nik gets arrogant, and Laura stops him. She drags him off and they argue. Luke and Laura are at the Port Charles Grill and toast "Princess Leslie Lu, our little cast iron marshmallow." Stefan appears, standing behind Laura. Stefan, who is having dinner with Alan, exchanges a few words. When Luke criticizes Alan for dealing with the Cassidines, Laura tries to put a better spin on it saying it's about GH. Alan confirms to Stefan that Mercy Hospital is going to try to buy GH, and he needs a large amount of capital to hold them off. Stefan stops by Luke and Laura's table and remarks that he and Laura need to discuss Nikolas. When she suggests that then wasn't the appropriate time (as Luke stares silently at Stephan), Stefan baits her by saying he thought she wanted to be kept informed about her son. Luke pointedly excuses himself so they could talk and tells Laura to meet him at the Club when they are finished. As Stefan sits down, Laura glares at him knowing that he intentionally engineered the whole incident. Stefan and Laura face off over Nikolas. He tells her she must go through him to see Nikolas; she sarcastically asks why he's so afraid of her since they had Nikolas for his whole life. Laura angrily rebukes Stefan for saying she's ashamed of Nikolas and saying she wouldn't have tried to see him even if Helena hadn't threatened her. As she leaves, she stops by Alan and Monica's table and tells them about Nikolas and the Cassidines to prove she's not ashamed of him. Luke returns to his club and pours himself a stiff drink. Sonny asks if it's Cassidines and politely offers again to handle it "nice quick and clean." "Maybe someday," Luke replies, but not yet. Nikolas asks Stefan about Laura. "Your mother is a formidable woman. We must never underestimate her," Stefan answers with a note of respect. Laura tells Luke that she had to show Stefan she wasn't ashamed of Nikolas so she told Alan and Monica. Luke isn't thrilled at the thought, but he doesn't say anything. Nik wants to know what Stefan and Laura talked about? Stefan says Nik knows but if he wants to play games. Stefan said that after Alan and he had their meeting, Alan went over to Monica for "what appeared to be some sort of vague, half-hearted celebration of something." He said that suddenly, halfway through her entree, Laura got up, went over to their table, and announced that you were her son. Fine move on your part. I applaud you." Nik looks stunned and perplexed. Luke and Lucky and Laura come in the house. Lucky seems to be very wired up and says he wants to stay up late to watch a movie. Lucky asks if Lulu is in her room and Laura says she's sleeping. Lucky says things are "almost back to normal, sort of" in his surly teenage voice and says goodnight only to Luke. Laura looks uncomfortable and Luke avoids looking at her. Laura says to go ahead and yell before he explodes. Laura says she had to tell Alan and Monica because she didn't want Nick to believe she was ashamed of him. Luke makes a snide comment about Laura being a "fierce mama bear." Laura tries guiltily to apologize but says she had to do what she did. Luke says she did what Stefan wanted her to do "again." Luke says Stefan's has been using Laura's guilt to get her to do what he wants. Laura perceptively says "Really, I had no idea you saw me as so weak?" Luke fires back with a condescending remark that starts with "woman" and ends with "darling." Luke observes that Laura doesn't realize what skilled game players the Cassidines are and she isn't "fighting trim." Laura says she resents that. Back at the castle, Stefan commends Nik on what he said to provoke Laura to acknowledge him as her son. Nik says he didn't do anything and gets angry that she called herself his mother. Stefan turns it around and makes out like Laura is some kind of egomaniac who "gives herself the right" to claim motherhood and apologizes to Nik for Laura's "selfishness." Nik says he can't understand why she would speak of him so publicly or at all. Stefan implies that Laura wanted to let the "influential Quartermaine doctors" know her side of the story first because they are very powerful people around town. Luke says he thinks it's funny that Laura resents what he said. Laura said Stefan didn't manipulate her, she manipulated him. Luke is skeptical. Laura says they've been feeding Nik with lies about her and Stefan was needling her and next thing she knew she was over at Alan and Monica's table. She realizes she acted impulsively and played right into Steffan's hands and she's apologizing to Luke again. Luke says she's never been any good at chess and that the Cassidines have all their moves mapped out. Now that she's claimed Nik as her own, Luke is sure Stefan is going to use it against them in some way. Luke walks out, leaving Laura sitting distressed on the bed. She gets up and looks at the picture of her family. Laura realizes that Stefan will try to use what she said against Nik and tries to call him. Stefan answers the phone. Laura asks him not to tell Nick about what happened and says she wants to tell him herself. With Nik right behind him, Stefan calls her Lasha and asks what she wants to keep from Nik. Nik grabs the phone. Laura tries to explain what happened earlier but he says he doesn't want to hear her "lies" and that Stefan already told him the truth. He said he wants to go to the Q's and tell them his side of the story, which will make her look bad. Laura apologizes for telling others about him without talking to him first. He says he didn't come to town to find her; he came to save his sister. Laura wants to explain, but Nik says he doesn't want to hear it and Stefan grabs the phone. He blames Laura for having to do "major damage control" with Nik. Of course, as Laura points out, he left out his role in goading her. Stefan says she's whining and he doesn't have time for it. Stefan leaves a message on Alan's machine saying he needs to ask a favor of him. Sonny is drinking at the bar when Luke comes in. Luke asks what Sonny would make of Alan and Stefan "putting their heads together over dinner." Sonny says the hospital is in trouble and Alan has already asked him for help. Luke says Stefan's working to make himself a town hero. Sonny offers again to "handle" Stefan. Luke says if Stefan's still standing when he gets through with him and Sonny wants, he can have a shot at him too. Luke and Sonny toast to his plan for Stefan. Laura and Lucky at home. Laura says she thought he had his heart set on watching the movie. Lucky said he kept thinking about Lulu and ended up in her room, as did Laura. Lucky asks where Luke is? She says Luke went for a walk because he's angry at her and Lucky will be too. He says he doesn't want to be. She asks to let it lie for a night and he says he can't. Laura tells Lucky she told Alan and Monica about Nik, Stefan told Nik, Nik got upset. She asks Lucky if he's upset too. Lucky says it's okay and that it's important not to have secrets but he's clearly upset about Laura being upset about Nick being upset. Luke walks in the bedroom behind Laura. Laura gets a phone call from Stephan saying that he thinks he made have made a mistake in telling Nick what happened. He says Nick is very upset and they should meet. Laura says she would gladly do anything to help. Behind her, Luke glares. Stefan picks up the phone and says to someone, "Is everything alright? Good. Be ready." Nik is stretching out in the
park when Stefan comes up and tells him he, Stefan, is meeting Laura. Nik
doesn't like Stefan making life-decisions like this, and huffs off. Laura is sad
Nik has left. She asks Stefan about him. She says there's far too
much pain and anger in his life. Stefan says, "I can't imagine
Nikolas Cassidine having family holidays with the people who killed his
father." Later, Luke comes into Alan's office and declares, "Court the Cassidines and you're inviting the plague on your house. You deal with this man, and their curse is going to come right down on your head." Stefan is in the background, hearing this. Bobbie spots Laura on the park bench. Lucky throws a basketball to Gina outside of Kelly's, and finds out she lives there. Nik overhears them talking about Lulu. Lucky sees him, starts to bluster, Nik pokes him in the chest, and all the frustrations of the past few weeks overtake him and he throws a sucker punch. Luke breaks up the fight. He yells at Nik, who leaves. They hover over him. Lucky is upset because he wanted to "finish him off." Luke says it'll feel better when they have the edge. They talk about bluffing at poker. Gina brings ice. Luke thinks the crush is cute. Bobbie finds Laura sitting on a bench thinking about her recent run-in with Stefan. Bobbie talks about how her life seems to be spinning out of control. She tells Laura that Alan is meeting with Stefan to see if the Cassidines bankroll GH to keep it operating. Luke continues to rail at Alan about going to the Cassidines for help. Stefan arrives and sneers at Luke's histrionics behind his back. Stefan demands to see the accounting files to ascertain just how deep GH's financial problems are. Reluctantly, Alan pulls the files up on the computer then, as Stefan is reviewing them, Alan gets a call and has to leave the office. Stefan immediately exits the accounting files and does a search on the system. We see him copy down info on somebody in room 666. At Kelly's, Gina is still holding the ice bag on Lucky's knuckles. Luke peeks in and sees Lucky in Gina's thrall; he sits at an outside table and Sonny shows up. They trade information about Stefan. Again, Sonny offers to off Stefan and "the mongrel" but Luke says they've got to keep them alive because Lesley Lu might need more bone marrow down the line. Laura tells Bobbie that Luke might be wrong about Stefan, that Stefan might have no hidden agenda and that he might be an okay guy. Bobbie says she's skeptical. Laura and Bobbie part company. Laura heads for Kelly's and Bobbie goes back to GH. Laura finds Lucky outside Kelly's and gets his version of the fight with Nikolas. She is upset that they were fighting and that Luke got involved. She hugs Lucky and says she is sorry while Nikolas watches them darkly from the shadows. He locks eyes with Lucky and the two of them glare at each other. Back at the hospital, Stefan has found the info he wanted and leaves Alan's office. In the lobby, he tells Alan that he has decided to not give GH any money as it would be like pouring money down a rat hole. He gets in the elevator and goes to the 6th floor. He finds room 666 and enters. It is dimly lit and looks like a storage room. He walks into the room slowly and appears to be caught in the grip of a powerful emotion; his face is contorted with pain. Somebody opens the door and flips on the lights. Bobbie confronts a tortured looking about what he is doing there. Surprise, surprise, it's the room where Stavros died. Bobbie said the floor used to be an ICU. Stefan said he used to have a brother and asks if the hospital changed things to cover up that her sister killed his brother. Bobbie says the hospital doesn't "let people die" because of who they are. Stefan asks if she would treat him if he were dying. She said she would. Stefan says mockingly that maybe there is a strain of decency in the Spencers. Luke breaks into Windemere, puffing on his cigar, and starts to creep through the house. He is caught up short, again, when he sees the giant portrait of Laura. Luke wanders around the Cassidine castle smoking his cigar and looking at Laura's picture. He moves a chess piece and leaves a book with a tape recorder in it in the bookshelf and then puts some cigar ashes beside it. Laura is in the park hugging Lucky when Nikolas arrives on the scene Lucky and Nik are eyeing one another as Laura looks on. Lucky said that they should get used to each other and that he won't lose his cool again, "No matter who tries to make it happen." Laura steps between the brothers and says that losing one's cool is a family trait, which she does sometimes too. Nik says there are things worth fighting over but Lucky isn't one and that he'll pass on the warm family moment. Lucky and Laura look stunned. Laura happily tells Luke she's proud of Lucky, who said he's not going to fight with Nikolas. Father and son look knowingly at one another, raising their coffee cups in salute of pulling one over on the hopeful Laura. Lucky doesn't want Laura referring to him and Nikolas as "the boys." Laura wishes they would have shaken hands, but acknowledges that was probably unrealistic. Lucky denies to Laura and then to Luke that he apologized to Nik. Lucky said he was just trying to shake Nik by doing something different. Luke says the Spencer boys are "taking the upper hand." Bobbie says it's nothing personal that she would save Stefan's life; it's her duty as a nurse. She seems to be flirting, but Stefan is dead serious. Bobbie says hatred in the soul is a "Cassidine thing" and that she hopes he's not playing "mind games" with Laura. Stefan says he's seen a lot of hatred in Luke's eyes and that he doesn't play mind games when his nephew is the trophy. Bobbie says Laura is vulnerable and easy to exploit. Stefan says Nik is too and that he's surprised that Bobbie would be such a defender of Laura. Stephan gets Bobbie to reveal that Laura thinks they called something of a truce for Nik's sake. He is sharp! Bobbie tries to get out of the conversation. Stefan calls her bluff and says Bobbie gets a kick out of being in the room with an evil Cassidine and he asks her what Laura thinks? Bobbie is in over her head here and says it's really just about "a mother wanting to be reunited with her son. It' kind of a primitive thing." Stefan says she doesn't have to explain blood ties to him; they're standing in the room where Stavros died. He again implies that the room was changed to cover up Luke killing Stavros. Bobbie says Stavros was "evil personified" and that he got what he deserved. Bobbie and Stephan wind down their conversation with Stefan challenging Bobbie to tell others about what he said and Bobbie saying she wouldn't say any thing about it. Stefan leaves Bobbie alone in the storage room, clearly unsettled. Back at the home front, Luke is washing dishes. Laura says she appreciates how he is handling the situation and that Lucky is taking his cues from Luke. Luke is surly when Laura says she sees a humane side to Stefan and Nikolas. Luke wants nothing of it. Nikolas tells Stefan that Lucky made it look like he was at fault in the fight and Laura looked like she wanted him to apologize. He says they twisted things around to make it look like his fault. Stefan gives him a motivational talk about being a Cassidine and "descended from royalty" and says that Lucky Spencer isn't fit to clean his shoes. Stefan sits by his chess board looking pensive. He goes over and sees the ashes on the bookshelf, takes the book out and sees the tape. As Luke listens in on his end, Stefan speaks into the mic and says, "peasant" as Laura watches. Laura and Keesha see each other at the hospital. They arrange to meet at Kelly's that afternoon to discuss Charles St. Foundation business. Bobbie sees Laura, who explains that she wants to volunteer for the bone marrow donor registry. They discuss Stefan, and Bobbie wonders why Stefan picked now to contact Laura. Laura figures Luke would say that Stefan was awaiting the right opportunity. Laura tells Bobbie about the Lucky and Nikolas fight, and Bobbie sympathizes with Laura's position in the middle of the Spencer vs. Cassidine hostilities. Laura remarks that perhaps she is a fool to trust any Cassidine, but she always thought Stefan was better than the others. Bobbie advises Laura not to be so quick to change her mind, and tells Laura about her talk with Stefan. Later, Laura and Bobbie discuss the situation regarding Bobbie's search for her own daughter. Bobbie is worried about the possible impact of it on Tony, especially when things are "rocky" now due to his unresolved feelings about BJ. Bobbie is wondering about adopting a little girl, that it would be good for her, Lucas would like having a little sister, and Tony needs someone to protect and care for. She hasn't mentioned it to Tony yet. Stefan has dropped in at the Charles Street Foundation and finds Keesha there. He admires the Ward family reputation and the work of the Foundation, and he offers a large donation, on the condition that his identity remains anonymous. If she agrees, there will be more where that came from. The check is written on an account with a name in Greek letters. Why this particular cause asks Keesha? Stefan claims that the connection to the Ward name is the reason. Keesha accepts the donation, agreeing to keep it anonymous. Keesha arrives at Kelly's before Laura, and sees Luke. She gushes about the large anonymous donation, and then is foolish enough to leave her purse on Luke's table and go into the back. He rifles through her purse till he finds the check, copies down information from it, and sticks the check back in her purse before she returns. Luke walks into Kelly's and finds Tony sitting with Carly. Luke makes a few sarcastic remarks, and then goes to talk to Ruby. Carly decides to leave as she is afraid of Luke's wrath. She once overheard him tell Bobbie that he didn't trust her. She doesn't want to cause trouble for Tony, so she leaves for class. Tony asks Luke if he "has something against Carly"? Luke sidesteps the question, remarking that he doesn't trust hardly anyone. Tony describes Carly as a sensitive underdog who's been knocked around a lot by life. He just wants to help her. He begins to talk about the empty space left by BJ's death. Luke asks if Bobbie knows he is having problems? He says he doesn't want to drag her down when she has been able to move on to some degree. He leaves after asking Luke to give Carly a break. Mike tells Luke that the Greek writing on the check is "Timoria" or "atonement." Mike discovers that in Luke's dictionary, "atonement" means "war." Mike counsels some other approach, and Luke laughs him off. "You SURE about all that?" Luke says that first Stefan will ingratiate himself with everyone in town and then pull out the rug, and Luke doesn't intend to be standing on that rug when he does. Meanwhile, Stefan is making another mysterious call with the instructions "Keep her comfortable. I'll let you know when I'm ready. It won't be much longer." Mike repeats, "Luke, you've got a beautiful wife and two great kids. You don't want to end up looking at them through a set of bars or worse. If this guy is so bent on destroying you and your family, then how come he volunteered his nephew for Lulu's bone marrow transplant?" Luke retorts, "MIKE, I JUST TOLD YOU! I thought bartenders were good listeners!" Laura and Nik are at Lesley's grave. She tells him this was her mother, his other grandmother. He wants to know what that has to do with him? "My mother didn't just die, Nikolas. She was murdered, by YOUR family." Later she says she was worried that Helena would have killed him. He doesn't believe her, and she tells him to ask Stefan. "You are my son, and I love you, and I always have. And if she had had a chance to know you, your grandmother Lesley would have loved you too." Nik asks Stefan if this is the truth? Stefan hesitates, but admits that it is. Nik looks at the portrait of Laura. He tells Stefan he's been betrayed. "I hate the Cassidines, too." Laura finds Luke listening to this. She's appalled that he bugged Windemere, and asks when he was planning to tell her. He pulls out her Cassidine necklace and asks when she was planning to tell him about that? Luke taunts Laura with her Cassidine medallion that he decided to wear. Luke is in attack mode. She wants to know why he didn't tell her he had bugged Windemere and is now eavesdropping on Stefan and Nik? He defends that he didn't want them to find out then admits that he can't trust her anymore. Laura is dumbfounded. Luke implies that Stefan has turned Laura's loyalties away from him and Lucky. She Laura becomes angry they start to argue. On the bug's receiver on Luke's desk, they hear Stefan's voice calling for Nikolas. Apparently the kid isn't in the house. Laura looks worried and she tells Luke that she saw Nik earlier that day and the kid was angry and upset. Luke could care less and angrily tells her so. He yells at Laura about how miserable Lucky is. They finally leave the back room and greet Robin out front, wishing her good luck at Yale. Outside the club Mike has been keeping Stefan at bay who is demanding to see Laura. When Luke and Laura come out the front door he tells her Nikolas is missing. Ruby is cold towards Sonny when he comes into Kelly's. When Luke comes in, she's all smiles. She wants to know how things are, and Luke asks her with, "Do you see an iota of mendacity in these baby blues?" Jason comes in and they are surprised to see him there alone since Robin is leaving. He explains that Robin wanted to say goodbye in person to Mac. Jason can't believe they'd eat rare roast beef, "It's still alive." They ask how he is about Robin leaving? He says that he is not happy about it, he's okay with it. He then accidentally gives advice to Luke, which Sonny hears but Luke misses: talking about the connection he and Robin have, "If it's strong enough, the distance won't matter, and if it's not, we'll always have what we've already had." Luke thinks he's refreshingly straightforward, and Sonny comments that it was the accident. Sonny asks what Luke will do when he finds Nikolas? Luke plans to get him out of town. But what if Lulu needs another transplant? Luke figures Nik would come back but in the meantime he needs to leave town. He'll find Nik and be spontaneous. Sonny asks how Laura will react? And Stefan? Luke figures if he doesn't admit to seeing Nik, they can just go back to life, as he knows it. Sonny gets a call and Nik was spotted near the river. Luke heads off to the catacombs and finds Nik. Luke points a gun at him, "You find the bat cave yet?" He strongly suggests Nik leave Port Charles. Laura tries to talk to Lucky but he is standoffish. Stefan interrupts at the door. Luke bluntly explains the facts of Cassidine life to Nikolas and how Stephan is manipulating him. He plants the seeds of rebellion in Nikolas and leaves saying that for Nikolas to have a life of his own, he must split now. Laura begs Stefan to leave before Luke returns home. After he goes, Lucky accuses her of caring more for Nikolas. Laura counters that Nikolas is her son, and she's worried about him. Lucky expresses his desire that they never find him again. Laura meets Stefan in the park. Stefan appears distraught over Nikolas's disappearance. Laura is drawn to him and touches his arm in mutual comfort; he looks at her questioningly. They discuss childrearing in general and Nikolas' childhood in particular. Laura rambles on about being pregnant with Nikolas and only wanting to tell Stefan the secret. Apparently, they were close on the island when she was held captive. Nikolas appears at Kelly's where Gina catches him trying to take her notebook. Nikolas tries to buy Gina's notebook for $40 saying he needed pen and paper. He says he's breaking away. She gives him a sheet, and he leaves. Afterwards, Luke sits down and tells Gina that people were looking for Nikolas, but he won't tell where he was. Gina remarks that no one will know where he is. Luke lights up a cigar and puffs away contentedly. Nikolas says goodbye to LuLu. Stefan sits alone in the dark park when he gets a phone call and rushes off. Back at Luke's, Lucky has discovered Nikolas and a heated argument ensues leading to violence. As they struggle upstairs, Luke and Laura enter the front door. When Lucky pushes Nikolas away, Nikolas stumbles off balance and tumbles down the stairs ending up bleeding and unconscious at Laura's feet. Luke and Laura walk in the house to find Nikolas falling to the bottom of the stairs and Lucky at the top. Stefan is right behind them. Stefan frantically calls for ambulance reporting that the victim may have broken his neck after falling headfirst down a flight of stairs. As Nik is rushed to the hospital unconscious and in uncertain condition, Stefan warns Luke that he should start praying. Luke asks for Nik? Stefan determines no, for Lucky. Luke tells him to get out. Stefan stops to warn that if Nik dies there will be no corner of hell that Luke can hide in. Lucky sits shaken waiting for news, he is worried that he has killed Nik and he has never killed anyone before. Luke assures him that he did what he had to do to protect his sister. Lucky points out that he wasn't a stranger that this is Laura's son and if he killed Nik that Laura will hate him. Luke determines that there is no way Laura could ever hate Lucky, not ever. Laura and Stefan arrive at GH with Nik, the staff rushes to treat him with Tony and Bobbie in the lead. Bobbie comes out and gives them an update that they are optimistic as he is responding to stimuli but he hasn't yet regained consciousness. This worries Stefan but Bobbie points out this is normal given a blow to the head. Stefan begins telling Laura about Nik's childhood and how early Nik began walking. Luke and Lucky arrive the hospital, Lucky rushes into his mother's arms apologizing. She isn't upset at him and says that Nik should never have been in the house. Lucky feels guilty about Nikolas' fall. Luke takes Laura in his arms to comfort her as Stefan glares at him. Later, Lucky tells his parents
about finding Nik in Lulu's room and regretting fighting with him. Tony comes
out to give Stefan and Laura update on the latest test results. He tells them
that Nik didn't break his neck, that he is stable, not paralyzed but he is still
unconscious and they don't yet know the extent of Nik's brain injury if any. He
has a concussion and they are watching for signs of swelling in his brain.
Stefan worries that he is in a coma but Tony says they do expect him to wake up
and he isn't in a coma. When Laura approaches Lucky, he tells her that he is just waiting for news and promises that he won't go near Nik. He asks her why did Nik have to come here and why did Nik go into their house? Laura assures him that it was an accident and that Lucky didn't do anything wrong. Lucky tells her it wasn't an accident that they were fighting. Laura tells him that she knows he didn't intentionally throw Nik down the stairs. She says that if anyone is to blame it is her, that if Nik was planning on running away it was her fault. Bobbie gets Luke to leave by pointing out it could be hours before Nik wakes up and he can't breathe the same air as Stefan for that many hours. Luke and Lucky leave as Laura waits for Nik to wake up. Luke tells Laura that Sonny will stay at GH. Laura says that isn't necessary but Luke tells her that will help him. Later, Stefan throws his weight around when the CAT scan results aren't available. He asks Tony who is responsible for this delay and Tony reports the sixth floor. Stefan heads up there to demand the results. While he is gone, Laura goes into see Nik. As she is there, he wakes up. Laura assures him that he is going to be all right. Laura rushes out to call Tony and Bobbie and tell them he had regained consciousness. Stefan has just returned and hears the joyful news. When Tony sees Sonny standing in the hallway he points out that convicts need guards not kids who fall down the stairs. Laura tells Sonny that she should probably be home with her children. A sympathetic Sonny points out that Nik is her child too and even though he is a child she doesn't know, he is her son. Laura tells Sonny how torn she is between Nik and her family at home, knowing Luke needs her home with them. Laura decides to go home and goes into say goodnight to Nik and Stefan. Laura tells Stefan that she thinks maybe Nik came to the house to see her? He promises he will contact her if there is any change in his condition. **The End** #2B Kevin finds an upset Stefan standing outside a storage room. Stefan admits that his brother died in that room. At the Spencer house, Laura reassures Lucky that Nikolas won't suffer any permanent damage from his header down the stairs. Lucky semi-sneers and Luke smirks at the interchange. Later on, Laura and Luke argue about what happened between Lucky and Nik. Luke is still doing his full-blown "Paranoid MonkeyBoy" act and he refuses to consider any other point of view. He makes Laura feel guilty about supposedly Lucky then he delivers an ultimatum, she must choose between Luke/Lucky or Nik [and implied Stefan]. She is crushed and tells him she'll go to the hospital to tell Nikolas goodbye. But her anger and resentment are bubbling just below the surface. At GH, Bobbie stops by to tell Nik that another nurse will tend to him while she is out of town. Stefan overhears and outside in the hallway he questions her on where she's going. She huffily informs him that anything to do with her private life is personal and he has no business even asking the questions. She bounces her Bulwark down the hall and he makes a phone call to one of his minions, ordering that Bobbie be followed. Later in the day, Nik tries out his crutches by going for a cautious stroll in the corridor. He bumps into Gina and the two of them hit it off. Lucky's having breakfast at Ruby's. Gina comes in to work there and talks about seeing Nikolas in the hospital. Lucky proudly talks about how he put him there. Gina does not look impressed. Stefan visits Nikolas in the hospital. Nikolas angrily says Luke told him how the Cassadines told Laura Luke was dead so she would marry Stavros. Stefan said everyone thought Luke was dead at that time, but eventually she found out and no one was the worse. Except for me, says Nikolas, the child who got left behind. Stephan said he always loved and nurtured him, to which Nikolas asks if he was nurtured or controlled. Stefan is angry and says Nikolas needs to control himself. Nikolas says Stefan's just trying to control what he thinks and feels. Stefan says Luke is not exactly an objective source of information and that the Spencers wanted him dead. Nikolas says he doesn't feel lucky and Stefan demands that he leave his bed and come with him to the room where Stavros died. Stefan says Luke was responsible for Stavros' death and asks how Nikolas could take the word of his father's murderer. Stephan challenges Nikolas about why he dishonored his father and says that just as Luke pushed Stavros down the stairs and he died, Lucky pushed Nikolas down the stairs, hoping he would die. Stefan says the only "accident" is that Nikolas didn't die, but Luke wants him dead. Laura comes to the hospital to visit Nikolas and he's not in his room. She picks up his jacket, and out falls an envelope with a letter to Lesley Lu in it. Laura reads the letter he wrote and thinks about how Nikolas responded to Lesley Lu. In the letter, Laura reads that Luke told Nikolas that he didnt' belong in their lives, and she looks distressed. Laura finishes reading the letter and leaves the hospital. Home at the Spencers, Luke looks at warm family photos. Laura comes in and pulls out the letter Nikolas wrote for Lulu. She tells Luke that Nikolas came to say goodbye to his sister, which Luke should have known since he told him he didn't belong there. Laura angrily asks Luke what right he had to tell a teenager, her son, that he should go away and that no one cared about him. She asks him why he didn't tell her that he had seen Nikolas when everyone was looking for him. Luke says that she is more of a lier than he is and that she should have been at home comforting Lucky instead of at the hospital with Stephan worrying about whether Nikolas would live or die. He storms upstairs, leaving Laura with her thoughts. Can this marriage be saved? Laura is in Nikolas's hospital room telling him goodbye. Nikolas pretends indifference. Laura asks him to listen and this is, in a way, even harder than leaving him when he was small, since now she has seen who he grew into. She insists that she loves him, and that is why she has to do it. She has to do something to stop the anger and hatred between Nikolas and Lucky that caused him to be in the hospital. There was a moment when she saw him at the bottom of the stairs when she thought he was dead. "Like my father?" asks Nikolas. Stefan tries to stop Laura from saying anything more, but Nikolas interrupts and asks her to continue. She explains how grateful she was that Nikolas was not dead. He suggests that it might have been easier if he had been dead, but she vehemently denies this. She feels that the only way to stop the violence, since the adults in this case don't seem able to deal with it, is to walk away before it ends with one of her sons killing the other. She prays that when they are grown, her sons will end the hatred. Laura begs Stefan to take Nikolas and go home, so that the two boys can grow up in peace without all the ugliness. Laura tells Nikolas that running away is not the solution, and that he must never blame himself for what has happened. Don't tell me what to do, he retorts. She has no power to hurt him, but he agrees that they have no reason ever to see each other again. He gets out of bed and leaves the room.`Stefan says he expected that Luke would never allow the relationship to continue. Laura insists that she was speaking for herself, and Stefan tells her she doesn't understand the extent to which Luke controls her. Laura tells Stefan that neither he nor Luke under- stands the pain she feels, because they are too busy keeping the vendetta going. Stefan tells her that this was her decision - she looked Nikolas in the eye and told him he was unworthy, and that she had chosen another family over him. Stefan fears that Laura has undone all that he has tried to do for Nikolas. No, says Laura, Nikolas is angry with her, and that is appropriate. Stefan is the parent Nikolas knows, and he will need him more than ever. Laura feels that Stefan has given Nikolas a great deal, and that he has given her the gift of knowing Nikolas will grow up without being poisoned by Stavros's and Helena's hatred and she still believes that Stefan is different. Perhaps if Stefan and Nikolas go away for a while, some day they can all live in peace. Stefan feels this is too much to hope for. Stefan declares that as to their departure, they will leave when and if they choose. Nikolas returns to the room. Stefan says goodbye. Nik walks past Laura keeping his back to her. She looks tearfully at Stefan, mouthing the words, "Hold him, please," and crossing her arms over her chest. She leaves, and Stefan does as she asked while Nikolas fights back tears. Stefan explains to Nikolas that the words he heard were Luke's, not Laura's. He assures Nikolas that Laura does care about him but she fears Luke's violence. Nikolas insists that he doesn't care. As far as he's concerned, Laura did him a favor. Either way, says Stefan, we have no reason to leave Port Charles. Later, Stefan sits in Nikolas's room while Nikolas sleeps. He gets a phone call telling him that Bobbie went to Florida and visited a Mrs. Benson. He wants to know who Mrs. Benson is, and why Bobbie visited her? Bobbie wants Luke to find her daughter. Luke, who is good at asking the tough questions, asks if Tony knows, and wonders how she will deal with that. Bobbie rationalizes, in her own special way, that it really doesn't have anything to do with Tony. Luke tells her to remove her blinders and see the truth. She would want to be involved in her daughter's life, which would affect Tony and Lucas. Bobbie asks which situation he is talking about - hers or his? He agrees that there are parallels, and then tells her that Laura is saying goodbye to Nikolas because she realized that she had to. Bobbie recognizes what must have happened, and she remarks, "Oh, my God - you made her cut Nikolas off, didn't you? Oh, Luke, how could you?" Bobbie knows that Laura would never give Nikolas up on her own, so Luke had to be involved. He admits it, but "Stefan and the demon seed" had Laura confused and he had to straighten her out. What matters is that she protects her family. And forgets Nikolas is alive, asks Bobbie. Sure, why not, says Luke. Bobbie tells him it can't happen, any more than Bobbie can forget her daughter. Besides, Luke doesn't even know Nikolas. Luke gets angry - he has to listen to the same thing from Laura "while she desperately tries to hold on to the spawn of the devil." Bobbie gives up, she came to Luke because she hoped for a bit of sympathy and understanding. Luke just doesn't want to see her mess up her life. She says Tony's reaction can't stop her, and she makes a remark that may come back to haunt Luke: "If you think Laura can give up her son and not spend the rest of her life longing for him, you're a fool." Enter Laura, looking shaken. Bobbie must have left right after that - we next see Luke and Laura alone. She tells Luke, as tears run down her cheeks, that she told Nikolas she would never see him again. Luke reminds her, "*We* decided." She agrees, pointing out that she never said anything different, but, "What I don't know is whether or not I'll ever get over what happened tonight." She has no positive feelings about it, if he was waiting for that. She can't understand how Luke could think this is a solution and never doubt himself. Luke has nothing to say for himself, for once in his life - he simply goes upstairs and leaves Laura sitting alone. She dissolves into tears and falls over on the couch, sobbing. We see Bobbie back at home, receiving a delivery of flowers with a note from Stefan. She calls to Tony, who isn't home. Stefan is on the phone asking the Mysterious Minion about Virginia Bensen and why did Bobbie go to Florida. A bored Nikolas comes by. He denies he's looking for Laura. Stefan will ask when Nik can go home, and he sees Tony and Carly smiling rainbows at each other. He interrupts to ask Tony about Nik and Audrey comes up to talk to Carly, who resigns from the Nursing Program. Bobbie heads over to Nik, who despises being fussed over, and leaves. Bobbie and Stefan discuss Laura's decision. He is worried about Nikolas who comes back just then. Bobbie goes into the Silly Soldier act again. She goes off to ask Tony about Nik. He snaps at her, then apologizes, he's been talking to Alan about the dicy state of GH. Audrey comes up and tells them Carly has resigned. Luke and Laura announce to Lucky that "normalcy" has returned. Laura says she won't see Nikolas anymore. Laura says none of this is Lucky's fault and that there's too much bad blood between the Cassadines and the Spencers. Lucky asks how she can cut off her son. Laura says she doesn't feel she has another choice. Lucky shows a moment of empathy in appreciating that this must be difficult for her, but then says he'll feel happy if she doesn't change her mind or feel guilty. At Luke's, Luke shows Mike the monitor he was using to bug the Cassadines and says Stephan "must have had the exterminator out." Mike offers to assist with planting another bug, which Luke doesn't think is necessary because Laura said she won't see them again. Mike asks if Luke found out anything about the Greek word he looked up "Timoria." Mike asks Luke about the Cassadines. Luke says the Cassadines are basically evil incarnate. Luke explains the "freeze the world" scheme of the Cassadines and says that Laura was kidnapped and "used as a breeding ground until she woke up and found out I was alive and escaped." Fourteen years later, when Lulu needed a bone marrow donor, Stavros' brother came back with Nikolas, like a "Trojan horse." Luke says he doesn't know what asking Laura to not see Nikolas will do to their marriage, but he has to make Stefan pay for what he's done. Bobbie comes over to Luke and Laura's right after the discussion with Lucky to tell Laura Nikolas was released from the hospital. Laura is visibly happy. Bobbie says she'll keep an eye on him for her and asks if there might be another way to handle the situation and if Laura is cutting off Nikolas just to please Luke. Nikolas gets discharged from the hospital. Stefan thanks Bobbie for her help and asks her and Tony to dinner at Windermere. Nikolas comes home and asks why they are still in Port Charles. Stefan says there is still "so much to be done." Stefan answers the door, and Alexis, Kevin's attorney, comes in and says "Greetings, cousin. Great place you've got here." Laura tells Bobbie that Nikolas was in the house to say good-bye to Lulu before he left and that Luke had met Nikolas in private and told him to leave town. Bobbie is incredulous about Luke's attitude and says that Stefan truly loves Nikolas and that Nikolas is a good kid. Bobbie asks if Laura really believes that Nikolas is a good kid and loves Lulu, why is she divorcing herself from him. Laura says it's just what has to be done. She pulls out the book with the picture of her holding Nikolas as a baby and looks at it tearfully. Alexis asks how Nikolas is? Stefan says he's fine. It's been a long time since Alexis has seen him and she says Nikolas will be growing up and taking his place in the Cassadine family. Stefan says he is very clever but will need to curb his impulsivity so he doesn't make the same mistakes his father made. Alexis says the court case is going fine and she thinks that she can keep Kevin from going to jail, which is what Stefan wants. Stefan says he got the list of patients this morning which he says will be very helpful in making his next move. Alexis asks what that is, and he leans over and says in her ear, "To bring General Hospital to its knees." Bobbie goes to Luke's and confronts Luke, saying that he told her it was Laura's decision not to see Nikolas. Luke says the Cassadines can't be trusted and it was okay for him to tell Nikolas to leave town. He says he told him the truth and that their interests converge. Bobbie says this isn't what's best for Laura or Nikolas. Luke says this is about Bobbie's guilt about giving her baby up for adoption and she shouldn't project her own conflicts onto their problems with the Cassadines. Laura talks to Lulu and says she's going to keep the letter Nikolas wrote inside the egg he got her and that when she's older she can read it and see how much he loved her. Bobbie says Luke is obsessed with the Cassadines and Laura isn't gong to forget the son she gave birth to. Luke says he feels like a lone voice of sanity and that everyone thinks he is crazy but he knows Stefan is up to something big. Alexis asks Stefan what he's doing in PC. Stefan says they'll discuss it some other time. She leaves and Stephan looks up at Laura's picture. He pulls out his computer and looks in his address book. Lucky, playing on the computer, receives a message asking if he wants to play a game. He types back, "Sure, what do you call it?" Stefan, on the other end, types in "Timoria." Stefan and Nikolas, who are at GH checking out Nik's ankle, agree to split for now and meet up later at the Outback for some bitchin' burgers n'fries. Stef and Dorman exchange knowing glances as Pierce is talking to Alan. Mean- while, Tony walks up and gives Stefan some pain pills for Nik, in case his ankle acts up; Stefan refuses the painkillers with a sneer. Later on they meet at the restaurant. Nik admits he wandered the streets hoping to run into Laura. Stefan's phone rings and he gets a message that Tony and Carly are at the cabin. He tells his faceless minion to "do nothing for now". Luke and Lucky are playing air guitar BBKing. Laura is unimpressed, but smiling. Stefan asks, "When did they get back?" Perfect I was afraid that they might miss the fireworks. Alexis is at Spoon Island talking with Stefan. He says that Kevin was kind to him on a dark day, so I thought I'd help him out. he's mentioned that he took Laura's pic down because of Nik. They discuss his plans, and about the lawsuits that are to come. Mega malpractice suits against Kevin coming up. This is a dodge and Stefan plans to blindside Luke. Sonny goes to Luke and Laura's house. Laura leaves, and Luke and Sonny talk. Your instincts are right, Sonny says, He checked out the Timoria bank account and it's a phony corporation. Sonny and Luke discuss the banking stuff with Luke--they have info linking Stefan to this. Luke thinks he may not have to use this. Sonny disagrees. Phone rings, and it's Stefan. Lasha, are you alone? Stefan wants to say good bye, and he tells her about sometime in the past he brought her blueberries. This has some meaning to her. He wants to say goodbye, and she agrees to meet him. She'll meet him in the park in one half hour. She doesn't tell Luke where she's going. Bobbie arrives. SHe wants to talk with Luke. She's crying. Laura leaves, and Luke hugs Bobbie. Bobbie and Luke talk. He knows
what day it is. Bobbie is crying, Bobbie is talking--she is lost, sad. Doesn't
know where Tony is...Bobbie says that Caroline called her mother, Mrs.
Benson, and Bobbie wants to find her daughter. She needs to find her. Bobbie
needs to know that Caroline is okay. Luke says he'll try to find her--Bobbie is
delighted. Luke is going to call Mrs. Benson. Thank you, Bobbie says. She goes
to work after telling Luke that he's the only constant in her life. Luke calls
Mrs. Benson. Stefan tells Laura that she was right about him. Bobbie goes to GH
to find a closed sign on the door. Luke and Lucy arrive at the Outback.
He has tagged along to her meeting with Alexis. Lucy appreciates his
concern for her in coming along to the meeting just because he's her pal.
Lucy decides that Luke's experience with lawyers might be helpful as Luke
can size up Alexis's capabilities. Luke agrees, Luke quips, "You ain't homely." Luke's next barb, "Lucy told me you just dropped in out of heaven, and I never thought that was a launching pad for lawyers." Alexis responds, "A skeptical nature and opposable thumbs are the only things that separate us from the beasts." She gets her resume from her briefcase and gives it to Luke. Lucy changes the subject to Kevin's defense strategy. Luke interrupts, remarking on Alexis's education (in Belgium). The interruptions continue, as do Alexis's attempts to talk to Lucy about Kevin's case. Luke is especially animated when he discovers she got her law degree at Harvard. Lucy tries to get Luke to stop interrupting so that they can get to the important issue of Kevin's fate. Luke: "Oh, don't wait for me. I'm like a bad haircut - I grow out at my own pace." Alexis explains she can only discuss Kevin's case with "the representative he has named," and Lucy suggests that Luke go to the bar for a drink so she and Alexis can talk about the case. Luke basically refuses to leave. Alexis predicts that Luke will suggest a background check, and she agrees to answer any questions he has. Alexis answers Luke's questions about her early graduate work (political science) while Lucy fidgets. "After Harvard - " Luke begins, and Lucy interrupts, filling in Alexis's early days at a firm (whose principal partners, to hear Lucy tell it, include someone named "Woodchuck"), which they have apparently already discussed. Luke wonders how she dealt with the "glass ceiling." Alexis: "You've seen those fire alarms? 'Break glass in case of emergency?' It became an emergency for me to leave the firm and start my own practice." She reviews her twelve- year record of successes in litigation, criminal defense, and "a knack for quick and favorable settlements in civil suits, as my bank account will attest, should you wish to investigate it." Luke asks what Alexis is doing to get Kevin out of maximum security? Luke remarks that it sounds like an emergency, and Alexis agrees. He asks again what she is doing about it, and she doesn't answer. Luke realizes it has to do with the "wall of confidentiality." Lucy tries again to get Luke to go to the bar and wait, but Luke interrupts, asking for references. Alexis tells him they are in the resume, and remarks to Lucy that it's getting late. Lucy asks Luke to let her talk to Alexis about Kevin, but he refuses again - he tells Lucy she is being lied to. He doesn't believe that a lawyer of Alexis's ability and credentials would "scour the hinterlands looking for some doctor who, in his spare time, terrorizes women and small children." Lucy whacks him for this but Alexis is privately amused. Alexis explains that she would never had heard about the case if Stefan Cassadine hadn't asked her to look into it. Lucy is furious - Alexis should have told her this. Alexis suggests that they get back to Kevin's case. Lucy tells her that, though she didn't outright lie, she wasn't completely honest. It's too late to plead my sincerity, replies Alexis. Besides, what Lucy and Kevin need are results, not sincerity, and Alexis can provide results. Lucy fires her, telling her she can't trust her. Alexis wishes Lucy and Kevin luck - but they'll need more than that. As she leaves, she asks Luke to take care of Lucy. Luke assures Lucy that she did the right thing. Stefan declares his love for Laura. She insists that it was an unreal, intense experience on the island - that is what he feels. He hoped to find that was true - it would have made his life simpler - but "you are still incomparable, still Lasha." When he saw her on the dock, he wanted to turn her away, but she was so beautiful, pleading for her child, with a passion he remembered, and he couldn't do it. He swore he would never say these things, but they are leaving and he may never see her again. Nikolas will always have the best of Stefan, because he loved Nikolas's mother. Laura talks about how difficult it must have been for Stefan to raise Nikolas alone, especially with Helena "breathing down his neck." He says he preserved Nikolas's spirit so that he would have some part of Laura with him. Laura doesn't know how to thank him for helping to save Lesley Lu. She always knew Stefan wasn't like the other Cassadines, and because of that she is able to leave Nikolas with Stefan and say goodbye. Stefan asks if she remembers the last time they said goodbye. For him, that day stands out as one of the most important. We see a flashback of Laura, on the hill overlooking the cove, calling to Stefan. She finds him and tells him that Helena let her know that Luke was alive. She weighs the need to see Luke against the need to stay with Nikolas. Stefan promises to take care of Nikolas, and they embrace as Laura cries. Back in the present, she tells Stefan she intended to come back. He claims to understand her reasons for not doing so but he has lived his life shackled to his family: "Even the woman who made me see that life was more than pain and anger and revenge belonged to my brother, and loved yet another man." Stefan asks Laura if he had been the only one, under different circumstances, "could you have loved me?" Laura sidesteps the question, "I'm in love with another man, and I always will be." Stefan questions, "But what if he didn't exist?" Laura points out, "But he does." She points out that Luke stayed with her in spite of the hurt she caused him by concealing the truth about Nikolas for so many years. Now it is her turn to stand by him. She thinks it best that Stefan and Nikolas leave. Stefan agrees to go, and reaffirms his commitment to take care of Nikolas. Laura thanks him and says goodbye, kissing him on the cheek. He watches her go, saying quietly to himself, "Goodbye, Lasha." Later, Alexis and Stefan meet. She tells Stefan about the meeting with Luke and Lucy, remarking that Luke is sharp (as Stefan told her). She told Luke about the Cassadine connection because she felt that he was about to figure it out on his own. So far, things have gone precisely as they expected. She was surprised at Luke - she has never met a non-Cassadine who was so sure of himself. Am I up to speed, asks Stefan? "Am I?", counters Alexis, noting his subdued mood. Stefan tells her that everything went as expected, and asks her to go. He stays in the park, and thinks about his question to Laura about Luke, "But what if he didn't exist?" and her reply, "But he does". Laura arrives home. She gets out the photo of herself with baby Nikolas and looks at it tearfully. Luke arrives home, and she tells him that Stefan and Nikolas are leaving for Greece. Luke asks if she "bought it". He seemed sincere, she said, but she realizes that lying and manipulating are second nature to the Cassadines. She wants to believe it. Luke isn't convinced. Stefan isn't going anywhere - based on something Laura doesn't know. Just then Bobbie bursts in, flinging emotion everywhere, freaking out about the hospital being closed. Laura is stunned. Luke looks at her, "That's what I was going to tell you." Nik is upset to see the suitcases Stefan has packed. Stefan looks calm, "Nothing has changed, our strategy remains the same. We leave Port Charles when we've accomplished what we came for." Stefan tells Nikolas it's like running, you keep one eye on the goal and another on the obstacles. So Nik goes up to pack, and there's a knock on the door and Stefan says "on your way up, let Mr. Spencer in." Luke notes the portrait is gone, does not believe the Cassadines are actually leaving. He mentions "Timoria" and isn't sure who's supposed to be "atoning." Stefan gets a sly smile on his face. Stefan again mentions the bone marrow transplant... Luke isn't buying it. As Luke is leaving, he sees Nik on the dock, and Nik tells him he's trespassing. Luke remains, lights a cigar, and sees Bobbie coming. He asks her what she's doing there, and she widens her eyes. Stefan gets word that Tony and Carly are at the cabin and tells his operative, "You know what to do." Luke confronts Bobbie as she arrives on the Cassidine island. She says she's going to ask Stefan to save GH. He is astounded at her naivete and tells her Stefan probably closed it down in the first place. Bobbie is highly dubious, but Luke insists that the Cassidines are not leaving PC no matter what they say. Bobbie repeatedly defends Stefan causing Luke to ask if she plans to get "cozy" with him. Eventually, she bounces off. Stefan confirms to Nikolas that they're staying in PC. Nikolas wants to know what's going on? As they discuss opportunity knocking, Bobbie does so. She tells them GH is closed. Nikolas looks surprised; Stefan does not. Over a drink, Bobbie hits on Stefan for a GH bail out. She tries to say he can show he's not as big a creep as everyone thinks he is, but he turns her down cold. Nikolas questions why Stefan turned Bobbie down. He suggests saving GH would isolate Luke and destroy him. Stefan applauds his reasoning but hints there is a bit more needed. When Luke stops by Tony's house looking for him, he overhears Carly's mother leaving a phone message and picks up the phone. She tells him Carly called again. Carly's mother tells Luke Carly asked her to gather up some old things, and she might come for them. She mentions that Carly called collect so they will find out where she is when the bill comes. Afterwards, Luke fakes a call from Mac to the phone company to get the number traced. Through his ruse, Luke finds where Carly called from; when he calls the number, he gets the Outback. He immediately calls Laura and leaves a message saying he's going to Florida to follow up a lead on Bobbie's daughter. Luke arrives in Florida and tells Virginia that Carly called from PC. He asks to see her pictures, but it's not clear if he recognizes her. Ms. Benson shows Luke pictures of Caroline, which are from when she was younger. She says Caroline didn't like taking pictures. She is excited about how Caroline sounded when she called and says maybe things are looking up for her. Laura comes over to Bobbie's. Bobbie says Tony has been disappearing frequently and she's concerned about their marriage. Laura says Luke left a message that he is going to Florida to find out about Bobbie's daughter. At the cabin, Carly and Tony talk about their relationship and how they want to be with each other all the time. Bobbie is surprised to hear that Luke went to Florida and says that he was angry when he saw her at Windermere. Bobbie tells Laura she asked Stephan to help out GH and he said he couldn't because they're leaving town. Laura says maybe it's for the best that Nickolas is leaving this way and can grow up and live life without all the conflict with the Spencers. Stefan calls and leaves a message for Laura to meet him at GH to discuss something "very important." Nickolas asks what Stefan is doing and says he doesn't like it when he's blindsided. He asks if Stefan's going to save the hospital or not. Stefan says he's not sure yet, it depends if it will help them achieve their goals. Stefan says Nickolas has to learn that as the next Cassadine leader, he can achieve leadership just as effectively by setting up things so someone asks him to lead as by dominating the situation. Stefan asks Nickolas to come with him to see how things play out with GH and Laura. Luke looks at the pictures of Caroline riding horses, which Mrs. Benson says she loved. She said she won many ribbons for riding her best friend's horse. Luke wants to see a more recent picture. He's excited when he finds a picture of a girl who is in a lot of the same pictures. Ms. Benso says Caroline was best friends with her and took an exam to go to a special school with her best friend, Carly Roberts. Luke perks up. At the cabin, Tony and Carly get ready to leave. Carly takes one of her sweaters out to leave at the cabin. Tony comes back in because their tire is flat. Bobbie and Laura talk about how difficult things have been with Tony and Bobbie. Bobbie thinks things would be even worse if he knew about her secret daughter. She's sure he would never understand the reason she didn't tell him and that he would feel betrayed. Bobbie says she still wants to see Caroline. Laura says she just knew when she saw Nickolas that he was her son. Bobbie says she's sure it will be the same for her, and once she meets Caroline and talks with her she'll be able to tell Tony. A woman calls to tell Bobbie that she lives in the cabin next to theirs and that their is smoke coming out of the chimney. Bobbie is excited to know where Tony is. The woman is actually a servant at Windermere and Stephan thanks her for having made the call. Nikolas is dressed in appropriate Cassadine black to go to GH with Stephan. Mrs. Landsbury, their cook from Greece, has been flown in. Bobbie decides to go up to the cabin to see Tony and spend their anniversary together. Tony says the car has 2 flat tires and the phone doesn't work. Carly says they should take advantage of the opportunity to stay in the cabin until the next morning. Tony is glad to oblige. Luke asks if Virginia knows where Carly is. Virginia says she died in a drunk driving accident when she was 16 and that Caroline had nightmares about it for months. She says she refused to learn how to drive and started having a lot of problems in school and at home. Luke asks if there are any pictures of Caroline in high school and they look at her yearbook. At GH, Alan wanders the halls. Stefan and Nickolas greet him. Alan asks if he's reconsidered bailing out GH? Stefan says he'll have an answer when their "other party" arrives. Laura arrives at GH. Stefan says he is considering supporting GH but the funds are Nikolas' inheritance and he would need to stay in Port Charles to oversee how the money is used. Stefan says that Laura needs to decide if he and Nikolas can stay in Port Charles and help the hospital since she wanted them to leave. Ms. Benson finds a picture of Caroline in the yearbook, which she shows Luke Surprise, surprise- it's Carly! Bobbie arrives at the cabin and opens the door to find Carly and Tony in bed together. **The End** |
