Sonny's curiosity was piqued when he spotted Dominic and Ronnie on the piers having a private chat. Dominic explained that Ronnie was providing him with inside information about the men who were loyal to Anthony. Sonny wondered why Ronnie would confide to one of Sonny's lieutenants. Ronnie claimed that he was a family man who didn't want any trouble. Ronnie assured Sonny that he was on Sonny's side. Satisfied, Sonny gave Ronnie instructions.

A short time later, Sonny met Luke at the coffee warehouse. Sonny confessed that he regretted marrying Claudia. Luke admitted that, at the time, the decision had made sense. Sonny revealed that he needed Luke's help. Sonny wanted information about Joey Limbo. Luke warned Sonny that Joey tended to be emotional, volatile, and cunning. Luke advised Sonny not to mess with Joey unless it was necessary.

Sonny explained that Anthony intended for Joey to avenge Claudia's death. Sonny hoped to arrange a meeting with Joey, in order to broker a peace treaty. Sonny was confident that Anthony would lose credibility if Joey could be persuaded to walk away from the war. Luke wanted assurance that Sonny wouldn't use the meeting as an opportunity to kill Joey. Sonny promised that he simply wanted a truce.

After a motorcycle ride, Sam and Jason went to Jason's penthouse. Sam wondered if the ride had helped Jason. Jason explained that he had to send a message to Sonny's enemies, but he was worried about the impact that it would have on Michael. Jason feared that a show of power would glorify the mob to Michael. Jason felt like a hypocrite for killing people while demanding better for Michael.

Sam suggested that perhaps someone else could carry out the hit. Jason didn't know whom else he could trust with the important job. Moments later, Dominic knocked on the door. After Sam left, Dominic updated Jason about what he had learned regarding Anthony's vendetta. Dominic assured Jason that he was willing to do his part to help. Dominic promised that he was a fast learner. Jason revealed that he might take Dominic up on his offer.

Dante arrived at his apartment to find Ronnie waiting for him. Ronnie was in high spirits as he congratulated Dante and then announced that their forensics team had hit "pay dirt." According to Ronnie, they had found a gray scrap of silk with Claudia's blood and Sonny's DNA on it. Ronnie explained that they needed a witness to verify what Sonny had been wearing on the night that Claudia had disappeared. Ronnie smiled as he confided, "The noose is tightening."

Jason entered the warehouse office to find Sonny seated in a chair, deep in thought. Jason revealed that he had put plans in motion, in order to deal with Joey. Sonny told Jason about the meeting with Luke. Sonny cautioned Jason that they had to be careful; they couldn't afford any surprises.

At the Jacks residence, Michael listened from the doorway while Carly talked to Josslyn as she placed her in a bassinette. When Carly looked up, Michael announced that he was leaving. Carly wanted to know where Michael was going, which quickly turned into another discussion about Claudia.

Jax hovered on the staircase, listening, while Carly admitted that she was uncomfortable with the way that Michael freely talked about killing Claudia. Carly reminded Michael that he had been protecting his mother and sister when he had struck Claudia. She also pointed out that the walls in Port Charles tended to have ears. Michael didn't seem concerned about being overheard.

Michael confidently assured his mother that Sonny had taken care of everything, so there was nothing to worry about. After Michael left, Jax approached Carly. She observed that Michael didn't have a clue and it scared her.

Later, Carly and Jax settled on the sofa to talk about Michael. Carly admitted that Jax had been right; they should have gone to the police with the truth. Carly revealed that she had suggested hiring an attorney for Michael. To Carly's surprise, Jax responded, "No, you can't." Jax explained that it was too late; the damage had been done. There wasn't any evidence to support Michael's story, so it was likely that Michael would be charged with murder.

Carly was upset; she asked Jax to watch Josslyn while she stepped out. Jax wanted to know where Carly was going. Carly claimed that she needed to pick up a prescription, but he didn't believe her. Jax realized that Carly intended to look for Michael. Carly left without another word.

A short time later, Dante stopped by to talk to Jax. Dante wanted to know if Jax would testify that Sonny had been wearing a gray silk shirt on the night of Claudia's disappearance. Jax confirmed that he could, but he didn't see the point. Dante explained that they had found a scrap of material with Claudia's blood and Sonny's DNA on it. Jax was stunned; he demanded to know why Dante was standing in Jax's living room instead of doing his job.

Carly heard the tail end of Jax's comment as she entered the living room. She was curious, "What job would that be?"

At the piers, Kristina was on her cell phone talking to Kiefer. She told him that she didn't want to see him. According to Kristina, she needed more time to process what had happened. Before she ended the call, Kristina assured Kiefer that she hadn't told anyone that he had hit her. When Kristina turned around, she saw Michael approach her.

Kristina immediately blasted Michael for sending Max and Milo to intimidate Kiefer. Michael didn't understand Kristina's anger; he thought that she should be grateful that he was around to protect her. Kristina resented how Michael sounded as heartless as their father. Michael was offended by her attitude; he felt that Kristina should be more understanding of their father's situation. Their argument grew more heated.

Ethan intervened when Michael began screaming at his sister. Michael warned Ethan to back off and then he suggested that Ethan do some research, because he clearly didn't know whom he was talking to. After Michael sauntered off, Kristina apologized for her brother's behavior. As she thanked Ethan for helping her out, he carefully studied her face. He quietly asked if Michael had hit her.

Kristina made it clear that Michael would never strike her. She claimed that she had tripped, while she had been texting someone. Kristina was curious if Ethan ever texted. When Ethan revealed that he did, Kristina asked for his number, in case she needed his help again. While Ethan keyed his number into her phone, Kristina gushed about his singing. She seemed genuinely disappointed when he told her that it wasn't something that he intended to pursue. Ethan returned the phone to her, told her to be careful, and then left.

At Crimson, Maxie confided to Lulu that Spinelli had been sulking ever since their non-wedding. According to Maxie, Spinelli seemed "needier" and "more demanding" of her attention. As if on cue, Spinelli entered the office with a huge bouquet of flowers. Maxie was touched by the gesture, but reminded him that Kate didn't permit flowers in the office. Maxie asked Spinelli to drop the bouquet off at her apartment and then she dashed off to run an errand.

Spinelli appeared disappointed. He confessed to Lulu that he had known about the office policy. Lulu tried to cheer up Spinelli, but it didn't help. Spinelli feared that Maxie's career was more important to her than her love life.

At the nurse's station, Rebecca took the opportunity to congratulate Elizabeth about the engagement. When Elizabeth mumbled her thanks, Rebecca observed that Elizabeth didn't seem very happy. Elizabeth reminded Rebecca that it wasn't a joyous day for her because it was the anniversary of Emily's death. Rebecca knew what day it was, but felt that she was damned whether she mentioned it or not.

Elizabeth blamed Rebecca for Nikolas losing himself to grief and doing things that he otherwise would never have done. Rebecca asked, "What in God's name is wrong with you?" Rebecca then snidely suggested that perhaps Elizabeth should concentrate on her own life, instead of Nikolas'. Rebecca assured Elizabeth that Nikolas was just fine. Elizabeth offered to enlighten Rebecca about what Nikolas was really like.

Elizabeth explained that Nikolas had finally been piecing his life together when Rebecca had arrived on the scene. Ever since then, Nikolas had been slowly sliding back into his grief. As a result, he was making self-destructive choices. Rebecca insisted that Nikolas was not lost in the past. According to Rebecca, Nikolas had moved on. Rebecca knew that because she shared a bed with Nikolas.

When Rebecca assured Elizabeth that Nikolas had been "easy and fun" the previous evening, Elizabeth warned Rebecca that Nikolas was a master at hiding his true feelings. Rebecca wondered why Elizabeth was so worried about Nikolas when Elizabeth had just become engaged to Lucky.

Nikolas went to the crypt to visit Emily. He admitted that he had considered skipping acknowledging the day, in order to avoid the pain of remembering. However, in the end, he couldn't do it. Nikolas then began talking about his brother. He told Emily that he loved Lucky and that he felt ashamed for betraying him. Nikolas claimed that his heart belonged to Elizabeth; he had no idea how to give her up.

Lucky approached moments later. Nikolas confessed that Emily would be disappointed in Nikolas. Lucky didn't understand why Nikolas was so hard on himself; he assured Nikolas that it was okay to have moments of weakness. Nikolas clarified that he was out of control, so he was certain that Emily wouldn't approve.

Lucky admitted that he wasn't oblivious to how difficult it must be for Nikolas to have a ringside seat to Lucky and Elizabeth's reconciliation. Lucky understood that it had to hurt Nikolas being reminded that he could never have the same opportunity with Emily. However, Lucky believed that Rebecca was a wonderful person in her own right. Lucky was certain that Emily would be happy that Nikolas had Rebecca in his life.

Nikolas admitted that he was attracted to Rebecca because she looked like Emily. Lucky didn't think that Rebecca could replace Emily, but he was confident that she could make Nikolas happy.

Later, Elizabeth took flowers to Emily's crypt. Elizabeth wished that Emily were there, although she suspected that Emily would be disappointed in her friend. Elizabeth admitted that she had "bitched" Emily's sister out. Elizabeth confessed that she didn't even recognize herself any more. She wondered how she could be engaged to one brother while sleeping with another. Elizabeth felt as if she were betraying both Lucky and Nikolas.

Elizabeth believed that she should have been a better friend to Nikolas instead of falling into his bed. She realized that Nikolas was in a tremendous amount of pain after losing Emily. Elizabeth hated that she had allowed things to continue; she realized that it had been selfish of her. Elizabeth's head told her that she had to stop what she was doing with Nikolas, but her heart and body wanted the affair to continue. Elizabeth had hoped that making love to Lucky would stop her obsession, but she had been wrong. She loved Lucky, but she wanted to be with Nikolas.

When Rebecca spotted Lucky at the hospital, she asked to speak to him. Rebecca claimed that Nikolas had been wonderful, but she was worried because he had a tendency to get "broody." Rebecca was curious how she could stop those episodes. Lucky suggested that Rebecca simply be there for Nikolas.

Later, Lucky bumped into Nikolas on the piers. He told Nikolas about his chat with Rebecca and then he revealed that he had decided to take his own advice by spending time with Elizabeth. Lucky hoped to pick up where he and Elizabeth had left off the previous evening. According to Lucky, it had been "awesome." Nikolas suggested that Lucky must feel good, since he had finally managed to persuade Elizabeth to have sex with him again. Lucky seemed taken aback by Nikolas' crude observation.

At the stalker's warehouse, someone took pictures of a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Claudia, down to the dress that Claudia had worn to her birthday bash. The pictures appeared to be a re-enactment of the moments just after Claudia had died.