At Kelly's, Shawn was disappointed when Jordan approached the counter dressed for her first day of work at the Jerome Gallery. He had hoped that she had changed her mind about working for the Jeromes because he hadn't forgotten her past. Jordan suggested that Shawn lighten up and argued that Shawn was far from innocent, since he had once worked for the Balkan and still worked for Sonny. Jordan insisted that she had changed her ways, but Shawn remained skeptical because she had taken a job with the Jeromes. Jordan argued that it was a legitimate job and that she needed work to make a new start.

The conversation between Shawn and Jordan was cut short by the arrival of T.J., who immediately picked up on the tension between Shawn and Jordan. Jordan smiled as she explained that she and Shawn had been reminiscing about the old times, but T.J. didn't appear to believe her, so Jordan reminded T.J. that not all old memories were good ones. However, she pointedly looked at Shawn as she promised that everything was in the past. She grabbed her briefcase and asked what T.J. thought about her outfit because she wanted to make a good first impression. T.J. complimented his mother, so she smiled and then breezed out of the diner as Shawn called after her to stay out of trouble.

After Jordan left, T.J. sat down to eat. Shawn worried that T.J. would be late for school, but T.J. assured Shawn that it was fine because T.J. had shuffled some classes around to start school later. T.J. then turned the focus back to Shawn by asking what was really going on between Shawn and Jordan.

At the hospital, Carlos unwittingly followed Michael into an elevator. Carlos stiffened as the door closed and he realized who Michael was. However, Carlos' trepidation turned to curiosity when he noticed a piece of paper in Michael's hand, so Carlos looked over Michael's shoulder to read it. The document was A.J.'s death certificate. Michael noticed the stranger staring at the death certificate, so he asked if he could help Carlos.

Carlos immediately apologized and then claimed that he had simply recognized the name on the death certificate because he had seen A.J.'s name in the newspapers since the shocking shooting. Michael seemed to relax, so Carlos offered his condolences to Michael and then casually struck up a conversation about the investigation. Carlos was stunned when Michael revealed that the police were closing in on the person who had broken into the Quartermaine mansion hours before A.J.'s murder. Carlos intended to question Michael further, but the elevator door opened, so Michael left.

In the squad room, Anna demanded to know why Dante and Lulu had questioned Liesl Obrecht. Dante admitted that it was a long story but added that he wasn't ready to talk about it. Anna decided that it could wait because they might be close to finding out who had killed A.J. Dante was intrigued as a police officer led a handcuffed suspect into the interrogation room.

Anna explained that they had found the guy who had sold the gun that had been recovered from the Quartermaine mansion when the masked gunman had confronted A.J. She added that she intended to charge the gun dealer as an accessory to the crime to pressure the man into revealing whom he had sold the gun to. Anna was confident that the name would put them one step closer to A.J.'s killer and to giving Dante's brother, Michael, justice.

A short time later, Anna and Dante entered the interrogation room to question the gun dealer. The gun dealer denied any knowledge of the gun, so Anna revealed that her lab technicians had managed to uncover the gun's serial numbers despite the attempt to file them off. According to Anna, the gun had traced back to the gun dealer, so she threatened to charge him as an accessory if the gun dealer refused to reveal the name of the person that had bought the gun. The gun dealer played it cool by pointing out that he sold a lot of guns and then promised to give the question due consideration while he was out on bail.

Anna agreed to process the gun dealer as an accessory, but she warned the man that he was unlikely to make bail because the arraignment judge was a big advocate of the state's new gun laws. The gun dealer's confident smile vanished as he quickly capitulated and agreed to cooperate. Anna questioned the gun dealer about the person who had bought the gun, but the gun dealer explained that it had been a cash transaction for a substantial shipment, so the gun dealer hadn't asked names. Anna decided to fetch several books containing photographs of all of Sonny and Julian's known associates.

A short time later, Anna and Dante returned to the interrogation room. The gun dealer had good news; he had found a picture of the man that he had sold the guns to and then pointed to a picture of Carlos.

At Greystone Manor, Sonny read the newspaper about A.J.'s shooting and smiled with satisfaction when it was suggested that the crime would never be solved. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Sonny?" A.J. asked.

Sonny slowly looked up and stared in disbelief as A.J. looked accusingly down at Sonny. A.J. wore a blood-splattered shirt from a gunshot wound to the chest, so Sonny knew that the vision couldn't be real. A.J. agreed that he wasn't real because Sonny had shot him and had then left him for dead. Sonny tried to focus on the newspaper article to block out A.J., but A.J. would not be ignored as he conceded that there was a strong likelihood that Sonny would get away with the murder, but Sonny would never be able to escape it because Sonny would be reminded of what Sonny had done each time that Sonny looked at Michael.

Infuriated, Sonny shouted for A.J. to "shut up" as Duke suddenly appeared in the doorway. "I beg your pardon?" Duke asked. A rattled Sonny tried to regain his composure. Duke took in Sonny's rattled state and surmised that A.J.'s death had prompted Sonny's outburst. Sonny appeared startled by the insight, so Duke apologized but reminded Sonny that Duke had been asked to provide Sonny with an alibi for the night that A.J. had been shot.

Duke pointed out that Sonny could trust him, but Sonny seemed uncertain because he knew that Duke had once worked for A.J. Duke freely admitted that he had liked A.J. because A.J. had given Duke a chance when no one else had. Duke regretted that a man's life had been cut short, especially since A.J. hadn't been Duke's enemy, but Duke could tell that there was remorse on Sonny's part, and Duke recognized that he wasn't in any position to judge anyone else's moral failings. Duke didn't regret working for Sonny or providing Sonny with an alibi because Duke was determined to take Julian Jerome down at any cost and had pledged loyalty to Sonny.

Michael entered the room as Duke shook Sonny's hand and promised that Sonny's secret was safe with Duke. Michael hadn't overheard what Duke and Sonny had said, so Duke offered his condolences to Michael and then left. Sonny was curious how Michael had been holding up and then assured Michael that Michael could talk to Sonny. Michael confessed that A.J.'s death had been difficult.

Sonny imagined that Michael's frustration had been compounded by the lack of progress with the investigation. Sonny was shocked when Michael revealed that there had been a promising lead and then told Sonny about the masked gunman who had attacked A.J. earlier in the day at the Quartermaine mansion. Michael explained that the police were optimistic that the masked gunman might be the key to solving the crime. Michael realized that it wouldn't help A.J., but it would give Michael justice.

Sonny appreciated that Michael wanted the killer to be found, but he warned Michael that the police might never find the shooter. Michael understood that Sonny didn't have much faith in the police, but Michael insisted that he wouldn't find peace until the killer was behind bars. After Michael left, A.J. appeared at the top of the stairs to suggest that if there were a God then Sonny wouldn't find peace either.

At ELQ, Luke sat in an executive office with his feet propped up on the desk as he spoke to Julian on the phone. Luke wanted to make certain that there hadn't been any trouble with the shipment and that the product would move fast. Julian assured Luke that everything had been taken care of, but Luke stiffened when he noticed that Tracy had passed the office and then suddenly stopped short. Luke abruptly ended the call and then smiled a warmly as Tracy entered the office.

Luke quickly explained that he had been on the phone, making arrangements to pick up Tracy's birthday present. Tracy was curious why Luke had felt the need to make the arrangements from the office, so Luke reminded her of their agreement for him to work at ELQ. Tracy resented Luke appropriating the office and made it clear that she had not agreed to let him work at ELQ. She insisted that ELQ was her sanctuary and the one place where she felt truly in control, so she didn't want to become joined at the hip after their marriage.

Luke managed to say the right words and cajoled Tracy into agreeing to give it a try. Luke smiled with satisfaction and then announced that he had to leave to pick up the painting. Tracy was taken aback when Luke made a passing comment about replacing the "hideous" portrait of Edward that had graced the entrance to ELQ with the painting that Luke had bought for Tracy. Tracy reminded Luke that Edward's portrait belonged at ELQ, so Luke softened his tone and suggested that perhaps the portrait belonged in the care of the family.

After Luke left, Tracy glanced at the portrait of her father and then conceded that Luke had many faults, but she promised her father that Luke had changed and insisted that there had been a shift in her relationship with Luke after she had rescued him from Cassadine Island. She was confident that Luke saw her as more than a source of cash; she was Luke's equal, and he loved her. Tracy realized that Luke's behavior had been a bit odd, but she pointed out that no one was perfect, not even Tracy.

Ned suddenly exited the elevator and asked if he could quote his mother. Tracy smiled happily as she greeted her eldest son with a warm hug and then asked why he was in town earlier than expected for A.J.'s funeral. Ned explained that he had moved his appointments around to spend some extra time with the family. He was curious how Monica had been holding up, so Tracy admitted that Monica was not well. .

"A mother should never outlive her children," Tracy quietly said. Ned was curious if Tracy had heard from Dillon, so she revealed that Dillon had been working in Japan. She had told her youngest son not to attend the funeral because it wouldn't have been worth it for Dillon to fly in for the funeral and then have to turn around and leave the following day. However, Tracy confessed that she did have some good news and then told Ned about her engagement to Luke and Luke's new job at ELQ, but Ned was not pleased.

"Are you out of your mind?" Ned asked. Tracy was disappointed by Ned's attitude because she had hoped that he could be happy for her. Ned agreed to adjust his attitude once he told her the name of the doctor who had given her a lobotomy. Ned turned serious as he admitted that he feared that Luke was after his mother's money, but Tracy was hurt that Ned couldn't believe that Luke would want to marry her for love. Ned reminded his mother of Tracy and Luke's other failed marriages when Luke had walked away with a sizeable fortune each time.

Tracy defended Luke and insisted that his brush with death had changed him, but Ned argued that Luke wanting to work for ELQ proved that Luke was only interested in the money. Tracy disagreed because the old Luke would have been content to remain at home to siphon her money. Tracy appreciated that Ned was worried, but she confessed that she wanted a part of Ned to believe that she was right about Luke because Luke had changed after he had nearly died.

Ned argued that Luke had made a career of near-death experiences and that almost dying was as irresistible to Luke as the open road and taking other people's money. Ned insisted that, in the past, his mother had been smarter about Luke and seen through Luke's games. He warned Tracy that no matter how much she wanted to believe that Luke had changed, she knew, deep down inside, that Luke was still the same person, which was why he had walked in on his mother talking to Edward's portrait. He begged his mother not to make the same mistake by marrying Luke again and suggested that if she listened closely, she could hear her father rolling over in his grave at the thought of Tracy going through with the wedding.

At the Jerome Gallery, Ava marched in as Julian ended a phone call with Luke. She immediately blasted her brother for running the false article about Nakamura with the hope that Ava would be ensnared in the trap. Ava angrily pointed out that she hadn't injected Nina or killed Nakamura, but she resented that Julian had thought that she had. Ava dared Julian to admit that Julian had helped the police and Sam because he had wanted Ava out of the picture. Julian agreed to do so if she would confess to feeding Sonny information about the Jerome organization.

Ava's anger evaporated as Julian informed her that Sonny's henchmen had raided a couple of their safe houses over the past few weeks. Ava acknowledged that it did appear that they had a leak in their organization, but she assured Julian that it was not her. Julian disagreed because he was certain that he was looking at the traitor, but Ava insisted that Julian didn't have any reason to suspect her. Julian pointed out that Ava's "boy-toy" was Sonny's son, but Ava resented Morgan being referred to as a "boy-toy" because she and Morgan were in love.

Julian scoffed at the suggestion that Ava's relationship with Morgan was real, but Julian was curious why Ava showed more loyalty to Morgan than she did to her own brother, Julian. Ava accused Julian of betraying her with a false article in an attempt to send Ava to jail. Julian and Ava continued to yell back and forth until Jordan appeared in the doorway and asked if it was a bad time.

Ava immediately seized the opportunity end the argument by focusing on Jordan. Ava offered to get Jordan started on cataloging the artwork, but Carlos walked in an asked for a moment of Ava's time. Ava smiled nervously as Julian watched Ava and Carlos with interest, so she tried to send Carlos away by explaining that she didn't have time to discuss their project. Ava claimed that she had asked Carlos to look into the shipping options of importing sculptures, but Carlos insisted that it was urgent. Julian was suspicious, but he agreed to get Jordan acclimated.

Jordan halted Julian after a few steps because she had decided to clear the air about T.J. Julian assured Jordan that both Jordan and T.J. had nothing to worry about and promised her that nothing nefarious was going. Moments later, Luke strolled in.

Luke took an instant liking to Jordan when Julian introduced Luke to the new gallery employee. Luke flirted with Jordan until Julian sent her to wrap up an expensive painting for Luke. Luke questioned Julian about Jordan, but Julian advised Luke to be careful because Tracy might not be pleased with Luke's interest in Jordan. Luke realized that Julian had a point, so he took his wrapped painting and then left.

Afterwards, Julian apologized to Jordan for Luke's behavior. Jordan assured Julian that she could handle Luke, so Julian asked how Jordan had liked her first day on the job. Jordan confessed that she'd had something else in mind. Julian tensed as he asked her to clarify what she had meant, so Jordan explained that she knew about the drug operation.

Meanwhile, Carlos filled Ava in about his encounter with Michael at the hospital and Michael's claim that the police might have a new lead on the masked intruder who had threatened A.J.'s life hours before A.J. had been shot. Carlos reminded Ava that they both knew that he hadn't killed A.J., but Ava urged Carlos to calm down because she was certain that the police had merely told Michael what they had thought would satisfy Michael enough to leave. Ava pointed out that Carlos had assured her that the incident couldn't be traced back to either of them.

Carlos assured Ava that it was impossible, but she reminded him that he had dropped his gun. Carlos explained that the gun hadn't been traceable and that he had worn gloves and a mask, so it would be impossible to identify him.

Later, Luke entered the ELQ office with the painting in his hand and saw Ned. Luke seemed leery as he asked why Ned was in town, so Ned reminded Luke of A.J.'s funeral. Luke seemed puzzled as he turned to ask Tracy if the funeral was later that day. Tracy's brows furrowed as she explained that Ned had decided to arrive a few days earlier to spend time with the family. Ned smiled amicably as he revealed that he had heard about Luke and Tracy's engagement as well as Luke's new job.

Luke wondered if he had Ned's blessing, so Ned pleasantly assured Luke that Luke and Tracy would have it when Luke signed a prenuptial agreement. Luke's friendly demeanor instantly vanished.

Outside of Kelly's, T.J. continued to question Shawn about the tension between Shawn and Jordan. Shawn tried to dismiss it, but T.J. insisted that he could tell that there had been something going on between Shawn and Jordan. Duke arrived and greeted Shawn but immediately realized that Shawn needed time alone with T.J., so Duke agreed to wait inside.

After Duke left, Shawn explained that he had been concerned about Jordan working for the Jeromes, but Jordan had assured Shawn that she only worked for the gallery. T.J. sensed that Shawn was not telling him something, but Shawn assured T.J. that there was nothing else to be concerned about and then reminded T.J. that T.J. had to get to school.

Inside Kelly's, Duke and Shawn exchanged greetings. Duke explained that he had needed to see Shawn because Duke had new information about their enemy. Shawn wondered if the Jeromes had gotten involved in the drug trade. Stunned, Duke wondered how Shawn had known.