One night while Jamal was walking back to his bike shop, a woman who looked just like his friend Casey, was waiting there. At first he thought it was Casey, but the woman insisted that she wasn't Casey, she was Marissa, and she didn't even know who Casey was. Marissa was a reporter who came to town to investigate all the paranormal occurrences going on in Port Charles, particularly the new shadowy avenger going around town saving women. She tried to interview Jamal, because he had supposedly encountered "Lancelot", as she called him. Jamal introduced Marissa to Ricky, who had been in love with Casey. Ricky gave Marissa a picture of Casey, and Marissa was shocked that she looked exactly like her. Marissa called her mom to come to Port Charles, and asked her if she knew whom the girl in the picture was. Marissa's mother realized it was Marissa's twin sister, whom they had to give up. Marissa was devastated, because her parents had told her that her twin sister was dead.

Jamal and Marissa slowly started falling head over heels for one another, and finally they made love. Marissa began to worry that Jamal still hadn't gotten over his ex, Alison. Jamal assured her that he finally was, and that he was ready to move on with her.