Soap Central has learned that Elizabeth Hendrickson (Mary Frances "Frankie" Stone) will be returning to All My Children in the not-so-distant future.

According to an AMC insider, Hendrickson will be brought back in a contract role with the show. The insider hints that Hendrickson will not be a ghost or an undead Frankie, but rather a brand new role.

Fans were outraged when Frankie Stone was found dead on the floor of her room at Cortlandt Manor in November. In short, many felt that the character still had a great deal of potential. "I am furious that Bianca is losing yet another special person in her life," wrote one visitor on our AMC Sound Off! message board. However, other AMC viewers were pleased that the show apparently decided against showing a same-sex relationship. "I hope that the writers move away from this political correctness [and] return the show's focus to traditional heterosexual relationships," wrote another poster.

While fans wanted to see Hendrickson return to the show, it's unclear if fans will welcome another "look alike" storyline. Such storylines and "back from the dead" plots have not always gone over so well with viewers. Early word is that Hendrickson's character will be Frankie's very heterosexual sister.

It should be noted that Mary Frances was the first character developed exclusively by AMC's new head writer Richard Culliton. It can only be assumed that killing off his first character must not have been an easy move for Culliton. Of course, it's always possible that this is exactly what Culliton had in mind from the start.

Hendrickson will make her return in true Sweeps cliffhanger fashion during the final scenes of the Friday, February 1st episode.