In the park, A.J. had a nip from his flask and remembered that Ava had been with him in the Crimson offices on the night that Connie had died. Elsewhere in the park, Emma played in the snow, and Robin had a talk with Victor Cassadine. She told him to stop pressuring her.
Victor ended the call and stepped inside Wyndemere, where Spencer demanded to know what Victor had been doing at Emma's house. Victor was evasive, but Spencer was persistent. Eventually, after Spencer received a photo of Cameron and Emma in the park, Spencer agreed to keep Victor's secret -- if Victor took Spencer to the park.
Britt and Nikolas talked to a contractor, who agreed to go into the catacombs to check out potential damage from the slight shake they had experienced the night before. The contractor said it was probably the old house settling and went into the catacombs to assess the damage. When Victor entered and said that he was taking Spencer to the park, Nikolas said that they would all go and make it a family affair. Britt fretted over the missing baby brush.
Heather found her knife while Carly struggled to remove the debris that had her trapped. Just as Heather was about to strike, the contractor emerged. When he tried to stop Heather, she plunged the knife into him. Heather blamed Carly for the man's murder. As Heather raised the knife again, Carly told Heather that her plan had a big flaw. Carly said that if Heather stabbed Carly while Franco was in custody, it would prove Franco's innocence, not his guilt, because of time of death.
Heather recognized the logic of Carly words and decided to regroup. Heather dragged the body of the contractor away and left the catacombs while Carly struggled to remove the stone rubble that prevented her from moving.
Franco went to Scott's hotel room and begged Scott to help him. Nathan knocked on the door, and Scott answered it but did not let Nathan in or reveal Franco's presence. Nathan laid out his case against Silas, but Scott said that it was all circumstantial and told Nathan to let Silas go. Two patrolmen approached and told Nathan that Franco had been spotted entering the hotel, and they had been asked to do a room-by-room search. Scott told them to get on with it.
Scott returned to Franco, who begged him to check and make sure that Heather was in Miscavige. Scott agreed but said that Franco could not stay in Scott's room because it would eventually be searched. Franco realized that Scott had feelings for him because Scott had not turned Franco in when he'd had the opportunity.
Scott blustered when Franco called him dad, but did not deny what Franco had said to him. After agreeing to meet later in the park, Franco left the room and escaped just before Nathan and crew turned up to search Scott's room.
Scott headed to Miscavige, where the attendants were reluctant to let him see Heather. Scott pulled his badge and insisted that Heather's cell be unlocked. From the back, Scott thought it was Heather, but he was shocked when he faced her and saw Luke instead.
Emma asked Robin why she had sounded sad on the phone, but Robin played it off as work-related. Elizabeth and Cameron joined them. Emma and Cameron went off to sled while Elizabeth and Robin laughed about how excited Cameron had been about his "date" with Emma and his worries about his competition for Emma's heart. Elizabeth noticed that Robin was distracted. Robin said that she was thinking about the future. Robin left to get hot chocolate while Elizabeth checked on the children. On the way, Elizabeth ran into A.J.
A.J. tried to tell Elizabeth what he had remembered, but all she noticed was the smell of alcohol on his breath. Nikolas, Britt, Spencer, baby Ben, and Victor arrived as A.J. became more agitated. Nikolas asked if things were okay. Elizabeth said yes, but also said that A.J. had been drinking. A.J. mumbled that he would take care of things himself and shambled away.
Nikolas took Ben to make snowballs. Britt questioned Elizabeth about the missing hairbrush that had vanished after Elizabeth's visit. Elizabeth said that sometimes things got misplaced, like a previous Christmas, when a DVD she had purchased for Cameron had gone missing shortly after Britt had been around.
Spencer and Victor joined Emma and Cameron. Victor sat down with the paper, and Spencer gloated as he gave Emma the Fabergé egg as a Valentine's present. Victor was shocked when he saw a picture of Heather and remembered the confrontation he had had with her at Wyndemere. He took the photo to Spencer and asked if he recognized Heather. The children recognized her as the stable girl. Victor left the paper and told the kids that he had to find Nikolas.
Franco emerged from hiding. Spencer, Emma, and Cameron recognized him and backed away. When Franco asked what was wrong, they said that Franco was a psycho. Franco asked nicely about Heather and the children babbled about Wyndemere, the stables, the chupacabra that screamed like a real person, and the underground catacombs. Franco thanked the children and took off.
Returning with hot chocolate for all, Robin met up with T.J. and Molly, who were on an outing with Danny. Molly introduced Danny as Jason's son. Robin cuddled the baby. Eventually, Robin learned the whole story about Franco and how Jason had died before learning that Danny was his biological son. Robin became very thoughtful when Molly gushed about what a wonderful dad Jason would have been, and T.J. said that it was a shame that Danny would grow up without a father.
Robin ran into Victor, who was distracted. She accused him of stalking her, but he said he was in the park with family. Robin said that she had made her decision. Robin told Victor that she was in.
Franco searched the Wyndemere stables and then broke into the main house. He found the catacombs entrance open and followed it to Carly, who was alone but still trapped under the rubble. Carly was relieved to see Franco.
Morgan unpacked boxes in Sonny's new office. He sighed as he remembered a torrid parting from Ava. When Morgan turned to the door, Ava was standing in the doorway. Ava said that she missed him and loved him. Morgan replied that he felt the same way and that all he wanted was to be with the one person who understood him. They kissed passionately. Morgan said that they could not be together because Morgan had made a promise to Sonny.
Ava suggested that they sneak around and Sonny need not know, but Morgan said that Morgan would know. Morgan made a counter suggestion that Ava leave Julian and join Sonny to help take Julian down. Ava was reluctant, but Morgan pointed out that Julian would eventually throw Ava under the bus, plus, once the mob war was over, there would be no objections should Morgan and Ava choose to be together.
Ava finally agreed. After Morgan left to talk to Sonny, Ava pondered whether or not she had chosen correctly. A.J. showed up and confronted Ava with his memories of the night that Connie had died.
At Pozzulo's, Sonny was packing up his office when Morgan entered. Sonny was curious why Morgan wasn't setting up the new office at Metro Court, so Morgan explained that Ava had stopped by to talk to Morgan. Sonny was not pleased and decided to track Ava down to have a word with her, but Morgan quickly assured his father that it wasn't necessary. Sonny disagreed because he wanted to make certain that Ava understood that Morgan and Ava were through. "What if we aren't?" Morgan quietly asked.
Sonny appreciated that the breakup had been difficult on Morgan, but Sonny reminded Morgan that the Jeromes were the enemy and a danger to the Corinthos family. Morgan argued that it didn't have to be that way and then explained that Ava had decided to break away from Julian and join Sonny's side because Morgan had made it clear that Morgan and Ava couldn't have a future together as long as she remained loyal to Julian. Sonny was skeptical, but Morgan assured his father that Ava was willing to turn her back on Julian for Morgan.
"How the hell am I supposed to believe that?" Sonny asked. Sonny was certain that Ava had been playing Morgan, but Morgan disagreed and insisted that Ava cared about Morgan enough to walk away from Julian. Morgan was hurt when Sonny refused to believe that Ava would switch sides for Morgan, but Sonny refused to let Morgan guilt Sonny into trusting Ava. Morgan begged Sonny to at least hear Ava out, so Sonny could look Ava in the eye and determine if it was the truth.
Morgan admitted that he trusted Ava, which he thought should count for something with his father. "We're still working on that, Sonny reminded Morgan. Morgan conceded that he had deserved that, but Morgan believed that their family deserved peace and promised that Ava was willing to sacrifice her own brother to achieve that. Sonny remained skeptical, but he agreed to talk to Ava. Relieved, Morgan revealed that Ava was waiting for Sonny at Sonny's new office.
At Corinthos Coffee, Ava was curious if A.J. had been drinking. A.J. snorted and asked if she was his mother. Ava claimed that she simply didn't want to see him get hurt and then pointed out that being in the office was a slap to Sonny's face because it was where A.J. had murdered Connie. "Did I?" A.J. asked.
Ava tensed as she wondered what A.J. was asking. A.J. revealed that his memories from the night of Connie's murder had started to return and that he remembered seeing Ava when he had stumbled out of Connie's office. Ava laughed and tried to downplay the importance of her being at the office on the night of Connie's murder, but A.J. added that he recalled dropping the gun as he had made his way to the elevator. Ava was curious if there was a point to what A.J. was telling her, so A.J. explained that it was entirely possible that Ava had picked up the murder weapon and then shot Connie.
Ava accused A.J. of being desperate. She reminded him that he had been acquitted of the murder, yet he was trying to absolve himself of the crime by wrongfully accusing her. Ava conceded that she had been at the office on the night of the murder, but she denied that she had killed Connie.
According to Ava, she had been terrified when she saw A.J. because she had feared that he had harmed her brother, so she had waited until A.J. had left and then had entered the office. Ava claimed that she had been shocked when she saw Connie on the floor in a pool of blood, so Ava had fled. A.J. was disgusted because Sonny had found Connie clinging to life, which meant that Ava had left Connie to die. Ava insisted that Connie had appeared dead, but A.J. didn't believe Ava's version of events because the gun hadn't been found outside of the office.
Ava explained that she had hoped that the shooting had been an accident, so she had used a handkerchief to pick up the gun and then had dropped it into her purse on her way out. Ava claimed that she had tried to protect A.J. because Kiki loved Michael and Michael in turn loved A.J.
A.J. remained suspicious of Ava's story as she revealed that she had gone to the mansion to check on A.J., but A.J. had been passed out. Ava explained that Julian had called her with an emergency, so she had left A.J. with Michael and then had gone to the boathouse to toss the gun into the water. However, Ava hadn't realized that she hadn't thrown the gun far enough, which was why the gun had been found in the bushes near the lake.
A.J. didn't believe Ava because he was certain that if she had killed Connie then she could have just as easily tried to frame him for the murder. Ava argued that she couldn't have shot Connie because only A.J.'s fingerprints, not Ava's, had been found on the gun. Ava insisted that she couldn't wipe off her fingerprints without removing his too. Ava reiterated that she had tried to protect A.J. by disposing of the gun, but A.J. remained skeptical because he knew that Ava didn't care about him.
A.J. reminded Ava that she had sided with Tracy during Tracy and A.J.'s battle for control of ELQ. Ava agreed that she had wrongly sided with Tracy, but Tracy had washed her hands of Ava when it was revealed that Kiki was not a Quartermaine. However, Ava revealed that she had intended to join forces with A.J. to turn the tables on Tracy, so Ava had taken steps to keep A.J. out of jail by stealing the security footage from the night of the shooting.
Ava explained that she had taken the incriminating DVDs from the hotel, but she had inadvertently left behind the DVD that Scott Baldwin had used in court. A.J. was curious if Ava had viewed the footage, so Ava nodded and claimed that A.J. had shot Connie in cold blood. A.J. wanted to see the footage for himself, but Ava explained that she had destroyed the DVDs. A.J. questioned why Ava hadn't said anything to him about the shooting.
Ava claimed that she hadn't seen the point of telling A.J. that he had killed Connie because A.J.'s lack of memory had given A.J. and his loved ones a glimmer of hope that he hadn't pulled the trigger. Ava insisted that telling the truth would have hurt too many people.
Moments later, Sonny appeared in the doorway and demanded to know why A.J. was in Sonny's office.
At the police station, Alexis reminded Anna that Silas had been in custody for over forty-eight hours without being charged. Anna explained that she needed to check with Scott before authorizing Silas' release because it wouldn't make sense to let Silas go only to have to turn around and arrest him again. Alexis insisted that it was Anna's problem, not Alexis'.
Moments later, Nathan entered the squad room and revealed that Scott had refused to file charges against Silas. Pleased, Alexis ordered Anna to release Silas. Nathan insisted that Silas had tried to kill Nina, so Alexis cut him off by threatening to sue for harassment and slander. Nathan argued that he could prove it if he had more time.
Alexis assured Nathan that he could have all of the time that he needed for his "snipe hunt," but first Silas had to be released from custody. Anna resented Alexis' threat of a lawsuit because Nathan had had valid grounds to hold Silas. Anna insisted that Nathan had put together a solid case that had established that Silas had had the means, motive, and opportunity to carry out the attempted murder. Anna also reminded Alexis that there had been a corroborating witness.
Anna was certain that a different district attorney would have filed charges against Silas, but Alexis was unmoved and argued that Silas was free to leave. "For the moment," Anna countered. Alexis ignored Anna and told Nathan that it had been "nice doing business" with Nathan.
Later, Nathan reported to Anna that he had sent a police officer to process Silas' release. However, Nathan made it clear that he intended to continue the investigation. Nathan became concerned when he noticed that Anna had suddenly tensed while scanning a report. Anna cryptically explained that she had received the results of the test on the blonde hair that had been found on the bloody sheet linked to Carly, but it hadn't been Carly's hair. Nathan was curious who it had belonged to, but instead of answering, Anna called Miscavige to ask for a bed check on Heather.
An orderly at Miscavige took the call and assured Anna that Heather was safely locked up in the institute for the criminally insane. Anna ended the call and confided to Nathan that something was amiss. Moments later, Nikolas entered the squad room to talk to Anna.
Nikolas explained that Spencer had seen a picture of Heather in the newspaper and had recognized Heather because Heather had been on Spoon Island, claiming to work in the stables. Nikolas quickly added that Spencer, Cameron, and Emma had encountered Franco in the park and had told Franco where Heather was, so Franco had apparently gone to Wyndemere to hunt Heather down. Alarmed, Anna asked where the children were.
Nikolas assured Anna that the children were safe because Robin, Elizabeth, and Britt had taken the children to Elizabeth's house. Nathan was curious how Heather could be in two places at the same time, so Anna decided to go to Wyndemere to find out. Anna was certain that a "rat like Heather" would be found hiding out in the catacombs. Nikolas offered to go with Anna to lead her around the catacombs, but Anna explained that it wasn't necessary because she knew the catacombs like the back of her hand. Moments later, Anna and Nathan left for Wyndemere.
Sam paid Silas a visit in lockup. Silas was happy to see Sam, but she was curious where Kiki was. Silas explained that Diane had gotten Kiki released on bail earlier, so he wondered if Sam intended to do the same for him.
Sam revealed that there had been a complication and then told him that a "do-gooder" had sent Nathan a copy of Nina's last will and testament. Silas was certain that Ava had been responsible for the new evidence, but Sam surprised him by admitting that her gut told her that Ava hadn't sent the incriminating document. Sam explained that she and Alexis had questioned Ava and that Ava had adamantly denied sending it.
Moments later, Alexis joined Silas and Sam to announce that Scott had refused to press charges against Silas, so Silas would be released from jail.
Later, Silas stood with Sam and Alexis in the squad room. He thanked Alexis for standing by him and for finding a way to get him out of jail. Alexis insisted that Sam deserved all of the credit, but Alexis promised to send him a bill. Silas smiled and quietly thanked Sam, so Sam promised to send him a bill as well.
After Alexis walked away, Silas confessed that he had concerns about paying Sam's bill. Sam smiled flirtatiously as she assured him that she would take the payment in trade. Silas decided to get started and kissed her.
Afterwards, Silas confided that he couldn't wait to get home and shower. Sam asked if she could join him, so Silas quickly agreed and then led her out of the squad room. Sam assured Silas that she remained determined to prove that Ava, not Silas, had tried to kill Nina.
Nearby, Alexis bumped into Nikolas. He told her that Anna and Nathan had gone to Wyndemere because Heather had been spotted on Spoon Island and there was reason to believe that Franco had followed his mother to the island. Alexis and Nikolas agreed that whatever was going on between Franco and Heather likely involved Carly.
At Miscavige, Scott was shocked when he realized that the person sitting in Heather's padded cell was Luke sporting a blonde wig. Scott demanded to know what drug Luke had been given, so the orderly claimed that it had been a regular sedative. Luke mumbled about a left-handed boy as Scott asked who had authorized Luke to be sedated. The orderly informed Scott that it was a "need to know" basis and then slammed the door closed, locking Scott into the padded cell with Luke.
Luke began to shout "need to know" repeatedly as Scott banged on the door demanding to be released. The orderly ignored Scott, so Scott returned to Luke, pulled off the wig and tried to get Luke to shake off the effects of the drugs. "Sally is a man, man," Luke muttered until Scott punched Luke in the face.
"Is that all you got, Baldwin?" Luke asked as Luke snapped out of his drugged state. Luke looked around and asked if he was at Miscavige. Scott confirmed that they were in the institute for the criminally insane and then went to work on freeing Luke from the straitjacket. The straitjacket proved to be challenging, so Scott decided to take a quick break to put the wig back on Luke and then snap a picture to post on Twitter. Luke was not amused.
Scott showed Luke the picture, so Luke acknowledged that Luke had looked worse. Scott smiled and then returned to his task as Luke urged Scott to hurry because they needed to get to Carly before Heather killed her. Scott realized that Franco had been correct about Heather, but Scott was curious how Luke knew that Heather had Carly. Luke told Scott about the encounter with Heather and Heather's goons at the Quartermaine boathouse.
Scott failed to free Luke from the tricky straitjacket. Scott was certain that they would need the Jaws of Life to remove the restrictive garment. Frustrated by his lack of success with the straitjacket, Scott resumed banging on the door, while Luke began to shout for help.
In the catacombs, Franco raced to Carly's side and quickly freed her from the debris trapping her in a tight crevice. Carly hugged Franco and wept with relief as he tried to set her on her feet, but she quickly cried out in pain because of her injured leg. Carly explained that they needed to flee before Heather returned, so Franco picked Carly up and promised her that everything would be fine.
"Oh, no it won't," Heather said as she appeared behind Franco. Heather was disappointed that Franco was back in Carly's arms, but Franco was furious with Heather and ordered her to get out of his way. Heather was stunned that Franco would talk to his mother like that. Franco shocked Heather by questioning if she was his mother.
Heather assured Franco that he was her son with Scott, but Franco was furious and accused Heather of being a cockroach because Heather's one true talent was that she was hard to kill. Heather was hurt that Franco would talk to her like that, but Franco didn't care. Franco pointed out that he didn't have any proof that Heather was his mother other than Heather's word. Heather assured Franco that she hadn't lied about him being her son, but Franco insisted that he deserved better than Heather for a mother. Heather was taken aback when Franco rejected Heather as his mother.
"Susan Moore is my mother. Alan Quartermaine is my father. Jason is my twin," Franco shouted at Heather. Carly tried to calm Franco down, but he carefully set her down with a promise that he would be back. He then picked up the knife that Heather had discarded earlier and advanced on Heather. Heather quickly pulled a gun out of her pocket and fired at Franco. Franco staggered back in shock as the bullet tore through his abdomen. Carly crawled to Franco as he gasped in pain, but Heather ordered Carly to get away from Franco.
Franco begged Heather to leave Carly alone, but Heather ignored him as she shouted at Carly. Carly and Heather exchanged heated words, so Franco seized the opportunity to reclaim the knife that he had dropped and then plunged the knife into the back of Heather's leg. Heather fell to her knees and dropped the gun. Franco and Heather each grabbed for the gun and struggled to wrench it away from the other.
Eventually, Heather managed to get the gun away from Franco, but Anna and Nathan appeared before Heather could shoot Carly. Anna immediately arrested Heather as Carly returned to Franco's side and begged him to stay with her. Nathan called for an ambulance, so Carly warned Anna that Heather had also stabbed a contractor and had hidden the man's body.
Heather wanted to know how Franco was doing, so Anna reminded Heather that Heather had shot Franco. Heather insisted that Carly had driven Heather to do it and then began to shout that Franco was Heather's son. Anna decided to get Heather away from Franco and Carly, but promised to return with help.
Carly assured Franco that everything would be okay. Franco weakly told Carly that he loved her and wanted to thank her because she had taught him what love meant and what it felt like. Carly assured Franco that she loved him too, but Franco had passed out.
At the penthouse, Sam was on the phone with her mother. Sam thanked Alexis for getting Silas out of jail, so Alexis urged Sam to make certain that Silas stayed out of trouble. After Sam ended the call, a freshly showered Silas entered the bedroom, wearing Sam's robe. Sam was glad that the robe fit, but Silas wondered why Sam owned such a large garment. Sam confessed that she had ordered the wrong size and then shifted gears to ask how Silas felt.
Silas admitted that he would have felt better if Sam had kept her promise to join him in the shower. Sam smiled and claimed that she hadn't wanted to hog the hot water. Silas conceded that he almost felt rejuvenated, but he had a confession to make. Sam's smile faded as she wondered if he intended to tell her that he was guilty. Silas assured her that he hadn't harmed his wife, but he felt guilty about not telling Sam about Nina's last will and testament.
Silas explained that it was a long story, so Sam pointed out that they had plenty of time. Silas nodded and then opened up about his relationship with Nina. Silas assured Sam that he had loved his wife and that he and Nina had never cared about Nina's fortune.
According to Silas, he and Nina had never talked about Nina's family's wealth, so the thought of a prenuptial agreement had never entered their minds. Silas explained that Nina's family had thought so little of Nina that they had assumed that he had married her for the money and that Nina had expected her parents to disown her when she had put him through medical school. Silas had never understood why her parents had felt as they had until he had learned about Nina's will.
Sam wondered if Silas had known that Nina had left him everything. Silas shook his head and explained that he hadn't realized that there had been a will until after Nina had slipped into a coma. However, he suspected that Nina had done it to get back at her parents. Silas then quietly confessed that a part of him had wondered if he had somehow subconsciously pushed Nina into doing what she had done. Sam pointed out that Silas couldn't have predicted what would happen. Silas agreed, but his heart had felt responsible.
Later, Sam returned to the bedroom with a box of pizza that she had ordered while Silas had been in the shower. Silas was horrified when he realized that half of the pizza had been covered with pineapple chunks. Sam smiled and persuaded Silas to try a bite. Silas agreed, but confessed that it tasted awful and then distracted Sam with a passionate kiss.
After Silas and Sam made love, they each grabbed a slice of pizza. Silas confessed that he had never felt happier. "Me too," Sam replied. Their conversation then drifted to Silas' legal troubles. Silas was certain that Ava had sent the copy of Nina's will to Nathan, but Sam disagreed.
However, Sam was certain that Ava had tried to kill Nina, so Sam was determined to prove it. She suggested that she and Silas start their investigation by going to New York City to question the pharmacist. Silas agreed, so, with the matter settled, Sam and Silas made love again.
At Corinthos Coffee, Ava explained to A.J. that she had tried to cover up his role in Connie's murder so A.J. and his family could continue to believe that perhaps, somehow, AJ. hadn't pulled the trigger. A.J. and Ava tensed when Sonny suddenly appeared in the doorway and demanded to know what A.J. was doing in Sonny's office. Ava was curious why Morgan wasn't with Sonny.
Sonny explained that he had wanted to meet with Ava alone but then repeated his question to A.J. Ava claimed that A.J. had stopped by the office to ask Julian for a job in the publishing end of the Jerome family business, not realizing that Julian had been evicted from the building. Stunned, Sonny asked if Ava was right. A.J. recalled Ava asking A.J. to imagine what the truth about Connie's murder could do to Michael, so A.J. decided to go along with Ava's lie.
Sonny was disgusted that A.J. would want to work for Sonny's enemy after A.J. had murdered Connie. A.J. muttered that it was just a publishing job and left. Ava quickly apologized because she knew that A.J. was the last person that Sonny had wanted to see. Sonny pointed out that there wasn't anything that he could do about A.J. walking free and then changed the subject to ask if it was true that Ava was willing to stab her own brother in the back.
Ava admitted that she wouldn't relish it, but it was the only way for her to be with Morgan, whom she loved. Sonny was surprised that Ava would turn on Julian because a "teenager" had suggested it, so Ava explained that she and Julian had never been close. Sonny argued that Ava and Julian appeared to hang all over each other in a "creepy" kind of way. Ava chuckled and revealed that it had been for show to give the appearance of a united front.
Ava confessed that she hadn't been raised with Julian, so she hadn't met her brother until she was an adult. Ava added that her relationship with Julian had been purely business, even though she had never been the equal partner that she had wanted to be. Ava confided that things had gotten worse when Julian had found his long-lost children.
Sonny thought that Ava sounded jealous, but Ava countered that she was being practical because Julian had put Lucas and Sam's interests ahead of Ava's. Sonny was curious how Julian had done that, so Ava revealed that Sam had convinced Julian that Ava had had something to do with Silas Clay's case and that Kiki had accused Ava of framing Silas. Ava wondered why anyone would think that she would waste her time framing a man for a crime that he hadn't committed.
Sonny pointed out that Ava and Julian had tried their best to take Sonny down, including turning Morgan against Sonny. Ava argued that Morgan had been angry at Sonny, but Sonny countered that Ava and Julian had provided Morgan with the opportunity to be a mole in Sonny's organization. Ava insisted that she had been against Julian's plan for Morgan to spy on Sonny and that she and her brother had argued bitterly about it because Ava had hated how Julian had manipulated Morgan.
Ava conceded that Sonny had a right to question her loyalty, but she insisted that her love for Morgan was real and that she would never do anything to hurt Morgan. "But you can't say the same about me," Sonny argued. Sonny explained that Ava's love for Morgan wasn't reason enough for Sonny to trust her. Ava promised to prove herself by handing Julian over on a silver platter. Sonny was curious what Ava had in mind.
"Wait and see," Ava answered, but Sonny made it clear that he didn't like surprises. Ava was confident that Sonny would like what she had in mind because he wouldn't have to do a thing except sit back and watch her work her magic. Sonny told Ava to do what she had to. Ava smiled with satisfaction and turned to leave but then stopped to tell Sonny that he should know that A.J. had mentioned Connie. Sonny demanded to know what A.J. had said, so Ava claimed that A.J. hadn't shown any remorse for what A.J. had done to the woman that Sonny had loved.
At the cemetery, A.J. approached Connie's grave and confessed that he had no idea why he was there, except that he had lingering questions about Connie's murder. A.J. needed to know if Ava had told the truth, but he realized that only Connie could tell him what had really happened. A.J. was startled when Connie suddenly appeared. He wondered if she was real, but Connie blamed his vision on the vodka that he had swilled. A.J. was disappointed because he was desperate to know if Ava had shot Connie.
Connie was curious why A.J. would think that, prompting A.J. to tell her about the security footage of him pulling the trigger. Connie wondered if A.J. had seen the footage, but A.J. shook his head and explained that Ava had destroyed the DVDs in an effort to protect him. Connie was curious why Ava would do that for A.J., so he explained that Ava had hoped that he would feel indebted to Ava and help her seize control of ELQ.
Connie questioned Ava's claims, but A.J. revealed that his, not Ava's, fingerprints had been found on the murder weapon. He begged Connie to tell him what had really happened, but she explained that she couldn't do that because she was a manifestation of his subconscious, not a ghost. Connie revealed that the answers were inside of A.J. and then disappeared.
At the lake house, Alexis jumped with fright when she noticed Julian seated on the porch in a dark corner. Julian was curious if she had listened to his message, but she explained that she had sent his call to voicemail because she refused to get involved with him. Julian quickly assured her that he wasn't there for that and then revealed that he needed to talk to her about Lucas. Alexis was curious why Julian hadn't turned to Ava for advice, so Julian explained that his sister wasn't the best parent or a good listener. Alexis reluctantly invited him inside, but she warned him that he couldn't stay long.
Alexis poured Julian a drink and asked him what had happened. Julian revealed that he had learned that Lucas was gay. Alexis was surprised that Julian hadn't known because Lucas had been "out and proud" since before Lucas had left for Seattle. Julian couldn't understand what Lucas had to be proud about. "You don't want your son to feel good about himself?" Alexis asked.
Julian assured Alexis that he did, so she realized that he had an issue with Lucas' sexuality and asked why Julian didn't approve. Julian explained that it wasn't his place to approve or not approve, but Alexis argued that was exactly what Julian had done. Julian conceded that if he'd had a choice between a straight or gay son, he'd have picked straight. Alexis pointed out that Lucas was still Julian's son, so Julian would have to accept Lucas for who Lucas was if Julian hoped to have a relationship with his son. Julian wondered if Alexis would be okay if Molly was a lesbian.
Alexis didn't hesitate to assure Julian that she wouldn't have a problem with having a gay child, but she would hate for Molly to have to face any kind of adversity or judgment because of it. "Why do you have a problem?" Alexis asked. Julian explained that his father, Victor, had handed down his views on life and the world to Julian.
According to Julian, Victor had drilled it into him what being a "real man" had meant and that the mafia had had a very strict definition of the term. Julian explained that it hadn't hit him what that had entailed until he had been in high school and had decided to try out for a school play. Victor had told Julian that being in a play was for "sissies" and then had added that real men didn't wear makeup and "prance" around on stage. Alexis was curious if Julian had had any other male role models.
"No," Julian answered. He revealed that his only exposure to homosexuality was a distant cousin who had been a hairdresser. Julian explained that he would occasionally see his cousin at family gatherings, so Alexis was curious if Julian had liked his cousin. Julian admitted that he hadn't had a problem with the cousin, but Victor would make disparaging comments about the cousin because to Victor, homosexuals were freaks. Julian explained that Victor thought that being gay was a weakness rather than something to be proud of.
Alexis knew what it was like to have difficult parents, but she warned Julian that he couldn't afford to hold on to the baggage from Victor if Julian hoped to have a relationship with Lucas. Julian didn't know how to let it go, but Alexis insisted that he needed to find a way.
Alexis was curious how Lucas had felt about Julian being a mobster, so Julian admitted that Lucas hadn't liked it. However, Julian had made it clear that he was more than his business. Alexis pointed out that Lucas was more than his sexual orientation. Alexis reminded Julian that he expected Sam and Lucas to overlook a huge part of his life, yet Julian had not extended Lucas the same courtesy. Julian conceded that Lucas had said the same thing.
"Smart kid," Alexis replied. Julian argued that Lucas was a smart kid who didn't want anything to do with Julian. Alexis advised Julian to find a way to fix things with Lucas, but Julian explained that he couldn't magically be okay with his son being gay. Alexis assured Julian that no one expected Julian to change his views overnight, but Julian could change his actions by apologizing to Lucas and explaining that Julian had been caught off guard and hadn't reacted well. Alexis reminded Julian that regardless how Julian felt about homosexuality, Julian still loved Lucas.
Julian was glad that he had talked to Alexis because he felt better. Alexis suspected that it was the scotch talking, but Julian assured her that it wasn't. Alexis sensed a shift in Julian, so she quickly reminded him that Molly would be home soon. Julian thanked Alexis and then left.
At Pozzulo's, Michael was surprised when he entered Sonny's office and saw Morgan. Morgan was curious if Michael had any news about Carly. Michael explained that he had stopped by because he had hoped that their father had heard something. Morgan revealed that Sonny had gone to the new office at Metro Court to talk to Ava. Michael was stunned when Morgan filled him in on Ava's decision to flip sides.
Morgan quickly became defensive when Michael suggested that Ava might have played Morgan because it was obvious how much Morgan cared about Ava. Morgan insisted that he wasn't stupid. Morgan explained that he and Ava loved each other and understood that it was the only way for them to be together. Morgan was confident that Ava would be able to persuade Sonny that she was sincere in her desire to break away from Julian.
Morgan and Michael's conversation drifted back to the topic of their mother's disappearance. Morgan was furious that Kiki had shown no loyalty to Michael when she had helped the man who had put Michael in the path of a rapist. Morgan urged Michael to find a way to get Kiki to reveal where Franco had taken Carly, but Michael explained that Kiki believed that Franco had changed and that someone had framed Franco. Moments later, Bobbie called with news about Carly.
At the hospital, Carly and Franco arrived by ambulance. As the paramedics waited for instructions, Carly reached over to hold Franco's hand and thank him for not giving up on her. Franco's eyes opened as he weakly turned his head toward her. Moments later, the paramedics rushed each patient to different examination rooms.
A short time later, the doctor explained that Carly was dehydrated, so he ordered fluids and pain medication before taking her to x-ray. However, he expected her to make a full recovery. Carly wanted to know how Franco was doing, but the doctor didn't have an answer.
Meanwhile, Bobbie and Lucas arrived at the hospital and quickly made their way to Carly's side. Carly enjoyed a warm reunion with her mother and brother and then credited Franco with saving her life. Carly was eager for news about Franco, so Lucas offered to check on Franco. Bobbie reminded Carly that General Hospital was one of the best hospitals in the country, but Carly remained uneasy because she had a bad feeling.
In Franco's examination room, the doctor told Franco that Franco would need surgery to remove the bullet, but Franco was more concerned about Carly. Moments later, Franco passed out, and his vitals crashed. The doctor reached for the defibrillator as Lucas approached the door.
A short time later, Michael and Morgan arrived at the hospital and reunited with their mother. Michael asked Carly what Franco had done to her, so Carly revealed that Franco had saved her life. Bobbie quickly filled Morgan and Michael in about the abduction, Heather's attempt to frame Franco, and the shooting. Lucas entered the room and revealed that the doctors had stabilized Franco, but it was touch and go. Carly wanted to see Franco, but everyone objected.
Michael reminded Carly that Franco would want Carly to heal. Carly argued that Franco had never given up on her, so she refused to give up on Franco. Michael and Morgan agreed to help Carly into a wheelchair and take her to Franco's room. However, they stopped outside of Carly's room as Franco was rushed to surgery.
Carly begged to see Franco, so the doctor agreed to give Carly a few seconds. Carly assured Franco that he would be okay and promised to be waiting for him. Her eyes filled with tears as she watched as Franco was taken to surgery.
Later, Bobbie spotted Lucas sitting by himself in the waiting area. She sensed that something was troubling him, so he admitted that he had encountered Julian at the cemetery. Lucas apologized to Bobbie for accusing her of being overprotective. Concerned, Bobbie asked if Julian had hurt him. Lucas explained that Julian couldn't accept Lucas for who he was.
At the loft, Lulu dreamed that she and Dante were snuggled in bed with Ben and cooing to the baby. Lulu's happiness turned to fright when Ben suddenly vanished, prompting Lulu to wake up with a startled gasp. Dante sat up and asked if Lulu was okay, so she told him about her dream. Lulu couldn't understand why she had dreamed that Ben was their child.
Dante suspected that Lulu's dream had been triggered by her return home, but Lulu was curious why she had dreamed about Ben rather than Georgie. Dante reminded Lulu that she had spent a lot of time at Wyndemere with Ben, so Lulu conceded that she had grown attached to the baby. Lulu confided that she had visited often enough that Britt had become annoyed at times. However, Britt had behaved herself for Nikolas' sake. Dante wasn't surprised, but Lulu assured him that Britt wasn't as bad as they had thought because Britt had done everything possible to help them have a baby.
Dante conceded that Britt was a decent mother, but Lulu explained that it was easy because Ben was a good baby. She admitted that she had to stop herself from falling in love with Ben because he was not their child. Dante opened up to Lulu about how difficult it had been when she had left him and revealed that he had thrown himself into his work to avoid returning home to an empty loft. Dante regretted the mistakes that he had made and confessed that he missed being a father.
Lulu assured Dante that she had hated being separated from him, but she had been lost and afraid to face her grief. However, she had finally realized that Dante would always be there for her. Lulu shuddered at the thought of how close she had been to losing Dante, but he insisted that he wouldn't have let her go without a fight because he loved her. Lulu promised that she loved him, too, and then kissed him.
At Wyndemere, Britt quietly confided to Ben that she was certain that Elizabeth had taken his hairbrush. She pointed out that Elizabeth had practically admitted it at the park the previous day, but Britt had no idea why Elizabeth had taken it. Britt suddenly realized that perhaps Elizabeth had wanted a sample of Ben's hair, not the brush itself, and wondered if it was possible that Elizabeth somehow realized that Britt wasn't Ben's mother. However, she had no idea why Elizabeth would suspect that.
"Suspect what?" Spencer asked as he entered the parlor. Britt was surprised that Spencer had managed to sneak up on her without her hearing him, so Spencer proudly bragged that he had been practicing his spy moves. Britt smiled and then explained that she had been wondering what had happened to Ben's brush. Satisfied with Britt's answer, Spencer smiled and handed her a box of chocolates as he wished her a happy Valentine's Day. Nikolas walked in and watched as Spencer helped Britt open the box of chocolates because the cast on her wrist had hampered her efforts.
Moments later, Nikolas made his presence known, so Spencer invited Nikolas to have a piece of chocolate. However, first Spencer wanted an apology from his father for not believing Spencer about the woman in the stables. Nikolas conceded that he shouldn't have dismissed what Spencer had told him and apologized. Spencer smiled and then asked what Nikolas intended to give Britt for Valentine's Day.
Nikolas ignored the question and checked on Britt to see how her wrist was doing. Britt was embarrassed that she had broken it, but Nikolas pointed out that it wasn't uncommon for a person to slip and fall in the snow. Spencer was annoyed that Nikolas hadn't answered him, so he repeated the question. Britt quickly assured Spencer that it was enough that she had chocolate and her three guys, but Spencer insisted that Nikolas should have gotten Britt something. Nikolas scolded Spencer for being rude, so Britt tactfully changed the subject by announcing that Ben needed to be bathed and changed.
After Britt left the room, Spencer confessed that Britt was "hot." Nikolas agreed that Britt was beautiful, but he made it clear that what truly mattered was her heart. Spencer assured Nikolas that he thought highly of Britt because she had always been nice to him, which was why Spencer wanted to know if Nikolas had something special planned for Britt. Nikolas was curious how Spencer would feel if Nikolas proposed marriage to Britt.
Nikolas explained that he and Britt hadn't planned to fall in love when they had met, but they had grown close over the months because of the various ordeals that they had been through. Spencer was curious if Britt made Nikolas happy, so he assured his son that she did. Pleased, Spencer gave his father his blessing. Spencer was eager to see the ring, but Nikolas explained that he hadn't picked one up yet.
Spencer suggested that Nikolas check the family heirlooms, but Nikolas dismissed the idea because he didn't want to risk giving Britt something that had been cursed. Spencer perked up when Nikolas invited Spencer to go ring shopping with Nikolas, so Spencer happily agreed because he thought that Britt was awesome.
Later, Britt noticed that Nikolas and Spencer were headed out. She asked them where they were going, but Nikolas would only reveal that they would return soon with a big surprise. After Nikolas and Spencer left, Britt confessed to Ben that she couldn't remember ever being as happy as she was.
At Ava's apartment, Ava opened Julian's laptop and noticed that the computer's wallpaper was a picture of Sam and Danny. "Oh, Julian, so sappy," Ava scoffed and then proceeded to download files from the laptop onto a flash drive.
Moments later, someone knocked on the door. Ava was annoyed when she saw Alexis standing on the doorstep, so Ava denied framing Silas and sending a copy of Nina's last will and testament to Nathan. Alexis pushed her way into the apartment and explained that she was there to see Julian. Ava was surprised because she knew that Alexis loathed Julian. Ava wondered if perhaps Alexis had decided to glom onto the only man remotely interested in Alexis because Valentine's Day had made Alexis realize that Alexis was all alone.
Alexis shot back that with people skills like Ava's, Ava should have considered a career in public relations. Ava ignored the remark and asked why Alexis wanted to talk to Julian. Alexis explained that she had been concerned about Julian after his encounter with Lucas. Ava was confused because it had been her understanding that Lucas had run screaming from Julian like Sam had. Alexis realized that Julian hadn't been kidding about his relationship with Ava, so she filled Ava in about Lucas' confession.
Ava imagined that her "bigoted" brother hadn't taken the news well that his son was gay. Alexis conceded that Julian had antiquated views about homosexuality, but Alexis and Julian had talked, so Alexis was hopeful that she had gotten through to him.
Ava's cell phone rang, so Ava stepped away to take a call from Morgan. Morgan wanted to know if Ava had found something that would prove to Sonny that she intended to help take down Julian. Ava assured Morgan that she had been working on something, so Morgan confessed that he was eager to reunite and celebrate Valentine's Day with her. Ava assured Morgan that she felt the same.
Meanwhile, Alexis received a phone call about an email, but she hadn't seen it because of a glitch with her phone. Alexis spotted the laptop on the table, so she decided to check her email on the laptop. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Ava barked when she saw Alexis at the laptop. Ava slammed the laptop shut as Alexis explained that she had simply been trying to access her email. Ava informed Alexis that it was Julian's computer and that he wouldn't appreciate Alexis messing with it while he was downloading files.
Ava suggested that Alexis check her email elsewhere and then ordered Alexis to leave. Alexis was curious if Ava could at least tell her where Julian was, so Ava revealed that he was at the hospital. After Alexis left, Ava retrieved the flash drive from the laptop. "Can I really do this to Julian," Ava wondered.
At Corinthos Coffee, Morgan entered his father's office. Sonny immediately asked about Carly, so Morgan assured Sonny that Carly would make a full recovery. Sonny was pleased, but he wished that she hadn't gotten involved with Franco. Morgan agreed because Heather wouldn't have targeted Carly if it hadn't been for Franco. Sonny reminded Morgan that all that mattered was that Carly would be okay.
Sonny intended to check on Carly, but Morgan was eager to know if Ava had convinced Sonny that Ava was on Sonny's side. Sonny admitted that he believed that Ava was angry at Julian and perfectly capable of betraying her brother, but she still had to prove herself. Morgan was disappointed but accepted his father's decision. However, Morgan was confident that Sonny would soon realize that Morgan had been right about Ava.
After Morgan talked to Ava, he returned to his father's office to let Sonny know that Ava would have something for Sonny soon. "You see? She's true to her word," Morgan said with smug satisfaction. Sonny was curious if Morgan could actually trust a woman who had lied to her daughter about the daughter's paternity. Morgan defended Ava by insisting that she'd had her reasons and then added that it had nothing to do with Morgan and Ava's relationship.
Sonny argued that Ava had used Kiki to lure Morgan in, but Morgan countered that Ava had changed and that it was in the past. Sonny wondered if Morgan had thought about what kind of life Morgan would have with his ex-mother-in-law if Ava followed through on her promises. Sonny questioned if Morgan could trust a woman who had been willing to sell out her own brother. Morgan insisted that it would be all the more reason for him to trust Ava because it would be proof that she was loyal to Morgan and that he was more important to Ava than Julian.
A short time later, Ava arrived. Morgan gloated that he had been right, but Sonny wanted to see what Ava had. Ava held up a flash drive and revealed that it held all of Julian's confidential files.
At the hospital, Julian was surprised that Kiki had accepted Ava's help to get out of jail because he thought that Kiki had despised her mother. Kiki assured him that she did, but Julian wondered why Michael hadn't helped Kiki. Kiki refused to discuss it with her uncle, so he let the matter drop but warned Kiki to be careful because Ava would expect Kiki to repay the favor. Kiki thought that it was ironic for Julian to warn her about Ava, but he pointed out that he had never mistreated his children the way that Ava had Kiki.
Julian shifted gears to ask where Carly's room was because he was looking for Lucas. Kiki explained that she couldn't help him because she was there to check on Franco. Julian started to leave, but reminded her not to let her guard down around Ava. "Noted, pot," Kiki replied as Michael walked up.
After Julian left, Kiki asked how Carly was doing. Michael explained that Carly's leg hadn't been broken, so his mother was expected to make a full and speedy recovery. Kiki was grateful that Franco had reached Carly in the knick of time, so Michael conceded that Franco had saved his mother's life and hadn't been responsible for Carly's kidnapping.
Kiki suspected that it had been easier for her to believe Franco because she hadn't been hampered by the same bad history with Franco as Michael had. Michael explained that it hadn't helped that Franco hadn't told anyone about Heather's escape from Miscavige and what Franco had done to Heather. Kiki argued that Franco had told the truth about Carly and that Kiki had tried to tell Michael that, but he had refused to listen. Michael pointed out that Kiki had repeatedly lied to him and Dante when they had questioned her about Franco, but Kiki countered that no one had believed Franco's denials.
Michael argued that Franco had lied about Heather because Franco had been afraid for anyone to find out that Franco hadn't changed at all. Kiki disagreed and reminded Michael that Franco had stabbed Heather to protect Carly. Michael argued that Heather wouldn't have targeted Carly if it hadn't been for Franco. Michael was furious that Kiki had helped Franco escape, but Kiki insisted that it had been the only way to confirm that Heather had been responsible for Carly's abduction.
Michael reminded Kiki that she had aided and abetted a criminal, but Kiki argued that Carly was alive because Kiki had helped Franco. Michael insisted that Kiki and Franco had risked Carly's life by withholding critical information. Kiki was curious why Michael couldn't accept that Michael had been wrong about Franco. Michael conceded that Franco hadn't kidnapped Carly, but he was adamant that Carly wouldn't have fallen victim to Heather if Carly had stayed away from Franco.
Kiki was stunned that Michael continued to blame Franco for Heather's crimes, even though Franco had risked his life to save Carly. Michael conceded that he was grateful that Franco had rescued Carly, but Michael maintained that Franco had lied and kept secrets to cover "his own ass." Kiki argued that Franco had been as much of a victim as Carly had been, so if Michael couldn't see that then Michael couldn't see anything.
Meanwhile, Brad entered and tensed when Lucas suddenly joined him. Brad informed Lucas that Lucas couldn't keep sending "sexy selfies" and showing up at his work. Lucas quickly explained that Carly had been found and was recovering in the hospital. However, Lucas confessed that he wasn't sorry that he had bumped into Brad because he needed someone to talk to.
Moments later, Brad and Lucas exited the elevator. Brad spotted Felix at the nurses' station, but stayed with Lucas because it was clear that something was troubling Lucas. Lucas told Brad about the encounter with Julian at the cemetery and Julian's reaction to learning that Lucas was gay. Brad felt bad for Lucas because Brad's adoptive father had had a similar reaction when Brad had opened up about his homosexuality.
Brad admitted that his adoptive father had been relieved that Brad had inherited another man's DNA because it meant that Brad's adoptive father hadn't been responsible for Brad being gay. Lucas was curious if Brad's adoptive father had had a change of heart, so Brad nodded and revealed that they were on speaking terms. Brad hoped that the same would happen for Lucas and his father.
Lucas claimed that he didn't care because Lucas had nothing in common with Julian. Lucas started to walk away, so Brad glanced at Felix and then followed Lucas to give Lucas a hug. Moments later, Julian rounded the corner and saw his son in Brad's arms. Julian waited until Lucas and Brad pulled apart and then asked for a word with Lucas. Lucas assured Brad that it was okay.
After Brad left, Julian asked about Carly. Lucas assured Julian that Carly would recover and then asked why Julian had been looking for him. Julian explained that he wanted to apologize for being a jerk. Julian hoped that Lucas could forgive him, but Lucas admitted that he needed Julian to accept him for who he was. Julian assured Lucas that he was trying because he wanted to have a relationship with Lucas.
However, Julian conceded that it would take him time to process everything. Julian promised Lucas that he was sorry for how he had reacted. Julian realized that it wasn't an excuse, but he had grown up in an environment with a conservative father, so Julian had believed that Victor's closed-minded attitudes had been right and had begun to share those views without realizing it. Julian explained that regardless of what Julian's views on homosexuality were, Lucas was his son, and Julian wanted to get to know Lucas.
Lucas was moved by Julian's heartfelt confession and accepted Julian's apology. Julian sighed with relief and thanked Lucas. Lucas was surprised by Julian's turnaround, so Julian explained that someone had shown Julian the error of Julian's ways. Lucas advised Julian to listen to that person more often.
Later, Alexis caught up with Julian to find out if he had smoothed things over with Lucas. Julian told her about his talk with Lucas and admitted that he might have a chance to have a relationship with his son thanks to Alexis. Alexis was happy for Julian, so he asked how she had found him. Alexis revealed that she had stopped by Ava's apartment and mentioned Ava's reaction to Alexis using Julian's laptop to check her email. Julian tensed because he hadn't downloaded any files.
At the nurses' station, Felix asked if Elizabeth had the results of the paternity test for Ben. Elizabeth explained that she had called the lab, but no one had answered the phone. However, she was confident that the results would be ready soon. Felix wished that they had used another lab, but she pointed out that they couldn't because they hadn't had permission to run the DNA test.
Felix worried that Brad would find out, but Elizabeth reminded Felix that they had used fake names to make certain that Brad couldn't tip off Britt. Felix was frustrated that Britt continued to cause trouble for him because Brad would be furious if Brad discovered what Felix had done. Moments later, Brad walked up to ask if Elizabeth had been waiting for the results of a paternity test. Elizabeth confirmed that she had been, so Brad asked who the patients were because there hadn't been any record of the names in the system.
Elizabeth revealed that the paternity test had been for Dante and then added that it was part of an investigation. Brad revealed that Liesl Obrecht had made it clear that the hospital's lab could no longer be used for police business. Elizabeth apologized and claimed that she hadn't heard about the new policy. She asked Brad to overlook the mistake, so Brad handed the test results to her and left.
Felix followed Brad to invite Brad over for a Valentine's Day dinner. Felix explained that he wanted to make up for canceling their last date. Brad accepted the dinner invitation, so Felix promised Brad that nothing would get in the way of their date, and he left. Brad's smile faded when Lucas approached him. Lucas told Brad about his talk with Julian and confessed that he cared about Julian.
Lucas was curious if Brad wanted to go out and celebrate, but Brad admitted that he had plans to have dinner with Felix. Lucas suggested that they go out another night, so Brad explained that it wouldn't happen because Brad didn't want to mess things up with Felix. Brad was willing to be friends with Lucas, but nothing more. Lucas accepted Brad's decision and wished Brad a happy Valentine's Day.
Meanwhile, Felix returned to the nurses' station to ask Elizabeth about the results of the paternity test. Elizabeth revealed that Dante was Ben's father.
At the loft, Lulu was putting away laundry when she dropped an article of clothing. She bent down to retrieve it but noticed that something was under the bed. Lulu's eyes welled up with tears when she realized that it was one of Georgie's shoes.
Moments later, Dante entered the bedroom, hoping to persuade Lulu to join him in the shower, but he realized that she was upset. Lulu held up the baby shoe as she put on a brave smile. Dante reached out to try to comfort his wife, but she assured him that she would be fine. Lulu pointed out that they wouldn't be able to avoid reminders of what they had lost, so they needed to make peace with the knowledge that they would never have a child.
Later, Nikolas and Spencer stopped by to visit Lulu and Dante. Spencer handed his aunt a jewelry box and then gave Dante an envelope. Dante was pleasantly surprised when he realized that Spencer had given him tickets to a Yankees game, so Dante insisted that Spencer go to the game with him. Spencer happily agreed as Lulu opened her gift. It was a beautiful bracelet that Spencer had picked out for Lulu. Lulu was touched by the generous gift and thanked her nephew.
Pleased, Spencer assured Nikolas that Britt would love the ring that Nikolas had bought. "What ring?" Lulu asked her brother. Dante tactfully led Spencer into the next room to give Lulu and Nikolas some privacy. Nikolas confirmed that he intended to propose to Britt later that evening. Lulu was surprised because Nikolas and Britt hadn't been dating for very long. Nikolas agreed, but he reminded Lulu that he and Britt had been living together for quite some time.
Lulu cut to the chase and asked if Nikolas loved Britt. Nikolas assured Lulu that he did because Britt was beautiful and intelligent and had a wonderful sense of humor and a warmth and tenderness that she showed when she was around people that she trusted like Nikolas. Nikolas explained that he and Britt had grown to rely on each other and had slowly bonded as a family with Spencer and Ben. Nikolas knew that Lulu and Britt had had their differences, but he wanted his sister's blessing.
Lulu admitted that she hadn't been happy that Britt had covered for Maxie's lie, but Lulu appreciated that Britt had urged Lulu not to give up on Dante. Lulu knew that it hadn't been easy for Nikolas to find happiness again because he had struggled terribly after Emily had died. "Damn it, Lulu," Nikolas said as he became choked up with emotion at the reminder his loss.
Nikolas acknowledged that he had made one mistake after another for a long time after Emily had died. However, he assured Lulu that he was in a better place and looking forward to a life with Britt. Lulu smiled and gave Nikolas her blessing because she wanted him to be happy.
Later, Nikolas announced that it was time to leave. Spencer wanted to watch as Nikolas proposed to Britt, but Nikolas explained that it wouldn't be a good idea and promised to call Spencer at Grandma Lesley's house if Britt said yes. Lulu wished Nikolas luck, but doubted that he would need it. "What could possibly go wrong?" she asked with a smile.
At Wyndemere, Britt answered the door, expecting it to be the special Valentine's Day surprise that Nikolas had mentioned earlier. Her smile faded when she saw Elizabeth standing on the doorstep. Elizabeth brushed past Britt as Britt explained that Nikolas wasn't home. Elizabeth entered the parlor and revealed that she was there to talk to Britt. Britt placed Ben in the playpen and then faced Elizabeth to find out what Elizabeth wanted.
Elizabeth held up Ben's silver hairbrush and admitted that Britt had been right about Elizabeth taking it. Britt accused Elizabeth of stealing the heirloom, but Elizabeth countered that Britt was the thief and then reminded Britt that Britt had taken Cam's Christmas video two Christmases prior. Elizabeth claimed that it had been an accident that she had taken the brush. "I'm clumsy like that," Elizabeth said with an insincere smile.
Elizabeth revealed that she had also accidentally picked up Dante's bottle of water, removed a strand of Ben's hair from the brush, and had accidentally had both items tested in the lab. "And then I accidentally read the test results," Elizabeth added as she showed Britt the results of the paternity test. "Now I know what you know," Elizabeth sang with satisfaction. "Dante is Ben's father," Elizabeth clarified.
Stunned, Britt asked why Elizabeth had done it. Elizabeth confessed that she had put the pieces together when she had discovered that Dante and Ben had the same latex allergy and Nikolas had mentioned that Britt had stolen sperm from the lab. The test had confirmed Elizabeth's suspicions, but Britt argued that Elizabeth couldn't have been more wrong. Elizabeth warned Britt that it was pointless to lie because she knew that Britt and Dante were Ben's parents. "Fine, you got me," Britt said and then demanded to know what Elizabeth wanted.
Elizabeth explained that she had decided to give Britt the courtesy of a heads-up before Elizabeth told Dante about his son. Britt thanked Elizabeth for proving that Britt had been right about Elizabeth, who walked around "all high and mighty and acting superior" even though Elizabeth was as flawed as the rest of them. Britt insisted that Elizabeth was a liar and a hypocrite and then accused Elizabeth of wanting to cause trouble for Nikolas and Britt. Elizabeth insisted that Dante deserved to know that Ben was his son.
"Like you never lied to one of your baby daddies," Britt countered. Britt pointed out that Elizabeth and Dante weren't even friends, so Britt was certain that Elizabeth hoped to break up Nikolas and Britt. Britt doubted that Elizabeth actually loved Nikolas because the love of Elizabeth's life had been Lucky. However, Lucky had had left Port Charles and his children because he had been devastated by Elizabeth's affair with Nikolas.
Britt suspected that Elizabeth wanted to salvage things with Nikolas to justify the affair. Elizabeth's temper flared when Britt accused Elizabeth of being a "lying, cheating whore." Elizabeth slapped Britt, so Britt dared Elizabeth to do it again. Elizabeth complied, prompting Britt to strike back. The women began to trade insults as they brawled. Eventually, Elizabeth pinned Britt to the ground and announced that she had better things to do. Elizabeth slowly stood up and revealed that she intended to pay Dante and Lulu a visit, so she advised Britt to have a chat with Nikolas before he heard the truth from someone else.
After Elizabeth left, Britt picked up Ben and then tossed the paternity test results into the fire. Britt confessed that she loved Ben and that she hadn't been prepared for what it would feel like to be his mother, so she had no idea what she was going to do. Moments later, Nikolas entered the parlor. He immediately sensed that Britt was troubled and asked her what was wrong. Britt confessed that she had something to tell him.
At the loft, Dante and Lulu prepared to go to Metro Court Restaurant for dinner when someone knocked on the door. It was Elizabeth.
At the lake house, Molly was studying when T.J. tossed a piece of heart-shaped candy at her. The candy read, "Be mine." Molly smiled, so T.J. tossed another piece of candy at her. Molly reminded T.J. that she needed to study, but he continued to toss candy messages at her as he walked over to the sofa and then kissed her. Things quickly heated up between the teens, so T.J. pulled off his t-shirt and then began to undress Molly, but she stopped him.
T.J. feared that he had done something wrong. Molly explained that she was afraid to continue because they might not be able to stop, but T.J. questioned if that would be a bad thing. Molly reminded T.J. that she was still a virgin. T.J. pointed out that he wasn't exactly an expert because he had only had sex once with Taylor. Molly didn't want to talk about it, but T.J. thought that they should.
At Molly's request, T.J. put his shirt back on and sat on the sofa next to her. He admitted that he had been drunk, hurt, and jealous when he had slept with Taylor, so he barely remembered what had happened. T.J. assured Molly that things were different with her because he loved Molly. However, he promised Molly that he would understand if she wasn't ready.
Molly hugged T.J. and confessed that she didn't want to wait. She was eager to be closer to him, especially after what had happened at the warehouse. T.J. assured Molly that Shawn had taken care of everything and that the Jeromes weren't interested in T.J. because they had bigger fish to fry. He feared that was why Molly had wanted to sleep with him, but she promised him that she loved him and was ready to take their relationship to the next level.
Relieved, T.J. kissed her. Molly explained that she wanted their first time together to be special, so she didn't want to rush into it. T.J. promised her that he would take care of everything and then hugged her.
At Corinthos Coffee, Ava handed Sonny the flash drive and explained that it had all of Julian's confidential information on it. According to Ava, the flash drive contained everything that Sonny would need to take Julian down. She revealed that Julian's plan had been to bankrupt Sonny's legitimate holdings to make the illegal assets worthless. Ava assured Sonny that the flash drive had a list of Julian's contacts, associates, safe houses, and all of the information that Julian had collected on Sonny. Sonny wanted to talk to Morgan, so Sonny promised to be in touch with Ava.
After Ava left, Morgan smiled with satisfaction and gloated that he had been right about Ava. Sonny explained that he expected Morgan to continue to treat Ava as the enemy until Sonny was certain that the information on the flash drive had checked out. Morgan was annoyed that Sonny continued to question Morgan, but Sonny clarified that he didn't doubt that Morgan had told the truth as Morgan had seen it. However, Sonny knew that Ava had Morgan wrapped around her finger.
Morgan argued that he had provided Sonny with an amazing opportunity, but Sonny remained cautious. Sonny appreciated that Morgan had deep feelings for Ava, but Morgan insisted that Ava had equally deep feelings for Morgan because Morgan was important to Ava. Sonny explained that he needed to protect the organization in case Morgan was wrong, so until everything had checked out Sonny didn't want Morgan to go near Ava. Morgan was stunned that Sonny expected him to stay away from Ava on Valentine's Day, but Sonny refused to back down.
Morgan marched out of Sonny's office in a sullen mood and stopped in the reception area when Ava sent him a text message asking Morgan to meet her in the hotel suite that she had reserved. Morgan replied that he couldn't and then walked to the elevator. Moments later, the door slid open, and Olivia exited the elevator. She immediately greeted Morgan and asked about Carly. He gave her a quick update as he got on the elevator and then left.
In Sonny's office, Sonny wrapped up a phone call with Shawn about the information that Ava had provided. Sonny uploaded the flash drive onto his laptop as Olivia entered the office. Sonny smiled and admitted that he had been afraid that she had stood him up. Olivia mentioned that she had bumped into Morgan and that Morgan had seemed unhappy.
Sonny explained that Morgan had fallen hard for Ava, but Sonny had made it clear that Morgan was to stay away from Ava. Olivia wondered if Sonny actually believed that Morgan would abide by Sonny's wishes. Sonny conceded that Morgan had been dazzled by Ava and had refused to listen to reason, but short of holding Morgan captive, Sonny couldn't force Morgan to honor his wishes. Sonny admitted that he would have to trust Morgan to make the right decision until the information panned out.
"What information?" Olivia asked. Sonny didn't answer, so she wondered if there was anything that she needed to be worried about. "No," Sonny answered as the laptop beeped to indicate that the upload had completed. Sonny explained that the information could be the key to taking Julian down, so Olivia asked where he had obtained the information. Sonny revealed that Ava had provided it.
Later, Sonny and Olivia enjoyed a romantic dinner in his office, but Olivia was quiet. Sonny wondered what was troubling her, so she reminded him that they had been through a lot over the past year and had finally found their way back to each other. She didn't want to lose him. Sonny assured her that if everything worked out then there wouldn't be a war between Sonny and Julian.
Sonny shifted gears to confess that Olivia was his rock. He suddenly remembered that he had something for her, so he pulled a small black velvet box out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. Olivia was moved to tears when she saw a delicate gold necklace nestled inside. Sonny told Olivia what she meant to him and then kissed her.
Elsewhere in Metro Court, Morgan knocked on Ava's hotel suite door. Ava was relieved when she saw him because she had feared that he wouldn't show. Morgan admitted that he shouldn't be there, but Ava ignored him and pulled him into the room. Morgan explained that Sonny had ordered him to stay away from her until Sonny could confirm what was on the flash drive. Ava assured Morgan that there wasn't anything to worry about because she had downloaded the information from Julian's computer.
"You trust me, don't you?" Ava asked. Morgan admitted that he did, so Ava snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him. Ava wanted Morgan to stay, but he was reluctant to agree because he knew that Sonny wouldn't approve. Ava reminded Morgan that it was Valentine's Day, so they should be together.
Eventually, Morgan and Ava went to the bedroom and made love. Afterwards, Morgan remained troubled because he knew that his father would be furious. However, Morgan was eager for everything to work out with the flash drive because he didn't know how long he could wait to be with Ava again.
In Anna's hotel suite, Anna spoke to someone on the phone to confirm that Heather was in lockdown at Miscavige. She reminded the person that Heather had escaped several times, so Anna wanted extra guards assigned to Heather. Moments later, someone knocked on the door. She tensed when she saw Duke on her doorstep, holding a bouquet of red roses.
Anna ended the call as Duke handed the flowers to her and apologized for stopping by unannounced; however, she hadn't returned any of his phone calls. Anna explained that she had been busy. Duke congratulated her on rescuing Carly and apprehending Heather. Anna was surprised that he'd had time to pay her a visit because of his work for Sonny, but Duke assured Anna that he always had time for her.
Duke was curious if Anna intended to throw away what they had, so Anna reminded him that they'd had an agreement; he wouldn't participate in illegal activity while she was the police commissioner. Duke was annoyed that Anna expected him to meekly abide by her rules. Anna argued that it wasn't fair of Duke to say that because he knew why it was necessary for him to avoid criminal activity.
Duke explained that everything had changed when Julian had returned to town. Anna insisted that she couldn't be with someone who was a criminal by choice. Duke wondered if Anna was prepared to walk away -- because he wasn't. He refused to give up on the woman he loved. Anna assured Duke that she cared about their relationship, but Duke's job with Sonny was too dangerous.
Duke pointed out that Anna put her life on the line every day. However, he promised that he would walk away from Sonny as soon as he knew that it was safe and the Jeromes had been vanquished. Anna was curious how long she was expected to turn a blind eye, so Duke confided that it was his understanding that the war between Sonny and Julian would be over soon. Anna thought that it was naïve of Duke to think that Sonny and Julian would stop.
Anna reminded Duke of the wars that Sonny had had with the likes of Frank Smith, the Zaccharas, and the Sorels. She feared that Duke would get hurt or worse, but Duke argued that she was looking at the worst-case scenario. He wondered if she was ready to give up what they had for something that might happen in the future. Anna assured Duke that she loved him, but she didn't know if she could live with the fear of something happening to him.
Anna pointed out that she could deal with Julian, but Duke insisted that he needed to do what he had to. Anna and Duke continued to argue about his decision to work for Sonny until Duke asked if she could walk away from him. Anna's eyes filled with tears as she confessed that she couldn't. Duke was relieved and kissed her.
