When Michael arrived at Starr's apartment, he was reeling from the revelation that his biological father, A.J. Quartermaine, was alive. Michael recounted his history with A.J. to Starr, including that Michael had witnessed A.J.'s supposed death. Michael also told Starr how Monica had found A.J. alive and had helped him. Michael said that A.J. had begged Michael to keep the secret -- that A.J. was alive -- so that A.J. and Michael could have a chance to get to know each other.
Michael said that at first, he had wanted to believe A.J., but that had changed when A.J. started saying untrue things about his family. When Starr asked if Michael would keep A.J.'s secret, Michael said that he had already told Starr, and he could not keep A.J.'s secret from his family, in case A.J. did something to one of them. Starr said that she understood Michael's dilemma because she had been through that with her own dad.
Michael took out his phone and called Dante, but got Dante's voicemail. Instead of leaving a message about A.J., Michael said that he had meant to call Lulu and asked Dante to tell Lulu that Michael and Starr had enjoyed Lulu's party on the Haunted Star. Once off the phone, Michael admitted that his excuse had been lame, but he could not turn his own father in to the cops. Starr replied that she had aided and abetted her dad, Todd, on more than one occasion.
Though Michael and Starr had earlier made plans to consummate their relationship, both decided that the stunning news about A.J. was cause to wait. Michael prepared to leave, but Starr said that he should not be alone that night. They talked and enjoyed each other's company as Starr spoon-fed ice cream to Michael.
On the docks, Carly stared out at the water while A.J. lurked in the shadows. Carly noticed him, and at first thought that he was Jason. Carly resisted the notion that A.J. was alive, but fainted when A.J. said, "Boo," to her. Kneeling over Carly's motionless body, A.J. mused at how easy it would be to push her into the water as payment for every mean thing that Carly had done to him, but rejected the idea with a verbal reminder to himself that he was not that person any longer.
A.J. vanished quickly when he heard Sonny approaching. Sonny roused Carly, who immediately blurted out that A.J. was alive. Sonny did not believe her and was sure that Carly's grief over Jason's death was causing her to see things that were not there. Sonny told Carly that she was not thinking clearly and offered to show her proof that A.J. was truly dead.
Monica called for Alice and said that she needed to leave the mansion to find A.J. before the cops did. As they prepared to leave the room, Monica and Alice heard Luke and Tracy, who had just returned from the party on the Haunted Star, arguing in the foyer. Luke insisted that Duke was "up to something," while Tracy insisted that Duke's long-lost friends, like Anna and Felicia, seemed to believe that Duke was the "real deal." Luke said even if the "Duke" in question was the real Duke Lavery, he was still pulling some kind of scam.
As Tracy and Luke entered the living room, they caught Monica and Alice trying to sneak out through the terrace doors. Monica said that they were going out to fill a prescription for Edward. Tracy reminded Monica that Tracy had fill Edward's prescriptions earlier in the afternoon and had conveyed that information to Monica several times. Monica thanked Tracy. Tracy responded that even though she knew that Monica was lying about something, Tracy did not care.
When Tracy tried to plop down on the couch, Alice said that neither Tracy nor Luke could sit on the furniture until their rented costumes had been fumigated, because nobody knew how many bugs the costumes might contain. Monica concurred. Tracy and Luke returned to the foyer, but Tracy was convinced that Monica was up to something. Luke advised Tracy to steer clear of Monica while she was grieving so that Tracy did not do or say something that would get Tracy evicted from the mansion.
Tracy mentioned that she feared that Jason's death had sent Monica over the edge because Monica was talking to dead people. Sarcastically Luke noted how unusual it was for a Quartermaine to be talking to a dead person. Tracy said that it had been different when she had been talking to Alan because Alan was merely a manifestation of her guilty conscience. Tracy recalled that earlier in the day, Monica had been looking at a Halloween picture of Jason and A.J. in costume. Tracy noted that A.J. had been wearing a Grim Reaper costume similar to that worn by the man who had accosted her at the party.
Before Tracy speculated further, Alice peeped out of the living room and said that Monica did not want to be disturbed. Before Alice spoke to Tracy, Monica and Alice had agreed that it would be better to wait for A.J. to return than to go out looking for him and further rouse Tracy's suspicions. Monica remained closeted near the terrace doors while Alice went about her household business.
Tracy wondered about Monica's obsession about being alone, but Luke was still focused on Duke. Tracy told Luke that he was obsessing, but Luke responded that he had to find a new angle in order to uncover Duke's scam. Luke was sure that Duke's story about spending 20 years in a Turkish prison was lame. Tracy wondered why, if Luke was on the right track, Anna was not suspicious. Luke said that it was because Anna was leading with her heart, so it was up to Luke to do the fact checking.
Meanwhile, Monica looked at a photo of A.J. and begged him not to destroy everything that they had worked for. She also railed at a picture of Alan and asked Alan where he was. She cried out, "Oh, God! I wish you were here when I need you." Monica felt a presence in the room and turned to find Alan's ghost. Monica hugged that apparition and said that she missed him so much and that with so much loss she did not know how she could go on. Alan comforted her.
Alan said that everyone was not gone, that Monica had saved A.J. Alan told Monica that she had done the right thing when she had helped A.J. escape and had kept A.J.'s survival a secret, even from him. Alan said that he had been wrong in his treatment of A.J. and that Monica had been right about A.J. Monica worried that she had saved A.J. only to lose him again. Alan comforted Monica and told her that she would be strong enough to support A.J. and that Alan would be around to support Monica.
Alan reminded Monica of a time when he had given Monica the shirt off his back. She recalled a scene from their youth when Alan had removed his shirt during an argument, which had led to lovemaking. In the actual moment, Monica said that she loved Alan, but when Monica turned to face him, Alan's ghost had vanished.
A.J. went to the family crypt and was surprised to see that he had been interred with the rest of the family. As he stared at Alan's name, A.J. said that he had tried to be a son that Alan could be proud of, but he had never succeeded. A.J. was tearful when he said that he wished that Alan was there, if only to tell A.J. how much Alan wished A.J. was like Jason. Alan's ghost spoke up and asked, "What if I told you I love you and I'll always be with you?"
A.J. was comforted. He was sincere when he told Alan that he loved him and was sorry that he had always disappointed him. Alan said that the failure was his, not A.J.'s. Alan said that he had withheld his love from A.J., even when A.J. had asked for it. A.J. told Alan that he had been a good father and promised to honor Alan's memory. Alan told A.J. to be a better man for himself, not for Alan. A.J. said that he thought that he could repair his relationship with Michael, if Michael let him. A.J. remarked that gaining Michael's trust would be hard, especially if Carly and Sonny got in the way. Alan dryly noted that A.J. could expect that they would.
A.J. heard a noise and hid behind a tree. Alan disappeared. Sonny and Carly showed up at the crypt. Sonny offered to have Max and Milo open A.J.'s coffin to prove to Carly that A.J. was dead. Carly decided that Sonny must be right and that her eyes had to have been playing tricks on her. Carly said that the idea that A.J., whom she called a "lying bastard," was alive was inconceivable. Sonny told Carly that A.J. was gone and would never get his hooks into their son again. Carly and Sonny left the mausoleum without noticing that A.J. had overheard their conversation.
Luke told Tracy that he was leaving for Turkey to check out Duke's story. Luke thanked Tracy. He told her that she was amazing and that he would make it up to her some day. He left the mansion after giving Tracy a quick peck on the cheek. Tracy was tearful as she recalled the various problems she was coping with, including the recent deadly conclusion of her relationship with a murdering rapist that had left her alone once again. Suddenly, she felt Alan's comforting hand on her shoulder. When she turned to look, Alan was gone.
A.J. returned to the mansion via the terrace doors. Monica was relieved to see him. Monica asked where A.J. had been, but A.J. said that all Monica needed to know was that he was not going anywhere ever again. Mother and son hugged while Alan's ghost looked on with approval.
Back on the docks, Carly assured Sonny that she was convinced that she had imagined seeing A.J. Sonny playfully offered to have Max and Milo dig up the body. Carly sounded convinced when she agreed that A.J. was gone for good.
Anna and Duke were the last revelers left on the Haunted Star. Anna told Duke that he had done a great job at the bar. Duke replied that she, Felecia, and his other old friends had made a wonderful cheering section. Anna chafed and apologized for Luke's behavior. Anna praised Duke for being so patient with Luke and said that she would speak to Luke again. Duke said that everything was over for the evening and besides, Luke was just trying to protect Anna from Duke.
Duke pointed out the empty dance floor and reminded Anna of a tango that they had once shared. Anna said that she had forgotten the steps, but as Duke took her hand, he promised that the steps would return, just like he had. As Duke and Anna began to tango, scenes from their youthful dance were romantically interspersed with the tango of their middle years. At the conclusion of the tango, they kissed long and passionately. Anna broke the kiss and nervously said that she had to go. Duke begged her to stay with him.
Anna told Duke that it was too soon because there were still things that she needed to get straight in her head. Duke said that there was no need to rush. He added that Anna had given him something to hold on to. Anna thanked Duke for the evening. Duke had a smile on his face as Anna left the Haunted Star.
Johnny was furious after finding Todd and Carly in a heated embrace. At his apartment, Johnny got out his gun and revealed his plan to kill Todd Manning. Connie tried to be the voice of reason and asked Johnny if he really wanted to be sent up the river for Carly. Johnny scoffed at prison and said he was already in prison with Connie. Connie told Johnny to put his gun away. Seductively, Connie told Johnny that there were other ways to work through problems without saying a single word.
Johnny rejected her. He asked Connie why she was trying to seduce him when she knew how much the pain of losing Carly was hurting Johnny. Connie toughened up and said that the only way to keep from being hurt was to hurt first. She told Johnny that if he wanted to talk about pain, then they could have at it. Connie recalled her horrific rape at the hands of Joe Jr. and challenged Johnny to go one better.
Connie taunted Johnny that the worst thing that had happened to him was that his sister was his mother and his daddy had been mean to him. Johnny said Anthony was his grandfather and not just mean, but had tried to kill him. Connie said that she would have gladly exchanged living in a rich den of liars for having her clothes torn off, and her innocence lost when some rich guy had forced himself on her to get back at her boyfriend.
Connie said that the truth was that sex was a weapon that a person had to use before it was used on them. In a more normal subdued voice, Connie tearfully admitted that she got used big time and took a beating for what Joe Jr. had done to her. Connie added that Kate had gotten off easy because Connie had been stuck with the kid and the memories. Connie looked Johnny in the eyes and said that he would have to forgive her for flirting and making sex jokes with him because it beat the alternative.
For the first time, Johnny and Connie seemed to understand each other. Johnny apologized and told Connie that at least Joe Jr. was gone, and she did not have to think about him. Connie agreed not to taunt Johnny about Carly and Todd while Johnny promised not to mention Kate or Joe Jr. to Connie. Johnny said he would not call Connie names, and Connie agreed to try to be nicer to Johnny.
Johnny was surprised when Connie gave him a peace offering in the form of a peanut butter and tomato sandwich on white bread, which Connie swore was a family favorite from childhood. Johnny was skeptical at first and thought that Connie was trying to poison him. However, when Connie bit in, Johnny tried a bite and was pleasantly impressed as they consumed their sandwiches in companionable silence.
Starr and Trey were stunned when Maxie announced that she intended to reclaim her apartment. Starr and Trey objected to Maxie's decision to move back in without proper notice, but Maxie explained that she had merely sublet the apartment to them, so the lease remained in Maxie's name. Maxie suggested that Starr and Trey focus on which of them was going to move out. Starr and Trey each refused to ask the other to move, so Maxie decided to flip a coin. Starr called heads, but Trey quickly picked up the quarter before anyone saw that it had landed on tails.
Trey pretended that he had lost, but Starr decided that she would move out anyway. Maxie was miffed because it meant that she would need to find a new roommate, but Starr and Trey didn't care. Later, Starr and Trey agreed that they wouldn't have been able to tolerate living with Maxie. However, neither knew where they would go.
In the hospital's break room, Spinelli and Ellie agreed that they enjoyed spending time with each other. Ellie wondered if Maxie had had fun with them at the Halloween party, because she couldn't imagine that it had been easy for Maxie to be in the throes of a divorce. Spinelli thought about his dance with Maxie, when Maxie had asked who he thought was the right man for Maxie. Spinelli claimed that it was hard to tell with Maxie because she tended to change her mind often. Ellie confessed that she'd had an ulterior motive when she had invited Spinelli for breakfast.
Ellie revealed that her apartment building was being condemned, so she needed Spinelli's detective skills to find a decent, but affordable, apartment. Spinelli could sympathize because he had been virtually homeless when he had moved out of Maxie's apartment. Ellie was surprised that Spinelli and Maxie had lived together, so Spinelli quickly clarified that he'd had his own bedroom. Ellie smiled and seemed to relax as she began to talk about Matt. Ellie assumed that Maxie had been in love with Matt, so Ellie was certain that Maxie was crushed about the divorce.
Spinelli didn't think that they had to worry about Maxie. Ellie agreed, because a great girl like Maxie wouldn't be alone for long. Ellie perked up when Spinelli agreed to help her find a new apartment. After Spinelli left, he received a call from Sam. Sam asked to see him because she had a lead on Jason. Meanwhile, Maxie showed up at the hospital to hang a flyer for a roommate on the announcement board. "I'll take it," Ellie said when she overheard Maxie.
On pier 52, Sam promised Danny that his father would be home soon. Moments later, John walked up. He offered to leave, but Sam asked him to stay and give her an update on the investigation into Jason's disappearance and who had been working with Joe. John revealed that Jerry Jacks had arranged for Joe's release from jail in Atlantic City. Sam was certain that Jerry had been the second shooter on the pier, but John pointed out that Jerry had died in the explosion weeks earlier.
Sam dismissed John's argument because both Sonny and Jax had survived the explosion, so Jerry could have too. She insisted that they follow the money trail, because it would lead them to Jerry. John played devil's advocate by pointing out that Jerry had no reason to return to town because he already had the ransom money, plus Jerry wouldn't have had a reason to shoot Jason. Sam argued that Jason might have uncovered Jerry's secret. Sam was eager to go to the police.
John assured Sam that he had talked to Anna about what he had uncovered, but the police believed that Jason was dead, not missing. Sam assured John that she knew that Jason was alive, just like she had known that Danny was alive and that he had been Jason's son. John was shocked when she told him about the paternity test, but happy that things had worked out the way that she had wanted them to. Sam begged John to help her find Jason, so John reminded her that he didn't have any jurisdiction in Port Charles. However, he suspected that someone other than Jerry had been working with Joe.
John cautioned Sam not to do anything dangerous because she had a child to consider. John warned Sam that if she talked to the wrong people then bad things might happen, so she had to remember that Danny needed her. Sam insisted that Danny needed her to do the right thing, so if John didn't help Sam, then Sam would find someone who would. John promised that he was on Sam's side and vowed to always be there when she needed him. After John left, Sam called Spinelli.
In the hospital's locker room, Liz was on her way to her locker as she greeted Sabrina. They chatted about the crazy lines at the voting polls until Sabrina noticed Liz hang a picture of the boys on the inside of the locker door. Sabrina wondered if Cam and Aiden had had a nice Halloween. Liz assured her that they'd had a blast, and then asked about Sabrina's date. Sabrina quickly clarified that she had spent the evening babysitting. Sabrina confessed that Emma had shown her a photo album with pictures of various Nurses Balls.
Liz smiled wistfully as she recalled the fun that they'd had participating in the talent show and how Lucy Coe would always end up on stage in her underwear due to various wardrobe malfunctions. Liz explained that the purpose of the balls had been to raise awareness and money for AIDS research, and Robin had been determined to find a cure for AIDS. Liz thought that it was a tragedy that Robin had died before the dream had been realized. Sabrina was curious why the Nurses Balls had stopped, so Liz revealed that they had fallen victim to budget cuts in 2001.
Liz fondly recalled doing a skit with Juan Santiago and Emily during one of the balls. Sabrina confessed that Juan was her cousin. Liz smiled with surprise as Sabrina admitted that Juan had encouraged her to take a job at General Hospital because of the wonderful people on staff. Sabrina insisted that they needed to find a way to revive the Nurses Balls because they were part of Robin's legacy. Later, as Liz washed her hands, she thought about one of Robin's speeches at the Nurses Ball, when Robin had talked about living in Paris and being grateful to everyone who had supported the cause.
At the Drake residence, Anna received a text message from Duke about how he had enjoyed their evening together. She smiled as she tucked her phone away, and then knocked on Patrick's door. Patrick warmly greeted Anna as he invited her inside. Emma threw herself into her grandmother's arms and told her that Patrick had put birthday candles on Emma's breakfast pancakes. Emma was curious if Anna wanted to know what she had wished for, which reminded Anna of a time that Robin had talked to Duke about wishes.
Robin had wondered if confiding her wish to someone would keep it from happening. Duke had assured Robin that it should be fine to tell, as long as Robin had blown out all of the candles on her birthday cake. Robin had smiled brightly and confessed that she had wished for Duke and her mother to reunite. Anna returned to the present as Patrick warned Emma that it was bad luck to tell anyone about a special wish.
Later, Emma opened the birthday present from Anna. It was a pink cell phone. Emma thanked her grandmother and then dashed off to get dressed. Anna and Patrick reminisced about Robin's tradition of birthday pancakes, which had started when Robin had been a little girl. Anna assured Patrick that he was doing a fine job with Emma, so he credited Mac and Anna's support with giving him the strength to carry on without Robin. Anna confessed that it was difficult for her, so Patrick was curious if it had helped having Duke around.
Anna thought that Robin would have loved to see Duke because Duke had been special to Robin. Patrick was curious how Anna felt about Duke, but she quickly changed the subject by asking about his date with Britt. Patrick confided that the date had been fine, but he had declined Britt's invitation to go back to her place. Patrick admitted that he wasn't even ready to take off his wedding ring yet. Anna assured Patrick that she would support him if he became involved with someone new. Moments later, Emma returned to the living room with a DVD that Robin had made for Emma the previous year.
Patrick wondered if Anna wanted to see it, so Anna nodded and braced herself, while Patrick put the DVD in. Moments later, Patrick, Anna, and Emma watched Robin talk to Emma about what a beautiful, compassionate, kind, and funny young girl Emma was. Robin insisted that there was nothing that Emma couldn't do. After the DVD ended, Patrick echoed Robin's sentiments, while Anna wiped away a tear. Later, Emma pretended to be talking to Robin on the new phone, while Patrick watched his daughter with sad eyes.
After Anna left, Sabrina stopped by to drop off a birthday present for Emma. Patrick was touched that Sabrina had thought of Emma, especially on the first birthday without Robin. Inside, the phone rang, so Emma answered it.
On the Haunted Star, Lulu was going over the receipts from the previous evening when Duke entered. He was curious if the till was missing any money. Lulu had no idea what he was talking about, so Duke admitted that he was fully aware that he had been hired so that she could keep an eye on him for Luke and pass along information that Luke could use against him. Lulu conceded that she loved her father, but she pointed out that Duke didn't have anything to worry about if he didn't have anything to hide. Dante arrived, so Duke wondered if there had been any new developments in the investigation into the shooting on pier 52. Duke explained that the nightclub's patrons had expressed concern about the incident because the pier wasn't far from the Haunted Star.
Dante explained that he wasn't at liberty to discuss the case, so Duke smiled politely, and then went to work behind the bar. Lulu chastised Dante for not wearing his voting sticker because he was a public figure who should be setting an example. Dante doubted that the criminals he arrested would care if he had voted, and then changed the subject by asking her to check her email. Lulu was surprised to see something from an adoption agency. Dante confessed that he had contacted an agency to ask them to send an application form so that Lulu and Dante could get started.
Lulu smiled with joy because it meant that they would be one step closer to adopting a child. Lulu and Dante started to fill out the paperwork but hit a snag when they reached the portion of the questionnaire asking for background information about their extended family. Lulu feared that it might not look good to admit that Sonny was a mobster, Luke was a criminal wanted in several countries, Olivia had suffered some issues as a result of an LSD overdose, Lulu's mother had a mental illness that had led to a period of catatonia, Kate had dissociative identity disorder, Lucky had struggled with addiction, and Ethan was a grifter. Dante insisted that they had to be honest, so Lulu and Dante completed the paperwork.
Dante had to get to work, so Lulu promised to submit the form after she had proofread everything. However, after Dante left, Lulu decided to completely redo the application to make it appear that they were the perfect family.
Meanwhile, Duke received a phone call from Dr. Obrecht. Dr. Obrecht insisted that Duke fly to Switzerland as soon as possible because Robin had become stronger and was causing problems. After Duke booked his flight, he called Anna to ask her to meet him at the nightclub. A short time later, Anna arrived. Duke explained that he needed to go to Washington for a few days because the authorities wanted to debrief him again about the period of time that he had been in the Turkish prison.
In Switzerland, Dr. Obrecht caught Robin sneaking around. Dr. Obrecht gently explained that Robin needed to return to her room, but Robin insisted that she had to get home. Robin feared that Emma wouldn't remember her because Robin had been gone for so long. Robin became increasingly agitated as Dr. Obrecht led Robin to the room. Once inside, Robin overpowered the doctor, knocked her out, and then stole her cell phone.
Robin ran out of the room, and then called home. Her daughter answered. "Emma?" Robin asked when she heard her daughter's voice. "Hi, Mommy," Emma greeted her mother.
In the locker room's break area, Maxie was startled when Ellie happily announced that she would love to be Maxie's new roommate. Maxie desperately tried to dissuade Ellie by warning Ellie that the rent wasn't cheap. Ellie had seen Maxie's flyer, so she assured Maxie that it was affordable. Maxie pointed out that there were other expenses to consider, but Ellie insisted that it wouldn't be a problem. Maxie argued that she and Ellie were opposites, so living together wouldn't work out, but Ellie was undeterred.
Maxie confessed that she tended to hog the bathroom, and there wasn't any room on the DVR, so Ellie revealed that she often showered at work and rarely watched television since her favorite soap opera, Fraternity Row, had been cancelled. Ellie was confident that she and Maxie would be a perfect fit. Spinelli heard the tail end of Ellie's comments as he entered, so he asked what they had been talking about. Ellie quickly filled him in about her decision to move in with Maxie. Maxie smiled awkwardly as Spinelli looked at her accusingly. Meanwhile, Ellie wondered why Spinelli was early to pick her up.
Spinelli explained that Sam had called to request his help with a case, so he had to cancel his plans with Ellie. Maxie quickly seized the opportunity to undermine Spinelli and Ellie's relationship by warning Ellie that Spinelli often spent long hours on stakeouts. Ellie admired Spinelli's dedication to his work, so it wasn't a problem for her. Spinelli changed the subject by confessing that he didn't think it would be a good idea for Ellie and Maxie to move in together because they weren't the least bit compatible. Ellie pointed out that Spinelli and Maxie's hobbies had deviated dramatically, yet they had managed to forge a friendship for the ages, so she was certain that Ellie and Maxie could also become friends.
Maxie wasn't pleased by Spinelli's objections, so she decided to invite Ellie to move in. Ellie gave Maxie an enthusiastic hug as Maxie smiled sweetly at Spinelli over Ellie's shoulder. Spinelli feared that Maxie would regret the decision, which confused Ellie. Maxie assured Spinelli that he had nothing to worry about because she was confident that they would be like the Three Amigos.
At the Drake residence, Patrick answered the door while Emma sat on the sofa, playing with her new toy cell phone. Patrick appreciated Sabrina stopping by to drop off a birthday present for Emma. He confessed that Sabrina was quickly becoming one of Emma's favorite people. Patrick then told Sabrina about Anna's gift to Emma and how Emma's first call on the toy cell phone had been to Robin. Patrick feared that Emma didn't quite understand that she would never see Robin again.
Meanwhile, the phone rang, so Emma answered it. "Hi, Mommy," Emma greeted her mother when she heard Robin on the other end of the line. Robin became choked up with emotion when Emma asked if Robin was having fun in Heaven. Robin explained that she wasn't in Heaven, just as Dr. Obrecht rounded the corner. Robin and Dr. Obrecht briefly struggled for the phone, but Robin managed to break free and race to her room with the phone. Robin quickly locked the door and shoved a bed against it to keep Dr. Obrecht and the orderlies from entering the room. Robin then calmly explained to Emma that it was urgent that Emma put Patrick on the phone.
Emma put the phone down to fetch Patrick as Patrick and Sabrina entered the living room. Emma explained that Mommy was on the phone and needed to talk to Patrick. Patrick hesitated, but Emma begged her father to hurry. Patrick reluctantly picked up the toy cell phone, but Emma clarified that her mother was on the other phone. Patrick exchanged a look of concern with Sabrina, but picked up the house phone.
In Switzerland, Robin warned Dr. Obrecht that she was on the phone with Patrick, so help would arrive soon. Dr. Obrecht and the orderlies managed to gain access to Robin's hospital room and snatch the phone away from Robin just as Patrick picked up the phone. The orderlies restrained Robin and covered her mouth, while Dr. Obrecht quietly listened as Patrick pretended to talk to Robin for Emma's benefit. Dr. Obrecht smiled with satisfaction when she realized that Patrick had no idea that Robin had been on the phone, so she disconnected the call.
"That was ill-conceived," Dr. Obrecht warned Robin. Robin's eyes filled with unshed tears as Dr. Obrecht bragged that Patrick hadn't believed Emma's claims about Robin being on the phone, so no one would be riding to Robin's rescue. Robin argued that Emma knew the truth, so it was only a matter of time before Emma got through to Patrick.
At the house, Patrick suggested that Emma open Sabrina's present. Emma was delighted by the doctor kit that Sabrina had bought, so Emma took it to the bedroom to play with. Sabrina confessed that she was relieved because she was awful at picking out presents. She stopped babbling when she noticed that Patrick seemed distracted. Patrick confessed that something had been off about the call because there hadn't been a dial tone when he had picked it up, which indicated that someone had been on the line.
Patrick couldn't imagine who would call pretending to be Robin and ask for Emma, so Sabrina suggested that he "star 69" the call. Patrick tried, but quickly discovered that the number had been blocked. Sabrina suggested that perhaps it had been a "robocall" that Emma had mistakenly thought was Robin.
At the apartment, Starr was packing when Todd dropped by for a visit. He was curious if she was moving, so Starr sarcastically suggested that she enjoyed periodically packing her things up. She then turned serious as she confessed that Maxie had decided to move back in, so Maxie had kicked Starr and Trey out. Todd was curious what Starr had done to make Maxie mad. "Did you pee in the hot tub?" Todd asked. Starr scowled at her father as she reminded him that the apartment didn't have a hot tub.
Todd offered to have Diane find a way to keep Starr in the apartment, because his new attorney was good at her job. Starr agreed because Diane had been able to successfully get the baby switching charges against Todd dropped, but Starr wasn't interested in staying in the apartment. Todd admitted that Starr looked exactly like Blair when Starr looked at him with disappointment and hatred in her eyes. He also resented the way that Starr threw his misdeeds in his face.
Starr confessed that she hated having to keep secrets from Michael, but Todd was confident that Michael had a unique understanding about keeping family secrets because Michael's father was a mobster. Starr felt guilty because Michael had been upfront and honest with her. Todd's interest was piqued because he sensed that Michael had a secret. Starr thought about Michael's confession about A.J., but she refused to tell Todd about it. Todd pointed out that her secret could land him in jail.
"Well, so could Michel's," Starr admitted. Todd smiled because Michael had information that could send "Sonny Corntoes" to jail. Starr informed her father that he was delusional if he thought that she would tell Todd what Michael had shared with her in confidence. Todd suggested that it was Starr's civic duty to tell the police about what Michael had told her, but Starr argued that the same could be said about her secret.
However, Starr was more concerned about finding a new place to live. Todd invited her to move in with him, but Starr declined because she wasn't like her Buchanan cousins, who tended to live with their parents. Moments later, Carly called to ask Todd to meet her.
At the Quartermaine mansion, Tracy was curious who had gone to Niagara Falls in November. "Well, you and Edward apparently," Monica replied as she handed Tracy a hat and scarf for Edward to keep him warm. Tracy suspected that Monica was trying to get rid of her, so Monica conceded that she had been trying to get rid of Tracy for years, to no avail. Tracy turned serious as she asked if Monica was okay, because she had noticed that Monica hadn't left the house since Jason's disappearance.
Tracy thought that it might do Monica some good to go to Niagara Falls, but Monica declined because she insisted that she had plenty to keep her busy. After Tracy left, A.J. entered the parlor. He complained about the way that "that battleaxe" had talked to Monica. Monica thought that she and Tracy had been amicable compared to their usual verbal sparring. However, Monica was more concerned about A.J.'s safety than Tracy's waspish attitude.
Monica urged A.J. to leave town before he was discovered. A.J. confessed that he had already been caught. Monica was filled with trepidation as she wondered if he had been referring to Michael. A.J. explained that he was determined to have a relationship with his son, but Monica argued that it had been risky to approach Michael. A.J. argued that Michael was his son, so he couldn't give up on him anymore than she could have given up on Jason.
A.J. reminded Monica that he hadn't seen Michael since Michael had been a child, so he had spent years wondering about his son. A.J. refused to miss any more of Michael's life. Monica empathized, but she pointed out that Michael had vivid memories of the kidnapping and only knew what Sonny and Carly had told him over the years. Monica feared that Michael would tell someone about A.J., but A.J. was confident that Michael would keep the secret. Monica was curious how A.J. could be so certain. "Because he's my son," A.J. replied.
A.J. assured Monica that Michael was fully aware of the consequences to A.J. if anyone found out he was alive. Monica insisted that Sonny and Carly had poisoned Michael's mind against A.J. and the Quartermaines. Monica conceded that Michael stopped by on holidays and that they had never spoken about A.J. until the other day. A.J. was certain that there was a small part of Michael that hadn't written A.J. off yet, so Michael would keep quiet. A.J. admitted that it was Carly he was truly worried about. "Who said anything about Carly?" Monica nervously asked.
A.J. told Monica about his encounter with Carly on the pier and Sonny's attempt to assure Carly that A.J. was dead by taking Carly to the family crypt, as if Sonny and Carly had had a right to be on the Quartermaine property. A.J. resented how Sonny and Carly had bragged about A.J. burning in hell, while they had raised Michael. A.J. confessed that it had made him sick to his stomach. Monica feared that it would only take a single lingering doubt for Carly to make certain that A.J. was on the fast-track to jail.
A.J. wanted his life back, so he refused to hide in the shadows, but Monica insisted that it wasn't realistic. She loved having A.J. there, but she had worked too hard and had risked too much for him to be discovered. Monica implored him to leave Port Charles, but A.J. argued that his place was with Monica and Michael, so he had to figure out a way to deal with his legal troubles. Monica warned A.J. that there weren't any guarantees that Michael would want to have a relationship with A.J. A.J. appreciated that there were obstacles and that his problems were of his own making, but he wasn't the same guy that he had once been, which he intended to prove to Monica and Michael.
Monica warned A.J. that he couldn't force Michael to have a relationship with him. A.J. realized that, but he wanted an opportunity to try. Tracy suddenly stormed in complaining about the driver not having had a spare tire to replace their flat with. She ripped off her gloves, and then turned to face Monica. Tracy's jaw dropped as her eyes landed on A.J. "What. The. Hell." Tracy asked in stunned disbelief.
On pier 52, Michael thought about A.J.'s claim of being drugged by Carly, who had spent most of Michael's life keeping A.J. away from Michael. "Michael? Are you okay?" Carly asked as she walked up. "Not really," Michael admitted. He explained that he had been thinking a lot about his father, A.J., since Jason had disappeared. Carly assumed that Michael's recent visit with Monica had sparked the thoughts about A.J. She imagined that it had to be difficult for Monica to deal with the loss of two sons; however, it didn't change the kind of man that A.J. had been.
According to Carly, A.J. had hurt a lot of people, which was the reason that she had kept Michael away from A.J. She insisted that A.J. had been angry, bitter, and entitled, so A.J. had never once considered what had been in Michael's best interests. Michael admitted that he was curious about what had started the bitter feud between Carly and A.J. Carly claimed that it began with a court-ordered blood test when she had been pregnant with Michael and A.J.'s threat to take Michael away as soon as Michael was born. Michael wondered if Carly had done something to A.J. to justify A.J. feeling that way.
Carly insisted that A.J. hadn't needed a reason because A.J. had always felt justified. Michael refused to let it drop. "Where's this coming from?" Carly asked. Michael admitted that he had heard that Carly had drugged A.J. and then had poured alcohol on A.J. to make it appear that A.J. had fallen off the wagon and wouldn't figure out that he was Michael's father. Carly's expression closed up as she quietly demanded, "Who told you that?" Michael refused to tell her, but he wanted to know if it was true.
Carly tried to evade the question, but Michael refused to let her. Carly realized that she had to give Michael an answer, so she explained that she had been young and stupid, and had felt trapped in a bad situation. Michael was stunned that his mother had confirmed A.J.'s claim. He angrily confronted her about doing such a terrible thing to a recovering addict, but Carly defended her actions, insisting that she had been desperate, and it had seemed like her only option at the time. Michael demanded to know everything, so Carly revealed that she had been involved with an older man named Tony who had been married to her mother, Bobbie.
Carly admitted that she and Tony had had a terrible fight because Tony had blamed Carly for the breakup of Bobbie and Tony's marriage. Carly had gone looking for Jason, but she had bumped into a drunk A.J. instead. Carly spared her son the details of the drunken tryst, but confirmed that Michael had been conceived that night. Carly explained that the following morning, she had worked things out with Tony, and A.J. hadn't recalled sleeping with her. Carly confessed that Tony had offered to marry her when he had found out that she was pregnant, so she had agreed because she had thought that it was what she had wanted.
"You wanted to marry your mother's husband?" Michael asked in disbelief. Carly insisted that she had been a different person at the time because she had been scared and desperate. Carly revealed that A.J. had confided that he would have to go to rehab out of state and leave town for good if he ever had relapsed, so she had made it happen when A.J. had started to remember about their night together. Carly revealed that she had drugged A.J., doused him with vodka, and then had called his parents to make sure that they had found A.J. in what had appeared to be a drinking binge. Carly reiterated that she had been scared and then insisted that she had paid for her folly -- and continued to do so.
"A.J. paid for it more," Michael argued. Michael blasted his mother for compromising A.J.'s sobriety the way that she had. Carly agreed that it had been wrong, but she insisted that there had been no turning back. She explained that A.J. had taken her to court to take Michael away from her when he had discovered what she had done. Michael insisted that A.J. had simply wanted to be a father to his son, but Carly argued that A.J. had been weak, angry, and only interested in impressing the Quartermaines by giving them an heir. She revealed that that was why she had chosen Jason as Michael's father.
Michael argued that it didn't work that way and that she hadn't had the right to do that. Carly insisted that Jason had been the first to hold Michael and to take care of him when Carly had been too sick to do it. Carly claimed that Jason had been more of a father to Michael the first year of his life than A.J. ever had been. "The point is, A.J. never even had a chance," Michael replied. Carly disagreed because A.J. had had an opportunity to be a father to Michael when A.J. had kidnapped Michael years later. However, A.J. had opted to let everyone believe that Michael had died and had told Michael that she and Sonny hadn't loved or wanted Michael.
Michael agreed that what A.J. had done was awful, but A.J. had reacted to something that Carly had set into motion. Carly conceded that it had been a long and ugly fight, but A.J. had become more twisted and angry every step of the way, so what she had done to start the feud was nothing compared to how A.J. had ended it. Michael had no idea how to feel or respond to that. Carly realized that she probably should have told Michael sooner, but she hadn't seen the point.
"We're family, Michael. A.J.'s not a part of it. He's gone," Carly told her son. "No, he's not," Michael replied. Carly's eyes narrowed as she wondered what Michael had meant by that. Michael took off rather than trying to explain. Afterwards, Carly called Todd to ask him to meet her.
A short time later, Todd arrived at the pier. Carly admitted that she would have called Jason, but that wasn't possible, so she had thought of Todd. Todd wondered what was troubling Carly, so she revealed that Michael's father, A.J., wasn't as dead as she had thought.
Michael went to Starr's apartment. She immediately sensed that he was upset, so Michael admitted that one of A.J.'s "lies" had turned out to be true. Michael also confessed that he had accidentally let it slip to Carly that A.J. was alive.
Lulu arrived home as Dante wrapped up a phone call with the adoption agency. He explained that the agency wanted to do a preliminary interview right away, so they had sent a social worker over. Dante suspected that the agency had seen something on the application that they had liked, so Lulu confessed that she had done something that she was certain that Dante wouldn't approve of, but she implored him to play along with her when the social worker arrived. Dante was shocked when Lulu admitted that she had rewritten the application to make their extended family appear more normal. Dante was disappointed that Lulu had lied on the application, but he agreed to bluff his way through the interview.
To Dante and Lulu's dismay, the social worker arrived before Lulu could fill Dante in on what she had put on the application. Ms. Ogawa was eager to get started, so she opened the file and began to question Lulu about the Haunted Star. Ms. Ogawa admitted that she had heard that it was a nightclub, but Lulu insisted that it had recently been converted to a family-friendly restaurant. Dante tried to cover his surprise when Ms. Ogawa and Lulu discussed Luke's work with the Peace Corp and Laura's career as a psychiatrist.
Afterwards, Ms. Ogawa asked about Dante's career as a police officer, and then his father's coffee business. Dante smiled nervously, as Ms. Ogawa confessed that it had been fascinating to read that Dante's father had revolutionized the coffee industry by inventing single-serve coffee. Dante couldn't keep up with the lies, so he admitted that his mother was a manager at Metro Court when the social worker asked about Olivia. Ms. Ogawa was curious if it was the same hotel where Olivia had been injected with an overdose of LSD, which had triggered ongoing hallucinations. Ms. Ogawa admitted that she had done her homework, so she knew that everything on the application had been a lie.
At the courthouse, Judge Sanchez asked everyone to be seated. Sonny, Trey, and Alexis sat down at the plaintiff's table, while Johnny and Connie took their seats at the defendant's table. Judge Sanchez was curious if Connie had legal representation, just as Diane burst into the courtroom. Diane apologized for being late and announced that she was Connie's attorney. Sonny was stunned, but Diane reminded him that Kate was her friend and that Diane was no longer on retainer for Sonny.
Diane was given an opportunity to make an opening statement, so she accused Trey of being an instrument for Connie's jilted fiancé's blatant manipulation. According to Diane, Trey was nothing more than a shell. Sonny denied Diane's charges, so the judge invited Sonny to take the stand. Sonny testified that he had not manipulated or coerced Trey to file a motion for guardianship to have Connie committed. Sonny insisted that he simply wanted Kate to get the proper treatment.
Diane focused on the wedding fiasco as she questioned Sonny. She tried to get Sonny to admit that he had felt betrayed and had been furious, but Sonny was adamant that all he wanted was for Kate to get her life back so that she could have the opportunity to get to know her son. Sonny insisted that Connie was a symptom of Kate's mental illness. Connie scowled as she shouted, "Who are you? Sigmund Corleone?"
Judge Sanchez was not pleased, so he warned the attorneys to control their clients. The judge asked Connie to take the stand, so she sauntered to the witness box with a confident smile. Diane opened the door for Connie to paint herself as the bullied girlfriend of a ruthless gangster. Connie claimed that she had found true love with Johnny, who had gone legitimate after cutting ties with the mob. Connie insisted that Sonny was trying to punish her for falling in love with Johnny by using her son to stick her in a "snake pit."
The judge asked Johnny to corroborate Connie's claims, so Johnny took the stand. Johnny confirmed that what Connie had said was true. Alexis questioned Johnny about marrying a woman who had a documented medical history of dissociative identity disorder. Johnny squirmed but stuck to his story that he was in love with his wife. Alexis pushed Johnny's buttons when she asked him about his relationship with Carly. Johnny faltered as Alexis demanded to know what Johnny had gained by marrying Connie.
Alexis quietly begged Johnny to do the right thing by telling the truth about his marriage so that Kate could receive proper treatment. Connie stared intently at Johnny, while he appeared conflicted. In the end, he assured everyone that he loved Connie. Connie smiled smugly as Johnny returned to the table. She whispered to him that he had made a wise choice because she wouldn't have hesitated to send him to jail. Meanwhile, Trey was called to testify.
Diane pointed out that Trey had only recently learned about his mother, and then suggested that Trey had his own ax to grind with Connie because she had abandoned him at birth. Trey denied that he was out for revenge, but he admitted that he had a friend whom Connie had hurt, so he wanted to make certain that Connie didn't hurt anyone else because she was mentally ill and dangerous. Under Alexis' cross-examination, Trey explained that he wanted to have a relationship with his mother, which couldn't happen without treatment. Connie's lip appeared to tremble, but she quickly recovered and quietly bragged to Johnny and Diane that she had an ace in the hole.
Later, Judge Sanchez was prepared to render a decision, but Diane requested that Trey's petition be dropped, because Trey had claimed that Connie was the alter personality. According to Diane, Kate Howard was the true alter, not Connie.
On pier 52, Carly admitted that A.J. might not be as dead as she had thought. Todd recalled Carly mentioning that A.J. had been smothered to death, so he was curious what had changed her mind. Carly revealed that Michael had suggested that A.J. was alive. Carly told Todd about her encounter with Michael, who had been upset about something that she had done to A.J. a long time before. Todd wondered what Carly had done, so she told him that A.J. had been a recovering alcoholic who had decided to leave town for good if he ever relapsed.
Carly confessed that she had been desperate to keep A.J. from getting in her way, so she had drugged A.J., and then had dumped him in an alley, soaked in alcohol, for his parents to find. Carly feared that Todd's silence meant that he thought she was a horrible person. Todd admitted that he had thought of far worse things by age nine than most people had ever done in their whole lives. Todd assured her that he didn't think less of her. Carly was concerned about Michael because Michael had seemed disillusioned with her when she had told Michael the truth. Todd was disappointed that Michael hadn't given Carly any credit for loving and taking care of Michael all of his life.
Carly argued that Michael's point was that she hadn't given A.J. the chance to be a father. "Who cares?" Todd asked as he reminded her that A.J. was dead. Carly insisted that Michael believed otherwise. She admitted that she was eager to know who had told Michael about what had happened to A.J. Carly suspected that it had been Monica because Jason was no longer around to stop her. Todd agreed that it was possible that Monica had wanted her "dirtbag" son to look good by discrediting Carly.
Carly thanked Todd for his support and for helping her to see things more clearly. Todd assured Carly that everything would work out with Michael, but Carly remained uneasy. Todd asked her what was wrong, so Carly confided that she had seen A.J. on the pier after she had left Todd's suite. She assured him that it hadn't been a figment of her imagination, as Sonny had suggested. Todd realized that was what Michael's secret had been about. "What secret?" Carly asked, but Todd managed to brush the comment off.
At the apartment, Michael confessed that he had let it slip to Carly that A.J. was alive. Starr realized the enormity of the situation, because A.J. faced charges that could lead to serious jail time. "Pretty much," Michael concurred. Starr was curious how Michael had even gotten to the point where he had mentioned that A.J. was alive, so Michael told her about his encounter with his mother on the pier. Michael revealed that A.J. had told him that Carly had once drugged A.J. and doused him with alcohol.
Starr wondered why Carly would do such a thing, so Michael explained that A.J. had been a recovering alcoholic who had decided to go to rehab out of state -- and never return -- if he had ever relapsed again. Starr realized that Carly had set A.J. up. Michael confided that he had hoped that Carly would deny the allegations, but she hadn't. He had always believed that A.J. had started that feud with Carly by threatening to take Michael away from her, but it had turned out that Carly had been the one to set everything into motion. Michael could no longer deny that Carly had denied A.J. the chance to be a father.
Michael wondered if things might have turned out differently if his mother hadn't pushed A.J. away. Starr warned Michael not to torture himself with what ifs. Michael feared that A.J. might have also told the truth about Sonny, since A.J.'s claims about Carly had been true. Michael revealed that A.J. had accused Sonny of hanging A.J. from a meat hook and threatening to kill A.J. if A.J. didn't give up his parental rights. Starr quietly reminded Michael that Sonny was in the business of making people do what Sonny wanted, but Michael couldn't wrap his mind around what Sonny and Carly had done to A.J.
Michael was eager to talk to Sonny, but Starr reminded him that Sonny was at court with Trey and Connie. Starr warned Michael that there were two sides to every story, so the truth was likely somewhere in the middle. Starr thought that A.J. sounded like a complicated man, which was a familiar type to her. Michael made it clear that he didn't defend A.J.'s decision to hire Faith Roscoe to kidnap Michael, Morgan, and Kristina, nor did Michael excuse A.J.'s lies, but Michael realized that it hadn't started the way that he had been led to believe.
Michael decided to pay A.J. a visit. Starr was concerned because Michael wasn't in the best frame of mind, but Michael felt that he owed it to A.J. to hear A.J. out. Michael thanked Starr for listening and admitted that he was happy that she could trust her. He kissed her and then left. A short time later, Todd arrived. Todd wondered if Michael's secret was that A.J. was alive. Starr was curious why Todd would ask her that, but that was all the answer that Todd had needed.
At the Quartermaine mansion, Tracy quickly recovered from her shock at seeing A.J. "Of course it's you, A.J. You can't even die properly," Tracy snarled. A.J. returned the cold smile as he sarcastically said that it was good to see Tracy too. Monica assured Tracy that things were not as they seemed, but Tracy laughed, since it appeared that Monica's deceased son, whom no one had mourned or missed, walked amongst them once again. A.J. resented the way that Tracy talked to Monica, but Tracy didn't care. Tracy was furious that Monica would protect a "psychotic degenerate" who had shot his own father in the back.
Tracy wasn't interested in hearing A.J.'s excuses because that was all he ever had to offer. A.J. insisted that shooting Alan had been the biggest mistake of A.J.'s life. Monica explained that she had saved A.J.'s life after Dr. Thomas had tried to kill A.J. Monica took full responsibility for spiriting A.J. out of the country to avoid prosecution. Tracy was certain that the only reason that A.J. was back was because he was out of funds. Monica reminded Tracy that Alan had loved A.J., so for Alan's sake, Monica hoped that Tracy stayed quiet about A.J.
Tracy picked up the phone and called Dante. She brandished a fireplace poker at Monica and A.J. while she informed Dante that she had information about a fugitive. However, Alice managed to knock Tracy out with choke hold. Tracy collapsed to the floor as Monica quickly picked up the phone and apologized to Dante for the call. According to Monica, Tracy had been upset because Tracy's pony, Son of Skittles, had gotten loose, but Alice had managed to corral the pony.
After Monica ended the call, A.J., who had checked Tracy's pulse to make sure that she was okay, wondered if the detective that Tracy had called had believed Monica's story. Monica admitted that Dante had sounded a bit distracted, so she was confident that Dante wouldn't be a problem. A.J. thanked Alice and complimented the wrestling move. Alice confessed that she didn't want to see A.J. end up in jail. Monica was worried about Tracy, but Alice promised Monica that Tracy would wake up in twenty minutes, feeling refreshed.
"And then she's going to call the cops again," Monica realized. A.J. knew that Tracy wouldn't rest until he was in handcuffs, so Monica wondered if anyone had any ideas. "Well, we could kill her," A.J. answered. He quickly assured his shocked mother that he had been joking. Alice and A.J. decided to take Tracy to the boathouse and keep her there until they could figure things out. They froze when Michael suddenly knocked on the door of the boathouse and called out to A.J.
Meanwhile, Carly stormed into Monica's parlor, demanding, "What the hell is going on here?" Monica smiled sweetly, but Carly wasn't in the mood. Carly wanted to know where A.J. was.
At the loft, Ms. Ogawa revealed that she had done her homework, so she knew that Lulu and Dante had lied on their application. Dante assured Ms. Ogawa that his father was really a coffee importer, but Ms. Ogawa knew of Sonny's suspected ties to the mob, as well as Luke's reputation as an illegal diamond trader, so she questioned if Lulu's claims about her mother, Laura, had been true. Lulu confessed that Laura suffered from a condition called psycho-motor dissociation, so Laura was a patient, not a psychiatrist. Lulu explained that she had lied because she had been afraid that they would have been turned down by the agency. Ms. Ogawa assured Lulu that they would have taken everything into consideration if Lulu hadn't lied.
Ms. Ogawa insisted that they based their decision on the integrity of the prospective parents, so lying on the application had been a serious problem. Dante tried to defend Lulu, but Ms. Ogawa wasn't swayed. Dante assured Ms. Ogawa that Lulu was a wonderful, warm, kind, and smart woman who would be a great mother. He conceded that he and Lulu had eccentric relatives, but they were good people. Dante implored the social worker for a second chance, but Ms. Ogawa explained that it was out of her hands.
Ms. Ogawa revealed that the application had been put into a national database, so all the adoptive agencies had access to it and would know that Lulu and Dante had lied. After Ms. Ogawa left, Lulu apologized to Dante for ruining their chance to adopt a baby. Dante assured Lulu that he wasn't angry, and then suggested that perhaps there was another way for them to become parents.
In the courtroom, Sonny was stunned that Diane had argued that Kate was the alter personality, not Connie. He couldn't believe that Diane had pulled a stunt like that. Judge Sanchez warned Alexis to control Sonny, so Sonny sat down. Connie smiled smugly as Diane produced a birth certificate with Connie's name on it as proof that Connie was the host personality. Alexis assured the judge that no one denied that Connie had been born Constanza Louise Falconeri, but Connie had changed her name to Katherine Hardwicke Howard when Kate had entered into college. Alexis insisted that Kate Howard had graduated from Princeton, and then had built a career and reputation in the fashion publishing industry, not Connie.
Alexis explained that Kate's alter personality had simply taken Kate's birth name. Diane argued that dissociative identity disorder was a result of a traumatic event. Connie told the judge that her violent rape and subsequent pregnancy had triggered the DID, which Diane quickly clarified was when Kate had first appeared. Alexis accused Diane of spinning the diagnosis 180 degrees, so Alexis reminded the judge that there were medical records that disputed Diane's claims. The judge wanted to hear from the doctor who had diagnosed the DID, but Alexis revealed that the man was dead. Diane seized the opportunity to inform the judge that Dr. Keenan had been involved in illegal activity surrounding the recent crisis with the town's water supply.
Alexis assured the judge that Ewen had been a respected member of the medical community who had continued to treat Connie even after Connie had attacked him violently enough to require surgery. Connie demanded that Diane object, but Diane wanted it on record that Ewen had completed the report on Connie after sustaining massive head trauma. Connie smiled with satisfaction. Sonny played into Diane's hand by suggesting that another doctor examine Connie. Diane announced that she had a doctor who was willing to testify about Connie's case, so the judge agreed to hear from Dr. Nicole Maybrick. Alexis whispered to Sonny that Dr. Maybrick was a "rent-a-shrink" who would testify to anything for a buck.
Dr. Maybrick confirmed that Kate Howard was the alter personality, who had been created by Connie to help deal with the trauma of being raped and an unwanted pregnancy. Connie insisted that she had wanted to "keep the kid," but Kate had abandoned him. Trey argued that Connie was lying because Connie had told him that she had wanted to abort him. The judge was tried of the outbursts, so he ordered the attorneys to control their clients. After everyone settled down, Alexis made quick work of discrediting Dr. Maybrick's testimony by asking if Dr. Maybrick had treated Connie.
"No," Dr. Maybrick admitted. Sonny whispered something to Alexis, so Alexis told the judge that there was one more issue to address. Alexis explained that the police had dropped homicide charges against Kate because her alter personality, Connie, had pulled the trigger. Connie stood up to deny that she had ever fired a gun in her life. Johnny quickly tried to get Connie to sit down, while Sonny shrewdly looked at Johnny. Alexis told the judge that it was a matter of public record, so it was their duty to alert the police, so that they could re-file the charges.
Meanwhile, Sonny revealed that Connie had confessed to him that she had shot out Anthony's tires, which had led to Hope and Cole's deaths. Connie and Sonny briefly engaged in a screaming match until the judge ordered everyone to sit down because he was ready to render a decision. The judge announced that there wasn't any conclusive evidence that Connie was a danger to herself or others, so he denied Trey's petition. Connie was delighted, so she dragged Johnny out of the courtroom, so that they could celebrate their victory. After Connie and Johnny left, Alexis wondered what had happened to Diane.
Alexis reminded Diane that Kate was their friend who needed help. Diane explained that everyone was entitled to the best legal defense, so Alexis shouldn't be upset that Diane had done a better job than Alexis had. After Diane left, Trey and Sonny were frustrated because they realized that they couldn't get Kate the help that she needed.
At the Quartermaine mansion, Carly demanded to know where A.J. was. "A.J.? You mean my late son?" Monica asked. Carly was certain that AJ was alive, so she continued to badger Monica. Monica's temper flared because Carly had had the audacity to storm into Monica's home and fling wild accusations, while Monica was mourning Jason. "Just answer the question," Carly insisted. Monica refused because it was a hateful, cruel, and ridiculous question to ask.
"Three of A.J.'s biggest qualities," Carly snidely replied. Monica assured Carly that A.J. had been gone for years, but Carly noted that gone didn't mean dead. Monica was curious why Carly was talking about A.J., so Carly admitted that she had seen him on the pier on Halloween night. Monica suggested that Carly had simply mistaken someone in costume for A.J., but Carly argued that Michael also believed that A.J. was alive.
Carly revealed that she had talked to Michael earlier that morning and that he'd had question about A.J. Monica was certain that Carly had brushed the questions off with ease because Carly was a skilled liar. Carly explained that Michael had known about how Carly had drugged A.J., doused him in alcohol, and then had arranged for Monica and Alan to find him. Monica pointed out that it was all true, but Carly didn't understand why someone would tell Michael about something that had happened before he had been born. Carly was certain that it had been A.J., but Monica took responsibility for telling Michael the ugly truth.
Monica insisted that Michael had had a right to know; her only regret was that she hadn't told him sooner, so he wouldn't have grown up hating A.J. and not knowing what a "conniving bitch" Carly was. Monica accused Carly of slithering her way into Jason's life and persuading him to lie about his own brother. Carly argued that Jason had respected Carly as Michael's mother, so Jason had done everything possible to keep Michael away from Monica's miserable family. Carly doubted that Monica would ever have said anything to Michael about A.J. if Jason had been around.
Carly wondered if Monica intended to rewrite history by turning A.J. into a victim, even though A.J. had shot Alan and had slammed Jason's head into a tree. "And that worked out so very well for you didn't it, because you pitted Jason against his own brother," Monica replied. Carly insisted that A.J. had been a selfish entitled screw-up who had turned into a psychopath who had kidnapped children, but Monica accused Carly and Sonny of driving A.J. to it. Carly didn't regret a thing that she had done to A.J., but she conceded that the only good thing that A.J. had done was father Michael.
"That's right," Monica pointed out, "A.J. was Michael's father." "Jason was Michael's father. Sonny is Michael's father. And A.J. is dirt," Carly snarled. Carly wanted to search the house for A.J., so Monica let her.
At the boathouse, A.J. and Alice deposited Tracy's unconscious body on the floor, and then froze when Michael knocked on the door. Michael knew that A.J. was inside, so Alice stayed with Tracy, while A.J. stepped outside to talk to Michael. Michael admitted that he had been on his way to the house when he had spotted A.J. and Alice carrying something to the boathouse. A.J. explained that he had been helping Alice with a canoe. Michael was surprised because A.J. had been adamant that no one know that A.J. was in town or alive.
A.J. explained that Alice was like family and someone he trusted. Michael confessed that he had told his girlfriend about A.J. A.J. was upset because he had risked everything to contact Michael. Michael assured A.J. that Starr wouldn't tell anyone, so A.J. started to relax. A.J. wanted to figure out how to fight his legal troubles before he let everyone know that he was alive. "I kind of said something to my mom," Michael admitted.
"Son of a bitch," A.J. growled in frustration. Michael reminded A.J. that A.J. had invited Michael to verify A.J.'s claims, so Michael had talked to Carly. A.J. was disappointed because he had hoped to have more time to tell Michael his side of things. A.J. assumed that Carly had lied, but Michael revealed that Carly had admitted to everything. A.J. suspected that Carly had made excuses, but Michael insisted that Carly had been desperate to keep Michael.
A.J. felt betrayed because Carly had pretended to be his friend when she had drugged him, but Michael explained that Carly had thought that she was protecting Michael. A.J. insisted that the only thing that mattered was that Michael knew that A.J. had been telling the truth and that A.J. wasn't the monster that Michael had been raised to believe. Michael was startled when he heard a noise inside the boathouse.
Inside, Alice bound Tracy's hands and feet, and then gagged her. Alice explained that she couldn't let Tracy betray the family by turning A.J. over to the police. Tracy managed to knock Alice off balance. Alice realized that Michael had heard the noise, so she stepped out to assure Michael and A.J. that everything was fine. She sent them to the house to bond, while she took care of a pesky rodent problem in the boathouse. Shortly after Michael and A.J. left, Monica entered the boathouse looking for A.J.
Alice explained that they had returned to the main house. Tracy's muffled pleas for help fell on deaf ears as Monica left. Meanwhile, Michael and A.J. entered the parlor, just as Carly returned from searching the house. Carly froze in the doorway when she saw them. "A.J.," Carly whispered.
Anna welcomed the distraction when Mac stopped by for a visit. Mac noticed the files on her desk and admitted that he remembered what it was like to deal with the paperwork. He confessed that he preferred working at the Floating Rib. Anna couldn't understand the new trend of men with mad skills and colorful backgrounds taking jobs slinging drinks. Mac realized that she was referring to Duke.
Anna mentioned that Duke had gone to Washington to talk to the authorities about his years of captivity in a Turkish prison. Anna was curious if Mac had ever had a feeling that something was staring him in the face, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Mac suspected that she was talking about Duke. Anna groaned because she realized that Mac also had doubts about Duke. Mac explained that he didn't know Duke, but he wondered who else questioned Duke's return. Anna admitted that Luke had accused Duke of being an imposter, but she added that Luke had an agenda.
Anna assured Mac that she had run Duke's fingerprints through the system and they had been a match. Mac was curious what Anna's take on Duke was. Anna admitted that it felt as if time had stood still. Mac wondered about Anna's feelings for Luke and Duke. Anna explained that her relationship with Luke had hit a snag before Duke's return. Anna acknowledged that Luke was unpredictable, while Duke had been an important part of her life, so she was hopelessly confused.
Anna told Mac about Robin's eighth birthday when Robin had wished for Anna and Duke to get back together. She felt as if she should honor Robin's wish by getting back with Duke, so that Robin could rest in peace. Mac realized the time, so he explained that he had to leave. He handed Anna a bag with a birthday present for Emma that he asked Anna pass along. Anna smiled when she saw that it was The Little Prince, which had been Robin's favorite story when Robin had been a little girl. Mac hugged Anna and told her that he hoped that Duke made her happy.
At the clinic in Switzerland, Dr. Obrecht strapped Robin down to a bed, while Robin begged to be released. Robin insisted that it was time for her to go home. "Not yet," Dr. Obrecht replied. Robin wanted to know what Dr. Obrecht had meant by that, but she simply advised Robin to rest, and then left.
In the hallway, Duke was waiting. He was furious that Robin had managed to get her hands on a phone and call Emma. Dr. Obrecht assured Duke that Patrick had assumed that Emma had been playing, but Duke wasn't satisfied because it had changed his plans for Robin. Dr. Obrecht warned Duke that Robin's behavior was erratic because one moment Robin appeared to be in a catatonic state and the next Robin was uncontrollable. Duke was livid because Robin's phone call had thrown off his timetable in Port Charles.
In the hospital room, Robin struggled against her restraints as she vowed to find a way to escape. She prayed that Patrick listened to Emma. Robin was startled when the door suddenly opened and an orderly shoved a man into her room. Robin's surprise turned to shock when she realized who the man was. "Duke?" Robin asked as Duke looked at her. "Robin?" Duke asked in the same stunned tone. Duke's hands had been bound to make it appear that he was a prisoner like Robin.
Robin couldn't believe that Duke was really alive, so he told her the same story that he had told everyone else about being held captive in a Turkish prison for years. He asked her what she was doing there, so Robin admitted that she had no idea, but she was prisoner. Robin explained that she didn't recall much after the explosion except waking up in a hospital and receiving electroshock treatment. Duke revealed that he had been to Port Charles, so everyone believed that she was dead. Robin was relieved that Duke was there because she was confident that he could rescue her. However, she was curious how he had ended up in the clinic.
Duke claimed that he had been at a debriefing in Washington when he had heard rumors that Robin was being held at the clinic. Robin wondered if he had told Anna, so Duke shook his head as he explained that he hadn't wanted to needlessly raise Anna's hopes. Robin seemed satisfied with the explanation, so she asked him how they were going to escape. Duke pretended to work on her restraints as he suggested that he overpower the next person who entered the room, steal their keycard and hopefully a set of car keys. Robin smiled because he was still her hero like the prince in her favorite book. She wondered if he remembered.
"How could I forget?" Duke asked as he made a show of trying to work on the restraints binding his wrists together. Robin talked about how she had read the book one morning to her mother and had compared the prince to Duke. She was curious if he recalled what she had told Anna about the prince. "Your tall, dark, handsome swain," Duke replied. Robin's smile faltered. She reminded Duke that the prince had been young, blond, and blue-eyed, which was why the comparison to Duke had been so funny.
Duke apologized for the mistake as he explained that his memory was not what it had once been. Robin appeared to believe him, so she began to talk about the first meal that they had cooked together, which she told him had been spaghetti and meatballs. Duke smiled, as he assured her that he remembered. Robin's smile faded because she had caught Duke in a lie. The first meal that they had cooked together had been pizza. Duke insisted that his memory was jumbled because he had been tortured, but Robin didn't believe him. She knew what it was like to be tortured and to cling to important memories.
Robin argued that the real Duke wouldn't have forgotten such important moments, so she demanded to know who he really was. "Child, you were always too smart for your own good," he growled as he pulled off the mask of Duke Lavery. "Oh. My. God." Robin said as she looked at the man who had been pretending to be Duke Lavery.
