Hannah took Taggert to task about confronting Sonny in ICU and also for thinking she still had feelings for Sonny. She said he could have compromised any further cases against Sonny. They argued about Sonny on and off throughout the day.

Mac tossed Taggert his coat, saying Felicia had gone after the crooked cop, and they had to find her first. Sorel's men did find Felicia first and took her to Sorel. They asked what he wanted to do with her, and Sorel said it depended on who knew where she was. Felicia said that Mac knew where she was. Sorel doubted that the commissioner would send his civilian wife after a crooked cop, and he thought Felicia just had delusions of being a Charlie's Angel. He said it was not going to turn out well for her.

Mac and Taggert arrived with backup and arrested Sorel and company. He read Felicia the riot act for putting herself in danger. Before he went to question Sorel, he made an offer to all the cops in the squad room that there would be a promotion for anyone who could get a court order for an ankle bracelet for his soon-to-be ex-wife.

Chloe was dreaming as Stefan and Helena were talking. Stefan was telling Helena that he'd enjoyed being "dead" -- he'd been free of her. Helena scornfully asked if his tastes never changed. He said that Chloe's dreams were a useful talent. He only regretted that he hadn't had time to frame Helena for the kidnapping. Helena complimented Stefan on the way he had framed Luke for his murder.

Chloe woke up then and went to meet Alexis at Kelly's. She told her that what she had said about Stefan being capable of kidnapping her was true. She then went and confronted Stefan. She made up a story then kissed him. She said how easy it was to lie and asked if he thought that she was completely cured of her dreams. She knew it was him who had kidnapped her, and he was just like his mother.

Laura went to pick up an order at Kelly's. She exchanged happy New Year greetings with Bobbie and asked about Sonny. Bobbie said he had been upgraded to stable. "What about Carly?" Laura asked. Bobbie said Carly was camped out at the hospital and acting like a wife. Laura asked how Roy and Bobbie were, and Bobbie asked if Laura had time to talk, as she wanted to ask Laura something. She wanted to know if Roy had ever talked about his past to Laura while he'd lived at her house -- especially about a woman named Melissa.

Laura said Roy hadn't mentioned a Melissa and wanted to know what was going on. Bobbie told her some weird things had been happening, and she thought she was losing her mind. Roy thought that Larkin was behind it, as Roy had been responsible for him being kicked out of the FBI. Carly entered then, and Bobbie hugged her and said it was nice to see her out and about. Carly asked Laura if she had signed Liz Webber as the face of Deception, and Laura said she would wait until Carly returned, as promised.

Carly told Bobbie that Sonny still didn't trust her. He had overheard her talking to Benny and had called them both in. He'd told Benny that he didn't take orders from Carly. Carly was not involved in his business at all. She'd decided to leave for a while and get some fresh air.

Emily told Juan that it was over between them. It was time to let go. She said she had feelings for Zander. Zander walked out of Kelly's just in time to overhear that part, and Emily was embarrassed. He asked her if she'd meant what she'd said, and she said yes.

Monica, Alan, and Edward confronted Emily and ordered her to stay away from Zander for her own safety. She said she would not turn her back on a friend, especially one who had risked his life to save hers. Monica said she would have to rethink that; if Emily didn't stop seeing Zander, they would have to take action they really didn't want to take. Emily refused to stop seeing Zander and left, saying she was going to see him.

Monica said okay to Edward and instructed him to make arrangements for Emily to go to California. Edward was on the phone, making arrangements, when Lila walked in and told him to hang up. He told Lila that Emily had left them no other choice. Lila told him he wouldn't be happy with the consequences if he sent Emily away.

Zander went to see Sonny and said he was healing. He asked if Sonny was healing also. Sonny said apparently, and they were both lucky that Sorel's goons were so terrible at their jobs. Zander asked if Sorel had tried to kill him before, and Sonny said he had usually just been a nuisance. Zander said that the bullets Sonny had gotten should have been his, as he suspected they'd really been after him that night.

Sonny disagreed. He figured Sorel's men had been after both of them, and because of the failure, he would be even more desperate. He said that Zander was safe at Alexis' place, but only really safe after Sorel was behind bars or removed.

After Zander left, Carly returned to see Sonny. She asked if he had really told Alexis to tell Carly that he loved her. He said yes, he had. She said she loved him too.

Gia was reaching on a shelf for a book but couldn't quite make it. Nikolas walked up behind her and startled her, so she fell right into his arms. After a minute or two, she told him he could let her go. He did and told her there was a ladder in the kitchen. She wanted to look in the book to identify a bird she had seen. She went to get back on the stool, but Nikolas got up and retrieved the book for her.

Later, Gia was posing in front of a mirror, and Nikolas once again walked up behind her, causing her to hit the glass in his hand and spill the contents over him. She started to wipe it off, and they just looked at each other. Electricity bounced between the two of them.

Edward, Monica, and Alan explained to Lila that sending Emily to boarding school was the best thing for her safety. Alan said they would take her when she got home. They were still waiting for Emily, and he said he would go after her if she wasn't home soon. Monica asked if he would just pick her up, throw her in the trunk, and drive off to the airport. Edward told Monica they had to present a united front. Lila told Monica it wasn't too late to change her mind.

Emily walked in and asked what was going on then she spotted her suitcases. She wanted to know why her suitcases were down there, and they informed her she was being flown to St. Catherine's in California that night. She told them she wouldn't go, so they asked if she would stop seeing Zander, and she said no. They had no other choice to keep her safe, they told her. She threw her real mother at them, saying she would never send her away. They reached an impasse, and they finally left for the airport. Lila told Edward that she might never forgive him for that.

Earlier, Emily and Zander had kissed, and she had promised to be there for him the next day when he went in front of the grand jury. He had warned her he could still go to jail for kidnapping and drugs, but she had told him to just get through the next day.

A.J. asked Hannah what had happened between her and Taggert. He said to forget it -- she didn't have to tell him. Hannah told him she didn't know Taggert as well as she'd thought. She hadn't realized he could be so vindictive. He acted like the shooting had been all Sonny's fault, but Sonny had been the victim. She told A.J. that it was he that had told her that Taggert wasn't for her, so he could say "I told you so."

A.J. said it was up to Hannah who she wanted to go out with. She said that Taggert had really been there for her after she'd broken up with Sonny, but she hadn't realized he could be that way. A.J. took Hannah's hand in his and advised her to back off and think things over.

Taggert walked in with a bouquet of flowers and, misjudging the situation, threw the flowers on the floor and left saying he'd thought he was going to apologize but had decided not to. A.J. told Hannah that if she followed Taggert, he would probably forgive her. She didn't, and they sat and ate chili and talked some more. He told her he would say it once and only once -- if she didn't want to leave Taggert, she shouldn't let him go.

Stefan tried to tell Chloe she was just confused and upset, and she'd just had a dream. "My dreams don't matter anymore?" she asked. "Is it because I dreamt of you and know what kind of person you are?" she continued. She went on angrily, "You held me captive, kept me away from my life and from treatment that would save my sight." Stefan defended himself, saying he had taken her home. He asked if he would have done that if he had kidnapped her.

Chloe told Stefan he had used her to get his mother. He admitted using her dreams to catch his mother, but he hadn't counted on caring for Chloe. He had aborted his plan and taken her home before she'd gone blind. She told him anything he said was a lie. He told her she didn't realize how dangerous his mother could be, and she said she did, since his mother had run Chloe down with her car.

Chloe wanted to know why Stefan had kept up with the façade after they'd returned to town. She asked if it was so she wouldn't figure out what had really been going on. She asked if he cared about anything at all. He tried to say something in reply, but Chloe brushed him off and told him they were finished.

Carly told Sonny that she'd never thought he would say he loved her and didn't think he wanted to love her. Sonny admitted they'd had a rocky start. Carly told him he was her whole life. She said she had refused to let him die. His heart had stopped, and they'd wanted to pronounce him dead, but she had made them try again, and it had started. She'd kept praying, and she'd been prepared to shock him herself if she had been able to figure out how to do it.

Carly told Sonny she loved him and always would. She asked when he'd known he loved her. No matter how much she asked, he wouldn't commit himself to an answer. He said it just mattered that he loved her. Carly was kissing him when Amy rushed in to see what was wrong because the beep had gone off at the desk. She looked at the printout of his heartbeat and asked what they were doing.

Amy said Sonny needed his rest. Carly told Sonny it was bedtime, and he asked for her to stay. She told him she wasn't going anywhere. Carly went and asked Amy if they could have at least one or two hours private time, and Amy finally agreed.

Alexis and Zander went to see Sonny, and Alexis asked the guard why the door was closed. He said he had just gone on duty and didn't know. She asked Amy, who said Sonny was unavailable. "Lawyers are unavailable, information is unavailable, patients in ICU are not unavailable," Alexis replied. She went to the door of his room and was going to open it when Amy told her she shouldn't.

Alexis knocked on the door, and Carly said to go away. Zander and the guard had clued in and were smiling. Alexis punched Zander in his bad arm for laughing, saying it was very inappropriate.

Laura and Bobbie were at Kelly's and sharing good conversation. Laura confessed to Bobbie that she remembered Roy talking to her about a particular case from his past, involving a woman. Roy had specifically mentioned that he'd wished he could make it up to her and how much it bothered him. Bobbie was grateful for the information and wished she could help Roy. She admitted to being a little jealous.

Bobbie told Laura that Melissa was a problem that she couldn't solve right then. Bobbie lightened things up a bit by telling Laura she was waiting on her invitation to the new Deception offices. Laura told her to drop by anytime. She proclaimed that she loved working on her own. It was challenging, exhausting, and exciting too -- and she never knew what would happen from day to day. Bobbie then asked if Laura was over Luke. Laura said that if being separate and moving on was being over then, yes, she was. Bobbie replied that she was happy for Laura.

Felicia arrived at Kelly's, and she and Laura passed. Felicia spoke first and said hi. Laura gave a brief hello and left. Felicia looked at Bobbie and said Laura was still holding a grudge. Bobbie said she did not think so because Laura had said she was moving on with her life. Bobbie mentioned the words "hard to let go," and Felicia froze. Bobbie asked if something was troubling her.

Felicia confessed that she was finding it hard to let go of Mac. They still had closeness and always would, but it was not like a wife. Felicia wondered what the next step for them was. Bobbie asked if she had talked to Mac about her feelings. Felicia said no. Just then, Mac walked into Kelly's, and Bobbie told Felicia that it was her chance. Felicia immediately went over to his table and asked to sit down.

Mac invited Felicia to join him. Felicia started talking about how nice it had been to work with him on a case and be close, but close as in friends. Mac agreed and told Felicia that he'd had a difficult time at first, accepting their friendship, but he had grown accustomed to it, and it was okay. He definitely understood that they were just friends. Felicia was okay with his response, although each had a strange expression on their face.

Alexis returned a call to Pete, the prosecutor, about Zander's testimony before his court appearance. Everything was all set. She called Zander to go. He walked downstairs, looking very good in his blue suit. Alexis helped him put on his tie, since he was unfamiliar with the Windsor knot. The two were off to the courthouse. Zander expected to see Emily, but she was not there. Alexis reassured him that Emily was running late and would be there when he finished.

Zander did extremely well in his testimony. He remained calm and was sincere. He even was relieved when he was vocalizing the truth in front of the law. Zander burst out of the courtroom, looking for Emily, but only Ned and Alexis were there. Alexis started to tell him, but Ned interjected. He told Zander that Alan and Monica had taken Emily away to California.

Zander was in disbelief and furious. He could not contain himself, so he bolted out of the courthouse, headed directly for the Quartemaines'. Zander found Lila and asked if Emily was home. Lila invited him inside, and he introduced himself as Zander Smith. She confirmed that Emily was indeed in California. Zander said that was not possible, but Lila told him that it was so and that he was to blame.

Zander proclaimed his deep feelings for Emily. He even stated that he would die before he would let anything happen to Emily. Lila was surprised by Zander. Edward entered the room and was shocked. He immediately picked up the first thing he could find -- the poker from the fireplace -- and aimed it at Zander. Zander told him he knew who Edward was from Emily's description and told him to put the poker down or else Zander would take it away from him. .

Edward threatened Zander. Zander told him his threats were useless because they could not separate him and Emily because their feeling for each other went too deep. Lila kept trying to calm Edward, but he just became more ridiculous. Zander decided to leave but told them that he and Emily would be together.

Alan, Monica, and Emily finally reached St. Catherine's Boarding School in California. Emily was less than happy, and she was doing her best to stay clam and try to reason with her parents. She kept pleading with them to take her back to Port Charles. However, all her parents could say was that it was for the best. They were trying to keep her safe, and it was the only way they knew how to do it.

By that point, Emily had had enough and started to lash out at her parents. She told them that she had done everything they had asked. She'd studied and was keeping all A's in her classes, she always kept her curfew, and she'd been up-front about her visits to Zander, yet she was being punished for keeping her word and for supporting her friend. Alan was strong-faced and said that did not matter because they had made a decision. Alan excused himself.

Emily begged her mother to take her home. She reminded Monica of the prom and her birthday. Monica said that they would visit often, and the next time they would take Lucky and Liz. Emily sobbed inconsolably as Monica left.

Emily noticed the uniform hanging on the door of her new room. She began to put it on, but all she could think about was Zander. Later, Emily had just lay on her purse on the bed. She thought of her cell phone, but it had been disconnected. She began to cry more.

A little while later, the school's representative visited to welcome Emily and go over a few items with her. Emily was polite but cold. The lady informed Emily that she had to go to every class and join them for all meals. She also mentioned that the computer in the room had access to the Internet so that she could do journalism research. This piqued Emily's interest. After the lady left, Emily started to search for her credit card. She found it and began to log onto the Internet. She said, "Zander, don't worry, I am coming back."

Chloe went to the hospital for the final procedure that would cure her. Tony arrived to get her, commenting about taking a portable office. She told him if she had to stay overnight, she might as well keep busy. Stefan arrived to wish her good luck, and she told him not to bother because she didn't want anything from him.

Later, Chloe was in her hospital room when Tony entered with the good news that the procedure had gone well, and barring any complications, her treatment was over. She thanked him and said she felt great -- well enough to go home if he would let her. He said he wanted to keep her overnight, and if no complications arose, he would do a follow-up CT scan in the morning. He told her she had done well, and she said she couldn't have done it without him.

Tony left Chloe smiling and sketching, but her smile disappeared when Stefan walked in. He wanted to talk to her, and she gave him a minute. He apologized, saying he had been trying to protect Nikolas, but he had been wrong to have involved her. He did care about her and asked why else he would have taken her back as soon as he'd realized her condition had been worsening. She didn't care. She just wanted him to leave her alone, or she would call the nurse.

Ned went to see A.J., and A.J. was surprised enough to comment that "hell must have frozen over." Ned asked if A.J. could cooperate for a change. He reported that Alan and Monica had shipped Emily off to boarding school. "They couldn't keep Zander in prison, so they send Emily off to the Quartermaine equivalent," quipped A.J. Ned asked A.J. to talk to his parents -- if he could get out of his drunken stupor long enough -- and talk them into getting Emily home. A.J. told Ned he had been diplomatic as usual. Ned left in disgust, saying he should have known better than to ask A.J.

A.J. made a phone call after Ned left. He was leaving a message for his dad, "What are you doing, sending my sister off to boarding school in California? Signed, your boarding school graduate son." Gia showed up then and asked if Emily would be spending the rest of the school year at the school. He told her not if he could help it. He was surprised she hadn't known about it, since she hung out with Emily's friends. She said they didn't know because they would have mentioned it if they had known.

A.J. asked if Gia had the Internet promos he'd asked for, and she gave them to him. He was impressed with her work and said he would miss her when she went after her music career. She told him she might be making a detour, as a modeling opportunity had opened up. He hadn't realized she'd been interested in that, and she said she hadn't, either, but she was going to go for it. He asked when she'd start, and she told him it wasn't definite, as Liz Webber was being considered also. He wished her good luck.

Lucky had his arms around Liz when Nikolas and Gia entered Kelly's. Gia commented on their cuddling again. Nikolas asked if she was hungry, and Gia said loudly, "If we can get some service." Lucky said that service was slow that day. Gia said one would never catch her kissing a guy in the middle of Kelly's, and Nikolas asked about when she'd kissed him. She told him that had been to avoid her brother.

Nikolas told Gia he was just kidding. Lucky told Nikolas to go easy on Gia, as she was probably nervous about the photo shoot, seeing how gorgeous Liz was. Gia remarked that it took more than a button nose and a peaches and cream complexion to be a model.

At Deception, Elton was on the phone when Carly walked in. He put the person on hold and greeted her, asking about her husband. She said he was fine and asked if he was filling in. He told her he worked at Deception. Laura stepped out of her office and saw Carly. Carly asked if Laura had made any other business decisions without Carly besides Elton. Laura assured Carly he was only on a trial basis until Carly returned.

Carly said she didn't want to fight as soon as she got back. Elton handed Carly some information he had researched on the Internet about post-surgery care. She thanked him and asked to see Laura in Laura's office. They went in, and Laura told her again that Elton was only on a trial basis until Carly approved also. She hadn't wanted to bother Carly at the time, since she had been by Sonny's bedside and the phones had been ringing off the hook. Elton had shown up at just the right time.

Carly agreed that Elton was okay but wanted to know about the face of Deception. She wanted to know if Laura had finalized that. She wanted to be there for the test shots, and Laura assured her she would be. Laura had pushed them back until Carly was ready.

Alexis went to see Sonny, who was out of ICU. He was on the phone with Benny but hung up when Alexis walked in. She asked if he should be using the cell phone with all the heart monitors around. He said he had already had all the lectures from the nurses, but business was business. Alexis told him Zander's testimony at the grand jury hearing had gone admirably. They had to talk about the charges against Sorel but also about coffee contracts.

Alexis paused, uncomfortable, and Sonny asked what was wrong. She said she didn't know how to do it. She was having an unusually hard time expressing herself. She wanted to thank him for saving her life. "So you thanked me," he said. "I didn't do that much," he continued. She said that he had taken the time to push her away and had taken the bullets himself.

Sonny told Alexis he didn't remember much about it, just that Emily and Zander had been fooling around in the snow then lying on the ground. He'd tried to ask Alexis to tell Carly he loved her. Alexis told him he shouldn't have to wait until he was at death's door to tell his wife he loved her -- not that she was a relationship expert. It had taken almost getting shot for Ned to forgive her. She guessed she had Sonny to thank for that too. She said he was the last person she'd ever expected to care about, but she did, very much. "Right back at you," he replied.

Carly arrived and asked if they could cut the therapy session short, as Sonny had just gotten shot a few days before and didn't need to listen to Alexis' problems with Ned. Alexis asked Carly what had been going on in ICU a couple of days before, questioning if it had been touch therapy. Alexis left, and Sonny and Carly were getting all cozy when Mike showed up. He was going to leave, but Carly told him to stay. He said he was glad Sonny was better. He didn't stay long then Carly and Sonny got cozy again, with Carly telling about her fantasy of their life. She was just afraid, because as soon as things started going well, something bad always happened.

Juan went to Kelly's and asked Liz if she had heard from Emily. She hadn't heard from her, but she figured Emily was busy. Juan said it was probably taking time to get settled in California. "Excuse me, what did you just say?" Liz asked. Juan said that Emily's family had shipped her off to boarding school. Liz was astonished that they would ship her off without letting her say goodbye. Juan agreed that it was a terrible way to handle it. Liz told him it was terrible, period.

Juan asked if Liz had any other ideas on how to protect Emily from Zander. She didn't believe he could be serious. They disagreed about the best thing for Emily. Liz didn't think sending her off to boarding school was the answer, but Juan thought whatever kept her safe was good. Later Lucky showed up at Liz's request, and they were both mad on Emily's behalf.

Gia arrived with her usual attitude and didn't understand what the problem was. She would have three meals a day, luxurious surroundings, and limitless funds. They all agreed that Zander wasn't good for her. As usual, she didn't endear herself to Emily's friends. She left and watched them from outside.

Taggert apologized to Hannah about overreacting to seeing her with A.J. Things were just too intense at the police station. Hannah said it had all escalated too quickly. He suggested a mutual decision to slow things down because he cared about her. She told him she cared, too, but maybe caring about each other just wasn't enough anymore.

Stefan asked Alexis for her help to get through to Chloe, but Alexis told him that what he had done was unforgiveable, and she was not surprised that Chloe wouldn't give him the time of day. She said that if he had any decency at all, he would leave Chloe alone. He knew that using Chloe to get to Helena had seemed necessary at the time, but he hadn't planned on growing to care about her. Alexis asked if he would have let Chloe go blind if she hadn't been necessary and advised him to think about that.

Edward, Lila, and Reginald went to the hospital to see Chloe, and A.J. caught up with them. He said he'd heard they'd shipped Emily off to boarding school. Edward groaned, "Not another naysayer." A.J. just wanted to know if Emily was all right. Edward said of course she was, since she was no longer a target in Port Charles. Lila told A.J. not to pay attention to Edward, because she didn't.

Edward protested that Lila was ignoring him, pretending he didn't exist. "Exactly," Lila agreed. She informed him that he no longer had a wife until Emily was back home with her family. A.J. and Lila went off together, and Edward blamed Reginald for turning Lila against him. Reginald said Edward was doing that all by himself.

Mac took a bottle of Champagne to Laura and congratulated her on being in business. He handed her the business license, and she told him she didn't think it was the police commissioner's job to deliver business licenses personally. He said it wasn't, but he'd made an exception in her case. She asked if he would like a tour of the offices, and he said he would, but Scott burst in and told Mac to quit harassing Laura about Sonny.

Laura told Scott that Mac had just stopped by with the business license. Scott apologized, and Mac told Laura he would visit for a tour later and left. Scott said he was an idiot, apologized, and asked her for lunch. She said she would, encouraging him to call himself names for jumping to conclusions about Mac.

Reginald stepped up the pressure on his irate employers as he campaigned hard for Emily's immediate return. Meanwhile, in California, Emily hunted for a way out of the exile her family had imposed upon her. Bobbie asked Felicia to quietly begin investigating Melissa Bedford. Though Monica threatened to fire him and the rest of the staff, Reginald stubbornly refused to end the strike until Emily was allowed to return home.

Bobbie gave a grateful Hannah some advice about her floundering romance with Marcus. Roy told Agent Ford he was dead certain that Larkin had planted the letter in his apartment. Using a borrowed cell phone, Emily finally managed to contact Liz and asked her friend to get a message to Zander as soon as possible.

Ned and A.J. found themselves on the same side for once as they both entreated Alan and Monica to recognize the terrible mistake they'd made regarding their daughter. Bobbie lied to Roy to cover up the real reason she was going to Chicago.