Nik runs out of the visiting room, intent on escaping. The officer he overpowered follows him and, after ordering him to stop, discharges his gun. At first it appears that Nik is shot as he suddenly stops in his tracks. However, it is soon revealed that another officer, with his weapon drawn, is blocking Nik's escape. Resigned, Nik is taken back into custody and returned to the visitor's room where he is once again handcuffed to the tape. The warden soon joins Nik in the room, demanding an explanation. Nik tells him that his wife was upset and that he was desperate to talk to her. He assures the warden that everything would be fine if he would be allowed to call his wife. The warden denies Nik his request and orders that he be taken to solitary confinement. He also instructs that he not be allowed any visitors, most especially Emily as her visits seem to agitate Nik. Later, left alone, Nik vows to not give up on Emily.
Luke, Tracy, Liz, Skye and Lucky are powerless to stop Helena from fleeing the hospital with Emily. Helena eventually blindfolds Emily and takes her to a secret hide-a-way. Emily is shocked speechless when the blindfold is removed to reveal that she is in the cabin where Connor had raped her. Helena seems to take perverse pleasure in tormenting Emily as she asks her if Nik is yet aware of Emily's "infidelity" with Conner. After Helena calls Luke to make arrangements to meet him so that he can give her the money he stole, Emily taunts Helena. She tells her that it doesn't matter how much money she has, she is the biggest loser that Emily knows and no one, least of all Nikolas, loves her. As Helena's goon stands nearby, Helena sits down to share her own observations with Emily. She blames Emily for turning Nikolas against her. Helena feels that Nikolas' fixation with Emily allowed her undue influence on him while Emily alienated his affection. According to Helena, Nik was too besotted with Emily to see how weakened he was by Emily and how she dragged him down to her own level mediocrity and banality. Helena assures her that she will make Emily pay for what she did to Nikolas. Dearly. Emily isn't intimidated by Helena's threat. She invites Helena to shoot her because in doing so she will provide Emily the opportunity to give Nikolas the gift of freedom from Helena. Without Emily around to use, Helena will be powerless to hurt Nikolas. After Helena leaves, Emily is left to wait in the cellar of the cabin. She paces nervously as she has brief flashbacks of Conner raping her. She stops her pacing when she spots a knife tucked just out of sight of the guard.
On the Haunted Star, Tracy explains to Luke why she needs to make certain Emily is safely returned home. Tracy has no doubts that if anything bad should befall Emily, the family will ultimately hold her responsible and turn their backs on her. Despite all of their idiosyncrasies and faults, they are her family and she is happiest with them. She doesn't want anything to jeopardize that happiness. Besides, Emily is only a mere nuisance to her, not a threat. Luke listens and after a few wisecracking comments starts to seriously discuss their next move. The first order of business is getting their hands on 15 million dollars. A feat more easily said than done. Just then Skye enters, with the answer to their dilemma. Lorenzo Alcazar has agreed to help them under one condition. The police must be involved. Luke is reluctant but Tracy and Skye eventually are able to convince him to abide by Lorenzo's stipulation. Lorenzo leaves, confident that his wishes will be respected. Luke however wastes no time letting both ladies know that he has no intention of involving the police even after Helena calls to make arrangements to meet. Skye is just as determined to involve the police, despite Luke's dire warning that if she does involve the police it may put Emily's life in danger. When the time comes for the meeting, Helena is pleased to note that Luke kept their meeting between them as instructed. As Helena goes to take the money, which Luke indicates he put in the briefcase, Mac steps out into the room, commenting that apparently, reports of Helena's demise were greatly exaggerated. Helena isn't about to be outsmarted. She warns Mac that if she is not permitted to leave with her money then Emily will be killed. Mac, realizing he has no alternatives, is forced to watch Helena leave but not without first issuing his own warning. He expects Emily to be returned home within the hour, safe and sound. If she isn't, then Mac promises to hunt Helena down.
John finds Alexis at the courthouse. Alexis informs him that Ric is, at that very moment, serving the subpoena compelling Michael to testify to Sonny. John is pleased with the development. He lets Alexis know in no uncertain terms that he expects Ric to try Carly's case, confident that he will control things if Ric is in charge of the case. He warns Alexis that if Ric doesn't, then he will not hesitate to make public Alexis's recent activities in regards to Sonny. Alexis is disgusted with John. She makes it clear that the only reason she is going along with things is because she is convinced that Sonny won't let it get to the point where Michael is forced to testify.
Everyone is outraged when Ric hands Sonny the subpoena. Sonny suggests to Reese that she go to Michael's room while they discuss the subpoena. Carly meanwhile doesn't hold back. She calls Ric a sick freak, believing that the subpoena is a response to Sonny gaining custody of Kristina. She goes off on Ric, ranting and yelling until Jason is able to usher her out of the room, worried she was going to say something that will make matters worse. The moment they are out of the room, Sam picks up where Carly left off but Sonny stops her and asks Sam to leave the room so that he may speak to Ric in private. The moment they are alone, Sonny makes an emotional plea for Ric to rip up the subpoena. Ric is understanding and lets Sonny know that he does not relish forcing Michael to testify. He offers to plead Carly's case down to a lesser charge of manslaughter which carries a sentence of 10 years. With good behavior, he assures Sonny that Carly will only have to serve 5 years. Sonny refuses to consider it. He tries to throw Ric's past crimes against Carly in his face, but Ric remains steadfast. He has no choice but to go forward with the subpoena and the case for that matter despite Sonny's objections.
Upstairs, Reese finds Michael staring out the window after he wakes up from his nightmare of having smothered AJ. Concerned she approaches him and asks him why he isn't in bed. Michael starts talking about how he has to protect his brother and sister and then tells her that AJ needed to be stopped. Reese is worried by what that comment may signify. She questions Michael about the night that AJ died and more specifically how he came to be in AJ's room in the first place. Michael claims that he has no memory of how he ended up in the room.
Sam visits Monica at the hospital to ask her if she knows a psychiatrist who would be willing to say Michael is unfit to testify. Monica agrees that Michael should not testify. She seems just as determined as Sam to ensure that he doesn't. After Sam leaves, Monica calls Jason. She insists that it is imperative that she see him immediately.
Jason tries to clam Carly down. He questions whether Carly still trusts him to which Carly replies that she trusts him only if he trusts her. Carly then begs Jason to help convince Sonny that she needs to be with Michael. After they return to the mansion, Carly starts to go upstairs to see Michael. Reese is compelled to caution Carly about pushing Michael. It's the last straw for Carly. She points out to Reese that she is not a psychologist but a Fed. Before things can get uglier between the two women, Sonny speaks up. He supports Reese which further infuriates Carly. Carly suggests that Reese may be working with Ric which has Reese immediately defending herself. Carly then switches tactics and pleads with Sonny to stop fighting her on the issue of seeing Michael. Sonny relents much to Reese's dismay and Carly's elation. Victorious, Carly goes to see Michael. When she walks into the room, Michael doesn't draw away from her. She talks of her love for him, reassuring him that it has never faltered. Eventually they share several poignant hugs. Downstairs, Jason receives a call from Monica. Sonny is hopeful that Monica is eager to see Jason in order to confess. Jason is doubtful which prompts Sonny to question Jason's loyalty. He asks Jason if he would be willing to let Carly take the fall if it turned out his mother or sister killed AJ. Jason is very clear. Regardless of who killed AJ, he will not let Carly be convicted of the crime. Sonny is satisfied with Jason's answer. After Jason leaves, Reese confesses that as much as she hates to say the words, she suspects AJ's real killer is Michael. Stunned, Sonny demands to know what lead her to such an outrageous conclusion. Reese tells him about her earlier encounter with Michael in his room.
Alexis spots Ric sitting on a bench in the courthouse. She quickly joins him, suspecting he's troubled. He tells her about going over to Sonny's to serve him with the subpoena and admits that he has doubts about overseeing the case. He feels guilty because of his past actions with Carly. When he suggests that maybe it would be best if he stepped down from the case, Alexis is quick to tell him that he can't do that.
Jason meets Monica at the hospital. She wastes no time telling him that she had gone to see AJ the night that he died. She shocks Jason with the announcement that she saw the person who had killed AJ.
Monica tells Jason what she saw the night that AJ died. According to Monica, when she went to AJ's room to see him, she stopped in the doorway because she saw Michael standing over AJ's bed with a pillow. She believed that AJ was already dead. When a staff member approached her, Monica panicked, afraid he would see Michael so she quickly closed the door and led him away from AJ's room. Later, she went to Michael's room and watched him sleep. She couldn't bring herself to tell anyone what she had seen convinced that AJ would not want Michael's life ruined over his death.
Carly and Michael continue to bond. Michael apologizes to Carly for pushing her away and then tells her that he loves her. Carly is quick to reassure him that she understands why he behaved the way that he did and once again tells him that she did not kill AJ. When she asks him if he believes her, Michael smiles and tells her yes, he believes her. When Jason joins them, Carly quickly excuses herself. She's eager to tell Sonny about Michael's breakthrough. Meanwhile, Jason talks to Michael about finding his letter that he had written asking for Jason's help. He lets Michael know that he was always looking for him and that he will always be there for him if Michael should need him.
Reese explains to Sonny why she's concluded that Michael is the one responsible for AJ's death but Sonny refuses to accept her theory, despite her compelling argument. He can't believe that Michael would be capable of such a thing regardless of the circumstances. Reese tries to make him understand that Michael was traumatized and believed that Morgan and Kristina were still in danger from AJ. He would do anything to keep his brother and sister safe including killing AJ. Sonny remains unconvinced even when Reese tells him that the reason Michael has shutdown is because of the horrible secret he's hiding. Just then, Carly comes down the stairs announcing that Michael has had a breakthrough. She doesn't appreciate Reese questioning her about it and dismisses her to focus her attention on Sonny. After she gives him the details of Michael's breakthrough, Sonny asks her if Michael mentioned who did kill AJ. A question Carly finds rather odd. Before she can pursue it with Sonny, she is interrupted by a phone call from Justus who says that he needs to see her immediately. After Carly leaves, Jason joins Reese and Sonny. He asks to speak to Sonny in private but Sonny refuses. Instead he insists on Jason telling Reese that Michael could not possibly have killed AJ. Jason makes several attempts to talk to Sonny privately but to no avail. Given no other alternative, he shocks Sonny by dropping a bombshell. Monica saw Michael kill AJ. Reese is visibly upset at the news while Sonny is momentarily dumbfounded. Reese turns to Sonny and tries to comfort him with the news that given the circumstances and Michael's age there's a very good case for him to be found innocent due to diminished mental capacity. It's too much for Sonny to handle at the moment. He makes it clear that he has no intention of going to the authorities with the truth and then excuses himself so that he can go up to see Michael. Left alone with Jason, Reese tries to convince him that the best thing for Michael would be for the truth to come out and for him to get the psychiatric help that he desperately needs. Jason doesn't agree. He feels that Michael would be labeled a murderer and tormented by his peers for the rest of his life because they fear him. Jason is certain that the ramifications of telling the truth would be much worse than allowing Michael to continue blocking the truth.
Meanwhile, Sonny enters Michael's room. After they share a loving hug, Sonny tells Michael that the worst day of his life is the day that he believed Michael had died. The best day was the day that Sonny learned that Michael was alive. Michael believes him and admits to him that his mother did not kill AJ. When he wonders aloud who did kill AJ, Sonny tells him not to worry about it. A few minutes later Sonny returns downstairs to the living room where Reese and Jason are still talking. Sonny is more determined than ever not to have the truth come out. He yells at Reese, suggesting that having Michael talk to a psychiatrist will only make him relive killing AJ over and over again. As far as Sonny is concerned that would be more harmful than helping Michael to forget. He challenges Reese to go upstairs to Michael's room and see for herself how much better he's doing and then still insist on him dealing with the truth. Reese goes upstairs to see Michael. While Reese is talking to Michael, Sonny and Jason decide that for the time being it would be best not to let Carly know that Michael killed AJ.
Upstairs, Reese is visiting with Michael. He is a completely different boy. He talks to her without reserve, thanking her for helping him and then shyly smiling. He admits to Reese that he's glad all the bad stuff is over.
Luke assures Skye, Mac and Lucky that Helena hasn't escaped. He's less confident awhile later when the signal from the tracking device he planted in the suitcase of money stops working.
Emily snatches the knife she saw tucked away and hides it in her sweater while her guard has his back turned on her as he fetches her a bottle of water. When Helena returns she dismisses him so that she can have some privacy while she kills Emily. Emily doesn't cower. Instead she makes a grab for the gun that Helena is holding and manages to disarm Helena. Before Helena can retrieve her gun, Emily pulls out her knife and holds it to Helena's throat. Helena taunts Emily until she is able to distract her. When Emily momentarily closes her eyes, Helena tries to wrestle the knife out of Emily's grasp. Before Helena is successful, Mac, Luke and Lucky come to the rescue and apprehend Helena.
Alexis convinces Ric to not step down from the case he has against Carly. She reminds Ric that he's the only person who can ensure Michael testifies in a safe way that will not damage him further.
Justus finds Dr. Winters at the hospital in the hopes of convincing her to help Michael. Dr. Winters has no desire to become further involved in the problems of the Corinthos family. Alexis, overhears the exchange. Later, John Durant finds her to discuss Ric's case against Carly. Alexis is not happy with her role in things and lets him know in no uncertain terms. John doesn't share her feelings. As far as he's concerned, he'll do whatever it takes to get Carly and the boys away from Sonny including forcing Michael to testify. He has no doubts that Sonny will confess to the murder before allowing his son to testify against his mother.
Carly meets Justus at the courthouse. He wastes no time letting her know that he tried talking to Dr. Winters in the hopes that she would help them get Michael out of testifying but Michael's best bet lies with Carly. If she were to accept a plea, she would spare Michael having to testify. Carly has no intention of accepting a plea. She receives support when Lorenzo approaches them and suggests that she at least be given the opportunity to think things over. Carly leaves with Lorenzo, promising Justus that she will consider his suggestion. Justus then bumps into Ric. He demands to know who tipped Ric off about Michael. When Ric tells him that it was Alexis, Justus threatens to ruin Alexis. He believes Alexis is perjuring herself in order to retaliate for Sonny getting custody of Kristina. Ric suggests that rather than trying to ruin Alexis, Justus might be better served helping Carly by finding another suspect with as much evidence against them as Carly has.
Lorenzo brings Carly to his penthouse and surprises her with paperwork that gives her a new identity. He asks her to run away with him but Carly is reluctant. She doesn't want to separate her sons from their father. Lorenzo assures her that once things die down, Sonny would be free to visit his sons any time he wished. Carly remains uncertain despite Lorenzo's declaration of love.
Helena is arrested as Luke, Lucky and Mac burst into Helena's hide-out while Emily holds Helena at bay with a stolen knife. Luke suggests that Mac allow Luke to take Helena into the woods for a 'private' conversation, but Mac reminds Luke that, IF Luke wants Nikolas released from prison, Mac MUST be able to produce Helena alive and all in one piece. As Helena is escorted away to the Port Charles Police Department, Helena can't resist a parting shot at Emily, predicting that everything that has happened to Emily in that room will build a wall that will forever stand between Nikolas and Emily, forever preventing the couple from ever enjoying any kind of happiness. After Luke and Mac take Helena away, Emily confides to Lucky that Helena MAY be right! However, Lucky assures Emily that, as soon as Nikolas is free, everything will look different to Emily and will eventually work out in the end. Later, when Nikolas is released from prison, Nikolas is disappointed when he realizes that Lucky arrived ALONE to pick Nikolas up at the prison.
At Sonny's Mansion, when Jason tries to convince Sonny that it is AJ's fault that Michael turned into a murderer, Sonny insists that it was SONNY who taught the young boy to be a killer! Jason hastens to assure his boss that Sonny and Carly have been GREAT parents, then Jason reminds Sonny that Jason ALSO failed to provide a good role model for Michael. However, Sonny refuses to be consoled. Sonny insists they they will need to find ANOTHER way to protect BOTH Carly and Michael! As Jason prepares to leave, Sonny reminds Jason again that their mission is to protect BOTH Carly and Michael. Later, Jason returns to his Penthouse apartment and treats a pleasantly surprised Samantha to a romantic dinner, confiding that Sam has given him a sense of peace and contentment that Jason has never known before. Jason gives Sam a gift of a diamond-stuffed star necklace. After Jason and Sam hit the sheets, Sam is awakened to find Jason slipping out the door. When Sam asks Jason where he is headed, Jason explains that he needs to take care of some business.
When Luke and Mac arrive at the PCPD with Helena, Ric is stunned to see that the 'murder victim' is alive and well. Ric is further surprised when Luke explains that Helena surfaced in Port Charles because $15 million was siphoned out of the Cassadine accounts. Luke offers the opinion that whoever was bilking Helena deserves a medal. After Ric leaves to interrogate Helena, Luke notices Alexis in the squad room and reports on Helena's capture. Meanwhile, Helena mentions to Ric that the initial amount of money missing from the Cassadine accounts was $500,000 and that it HAD to be an inside job, pulled off by someone familiar with the Cassadine accounts. When Ric looks up, he notices Alexis, on her cell phone, in the squad room. At the same time, Alexis receives a call from Durant. The Federal Prosecutor asks Alexis to meet him at the Court House so John can return the money that Alexis gave him so they could bribe witnesses to testify against Sonny. Ric follows Alexis to the Courthouse, where Ric witnesses John handing a check for $500,000 to Alexis so Alexis can deposit the money back into the Cassadine account with no one being the wiser about their 'arrangement.' After John leaves, Ric meets Alexis on her way out of the building, with the 'good news' that Helena has been found alive and is now under lock and key. When Alexis remains non-committal, Ric points out that Helena returned to Port Charles to track down whomever had siphoned $500,000 from the Cassadine accounts. Then Ric reminds Alexis that Reese DID get an admission from John, ON TAPE, that a mysterious benefactor had given John $500,000 to buy witnesses to railroad Sonny into prison. Ric then informs Alexis that Ric believes that Alexis JUST received a $500,000 check from John and THAT check will prove that ALEXIS is the mysterious benefactor who was financing John's vendetta against Sonny.
In Lorenzo's apartment, Lorenzo admits that he is disappointed after Carly gently explains that she believes that she can NOT take Lorenzo up on his offer to skip the country with Carly and her sons UNTIL AJ's killer can be uncovered. As Lorenzo tries to persuade Carly to go away with him, Carly receives a call from Sonny and hurries away to meet Sonny. Once Carly arrives at Sonny's Mansion, she is surprised when Sonny treats her to a romantic dinner, then tells Carly how important Carly's presence in his life has been to him. Meanwhile, Skye meets with Lorenzo to explain that they will be returning Lorenzo's cash because Helena has been captured and is on her way to prison. As Lorenzo and Skye discuss their respective dead-end romances, Lorenzo and Skye declare themselves to be a mutual-support group for Hopeless Romantics. Skye is surprised when Luke suddenly arrives just as Lorenzo and Skye seal their mutual-support bargain. Later, after Carly leaves Sonny's Penthouse, Sonny goes upstairs, kisses a sleeping Michael goodnight, then leaves the Mansion. Afterward, an agitated Carly stops by Jason's Penthouse and is dismayed when she finds Sam alone. Carly then blurts out that she believes that Sonny has been acting weird and Carly needs to speak to Jason about that state of affairs right away. After Carly and Sam compare notes about their romantic evenings, the women conclude that it was as if Jason and Sonny were saying goodbye. At the same time, Jason arrives at the Port Charles Police Department and demands to speak with Mac right away. Jason is stunned when he learns that Sonny is ALREADY in Mac's office. At the same time, inside Mac's office, Sonny confesses to Mac that it was he who murdered AJ Quartermaine!
Courtney has a run-in with Alan at the hospital. Alan tells Courtney that Sonny confessed to murdering AJ Courtney insists Sonny didn't kill AJ and is only protecting Carly, who she believes didn't do it either. Alan tells her that he doesn't care as long as someone from her family goes down for his murder since he thinks they are all responsible for what AJ did. Courtney tells Alan that AJ was a pig and deserved what he got for what he put Michael through. She tells Alan that he is to blame since he was willing to allow AJ to take Michael out of the country and away from the people who really loved him. Jax gets off the elevator and overhears the interchange between them. He tells them to both stop. Alan accuses Courtney of being a conniving gold-digger who acts like she is an innocent angel and thinks Jax is falling for her innocent act like AJ and Jason did. Jax tells Alan to back off and leave her alone. Alan leaves in his wheelchair. Jax asks Courtney why she is at G.H. to begin with. Courtney tells him that she came to see if she could find out anything that would give her an idea of who could have really killed AJ Jax tells her she needs to let the police handle it instead. Courtney tells him the cops don't want to look into the murder any further because they have Sonny confessing to it and they have what they want. Liz comes rushing off the elevator with her son Cameron. She asks the nurse, Karen, to contact the pediatrician, which happens to be Rachel. Courtney sees her and asks her what is wrong. Liz is in a panic because Cameron has a high fever and she knows something is wrong with him. Later, Jax sits with Liz while Rachel is examining Cameron and tells her about how his own father worried that he or his brother had polio every time they got sick because that was the big scare when he was a child himself. He gets Liz to laugh and relax. Courtney overhears him helping Liz cope. When Liz leaves to check on Cameron, Courtney tells Jax that what he did for Liz was wonderful and that he has a talent for helping people without them realizing he is doing it. He downplays what he did for Liz. Courtney hugs him and tells him she thinks what he did was great.
Nikolas gets exonerated and goes to see Emily at the Quartermaine mansion. Monica answers the door. She tells Nikolas that Emily doesn't want to see him and she has to abide by her wishes but tells him she hopes they work things out in the end and that she is happy he has been exonerated. Nikolas knows Emily is close by the door and he raises his voice to let her know he isn't giving up on her and loves her. Later, Emily finds Nikolas waiting for her in her room. She tells him he shouldn't be there and asks him to leave her alone. Nikolas refuses to leave and asks her to listen to him first. He asks her if she still loves him. Emily tells him she does but admits that right now she can't stand people touching her physically and especially not him since he looks so much like Connor and every time he goes near her she thinks about the rape. Nikolas tells her that he loves her and wants to help her get through this. Emily breaks down and tells him she can't get over it and probably never will and that it isn't fair to him to stay married to her since he deserves to be happy and she is hurting him right now. Nikolas starts crying and tells her he will wait forever but he won't give her up and doesn't want to be with any other woman but her for the rest of his life. Emily tells him she can't do that to him. Nikolas leaves her alone. Meanwhile, Luke returns to the casino and sees Skye cozying up to Alcazar. He knows she is trying to make him jealous but he refuses to take the bait. She tells him she is having drinks with Lorenzo to thank him for all he did to help them catch Helena. Luke tells her he is the hero in this since he risked his life to catch Helena. Lorenzo agrees with Luke that he is really the hero not him. Skye takes Luke aside and tells him off for not calling her and letting her know he made it out alive and that Helena was caught finally. Luke points out that she already found out. She tells him that she was worried sick about him and all he thinks about is himself. She storms back to Lorenzo and cozies up to him again. Lorenzo keeps playing along. Luke ignores them and heads to the bar. Lucky shows up to tell him that Nikolas is out of prison and thanks Luke for helping them catch Helena. Luke downplays helping Nikolas but is happy for Lucky. Lucky admits to Luke that he found catching Helena to be quite satisfying and realizes now why Luke was obsessed with catching her for so long. Luke suggests they celebrate by drinking a bottle of Tequila together. Lucky also admits that for a moment he thought Luke would help Helena escape so he could continue the cat and mouse game with her again. Luke wishes he thought of that too. Lucky notices Skye cozying up with Alcazar at a table and asks Luke what she is doing with him. Luke tells him that she is miffed at him again and is only trying to make him jealous and he isn't falling for it this time. Lucky thinks Luke loves her and should go after her when he sees Skye walk out of the casino with him. Luke tells him he isn't going to go after her. Nikolas shows up at the casino. He accuses Luke of being to blame for what happened to Emily since he was the one who kept her at the cabin with Connor all alone. Luke has no idea what he is talking about. Lucky tries to stop a fight from happening and defends Luke to Nikolas reminding him that more than one of them let Connor be alone with Emily. Luke suggests that maybe Emily is uncomfortable being around him because he is an ex-convict. Nikolas takes a swing at Luke but Lucky grabs Nikolas. Nikolas accuses Luke of not caring about Emily or him but only in playing games with his grandmother and that because of it, Emily was raped by Connor. Luke is taken aback by that bit of information. Emily comes into the casino and tells Nikolas to leave Luke alone and that he isn't to blame for her being raped. She tells Nikolas that she is tired of letting Connor have any more power over her and that by doing what she has been doing she has let Connor win. She tells Nikolas she loves him and wants to stay married to him.
Ric confronts Alexis about her stealing the Cassadine money to pay Durant to bribe witnesses to testify against Sonny and wonders if she was telling the truth when she told him she overheard Michael tell Jason that he saw Carly kill AJ She tells him she was telling the truth and it was her duty to tell the authorities. Ric realizes that she wanted him to get the subpoena to make Michael testify knowing that Sonny would confess to protect his son and keep him from testifying. Alexis tells him she had to do it because it wasn't right that Sonny got full custody of their daughter when everyone knows he is a criminal and wiped out a whole crime family. She tells Ric that she knew Michael would never really have to testify in court because Sonny would never allow it to happen. Ric tells her he has a hard time believing her lately since she lies so casually to him like it is second nature to her. She tells him she loves him and wants them to be a family again. Ric tells her he loves her but doesn't know if he can trust her ever again. Meanwhile, Jason takes Carly home. Carly wants to get Sonny from confessing and thinks that Michael will do fine testifying in court if he has to. Jason tells her that the worst thing they can do is allow Michael to testify. Carly still doesn't see the problem until Jason tells her that Michael is the one who killed AJ Carly doesn't believe that Michael is capable of it but Jason tells her what Monica saw when she went to check on AJ that night and that she protected Michael and only told him what she saw. He also tells her that Michael just did what he and Sonny would have done and that he did it thinking he was protecting his baby brother and sister from AJ Carly goes up to see Michael after he wakes up from a bad dream. He tells her that he had a dream that he was being chased by someone. She tells him no one will ever hurt him and his family will protect him. Reese goes looking for Jason at his penthouse. Sam gets off the elevator and asks her what she wants Jason for. Reese wants to speak to Jason urgently. Sam tells her that Sonny confessed to killing AJ and that Jason took Carly home. Sam tells her that Sonny and Carly share a close bond that nothing or no one has ever been able to break. Reese heads over to Sonny's place to talk to Jason. She thinks Michael should get professional help and that his memories are repressed for now and that if he remembers what happened he could be psychologically damaged if they don't help him now. Carly comes downstairs and tells Reese that Michael will not be seeing a psychiatrist and that he doesn't know he killed AJ and probably never remember what he did. Reese worries that Michael could remember months and years from now and that he will be devastated if Sonny goes to prison for life. Jason tells Carly that Reese made some good points but he is afraid for Michael being on the stand as well. Later, Alexis shows up at Sonny's to bring Kristina home. Carly accuses her of telling Ric about what she overheard Michael telling Jason so that Ric would subpoena him and get Sonny to confess. Alexis doesn't admit it or deny it. She suggests that Carly should go to the cops and tell them she killed AJ if she is that worried about Michael testifying and Sonny going to prison to protect them. Carly wakes Kristina up and brings her downstairs. Michael is awake and asks her why Alexis is taking Kristina home in the middle of the night. Carly tells him that Alexis missed her so much she couldn't wait until tomorrow to bring her home. Michael is disappointed and asks Alexis when Kristina will come back for a visit. Alexis tells him she doesn't know when but she can come back another time to play with him in the tree house out back. Michael asks Carly where Sonny is. She tells him he is taking care of things. Jason returns home and tells Sam that Sonny confessed to protect Michael, who actually killed AJ Sam is surprised by this news and realizes that the romantic dinner they had earlier that evening was the way he was saying goodbye before confessing himself. Jason admits he was going to confess if Sonny hadn't beaten him to it. Sam tells him she is grateful he didn't confess because it would have gotten in the way of her own little secret, she thinks she may be pregnant. Meanwhile, Reese goes to see Mac. Mac thinks she is there to ask him if she can see Sonny but she tells him she is there to speak to him.
Emily goes to the Haunted Star to talk to Luke. She asks him how Laura was able to forgive him for raping her. Luke doesn't appreciate Emily bringing the subject up. He orders her to leave, refusing to discuss the topic with her. Emily ends up down at the docks where she bumps into Lucky. As she's telling him about her encounter with Luke, Nikolas walks up. Lucky steps away so that Nik and Emily can talk. Emily can't fathom why Nikolas isn't furious with her after all of the hurt she's put him through. He explains to her that he understands now why she did those things and he's determined to stand by her and help her deal with the rape. Emily decides that the best way to do that is to return to the cabin. She asks Nikolas to join her. When they return to the cabin, Emily begins to have flashbacks of the rape. She talks through them by telling Nik what had happened. He listens to her and then reaches out to take her hand. Emily admits that while her mind knows that he's not Conner, her body doesn't. Nik vows to help her. His solution is to set fire to the basement while Emily watches.
Jason is anxious to find out of Sam is pregnant. When she walks into the living room of Sonny's mansion, Jason looks at her questioningly. Sam confesses that she hasn't taken the test. She explains that once she takes the test, she is going to know one way or another. She isn't eager to learn she is not pregnant so has decided to hold on to the dream of "maybe" a bit longer. Just then Reese walks in. She demands for Jason to help save Sonny from himself. Jason asks her why she is so determined which prompts Reese to admit that she has feelings for Sonny. Jason cautions her against saying anything about Michael's role in AJ's death because Sonny will never forgive her.
Carly tells Sonny that she has a plan. She intends to take the boys and leave the country. Once they are safely gone, Justus will deliver letters to Mac and Ric. The letters will explain what really happened to AJ. Sonny refuses to even consider the idea. He orders Carly to drop the matter and let things play out as they are now. Frustrated, Carly leaves but not without first pointing out to Sonny that she doesn't believe he is putting Michael first. He is denying him of the father that he desperately needs right now. Sonny remains stubborn. Carly storms out just as John Durant is demanding to interrogate Sonny immediately. Carly cautions Mac not to let John go anywhere near Sonny. Mac assures her that she has nothing to worry about as he hands John some papers he had just received from Washington.
Reese goes in to talk to Sonny. She turns on a tape recorder and asks him to give his official statement. Sonny refuses. He suspects that Reese will try to trip him up so that he lets it slip that Michael is the one who smothered AJ. Reese turns off the recorder and tries to reason with Sonny. She explains that taking the responsibility for Michael's crime is not helping him. He needs to deal with the truth if he is ever going to get past the trauma of it. Sonny remains stubborn. He tells Reese that if she really cares about Michael, she would let the matter drop and allow him to confess to the crime. Reese asks him what if it's him that she cares about. Ric's untimely entrance keeps Sonny from responding. Ric insists on sitting in during the confession. At Reese's prompt Sonny makes his official statement. He tells them that he was talking to Jason at the hospital. When he was done, he took the elevator to the 7th floor and walked to AJ's room. He didn't encounter anyone along the way. Once in AJ's room he took a pillow and held it over AJ's face until he was dead. Reese asks him why they did not find any of his DNA at the crime scene. Sonny tells him that he wore gloves. When they ask where the gloves are, he answers that he tossed them after he killed AJ. Ric doesn't believe a word of his confession. Justus arrives and demands to talk to Sonny alone. Justus is unable to convince Sonny to take a different course. On the other side of the door, Ric is grilling Reese about the confession. He suspects that she is hiding something that would explain why Sonny is falsely confessing. Reese tries to avoid Ric's questions which leads him to conclude that the reason both she and Sonny are behaving the way that they are is because Sonny is protecting one of his children. From there he quickly surmises that it's Michael that Sonny is protecting and the only reason he'd do that is if Michael is AJ's real killer. Ric is shocked as the reality of that sinks in.
Ric surprises Alexis by joining her and Kristina when Alexis has her ultrasound. When Dr. Meadows offers to share with them the sex of the baby, they have different reactions. Alexis is eager to learn while Ric would rather wait awhile longer. Alexis agrees to wait. Dr. Meadows takes Kristina out of the room so that Alexis and Ric may talk. Left alone, Alexis explains to Ric why she immediately picked Kristina up last night instead of waiting for the morning. Ric believes it was more about Sonny than it was true concern for Kristina's welfare but Alexis denies it. She then suggests that they cut their losses and try to work through their problems. She confesses that she wants Ric to come back home because she misses him and wants their family back together. Ric isn't eager to return home. He feels that Alexis is not the woman that he once knew. Alexis tells him that if he didn't know that she was the kind of mother who would do whatever it takes for her child then he never really knew her at all. She then begs him to return home for the children's sake if not for hers.
John Durant goes to see Alexis at her apartment. He is livid. He just received notice that his superiors have evidence that he accepted a bribe. As a result he's been reassigned to a desk job in Alaska effective immediately. John is convinced Alexis gave Ric the evidence which he turned over to John's bosses in Washington.
Courtney visits with Michael, apologizing for not having been by sooner. She explains that she thought it best he spends time with his parents first. Michael shows her the paper which has a headline about Sonny's arrest. He asks when they were planning on telling him. Later, Michael is asleep. He once again dreams of walking the General Hospital's corridors and walking into AJ's room and smothering him. He wakes up from the nightmare, shaken.
Carly returns to Sonny's mansion to talk to Jason. She shares her plan with him and asks for his help. Jason decides to set the plan in motion and starts to leave the room but Carly stalls him. She wants to know if he will stay with her and the boys until they are settled in. Jason is noncommittal, assuring her that he or someone else will be with her. Carly is a bit taken aback by his response. Sam tries to explain to Carly that Jason has a life outside of her and the boys. Carly listens to Sam and shrewdly concludes that Sam is pregnant. Sam doesn't immediately deny or confirm the pregnancy which Carly concludes is because she is still trying to hold onto the dream of being pregnant with Jason's child because she isn't ready yet to find out that she may not be pregnant. Sam is uncomfortable with Carly's observations. Carly tells Sam that she and the boys will always be a part of Jason's life and then warns her not to force Jason into a situation where he has to choose because it's going to tear him apart. Sam counters by suggesting to Carly that she learns to accept that Sam is also a part of Jason's life. Jason comes down from Michael's room to let Carly know that Michael refuses to leave. As they discuss, they discuss the necessity of leaving town, Michael sits on the top step and listens in. He overhears Carly say that Michael is the one who killed AJ.
