Nikolas & Emily #5  May 13 - July 30, 2004

Mary is shocked when Nikolas insists that he still wants to work for Alcazar in spite of knowing what Alcazar does for a living. Mary is shocked when Nikolas admits that staying cooped up in Mary's cabin and being afraid to interact with other people leaves him feeling agitated and stifled.  When Mary sees Alcazar arrive at GH, she tries to head him off, suspecting that Lorenzo now plans to tell Emily the truth about Nikolas. As Alcazar tries to convince Mary that Lorenzo has no sinister purpose for wanting to employ Nikolas, Emily spots the two with their heads together and interrupts. Alcazar reminds Emily that he has invested heavily in Ned's record business and should be given an opportunity to convince Emily that he does not have ulterior motives for everything that he does.

When Emily coldly reminds Lorenzo that she is currently on duty, Lorenzo convinces Emily to meet with him following her shift. Later, when Mary returns home to her cottage, she finds a note from Nikolas, announcing that he has gone for a walk. Lorenzo and Emily meet in the park. Lorenzo again appeals to Emily to drop the hostility between them for the sake of Ned's L&B, and suggests that Lorenzo might be in a position to help Emily. Just as Emily points out that the only way Lorenzo could help Emily would be by bringing Nikolas back, Nikolas walks along the same path and overhears part of Emily's conversation with Lorenzo.

Emily questions Alcazar about his sudden interest in her life. He tries to assure her that he doesn't want to cause her any harm or wish her any ill will. Emily tells him she will not have a problem with him if he keeps away from her friends and family. Nikolas stays in the background and overhears their conversation. After Emily leaves, Nikolas makes a remark about how Emily doesn't seem to be a fan of his. Alcazar explains to Nikolas that Emily is loyal to her brother, who is a business rival of his. Nikolas and Alcazar were about to discuss business when Mary shows up and asks Alcazar if she could talk to "Connor" alone for a minute. Alcazar leaves for awhile.

Mary apologizes to Nikolas for making him feel like a prisoner. Nikolas explains to her that he needs to explore more and that he doesn't mind spending a lot of time with her otherwise. Mary tells him she loves him very much and worries about him sometimes too much and they share an embrace. Emily asks Lucky to keep an eye out for Mary and explains that Alcazar has taken a sudden interest in her and that worries her because of his illegal background. Lucky tells her that Mary seems to be a very strong person and can probably take care of herself. He asks Emily if she is trying too hard to keep her mind off Nikolas by worrying too much about her friends and family. Emily admits that it helps to be very busy and help others to keep her mind off Nikolas.

Mary shows up at work later at the hospital. Emily apologizes to Mary for being overprotective of her and that she can like someone like Alcazar if she wants. Mary tells Emily that she appreciates her concern and that she use to be that way a lot too with her friends and family and that the only thing you can do is let others make their own decisions and hope for the best. Nikolas is given a briefcase by Alcazar in the park. Nikolas notices that there isn't much in the briefcase for him to deliver and asks Alcazar if this is a test. Alcazar tells him that he has every confidence in him to do this job but that he is going to start out with small jobs to make sure he can handle them before giving him more important work.

Lorenzo phoned his new employee, Nikolas, and informed Nik of a change in destination for his first job. Nikolas arrived in Costa Rica a bit later and kept hidden, making a call back to Alcazar and revealing Sam's pregnancy with Sonny as the possible father. Nikolas's return from Costa Rica is stopped when the police block him from boarding his plane. They question him repeatedly, and unaware that it's a test from Alcazar, Nikolas answers their questions and avoids any problems easily.

Back in Port Charles, Mary receives comfort from Emily when she announces that it is her anniversary. Emily encourages her to mourn and be happy with her memories of her husband. Mary feels guilt in sharing the news with Emily, but is secretly happy to have Nikolas. Later she barrages Alcazar with questions over Nikolas's work, and Alcazar reminds her that he could blow her out of the water. He warns her to not push him, or he'll expose her secrets and tell Nikolas that he isn't Connor. Mary backs down, and is later overjoyed to see Nikolas return in one piece. After he and Alcazar finish their business deal and arrange for future work, Nikolas sits down with Mary and discusses their wedding plans.

Nikolas plans his and Mary's wedding, as Mary happily listens. The two kiss in the park, but Mary's moment is shattered when she see Emily watching them from the bushes. Emily runs off, but Mary can't shake her unease that Emily realized who she was with. Nikolas and Mary part ways for a while, and Mary rushes to find Emily at the hospital. An upset Emily tries to brush Mary off, but can't. Mary asks Emily to tell her how she's feeling, and Emily admits she is angry that Mary is moving on. She warns Mary to stop being selfish because when she gets past her loneliness, the only person she'll hurt is this new man. Mary ponders Emily's words, and upon meeting Nikolas back at the cabin, offers him an out. He declines, and instead presents her with an engagement ring. Nikolas, thinking he is Connor, removes her Mary's wedding band from their allegedly first marriage, and replaces it with the new ring to symbolize their union.

Nikolas and Mary talk in the park. Nikolas notices that Mary takes off her ring he gave her as she is heading away from him on her way to work. He asks her why she took the ring off. She tells him that it wouldn't be safe to let people see that she is wearing a diamond ring suddenly and that no one can know about him right now. Nikolas accepts her explanation and tells her that he hopes that some day he can bring her somewhere for their honeymoon where they won't have to hide their feelings for each other. Mary tells him she wants that too some day. After Mary heads to work, Nikolas gets a call from Alcazar and suggests that he meet him at the park since he is already there. Alcazar shows up and asks Nikolas to do something illegal for him this time. He asks Nikolas to break into the Quartermaine mansion and look for some specific files the Quartermaines have on some certain shipping companies. Nikolas is worried that Alcazar will expect him to do more illegal things for him over time. Alcazar tells him that he can do whatever work, illegal or not at his own discretion with no pressure. Nikolas agrees to break in to the mansion and take snapshots of the files for him.

Later, Emily finds Mary at the nurses' station filing records. She asks her if she wouldn't mind covering for her and asks to take some time off for awhile. Emily goes home and thinks about Nikolas. She holds up and looks at a picture of Nikolas and her. Nikolas watches her from the terrace window. He notices she is sad and looking at a picture with longing. He can't tell what the picture is of. Emily goes over to the desk on the other side of the room and puts the photo of Nikolas and her inside one of the drawers. She turns off the light and leaves the living room. Nikolas waits until she shuts the door behind her and breaks into the house. He goes through the files on the desk closest to the terrace. He finds the files he is looking for and snaps pictures of them and puts things away. He goes over to the other desk, intrigued by what picture Emily was looking at when he watched her through the window. He opens up the drawer and sees a corner of the picture with Emily's face. He isn't able to pull the picture out of the drawer to see the whole thing when he hears Emily tell him not to move and sees over his shoulder that she has a gun trained on him.  

Working for Alcazar to gather some confidential information, Nikolas/Connor broke into the Quartermaines' mansion but was interrupted when Emily came into the room with a gun. Not seeing his face, she shot at him as he escaped. Later, Emily tried to describe the intruder to Lucky and admitted the man had a presence that seemed familiar to her. Nikolas returned to Mary's house and collapsed, bleeding. He begged her to get him to the hospital. Mary helps a wounded Nikolas to the couch, and tearfully tries to minimize his pain and bleeding. They both know that he can't go to the hospital, so Nikolas instructs Mary to call Alcazar. He arrives with a doctor who fixes Nikolas's gunshot wound, but Mary warns Alcazar that if he doesn't fire Nikolas, she'll tell everyone who he really is to save him. Alcazar reminds her that he's giving her the life she wants.

At the hospital, Emily confides to a startled Mary that Emily shot at an intruder at the Quartermaine Mansion. Meanwhile, Lorenzo visits "Connor" at Mary's cottage and brings him a biography of Julius Caesar to read while he recuperates from his gunshot wound. When Nikolas questions Lorenzo's unexpected interest in Nikolas' welfare, Lorenzo confides that he believes that Nikolas is trapped in a life that doesn't fit.

As Lorenzo begins to discuss his views on European aristocracy with Nikolas, Mary suddenly returns home. Mary becomes anxious when Nikolas admits that some of what Lorenzo has been saying about an ingrained sense of duty seemed vaguely familiar to him. Before he leaves, Lorenzo tells Nikolas and Mary that, since Nikolas was shot while in Lorenzo's employ, Alcazar would like to send them away to a luxury resort to recuperate. When Nikolas agrees that a vacation would be greatly appreciated, Lorenzo tells them to just pick a destination and it will be done.

After Lorenzo leaves, Mary warns Nikolas that Alcazar is working an agenda with his offer, but Nikolas argues that, as an ordinary foot soldier, "Connor" can't see what kind of agenda Lorenzo could possibly have, since "Connor" couldn't possibly possess anything that Lorenzo could want. Nikolas is stunned when Mary insists that he is wrong. Mary changes her mind about accepting Lorenzo's offer when Nikolas suggests that this would be a perfect time for them to renew their vows in some romantic spot and enjoy a honeymoon afterward. Later, Mary brings some travel brochures to Nikolas and, while Nikolas looks over the brochures, he is suddenly drawn to a brochure for Los Rocas, Mexico and suggests that they make plans for a trip to Mexico.  

Skye meets with Emily and implores Emily to help Skye get Lucky out of town to protect Lucky from becoming any more deeply involved with his father's legal problems. Ric declares that he wants Lucky to complete his leave of absence, and stay out of the Ross Duncan investigation. When Ric also declares that he needs someone to be responsible for Lucky's behavior, Alexis suggests that Emily would be able to do that. After Emily agrees that she will keep Lucky out of trouble, Ric releases Lucky. Emily takes Lucky to the park and suggests that they take a trip out of the country to help keep Lucky out of trouble. Emily confides to Lucky that she got a call from a travel agency, asking about Nikolas's plans to go to Los Rocas, Mexico. Emily convinces a reluctant Lucky that, by accompanying her on this trip that Nikolas planned before he died, Lucky will be helping Emily lay some of her grief to rest.  

Lucky and Emily hop on a commercial plane heading to Mexico. Meanwhile, on a private plane, Nikolas and Mary head to the same place in Mexico. Mary tells Nikolas that she feels uncomfortable using Alcazar's private plane and tells Nikolas that she worries that Alcazar will want Nikolas to do something dangerous in return for using his private jet. Nikolas tells her not to worry and notices the bottle of champagne on ice and pours them a glass. He tells her the bottle of champagne is one of the best brands and is only found in Europe not the United States. He also sees a container of Russian caviar and tells her about how one of a kind it is. Nikolas pauses when he realizes he knows a lot about this kind of thing and wonders how he obtained that knowledge. Mary tells him that a brain injury can do strange things to you and make you realize you know more than you thought you did. Nikolas seems to accept that reasoning and the two become intimate on the private jet.  

Emily tries to assure Lucky that it wasn't his fault what happened to Laura. They arrive at their hotel. Their rooms are across from each other but Emily's room has a terrace. Lucky suggests they go for a swim after unpacking some of their clothes. Emily is all for it and agrees to change into her swimsuit as soon as she unpacks some. The bellhop informs her that the terrace is semi-private and that another couple has a terrace on the other side of her terrace. Emily goes outside on the terrace, unaware that Mary and Nikolas are the couple in the room next to hers. Mary and Nikolas arrive at the room. Nikolas goes outside on the terrace.  

Mary and "Connor" enjoy their time at the beach as they prepare to renew their wedding vows. Nikolas, thinking he's Connor, tells Mary that the beach seems so familiar to him, but she replies that they have no ties there. The two say their vows in a candlelight ceremony, and profess their love for each other. Later, back at their suite, they revel in their happiness. Meanwhile, Emily and Lucky unknowingly share the room next to Nikolas and Mary. The two attempt to have fun, and Lucky is determined to keep Emily's mind off of her sorrow over Nikolas. They play in the water all day, and that night come upon Mary and "Connor's" wedding. Emily wants to peek at the bride and groom, but Lucky gets her to realize how it would upset her. Back at Emily's room, the two laugh and fall onto the bed together, where Lucky kisses Emily. Both are stunned by the moment, and Lucky quickly apologizes. Emily assures him that she's ok, and he leaves to his own room to turn in for the night. Emily walks onto her patio, and is stunned when she looks over to the patio next door and sees Nikolas.  

Emily is stunned to witness Mary and Nikolas kissing on the patio next to hers. She runs back into her room, sick, and attempts to tell Lucky what she witnessed. He's preoccupied over his problems with his parents and Skye, and Emily decides she can't add to his burden. She runs to the beach, and is again shocked to find Nikolas walking out alone near her. She speaks to him, and he realizes that she's Mary's friend and begs her not to give him away. Emily realizes that he has no memory of being Nikolas, and that he completely believes that he's Mary's husband Connor. Emily is devastated when he tells her that he's fallen in love with Mary again, but promises not to tell their secret. Back in her room, she's further crushed to see Nikolas in bed with Mary.  

Emily arranges to catch "Connor" alone when he goes for an early morning walk. Emily is disappointed when Nikolas begins to talk about how much his life with Mary means to him. Emily notices Nikolas's cross and, when she asks him about it, Nikolas confides that Mary gave it to him and that, when Nikolas first saw the cross following his accident, he knew that the cross reminded him of the woman who loved him as soon as he saw it. Nikolas describes the way he felt as he recognized this place in Mexico when he first saw it in a travel brochure, then goes on to admit that he heard Emily's tribute to "Nikolas" on the day of the Memorial Service. Emily confides that she had arrived at this spot in Mexico because her 'deceased fiancé' had made arrangements for them to travel there before his "death!" 

Hoping to prod Nikolas's memory, Emily explains that the church was special to her and Nikolas and that they had made private vows to each other in the church. Emily tries to hide her emotion as Nikolas describes the incredible joy he felt when he recently "renewed" his wedding vows with Mary! As Emily begins to talk about the way "Nikolas" made up St. Viviana's Day in the hope of jogging Nikolas's memory, Nikolas hears Mary calling for "Connor" and urges Emily to leave before Mary realizes that Emily knows that "Connor" is not really dead! As Emily leaves, she is devastated when "Connor" assures her that, one day, she will find someone new to love! Later, Emily slips back and sadly watches while Mary and Nikolas talk about how incredibly happy they are together!

Later, as "Connor" and Mary walk along the beach, Mary observes that Nikolas has been so happy since they arrived in Mexico that they should move to Mexico and get a whole new start on their lives. At the same time, Emily arrives back in Port Charles and rushes to Jason's penthouse. When Emily asks if Jason ever wishes he could put his life back the way it had been before his accident, Jason admits that he is puzzled by Emily's question. Emily suddenly blurts out that she has discovered that Nikolas is alive!  

Nikolas worries Mary when he tells her he wants to go back home and do some more work for Alcazar. Mary tells him they can't trust Alcazar and wishes they could stay at the resort a little while longer for their honeymoon. Alcazar shows up in Mexico to talk to Nikolas. Alcazar had a run-in with Faith at Kelly's earlier where she warned him that Sonny and Jason may try to go after him now that they have stalled her efforts to thwart them. Alcazar had told her he had other plans to ruin Sonny that don't concern her. Alcazar hands a photo of Jason over to Nikolas and asks him to spy on him and find out where he is most vulnerable so he can use it against him. He warns Nikolas that Jason is armed and very dangerous and urges him to watch his back. Nikolas accepts the job.

Mary returns from her walk to find Nikolas is gone and left her a note. The note tells her he has returned to Port Charles and that she can stay as long as she wants at the resort. Mary starts to panic that he will ruin things. Alcazar surprises her by showing up at her hotel room. He tells her that he had something important for Nikolas to do for him. Mary tells Alcazar that what he does is too dangerous for Nikolas. Alcazar tells her that if she interferes with his business he will make sure that Nikolas finds out who he really is and she will lose him to his real love, Emily.

Nikolas returns to Port Charles. Emily shows up at Jason's place to tell him she saw and talked to Nikolas in Mexico. Jason worries about her sanity but she convinces him she was not hallucinating when she saw him. Jason gives her a glass of brandy to calm her nerves and makes her tell him everything from the beginning. Emily explained to him about the night of her car accident and how she thought she saw Nikolas near her car and has found out that Nikolas carried her back to Mary's cottage that night not Mary. Jason agrees that it makes more since he never bought Mary's explanation that night about what happened.  

Emily explains everything about what Mary has done to cover up Nikolas' true identity and trying to pass him off as her husband, Connor. Emily asks Jason to help her figure out how to approach Nikolas. Jason explains that he was angry with the family and anyone who tried to tell him who he was and how he wanted to run. Emily worries about telling Nikolas the truth about his identity and have him run off or get into Helena's clutches. Jason suggests she keep this to herself and not let on what is going on. He tells her that Nikolas may get his memory back on his own eventually. Sam shows up at Jason and Emily finds out that Jason is the "father" of Sam's baby and that they are getting married. Emily is disturbed by the news but acts happy for them and wishes Sam well.

Emily goes to the park with Jason to take a walk. Nikolas spots them together and watches from the woods. He recognizes Jason from Alcazar's photo of him and sees that he is connected to Emily in some way. Jason tries to explain to her that he needs to marry Sam and do the right thing for his child. Emily voices her concerns for him and sort of guesses that things aren't what they seem. She asks Jason to promise to think of his needs as well. Jason leaves the park. Nikolas approaches Emily at the park. Nikolas smells popcorn and makes a comment. Emily tells him there is a carnival nearby. He invites her to go with him to check it out. Emily reluctantly takes his hand and walks with him.  

Mary was upset that Alcazar had sent amnesiac Nikolas, her "Connor", back to Port Charles on business, still not liking the potential danger he faced with the job. Alcazar reminded her of her selfishness, keeping Nikolas to herself. In PC, Nikolas and Emily had bumped into each other again. Emily continued to pretend he was Connor. Seeing she was hurting, he asked her to tell him about her lost love Nikolas. She filled him in on some details of the relationship. She mentioned to him that she felt she had known him forever, and he replied that there was something familiar about her.  

On orders from Alcazar to come up with information about Jason, Nikolas broke into Jason's penthouse. In the dark, he did not notice a picture above the fireplace of Emily and himself. Jason came home and drew his gun when he realized there was someone there. Nikolas escapes being shot by Jason, but later warns Alcazar that he'll quit working for him if he continues to remain in constant danger of being shot. Alcazar is able to calm Nikolas, and admits that he's having Nikolas help him fight for the love of his life. Alcazar later calls Carly.  

Mary overhears Emily discussing memory loss and medical procedures to regain it with Tony, and she panics. She later asks Emily about it, but Emily covers saying she is seeking help for her brother, Jason. She weaves the story of Jason to sound like Nikolas, and Mary becomes agitated. Emily runs into Nikolas in the park, and the two are clearly happy to see each other. They agree that they feel like old friends, and Emily tells him she's happy to begin a friendship with him. Nikolas confides that his memory loss is terribly difficult, and Emily asks him if he'd like to have his memory back. When he says yes, she suggests to him that he try hypnosis in order to try and remember his past. Emily leaves Alexis speechless when she breaks the shocking news that Nikolas is alive, but pleads with her not to tell Helena just yet. Mary lets Nikolas know she is strongly against hypnosis, claiming that he could reveal Alcazar's personal business by accident. He digests Mary's words of caution but later calls Emily and asks her to arrange a hypnosis session.  

Nikolas/Connor goes to see a psychiatrist at Mercy Hospital that Emily recommended to him so Mary won't know what he is doing. He tells the doctor that he has amnesia stemming from a head injury and that he is afraid it could be brain damage. The psychiatrist tries to reassure him that it could just be temporary amnesia but that they would have to give him an MRI to test for possible brain damage first. Nikolas calls someone on his cell-phone asking him/her to come to Mercy Hospital to keep him company.

Emily shows up at Mercy to find out what is going on. He tells her that he is afraid that he has brain damage and that he may never recover his memory. He tells her that he doesn't feel anything like the person Mary describes to him as Connor. Emily tells him that he wouldn't have come for help if part of him didn't want to know the truth once and for all about who he really is as a person. Nikolas agrees to the MRI. Later the doctor tells her the MRI was conclusive; he doesn't have any brain damage. Emily turns her back to Nikolas when he gets the news and starts crying tears of relief that he could get his memory back someday. Nikolas asks her why she is crying. She tells him that she feels some hope for once since her "fiancé" "died" and that she is happy for him.  

Emily was thrilled to learn that Nikolas had no brain damage, and he agreed to hypnosis. Emily listened as the psychiatrist started a session with Nikolas, who had flashes of memory from the night of the hotel fire. Emily hid as Mary stormed into Mercy Hospital and interrupted the session. She told Nikolas she was upset he had lied to her and had gone ahead with the hypnotherapy. Later, Emily met Jason on the docks and reported the progress. He warned her to be careful of Mary, and Emily stated she had her own plans where Mary was concerned. At General Hospital, Mary probed for information about the hotel fire from Monica and learned that Nikolas had almost died in it. Nikolas and Emily spoke again. He assumed the fire he remembered was from the war in Iraq but was confused that he was wearing a tux in his flashes of memory.  

Emily pushes Nikolas to remember more about the fire at the hotel, hoping he'll recall their connection. She describes for Mary how she was whisked off in a helicopter as Nikolas watched from the hotel's burning rooftop. Later, Nikolas flashes to seeing a woman at the scene of the fire. Much to Mary's concern, Nikolas vows to do everything possible to regain his memory. Later, his hypnotherapy session successfully leads him to remember more about the fire, which he happily shares with Emily. Mary spots them together and, knowing that the jig is up, scurries away. 

Hoping to trigger his memory, Emily takes "Connor" to Wyndemere. When Emily claims that she wanted to take "Connor" to a place important to her, she is surprised when Nikolas refuses to believe that Emily ever lived in a place so dark and foreboding. Once inside Wyndemere, Nikolas makes fun of the pretentious furnishings and scoffs at the notion that Emily's "late" fiancé was actually a "prince."  

Alexis unexpectedly walks in on Nikolas and Emily and, when Alexis sees Nikolas standing beside the fireplace, she calls Nikolas by name. Nikolas is startled by Alexis's assumption that he is Nikolas. Emily quickly introduces Nikolas to Alexis as "Connor" and explains to "Connor" that Alexis is her 'late' fiancé's aunt. Alexis covers by claiming that her nephew often stood beside the fireplace in the same way that "Connor" was standing. Emily asks Nikolas to go look for her cell phone. As soon as Nikolas leaves the room, Alexis asks Emily if she is positive that the best thing for Nikolas is to continue to conceal the truth from him.

Emily describes the way Nikolas has experienced memories of the hotel fire and urges Alexis to believe that Nikolas's memory is returning but all on its own! Alexis agrees to go along with Emily's decision, just as Nikolas returns. Alexis invites Nikolas to feel free to come back to Wyndemere any time, and leaves. After Alexis leaves, Nikolas asks Emily why she found an excuse to send him out of the room after Alexis arrived. Emily changes the subject and begins to tell Nikolas some of the Cassadine family history. Then Emily begins to tell "Connor" about the time that "Nikolas" lost his speech and Emily helped him regain his speech because he was able to relax around Emily. As Emily goes on to describe the first time she kissed "Nikolas," Emily and "Connor" end up in a torrid embrace!  

Nikolas and Emily share a passionate kiss. Nikolas tells her that he shouldn't be kissing her since he is married to Mary. She asks him if he regrets kissing her at all. He admits that he enjoyed the kiss. He also admits to her that he doesn't know how to be the "Connor" that Mary told him he was before. He tells Emily that he feels that he can be himself around her and tell her how he feels. Emily puts on some music and tells him about the Bacchanalia ball that she attended there at Wyndemere. He dances with her. They fall on the couch and are feeling breathless from all the dancing. Nikolas/Connor turns to Emily and kisses her again.  

Still thinking of himself as Connor, amnesia-stricken Nikolas made love to Emily. Afterward, he said he felt as though he should feel bad for what they did, because of Mary, but somehow he didn't. Emily stated that she might know why as she pulled a picture of them together from her purse and prepared to show it to him. However, they were interrupted by his cell phone, a call about Mary. Before he left, Emily tried again to show him the picture.  

Mary was taken to Mercy Hospital after being fished out of the river by police, who assumed it was an attempted suicide. Alcazar arrived and spoke with her when she regained consciousness. She told him to find Connor. Later, Mary walked into Wyndemere and was shocked to learn that Nikolas knew the truth and no longer wanted anything to do with her. She was heartbroken...but then she awoke and realized that this was just a dream and saw Nikolas over her. When her condition worsened, he promised not to try to remember his past anymore, as long as she was all right. Emily was at the hospital as well and overheard this.  

Nikolas pleads with an unconscious Mary, and begs her to be ok. She wakes up finally, and he assures her that he will never leave her. Mary is happy with his declaration of love, and is able to rest. Unbeknownst to the couple, Emily is on the other side of the curtain, devastated at Nikolas's words. She rushes out and returns to the scene of their earlier lovemaking. While Mary sleeps, Nikolas also returns to Wyndemere, where Emily is crying over her lost love. He tells her that Mary is alright, but also that they made a mistake. Emily is stunned by his loyalty to Mary, and tries to tell him of her deception. Nikolas refuses to listen, and runs out before Emily can prove to him that he isn't who he thinks he is. Later, Lucky comes upon a broken and crying Emily, and tries to help her get over her loss.  

Nikolas tells Mary that he doesn't want her working at GH, and demands that she quit. When she asks him why, he says that he makes enough to support them, and he'd rather she spend her time with him. Mary happily agrees, and the two decide to go to the park and spend the day together. Once they arrive, they find Emily, who was dragged on a picnic by Lucky. Nikolas prepares to leave before Emily sees them, but Mary asks him to go ahead without her so that she can briefly talk to Emily. Lucky gives the two women privacy, and Emily muzzles her anger toward Mary, as not to admit that she knows about Nikolas. Mary wishes Emily the best in her future, and hints that she might be leaving Port Charles.  

After Mary returns to Nikolas, Emily stews. Lucky tries to distract her, and as Emily attempts to tell him that his brother is alive, Lucky interrupts her with the news that he has feelings for her. Emily tells Lucky that she does not want to see him get hurt but their relationship is moving too fast for her. Although Emily explains that her heart still belongs with Nikolas, Emily is surprised when Lucky suddenly kisses her. Later, Lucky stops by Kelly's and asks Mike if he could close Kelly's early one night so that Lucky could have the place to himself to make a special dinner for Emily.

Emily arrives to visit Sonny and lets slip that someone tried to kidnap Sam. When Emily realizes that Sonny did not know about the attempt to abduct Sam, Emily rushes to assures Sonny that Sam and the baby are okay. Emily feels bad for Skye and tries to get Lucky to help her. Lucky tells her that Skye is guilty of murder. Emily tells him he doesn't know that for sure but he makes a remark about how people do desperate things to hold on to the people they love.  

Nikolas, still believing he is Connor, was in the midst of lovemaking with Mary when he stopped and said he needed some space. He left and eventually ran into Emily, whom he basically accused of stalking him. She proceeded to slap him and told him not to be so self-righteous about their liaison. Later, Nikolas met with Alcazar on the docks and kept his boss from getting shot by Nico (who had been paid by Faith to kill him for the sake of blaming Sonny). Nico escaped, and, when Nikolas returned to the cabin, Mary discovered he was wearing a gun. She wanted to know why, and Nikolas exploded, demanding to know why his life didn't feel right to him based on things she had told him! He wanted to know the truth. Already frustrated over his memory loss, Nikolas becomes enraged at Mary when she tries to tell him to get over his desire to remember the past. He tells her that he's dying inside, unable to know what his past is about, and Mary offers to let him leave their life and home. Nikolas tries to get her to understand, but instead Mary suggests he'll get over the past if they have a baby. Nikolas isn't thrilled with the idea, and continues to try and get Mary to understand. Later, in bed, Nikolas dreams of Emily, and Mary overhears him call out his love's name.  

Emily returned to the courtroom and learned of Lucky's testimony. Alexis told her how hurt Lucky seemed about Nikolas' supposed death.  On the docks, Emily told Lucky she had something important to tell him, but she did not admit to knowing that Nikolas was alive. Lucky gave her a passionate kiss, which seemed to rattle her. Emily and Lucky discuss Skye's case, and both agree that neither Laura nor Skye is guilty of Ross's murder. Lucky decides that someone is setting both women up, and the two decide to get to the bottom of the matter. They head to Skye's house, and have her recall the night of Ross's murder. Nothing new comes up from her story, and they all continue to try and figure out who is behind it.  Skye's sentencing hearing takes place at the courthouse. Jax, Alan, and Emily take the stand to be character witnesses for Skye, hoping to persuade the judge to set aside the jury's verdict. The judge doesn't set aside the verdict and sentences Skye to 20 years in prison at Pentonville. Alexis tells her she will work on an appeal still to get her out.

Emily takes off to the park. She is upset about Skye's sentencing. Nikolas had already talked with Mary earlier about how he told the doctor he wouldn't be put under hypnosis anymore. Mary was happy with that news and suggested they move on with their lives and conceive a child together. When Emily sees Nikolas she goes off on him and accuses him of not caring about what happens to her. She tells Nikolas about Skye's sentencing today and that Skye is like her adopted older sister and that Skye helped her through a rough time when she was sick.

Nikolas is surprised when she tells him she was sick. He has a memory flash of seeing Emily in the hospital telling him to go on and have a happy life. Emily tells him she had breast cancer. When he starts to question her about it, Emily hears Lucky calling to her from the other side of the park. Nikolas tells her that he sort of remembers something about her being sick and asks her if he knew she was sick before. Emily has hope when she sees he had some kind of memory flash but is afraid when she hears Lucky coming closer. Nikolas takes off. Lucky finds her. She doesn't let on about Nikolas being alive still. Emily goes to the hospital and overhears Mary talking to Dr. Meadows about her plans to conceive a child with someone special. Emily is mortified by the news. Nikolas goes to meet with Alcazar in the park. He asks Alcazar to run a background check on him (meaning run a background check on Connor Bishop) and find out what "he" did before he lost his memory.  

Nikolas, still with amnesia and believing he is Connor Bishop, asked Alcazar to prepare a dossier on his (Connor's) life so he could try to make sense of the life Mary had portrayed to him versus what he has felt, in addition to his feelings of knowing Emily longer than a few weeks. Alcazar went straight to Mary to let her know, and she stated she would supply the information for the dossier and be grateful for Alcazar to continue keeping the secret. Nikolas returned and wondered what Mary was grateful for? Alcazar replied that he had managed to change Connor's military records from "AWOL" to "killed in action". Later, Nikolas was on the waterfront to spy on an incoming Corinthos shipment for Alcazar. Nik received a visit there from his employer and wondered if Alcazar already had information for him. Alcazar said that he did but that it wasn't something that was going to be liked.  

Emily overheard Mary and Dr. Meadows talking at the hospital and learned that Mary was trying to get pregnant. In the park, Emily ran into Elizabeth and met Liz's baby. Em admitted that Lucky was beginning to want to be more than friends. Liz was surprised at first but brought up that Em and Lucky had known each other forever. Finally, Emily blurted out that Nikolas was actually alive and told the whole story. Liz told her that she had to go tell Nikolas the truth before he and Mary started a family and it was too late. Emily realized what she had to do and went to the cabin. She found Mary there and confronted her with the truth!  

Lucky and Elizabeth spent some time together, and he admitted his feelings for Em to her. He then said something along the lines of: "If Nikolas were alive..." Elizabeth couldn't hold back the truth. She stated, "He is." Lucky can't believe that Nik is alive; Liz assures him that Emily has seen Nik. Lucky is shocked that Emily didn't tell him that his own brother is alive! In Lucky's room above Kelly's, Emily tearfully explains that her relationship with Nikolas is over. When Lucky reassures Emily of his love for her, Emily confides that she refuses to use Lucky to fill the void left by Nikolas . 

Emily battles it out with Mary, who ultimately convinces Emily not to tell "Connor" that he is Nikolas Cassadine. Alcazar makes good on his word to Mary and offers up a fake story when Nikolas asks him if he shared a past with Emily. Acting on Alcazar's phony story, Nikolas confronts Emily about what he believes to be the truth of their past together. Although crushed when he says he'll never trust her again, she doesn't tell him that he's really Nikolas and not Connor Bishop. Having overdosed on sleeping pills, a groggy Mary, believing that Emily has followed through on her threat to tell Nikolas everything, confesses to Nikolas that she deceived him and that he is not Connor Bishop, but Nikolas Cassadine.

Mary explains that, when she first saw Nikolas, she believed that he really was Connor, returning to her. Mary argues that she wanted to give Nikolas something to hold on to because he was hurt and lost, and that was why she answered his questions about himself with anecdotes from Connor's past. But Nikolas refuses to accept any of Mary's explanations and slams out of the house. Later, Nikolas finds Emily down on the docks and angrily explains that Mary told him the truth and demands to know why Emily had not been the one to tell him the truth. Emily protests that she did not want to shock Nikolas with the truth, but Nikolas accuses Emily of trying to manipulate him and refuses to believe her. Lucky rounds the corner and overhears Nikolas as he blasts Emily for lying to him. Lucky intervenes and tries to get Nikolas to calm down. But Nikolas turns his fury on Lucky and the two brothers end up in a fight. Declaring that he can not stand the sight of either one of them, Nikolas orders Lucky and Emily to get away from him. Bursting into tears, Emily runs away and Lucky runs after her, leaving Nikolas alone on the docks.  

Nikolas finds Emily sleeping on the couch at Wyndemere. He wakes her up and asks her what she is doing there. Emily tells him she was waiting for him to show up so she could talk to him and explain. Nikolas tells her he heard enough from her and isn't interested in her excuses. Emily refuses to leave until she has a chance to tell him her side. She tells him that she will wait for him as long as it takes and tells him why she didn't tell him the truth sooner. She tries to tell him about her brother Jason's accident and how he lost his whole memory and how angry he was when the family tried to make him remember when he couldn't. Nikolas refuses to accept her excuses and tells her that he doesn't remember loving her and asks her to stay out of his life. Mary talks to Alcazar on the docks and tells him that she inadvertently told Nikolas the truth based on an assumption she made. Lorenzo tells her he is sorry that it happened and that he knows that she loves Nikolas. 

After Emily leaves, Nikolas calls Alexis to come over. He makes it clear to her that he didn't call her over for some sentimental reunion because he still doesn't remember her or anyone who claims they love him. He tells her that he only wants her there to be his lawyer even if she is his aunt and that he wants to know how much he is worth. Alexis explains to him that his will is being contested by his grandmother Helena, who still thinks he is dead and that he must not trust her since she is an evil woman. Alexis is dismayed when Alcazar shows up at Wyndemere. Alexis tells Nikolas that he must not trust Alcazar since the man is a gangster. Alexis leaves them to talk.

Alcazar tells Nikolas that he is sorry for keeping his identity a secret from him and that he had his own motives to use Nikolas and that was to get inside of Sonny's organization and use the information Nikolas gathered to try and get Carly back. Nikolas tells him he isn't angry with him since he is the only person who has admitted he used him and was up front about it. Alcazar proposes that they continue their working relationship in the future.

Emily calls Jason and asks him to meet her so they can talk since she needs his help. Emily tells Jason that Nikolas found out he wasn't Connor Bishop but still doesn't remember being Nikolas Cassadine. She asks Jason to go and talk to Nikolas and help him through this. Jason isn't sure he can help him but agrees to go and talk to him. When Jason gets there he finds Alcazar talking to Nikolas. Jason asks Alcazar what he is doing there. Nikolas asks him what he is doing there since Alcazar is his guest and Jason is only Emily's brother.

Lucky and Elizabeth discussed the situation with Nikolas and Emily. Emily arrived, hoping for assistance from her friends in getting Nikolas to remember his past. Lucky became visibly agitated and eventually left them. Liz threw out the assumption that, while Nikolas had no memory, Lucky would have a chance with Em.  

Jason visited Nikolas and found him with Alcazar. Alcazar exited, and Jason told Nik that Emily could not watch another life wrecked the way he had wrecked his own after the accident. He warned Nik about Alcazar and tried to convince him not to punish those around him. Nikolas argued that he didn't care what Jason had to say and never wanted to see Jason's "b*tch of a sister" again. At this, Jason decked him and left.

Nik's next visitor was Helena who had learned of his return. She was thrilled to see him and tried to convince him of a close relationship between them, going so far as to say he had told her before the accident that he was going to leave Emily. Nikolas told her he didn't want to be lied to again! Helena continued spinning her web, speaking against Alexis as well. Finally, he ordered her to leave. Looking through some boxes, he found a picture of him with Emily. Studying it for a moment, he threw it across the room, witnessed by Lucky as he entered. Lucky informed his brother that he should let Emily go if he no longer loves her; Lucky said that he is in love with her himself!  

Sam made a phone call and stated to the other person that she would meet with them as soon as possible. Emily interrupted and asked if she was planning to leave and what she was hiding. Sam made up a story about the phone conversation. Emily admitted that she believed Sam had not purposely set a fire, causing a death. When Emily spoke with Jason, she mentioned Sam's phone call, and Jason wanted to know exactly what was said. When he returned to Sam at the safe house, he informed her he was taking her out of the country, but she said she couldn't go, claiming she didn't want to run again. Jason said he would ask Sonny if there was any alternative. Jason pretended to leave, and Sam tricked the guard into going out and getting her some more prenatal vitamins. When she made her exit, Jason followed her to a motorcycle repair shop. From outside, he spied her embracing a man . 

When Emily and Lucky meet outside Kelly's, Emily advises Lucky that she is anxious to avoid sending him any kind of mixed signals. As Lucky rushes to assure Emily that it is important to him that Emily think of Lucky as more than a friend, they are interrupted by the sudden arrival of Nikolas. As Nikolas criticizes Lucky about moving so swiftly to scoop up Emily, Emily receives a call, informing Emily of Lila's death. When Emily breaks down, Lucky comforts her. As Emily remembers some of her fondest memories of Lila, Nikolas numbly tells Emily that he is sorry for her loss. However, Emily hurries away with Lucky. 

Later, Nikolas contacts Alexis and lets her know about Lila's passing. Alexis explains to Nikolas the gracious way that Lila dealt with the situation when Alexis walked out and left Ned standing alone at the altar. Emily's arrives at Jason's and tells him about Lila's passing. Sam listens in as Jason and Emily share some of their fondest memories of Lila. Alan, Monica and Dillon arrive at the Quartermaine Mansion while Edward, Tracy, Ned and Justus are remembering Lila. They are all surprised when Jason walks in, accompanied by Emily. Edward thanks Jason for coming and tells Jason that, of all of his grandchildren, Jason is the one who reminds Edward most of Lila.

Emily finds Jason on the docks. She asks him to assist her in helping the rest of the family cope with Lila's loss and asks him for a favor. Jason tries to explain that other than Lila and herself he hasn't been able to connect to the rest of the family emotionally and doesn't think he can help them. Emily points out to him that when Lila died, the family worried that he would no longer have a reason to connect with the family anymore. Jason reluctantly agrees to help when Emily tells him to do what Lila would have wanted him to do. Emily goes to Kelly's and sits with Elizabeth, who gives her condolences to Emily. Bobbie comes over with a piece of chocolate cake to try and cheer up Emily. Bobbie tells Emily that Lila has sort of passed the torch to her when she died and it is up to Emily to help comfort and get the family back on track again. Lucky shows up later and talks to Elizabeth. Elizabeth tells him that Emily isn't handling Lila's death as well as she is letting on and it is up to them to help get her through this. Lucky agrees to help Emily through this loss.  

Emily finds Monica trying to write Lila's obituary and not being able to write anything meaningful. Emily tells her that Lila didn't like obituaries anyway. Monica admits to Emily that she always envied her relationship with Lila since she always wanted to be the person that Emily came to share her innermost secrets and thoughts but that she thanks God that she was able to bond with Lila in her lifetime. Alan shows up and takes comfort in seeing Emily nearby to help him. Emily returns to Kelly's after Lucky calls her. He invites her to go somewhere fun to keep their minds off their troubles for awhile. Emily thanks him for the invitation and agrees to go with him.  

At the Quartermaine mansion, Monica and Alan spoke of Lila, and Alan admitted he had always hoped he was his mother's favorite. Monica stated that she knew of Lila's affection towards Alan from the first meeting. Tracy entered, wanting somebody to stop all the interlopers from attending and interfering with the memorial service. She managed to enrage Monica enough to incite Monica to threaten to kick her out of the mansion, going so far as ordering Alice to throw out Tracy's belongings. Tracy threw Rick Webber and AJ's questionable parentage into Monica's face and also questioned if AJ even knew about Lila's death. The room soon also filled with Edward, Dillon, Ned, Lois, Brook Lynn, Justus, and Emily. Emily managed to break up the argument and convinced Monica to allow Tracy to stay in the house. Speaking with Alan alone, Tracy apologized for picking a fight. The siblings came to the realization that they indeed had the best mother in the world.  

At the memorial, Lucky arrived to pay his respects and as a comfort to Emily. Monica spoke at the service, followed by Alan, who remarked how Lila liked everybody. Tracy spoke about how people wondered how she could possibly be the daughter of Lila Quartermaine, but, given everything, how she was still loved by her mother and how that sustained her. She also said that Lila never stopped learning and that she would try to honor that by learning from her mother. Ned remembered that his grandmother understood his desire to perform and that she was a performer herself, always coming across as smiling, serene and wise-what they expected her to be. Jason rose to speak but could not. Emily took his place and said that she had never seen Lila able to walk and dance but that her spirit was always free. She lamented not telling her adoptive grandmother that she loved her, one more time. Brook Lynn sang in honor of her great-grandmother, and Edward thanked everyone for attending. He said that he believed there was a heaven and that Lila was there now. There were fond memories of Lila with Edward and her family to a music montage.  

Mary is ecstatic when Nikolas calls her to meet, but he assures her that he isn't wanting to reunite. He informs her that he has no interest of forgiving her, but he is willing to help her financially. Mary balks at his suggestion, and tries to get him to come back to her. They are interrupted by Lucky and Emily, and Lucky unleashes his anger on Mary. He tells her that she should be in prison for kidnapping, and that she ruined all of their lives. Nikolas tries to get Lucky to lay off, but he won't and Mary runs away. Lucky turns on his brother and questions how he can forgive Mary. Nikolas says that he knows she was wrong, but Lucky and Emily kept the truth from him, too, and they were supposed to love him. Nikolas leaves, and Lucky tells Emily that while he regrets the situation, it has given him the chance to fall in love with her. Emily quietly reminds Lucky that she is still in love with his brother, and that she needs to let it play out. She later tells Nikolas that he shouldn't treat his brother terribly, or blame him for his memory loss. Nikolas begins to rant to her, but she fights back and tells him that the old Nikolas would hate how he's behaving. As the two continue to argue, Emily collapses.  

Emily faints as she argues with Nikolas, and a concerned Nik desperately tries to revive her. She comes to long enough to tell him that she loves him, but then loses consciousness again. When she finally fully awakes, she insists she's fine, but he demands that she go to the hospital. At GH, Monica orders a complete blood workup and tests to determine if Emily's cancer has returned. Nikolas alerts Lucky to Emily's emergency, but at the hospital it's Lucky who demands that Nikolas comfort Emily. Nik tries to help, but ends up making matters worse and runs from the room. Lucky takes his place and is able to comfort Emily until her family returns with her clean bill of health.  

At the hospital, Emily tries to convince Monica to release her from the Hospital, with little success. Monica happily turns to Lucky with a plea to help Monica convince Emily to stay put. However, after Monica leaves, Lucky agrees to help Emily sneak out of the Hospital and the two friends begin making plans for a picnic. Meanwhile, Nikolas meets at Kelly's with Lorenzo and confides that he needs someone he believes he can trust to help him get a handle on his past. The two men are interrupted by Alexis, who insists that Nikolas is trusting the wrong person! Alexis enlightens Nikolas about the many times that Lorenzo threatened Nikolas's life because the Cassadine family owed Lorenzo a staggering amount of money. Lorenzo pleads that that matter is old business and the debt has been settled. 

After reminding Alexis of her own experiences with murder, Lorenzo abruptly leaves so that Alexis can speak to Nikolas alone. Alexis tries to explain to Nikolas that he was raised by his Uncle Stefan, after Nikolas's mother, Laura, left Nikolas in Greece with Stefan. Alexis tries to explain what his friendships once meant to Nikolas but Nikolas finds it difficult to believe Alexis. Alexis informs Nikolas that he was the soul and conscience for the Cassadine family in much the same way that Emily became the soul and conscience for the Quartermaine family. Nikolas confides that he is beginning to realize why he loved Emily! 

Later, at the hospital, Lucky and Emily rig up a dummy in Emily's bed, and are prepared to split, when Nikolas suddenly arrives. Emily returns to her room to speak privately with Nikolas and is surprised when Nikolas asks her to tell him what kind of person "Nikolas" was. As Lucky watches the door, Monica arrives and Lucky informs Monica that Nikolas is inside with Emily. Lucky assures Monica that he will always be Emily's friend, no matter what happens later. Meanwhile, Nikolas informs Emily that he is ready to try to figure out who he is and what kind of relationship he once had with Emily. As Emily recounts some of their special times together, Monica interrupts to let them know that Emily has officially been discharged. When Emily accepts Nikolas's offer to drive her home, a disappointed Lucky overhears. Later, Lucky makes an excuse about picking Lulu up from her dance class and Emily leaves with Nikolas.  

Emily is astounded to see Mary working again at GH. When she confronts her, Mary tells Emily that she's rebuilding her life-and trying to win back Nikolas. Emily warns Mary to stay away from Nikolas and reminds her that she kidnapped him. Nikolas arrives and interrupts the women to tell them that he's getting additional hypnosis to try and recapture his memory. Emily is pleased and encourages him, but Mary tries to get him to change his mind. Nikolas shows concern over Emily's continued tests, but it's Mary who gets to him after his appointment when she tells him that she's annulled their fake marriage. When he asks her why she bothered, Mary tells him she wants to win him back as Nikolas and tries to kiss him. Nikolas pushes her away, but later admits to Emily that he can't just erase the closeness that he shared with Mary, even though it was a lie. Emily demands that he give them an equal chance, and she tries to get him to trust her. She reaches for his hand, asks him to let her be close to him, and then the two passionately kiss.  

Emily and Nikolas passionately kiss at Wyndemere, but Nikolas breaks away and tells her it's killing him inside. He explains that he's angry all the time, and the pressure her love is putting on him. Emily tells him that she'll stand by him regardless, and vows to help him figure his memory out. When he grows exasperated at her devotion, she becomes hurt, but continues to promise that she will never give up on him. 

Emily and Lucky show up at Wyndemere to try and persuade Nikolas to not help Alcazar with his latest assignment, which is to help get Faith out of country. Nikolas resents their intrusion and accuses Emily of telling on him to Lucky, a cop, to get him in trouble. Lucky tells him he will do everything he can to stop him. Nikolas tells them both that he has no interest in being controlled by them and being forced to try and remember who he was before. Lucky gives up trying to warn him about Alcazar and Faith. He asks Emily if she is going with him but Emily tells Lucky she wants to stay and talk to Nikolas some more. Lucky leaves. Emily tells Nikolas that she will not allow him to push her away forever and that she will still love him no matter what. She tries to convince him to stay home and hopes he doesn't get into something so dangerous that he wakes up some day and remembers who he was before and finds himself locked up or a fugitive somewhere. Nikolas tells her that he can't stand to see her waiting for him to remember when he may never do that. Emily agrees to leave him alone but refuses to stop loving him and waiting for him to come back to her someday.

Alcazar goes over to see Nikolas at Wyndemere. He tells him about Lucky's visit and how Lucky warned him to leave him alone or he would have the cops look more closely at his business practices. Nikolas tells Alcazar not to listen to Lucky. Alcazar informs Nikolas that he will not be going on a trip with Mary and helping with Faith this time and wants him to stay close to home since he can't afford to have Lucky stick the cops on him right now. Mary shows up at Wyndemere with her bags, ready for their trip. Nikolas tells her the trip is cancelled and that Lucky got Alcazar to change his plans. Mary asks him if it is o.k. if she stays with him at Wyndemere. Nikolas tells her that right now he prefers living Connor Bishop's life than his own right now. Lucky meets with Emily at Kelly's. Lucky suggests that Emily convince Nikolas that she has moved on by getting into a relationship with him right now. Alcazar spoke to Nikolas at Wyndemere, and Nik spoke of his frustration, not being able to remember his own life.

**The End**