Sonny & Carly #34  March 15 - April 15, 2005 - 8 hr original edit

After Michael's funeral, Carly tells Jason that Sonny has shut himself off from her and she is worried that he is going to hurt himself or someone else. Jason goes into see Sonny and tells him that Luke should die for what he did. Jason tells Sonny that Luke should be killed as that will keep his other children safer. Sonny resists given his history with the Spencers, going camping together, Luke's kindness to Stone, ect but agrees with Jason and approves the hit. Great scene between Carly and Courtney as they share their grief over Michael. Little do they all know that he really is! Michael emerges from a mangled plane, which has crashed. Carly asks Lorenzo what he would do if he were in Sonny's place. Durant tells Reese that he is not going to lose another grandson and he is going to make sure that Sonny goes to prison for a very long time! Reese gives Sonny the opportunity to turn State's evidence and start a new life with a clean slate. Lorenzo leaves Carly unsettled when he admits that he would kill all his enemies if he were in Sonny's shoes. Skye goes to Carly to beg for Luke's life. Reese makes it clear to Sam that Jason will be arrested if he executes Luke (Sonny and Jason hold Luke responsible for Michael's death as he helped Faith escape from jail). Sam takes that information and passes it to Carly in hopes that she'll recant the "hit."

AJ feeds Michael all these lies about how Sonny and Carly aren't looking for him anymore and that he causes them too much trouble. AJ also insinuates that Carly loves Michael in her own way but that she will always do what Sonny wants first. Michael tells AJ that he doesn't trust AJ but starts to wonder if what he said to him was true. Michael falls asleep and dreams that he comes home but Sonny tells him that he has to go back to AJ, his real father and that he and Carly have their "real" son to take care of. Michael dreams that he tells Sonny he hates him and wakes up. AJ suggests that they try to get along with each other until they get rescued. Michael has no interest in getting close to AJ and tells AJ he isn't hungry. He takes the blanket AJ gives him and lays far away from AJ and curls up. He waits until he thinks AJ is asleep and goes over and unwraps a candy bar to eat. AJ pretends he is asleep and watches Michael eat the candy bar with a pleased look on his face.

Sonny thanks Luke for coming over. Sonny tells Jason he can leave them alone to talk. Sonny asks Luke how he should deal with the man who let Faith out of prison. Luke asks if he has time for a second drink, Sonny makes a crack that this is a new house and he doesn't want blood on the carpet or bullet holes in the wall. Sonny mentions their history and the promise Sonny made to Laura to keep Luke safe, how does he break that now? Sonny tells Luke that he doesn't have any plans to kill him just to send a message to the Sandoval family. He tells Luke that he remembers when they were friends and the good times they shared and realizes that killing Luke won't bring back his son. He tells Luke that he has nothing to fear from him or anyone who works for him. Luke leaves.

Jason calls Sonny and tells him that Reese never recorded any incriminating evidence against Sonny into the FBI file when she could have and used it against him. Reese has another run-in with Durant. He questions her about why she isn't going after Sonny now that she has the evidence against him and questions her objectivity. Reese refuses to tell him anything. She shows up at Sonny's. Sonny confronts her about why she didn't put the incriminating evidence he gave her about his connections into the FBI file on the kidnapping. She tells him that she saw a vulnerable side to Sonny and she showed him her vulnerable side in return and didn't think the information he gave her was important enough to put into the file. Sonny doesn't buy it and asks her what game she is playing. He reminds her she is a Federal agent and it is her job to take down people like him and why she wouldn't do it. Reese tells him that seems to be the burning question and walks off.

Lorenzo shows up demanding to speak with Sonny. He tells Sonny that he is trying to stop him from making a fatal error. Lorenzo recognizes that Sonny will go after the Sandovals and send them a message to show that Michael's death hadn't weakened him. Lorenzo tells him that broadcasting this isn't smart. For Carly and Michael's sake, Lorenzo asks Sonny to keep the peace so they don't have to see Sonny be arrested or murdered.

Reese and Carly sit down to talk at Kelly's. Reese tells Carly she is sorry she didn't bring home both of her sons. Carly acknowledges that Reese could have used the kidnapping situation to exploit Sonny's grief and gather evidence. Durant shows up and makes a rude crack about them having something in common now that they have both had intimate relations with Sonny. Lorenzo shows up to see Carly, they talk about Bobbie losing BJ. Carly knows that Michael needs her and will pull through this for his sake. Carly asks Lorenzo to have dinner with her. Carly cooks dinner, burgers and stale chips. He jokes didn't she tell him that she once burned water? Carly and Lorenzo get cozier as she turns to him for comfort.

Durant threathens Reese of going to internal affairs as she withheld incriminating evidence against Sonny and she is protecting him. Reese asks Sonny to sign an affadavit stating that there is no conflict of interest and that she didn't leave anything out of her report that could have effected the outcome of the kidnapping. Sonny says that he did give her a lot of information that she could have included in her report. Reese is not interested in helping Durant, and she isn't going to use any information that Sonny gave her. She gave him her word that she wouldn't and she is going to honor that.

While Reese is occupied elsewhere, Sonny searches her room to see what she has on him. Reese questions Sonny after finding him in her room searching through her things. Sonny turns the tables on her and questions her about her motivation for not sharing his confidences with her superiors. He asks her if it's because she's trying to gain his trust for nefarious reasons or if she has more personal reasons. Reese avoids answering him by suggesting if he is expecting her to be like the long list of women in his past who have fallen in-love with him. A phone call from Kristina's nanny interrupts him from answering. He is worried when she tells him that Ric and Alexis have not yet returned home. He tells her that he will send Max over to pick up Kristina and that she is not to open the door for anyone but Max. After he disconnects the call, Sonny rushes out the door.

A short while later, John Durant shows up to pressure Reese about moving quickly in her investigation of Sonny. He is eager to get the ball rolling on prosecuting Sonny. Reese walks him to the door and tells John in no uncertain terms that she's playing Sonny and trying to get the information they will need to put him away. Sam, who is in the hallway hiding around a corner, overhears everything. After John leaves, she knocks on Reese's door. After returning the loaned file, Sam lets Reese know that she had seen John Durant. She doesn't mince words as she asks Reese if she, like John, would like nothing better than to see Sonny put away for his crimes. Reese tells Sam what is going on between and John. She assures Sam that if Sonny and Jason continue to do nothing but import coffee then there is no reason for her to investigate Sonny. Sam understands.

 Lorenzo leans into kiss Carly. She pulls away from Lorenzo before their kiss goes any further. She apologizes to him for kissing him and then tires to explain that it's all a part of her grief and pain over losing Michael. Lorenzo is understanding. He holds her as she cries, as Sonny walks in. He is quick to tell Carly about the phone call and then orders her to pack up Morgan so that they can go back to his home where they will be safe. Carly is reluctant and she feels that Sonny is overreacting. To Carly's surprise, Lorenzo speaks up, agreeing with Sonny. He explains that even though Faith is dead, Sonny's enemies aren't above using her methods to get to Sonny. Carly is finally convinced to leave with Sonny. Once they depart, Lorenzo calls Reese to let her know what is going on. He demands that she take steps to make sure that Carly and Morgan remain safe and unharmed.

At Sonny's, Carly confronts Sonny. She tells him that he's being way too over protective and that she believes it's a reaction to Michael's death. That Sonny isn't trying to prevent another kidnapping but trying to rewrite history. She feels that he needs to accept Michael's death and let him go. He tells her to believe what she would like but he's going to do what he needs to in order to keep his children safe. Just then Reese arrives. She tells Sonny that there is still no sign of Rich and Alexis. When he asks her how she found out, she lets him know that Lorenzo had called her. She is also quick to assure him that she's not there to second guess him but to help him.

AJ finds an abandoned cabin for Michael and him to take shelter in. Michael is still reluctant to be with AJ, believing him to be nothing but a liar. AJ suggests that Michael listen to his version of events that resulted in him losing custody before deciding anything. He begins by telling him that Carly never liked AJ and that at the time he did not realize that. He goes on to tell Michael that Carly was pregnant and knew that AJ was the father but did not want him to know because she had planned to steal the baby before he was even born. He goes on to tell Michael that Carly had always liked Jason more than AJ so she went to him and asked him to pretend to be Michael's father. He agreed and for over a year they lied until AJ had learned the truth. When that happened, AJ tried to get Michael back, offering to share Michael with Carly. He even married her. But she didn't want to share Michael with AJ and ended up finding someone to help her to push him out of Michael's life for good.

AJ takes a break to give Michael some food salvaged from the wreckage but Michael has no appetite. AJ offers to leave it out in case he changes his mind and then begins telling him more about how he lost custody of Michael. He picks up with the incident in the meat locker. He explains that at that time, Sonny and Carly had custody of Michael but that Sonny couldn't adopt him until AJ signed the papers giving up his rights as Michael's father. When AJ refused, a couple of Sonny's men grabbed AJ and hung him on a meat hook in a meat locker. The scenes of the incident, with Sonny and his men smiling, are shown as AJ tells the story. Lost in the past, he tells him that he refused to sign the papers so Sonny had threatened to leave AJ there until he had changed his mind. He held out for as long as he could, but he eventually got cold and hungry and felt he had no choice, knowing Sonny would have left him there until he had died. AJ then turns to Michael and asks Michael if he believes him. If Michael knows Sonny well enough to recognize the truth when he hears it. Michael is shaken. He recalls a recent time when Sonny had explained to Michael about Alan's claims that Michael was stolen from the Quartermaines. Specifically, Michael recalls asking Sonny what he had done to ensure that AJ couldn't get Michael back and had Sonny answered, "I took care of the situation". For the first time, Michael seems to see some truth in what AJ has been telling him. He gets up, takes a seat at the table and begins eating. From the window AJ watches Michael, sensing a slight shift in Michael's resolve.

 Sonny rejects Reese's help. He asks her why she's so determined to help him to which she replies that she saw him lose one son and doesn't want to see him lose another. They gaze into each other's eyes for a long moment. Just then Carly walks in, sensing she is interrupting a rather intimate moment. When she asks as much, Reese is quick to share her theory about Sonny's enemies kidnapping Ric and Alexis. Carly points out all of her past flawed theories which Reese seems a bit defensive about. When Carly asks Reese to leave the room so that she and Sonny could share a private word, Reese leaves. The moment she is out of the room, Carly cautions Sonny about trusting Reese. She's worried that Reese is just using whatever means at her disposal to gain Sonny's trust in order to get information on him that she can use to take him down. Sonny tries to reassure Carly that he has things under control but his defense of Reese only raises her concerns.

Reese walks back in to give them the news that Ric and Alexis have been located and were involved in what appeared to be a hit and run accident. Sonny immediately suspects that Armando Sandoval, who had just been released from prison, is behind the accident. Reese agrees while Carly's take is that is was some drunk, who left a bar, got behind the wheel and drove. Reese tries to point out that the Sandoval crime family has been trying to move into the territory and an accident like this is perfectly within their capabilities. Refusing to believe their paranoia, Carly tells Sonny to believe what he would like but that she was going to return to her apartment to retrieve a toy for Morgan. Worried, Sonny stops her and makes a phone call to ensure that she has adequate protection during her return to the apartment. Carly grudgingly accepts the protection, realizing there would be no sense in arguing with him. Reese meanwhile prepares to go to the scene of the accident to investigate.

At her apartment, Carly confronts Lorenzo who is still there. She's upset that he called Reese and demands to know why. He explains that first and foremost, he wants Carly and Morgan to be safe and he will do whatever it takes to ensure that including calling Reese when he thinks she can be of help. Carly is appeased somewhat by his answer but she doesn't like it. She tells him that she believes that Ric and Alexis were not victims of a mob hit but Lorenzo doesn't agree. He, like Sonny, believes that it was mob related and that Morgan is safer with Sonny for the time being.

At the scene of the accident, John Durant immediately begins accusing Sonny of being behind the accident. His theory is that with Alexis and Ric out of the way he will have no one standing in his way of gaining full custody of Kristina. Reese dismisses the idea entirely. She defends Sonny to him, telling John that he's grasping at straws in desperation and then she shares her own theory about the Sandovals trying to draw Sonny into a mob war. John realizes that the theory has merit and sees it as an opportunity to finally get enough evidence to lock Sonny up for good.

 Carly arrives at the hospital and finds Ric. She asks how Alexis is doing and then questions him about the accident. She wants to know if he too believes it is mob related. Ric tells her that he doesn't think so because if it had been then they would have returned to make certain that both he and Alexis were dead.

Jason reports bad news to Sonny. The Sandovals have made several hits against his organization. So far though the damage has only been monetary, no injuries. Sonny realizes that the Sandoval crime family saw his decision about Luke as a weakness. Jason advises Sonny against wiping out the entire Sandoval organization while Reese is watching them so closely. Sonny sees the merit in Jason's advice. After Jason leaves, Reese returns to the mansion to update Sonny on her findings at the accident scene. Although it isn't outside the realm of possibilities that it was a mere accident, Reese feels that it was an intentional act. She then asks Sonny if he had anything to do with it. Sonny is a bit taken aback that she would ask him if he deliberately ordered a hit on his brother and the mother of his child. Reese tells him that she didn't think he was responsible but that she had to ask him. Just then Alexis walks in and tells Reese that she is wrong if she doesn't think Sonny is capable of coming after her to get to Kristina.

Mike is walking out of Kelly's and just locking the door when two thugs with ski masks attack him at one point mentioning Sonny's name. Sam walks up on the scene and immediately tries to come to Mike's aid, who by now is unconscious. She warns the two men that he is Sonny's father and that he will retaliate for what they are doing to him but the men aren't impressed. They turn their attentions on her, recognizing her as Jason's girlfriend. They pick her up and drag her into Kelly's determined to send Sonny and Jason a message through her. Sam tries to fight them off. During the struggle one of the goons drags Mike into Kelly's. He tries to make it to a shotgun he has hidden behind the counter but one of the thugs knocks him out again, unaware of what he was trying to get to. Sam manages to get a knife off of the counter during the struggle but is quickly overwhelmed by the two men again. Just then Emily, standing behind the counter and holding the shotgun aimed at the men, demands that they release Sam. Sam manages to make it to the counter and sensing that Emily is about to shoot both men, tries to talk her out of it. Emily begins having flashbacks of being raped by Connor.

 Alexis leaves the hospital and heads to Sonny's house and demands Kristina leave with her. When Ric tells her to leave Kristina and go back to the hospital, Alexis accuses him of not caring about Kristina. Reese senses that Sonny is planning an all out war against his enemies.

Carly finalizes the plans for the memorial for Michael in the park. Sam looks over the designs for the new play equipment. Carly wants to go over the guest list with Sonny and heads upstairs to see Sonny but Jason meets her on the stairs and tells her not to go upstairs right now. Carly demands to know why. Jason tells her it is business and not to interfere. Max comes in the room and tells Jason that he is needed at the gate. Jason leaves Carly there with Sam. Carly doesn't like what is going on with Sonny and is worried about what he is planning. Sam tells her that they need to let Sonny and Jason handle their business by themselves and not interfere. Carly reminds Sam that she knows what the rules are suppose to be and that she use to be willing to let Sonny handle things but she is very worried since Jason and Sonny are mourning Michael right now and may do something rash and get themselves and everyone else killed. She tells her that since she lost Michael, she has a hard time just letting things go concerning protection of her family.

Jason finds Reese arguing with the guard at the gae, who won't let her in to see Sonny. Reese tells Jason that she wants to talk to Sonny and warn him not to do anything against the Sandavol family or he will end up walking into a trap or get arrested. Jason tells her that the only thing Sonny is planning is the memorial for Michael at the park today and dismisses her. Reese runs into Ric in the hallway later. She asks him to intervene as Sonny's brother not as the D.A. and try to stop Sonny from killing the Sandavol family and end up in prison. Ric questions her objectivity and asks her if Sonny has gotten to her on a personal level. Reese admits that Sonny's loss deeply effects her and that she feels for what he is going through and doesn't want him to do something that will get him killed or someone else. Ric tells her that Sonny will never leave the mob because it gives him too much power and money to leave it.

Carly goes to the park. Lorenzo shows up and talks to her. She tells him that she is worried about Sonny and what he will do because she knows he is very angry right now. Lorenzo meets with Ric at GH. Ric asks him to warn the Sandavol family about what Sonny is doing to prevent any more deaths. He also suggests that Lorenzo leave town right away because Sonny may retaliate against him also. Lorenzo asks Ric if he is suddenly softened toward Sonny and is trying to protect Sonny or the citizens of Port Charles. Ric refuses to admit anything and asks Lorenzo to make the call.

Reese shows up at the park and suggests to Carly that she cancel the memorial today. Carly refuses to do that. Reese tells her that Sonny is going to use the memorial as an alibi while he retaliates against the Sandavol family. In Sonny's study, Jason tells Sonny that he wants to handle Sandoval himself, but Sonny informs Jason that it's not his job. Sonny instructs Jason that the both of them are going to the park dedication where they'll be surrounded by witnesses while the Sandovals are taken down before they can become any stronger. Sonny dismisses Jason for Agent Marshall's arrival, who demands Sonny to cancel his plans for today or he will be taken into immediate custody. Sonny relays to Agent Marshall that the reason he's donating this check to the playground is because it was Michael's favorite place to play. He and Michael had plans to play street ball there in the summer, to teach Morgan how to play baseball. The donation will provide a place where children can enjoy their lives as Michael never got a chance to. Agent Marshall continues telling Sonny that it's only an alibi and that if Durant finds out he had anything to do with the falling of the Sandoval family, he will arrest both Sonny and Jason. She also adds that if Sonny goes to jail, he will lose his family. Suddenly, Durant walks in, not surprised to see Agent Marshall there. Durant tells Sonny he will be at the dedication ceremony to remember his grandson and mourn that Carly ever met him.

At the playground, Carly can't believe Sonny will use dedication as an alibi, as Agent Marshall says. Seated on a park bench, Carly wonders to Bobbie, of all the times she saved herself, why she could save Michael. Bobbie hugs and tells her she loves her, one day she'll feel Michael's love and that's when she'll start to heal. Outside of the ceremony gates, Sam tells Jason that Michael was a lot like Carly and Sonny on the surface, but that in his heart, Michael was as selfless as Jason. Carly pulls Jason aside and tells him that Agent Marshall knows about his and Sonny's business plan. Jason tells Carly that she should worry about the dedication and let Sonny handle the Sandovals. Just before the ceremony begins, Sonny and Morgan arrive. Kristina gives Morgan her balloon and they both go with Carly to be seated, leaving Sonny to small talk with Ric, but Sonny wants to just leave it at being happy that Kristina could join them. Alexis joins them to receive Sonny's gratefulness that Alexis and the baby are okay after the car accident. As Sonny walks away, Ric pleas for peace after he'd brought Kristina here without her approval. Just as the paparazzi arrive, Durant takes the podium and regards Michael as a hero, and promises to honor his memory by taking down all crime in Port Charles. Carly leaves her seat and walks over to an image of Michael swinging on the swing.

In a rugged shack, Michael helps AJ build a fire, and suddenly cries that something bit him. AJ goes to look for help for Michael, fearful that he was bitten by something poisonous. AJ comes back to see Michael unconscious and burning with fever, and retrieves his cell phone, hesitant to call for help. AJ tells a still unconscious, sweating Michael that Carly and Sonny didn't deserve him, but he could give him back to his parents. AJ sits beside Michael's lain body and pleas for him to awaken, to give him a chance to be his father. AJ starts to dial for help, but hangs up, confident that Michael will recover.

Sonny's associates start the war, unfortunately Courtney and Jax are having lunch at the Metro Court (it is supposed to be closed for the private party for the Sandaval family but Jax's uses his connections to get a table). One of Sonny's men shoots a heavyset man in the Metro Court hotel hallway, a man dressed as a candy striper chokes a bald guy in the General Hospital elevator, and more of Sonny's men charge into the Metro Court dining area with a flurry of bullets, eliminating the Sandoval table. Jason walks into the entrance to see Courtney unconscious in Jax's arms.

At the park where the dedication ceremony for Michael's playground is underway, Sonny sits surrounded by his friends and family as various members of the Sandoval crime family are executed by Sonny's henchmen. At the same time, Carly suddenly gets up and walks toward the swings while she has a vision of Michael in a swing. Within moments of the shooting at Metro Court, John Durant, Ric and Reese receive news of the retaliation. Once the ceremony is concluded, John Durant wastes no time approaching Sonny and accusing him of organizing the hit against the Sandovals. He goes on to tell him that it wasn't just the Sandovals who were hit, but innocent bystanders including Sonny's sister Courtney.

Maria witnesses Jason racing up the stairwell to get to Metro Court before the shooting begins. He's too late to stop anything as Sonny's men open fire. He is able to stop them from carrying out Sonny's order to leave no eyewitnesses just as they are about to shoot and kill Jax and Courtney. He tells them to leave while a concerned Jax tries to rouse an unconscious Courtney. When Courtney comes too, moments later, it soon becomes apparent that she is not shot. However, Rachel isn't so lucky. As the paramedics take a critically injured Rachel to the hospital, Officer Murphy questions Jax, Courtney and Jason about what happened. He suspects Jason of being behind the shooting, but Jason tells him that he was there to pick Courtney up for the dedication ceremony. Courtney meanwhile, worried about Rachel, insists on riding in the ambulance with her and is given permission to leave. Jax too leaves for the hospital. Left alone with Jason, Officer Murphy begins questioning him but Jason says nothing beyond that he was there to pick Courtney up for the playground dedication ceremony.

Back at the park, Ric corrects John Durant, informing him that Courtney was not shot. He does confirm though that Rachel was hit during the shooting. John Durant isn't pleased with Ric. He views the action as a show of loyalty to Sonny and questions' Ric's ability to successfully prosecute Sonny. Ric is quick to point out that he's in search of facts and not erroneous conclusions made by John.

Lorenzo seeks Carly out after the ceremony, asking her why she approached the swing set during the speeches. She tells him of her vision of Michael. As they discuss it, Reese approaches Carly and asks to speak to her alone. The moment Lorenzo steps away Reese begins to berate Carly for doing nothing to intercede with Sonny when Reese told her what was about to transpire. Carly says nothing as Reese continues to accuse Carly of allowing Sonny to dishonor Michael's memory by using the dedication ceremony as an alibi. Later, Carly goes to talk to Sonny only to have to deal with her father first. Carly is a bit shaken when John tells her about Courtney being at Metro Court during the shooting. After Carly makes it clear that she doesn't appreciate John's constant attempts to turn her against Sonny, John leaves. Carly then turns her attention on Sonny and lets him know just how upset she is with him for endangering more people whom she cares about. Lorenzo once again seeks Carly out when she is alone and they again talk about Michael. Carly also tells him that she can't keep worrying about Sonny when she needs to be focused on rebuilding her life and taking care of Morgan. Their conversation is cut short though when Lorenzo receives a call on his cell phone that requires him to leave immediately.

AJ is worried about Michael. Fearing the worst, he makes a call on his cell phone informing the person on the other end that he is in a deserted fishing cabin off the coast of Georgia on Windgate Island. He instructs the person to send help and have a doctor waiting for Michael in his home when they arrive. As Michael lays unconscious, AJ talks to him, revealing that Michael was never in any danger with Faith. A short time later, Michael wakes up. He tells AJ that he wants to see his real dad and go home.

Reese arrives at the crime scene. Steven tells her what transpired during the shoot out according to eyewitness testimony. Initial powder residue tests confirm that Jason did not fire a weapon. Ric pays Sonny a visit at his home. He warns Sonny that if and when there is evidence to prove he's behind the massacre, he will prosecute Sonny to the fullest extent of the law. Sonny isn't surprised by Ric's vow. When he asks Ric why else he's there, Ric asks Sonny to ease up on his visitation with Kristina for a few months for the sake of not only Alexis but his unborn niece or nephew. Sonny refuses to, claiming that there is no amount of time in the world that would help Alexis feel more comfortable leaving Kristina with him. He goes on to promise Ric that what had happened that day will make things safer for Kristina. Reese overhears the vow and observes that his promise is pretty much a confirmation that he ordered the hit against the Sandovals.

 Reese is determined to find proof of Sonny's involvement behind the Sandoval massacre. She tells him as much but Sonny doesn't seem worried. He accuses her of behaving like a scorned lover because he didn't take her to bed. Reese insists that the reason she feels betrayed is because during the kidnapping she had gathered enough information on Sonny to put him behind bars but instead of using it against him, she kept it from her superiors to protect Sonny and he repaid her by ignoring her warnings and going after the Sandovals. Sonny admits to nothing but tells Reese that he is happy that the Sandovals no longer pose a threat to him and his loved ones.

 Lorenzo meets up with Maria in the stairwell leading to Metro Court. She tells him that she had seen Jason racing up the stairs and had followed him and that she had heard him ordering the men not to shoot the other patrons, despite Sonny's orders to leave no eyewitnesses. She concludes that this is proof that Sonny had orchestrated the massacre. Lorenzo warns her not to share anything that she saw and advises her to just keep a low profile for the time being. Carly, having overheard the exchange, makes her presence known after Maria leaves. She asks Lorenzo if he plans to use the information against Sonny but Lorenzo assures her he doesn't. Not to protect Sonny, but to protect Maria whose life would be forfeit should Sonny learn that she was an eyewitness.

As Maria walks through the park she is startled when she runs into Jason. Not understanding her nervousness, Jason begins to question her. Lorenzo comes to Maria's aid before she can say anything incriminating. He tells Jason who she is, Diego's mother, and explains away her nervousness without making Jason suspicious. Maria takes the opportunity to get away from Jason by explaining that she has to return to work. At Metro Court, a worried Diego finds Maria. He asks her if she was there during the shooting but she assures him that she wasn't. She then gauges his reaction to the idea of moving but Diego is completely resistant. Shortly afterwards Reese arrives at Metro Court and begins to question Maria. Maria claims to know nothing but Reese doesn't believe her. Before she can push her further though, Carly interrupts after seeing the exchange.

The rescue arrives for AJ and Michael much to AJ's dismay now that Michael is on the mend. He tries to get rid of the pilot before Michael is any wiser but is unsuccessful. Michael becomes quite excited at the prospect of being rescued and returned home. Realizing that Michael has every intention of returning to Carly and Sonny at the first opportunity AJ offers to pay the pilot $200,000.00 if he will go along with his plans. As Michael waits in the cabin, he overhears a staged exchange between AJ and the pilot. The pilot informs Jason that he was hired by Sonny to rescue Michael and take him some place safe but not to return him to Port Charles. AJ pretends to be outraged on his son's behalf. Later, he enters the cabin and after promising Michael to never lie to him and to keep him safe, suggests that they return to AJ's home in the Bahamas. Believing that AJ is trying to spare him further hurt over Sonny and Carly's rejection, agrees to go wherever AJ wishes but he is understandably depressed.

Sam and Stan are in the penthouse studying the picture that proved Michael was dead. Sonny walks in and is so outraged that he physically tosses Stan out and confronts Sam. Livid, Sonny demands an explanation from Sam. She tries to explain that she is helping Jason by finding closure. Sonny is outraged and tells Sam that she is going about it in the wrong way. Before he can berate her further, Jason walks in and realizing what Sonny is upset about, tells him that he is the one who asked Sam to study the picture for clues. As Sam makes her excuses and leaves the room, Sonny blasts Jason for not letting Michael go. When Sonny shouts that he was Michael's father, Jason counters that he too was Michael's father and that he needs to know exactly what happened to Michael. Sonny is effectively silenced. Talk then turns to the shootout. Sonny explains Reese's determination to find evidence against him. He asks Jason if he is certain there were no witnesses to the shooting. Jason assures him that there wasn't.

In the stairwell of Metro Court, Reese once again confronts Maria who is leaving. She pressures her to tell her exactly what she witnessed. She explains that if she did see anything that could identify who was behind the massacre the killers will eventually learn of it and come after her. Worried that she may be targeted, Maria admits that she did see a man running up the stairs. Reese is pleased with the admission. Jason is brought in for a police lineup, and Reese applies the pressure to get Maria to name him as the man responsible for the shooting at Metro Court. Maria goes along with Lorenzo's suggestion and doesn't identify Jason. Lorenzo gets Jason's word that he won't hurt Maria as long as she keeps her mouth closed.

Ric pays Sonny a visit at home. He tells Sonny that Alexis plans to take him back to court and try to get sole custody of Kristina. Sonny asks him if he came over to scare him or warn him. Ric asks Sonny if he would stop seeing Kristina for awhile until Alexis has time to calm down. Sonny tells Ric that Michael's "death" has taught him that his time with his children is precious and he has no intention of staying away from Kristina ever.

Jason and Sam arrive home to find Sonny waiting there to talk to Jason. Sam leaves them alone to talk. Sonny asks Jason about what happened at the police station earlier. Jason explains about the line-up that Reese organized and how their was a witness at the hotel, Alcazar's ex-lover and the mother of Diego, who saw him run up the stairs and overheard him talking to their men after the shooting in the hotel. Jason tells Sonny that Alcazar talked Maria into not identifying Jason as the man she saw on the stairs or reveal what she overheard so that she would be protected by them. Sonny tells Jason that he thinks that Reese somehow feels betrayed since she helped find the children and got close to them and then they turned around and killed the Sandoval family. Jason tells Sonny that he needs to be able to handle Reese. Sonny assures Jason that he knows how to handle Reese.

Reese goes to see Sonny at the mansion. She is surprised when Sonny has a candlelit dinner waiting for her to join him. Reese tells him she isn't hungry and that she wants him to pay for what he did to the Sandoval family. Sonny convinces her to join him for dinner. Reese joins him and enjoys the dinner. She is surprised when Sonny reveals to her that he cooked the whole meal. He tells her the learned to cook from living in his old neighborhood in Brooklyn where everyone cooked and you learned whether you wanted to or not. He tells her a story about when he was a boy. Reese can't help but be interested in Sonny's childhood. She asks him if he is trying to work her by making her dinner and talking to her about his childhood to get her to soften up to him.

A.J. arrives with Michael at his house in the Bahamas. Michael wants to call Sonny on the phone. A.J. tries to convince Michael that Sonny is more concerned about raising Morgan and Kristina than deal with him but agrees to call Sonny himself and try to talk him into taking him back. Michael insists Sonny loves him and tells A.J. that Sonny told him he is his real kid. A.J. tells him that Sonny just said that at the time. Michael asks about the place and if there is anything there that he would like better than being home right now with Sonny. A.J. gets one of his men, a computer expert to rig up Sonny's voice to sound like he is talking on the phone with A.J. Michael hides behind the couch, unaware that A.J. knows he is there. A.J. puts the phone on speakerphone so Michael can hear "Sonny's voice." The computer screen on the other line has some specific phrases using Sonny's voice which has been tampered with to sound like Sonny really said those things. Michael runs over to the phone and grabs it and thinks he is talking to Sonny on the other line.

Sam opens the possibility that the person who sent the photo may only be trying to make it look like Michael's dead. Jason and Sam revisit Michael's picture, commenting on its staged maliciousness, but searching for clues of falsification. Sam returns to Jason's side, as Jason continues to search for any indication around Michael. When Sam reminisces that Michael's eyes could always tell you what he's thinking, Jason realizes that Michael's eyes were not dilated...Michael is still alive!

AJ gives Michael the phone that he thinks Sonny's on. Michael tells AJ to call his mom as AJ probes him to tell him what Sonny said. When AJ states Sonny's abandoning words, and that he wants to protect Michael from the same from his mom, AJ gives Michael pictures that the pilot gave to him. These picture of Sonny smiling as Carly held up Morgan, of Morgan and Carly smiling, were actual pictures taken at the park dedication ceremony; but they're happiness without him made Michael upset. Michael tells AJ to leave him alone. Once AJ leaves, Michael rips the pictures up. AJ sits on the sofa next to a crying Michael, relaying to him that he knew just how Michael was feeling, having been abandoned and ridiculed by his own family for not being "the golden boy", Jason. All he needed was for Michael to ask him if he needs help with coping. Just as AJ begins to walk away, Michael calls him back, telling him to stay. When AJ returns to Michael's side, Michael leans into AJ and cries, AJ holding him in his arms.

Sonny and Reese share a passionate kiss. Before they could get any further than kissing, Reese backs away, certain that Sonny's trying to compromise her. But she informs Sonny that she doesn't want him bad enough to let him do it. Reese is convinced that Sonny planned it all to make her look ineffectual; Sonny asks her what her excuse is. Reese plays the game, telling Sonny that she could be seducing him into bed, getting so close to him that his secrets would be revealed. She raises the question, "who's playing who?" But Sonny isn't quick to answer, continuing his flirtations toward Reese that were interrupted by the entrance of his family defense lawyer.

After Reese leaves, Sonny receives a petition from Alexis for sole custody of Kristina. His defense lawyer informs him that his time with Kristina has been suspended until the trial, and that a court ordered psychiatric evaluation has been mandated. After she leaves, Sonny calls one of his men and fiercely orders him to find Alexis. Ric arrives at Sonny's home and tells Sonny that he tried to stop Alexis, to tell her that Kristina needs to be with her father, and that she should be grateful Kristina's safe. Sonny asks Ric if Alexis knows that this custody battle will only scare and confuse Kristina. Ric knows that nothing good will come out of this, but asks Sonny to not make a bad situation any worse. Sonny becomes coy, innocently asking Ric how it could get worse and then leaving for an appointment before Ric could argue. Sonny arrives at the restaurant and angrily confronts Alexis. Just as he begins to threaten a battle, Alexis introduces Sonny to Dr. Winters, their court appointed psychiatrist, upon her perfect arrival.

AJ continues working on winning Michael over with carefully told half truths, concentrating specifically on how Jason wronged him. Michael remains unconvinced. When he defends Jason, telling AJ that among other things Jason used to read to him, AJ lies to Michael, telling him that Jason never read to him about different places around the world. He tells Michael that he is the one who did that and goes to his desk to pull out a book about Egypt to convince him. AJ ends up reading to Michael who eventually falls asleep, his head resting in AJ's lap. AJ promises a sleeping Michael that they will travel around the world as father and son and that no one will find them.

Carly has another vision of Michael outside of Jason's penthouse apartment. She doesn't tell him about the vision as she knocks on the door, but she is clearly shaken by it. She discusses the next day's plans for the park that is being renovated in Michael's memory and lets him know that she will need him. After she leaves, Sam comes downstairs and they talk about Michael. They agree that the kidnapper can't be on to them and therefore decide to keep things between them for the moment. Later, Jason receives a call from Stan regarding Faith's financial records which lead him to the Bahamas. He's convinced that is where he will find Michael.

Sonny explains to the court appointed psychologist, Dr. Winters, that she is seeing him at a very bad time. He just learned about Alexis's petition to take him back to court and gain full custody of Kristina. He promises Dr. Winters that no one will take Kristina away from him and then turns his attention back to Alexis. He asks her if she really intends to dishonor Michael's memory by taking his sister away from her father after he gave his life to save her. Alexis counters, telling Sonny that a 9-year old shouldn't have had to sacrifice his life for a sibling. Sonny vows that he will protect Kristina from Alexis's paranoia. Before he leaves, he informs the doctor that he will have his lawyer contact her to set up an appointment. Alexis once again tries to impress upon Dr. Winters how dangerous Sonny's lifestyle is for Kristina.

Ric is waiting for Sonny in his living room when Sonny arrives home. When he asks Sonny why he called him, Sonny tells him about what just transpired between him and Alexis. He promises Ric that he will do whatever it takes to gain sole custody of Kristina. Ric tries to reason with him to put Kristina's needs first, pointing out to him that Kristina loves and needs her mother. He also tells Sonny that ultimately he has to side with his wife in this matter. Sonny points out that if he successfully gains sole custody of Alexis that Ric will have a better chance of doing the same once his child is born. Ric is disgusted by the suggestion. He tells Sonny that he refuses to separate his child from its mother the way he was from his own mother. Just then Reese walks in, having also been called by Sonny. She asks Sonny why he called her and he explains to there that she will be in a position to help decide whether he gets to retain custody of his daughter. He goes on to tell her of Alexis's plans then asks her what she will say if she is called to testify. Reese tells him that she will tell the truth; that he is a loving father who has been investigated several times for criminal activity but has never been found guilty of any wrong doing in a court of law. Sonny is relieved and thanks her.

At Metro Court, Carly arrives to have lunch with Lorenzo. They discuss her visions of Michael before she excuses herself for a moment. She happens to pass Alexis's table and overhears her talking to Dr. Winters. Carly listens as Dr. Winters asks Alexis why she didn't tell Sonny that she was pregnant and Alexis explains that she was afraid of how Sonny's lifestyle would endanger her child. Livid, Carly returns to the table to tell Lorenzo what she had just overheard. She waits until Dr. Winters leaves before confronting Alexis. Carly cautions Alexis, telling her to drop the custody suit or risk losing Kristina forever. Alexis tries to explain her motivation but Carly sees it as nothing more than Alexis's paranoia getting the better of her.

Later, Carly goes to Sonny's to tell him of her encounter. She's enraged that Alexis had the audacity to accuse her of being a bad mother because Carly let Sonny adopt Michael which ultimately led to him being killed and how Alexis claims that her heart is now breaking for Morgan who has two bad parents. Sonny tries to get Carly to calm down but Carly is too angry. As she pours herself a drink, she vows to Sonny that she will help him. He points out that she isn't really qualified to coach him on how to conduct himself in court. Carly reminds him that she was able to successfully fake being insane after she shot Tony and then later was able to convince the courts and doctors that she was fully recovered. Courtney and Jax are at Metro Court when Alan confronts Courtney for murdering AJ. Carly, joins the trio and defends her friend, pointing out that Alan was not exactly an exemplary father. Alan ignores Carly, instead promising them all that there is nothing Jax, Carly or Sonny can do that can change the fact that Courtney's fingerprints are on the murder weapon and she will be found guilty of murdering his son. After Alan leaves, satisfied that his son's murder is going to pay for her crime, Carly tells Courtney about Alexis's petition for sole custody. Justus arrives a few moments later to give them the bad news that there is nothing to prove Courtney's allegation that Rachel was blackmailing her.

 Michael and AJ return to the beach house, both smiling. While AJ goes to prepare lunch for both of them, Michael sits down at AJ's desk and begins to draft a letter to Carly telling her about Sonny's rejection on the phone. When AJ calls out to him, Michael quickly hides the letter and joins AJ on the veranda. Later, AJ finds the letter. Michael is upset and grabs it from him. Instead of chiding Michael for writing Carly a letter, he is supportive. He offers Michael stamps to mail the letter and later, as Michael secretly watches, AJ gives it to someone to mail. Satisfied that his letter was mailed, Michael goes to get ready for some time on the boat. While Michael is out of the room, AJ pulls the real letter out of his pocket and burns it.

Durant stops by Metro Court to interview Maria about the shooting. She tells him that she is unable to identify the man she saw in the stairwell. Just then her cell phone rings. Durant tells her to answer it because it's the police station calling about her son. Maria answers it and is informed of Diego's arrest. After she disconnects the call, she realizes that Durant was behind the arrest. She tries to convince him to drop the charges but Durant refuses unless she cooperates with him by meeting with Agent Marshall and telling her that Jason was the man she was in the stairwell. Maria realizes she has little choice. She rushes to the police station and assures Diego that she knows how to get him out of the trouble he is in and she'll handle it. She then turns to Mac and requests that she arrange a meeting with Agent Marshall for her.

 Sonny, Alexis and Ric gather together at court. When Sonny informs Alexis and Ric that the judge is currently with a witness, Alexis and Ric are somewhat puzzled. Just then Reese walks out of the judge's chambers. Alexis is startled and then annoyed when Reese tells them that she was questioned about the Sandoval massacre and admitted to the judge that there was no evidence to prove that Sonny was behind it. Alexis and Ric feel that Reese's testimony was strongly favored in Sonny's behalf. Alexis is then called in to talk to Dr. Winters. Alexis begins once again to outline her concerns about Sonny. Dr. Winters listens but quickly steers the conversation to focus on Alexis. Alexis tells her about her career and admits that she is imperfect then proceeds to tell her about Luis Alcazar's death. Alexis closes by once again stressing her concerns about Sonny, making a point of mentioning his nervous breakdowns and those close to him working hard to cover them up. Just then Sonny walks in for his appointment with Dr. Winters. After Alexis leaves, Sonny takes a seat. Dr. Winters tells him that Alexis believes he's dangerous. Sonny admits that he is, explaining that he will do whatever it takes to be a part of his children's lives. At Dr. Winter's prompt, Sonny discusses his relationship with Alexis. He admits that he doesn't know why Alexis kept her pregnancy a secret but he suspects jealousy over his reconciliation with Carly could have played a part in it. Before the session is over, Sonny emphasizes his love for his children by telling Dr. Winters that he would lay down his life for his kids. Dr. Winters counters by asking him if they are laying down their lives when they are with him.

While Carly talks to the judge, Ric, Alexis and Sonny are in chambers with her. Carly tells the judge that Sonny is a loving father who is wonderful with his children. She also lets him know that Sonny does not suffer from any emotional problems and that the children are not in danger when they are with him. She also makes a point of letting him know that Sonny has been nothing but accommodating toward Alexis and that he deserves to be a part of Kristina's life as he is a part of Morgan's. After Carly is finished, Ric asks the judge to be given the same opportunity to speak as Carly was. The judge allows him to have his say but cautions him to make it brief. Ric gives him a quick outline over the stress they've all endured as a result of the kidnappings and then explains to the judge that Alexis isn't trying to keep Sonny away from Kristina for any other reason than that he's surrounded by danger. He tells that judge that until Sonny can stop dealing in violence, Kristina is simply not safe. The judge listens and then excuses Ric and Carly before informing Sonny and Alexis that he has reached a decision.

He points out to Sonny that he's been shot three times, his cars, homes and warehouses blown up and he's been the subject of numerous investigations. He suggests to Sonny that if he truly cared about his children as he claims then he'd give up either his dangerous job or his children. He goes on to tell them that he sympathizes with Alexis's concerns but the law is on Sonny's side. Since she has not provided any substantial proof to warrant overturning the previous custody ruling, it will stand as is. He cautions Sonny though that should evidence come to light which prove he is a criminal and a danger to Kristina, Alexis is free to file another petition. Outside in the hallway, Alexis asks Sonny how it feels to have the legal right to endanger Kristina. Sonny responds by threatening to do whatever it takes to take Kristina away from her if she keeps pushing him.

In the park, Carly has another vision of Michael in which he asks her why her and Sonny have stopped loving him. Just then Reese walks up to her. Realizing Carly was just thinking about Michael, Reese mentions her own son. Reese reveals to Carly that she once had a son who was kidnapped and murdered. Jason and Sam plan to investigate Faith's dealings in the Bahamas. Jax and Courtney speculate that AJ and Rachel could have been involved and that Rachel had her own motives for killing AJ. Carly confides to Courtney that she feels as though Michael is trying to tell her something and that she is failing him.

Reese videotapes Maria's statement implicating Jason and Sonny in the shootings. Reese later realizes how Durant blackmailed Maria into changing her statement. Reese tells Jason that she can't turn him and Sonny in. Alexis convinces Ric that she is getting professional help to overcome her obsession with Sonny.

At the park, Alcazar sits at the swings with Carly. Carly tells him that she feels a strong connection to Michael and that she believes his spirit is trying to tell her something. Alcazar tells her that her grief is making her want to hold on to Michael maybe more than what is healthy for her to do and suggests that Michael may want her to let him go and concentrate on raising Morgan. Carly refuses to believe that.

Sonny shows up at Jason and overhears Reese telling Jason he is going to get caught soon and go to prison if he isn't careful. Sonny blasts her for trying to pretend to care and sympathize with what they are going through hoping they will tell her something she can use against them to put them in prison. Reese denies she is doing that. Sonny tells her she doesn't know what they are going through and that she never lost a child like he did and wouldn't know what she would do in that situation. Reese doesn't say anything else and storms out. Jason tells Sonny that may not have been a good idea to say that to her. Sonny tells him that Reese is still a Fed and is investigating the Sandoval shootings.  

Sam shows up at the penthouse and asks Jason if he is ready to leave for the Bahamas yet. She notices Sonny is present and stops talking. Sonny asks them why they are going there. Sam hurries up and makes the excuse that Jason needs to rest and go away for awhile since he hasn't been sleeping. Jason tells him that he will continue to investigate and find out everyone who was involved with the kidnapping. Sonny doesn't try to stop him and thinks Sam is right about him needing to go to the islands for some rest. Sonny leaves. Jason and Sam head off to the Bahamas.

Sonny finds Carly at the park near the swings. She tells him she is waiting to see Michael appear again to her. Sonny thinks it is all in her head and advises her to let Michael go and move on with her life. Carly refuses to believe Michael is gone from her life for good and that she won't be leaving a picture of him on her refrigerator that she will soon forget to look at and thinks Michael wants to connect with her somehow and she will wait to see him reappear to her again. Sonny tells her he can't do that. Carly mentions that Reese told her that it was natural to see your child everywhere you go at first. Sonny is confused and asks her what she is talking about. Carly is surprised that Reese never told him. She tells him that Reese lost her little boy a few years ago. Sonny is very surprised and dismayed after he just told her off for not knowing what he is going through, losing a child. Carly tells him that someone snatched Reese's little boy one day and she never found who was responsible and they found the boy's body later. Sonny tells her that he should find Reese and apologize to her for what he said to her. Sonny realizes that is the reason why Reese changed careers and started specializing in finding kidnapping victims.

Meanwhile, Reese goes to Jake's to have a drink. She sets her cell-phone and the videotaped testimony of Maria about seeing Jason on the table with her. She also takes out a picture of her son to look at and mourn for. She keeps buying drinks and Coleman asks her about what is bothering her. She tells him she feels caught in the middle of this war between the Feds and Sonny. She tells him she has a hard time rationalizing putting someone away after they just lost their child. Alan comes in and sits down to get drunk. He overhears Reese talking about Sonny and how bad she feels for him and how hard it is to do her job now. Sonny calls Reese on her cell-phone and asks her to come meet him somewhere to talk. Sonny tells her he wants to talk to her about what he said earlier and that he feels bad about it. Reese is drunk and tells him she has no interest in talking to him and hangs up. Alan gets up and approaches her at the bar. He tells her she needs to do her job and not talk about how bad she feels for Sonny since he is a killer and deserves to go to prison. He starts to blame Sonny for A.J and Michael's deaths. Reese defends Sonny and tells Alan to leave her alone. Alan refuses to back down and accuses her of being biased since she is obviously sleeping with Sonny. Reese slaps Alan for suggesting that she can't do her job because he thinks she is sleeping with Sonny. Alan slaps her back and calls her a whore. Sonny comes into Jake's and sees what Alan did.

Back at the park, Carly gives up waiting for Michael to reappear to her at the swings and starts to walk away. She hears Michael calling to her to tell her he misses everyone and wants to come home. Alcazar shows up again and asks her if she is okay. She starts to talk about hearing Michael's voice and that he sounds like he is trying to tell her something important and starts to believe he really isn't dead.

A.J. tries to get Michael to go out in the boat with him again. Michael tells him he doesn't feel like it and misses his family and wants to go home. A.J. tells him he understands he misses his family but that they don't want him back and he should try to have fun now with him since he loves him and wants him around. Michael takes out a picture of Carly when A.J. leaves the room. He looks at the picture and tells Carly he wants to go home. A.J. gets Michael to go out on the boat with him and have fun. Jason and Sam arrive at the place near where Faith was staying when she was there. They barely miss seeing A.J. walk outside with Michael by seconds. Jason pays one of the hotel managers money for information about a little boy that was kidnapped. Jason shows the man a picture of Faith. The man doesn't recognize her face but recognizes hearing her name before. Sam suggests she hang around the beach and pool areas and pretend she is single and available and maybe men will flirt with her give her more information they need than if Jason was with her and asked. Jason doesn't like the idea of her questioning guys when he isn't around but lets her try it anyway.

Reese is hurt by Sonny's accusation. Sonny later wonders if Reese has been trying to protect him. Reese makes a startling discovery about Durant, who catches her snooping. Michael calls AJ's bluff and heads to the car waiting to take him to the airport. Sam confesses to Carly that she and Jason know Michael is alive.

Rachel tries to tell the truth about AJ being alive to a disbelieving Courtney and Jax. AJ is relieved that Michael didn't try to return home when he had the chance. Instead Michael tells AJ that he finally realizes that Sonny and Carly no longer want him in their lives and that he has nowhere else to go. It's music to AJ's ears. AJ assures him that Michael will always have a place in his life and the two share their first hug.

At the church, Durant finds Reese in one of the pews. He confronts her, demanding to know why she is following him. She tells him she's there because of Sonny. He mistakenly believes it's to finally give him the evidence that he needs to prosecute Sonny but Reese quickly corrects him on that score. She tells him that she has doubts about Sonny's involvement in the Sandoval massacre which doesn't really matter anyway since there is no evidence linking Sonny to it. Durant is disgusted with her and they exchange words. Afterwards Reese is walking through the park and stops to call Ric. She leaves him a message that she needs to speak with him about Durant. Lurking behind some nearby trees, Durant overhears what she says.

 Sonny warns Jason that Reese has evidence against them but it sitting on it in an effort to gain his trust. He orders Jason to leave town immediately. Jason initially is resistant to the idea but Sonny gives him little choice in the matter. After Jason leaves, Ric enters. He informs Sonny about Alexis's decision to back off for the time being and seek therapy. When Sonny makes a snide remark about it being about time she does so, Ric reminds him that he's not really in a position to talk. Sonny admits Ric has a point and goes to pour himself a drink. Ric asks Sonny to please not antagonize Alexis while she's taking steps to better deal with Sonny's role in Kristina's life. Sonny tells Ric that he would like to make peace with his brother and his brother's wife but he doesn't think it's possible. Just then Ric receives a call from Mac. After he hangs up, he tells Sonny that Courtney has been cleared of the murder charges. Sonny's grief over Michael's death overshadows his happiness for Courtney.

After Ric leaves, Sonny steps out onto the veranda. Within moments, Reese walks up. They go inside where Sonny apologizes to her for his earlier ill treatment of her. Reese accepts the apology before she starts talking about her role as an FBI agent who specializes in finding children. She explains to him that a good agent would have fast tracked him to Pentenville but she felt compassion for him when he lost Michael and got to know him as a person not the amoral criminal Rich and Durant described him as. She admits that she has become emotionally involved with him as she pulls out the tape of Maria's confession and then hands it to him as she tells him that she's letting him go. She makes a point of telling Sonny that the witness was coerced into making her confession and that she has since left town and it's doubtful that she'll return. She goes on to tell him that she trusts that he will not go after her. When Sonny asks her why she's doing all of this, Reese informs him that she's contacted her superiors and asked them to transfer her because she can no longer remain objective because of her emotional involvement. After she lets him know that she's leaving town, Reese admits that maybe things might have turned out differently had they met under different circumstances. She lays a kiss in the palm of her hand then tenderly touches Sonny's face before leaving through the veranda doors.

 Sam tells Carly about Jason and her belief that Michael is alive. Carly asks her what has led them to believe he's alive. Sam explains that in the picture that everyone believed confirmed Michael's death, his pupils were dilated which indicates not that he's dead but that he's drugged. Carly rushes over to the penthouse. She throws herself in Jason's arms when he opens the door, thrilled that Jason has proven that Michael is alive. Carly is convinced that they both came to the same conclusion at the same time because of their close connection to Michael. Jason cautions Carly, explaining to her that one wrong move could prove fatal for Michael if it alerts whoever has him that they are on to him. He brings her up to speed on where they are in their search for Michael and concludes that the most important clue is that the person behind all of this is a rich man from Port Charles. Jason believes this is an indication that Lorenzo Alcazar is behind it but Carly is resistant to the idea. She can't believe that he would do such a thing.

Jason asks her if she has yet shared with Lorenzo her belief that Michael is still alive. When Carly tells him that she has, Jason asks her what his reaction was. Carly tells him that Lorenzo offered to help her locate him which doesn't surprise Jason. Jason points out that finding Michael would make him a hero in Carly's eyes and that alone would be a motivation for abducting Michael. Carly remains doubtful. She decides that she will question Lorenzo much to Jason's dismay. She assures him that she will be discrete because she knows that Michael's life is on the line. Carly then makes Jason promise that he will not tell Sonny about Michael. She's worried that Sonny will jump to the conclusion that Lorenzo is behind the kidnapping and take action which may tip off the kidnappers that they know Michael is alive. Jason agrees to remain silent for the time being.

 Carly talks to Lorenzo at the hospital. She tells him that Courtney recommended that she see a grief counselor after she told her that she believes Michael is alive. Carly then asks Lorenzo if he thinks Michael is still alive. He assures her that he knows Michael is alive. Jason receives a call from Sonny telling him that he's free to unpack because Agent Marshall has given him the evidence that would have led to Jason's arrest. Sonny throws the tape that Reese gave to him into the fireplace then walks out through the veranda doors. He follows a tearful Reese who makes it as far as her car. She looks back at Sonny who is standing by his front gates then begins to open her car doors. Just then, her car explodes, knocking Sonny back against the gates. When he recovers from the blast, he makes his way to Reese and pulls her unconscious body to safety while help is called. Sonny asks Reese to show the same strength that she exhibited during the kidnapping and fight for her life. Help arrives to take Reese to the hospital while Sonny is question. Still somewhat dazed, he gives his statement before following Reese. At the hospital, Monica treats a still unconscious Reese while Sonny awaits news in the waiting area.

 Carly questions Lorenzo about his belief that Michael may still be alive. He explains to her that he believes it to be true because Carly herself feels so strongly that Michael is alive. Carly isn't satisfied with his answer, convinced that he may be behind Michael's kidnapping. She continues to question him until Lorenzo realizes that she is doing so because she suspects that he was behind the kidnapping. Lorenzo is deeply offended. He is adamant that while he is willing to go to great lengths to win Carly's affection he would never go so far as to harm a child. He is hurt by her lack of faith in him, believing that he would kidnap Michael in order to play hero for her. Disgusted, he makes his way to the elevator. He tells her that he is finished with her. Carly tries to stop him from leaving but Lorenzo ignores her attempts to stall him and departs.

Carly finds Sonny in the hospital. Concerned that he's there because of Morgan she rushes up to him asking him what happened to their son. Sonny tells her that as far as he knew Morgan is safe and sound at her home with Leticia. He explains that he's there because of Reese. Carly makes a quick call home to check on Morgan and is assured that Morgan is fine. She stays with Sonny while he awaits word on Reese and tries to keep his spirits up, reminding him that he pulled Reese to safety before she was burned. Steven Webber soon joins them and informs them that Reese is a lucky lady. Her only injury seems to be a concussion which accounts for her still being unconscious. Sonny is greatly relieved. Carly offers to stay with him but Sonny tells her that he's fine and doesn't need to stay on his account. As soon as Carly leaves, John Durant approaches Sonny and bodily throws him up against the reception desk, holding onto his lapels. He accuses of him of being responsible for his grandson's murder and now his daughter's murder.

Sonny realizes that John is under the mistaken impression that Carly had been injured and quickly corrects him, telling him that it was Reese who had been injured. John is not appeased. He's convinced Sonny arranged the car bomb because he knew that Reese had evidence against him. He begins threatening Sonny but Ric intercedes and pulls him away from Sonny. Ric reminds John that his actions could result in Sonny being able to press assault charges against him. He also informs John that he isn't exactly in a position to make insinuations, letting him know that Reese had left him a message about Durant just before her car exploded. He asks John where he was during the time of the explosion which greatly offends John. He warns Ric to make certain he has evidence before he starts accusing him of attempted murder then storms off. Ric joins Sonny who quickly tells Ric that he had nothing to do with the explosion. Ric assures him that he knows Sonny had nothing to do with it. He suggests that it's possible it could be related to one of Reese's other cases. Just then Monica comes out to give them an update on Reese. She is reluctant to let Sonny go see her until Ric relieves her worries that Sonny had nothing to do with the explosion. Sonny visits with Reese. He tells her that he realized that as she walked away from his home earlier he was seeing her for the last time. He followed her because he wanted to tell her something but he never had the chance to. He then tells a still unconscious Reese that he doesn't want her to leave.

 AJ asks Michael to pick any destination in the world he'd like to visit. Michael is curious as to why so AJ explains that he would like to take Michael around the world. Michael tells him that he'd like to go to Spain. They discuss other places including Italy which has Michael reminiscing about a particularly nice day between him and Jason when Jason had told him all about Italy. Michael becomes sad and then frustrated with the memories. AJ tries to help him by telling him to concentrate on the good times ahead and remind himself that he still has AJ who very much wants Michael in his life. Michael is still sad and leaves the room to be alone. While AJ remembers a discussion between him and Alan a long time ago when they were discussing Jason and AJ's self destructive ways, he overhears Michael crying softly in the other room. AJ goes to check on him and seems deeply affected to see Michael like that.

Carly arrives at Lorenzo's. At first, his bodyguard refuses to admit her but Lorenzo, overhearing the exchange, gives his permission for her to enter. Carly immediately begins to apologize for earlier behavior but Lorenzo isn't receptive. He's tired of trying to prove himself to Carly. Carly makes an emotional plea for him to give her another chance because she cares about him and wants him in her life. The moment is interrupted by a call on her cell phone. Carly answers it, concerned it could have something to do with Michael.

 On the other end of the call a seemingly upset and confused AJ listens as Carly says "hello" repeated but says nothing. He checks on Michael and realizes he has cried himself to sleep. He disconnects the call before saying anything to Carly. Carly notes that the call was blocked and is worried that maybe it was Michael trying to get through to her but couldn't say anything because he was interrupted by his kidnappers. Lorenzo offers to help her find him which touches Carly deeply considering that just a few moments ago he wanted nothing to do with her. She throws herself into Lorenzo's arm and over his shoulder has a vision of Michael. AJ makes a call to arrange for an immediate trip for both himself and Michael.

At Jason's penthouse, as Jason and Samantha make more plans to continue the search for Michael, they are interrupted by Carly's sudden arrival. After Carly coldly informs Sam that Carly must speak to Jason alone, Carly reports to Jason that Carly is positive that Lorenzo had nothing to do with the kidnappings. Jason refuses to accept Carly's endorsement and suggests that they need to bring Sonny up to speed on their suspicions so that Sonny would be able to help with the search. However, Carly refuses to go to Sonny with the facts, fearing that Sonny might attack Lorenzo in the same way that Sonny wiped out the Sandoval family.

Carly returns to Lorenzo's apartment. As Carly and Lorenzo brainstorm about Michael's possible kidnapper, Lorenzo suddenly suggests that Faith's secret partner could have been John Durant! After Carly rejects Lorenzo's supposition, Lorenzo reassures Carly that he will always be there for her, no matter what. After Carly leaves, Lorenzo tracks Durant down and tells the Federal Prosecutor that Lorenzo knows what Durant did!

At the hospital, an incredulous Courtney quizzes Rachel about Rachel's claim that A.J. faked his own death. When Rachel admits that she does not know A.J.'s current address in the Bahamas, Jax and Courtney continue to refuse to believe anything Rachel tries to tell them. Rachel then confides that she has A.J.'s private cell phone number and offers to dial A.J. directly, so that Courtney can hear A.J.'s voice for herself and verify that A.J. is, indeed, still alive. However, when Courtney tries the phone, Courtney learns that the number that Rachel dialed has been disconnected.

Durant informs Jason that Sonny's enforcer is the chief suspect in the bombing of Agent Marshall's car. John reminds Jason that there is going to eventually be enough proof to tie Jason and Sonny to the Sandoval massacre. John then offers to give Jason a free pass when and if Jason ever decides to tell the truth about Sonny's criminal activities. After John leaves, Jason heads to Reese's room but runs into Ric and Alexis in the hall. When Ric begins to question Jason about the enforcer's whereabouts when Agent Marshall's car was bombed, Jason snaps that Durant has already quizzed him. Ric is surprised when he learns that John has PERSONALLY quizzed Jason. Then Ric confides to Jason that Reese left a voice mail with Ric, informing Ric that Reese needed to speak to Ric about JOHN DURANT just thirty minutes BEFORE Reese stepped into a car rigged to explode! Ric confides that, rather than considering Jason a suspect in the bombing, Ric views Jason more as a potential witness.

Carly walks in and, after overhearing Alexis's orders to her broker to sell off a substantial amount of Alexis's stock, Carly demands to know why Alexis would suddenly need large amounts of cash! Alexis remains very calm while Carly accuses her of trying to use her money to buy off some judge to keep Kristina away from Sonny. Carly also tells her off for accusing her of being a bad mother the other day. Alexis calmly apologizes for saying that and tells her she didn't mean it. She also tells Carly she is seeing a therapist right now to help her with her issues. Carly doesn't believe her and thinks she is up to something. Ric overhears Carly badgering Alexis and steps in. He tells Carly to back off and leave them alone to deal with their own family.

 Alcazar confronts Durant in front of Sonny's estate. Durant asks Alcazar what he is doing at Sonny and accuses him of being there to have a meeting with Sonny. Alcazar tells him he came to see him. He tells Durant that he thinks he was behind Michael's kidnapping and asks him where he is hiding Michael. Durant denies he had any involvement with the kidnapping and that Michael is dead.

Carly finds Jason and Sam at the hospital. She tells them she needs to make Michael a priority in their lives and that Sonny is too involved right now with what happened with Reese and thinks they should tell Sonny what is going on. Jason doesn't agree with her. Sam tries to calm her down and tell her they are doing all they can to find Michael. Sonny overhears them and tells Carly she needs to let go of Michael and move on with her life. Carly gets a call from Alcazar asking her to meet him at Kelly's and tells her he may have a lead on Michael. Carly rushes to Kelly's to see him. He tells her that he thinks Durant may have been the one behind Michael's kidnapping. Carly doesn't see her father going that far just to play hero and bring Michael back to her. She decides to meet with Durant to talk to him about it. She asks Durant if he had anything to do with Michael's kidnapping. Durant can't believe she thinks he did that.

Later, Sonny goes back to Reese's room. She wakes up. She asks what happened to her. Sonny tells her that her car was rigged with an explosive and that she fell from the blast. Reese wants to know why he was there since she just said goodbye to him. Steven walks in before Sonny can answer her. He checks her pupils and tells her he wants her to stay one more night for observation. Steven leaves them to talk. Sonny tells Reese that he came after her because he realized he didn't want her to go like that. She tells him that she thinks Durant is on the take from someone who wants Sonny prosecuted too. She tells him that she followed Durant to his meeting place at some church and that he saw her there and may have suspected she was on to him. Sonny agrees that she isn't safe at the hospital and that the person who tried to kill her may try again while she is at the hospital.

Durant comes in to see her. He tells her the investigation into her attempted murder is still in its early stages and that she should watch her back and looks at Sonny when he says it. He leaves the room. Sonny tells her he will take care of her release from the hospital himself. Sonny tells Jason about his suspicions regarding Durant and what Reese found out about him. Durant goes to see Reese and finds that her bed is covered with pillows to make it look like she is sleeping in it when she isn't. Jason walks in and asks Durant if his attempt on Reese failed again. Durant denies being behind her attempted murder. Jason denies knowing where Reese is right now.

Reese ends up at Sonny's mansion. Max makes her some orange juice and she is pampered by him and Sonny. Reese asks Sonny why he is doing all this for her. He tells her he owes her one for giving the evidence that ties him to the shootings so he can destroy it and now he can spend time with his kids without worrying about going to prison. Reese tells him that there is another reason for why he went after her when she was heading to her car and wants to know why. He tries to change the subject and evade her questions. He finally admits that he didn't want her to leave from his life for good. They share a passionate kiss on the couch.

A.J. talks to Michael about going around the world on a trip. Michael tells A.J. that he misses Jason. A.J. tries to downplay what Jason did for Michael and tells him that Jason took him away from him. Michael suggests that Jason would let him live with him if Sonny and Carly don't want him anymore. A.J. brings up school to change the subject. He tells Michael he can go to any school he wants to attend. Michael starts to fill out some school application and asks A.J. who he should write down for his father's name. A.J. acts like it is Michael's choice who he wants to write down. Michael asks him if it would be o.k. if he wrote his name down as his father's name. He also pleases A.J. when he tells him that Sonny and Carly probably wouldn't mind sending his records to them since they don't want him anyway.

Rachel's cell-phone rings. Jax suggests that Rachel let Courtney answer it this time. Courtney answers the phone pretending to be Rachel. A.J. asks if this Rachel. Courtney recognizes A.J.'s voice and is in shock. Courtney tells Jason and Sam that AJ is alive! Jason and Sam get a step closer to finding Michael. Durant tries to play on Carly's emotions. Ric and Durant confront Sonny about Reese. Carly enters Sonny's bedroom to find Sonny and Reese in bed together making love. (This concludes Tamara's storyline as Carly. I then included the first five minutes of Jennifer in the role from April 18th from scenes on her first day.)

The next scene, shows Jennifer in the role as Carly and she runs out, setting off the alarm cueing Sonny that someone has been in the house. Carly goes to Kelly's and sits with Lorenzo (she called and asked him to meet her there). She asks him to help her search for Michael. He tells her he will use all of his resources to help her. He wants to know why she is upset, and figures she has come from seeing Sonny. She tells him she didn't get a chance to talk to Sonny about Michael being alive as she found him in bed with Agent Marshall. She assures him she isn't hurt, she can only focus on finding Michael. She tells him when she has found Michael, and then she will focus on her own personal happiness and that includes Lorenzo. He tells her that he doesn't want to go down that path again of her being drawn to Lorenzo in order to get revenge against Sonny. 

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