In the middle of the police station, Lucas admits to his mother that he is gay. Bobbie is shocked, but Lucas takes her reaction to be disappointment. After talking about how macho Spencer men are supposed to be and pointing out how macho Lucky is, he bolts out the door. Bobbie is upset that Georgie and Dillon knew and didn't tell her. Jesse wants to go after Frank, but Bobbie tells him to wait to do anything until after she speaks with her son. She goes back to the hospital to think, and Liz greets her and can tell something is wrong. Lucky comes to the hospital also and explains why Bobbie is so upset. Liz can understand what Lucas is going through and tries to help Lucky see how difficult it must be for him. Meanwhile, Lucas shows up at the Quartermaine mansion and tells Lulu that he is gay. She is also shocked, but she tells him how relieved she is that someone else is there to take the pressure off of her. He's not amused. Dillon and Georgie show up and try to get Lucas to see how much of a drama king he is being. Georgie tells him he needs to give his mother a chance. Lucas agrees to talk to her if Georgie calls her. Tracy comes in just as Dillon is telling Lucas he can stay there if he wants. Tracy says she will not allow another worthless Spencer to live with her. Bobbie comes in and tries to reason with the teen. She tells him she was just shocked, but can't actually say the words that he son is gay. When Lucas says them for her, Tracy is outraged and tells him to get out of her house. She has enough to deal with, and she doesn't want any of them socializing with Lucas now. Dillon is furious and tries to reason with his mother, but Bobbie gets there first. She tells Tracy she will rip her hair out if she ever speaks like that to her son again. Bobbie puts her foot down and Lucas is quite relieved to see his mother standing up for him.

Sam leaves the courthouse to go home and take a shower. Jason, Sonny, Emily, and Carly talk outside the courtroom and suddenly hear a shot. They go running and see that Manny has been shot. Manny points to Jason as Emily is tending to his wounds. They rush him off to the hospital for emergency surgery. Robin praises Emily's efforts, but then has to promise a date to Patrick in order to get him to operate. Meanwhile, Durant arrests Jason and tells the police officers to test for gun shot residue. He promises Carly that if Jason comes back clean he will let him go. Meanwhile, he puts an arrest warrant out for Sam. Sam is arrested as she's getting out of the shower back at the penthouse. They haul her in, and decide to arrest her for attempted murder when Jason comes back clean. Jason tells Sonny to talk to Ric about Alexis. She's being too hard on Sam. Sonny goes back to the courthouse to talk to Ric. He warns him that if Manny gets free, he could come back to hurt him, Alexis, and their family. Alexis walks in as they are talking and is furious with Sonny. How dare he try to convince Ric to make her throw the case. Sonny tells her how Manny will try to use their kids against them. If something happens to Kristina, it is her fault. Alexis tells him not to bring the kids into this, because she can go on all day how bad a parent he is. Just then, Emily walks in and tells Alexis to stop.

Carly gets to the hospital and immediately sees Patrick. He tells her he saved Manny's life again, thinking she would be upset. Carly is relived, knowing that as long as Manny is alive, Jason won't be prosecuted for murder. Patrick is shocked at her reaction and tells her that she may have to make it up to him later. Carly goes to Manny's room and wakes him up. She wants to know who shot him. Robin interrupts and tells her to leave her patient alone. He's just had surgery and he needs to rest.

Alcazar meets Skye at the Quartermaine mansion and invites her to dinner. She tells him she made a New Year's resolution not to be a rebound girl. She knows he is just after her because of Carly's stunts at the courthouse. Alcazar tells her that now is the time for them to be together. Before, Carly and Luke were in the way. They kept making excuses about why they shouldn't be together. Skye admits that it would be nice to be with Lorenzo. He's a very polite and patient man. By the way he kisses, she's sure he's an excellent lover, as well. Lorenzo is pleased that she has thought about that. He promises her that if they go out they won't make love. She agrees. After Lorenzo leaves, he goes to the hospital to see Manny. Manny is awake and tells him he knows it was his shooter that tried to kill him. Alcazar is disappointed that he lived to name his shooter. Manny asks if he has come back to finish the job, but Lorenzo tells him he is coming back to help him.

Lucas appeases his mother by telling her he will go to counseling and come home tonight. Bobbie leaves, and Lucas tells his friends exactly what he's thinking. His mother thinks by paying a shrink a ton of money, Lucas will figure out that he's not gay. Lucas storms out of the house, with Dillon, Georgie, and Lulu close behind. Tracy stops Dillon from following, though, by telling him he's not going anywhere near Lucas. Dillon decides to test his mother by implying that he is also gay. Tracy is both furious and scared, but Dillon reveals to her that he was just testing her and them storms out of the house.

Emily walks into the courtroom just as Alexis and Sonny are badgering each other's parenting abilities. Emily defends Sonny, and Alexis notices how passionate Emily is about Sonny. She warns her not to get involved with Sonny. Emily tells Alexis that they were once related by marriage but not anymore. She can't understand how she can be so wrong about the father of her child. Emily goes back to Sonny's house and tells him it's not fair that everyone is treating him like a child molester when she is the one pursuing him. Jason walks in and is upset to hear the two of them talking about their relationship. Jason ignores Emily when she leaves and starts to talk to Sonny about business. Sonny is upset that Jason could hurt Emily that way. He fears that he and Jason will not be able to work together if Emily and he continue their relationship. Emily goes and finds Liz, just fresh from being flirted with by Patrick. She confesses that she cares for Sonny and can't give him up.

Robin is disgusted with Patrick flirting with a married woman. She tries to convince Patrick that she will pay for him to go out on a date with someone else. Patrick says that wasn't the deal. He wants to go out with her.

Carly confronts Jason at the hospital and tells him her suspicions about Alcazar. They go to the Metro Court to discuss Alcazar and Jason gets turned away for improper attire at first. Carly makes it clear that Jason is never to be turned away. They sit down and Jason tells Carly that if Alcazar is behind this, then he will have to be dealt with. Carly understands that to mean Alcazar will be killed.

At the courthouse, John fights for a postponement to Manny's trial but the judge sides with Alexis, and allows Manny to attend in a wheelchair.

At GH, Liz treats Manny. In character, (and referring to her by her first name) he compliments her kindness and expresses his desire to be "friends"---you can almost see Liz' skin crawl at the thought. Lorenzo shows up and, after Liz leaves, reminds Manny he is to rid the world of Sonny and Jason or else he, Lorenzo, will turn over Samantha's memory chip. Later, Lorenzo invites a very willing Skye to fly to Manhattan with him.

At home, Samantha awakens from a nightmare in which outside the courtroom, a just-acquitted Manny has risen from his wheelchair and cornered her. Urged by Jason to try to forget about him as John will likely postpone the trial, Justus arrives with bad news---there will be no postponement! The two head to the courthouse, where Alexis and John each give strong closing arguments that point to the lack of evidence (of Manny's new personality) on the opposing sides. Ultimately, he is found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and ordered to counseling, community service at GH and to wear an ankle monitor. Samantha is shockingly calm at the verdict.

At the Metro Court, a very busy Carly flies solo in Jax' absence; she is on the phone trying to get Sonny to pick up the kids from the hotel but Sonny is apparently too busy. Nikolas shows up wanting Courtney's whereabouts; he's convinced Carly already gave them to Jax. Naturally, she refuses to help him---though after some arguing, she DOES give him a phone number. "If she wants to, she'll tell you where she is," says Ms. Benson.

Nik somehow learns where Courtney went from the number, but is told by the lady who rented the room that the "tall, blonde guy" came looking for her, and she hasn't been seen since. The reason: Helena has her prisoner---as a henchman holds a gun to Courtney, Helena demands she convince Nikolas permanently stay away if she wants to keep breathing post-birth. The evil matriarch plans to test the baby's DNA herself once it's born, raise it if it's Nik's, and give it away if it is indeed Jax'.

At the nurses' station, Emily gets a message from Sonny that the kids need to be picked up, and suddenly nothing else matters to Em. Liz calls her on this, wondering if she'll always drop everything whenever Sonny wants her to---Emily doesn't exactly say 'no'. She does pick up the kids---but not before Carly explains how, with her ties to Jason and the kids, she's "the one person with the potential to destroy (Sonny)" and SHOULD NOT be involved with him.

At the Q asylum, Tracy hands Lesley Lu the want-ads and orders her to find a job. Soon, Alice, using a vicious headlock, drags a man to Tracy who is allegedly her "gentleman caller"...but is actually a P.I. hired by Tracy to find Luke! After the P.I. leaves having revealed nothing, a package from Luke to his daughter arrives.

Though Tracy spits out numerous threats, only the promise to drop the charges against Luke get Lulu to let her see the return address on the box. After Tracy confesses planting the rat poison to a very angry Mac, Tracy gets the box, which is sent from the "Marchum Islands" and contains a gray, troll-like sculpted head (which strongly resembled, fittingly, a rat).

At GH, Lucas' counseling begins. He tells Lainey how he is only doing this (counseling) because of his mother and gives some insight to when he first learned he might be gay. At the nurses' station, Liz politely urges Bobbie to accept her son, but when Bobbie asks her to imagine Cameron being the one beaten up for being gay, Liz can't honestly deny she wouldn't similarly act. Bobbie is pleased to hear from Lucas that the counseling is helping him with his current "phase".

Outside the courtroom, Samantha's earlier nightmare becomes a terrifying reality...

QUOTE(S) OF THE DAY:

"Well, aren't YOU?" - Liz, to Emily, after the latter explains she has to leave GH to get the kids in part because Carly's at work.

"I wouldn't trust you with the care and feeding of a housecat, much less the rearing of the new Cassadine heir." - Helena, to Courtney.

Lorenzo and Skye plan to go to New York City for the evening and stop by his place for a minute. Skye ends up twisting her ankle and spraining it. She tries to downplay how hurt her foot is but Lorenzo tells her that she can't go to New York City and put pressure on her foot. They order pizza and hang out at his house. Lorenzo gets a call from one of his men to inform him that Manny got a suspended sentence and is free. They eat pizza and chat. Skye and Lorenzo start to make out on the couch. Skye complains that his beard is too rough and is scratching her face. She tells him she doesn't like his beard and asks him if he would shave it off for her. He agrees to do it as long as she is the one who shaves it off. Skye goes along with this plan and they end up in his bedroom. They almost make love but Skye pushes away from him and reminds him that they agreed to take things slowly. Lorenzo agrees that he doesn't want their relationship to burn out too fast by making love too soon. Lorenzo surprises Skye when he picks her up and carries her to his car to drive her home.

Robin and Patrick go to the Metro Court Hotel for their dinner date. Robin keeps looking at her watch and tells him she will give him an hour for dinner but the date is over after that. Patrick asks her to give their date a chance and not to be so serious. Robin agrees to let her guard down and asks him about himself. He tells her some stories from his childhood and adulthood and Robin shares with him how she wasn't always so seriously dedicated and that she had a wild side at one time. She tells him about how she stole her Uncle Mac's car to go to a Smashing Pumpkins concert with her boyfriend Stone and how they ran over a skunk and never made it to the concert and how Mac made her feel guilty and confess by acting so nice to them. Patrick compliments her on how beautiful she looks when she smiles. She thinks he is using the compliment as one of his usual come-ons. Patrick tells her it is the truth. Robin thanks him for the compliment. Robin asks him about his mother. He tells her how she died on the operating table after she insisted his father perform the surgery. Meanwhile, Noah shows up at G.H. and asks Liz if he could page Patrick. Liz tells him that Patrick is at the hotel having dinner. She welcomes him back to the hospital and thinks he was on some sort of sabbatical. Noah tells her he just finished a stint in rehab and hopes to stay sober and explains that he started drinking after his wife died. Noah shows up at the hotel and interrupts Patrick's date with Robin. Robin tells them she was planning on leaving right now anyway. Patrick asks Noah what he is doing out of rehab so soon. Noah tells him he plans to stay sober and wants to return to work as a surgeon at General Hospital. Patrick is very much against the idea and makes it clear to Noah that he isn't welcome at General Hospital since it has taken him a long time to work out from under his shadow and build a reputation as a brilliant surgeon and he won't let him ruin it. Patrick storms off to the elevator after a waitress brings over a favorite drink of Noah without him ordering it. Noah picks up the martini glass and spills the contents into a nearby plant to show Patrick he means to stay sober. Robin returns to General Hospital and finds herself defending Patrick when Liz apologizes for telling Noah where Patrick was and possibly ruining their date. Robin tells Liz that Patrick showed a part of himself tonight that showed her that there are reasons why he behaves the way he does.

Manny is wheeled out of the courtroom in a wheelchair after he gets a suspended sentence. Carly pulls Jason aside to talk to him about something and Sam is left alone just like the dream she had earlier. Manny gets out of his wheelchair and corners her in the hallway. He tells her he is sorry for what he has done and doesn't want her to be afraid of him anymore. Sam screams at him to leave her alone and that he hasn't changed. Jason hears her and runs over and grabs Manny and throws him up against the wall. Durant gets involved and tells Jason he is going to arrest him for his assault on Manny. Manny tells Durant that he will not be pressing charges against Jason and asks him to let him go. Durant has no choice but to let it go. Carly insists on talking to Jason alone. Sam goes back into the courtroom and confronts Alexis about helping set Manny free. Alexis spouts out about it being her job to uphold the law and that Sam didn't help herself by losing control of her temper in court for the jury to see. Sam starts to accuse Alexis of not being a good mother because Manny will probably go after her children now that he is free. Alexis asks Sam why she is so angry with her and thinks that Sam still resents her because Kristina lived and her baby had to die to save Kristina. Sam doesn't know what to say. Jason and Ric both come in and take corners to protect their significant others. Jason tells Alexis to back off of Sam. Sam asks Jason to take her home. Ric discusses what happened with Alexis after he notices how upset she is. Alexis tells him that she feels such anger coming from Sam and is sad about it. Ric and Alexis go to Kelly's for dinner. Alexis brings up the idea of them being law partners together. Manny shows up and fakes being quiet and apologetic and inquires to Mike about renting a room above Kelly's. Mike refuses to let him rent from him and tells him there is no vacancies for him. Ric and Alexis overhear Mike and tell him that there could be a problem with him refusing to let Manny live there. Mike refuses to let Manny live there but Ric convinces him to let Manny live there so that they can keep a close eye on him. Mike goes and shows him his room. Alexis feels hypocritical because she defended Manny but is worried about him being nearby since Kristina loves Kelly's and comes there two or more times a week with their nanny. Ric feels that keeping Manny close by will allow them to keep an eye on him better.

Carly is waiting for Jason and Sam outside their penthouse when they get home. She asks to speak to Jason and insists it is important. Sam doesn't argue with her and tells Jason she is going to go take a nap. Jason tells her he hopes this isn't about Sonny. Carly tells him about what happened earlier at the hotel when Sonny asked Emily to go pick up the boys without warning her first. She asks Jason to do something about this since it isn't fair to put the boys in the middle of all this. Meanwhile, Emily stops at the hospital with the boys and Lucky is there. Lucky and Liz discuss Manny's release and doing his community service at G.H. Lucky asks to speak to Emily alone for a minute so Liz watches the boys for a few minutes. Lucky voices his concerns about her safety now that Manny is free and will be volunteering at G.H. Emily tells Lucky that Sonny will be able to provide adequate protection for her. She takes the boys home. Sonny comes home from the courthouse after he mentions to Jason that they should hold off taking Manny out and he orders Jason to find out if Manny meets with Alcazar to work for him or not. Sonny thanks Emily for watching the boys for her and picking them up. He asks if Carly gave her a hard time about picking up the boys. Emily tells him she isn't going to comment on that and switches the subject. Sonny is about to kiss Emily when Michael stands at the top of the stairs and asks him if Emily is staying for dinner. Sonny asks her to stay for dinner and she accepts. Carly walks in the door and tells him she came over to have dinner with the boys and him. Suddenly, Emily's cell-phone goes off. She answers it and agrees to meet the person on the other line. She hangs up and tells them that Jason wants to meet with her at Kelly's and tells Sonny to eat dinner without her. Carly waits until Emily leaves before informing Sonny that Jason called Emily so he could meet with her to tell her to stay away from him. She continues to tell Sonny all the reasons why he shouldn't continue his relationship with Emily and pleads with him to let Emily go for everyone's sake. Sonny tells Carly that he is not giving up Emily for Jason or anyone and thinks Carly doesn't want him with any other woman but her. Carly tells him that is not true and that she only has a problem with Emily because she is Jason's sister. Emily meets with Jason at Kelly's. He tells her he wants her to stay away from Sonny for her own safety. Emily reminds him that he always told her to make her own choices and now she chooses to be with Sonny and that he has no say in it. Manny looks into the window at Kelly's and sees them talking and smiles. Back at the courthouse, Jesse informs Lucky that the tracking device attached to Manny's ankle monitor shows the address of Sam and Jason's place. Sam leaves the penthouse and hits the elevator button and because it is slow she decides to take the stairs. She hears someone following her on the stairs and turns around to find Manny. He corners her in the stairwell and tells her he likes her and only wants to be her friend. Sam tells him to leave her alone and tries to get by him. Suddenly the door to the stairwell bursts open and Lucky and Jesse are there pointing their guns at Manny. He asks Sam if Manny tried to attack her and she has to admit he wasn't doing that but was trying to make her believe he has changed and she doesn't believe it. They ask him what he is doing there. He tells them he went to see Jason and her at the penthouse but no one answered and he decided to take the stairs and found her. They let Manny go with a warning to stay close to the police station as a rule set by the judge. Sam tells them she wants a restraining order brought against Manny. Lucky tells her they can't help her with that unless Manny tries to attack her physically. Manny overhears their conversation and smiles in satisfaction.

At GH, Liz notices Emily eyeing a postcard that says to meet someone at Skyline Creek Lodge at 9pm. And yes, that someone is Sonny, Em tells her friend.

At his home, Sonny discusses with Max an upcoming meeting concerning how to "deal with" Manny. Jason arrives, and Sonny informs him he'll be attending in Sonny's place as he has "plans". Pressured again by Jason, Sonny calls Emily to cancel their date. Emily, however, convinces him to reconsider, and they reach a compromise: Sonny will go to the lodge, and it'll be OK whether or not Emily meets him. They hang up, and Em debates for about, oh, two seconds before heading off...but not before dropping her postcard.

Above Kelly's, Lucky warns Manny to stay away from Samantha or anybody else he feels he should apologize to. Manny's words are that of the "new" Manny but his demeanor is just short of pure arrogance...he asks Lucky to "tell (his) pretty wife hello" for him. Lorenzo soon stops by with a small bag for his partner in crime.

The evil criminal shows up at GH for his community service, but a very shaky Liz ends up sending him home to change his unprofessional outfit. Before Manny leaves, he finds Emily's fumbled postcard on the ground...when she returns to collect it, all she finds is Jason, whom she dismisses. Learning from Max that Sonny is missing, and from Liz that Manny was sent home, Jason goes there, discovers the postcard---and Manny's ankle bracelet fastened to the heater!

At the Metro Court, Carly lectures Patrick on his treatment of Noah before engaging in a friendly dance outdoors. Eventually, Emily and Sonny meet at the lodge, where Emily's lust overwhelms her. She grips Sonny and kisses him; the two are beginning to make love when Jason, gun drawn, busts in on them!

At the Q mansion, Dillon accepts a floral delivery for Skye. Assuming they're from Luke, Tracy helps herself to the card, only to learn they're from Lorenzo. Skye saunters downstairs, dressed in all white and beaming. Tracy goes on the attack, accusing her of sending the flowers to herself to make Luke jealous. She then suggests Skye sleep with Lorenzo as a test...which Lorenzo overhears! He cleverly gets rid of Tracy before massaging Skye's injured ankle (which Tracy also suspected was staged). 'Zo insists she know for sure she's over Luke before commiting to him, because he doesn't want to go down that road again.

Dillon and Lesley Lu are high on desire but low on ideas on how to find Luke---Georgie arrives with news that there is something inside the shrunken head. They take it to Georgie's cousin Robin (who is amused at the gift as it reminds her of her parents) for an X-ray; she ends up cutting it open to find a matchbook...with a phone number! At the mansion, Lesley Lu dials it---despite Tracy's best efforts to do so herself---is disappointed to learn it's to Dr. Skeimerman's room, then jubilant upon learning that's her dad's alias.

On the Markaam Islands, "Dr. Jacque Von Skeimerman" (better known as Luke) is warned by a native that a storm is approaching, and he should stay in. Moments later, another native sizes him up from behind, and shoots him in the neck with a dartgun; down Luke goes. He awakens to find his assumed medical skills are needed on a sick young boy. The natives ignore Luke's confession that he's a fraud, and at dartgunpoint, he's left with no choice but to give the boy "powerful medicine"---a single Tic-Tac!!

The boy's fever down, the grateful natives offer Luke a young woman named Sky, but when he politely refuses, they present him a canteen that holds a strong-tasting and smelling liquid; Luke downs it and drops again. This time when he awakens, there are flames everywhere! The ‘doctor' grabs a loose monkey and escapes...seconds before Robert Scorpio emerges, with the cryptic message "and so it begins" displayed across the screen...

QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"What's next, public sponge baths?!" – an incredulous Tracy, after learning that Lorenzo's beard was shaven off by Skye.