General Hospital Recaps: The week of November 5, 2001 on GH

Comprehensive daily recaps for General Hospital, dating back to 1996.

Monday, November 5, 2001

by Joan Mertz

In Martinique, Carly and Sonny discussed their marriage. Carly told Sonny she could promise not to fly off the handle, but she knew it wouldn't be true. She would do something to turn him against her again because she lost his trust. She was ready to sign the divorce papers, and she did. Since it was time to end it, Sonny was reluctant. He was ready to sign, but changed his mind.

Alexis and Stefan were still held captive underground but were not tied up anymore. They were ready to escape, but Helena and one of the guards showed up with another prisoner, Bobbie. Bobbie went on at Stefan about what he did, and had done, to people; Alexis tried to defend him, but Bobbie wasn't listening. Eventually Stefan and Bobbie reached an understanding. She believed he was sincere when he apologized for what he'd done to her. She told him she believed he really loved Alexis. He said she was his sister, and he loved her. Bobbie said she knew where he was coming from. They agreed they all had to band together against Helena.

Elsewhere, Stavros and Nikolas had met face to face for the first time since Nikolas had been a little boy. Stavros said how much he wanted them to be a family: Laura, Nikolas, and him. Nikolas and Stavros hugged. Nikolas later turned around and was ready to kill Stavros but couldn't go through with it. Stavros commented that it was a coward that killed an unarmed man.

Laura defended Nikolas, saying that he was no coward; he was the bravest man she knew. Stavros told the guard to take Nikolas and Gia to the conference room. He took Laura to another room, which turned out to be decorated the same as the bridal bower on their wedding night. Stavros told Laura that he loved her more than he ever had.

Luke was in his hospital room, antsy to go and help Bobbie, but Roy and Melissa told him to stay put. Roy started to leave, and Melissa went into Luke's room and found him gone.

Jax called Helena from his hotel room and told her he was ready to make a deal. She went there, and he offered her Champagne. When she finally went over to get the glass, he put his hand around her throat. Skye walked in just then, and, thanks to her interference, Helena got away. Jax as good as told her to get lost and said that thanks to her, a very dangerous woman had just gotten away.

Tuesday, November 6, 2001

by QT

Alexis was taken to a conference room first. As she sat and waited, she had a vision of Sonny Corinthos coming to help her. Then she awakened and found Stefan and Bobbie being taken to the conference room, too. The three of them decided to work together to take Helena down and escape their imprisonment.

Stavros had turned over a new leaf, or at least he was making his best attempt. Stavros went after Laura with a fury and passion like never before. He spoke of how the last time it had been a hollow victory to have Laura against her will. This time, he said, it had to come from Laura. "This time, it will be different," Stavros promised. Laura was not convinced but was overwhelmed by Stavros' words and told him that it was not what she had expected.

Stavros reassured Laura that he would never harm their son, Nikolas. Stavros just reiterated that he did not know his son and would like to know what he was like from Laura. Stavros admitted to being in Port Charles for a while. He told Laura that he had watched her and Nikolas at the Nurses Ball, and during that time, something unexpected had happened to him. He continued, "The longer I watched, I began to see you with new eyes and feelings. I felt there was a reason for this second chance that I have been given at life. Also, this time of befriending Gia has made me come to understand love and loving someone."

"Laura I love you," Stavros said. He promised, "I will move heaven and earth to make you want me like I want you." Stavros moved closer and tried to kiss Laura. She pulled back, and he grabbed her wrist and brought her to her knees. Stavros was losing all his newfound composure and had become angry. Stavros mentioned that he needed to see Luke because the last time that Laura had been cooperative, she had believed that Luke had been dead; maybe he should be dead again. Laura jumped from the ground and asked Stavros not to go. As Stavros was walking to the door, Luke arrived at the maze.

Carly returned from the beach and saw Sonny concentrating over the divorce papers. Sonny told Carly he did not want to sign them. He was not ready to let go of their marriage. "What has changed?" Carly inquired. Sonny continued to explain that she had changed and that he still loved her. Carly asked him what the difference was, and she wanted to know if he had really been able to forgive her.

Carly said that she was in a positive place, and it felt good to stop banging her head against the wall, trying to force Sonny to return to her. The only thing she had left was her self-respect, and she was trying to salvage that. Carly also gave the okay for Sonny to adopt Michael, making him Michael's legal father. Carly admitted to being wrong about her decision and stated that no matter what happened between the two of them, Sonny was welcome to adopt Michael if he still wanted.

"So, now it is just you and me, Sonny. We can keep Michael out of the way because I don't want this to be about Michael. If you want to be with me," Carly stated, "you have to love me with trust and forgiveness, openness and honesty. Sonny, it is either all or nothing. You can't just love me when I am good and not making mistakes. I can tell you now that I will make mistakes in the future and have plans that go bad, but I need to have your support through those times and know that you love me no matter what. Sonny, I think that we have lost all the trust in our relationship. I don't trust you, and you don't trust me."

Sonny asked why in the world Carly did not trust him. Carly said it was something from her mother when she had stopped over one afternoon. "I was upset about Alexis or Angel and was frustrated, and my mom said that if I trusted you and our love, I would not be worried about any other woman. My mom was right," Carly said. "Sonny, you make all the rules, and you just want me to abide by them, but I won't anymore. You need to love me all the time -- not just when things are good. Can you do that for me, Sonny?"

Sonny responded that he still loved Carly; even though he'd tried his hardest to put her behind him, he just could not. He said that he thought of Carly all the time, and everything reminded him of her. He would be at home and miss her and all her junk in the house. In the bedroom, he would miss her body beside him, and it was driving him crazy that he never could stop missing and loving her. Sonny promised to love her and support her in good and bad times, and he would try to trust her, but it would take time. He said he would not make a promise that he could not keep, so he would not promise that if she lied to his face or deceived him that he would not retreat back, because that was the way he protected himself.

Wednesday, November 7, 2001

by Soap Central

Jax continued his search for Alexis. He was at Alexis' penthouse, searching for clues, when Kristina walked in. Looking at Jax, she quickly surmised that something had happened to her sister and demanded to know what it was. Jax told her that Helena had probably taken Alexis. Kristina was upset by the news and became even more so when Jax told her that Stefan still could not be located, either.

Jax promised Kristina that he would find Alexis and rescue her. Until then, however, he was going to have Kristina taken to a safe place out of the country. Kristina refused to go and demanded that Jax tell her all he knew about Alexis and Stefan's disappearances. Jax wouldn't tell her everything that was going on but did relent and allow her to stay in Port Charles -- as long as she was watched at all times. He placed a call to Ned.

Meanwhile, in the underground cell, Stefan had no luck prying the vent cover off so he, Bobbie, and Alexis could crawl to safety. Guards entered and told Bobbie that Helena wanted to see her. Stefan tried to fight them off, but he was no match for them. They threw him against the wall and forcibly removed Bobbie. Stefan was beside himself over the whole situation. Alexis tried to calm him.

In the maze, Nikolas instructed Gia on how to get out of the underground compound. She was afraid to leave him but did so in an attempt to find help for everyone. As she wandered the maze, trying to find the exit, Nikolas located Alexis and Stefan's cell. He approached the guard outside and said that Stavros demanded that his brother and sister be taken to him. Nikolas was there to carry out his father's wishes. When the guard balked at letting the prisoners out, Nikolas asked him if he would like to face the wrath of Nikolas' father.

Stefan and Alexis heard what was going on outside the door and decided to play along. They were heard screaming from behind the door that they would never go with Nikolas. After Nikolas applied much pressure, the guard finally relented and opened the door. Stefan promptly kicked him in the face and locked him in the cell. Nikolas told the two that Stavros had Laura. The three agreed that Stefan and Alexis would find Helena's lab and destroy it while Nikolas continued to search for his mother.

Lucky saw a vision of Liz. "I came to help you," she said. Lucky told her all the reasons why she couldn't. Liz told him that she was in his heart, and she knew he had the strength to fight Helena. She then gave Lucky a stack of photos to look through. As he did, he realized that they were of the two of them in the past. When he asked Liz who had taken the pictures, she replied that he had. He'd found something significant about each moment, and his mind had taken a picture of it. Those pictures made up his life, and they were the truth, she said.

Lucky asked Liz why she was showing him those pictures. She told him that those pictures were of things that Helena had said she'd removed from his mind. "She lied because you can see all of these things right now. You can beat her," she told Lucky. The two shared a kiss. When Lucky opened his eyes, Liz was gone.

Luke walked in on Stavros and Laura. He said that Stavros couldn't have Laura. Stavros replied that Luke could take Laura anytime he wanted. Luke began to taunt Stavros, and a fight broke out. While the two were trading blows, Luke yelled for Laura to escape. Instead, she grabbed a vase and tried to hit Stavros with it. Unfortunately, Stavros was able to knock Luke down and stop Laura.

When Stavros went after Luke again, Laura begged him to stop. "I'll do whatever you want -- don't hurt him," she cried. Incensed by Laura's remarks, Stavros raged against her and her love for Luke. "You have no idea what you have just done," he seethed as he exited, leaving her alone in the room with Luke.

Scott followed Roy onto the General Hospital roof. He tried to convince Roy that his ideas of prying open the elevator doors and rappelling down the shaft were bad ones. While doing that, Scott also took some potshots at Luke. An angry Roy demanded that Scott stop disparaging his friend. As they argued about Luke, Roy realized that if they traced his steps, they might find another way into the lab. Roy placed a call to Jax and told him they might have found a way into the compound, but he needed Jax's help -- immediately. Though Ned had not yet arrived, Kristina was able to convince Jax to meet with Roy by promising to open the door only to Ned. Jax headed out to meet with Roy.

Bobbie was taken to Helena. She asked Bobbie to tell her where Luke was. When Bobbie refused, Helena called to the guards to have Bobbie removed back to her cell. Bobbie grabbed Helena and demanded to know why she was causing so much pain to so many people. "Revenge," Helena calmly replied. Bobbie told Helena that she would never have it. She would never be able to beat the Spencers, she told Helena as she headed toward the door of the lab. Before she could open it, Stavros barged in and told his mother it was time to "finish this."

Laura was able to revive Luke. Luke professed his love for his ex-wife. She told him she loved him, too. Nikolas entered. Luke told Nikolas to get Laura out of the compound. Just then, the door opened, and the trio was facing down a pair of guards.

Helena and Stavros waited in the lab while all the prisoners were taken to them: Luke, Laura, Nikolas, Stefan, Alexis, Bobbie, and Gia, who had been captured before she'd been able to escape the maze. Stavros told his mother that she was not to hurt his son, or she would be sorry. Helena replied that she would not hurt Nikolas, but she did threaten Gia's life. When Alexis demanded to know what was going on, Helena ecstatically replied, "What I've been waiting for...welcome to Endgame." All looked puzzled.

Helena continued and told the group she had brought a special guest for the occasion -- it was Lucky. "Lucky will fulfill his destiny," she told the group. She held up the Ice Princess and asked Lucky, "Do we understand each other?" Lucky replied, "Sure we do. I understand that this is a rock, and you are pathetic." Helena was too stunned to speak.

Thursday, November 8, 2001

by Cindy Homant

Helena continued to hold her captives while Jax, Roy, and Scott searched for them. They found the cave and began their quest. All the while, Helena tried to use the Ice Princess to gain control over Lucky. He fought her as hard as he could, and then it looked like she had him. All of a sudden, Lucky called out, "Now," and he and Nikolas jumped the guards and knocked them out.

The good guys had gained control, and Helena didn't like it. She teased them by saying that there were many more guards out there, more than they could fight. Nikolas decided that they should take their chances and run while they could. Just then, Jax, Roy, and Scott burst through the door and surprised everyone. Stavros seemed amused as the "white knights" took control of the situation and tried to get everyone out.

Stavros put a right hook to Nikolas' jaw and ran out with Luke hot on his trail. Laura refused to leave without Luke, so she took off after him. Nikolas decided to go for the police, and Gia told him that she was going, too. Nikolas grabbed her hand, and off they went. Alexis untied Stefan, and he sat down at the computer to try to break the code to shut off the security system. Helena goaded him by telling him he was too dumb to figure it out. Stefan told her that she didn't know him and had never tried to -- and that would prove to be her undoing. Jax dragged Helena out with everyone else, leaving Stefan and Lucky to try to break the code. They all tried to get through the maze -- without Helena's help, of course -- and kept running into dead ends.

Meanwhile, Luke realized that the maze was from his dream -- just as he ran into Stavros. The two swapped words, Stavros pulled a lever on the wall, and Luke dropped, but not before grabbing ahold of the edge and hanging on for dear life. Stavros threw a pebble in the hole to show Luke that it had no bottom, and therefore, Luke was doomed. Stavros left. Laura stumbled upon Luke in the trap door and tried to help him, but he wouldn't let her.

Ned arrived home and found Kristina upset. He asked her what was wrong, and she told him about Jax being knocked unconscious by Helena's men and Alexis being taken hostage. Ned reassured her that Alexis was a strong woman and that Jax would save her. He told her of the time when Alexis and Jax had been stranded in the desert, and Kristina seemed really surprised. She hadn't figured Alexis for an outdoorsy girl. Ned laughed and said that a picnic was too much nature for her.

Carly boarded the plane with Michael and Leticia, bound for home. The pilot walked in and said that they had been delayed because a commercial airliner had been granted clearance before them. Just as Carly started to put up a fuss, Sonny walked in. Carly hadn't expected him, since she'd left him a note in their room. Sonny sent Michael and Leticia off in search of ice cream so he and Carly could talk.

Sonny told Carly that he hadn't liked waking up and finding a note and his family gone. Carly told him that she'd thought it would be easier for him to make a decision without her hanging around. She told him that she loved him like crazy but wasn't willing to settle. Sonny said that he wanted her and Michael to move back into the penthouse. Carly was skeptical and asked where he would be sleeping -- the couch or the guest room. Sonny told her that he would be in his bed. Carly then thought she got it and thought she'd be the one in the guest room

Sonny reassured Carly that they would be together, but when she went toward him to kiss him, he pulled back. Carly was hurt and said that it was not going to work. She wanted him to want her, heart and soul, not just in bed. Sonny promised to work on trusting her again, but it would take time. Michael and Leticia returned with ice cream cones, and they all took their seats. Sonny grinned as he stared back at Carly and ate his cone.

The Quartermaine clan was eating lunch in the living room. They were all doing their usual bickering when Jeanine waltzed into the room. Skye and Edward were shocked, and Jeanine seemed happy with herself for causing such a commotion. Monica wanted to know who she was, and Skye introduced her as a "college friend." Lila insisted that she stay for lunch, and Skye was trying to get her to leave.

Jeanine sat down between Monica and Edward. She asked Edward, "Can I have a little bit of your roast beef, sweet cheeks?" Edward started choking. Jeanine apologized, and Skye said that she called everyone "sweet cheeks." Skye finally got Jeanine out on the patio and berated her for dropping by unannounced.

Jeanine was angry with Skye for trying to run things. Skye figured out that Jeanine was running a scam and gradually got out of her that she hadn't really slept with Edward. He just thought they had. Just as Skye asked her what was stopping her from telling Edward that it was all a setup, he walked in and asked what was a setup.

Melissa ran into Tony, and he wanted to know where Luke was, since his bed was empty. Melissa realized that he didn't know what was going on. She told him that Helena had put her plan into motion and kidnapped Bobbie and the others, and Luke had gone to find them. Tony told her that he'd thought it was a good thing that he hadn't heard from Helena in a few weeks, but he'd had no idea what had been happening. Melissa told him that Jax, Roy, and Scott were searching for them.

Friday, November 9, 2001

by Soap Central

Felicia barged into Mac's office and told him that several of their friends were missing, and she suspected Helena of capturing them in the lab. She told Mac that she knew how to get there, but he initially refused to let her go because of the great danger. Felicia reminded him that she would simply follow behind, and he relented.

Kristina opened Alexis' box of mementos and showed Ned the souvenirs from her childhood that Alexis had saved. Ned was stunned that Alexis had never shown him any of those things, but Kristina declared that the memories were probably too painful to share. Kristina cried as she wondered whether she would have a chance to make new memories with her sister. Ned held her and assured her that she would have that chance.

Skye covered for Jeanine when Edward almost caught on to their scam. She assured her grandfather that Jeanine simply didn't want him to know how much he had hurt her. Skye motioned behind his back for Jeanine to fake a crying fit, which she did. A remorseful Edward asked Skye to take care of Jeanine's broken heart.

Meanwhile, Monica berated Alan for sticking up for Skye when it was clear that she had joined Jeanine in a con. Alan advised her to back off his daughter but later warned Skye that toying with Edward could be very dangerous. A.J. stood up for Skye and told his father that she had simply been trying to help him. A.J. and Skye bonded as they realized that they truly trusted and supported each other. Skye received a shock from Jeanine when the woman revealed that she was running the con in order to care for her daughter.

Roy and Jax couldn't make their way out of the maze, and they grew increasingly frustrated by Helena's taunts. Two guards found them, and while Jax and Roy were fighting, Helena slipped away. Alexis and Bobbie stopped her before she could escape, and they all managed to find their way out of the maze.

Laura valiantly tried to pull Luke out of the hole, and just as her strength was waning, Scott happened along and pulled Luke to safety. Rather than follow Laura and Scott out of the maze, Luke decided to go after Stavros.

Stefan diligently worked to crack the code of the maze, and Lucky watched Stefan's back while he worked. As they waited to see if Stefan's password would work, Lucky and Stefan apologized to each other for past grievances. The computer alerted them that "failsafe" was going to be instituted in fifteen minutes. Guessing that meant that the maze was going to shut down, they hurried away.

Gia and Nikolas were trapped in the bower by one of the henchmen, but Stavros arrived and called him off. Nikolas asked what his father planned to do with them, and Stavros told them both to leave and reach safety. At the door, Nikolas turned and asked Stavros to go with them. Though visibly moved, Stavros insisted that his place was there. He told Nikolas what a good man he was and wished him a good life.

Outside of the maze, everyone embraced and rejoiced that they were all safe. The crowning moment came when Mac and Taggert placed Helena under arrest. The only worry left was Luke, who had yet to emerge from the maze.

Stavros and Luke met again when Luke found him lamenting his losses in the bower. Stavros attempted to stab him, but Luke tore off a metal post from the bed and went after his enemy. They ended up back over the bottomless pit, and Luke pushed Stavros in. Stavros managed to grab hold of the ledge, and Luke loomed over him. He gloated that his face was once again the last vision Stavros had before death. Laughing maniacally, Stavros let go and fell backwards into the hole.

Luke got out of the maze just as the last door closed, and he ran straight into Laura's waiting arms. He held her and told her that all the monsters were gone, and the game was finally over.