At Metro Court’s pool, Donna was overjoyed to see her mother, Michael, and Josslyn arrive. Carly closed her eyes and sighed with relief as she tightly hugged Donna. Moments later, Wiley ran over to greet his grandmother. Carly apologized for being late to the party, but Wiley and Donna were too happy to see Carly to be upset. They dragged her over to get some cake. Smiling, Carly followed the children while Michael walked over to greet his wife.
When Josslyn offered to supervise the kids in the water, they happily followed her to the pool. Michael told Willow, Maxie, and Spinelli that the case against Carly had been dismissed because the incriminating evidence had disappeared. “That’s amazing,” Willow said. “Isn’t it, though?” Carly asked, looking pointedly at Spinelli.
Later, Michael wrapped up a phone call, prompting Willow to ask him if everything was okay. He explained that he’d been making certain all the paperwork in his mother’s case had been properly filed. Willow broached the subject of the missing evidence, but Michael assured her that he had no idea who had been responsible for it going missing. He admitted that he was grateful because his mother was the heart of the family. Willow thought it was a shame Sonny hadn’t taken the opportunity to make peace with his family.
Michael explained that he tried not to take it personally because Sonny had been dealing with other things. He filled Willow in about the confrontation between Sonny and John at the courthouse, and he admitted that his father had been more volatile lately. Michael told her about Jason and Carly’s suspicion that Sonny was off his bipolar medication, but Sonny had denied it. “Maybe this is just how he is now,” Michael suggested. He caught himself and quickly shifted gears because it was their son’s birthday party.
As Michael and Willow watched the children splashing in the water, Willow admitted that she felt blessed because she was able to watch Wiley grow up and be his mom. “Thanks to you,” Willow said. Michael smiled and assured her that he and the children were the lucky ones to have Willow in their lives. Willow returned his smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
Nearby, Carly and Josslyn sat on deck chairs as they watched Donna have a blast with the other children in the pool. Carly confessed that she’d been preparing herself to go to prison, but Josslyn reminded her mother that it was over. Carly’s smile was bittersweet because she regretted what she had put Josslyn through. “I literally taunted an FBI agent into arresting me. How stupid is that?” Carly asked.
Carly apologized because she realized that she had put everyone through a lot of worry. Josslyn admitted that she loved that Carly hadn’t let John walk all over her, but Carly insisted that she’d had a lot more to lose than to gain. Carly wanted Josslyn to learn from Carly’s mistakes because Carly should have thought more about how her actions would impact Josslyn and Donna. Josslyn conceded that Carly had been impulsive and reckless, but Josslyn loved her mother and was happy that Carly was free. Smiling, Carly hugged her daughter.
Elsewhere in the pool area, Maxie and Spinelli sat at a table and discussed how happy they were that Jason was finally free. Spinelli admitted it had been a bitter reminder of what could be lost in an instant. Maxie was surprised by Spinelli’s pessimistic view because he was usually an optimist. Spinelli explained that Jason and Carly would do anything for each other, but seeing how things had played out for them had made Spinelli reassess certain priorities and his commitment to them. “That’s you, Maxie, and the kids. Our family,” he said.
Touched, Maxie promised that Spinelli showed her and the kids every day that he loved them. She assured him that she didn’t expect him to stop doing what he did, but she asked that he be careful. Spinelli vowed to always discuss his jobs with Maxie first, so they could weigh the risks together. Moments later, Carly approached the table and asked for a word with Spinelli. After Maxie stepped away, Carly sat down and asked if she had Spinelli to thank for her good fortune. She was surprised when Spinelli admitted that he hadn’t been the one to erase the audio file.
“I must have a guardian angel,” Carly decided.
At Kristina’s apartment, Kristina opened her door and found Molly standing in the hallway. Molly asked if they could talk, but Kristina warned her sister that she hadn’t signed the legal documents to terminate her parental rights. “Good. Trash them. Better yet, give them to me. I’ll tear them up myself,” Molly said as she entered the apartment.
Molly asked how Kristina was doing, so Kristina assured Molly that the baby was fine. Molly was pleased to hear it, but she had been concerned about her sister. Kristina seemed surprised. She listed a few pregnancy-related issues but assured Molly that they were all worth it. Molly was glad because she didn’t want Kristina stressed. “Could have fooled me,” Kristina said. Molly admitted that she shouldn’t have confronted her sister with the legal documents, but Kristina wanted to know if Molly had expected her to sign them.
“I’m sorry, Kristina. I was scared,” Molly explained. Molly admitted that the interview with Perez Hilton had blindsided her and T.J. Molly asked Kristina to put herself in Molly and T.J.’s shoes as the parents of the baby. Molly shared that she and T.J. had prepared the nursery, and they had been working long hours so that Molly could take maternity leave and T.J. take a vacation around Kristina’s due date. “I mean, how do you think it made us feel to watch you claim our baby as yours?” Molly asked.
Kristina denied that she had done that. “I know. I took your silence for an answer,” Molly said in reference to Kristina’s response during the interview. Molly acknowledged that it had been wrong, and she apologized to her sister. Kristina confessed that she had rewatched the interview, and she’d seen how her answers could have been misinterpreted, but she promised that it had not been intentional. Kristina assured Molly that she wanted everything to work out and for the baby to grow up healthy, happy, and loved. Molly insisted that she wanted the same thing, but she also wanted things to be good between her and Kristina because they were sisters. Kristina agreed.
When someone knocked on the door, Kristina went to answer it. A process server quickly handed Kristina an envelope and left. After Kristina closed the door, she opened the envelope and discovered that she’d been subpoenaed to appear at the custody hearing as a witness for Ava. Kristina realized that Ava hoped to force Kristina to testify about Sonny’s altercation with Dex, so she asked if there was a way to get out of testifying. Molly explained that Kristina would have to testify, but she offered to help prepare Kristina for the hearing.
Molly urged Kristina to relax, and she promised to check if there had been any other filings in the case. Kristina suggested that Ava might change her mind, but Molly admitted that it would be unlikely because there was no reason for Ava to back out. “Unless I give her a reason,” Kristina said under her breath.
At the police station, Dante reported to Anna in the interrogation room that Carly’s hearing was underway. He also told Anna about the heated exchange between Sonny and John in the hallway, prompting Anna to ask if criminal charges had been filed. “Not yet,” Dante said. Anna was relieved because she wasn’t eager to deal with Diane.
The conversation turned to Jack Brennan, as Anna shared that Brennan had been reinstated as an agent with the WSB. Just then, John barged in and demanded to have a word with Anna. “In private,” John added as he glared at Dante. Dante turned to leave, but John called out to him and advised Dante to “put a leash” on Sonny, or Sonny might find himself locked up. After Dante left, John informed Anna that Carly was a free woman because the audio file of Carly’s meeting with several mob families had vanished.
John complained that three years of his work—including the time and energy he had put into handling Jason Morgan—had gone down the drain. Anna pointed out that John had conflated the Pikeman case with the case against Carly, but they were unrelated. She reminded John that the Pikeman case had been resolved, even if it hadn’t been to his liking, but John pushed back and accused Anna of tampering with the evidence against Carly. “You made a deal with Jason, didn’t you?” John asked. He was certain Jason had agreed to let Anna tip off Valentin in exchange for Anna helping Carly.
Anna denied it, but John didn’t believe her. He was certain that she had tried to frame him because John’s credentials had been used the last time the audio file had been accessed. Anna chuckled because she realized that John would soon have to answer to his bosses about that. “What happened to you?” John asked. He reminded Anna that she had made an oath to protect and serve.
Anna assured John that she had been doing just that, but he disagreed because Anna had climbed into bed with the enemy by letting both Valentin and Sonny go free. “Well done, Commissioner. You’re protecting and serving—them,” John snidely said. After John marched out, Anna pulled out her phone.
In Ava’s suite, Ava and Scott discussed the possibility of Laura testifying. Scott was confident that Laura would be a good witness, but Ava had her doubts because Laura had had some bad press lately. Scott wasn’t concerned, but they would need more character witnesses because he was certain that Carly would convincingly lie for Sonny on the stand. Ava pointed out that Carly might not be believable once Carly was convicted of RICO crimes.
A short time later, Ava grew annoyed when she saw Scott text-messaging someone. He explained that he’d been notified that Kristina had been served. Ava was delighted because Kristina had always acted entitled and “high and mighty” like Alexis. Ava looked forward to Kristina crashing down to earth when she was forced to admit that Sonny was a “brutal lunatic.” Scott confessed that he would enjoy it, too. “It’s the least that Sonny deserves after everything he’s done,” Scott said.
Ava insisted that getting Avery away from Sonny would be the kindest thing that Kristina could do for her little sister. “Yeah, but she’s gonna fight like hell on the stand,” Scott warned Ava. Ava wasn’t worried because the odds were that Sonny would have a total meltdown when he saw Kristina take the stand.
Sometime after Scott left, John arrived. Ava immediately noticed that he was in a foul mood, so John told her about Carly’s hearing and the missing evidence. John was furious because he was no closer to putting Sonny behind bars where Sonny belonged. Ava conceded that Jason and Carly would always be loyal to Sonny, but Ava was certain that John would find another way to take down Sonny. John admitted that he felt bad because he had hoped to spare Ava from having to face Sonny in family court.
Ava shared with John that Kristina had been subpoenaed to testify against Sonny. John smiled wickedly when Ava assured him that Kristina’s testimony about the altercation between Sonny and Dex would trigger Sonny into having a spectacular meltdown in court. John revealed that Sonny had been easily provoked earlier at the courthouse. Ava believed John would soon be able to arrest Sonny on assault charges. John agreed because Sonny was a ticking time bomb.
As Ava and John talked about their plans for Sonny, passion sparked between them. Moments later, John pulled Ava into a heated kiss.
At Pozzulo’s, Sonny was in his office as he spoke to Brick on the phone, asking for a location on “Jagger.” After he ended the call, Sonny went to retrieve his gun, but he closed the drawer when he heard a knock at the door. It was Jason. Sonny made it clear that he had nothing to say to Jason, which was fine with Jason because Jason wanted to do the talking. Jason told Sonny about getting arrested on Cassadine Island, and his first encounter with John. Jason admitted that John had had Carly “dead to rights,” which he had used to force Jason’s cooperation. Jason speculated that the FBI had sat on the evidence for a year, waiting for an opportunity to use it.
Sonny asked if the FBI had asked Jason to flip on him. Jason revealed that the request had been made, but Jason had refused turn against Sonny. “So, you would have let them charge Carly before you flipped on me?” Sonny asked. Jason explained that it had never gotten to that because John had brought up Pikeman. Sonny wanted to know why Jason hadn’t turned to him as soon as the FBI had approached Jason about spying on Pikeman. Sonny insisted that he should have been the first to know because Sonny knew “Jagger” best.
“I’m his number one target. Always have been,” Sonny explained. Jason agreed, but he added that it hadn’t been obvious until recently. “You didn’t trust me,” Sonny said. Sonny accused Jason of going behind his back and getting played by Jagger, so Sonny was determined to look out for himself because Jagger would not stop unless Sonny put Jagger down. Jason advised Sonny against taking action because Jagger’s bosses would deal with the rogue agent.
“Jagger is my problem,” Sonny argued. “I’m gonna deal with him,” Sonny insisted. Before Jason could reply, Dante appeared in the doorway. Dante picked up on the tension, but Jason decided it was his cue to leave. However, Jason stopped in the doorway and turned back to Sonny to let Sonny know that he’d had a chance to save Carly the previous night by turning against Sonny, but Jason had turned the offer down. “Again,” Jason said.
After Jason left, Dante asked what he had walked in on, so Sonny revealed that Jagger had used Carly as leverage to force Jason to help with Pikeman, but Sonny had been the true target. “I believe you. Jagger crossed the line,” Dante said. Satisfied, Sonny informed Dante that Jagger needed to be taught a lesson, but Dante advised Sonny to let Jagger’s bosses deal with Jagger. Dante’s frustration mounted when it became clear that Sonny had no intention of backing down.
Dante assured his father that he wanted to help. Moments later, Sonny’s phone rang. Sonny let Dante know that their conversation was over, so Dante reluctantly left. Once he was alone, Sonny answered the call from Brick. After Brick shared that Jagger was with Ava, Sonny instructed Brick to get plenty of pictures.
At the police station, Jason joined Anna in the interrogation room. He was curious if he had her to thank for the evidence against Carly disappearing, but she admitted that erasing the audio file hadn’t been her doing. “Okay. Who did?” Jason asked. Anna told Jason about her visit with Brennan at the WSB office in Washington, DC. She suspected the WSB had tried to distance themselves from Pikeman by letting Brennan sit in Pentonville in order to control the pace of the investigation and buy some time to cut ties with Pikeman.
Anna conceded that Brennan was good at what he did. Jason agreed, but he wondered if Valentin had been in on it. Anna didn’t know, but she was certain the WSB had bankrolled Valentin’s disappearance, so she hoped Valentin and Charlotte were safe and living under new identities. Jason admitted that it made sense. “Except for one thing,” Anna said. She couldn’t figure out why Brennan would help Carly.
Next on General Hospital
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