12-23-2016 (Friday) CHRISTMAS EVE - PORT CHARLES

Alexis overhears Julian on the phone with someone, telling them that the only reason he is doing what they ask, is for the sake of his children.  Julian asks for an ice pack; Alexis throws some ice in a baggie, takes some out and puts in it a glass, pours vodka in the glass, and throws the bag of ice to Julian.  She then asks him what worthy cause he is undertaking for the “sake” of his children.  Someone knocks on Alexis’ door; she says she is not expecting anyone.  It’s a Christmas tree delivery; Alexis asks why he didn’t tell her he was having a tree delivered.  He apologizes and asks her to help decorate it; she does.  He gives her a present and again apologizes; he bought it right after their wedding, he says.  It’s a Christmas tree-shaped locket, with a picture from their wedding day in it; she asks him how they ever ended up there, and reminds him that this wreckage is all his fault.  She hands the present back to him; she says she doesn’t care how sorry he is.  She also says, she wishes it mattered.  He tells her she is only reason he is alive; he says when he was laying there in that parking lot, bleeding out, he felt himself starting to let go – her calling out to him was the only thing that brought him back.  She turns to him and asks “where are you, in there?”  He says his whole life played out inside his head; he held on to hope that they could find happiness again together – he says, “you are my breath…my heartbeat…my life.”  A little drunk now, she says, “there you are; I see you.”  They kiss!  

Anna hugs Emma as she plays in the snow; Emma says she can’t wait for her parents to get there tomorrow.  She then says she feels sorry for Charlotte because she won’t have her mother with her; she asks if they could go and see her.  Nina brings presents for Charlotte and watches her hang her stocking; she asks Valentin if she can open one of her gifts tonight.  Valentin sends a text to Lulu; he is inviting her and her family, mother included, to spend Christmas Eve at Wyndemere.  He sends a text to Anna next, inviting her to bring Emma.  They arrive, as do Lulu and her family; Charlotte is hugging Nina, thanking her for her present.  Lulu gives Charlotte her present; it’s a little beading kit.  Charlotte’s response is that Nina just gave her one.  She gives the extra one to Emma, who thinks it's awesome.

Anna begins questioning Valentin about how he knows her; she asks if he was ever in the WSB, knowing neither his current name nor his alter-ego ‘Leo Hart’ are listed on the WSB records.  He asks why she’s so obsessed with the truth.  She asks when he is going to tire of this cat and mouse game; he ignores her question to goes to play with the kids.  Dante gets called back to work; they are sending a police boat for him.  He wants Lulu to come with him, but she wants to stay a little longer with her daughter; she says she wants to watch their children play a while.  As she is leaving later, she tells Valentine thank you, but adds that it doesn’t change anything; she intends to have Charlotte with her next Christmas.  Valentin says he is sorry she wants it that way; he picks up Charlotte and speaks to her in French.  She tells Nina thanks for making it such a wonderful Christmas; Nina thanks them both for making it her best Christmas ever.  

Sam and Jason stand in the ‘snow,’ while Danny runs around; she tells Jason her mom was very clear about needing time for board preparation.  They decide to go to Sonny’s for a while.  Carly arrives at Sonny’s where Kristina has just finished hanging the stockings on the staircase railing; Sonny is happy to see her.  They show Avery the stockings and the Christmas tree; Carly wishes Sonny a Merry Christmas and he says it’s starting to look like it might just be one.  Just then, Nelle arrives, carrying a box; she tells Carly she thinks she got everything.  Sonny is not so happy to see her.  They pour drinks; Nelle stupidly (or on purpose) stands by Sonny, saying it doesn’t appear that Carly suspects a thing.  Kristina overhears and asks what they are talking about; Nelle says Sonny has a surprise for Carly.  Sonny sits down on the couch; Nelle sneaks over and tears a tag off one of her gifts, for Carly.  She says Sonny had her go shopping for him, since he couldn’t leave the house.  It’s a pair of leather gloves; she thanks him.  

Carly starts talking to Jason and asks when those two started putting their heads together; Jason gets a little nervous.  Sam interrupts and says Monica is expecting them; they need to go.  Jason asks to talk to Sonny a minute; tells him he and Curtis are working hard on exonerating him and asks him to just hang in there.  Sonny says okay; they leave.  Carly gathers the family, and includes Nelle, around the coffee table with a lit candle, to honor Morgan; she asks everyone to hold hands – Sonny tries to get Kristina to move on the other side of him, but she says she is good next to Carly; they have some mending to do, she says, as she grabs Carly’s hand.  Nelle kneels between Sonny and Michael; Sonny and Nelle are extremely hesitant to hold hands with each other.

Monica arrives at the hospital with the boys; Franco tells the boys he has presents for them stashed in the art therapy room and they go off with him.  Liz tells Monica that Tom Baker missed his parole appointment; she got a call from his parole officer.  Monica says she hopes Liz won’t be alone tonight; she looks at Franco and says, no, she will be safe.  Monica jokes that some people wouldn’t consider being with Franco, being safe; but she also says she knows how Franco is with is patients, and how he is with her kids.  Franco comes back out and takes Elizabeth aside; he says he can’t take it anymore – he has to tell her the truth.  Monica interrupts, saying it is time for the reading of the Christmas Story.  She includes a little prelude speech about being “good” and being “naughty.”  Her story tells that even if you’ve hurt somebody, or someone has hurt you, Christmas gives us the grace to forgive… she says people can be cruel; that there are bullies and devils, but there are angels too.  

The scene flashes from Sonny’s family memorializing Morgan, to the guests exiting Wyndemere (as Monica says, sometimes the angels don’t even know what they are doing, it shows Emma handing a picture to Anna, which she found in Charlotte’s room at Wyndemere - “bonus gift,” Emma says) and then flashes back to the hospital where everyone is gathered around, listening to Monica.  Franco pulls Elizabeth aside afterward, and tells her he did something to Tom Baker; she asks what.  Before he can tell her everything, Dante comes into the hospital, wanting to talk to Franco; great timing, Franco says.  Dante says Tom Baker has been found dead… he’s been stabbed to death.  Franco is stunned.

12-22-2016 (Thursday)

Julian has packed his bags; he is planning on moving into Alexis’ rather than having her come to his and Ava’s apartment to care for him.  He did not give Alexis a choice, simply telling her this is what he is going to do.  But what about the restraining order?  Jordan just questioned her about it the other day and she was clear, she did not want to drop it; how would she explain this?  Ava doesn’t think it’s a good idea; she says Alexis isn’t capable of caring for him; she is a “hopeless drunk.”  Flash to Alexis, with her coffee cup in her hand.  She walks to the living room, opens the cabinet and pours some vodka into her cup; it must taste much better that way.  The look of relief on her face is unmistakable.  Kristina comes down the stairs; she asks if Alexis is sick.  Alexis says she might feel something coming on; Kristina guesses that she might also be upset that she is leaving.  With Molly gone, and being alone, she guesses it’s “empty next syndrome.”  

Kristina offers to stay; Alexis assures her she will be fine.  She says she has had a rough year and could actually use some peace and quiet.  Julian tells Ava that the love he and Alexis share doesn’t just disappear; she questions how he can possibly say that when he tried to kill her.  He responds, he was never going to go through with it.  She asks him how moving in with her after blackmailing her is going to work out; she tells him they are too far past the point of no return.  Alexis does not love him, she says – he has to get over her.  He says he just can’t live with the way things are right now; she wishes him luck, saying she thinks he is going to need it and walks away.  He shows up at Alexis’ house; she lets him in, shows his helper out and tells him to get comfortable on the couch.  She lets it be known, he will not be sleeping in her bed; he jokes about not being able to get up the stairs anyway.  She thanks God for that.  

Franco, now, begins kicking the cage, trying desperately to break out of it.  His phone rings but he can’t reach it; it’s Elizabeth.  She leaves him a message; she says she and the boys can’t wait to spend Christmas with him.  He manages to break the lock by kicking the lid; he immediately calls Elizabeth.  He is out of breath, but tells her he’s just been really, really busy; he says he will see her tonight.  She smiles and hangs up.  Kiki runs into Dillon at the café; she apologizes for her reaction at Crimson the other night.  She says she didn’t mean to slap him; he apologizes for the comment he made about her choosing him over Morgan.  He says they both said things; he doesn’t want her to worry about it.  He wishes her a Merry Christmas and sits down.  Valerie comes in and sits down with him; Kiki listens from the counter.  Dillon tells Valerie the night they spent together was the best he’s had in a long time; Franco calls to see how she’s doing.  

Standing just outside of the café, holding two cups of coffee to-go, Kiki tells Franco she’s alright; just being silly and emotional tonight.  I’m worrying that Tom Baker is going to follow her again; but she makes it to her mother’s okay.  Ava invites Kiki to come with her tomorrow to visit her grandma, Dillia; Kiki declines, saying she really just wants to be alone.  Dillon tells Valerie he is having a hard time, seeing Kiki everywhere but not being able to be with her.  Valerie says she understands what that’s like.  Dillon and Kiki, separately, but at the same time, start looking on the internet; Dillon sees something and says that sounds like more fun than moping around, and Kiki says, “that’s what I’ll do.”  Franco goes to see his mother, who tells him that Elizabeth came to see her earlier; he mentions not having seen Liz in the past twelve hours.  Heather questions why not and starts giving him a hard time; maybe Elizabeth figured out she was right.  Maybe she doesn’t believe in him as much as she said.  Franco determines that he has to tell Elizabeth everything he’s done; he goes to the hospital and tells Liz that he needs to talk to her.  

Finn talks to Hayden; he tells her she can have her Christmas present early, if she wakes up.  Hayden’s mom comes to the hospital; Elizabeth shows her into Hayden’s room.  She asks Finn if Hayden is dying; she gets very upset when they explain everything to her, particularly when she hears “lizard DNA” was used in the serum.  She threatens to have Hayden moved and call the police; but then Hayden wakes up.  Finn checks her vitals and sends her blood for testing; she is out of organ failure danger.  Her mother is relieved; she tells Hayden she was so worried, and is thankful her sister called to tell her.  She tells Hayden she loves her; Hayden smiles.  Naomi apologizes to Finn, who then tells her to leave; he says, “Hayden needs to rest.”  Brad calls with the results of her blood test; there are no signs of the disease.  Finn found the cure!

12-21-2016 (Wednesday) FRANCO'S DREAM

Elizabeth goes to visit Heather Webber; Heather asks why… Elizabeth says she needs a favor.  She says she needs to find Naomi Dryefuss (Hayden’s mother); she tells her Hayden is dying, but Heather could care less.  Heather insists Liz stay and tell her what’s going on between Elizabeth and her son.  She says it’s none of her business; and she can keep her threats.  She starts to leave; Heather says she wasn’t warning Elizabeth about her.  Liz says Franco would never hurt her; Heather says to just wait until the real Franco resurfaces.  She tells Liz when he does, she better be prepared for the homecoming.  Elizabeth says the fact that he even comes to see her at all proves he has a good heart; she may not believe in Franco’s capacity to change, but she does… and more importantly, she says, Franco is beginning to believe in himself.  

Jason goes to ask Sonny a question about the Chinese connection; Sonny tells him what he knows and Jason starts to leave.  Sonny insists he stay and tell him what HE knows about the investigation; Jason says, nothing he needs to know.  Sonny thinks otherwise.  Sonny gets pissy, but Jason doesn’t want to give up any information until he is certain about it.  Sonny pushes him; he reveals his suspicions, but he says something still doesn’t make sense.  Sonny tells him he is going to kill Julian.  Jason talks him down and gets Sonny to agree to give him some more time to find out some more information.  Julian questions his own man about the van being parked in that particular spot, blocking the security cameras, and what he may know about it.  The man tells Julian if he has a theory about what happened, the “boss” would probably like to hear about it.  Julian chuckles and says that it was probably Sonny; he drops the conversation.  The man, who is sitting in Julian’s wheelchair, rolls into Julian’s leg and asks if he is set for in-home care; the boss is offering assistance.  The man leaves, telling him that they have their eyes on him.  

Maxie is planning out Sam’s baby shower, letting everyone know the itinerary; they are discussing the cake, inside, being the color of the sex of the baby (blue or pink).  Monica says that’s quite something; Molly says she can’t believe she got Sam to go along with it – Sam comes in at that moment and asks what they are talking about.  Monica tells Sam she is so excited; Sam smiles.  Kristina announces that she has put down a deposit on a place of her own; she is moving out of her mom’s next week, she says.  The girls question what their mom is going to do with all her spare time; she smiles, and says she’ll figure out something.  They open presents and laugh and talk, then it’s time for the cake.  Sam looks at it, half pink, half blue, and reads “find the answer inside.”  She gets a little upset with Maxie; Maxie apologies.  Sam says she’ll forgive her, as long as she doesn’t even think of cutting into that cake.  Maxie frowns.  

So, Tom Baker overpowers Franco and Franco is now laying unconscious on the floor; Tom says, “this dog is gonna have his day” and barks in Franco’s face.  Of course, Franco has no idea he’s doing this.  When Franco comes to, he is locked in his own dog kennel; somebody comes in the room.  He asks them to please let him out of this thing; this vision he has, of Sam, says it looks like she has him right where she wants him.  Sam, however, is talking to Carly at the Metro Court, where the shower is being held.  They go in to the room when Maxie announces that it’s time to get started.  ‘Sam,’ dressed in leather, comes into the studio and leans over the cage, reminding Franco of how he made her think he had raped her for 1305 days before he blew into town and told her it was all a joke.  Then she asks, getting real close to the bars, how she can possibly know he didn’t really rape her when the cameras were off; she adds, lastly, that because of his actions now, Tom Baker is out on the prowl – he’s probably looking for another victim right now – she tells Franco whatever happens, he set in motion.  She walks out; Elizabeth appears.  

'Elizabeth' tells Franco, Sam is right; he set this whole thing in motion.  She pleads with him, saying she knows he is better than that; there is goodness in him… she can see it.  But then she says, there’s also darkness; she asks why he did this.  She says she prayed that side of him was gone; she begs with him to find another way, saying he is stronger than the darkness inside of him.  She disappears.  Franco, himself, then appears outside of the cage; he asks himself; he says she is wrong… the darkness isn’t inside of him – it is him.  He is pure darkness.  Franco (in the cage) says no, “I got rid of you.”  Dark Franco kneels down and tells him, “that’s impossible, I am you, the real you” – the one who does all those delicious things he called art, he says.  He tells him he needs to get back to work.  

Caged Franco says he doesn’t do that kind of stuff anymore; Dark Franco mocks the ‘tumor defense’ and asks how he explains what he just did to Tom Baker, and the fact that he still hates Jason, wants to take him down and take what’s his.  He says the tumor just gave him the permission to be who he is; evil.  He tells him he knows what’s coming because he is the future, and he is way worse than people even think he is.  Caged Franco refuses to believe that; he says he is finally the man he wanted to be and has Elizabeth on his side.  Dark Franco says, “maybe” but he doesn’t have time on his side, Dark Franco says, because it’s running out.  He grabs the cage and electrocutes Caged Franco; Franco wakes up, grabbing the shock collar on his throat.  He screams for someone to let him out of there. 

Back at the Metro Court, Carly offers Sam some food; Jason shows up.  Sam asks how Sonny is doing; he says some days better than others… he hopes Sonny understands that he trying to be his friend.  Carly overhears; she calls Sonny.  She asks if he wants to come make a gingerbread house tomorrow, with Avery; he says sure.  Sam tells Jason about Maxie’s surprise cake; Jason suggests they cut into it and find out after all.  They decide to, but agree to keep the results to themselves.  The knife slides in as this episode ends.

12-20-2016 (Tuesday)

Tom Baker’s brother stops by to see if anyone knows where his brother is; Elizabeth asks Franco if he did something to Tom.  Franco looks shocked.  Tom gets out of the cage by picking the lock – he kicks Franco’s painting and tries to figure out how to get out.  Tom is pissed when he realizes the studio is locked from the outside; he starts looking for tools to pry the door open with.  Franco tells Tom’s brother that he has not seen his brother and would not do anything to make Elizabeth upset again – he says she has made him want to be a better man and he is going to do everything he can to be a better man for her.  Elizabeth hugs Franco.  Then they kiss; Franco says he has to go.  When he gets back, Tom is back in his cage; Franco decides to let him out.  He turns his back on him for a moment, offering to get him a glass of water, and Tom puts a cloth over Franco’s mouth.  

Kevin tells Laura that she has done the right thing, accepting a position on the board at the hospital; then it dawns on him, that would make her his boss.  Lucy comes up and starts making fun of Kevin for that very thing. After she walks away, they both admit that they are in love with each other and they kiss passionately.  Anna tries to remember who it was that used to whistle that song.  She asks Charlotte if she knows where her father learned it.  Emma offers to go to Wyndemere for a play date and spy on Charlotte’s dad; Anna says absolutely not.  Valentin comes over and offers to share a plate of cookies with Emma; she and Charlotte go to sit down at the table.  He asks to sit down with Anna; he tells her a story from her past, with so many specific details that she says it can’t be a coincidence… he claims the story to be his own, from his past, but she knows it’s from hers.  She knew him as somebody else back when she training to be a WSB agent.  But who?

Hayden stops breathing; Finn drops down the head of her bed and starts pressing on her chest… please no.  Without giving her so much as a breath, Finn grabs the defibrillator and shocks her heart three times; he tells her that’s as much as he can do, she has to fight for herself now.  He presses on her chest a few more times, and she starts breathing!  Are you kidding me?  Why don’t they show the proper CPR steps on these shows?!  Hayden asks what happened…Tracy tells her she died.  They tell her that Elizabeth saved her life by getting her to the hospital in time; Finn apologizes for trying to push her away before – he says he was always so afraid of dying on her; he never thought that she would die on him first. He kisses her and sets up the injection; Elizabeth and Tracy watch from the doorway

12-19-2016 (Monday)

Anna tells Dante she heard about Charlotte; she asks how he’s holding up.  She says she understands what he must be going through.  Valentin invites Lulu in; Charlotte comes running out in her new dress that Nina bought for her.  Valentin offers Lulu a drink; she says she has no desire to drink with him.  Nina comes out and asks what’s going on.  He explains to her that Lulu wants to get to know their daughter; he offers to have Lulu take Charlotte to see the town Christmas tree lighting ceremony.  When they walk out the door, Nina asks Valentin if he is crazy.  She tells him that Lulu is being possessive, like a child with a new toy, and she clearly doesn’t want to share.  When Dante sees Lulu back, with Charlotte, he is surprised; he gets a little upset when she tells him she went there without him, but becomes quickly understanding.  What a guy.  He apologizes; he says he was thrown.  He says he is all in; she smiles gleefully.  

Nina tells Valentin, as he helps her on with her coat, that he better prepare for the fight of his lifetime, because she knows from personal experience, there’s no telling how far a mother will go to protect her child.  Anna gets a call from Robert; he has no new information for her… the school rubble, he says, has revealed nothing so far.  She has Charlotte with her so Lulu and Dante can talk; Charlotte and Emma sit at a table outside, waiting for the tree lighting.  Anna recognizes a tune the girls are humming, which Charlotte taught to Emma; she recalls walking through an erie, white hallway while somebody down the corridor is whistling that same tune.  Charlotte says her Pappa whistles it to her when he puts her to bed.  Anna is very bothered by this information.  

Finn shares his secret with Brad, that he has had Blackwood Syndrome for the past three years; infected in New Guinea researching the disease.  He also tells him that Hayden has become infected with an accelerated form; but he believes he has found the cure.  Brad offers to stay and help him finish the formula.  Elizabeth comes by to check up on Hayden; she tells her she really wants her to get better.  Hayden believes she really means it.  Elizabeth tells Tracy they need to get Hayden to the hospital now; she can’t do anything more for her there.  They go; Finn and Brad continue working on the formula for the cure.  Finn comes to the hospital, the doctor on staff says he didn’t know Finn was back on staff; Finn says he is and says Hayden is his patient.  The other doctor leaves.  Finn tells Tracy he has the cure, he believes – he is going to inject himself to test it; before he does, however, all of Hayden’s alarms start going off.  Now, he must make a serious decision. Does he go ahead and test it on Hayden, first, instead?

12-15-2016 (Thursday)

Lulu and Dante discuss the fact that Charlotte has a father who isn’t going to make this easy; Dante says he has no problem loving the child, because it’s a part of her, and she seems like an amazing kid, but Valentin might make it difficult for Dante to be her step-father.  As they stand in the hallway of the hospital, Laura comes in to see Kevin; she asks what they are doing.  Dante gets called away; Lulu tells her mother she has a granddaughter.  Dante tells his mother the news; he questions whether he is ready to bring Valentin into their lives.  Laura asks Lulu how she is doing with all this; she says she’s giddy mostly – disappointed that she can’t carry Dante’s child and that Charlotte will always be tied to the Cassadines.  Laura tells her that doesn’t matter, because she is her mother and will give her all the love she needs.  Her mom says they will find the best family lawyer and fight for custody; she tells Lulu not to do anything crazy.  Of course, she goes straight to Wyndemere and tells Valentin that she is taking her daughter home.  

Curtis and Jason continue to harass the pawnshop owner a little bit, while being watched on a surveillance camera.  The owner denies being linked to any crime and “resents the inference” that he is; but they suggest he think real hard, real fast about where that tool set came from – and whether it was complete when he got it.  He says it’s impossible for him to remember every item that ever came in; he thinks he may have the paper records.  He can’t find them; Jason leaves his name and number and asks him to call if he finds out anything.  The owner goes into a back room and is talking to someone, whom it does not show us; he tells him that one of the men on the monitor left his name and number and he might recognize it.  He lays the note down on a phone; the man wears a red, silk robe.  

Alexis is still at Julian’s when Jordan arrives to ask him a few more questions about the hit and run; Ava is having fun with it, now that she’s told Alexis she knows everything.  Alexis is trying to look confident, but not doing a very good job of it.  Jordan questions why she is there when she has a restraining order against him.  Ava questions how harsh the sentence might be for the person who did this; Jordan says leaving makes it more severe.  Alexis excuses herself, but Jordan stops her and again asks why she is there, in violation of her own restraining order.  She claims she didn’t know Julian would be there; she came to talk to Ava.  Jordan is suspicious, but questions Julian about the bombing and leaves.  Ava leaves; Julian asks Alexis to get his medicine and order him Chinese take out.  There is some connection between the man in the red, silk robe and Julian and Jason; I wonder what that’s all about.  

When Maxie tells Nina that Charlotte is really Lulu’s daughter, Nina gets upset; she takes the Christmas dress she bought for Charlotte and says she has a business meeting.  She goes to see Valentin; she asks him why he lied to her… why he let Charlotte sit there on Santa’s lap, wanting nothing more than her mother, with her real mother just feet away, and not say anything.  He claims he was protecting Charlotte.  He promises never to lie to her again, saying he only did because he didn’t want to make her have to lie.  She buys it; they kiss.

12-14-2016 (Wednesday)

Maxie offers to throw a baby shower for Sam, who is suddenly in her THIRD trimester.  I thought last month, she was barely out of her first.  Sam tells Maxie she doesn’t need to do that; Maxie insists.  She picks up the envelope when it falls out of Sam’s purse and is extremely curious when Sam tells her it reveals whether their baby is a girl or a boy, but despite her pleading, Sam refuses to open it.  

As Carly and Sonny hang ornaments on the Christmas tree, Nelle stares at them with distain.  Carly gets a phone call; she asks them to hold on and questions Sonny about the recommendation he wrote for Nelle to get a job in Atlanta.  Nelle covers for Sonny, saying he just heard her saying she wanted to teach again one day as she was reading to Avery; he did it to be nice, to thank her for how much she’s helped them.  She tells Carly she isn’t taking the job though; she feels like she is home.  Carly thanks Sonny for doing that for Nelle, trying to help her; he tells her he would do anything for her.  

Ava brings Julian home from the hospital; Alexis shows up for her ‘caretaker’ duty.  Ava stupidly offers Julian a Bloody Mary to celebrate his release from the hospital… Alexis tells her that’s fine, if she is trying to put him into a coma.  She says she is going to give them some private time, and steps out into the hallway, glancing at the pitcher of Bloody Mary on her way out.  She reaches in her purse and pours another bottle of vodka into her coffee again, all the while, telling herself if she doesn’t do this, she will lose her law license.  As Alexis sips her spiked-coffee, she recalls driving over Julian, getting out and seeing him lying on the ground, bloody; she tells herself she just has to get through this.  Ava tells him to quit lying to himself, when he tells her Alexis did not do this on purpose; she begs him to tell her what is really going on.  He passes out from his medication, I guess.  Alexis considers dumping the rest of her drink out, but doesn’t; she goes back in.  Ava tells her, she knows the truth; Alexis acts like she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.  Ava says Julian told her; he wakes up.  He orders them to stop arguing, but they continue, slightly more civil; Alexis excuses herself to go to the pharmacy.  Ava reaches out and grabs her arm; several mini-bottles of vodka fall out of her purse onto the floor.   Ava realizes that Alexis was drunk when she ran her brother over; she threatens to report this to the cops.  

Dante and Lulu wait to hear the final results of the most recent DNA test being done on Charlotte.  Griffin comes back with the results, saying they have been double-checked by two different teams; both got the same result.  Charlotte is, indeed, Lulu’s daughter, fathered by the man who killed her brother!  Dante tells her that they need to get busy; they have to prepare for a custody battle.  He is taking this surprisingly well.  Lulu asks Dante if he is really okay with all this; their discussions are not hypothetical anymore – the embryo did survive, Charlotte is here; she asks him if he can really love her as a father, knowing Valentin was her biological dad.  He says he can love any child that is part of her. 

Carly then interrupts a conversation between Jason and Curtis, at a table in the Metro Court, where they are having coffee.  They are discussing the tools they found in the bag they dug out of the garbage; there were no fingerprints on any of the items, whatsoever.  Jason gets an idea; maybe they can get some information off the bag, itself.  The address of the restaurant is printed on the bottom of the bag.  When they check it out, however, they find a pawn shop where the restaurant used to be; they ask the owner if he knows the men they have pictures of.  He doesn’t notice anything familiar.  Jason shows him the tools; the shop owner doesn’t recognize those either… but he recognizes the bag.  He says he gives those out all the time; there were boxes of them in the back room when he took over the space.  He adds that he hasn’t sold tools like that in a long time though and apologizes for not being of more help.  Curtis asks to see a pocket watch, as Jason wanders off a bit; He sees something, and says it might be of help to them.  It is a tool kit with one missing tool; wire cutters, which fit perfectly into the empty slot.  He acts oblivious; Jason tells him these tools are link to the deaths of two of his friends and unless he wants to be linked to them, he should tell Jason everything he knows.  

12-13-2016 (Tuesday)

Michael tells his mother that Nelle disappeared from the terrace when he went to get their coats; Nelle walks into her room, strips off her shirt and tells herself it was stupid to go with Michael when she knew  it would make things harder – then she looks at the scar on her hip and says she won’t ever forget what Carly did.  (But I don’t think Carly knew Jax bought that kidney.)  Michael texts asking if she is okay… she is sitting on the floor of her room, looking at that letter which appears to be from her father, and listening to her music box.  Carly tells Michael she may be spending most of the Christmas holiday at his dad’s house; denying that they are getting back together though.  Sonny asks Jason if he is going to tell Carly what he knows now; Jason says it is not his place, and pleads with Sonny to tell her instead.  Jason insinuates that he may though, if Sonny doesn’t; Sonny says, if he tells, he risks breaking up their family for good.  

Carly shows up.  She can clearly see that she has walked in on a serious conversation; the guys claim it was just an update about the investigation on Julian.  Carly is there to talk about spending Christmas together, rather than missing Morgan separately, she says, they should be together; she can still tell Jason is bothered by something he is not telling her.  After she leaves, Jason tells Sonny that he won’t volunteer the information because he doesn’t want to upset Carly right now, but that if she comes out and asks about it, he’s not going to lie for Sonny.  Sonny says he can respect that.  Michael comes to check on Nelle; they talk, she apologizes for splitting, he is very understanding, they both agree that they each need a friend and decide to take a chance; they say, so what if things get complicated.  They say goodnight and Michael leaves; she goes back to her music box and takes out a little silver baby rattle?  

Hayden is now in her hospital bed again; she begins to have a seizure.  Finn injects her with some of the last of his medication… Tracy asks how much he has left; he says he is already rationing himself, so with both of them sharing, maybe two weeks tops.  Finn explains to Tracy that, although he has been sick longer, the illness is hitting Hayden much harder.  She was exposed to a concentrated dose.  He goes in to tell Hayden that he has to leave for a little while; Hayden thinks he is her father and starts to tell him that she doesn’t need him anymore, because she found someone else, someone who is good for her – she says his name is Finn, and she loves him.  When she regains her bearings, she asks him what happened; she doesn’t remember anything.  He leaves to continue his research and experimentation; Hayden mistakes Tracy now for her mother.  When Tracy realizes this, she sits down and takes Hayden’s hand and apologizes for not being a very good mother.  She says it wasn’t because she didn’t care, it was because she was inept; raised by the sweetest woman on earth, she says, she still always put profit first.  She tells Hayden she loves her so much, and seems to really mean it; she apologizes for not setting a good example.

Meanwhile, Finn is talking to Roxie (and gets an idea from her when he sees that she is shedding her skin); he tells her that she just might save Hayden’s life.  Tom Baker asks how long Franco plans on keeping him in that cage; he says as long as it takes to train him.  He gives him a little jolt with the shock-collar he put on him, just to let him see what it feels like.  Elizabeth shows up at his door, knocks and calls out his name; he tells Tom not to make a sound or he will turn the voltage up to Irish wolfhound.  He steps out into the hall and asks what she’s doing there; she said she is on her dinner break, so she decided to see him.  She wants to talk.  He tells her he is working on her Christmas present; he says it is something he has never done before.  She says she can’t wait to see what it is, then asks him to just back off of Tom Baker, telling him that she doesn’t need him to be a hero because, to her, he already is.  She asks him to come spend Christmas with her and the boys; he says he would love that.  She goes back to work.  Franco tells Tom that he is not going to kill him; he is just going to end his life, as he knows it.

12-12-2016 (Monday) LOST CHILD

Sonny apologizes to Jason, saying he’s just a little distracted; Jason says he could tell and asks if Sonny wants to tell him why.  Sonny insists he’s okay, but as Jason starts talking, his voice fades and Sonny’s mind wonders back to his and Nelle’s last conversation.  Jason realizes he hasn’t heard a word he has said (and neither have we).  Jason figures out what supposedly happened between Sonny and Nelle; tells Sonny he needs to tell Carly.  Sonny says he can’t; not if he wants any chance of getting back together with her… Jason asks what happens if Nelle tells her.  

Nina flaunts in front of Dillon that she has been “sexed up” (down, and all around); she asks if he doesn’t see a difference in her.  She says she hasn’t felt this good in a really long time; he congratulates her.  Tom Baker shows up at the bar, where Nelle is waiting to meet Michael; she blows him off completely.  He gets a phone call… from Kiki, who claims she has rethought his offer to take some pictures of her for modeling.  Franco assures Kiki that he will not hurt Tom; he is just going to talk to him.  She wasn’t going to leave until Dillon calls and asks if she would meet him at Crimson; she decides to trust Franco and agrees to leave him to it.  When she gets there, Dillon tells her that he has found her a job, as Nina’s new assistant – Nina isn’t ready to meet with her yet though and leaves them to talk.  She accuses him of setting her up with the job just so he could see more of her; he tells her that she is free to walk, adding that she is just punishing herself for choosing him over Morgan.  Kiki slaps Dillon, hard!  Dillon leaves; Nina shows back up and asks Kiki what she expects of him, because he’s crazy about her.  She tells Kiki she has to keep on grieving until she’s done and then she can move on, hopefully with someone like Dillon.  Kiki says hopefully, by then, it won’t be too late.  Franco, meanwhile, has captured Tom Baker and has him in a large dog cage; he says it’s “training” and they will have to see how long it takes.  Elizabeth tells Griffin she isn’t sure if enough is ever enough for Franco, but decides to go see Franco and tell him that he life is just better with him in it.  All forgiven.  

Dante grabs Valentine by the neck and shoves him against the wall; Valentine begs him to stop, telling him he is just as much a victim as Lulu is…  he says he was grateful for her family eliminating his father and brother and claims that this was all Helena’s doing.  Lulu is angry that he has kept her daughter from her for so long; he tells them that she hired Daphne to seduce him, she kept a sample and gave it to Helena.  He says he had no idea what was going on; when he learned, he stole the embryo and recruited Claudette to be his surrogate.  He acts as if he is giving this great gift to Lulu, and she is unsure of how to react.  She slaps him.  He leaves and Lulu tells Dante that she’ll be damned if this is a game she’s not going to win.  

Nelle tries to get out of going to the ball by saying her dress is not fancy enough; Michael tells to give him ten minutes and he will take care of it.  He comes back in a casual shirt and flip flops; she laughs and they go on their way.  After dancing a while, they talk; Michael asks her how she can stand to be around their family if there isn’t a part of her that resents them or blames them for what happened to her.  She claims to have no resentment at all; but when Michael goes to get their coats to leave, after telling her how bad the winter can be and saying it makes him wonder sometimes why he lives in Port Charles at all.  She says to herself that she has not forgotten why she came there.  When Michael comes back out, Nelle is gone.

12-09-2016 (Friday)

Jason is upset with Curtis, until he sees the additional footage from the drug store across the street.  They see a supposedly homeless man disappear behind the van and then reappear with a plastic bag, which he throws away; they decide they need to find this man and that bag.  They go dumpster-diving and after some digging and a rat frightening Curtis, they find what appears to be the bag in the video.  Ava asks if Julian has picked out a nurse yet; he tells her he has someone in mind.  Alexis wonders how she is going to get away with complying with Julian’s demand to be his caretaker and not letting her daughters know she is even talking to him; she pours another small bottle of vodka into her morning cup of coffee.  

As Julian is getting ready to tell Ava who he has chosen, Alexis walks in the door – she is smiling discretely.  She takes the confidentiality forms to Griffin and tells him she needs to know everything about his needed care through recovery.  He asks her how she could possibly be willing to take care of the man who tried to kill her.  She asks if he is still a priest and can keep a confidence.  Ava asks her brother why he would possibly want Alexis to take care of him; then she figures it all out… she realizes that Alexis must have been the one who did this to him and he is blackmailing her into caring for him.  Alexis tells Griffin she is hoping she can keep this from her girls because she’s not sure how to explain it to them.  She makes up a story about deciding to forgive Julian; Griffin doesn’t quite buy it.  

The obstetrician tells Valentin that the file clearly shows that Claudette was not this child’s mother; Valentin says he will have to clean this up fast.   The doctor lets the girls know that all they have to do is wait patiently and they can avoid dealing with the legal system – he locks the door again.  Maxie says they have to start making weapons.  He comes back in to get them and tells them they are free to leave the exam room, instructing them to put the instruments down.  He says they won’t be needing them; they walk out to find Valentin standing there.  Lulu slaps him across the face.  

He admits to being less than forthcoming, and offers to tell her something she really should know.  But just then Dante and Nathan barge in the door; Valentin says they all need to know this… he admits that he and Lulu are Charlotte’s parents.  Nelle comes over to Sonny’s to get her necklace; he asks her to sit down.  He tells her that he has gotten her a better job, with better pay, back in her home town again – she gets mad at him, and tells him that she doesn’t want to go back there.  She says she has no family, no one to go back to; she has a built a life here and come to care about people here and she does not want to leave.  She begs him not to send her away.  He agrees and they promise not to say anything to Carly about their secret; she records this conversation too.  Jason comes over to tell Sonny what he found out, and is surprised to see Nelle there; he asks Sonny what’s going on.

12-08-2016 (Thursday)

Monica, Tracy and Dillon lay a wreath on their family crypt; it’s a family tradition at this time of year.  They talk about the incident with Tom Baker and Elizabeth; Monica swears nothing like that is going to happen again.  Finn asks Tracy if she has seen Hayden this morning; he says she is sicker than she has ever been and it’s about to get worse.  She says she saw her and she looked okay.  Tracy says she has to get to a board meeting; they are going to be discussing whether or not Hayden gets to keep her job.  Finn says that’s the least of her worries; Elizabeth calls Finn… she has found Hayden, trying to ice skate.  She is about to pass out when Finn rushes in and catches her; she insists she’s okay, but he can tell she isn’t.  He asks what she’s doing; she admits she made a bucket list and fears her time is running out.  

Kiki is on the phone with somebody, wishing them luck finding a nanny for the price they want to pay; Tom Baker says hello again, welcomes her to the ‘club’ of those looking for a job.  She smiles.  She thanks him again for picking up her wallet the other day, mentioning what a pain it would have been to have to replace her license and everything; he introduces himself as a professional photographer and asks if she ever thought about modeling.  Dillon shows up in time to rescue her from this man’s scheme and tells her to stay away from him; he informs her that this guy raped Elizabeth (his cousin) when she was a teenager.  Kiki thanks him for letting her know.  Franco sits down on a bench next to Elizabeth, who is watching Jake play ice hockey; he offers her protection for when she runs into Tom Baker again.  It’s pepper spray, a whistle and a flashlight; he tells her he still loves her and he wants to prove it to her.  She tells him when he is violent like that, it scares her; he apologizes, and swears it won’t happen again.  She’s not sure she can believe it, but says she wants to… he asks her to promise she will use the stuff if she sees that guy; she promises and he leaves.  He sees Kiki leaving the diner, and tells her he wants to make sure that she and Elizabeth and every other woman in this town is safe; he says he needs her help.  She suddenly gets a sparkle in her eye and tells him that she has been desperately trying to figure out what to do with her life; making the women in Port Charles safe sounds pretty good to her!  

Nina is drinking coffee, while Valentin is on the phone with Charlotte; he asks if she had fun staying in the hotel with her nanny and implies that he sure had a fun night with Nina.  Nathan and Dante come to question Valentin, but don’t get around to it because Nathan gets upset when he sees Nina there.  Nina strongly defends her relationship with Valentin and calls him her ‘boyfriend’ telling her brother that she has a right to make her own decisions and to make them with whomever she wishes.  Go girl.  Maxie goes with Lulu to a doctor’s office in Manhattan, a “Dr. Charles Belamy” (the doctor on Charlotte’s birth certificate, according to Griffin); she wants to look at Charlotte’s records.  Maxie pretends to be a patient coming for a pregnancy test; the doctor is creepy and insists on examining her before even giving Maxie a blood test.  But Maxie consents, and in fact, insists the doctor take a second look when he tells her she is not pregnant (to buy Lulu more time).  While Maxie is in there, Lulu goes through the file cabinets; after a thorough search, she finds a file in the bottom of a drawer marked “Baby Cassadine.”  

The birth record lists Claudette as a surrogate for Valentin Cassidine; she is not Charlotte’s mother.  As she’s putting it away, Lulu drops the file and papers spread all over the floor; as she is trying to pick it all up, the doctor walks out and catches her in the act.  She swears she was just trying to see if her cheating husband got his girlfriend pregnant and begs him not to call the police.  He agrees and she goes back into the room with Maxie; Dr. Belamy locks them both in the exam room and calls Valentin to ask what he should do.  Valentin says it depends on how much they actually know.

12-07-2017 (Wednesday) THE TRUTH REVEALED?

Nathan catches Maxie trying to sneak into his email account; she is trying to figure out what his wedding surprise, for her, is.  She sweet-talks him into dancing with her… to practice for their upcoming wedding so he doesn’t get mad.  Then her phone rings, and she suddenly turns to grab it, pushing off of Nathan really hard and he falls backwards to the ground, hurting his back.  She worries he won’t be able to dance at their wedding now; he says a herd of wild horses couldn’t stop him from dancing with her after he marries her.  Sam, Jason and Curtis discuss why Julian would be so careful about some things and so sloppy about others; the van was so easy to find, Sam says.  Something isn’t right.  Curtis says he could talk to his ‘connections’ at the PD, but Jason asks him to wait until they get back to him.  Jason says going to the cops won’t help; Jordan won’t share information with them.  Curtis takes it upon himself to go talk to Jordan and says he has something she wants, which he will give her in return for the information she has that he needs.  He tells her he can get Lomax off of her back; she cuffs him to the desk.  

Sam and Jason go in for their first sonogram; the doctor asks if they want to know the sex of the baby.  They can’t decide; the doctor writes it down and puts it in an envelope… leaving it in their hands when they want to know.  Jason thanks her for the temptation.  Lulu tells Dante that her attraction to Charlotte is exactly like that which she feels for Rocco; she asks him if he thinks she could be her daughter.  She points out that she is the right age, and she looks like her; she thinks Claudette could have been hired as the surrogate when Daphne changed her mind.  Dante points out that Charlotte cannot be Lulu’s child because there is DNA proof that she is Valentin’s child, not Stavros(?) who’s DNA Helena had supposedly used to create Lulu’s missing embryo.  She points out that they are brothers…but Dante says, if she was not Valentin’s child, Charlotte would be competition for the estate and probably wouldn’t be alive; I think Valentin IS Stavros.  He reminds her that danger is why her mother sent Spencer away to school; Lulu agrees that makes sense, Charlotte probably isn’t her and Stavros’ child.  He offers to take time off of work, but she assures him she’s okay; they both still need to go to work – the Haunted Star has a New Year’s Eve party to finalize plans for.  Dante leaves, she bends over to get her coat and drops a bottle of lotion; she finds Charlotte’s hair band/bow on the floor and picks it up.  She goes to see Maxie; she tells her that she believes Valentin has her daughter and she needs Maxie’s help to prove it.  

Anna asks Andre for his help… discuss her problem with Valentin Cassadine and his alias ‘Theo Hart’ – the school he went to, which was just burned to the ground.  Anna is now sure Valentin was responsible for the file, to bury any evidence she might be able to uncover.  Andre suggests maybe he just hated the place that was the source of his abandonment and powerlessness; his unhappiness.  Anna remembers his reaction when she mentioned ‘daddy issues’ and says there is more to it; she knows it.  Andre asks why this case is so troubling to her; she says Valentin had been researching her and she wants to know why.  She adds, he seems familiar to her – his eyes, she says – like he knows her.  He asks if she thinks he has unfinished business with her; she says she just wants the truth…and it must be in the rubble of that burned down school.  

Nina touches a nerve when she mentions Valentin’s sad memories of Christmas; she shares stories of her childhood, and how her house was a place of socializing for business and her gifts came from assistants, adding that Christmas was always very glittery and extravagant, and very empty.  When she presses him for details, he refuses; she says she needs to get going, only to be told that a storm just blew in, the water is choppy and no one is leaving Spoon Island.  Valentin offers her dinner and wine, after she runs out into the storm, comes back in wet and gets dried off; she says it feels like the start of something.  He asks if that would be bad, comparing their histories with relationships, seeing a future with someone who didn’t see a future with him… when but Nina asks if that was Claudette, he shakes his head no and says something; however, the word or words he says is not understandable.  He says the men who disappointed her are idiots; she says maybe she’s lucky – she needed to live her own life and find out what makes her happy…who she was.  He tells her that is the most important lesson at all; get what you want yourself, don’t wait for someone else to give it to you.  She appreciates that he gets that; he tells her that’s a commonality, not being defined by their past.  They kiss passionately by the fireplace.  

Jordan tells Curtis, as a person of interest in the case, she could hold him for 24 hours… she suggests he do this the easy way.  He tells her about the van; that there was a camouflaged company sign on it and it actually belongs to Derik Wells Media.  He says that’s all the information he has, and she uncuffs him; she offers him a different angle of the footage from that night – it’s technically public record, she says.  A favor for a favor; she asks him to help make sure that Sonny doesn’t take the law into his own hands, pleading that he come to her first, not Sonny, if he finds out who planted the bomb.  Curtis takes a look at the footage; he is stunned.  He calls Jason and tells him what he has discovered.

12-06-2016 (Tuesday)

Lulu stares at Charlotte with intensity… and Charlotte stares back, smiling; there is a strange connection, Lulu says, she feels to this child.  She attempts to talk to Charlotte but is interrupted by Valentin, who insists they need to get headed home.  Lulu claims, at first, it’s probably just because the girl is related to Nikolas; but she can’t shake this strange attraction.  Laura talks to Kevin about the situation; she is worried about Lulu.  Nothing is mentioned, whatsoever, about Kiki in this episode – I am worried about Kiki.  Last we saw of her, she had taken an aptitude test online, supposedly discovering her true calling – with somewhat intense interest, she makes a phone call as she walks out of the diner; she bumps into Tom Baker, who looks her up and down very creepily.  She doesn’t seem to notice, and is her usual sweet, self, being very kind to her; he smiles.  As she rounds the corner of the building, he follows her.  This was last Thursday.  

Anna is still talking to Robert; he gives her some information, which she immediately looks up on her tablet – the Bedlington Academy, where Valentin supposedly lived as a child, has burned down to the ground.  They believe it just may have been arson and Anna believes that Valentin very well may be behind it.  Andre sits down at the table with her; he asks how she’s doing and she says she is fine.  He can tell something is bothering her though; he can also tell she won’t share any specific details at this time.  Andre and Jordan are still having difficulty with their relationship; neither one of them are sharing many details with each other at this time either.  Franco is still trying to process everything his mother said to him; at times, he probably feels like a balloon that is about to explode – and then there’s than pin-prick.  Can he help himself?  What can he do to convince Elizabeth that he is not a monster??  Elizabeth appears to be pretty freaked out by him again.  Things aren’t looking good for them; Franco really blew it this time, I think.

12-05-2016 (Monday) A VISIT TO SANTA

Anna is on the phone with Robert, still trying to find information on Belington Academy.  Laura happens by, on her way to the hospital for Rocco’s visit with Santa anyway; Anna asks if she can answer some questions about Valentin Cassadine.  She explains how he showed up at Halloween and announced he was the new owner, how he offered to let her stay (as if she would live with the man who killed her son) and how he was a perfect gentlemen when she turned him down.  

Anna appears to find this helpful.  Robert calls back to tell Anna about a fire at the school in Bedlington… the headmaster was killed and the school burned down.  Anna wonders if Valentin did this.  Sam and Jason are apparently still waiting for Curtis in front of the diner, discussing whether or not these two cases are even related.  Jason says he can think of at least two people who want Julian dead.  He says the first attempt was professional, the second was amateur.  Flash to Alexis, walking in to Julian’s hospital room; she tells him that she was just talking to the police.  She says, Jordan came by to tell her about his accident, and that it could have been a second attempt on his life.  Talking to him as if he doesn’t know it was her, she asks if he has remembered anything yet.  He says he could have died in the parking lot, if it weren’t for that good Samaritan who called 911; he says he’d like to thank that good Samaritan – and tells Alexis thank you.  

He then describes the action she took that night and says that’s a DWI; she looks a bit concerned.  But then gets cocky and says her memory of the events differ from his and there is no proof, only circumstantial evidence and points out his criminal background.  He agrees she may get off in a criminal court, but threatens to sue her civilly.  Curtis finally shows up; tells Sam and Jason that he offered his services to Julian again and he was declined… he says this confirms his theory that Julian does not want anyone to know who bombed his car.  (Maybe he did it himself.)  He tells them Julian basically threatened him if he stuck his nose in where it didn’t belong; Jason determines that Julian knows who planted the car bomb.  Why is he protecting that person, Curtis wonders.  Maybe he wants to deal with them on his own, or doesn’t want them exposed, because if they are, so is Julian’s past transgression.   Good theory, Jason says.  

Curtis suggest they get surveillance footage from the garage on October 7^th; Jason kisses Sam goodbye and they leave.  Alexis blames Julian for her losing her law license; she says she did what she did because she loved him and she thought he loved her.  He says he does love her; she asks him to prove it then, by letting this go and leaving her in peace.  He says he has a moral obligation to report her, because she needs help; she asks what he is going to do then. We don’t find out in this episode.  Carly tells Ava to get out of their house or she will rip her hair out by the root!  Ouch.  

Sonny laughs and tells Ava to try her ‘cause he’d like to see Carly kick her ass… Sonny tells her his daughter stays with him.  Ava asks if this means Carly is forgiving Sonny; Carly asks Ava if saying she loved Morgan justified the lies and betrayal.  Ava feels like they are “tag-teaming” her, and says it seems like they are back together; Carly looks confidently at Sonny.  Carly reminds her that they have the tape of her having sex with Paul Hornsby; and that Paul killed five or six people, suggesting that Ava knew and could be implicated.  Ava says that’s ridiculous; Sonny steps forward and tells her that she needs to leave now and can pick up Avery on her regular day.  She says they deserve each other and walks out.  

Jason and Curtis find a delivery van parked in a warehouse and decide to check it out.  Michael asks Nelle if she would rather stay home, studying the fundamentals of chess.  She says maybe so; he asks for one good reason why she shouldn’t go.  She says “easy, your mom.”  But after some convincing, she agrees to go; she complains about not having money for a ball gown though, and Michael offers to help with that.  He tells her he has friends at Crimson; they can borrow one and jewelry, shoes, whatever – he’s sure it won’t be a problem.  She tells him she would be afraid of spilling something on the dress or losing the jewelry… she reaches up and realizes that her necklace is gone, not valuable but meaningful to her.  She remembers getting undressed in Sonny’s room and figures her necklace fell off there; she tells Michael she thinks she knows where it is.  

When Lulu and Dante bring Rocco to see Santa, Nurse Amy stupidly asks him if he is excited about getting a new baby brother or sister.  She leaves; Dante asks Lulu if she is okay… she says yes.  They turn and come face-to-face with Valentin; Dante tells him to stay away from his family, but Valentin says that won’t be possible.  He says they live in the same town, their children will go to the same school; he suggests they get used to seeing him around.  He goes to get Charlotte for her visit with Santa.  Charlotte is very polite to Santa; when he asks if she wants a pony for Christmas, she says all she wants is her mommy.  Lulu, having gone back to look for Rocco’s list, overhears this little girl and something instantly hits her; she looks and Charlotte looks back at her – could this be Lulu’s child?

Personal Soap UPDATE - December 2016

Alright, so I've had to take the past couple of weeks to concentrate on other things; my apologies to those of you who depend on me for 'current' updates weekly.  I have been in the last two weeks of my final required course (Professional Development in Pastoral Counseling) and have been working furiously to get my first Children's Book out in time for Christmas!  "This is The Way I Brush My Teeth" is going to be the first of a "This is The Way..." series; it is an instructional book that teaches children proper toothbrushing techniques, using ryhme for better memorization of the instructions.  Available through Xlibris.com in just days, this would make a GREAT CHRISTMAS PRESENT for anyone who knows a child who is struggling with the delicate task of learning to brush his or her teeth.  I will post a direct link for ordering as soon as it is available.

DON'T FORGET... A Letter to Heaven, Part 1, The Loss is available NOW!  For anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one, or anyone who is questioning the existence of God, this is the PERFECT GIFT.  Sharing my knowledge of both subjects, I am opening my life to the world in this grippingly touching, and spiritually enlightening 300-page inspirational novel!

Meanwhile, I have also been working extra side-jobs to earn money needed to get through this month; it has been a rough one.  PLEASE SHARE THE ABOVE LINK with any or all of your friends - it would be MUCH appreciated.  I will do my best to get caught up on both, GH and Days, before I fall three weeks behind!   I promise.  I now have a break from school, until January 12th, when I begin the process for taking my DQE (Doctoral Qualifying Exam) - then I spent the next year preparing and defending my final dissertation for graduation Spring/Summer of 2018.

THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!

12-02-2016 (Friday) SPONSORED BY TOYS FOR TOTS

Alexis is having a cup of coffee at the diner; she pours a small bottle of vodka into her cup.  Anna comes into the diner and sits down by her.  Anna tells her about thinking Charlotte may have been Duke’s granddaughter, Griffin’s battle in court to try to get custody, etc.  She asks Alexis if she has any information on Valentin that she can give her; Alexis says he despises Valentin, but has bigger problems right now, like her ex-husband…but agrees to help.  She tells him he was shipped off at five years of age; there was no mention of his mother.  The school name was Bedlington Academy and that appears to be all she knows.

Ava comes to see her brother; she thinks Sonny was the one behind the hit and run… he tells her not to go provoking Sonny.  He doesn’t want to tell her it was Alexis because he is trying blackmail Alexis again.  She agrees not to do anything as of yet and kisses him goodbye (on his forehead).  Sam and Jason are waiting to meet Curtis, who is five minutes late; Sam asks Jason if he still thinks he can trust him… Jason says he never said he trusted him.  She asks what if Curtis is playing him; Jason says they have to take that chance because they are running out of time to prove Sonny is innocent.  Curtis shows up to see Julian and tells him he needs him to figure out who is out to get him; Julian says he doesn’t and says he’s not giving Curtis another dime.  

Carly sits down on the couch next to Sonny; she tells him she reached for him this morning and he wasn’t there – she doesn’t want to be apart anymore… sounds a little like a dream.  They kiss; Carly becomes Nelle, telling him she loves him too.  He wakes up with a start.  Carly shows up and asks if he had a nightmare; she then tells him about Julian getting run over.  He asks if she thinks he ordered it; she says no, but the police might.  He agrees they will probably come question him.  She tells him also, knowing that he was not responsible makes the grief of Morgan’s loss more bearable.  He lets her know that what she wants matters to him, enough for him to change.

Nelle is listening to her recording of Sonny when Michael walks up and asks what she’s listening to; he really wants to brainstorm ideas for a Christmas present for his mom.  She comes up with some good ideas; he also asks her to go to a “Toys for Tots” benefit with him, next Monday.  Kevin and Laura wake up in bed and he asks if she has any regrets; she tells him none at all, noting all the things she likes about him and says her life is better with him in it.  He says he feels the same way about her; they kiss.

People are putting toys in the “Toys for Tots” bin at the hospital when Dante and Lulu get off the elevator on their way to pick up Rocco from the daycare (where Tracy dropped him off this morning).  Lulu is curious as to where her mother ended up going.  They see Valentin talking to Nina; Valentin asks Nina to go somewhere with him and she tells him she has to wait for Santa to arrive because she is in charge of the toy drive.  She then tells him that Anna was warning her against him and everyone else seems to think he is a dangerous man; she also says that he is a good father to Charlotte and that carries a lot of weight with her.  He whispers something in her ear and she smiles.  Ava comes to talk to Sonny; she tells him they need to renegotiate the custody agreement.  He refuses.  She accuses him of having her brother run down in a parking lot and says he will be getting 2 life sentences back to back.  She asks why she shouldn’t be with her.  Carly speaks out, saying that she is the reason.

12-01-2016 (Thursday) KIKI IN DANGER?

So Griffin pulls Franco off of Tom Baker; Franco tells him that if he goes near Elizabeth again, he will kill him.  Tom starts to walk away, Franco breaks loose from Griffin’s grip, tackles him and starts strangling him.  Tom Baker stands up and asks Elizabeth which of them is really the monster.  Monica comes to see what the ruckus is all about and tells Tom Baker to get off of the property; she then tells Franco that he has to leave too, because GH has a 100% no-tolerance for violence policy.  He is suspended for two days; Elizabeth mentions that he scared her and he says apparently he will always be a monster in her eyes.  Griffin asks Liz if she’s okay; she says she is uncertain about Franco now.  

Dillon meets Kiki in front of the diner; she’s looking for another job.  He suggests she take this time to figure out what she wants to do with her life instead; they sit down for lunch.  He tells her he wanted to be a film-maker, but found his ‘niche’ in photography; he says it seems like getting a job as a waitress would be her just putting off chasing her dreams… but she says, in order for it to mean that, she would have to have a dream.  She does not even know what she wants to do with her life.  She decides to take a Career Aptitude Test, the results of which are not revealed.  

Lulu and Dante are in their new home; they start making out on the couch when Laura walks in the door and interrupts them.  She apologizes for cramping their style and gives them a gift card for a honeymoon night at the Metro Court for this evening.  They go pack their bags and enjoy a romantic evening.  Laura returns a call from Kevin, who suggests he cook dinner for them, even offering to bring it to her there; she declines and he is slightly disheartened.  Still, he is understanding, saying they will do it another time then.  Tracy stops by with a bottle of wine to congratulate the newlyweds; after Laura thanks her for all she has done for Lulu, Tracy suggests they have a drink together because they never have in all the time they’ve known each other.  Laura laughs in agreement.  They toast to Lulu and Dante; Tracy asks how things are going with Laura and the good doctor… Laura admits that she blew him off tonight.  Tracy coaxes her to get dressed and go out, offering to stay with Rocco herself.  Monica, as Chief of Staff, asks Kevin to assume the responsibility for something…but we are not told what it is yet; Kevin sits in front of a tile wall, saying somebody has to do it, it just as well be him.  It’s a Santa Suit, we come to find out, when Laura shows up at his door wearing nothing but her fur coat; Kevin explains that Monica put him on ‘Santa duty’.  Laura is embarrassed but Kevin is delighted with her presentation.

Valentine offers Anna a drink after she guesses the phrase represented the motto of the WSB – he says she is over thinking things… he simply wanted her to look at him without prejudice, to see that he isn’t a threat to anyone, claiming he was just a lonely student, in boarding school who studied a lot.  Anna doesn’t believe him.  She asks what his name was, as a child, saying there is something about his eyes – they are familiar to her.  He refuses ever knowing her.  He asks if she anymore questions; she asks where he spent his lonely childhood and he responds by saying he tries not to dwell on it… then mentions that you can learn a lot from books and discusses Shakespeare, correcting the history books.  He says the only reason Richard the III lost the battle at Bosworth is because he trusted the wrong person.  Anna notes that he is not going to make the same mistake.  He says, “I hope not.”  To which, Anna replies, “good talk” and promptly leaves.

Nathan and Maxie are about to kiss when Nina knocks on their door; she needs to go over some articles for the magazine with Maxie.  (‘Maxie’ is looking much more like herself now; definitely healthier these days.)  She sits down and says she was “distracted” earlier – Nathan understands this to mean that she was with Valentin (which she was).  Nathan tells her that she should keep her distance from Valentin; then comments that maybe she sees Charlotte as another chance to be a mother.  Nina gets mad and tells him she has a right to make her own decisions, noting that she saved a company and is a grown woman… she says if spending time with Valentin and Charlotte is a mistake, it’s her mistake to make and not his.  She leaves mad.  Anna finds Nina at the café and starts talking to her about Valentine, noting that Nina is on his side.  Nina starts talking about the boarding school he was sent to; Anna asks if she knows where this was.  England, Nina says, a town named Bedlington, but she gives no further information.  Anna makes a phone call for information on this boarding school.

Franco goes to see his mother; she isn’t her usual “up” self… she’s laying her head on her arms, on the table, not looking at him.  She’s mad at him because he ratted her out – telling how she was getting out and that she tried to kill Lucas and Bobbie.  He says he needs her help figuring out what to do because he feels the darkness and anger returning and he can’t seem to stop it, especially when the recipient is so deserving.  She tells him he’s like a balloon; all it takes is a pin-prick and he’ll explode.  She says he has to decide if Tom Baker is that pin-prick or not.  Kiki drops her wallet as she is leaving the diner.  Tom Baker picks it up and hands it back to her; she says thank you and he follows her.

11-30-2016 (Wednesday)

Nathan meets with Anna and Griffin; he tells them so far there is no trace of Claudette.  Maxie gets a phone call; is it Claudette?  Anna asks about leads on the man that was with Claudette; nothing.  He says Candadian authorities are looking too, but so far no leads.  Claudette is rambling so fast, Maxie can’t understand her…then they get disconnected.  Nathan leaves to go back to work; Anna tells Griffin she is not giving up.  She determines that there is definitely a connection between Valentine and the WSB; she explains it used to be a corrupt organization until Robin’s father took it over.  She tells Griffin about the words Valentine said to her and the fact that he seemed familiar when they met.  Nathan gets home and Maxie tells him about the call; he calls back and says it wasn’t Claudette – it was “Paris” – he says it was about a present he got her.  She tries to get him to tell her what it is, but he refuses regardless of her attempts to persuade him.

Franco comes into the hospital to see Elizabeth; he asks her to go to New York City with him.  She tries to make excuses but Franco is relentless, saying there’s an art show he wants to go to; she gets the feeling he is lying to her and demands to know what this is all about.  He tells her Tom Baker is there at the hospital right now.  He tells her to get her things and meet him back by the elevators; she turns around and runs into Tom Baker.  She questions why he’s there; he claims to be working… Franco hears and comes back.  A man comes around the corner and says Tom is working for him and hands them papers; Franco says he doesn’t care and grabs him.  Griffin, now at work, intervenes.  Franco tells Tom he better stay away from Elizabeth or he will make him pay.

Nina goes to see Valentin at Wyndemere, carrying a Christmas present for Charlotte; it’s an American Girl doll.  Valentin thanks her and tells her he hopes she will make frequent visits; Charlotte gives her a hug.  He mentions wanting Charlotte to have a better childhood than he did; Nina asks about his childhood.  He just says he didn’t grow up in a big house; she asks what happened to him as a child.  He says maybe it’s time is talked about it… he says he was sent away to boarding school and never went home (not even for Christmas).  He says he didn’t get along with anyone because he was “different” from the other kids.  She asks in what way; he says he never fit in and went looking for trouble, and found it.  Nina says she understands what it’s like to be an outsider, longing for love and acceptance, and offers to tell him about it sometime.  He says he would like to have a lot more of her time.  She says she needs to get back to the office but tells him to call her if he needs help with Charlotte; he kisses her at the door, taking her by surprise – Anna walks up and apologizes for interrupting.  She asks him what that Latin phrase he whispered to her meant; he says she should know.

Sonny tries to tell Carly that the extra glass was from Max stopping by; Carly asks when Max started wearing lipstick.  He then says Diane came over too; that one must have been hers.  Carly mentions Jax leaving; Sonny acts as if he doesn’t know anything about Jax.  She tells him that she wants to tell him what happened between her a Jax; she says she was hurting, and tried to hide from the pain by kissing Jax.  She swears it didn’t go any further and she’s only telling Sonny now because she wants honesty in their relationship; he tells her it may be too late for that.  She asks what he means by that, admitting that jumping into bed with Jax did cross her mind.  He tells her she has nothing to be sorry about and she leaves.  Dillon walks in and scares Kiki, who is enthralled in a book she recently found.  Dillon says it is a depressing story; Kiki says she is reading it, remembering what a different person she is today from when she was in college.  He says maybe a book about a women who wrecks her life isn’t the best choice for her right now; he asks her to go on a skiing trip with him.  She tells him all the reasons she shouldn’t; he suggests they go to Niagra Falls instead, to see it freeze.  Carly walks in and asks to talk to Kiki; then she changes her mind and starts to walk away… Kiki asks Carly if she would like to have her gone, thinking she should reconsider her employment at the Metro Court.  They both agree that might be best.

Nelle comes down and Sonny tells her he is sorry, saying what happened was his fault because he assumed Jax and Carly were sleeping together; he says it’s okay though because it’s over.  Nelle asks what if it isn’t? She says she is not a good liar; she’s not sure she can face Carly after this.  Sonny tells her that he is a believer in telling the truth, but in this case, it won’t help anybody.  She says maybe they should just tell her because Carly is going take one look at her and know the truth; he says that’s not going to happen.  He says it would hurt Carly worse, saying you can’t unburden yourself at someone else’s expense; he apologizes for being drunk and sleeping with her.  He says if she needs anything moving forward, he is there to help and walks her to the door.  She listens to a recording on her phone of Sonny taking full responsibility for them sleeping together and telling her Carly can’t know they had sex.  She says, “Gotcha.”

11-29-2016 (Tuesday)

Jordon comes in to see Julian, telling him he has internal bleeding, broken ribs, a broken foot and ligament tears.  She asks if he remembers what happened last night.  Other than being hit by a car, he doesn’t remember.  Jordan leaves, telling him that she will find the person responsible, despite who he is.  Molly comes into Alexis’ and tells her she was worried after she didn’t come home; she asks where she was all night.  She tells Molly she needed to take a drive and clear her head after her visit with Diana; she starts clearing up the bottles on the bar.  Molly asks if she’s okay; she snapps back, saying no, “I’m not okay.”   She tries to just blow it off as a culmination of everything coming down on her; Molly tries to cheer her up, telling her she will be getting her license back soon.  Alexis isn’t so sure that will happen now.

Finn goes to see Hayden; he freaks out when she isn’t in her bed and asks Tracy if she knows where she is.  Hayden comes out and says she was in the kitchen.  She gives him a hard time about being so worried and tells him that she needs to go to work; he tells her she can’t go… her tests results are back.  She tested positive for the same disease he has.  She asks him if she is going to die today and he says probably not; she tells him that she is going into work then and will talk to him when she gets back.  Tracy asks Finn if he has enough medication to keep both him and Hayden alive; he says not even close.  Tracy offers to call one of her contacts, but Finn doesn’t want her to get in trouble; he says he is going to get back to work on finding a cure.  She smiles.

Franco tries to have a conversation with Olbrecht, but he is distracted by his phone, which has a GPS tracker on Tom Baker; he tells her it pisses me off that this man who attacked Elizabeth is out running around.  He tells her that this guy says he’s reformed, but he knows that’s not true because he is reformed.  Olbrecht tells Franco there is nothing he can do other than wait for the man to do something wrong and get arrested again.  He says there has to be another way to protect Elizabeth.  Elizabeth finds Hayden crying by the vending machines at work; she tries to talk to her and Hayden turns around and hugs her, still sobbing.  A minute later, she pulls back and asks herself what she is doing, commenting that Elizabeth is the last one she wants to be with right now.  Bobbie gets a delivery of flowers (at the hospital); she wonders who they could be from.  Carly tells her they are from her.  They end up talking about Nelle and Bobbie admits she may be being too judgmental and tells Carly she hopes she is actually there to support her.  She thanks her for the flowers; Carly says she just wanted her to have a good first day on the job.

Sonny asks Nelle to tell him exactly what happened, when he wakes up and finds her in bed with him; she acts as if she thought he would remember.  He recounts the events of the evening that he does remember, but it ends with her giving him that glass of scotch.  She tries to explain to him that after helping him to bed “one thing led to another”… she begins to fake cry; Sonny tells her it’s okay and she doesn’t need to cry.  She asks how she will ever be able to face Carly again; she doesn’t want to disappoint her.  She asks Sonny to please not tell her about this; he says she’s not the one Carly will be angry at.  She says she doesn’t want her to be angry at anyone.  She begs him again not to tell; Carly walks in the front door.  They hear her calling to see if anyone is home; he goes down to talk to her, telling Nelle to stay there.  He asks Carly what she wants; she says she just wanted to check on him and needs to ask him a question.  She asks if Jason has come up with any leads on who planted the bomb; he says no.  She then tells Sonny that it’s not fair for her to keep punishing him, so she is going to stop; she says Morgan wouldn’t want that from her.  They reminisce about past holidays and Morgan’s antics.  Carly mentions Christmas coming and says they need to look out for each other; then she sees the two glasses on the coffee table and asks Sonny who was there with him last night.

Jordon comes to see Alexis; she tells her he is in the hospital.  Alexis asks why; Jordan tells her…saying whoever it was, took off.  Alexis asks if there was any security footage or witnesses; she says no.  Alexis asks then if Julian is awake and remembers anything; Jordan says no, unfortunately, he has no recollection of the accident.  Jordan tells her this may be another attempt on his life; she also mentions that Julian still vows to love her and that makes her a target too.  Alexis says she will be careful and gets the door for her.  Molly suggests they go shopping as ‘retail therapy’ but Alexis says that doesn’t sound fun to her.  She suggests Molly go by herself; after Molly leaves, the phone rings.  It’s Julian.  He tells her that he wants her to come visit him; he says she owes him that much.

11-28-2016 (Monday)

Julian wakes up in the hospital… he doesn’t remember what happened after pulling the wishbone with Ava.  She tells him that was hours ago and asks how he feels; he says, like he wants to die.  She gets angry at that statement, and even more so when he tells her to call his kids so he can see them one last time.  She says she’ll call the kids, but reminds him that she and he are survivors; he then tells her that he didn’t get back into the business because of her – Valerie shows up to get information, interrupting the confession.  Ava tells her that she thinks this was another attempt on Julian’s life.

Jordan confronts Andre about answering her phone and telling Curtis to leave her alone.  She’s pissed, mostly because Curtis was actually calling to tell her about a homicide – out of respect; Andre retorts with sarcasm and they end up in a fight.  She tells him she does not want to go anywhere with him anymore; he leaves.  Sam and Jason are having lunch with Danny at the diner; they are discussing Alexis – Sam is sure her mom wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize getting her license back, but she is confused about where Alexis disappeared to after Thanksgiving dinner.  Curtis comes in to talk to Jason; Jason and Sam tell Curtis that Oscar Jessup is dead and the company that was on the sign, on the van the witness saw, does not even exist.  Curtis runs into Jordan in front of the diner; she says he is the last person she wants to see.

Alexis can’t believe what she has just done; she swears she thought the car was in reverse.  She gets out and sees Julian lying there, bloody and bent; she gets out and goes over to him, shaking him and telling him not to die on her.  She takes his phone and calls 911, then sloppily wipes it off, and tosses it a distance.  She tells Julian she’s sorry, but splits when she hears the ambulance coming; no one appears to come out of the bar during all of this, so no one seems to have seen it happening.  She makes it home; she has blood on her shirt-sleeve.  She has flashbacks of driving over Julian; she pours herself another drink.  Jax shows up on her doorstep; Alexis hugs him.  They sit down on her couch to talk and he notices the blood on her sleeve; he asks what it’s from.  She admits to him what she’s done and asks if he would call the hospital to check on his condition.  Alexis is relieved to know that Julian is alive.  Jax tells her she needs to check herself into rehap; she agrees to do that, tomorrow – Jax says she needs to do it now.Joslyn asks Jax if he would stay through Christmas, they discuss the possibility and he says he might be able to do that; he gets a phone call, though, telling him that his mother is sick and he needs to get back to Australia.  Joslyn questions her mother about her feelings for Sonny, after she sees that she had missed a call from Sonny; she tells Jos that there is good in Sonny and she is confused about her feelings for him.

Nelle let it slip that Jax and Carly were kissing; Sonny asks her if they are sleeping together.  She tells him she doesn’t know that, only that he was originally going to stay at the Metro Court and then decided to stay there with Carly.  Sonny is pissed.  He starts to tell Nelle how he and Carly got together, saying it wasn’t love at first, it was mutual self-destruction; but then Morgan came (with her self-destructive joy and his rage).  He then goes on to say now Morgan is gone; and he assumes that Jax is sleeping with his wife.  While he is telling this store, Nelle breaks on a capsule and puts some kind of powder into his drink.  She hands it to him when he finishes his story.  He continues to bitch about Jax moving in on Carly and starts to say that he is going to make him pay, heading for the door; Nelle stops him and reminds him that he’s wearing an ankle bracelet and cannot leave the house.  He tells her she should go, then admits that he is getting tired and lets her help him up to bed.  She offers to help him get his clothes off; he passes out after getting in bed and she gets undressed and curls up beside him.