Patrick was having drinks at Jake's and telling Coleman how "hot" Robin's mother, Anna, was. Robin overheard all and confronted Patrick. She was sort of kidding as she got Patrick to admit that he thought Anna was a cross between Lara Croft and Emma Peel. Coleman gave Robin some nice compliments and Patrick got jealous. He and Robin moved to a table where she continued to tease him and he tried to dig himself out of his predicament. When Kelly and Lainey showed up to join their conversation, Patrick was outgunned, so he decided to leave the girls to gossip among themselves. Robin bemoaned being fat and ordinary, instead of sexy and exciting like Anna. Her friends commiserated with her.

Jason and Claudia hunkered down in an abandoned cabin and dodged bullets. During a lull in the shooting, Claudia tried to convince Jason that her father was responsible for shooting Michael. Jason wanted to know if she had hard proof. She said she could get it. He asked if she meant to say "manufacture" it. Claudia tried another tack. She tried to drive a wedge between Sonny and Jason and hit a nerve when she asked Jason if Sonny had ever let him down. She accused Sonny of being selfish and putting his needs before everyone else's needs and not coming through for Jason on the one occasion he needed Sonny. Jason did not give anything away. He told her to stop talking or he would leave. Claudia kept skewering Sonny, and when she accused Sonny of letting Michael get hurt, Jason left the cabin. Claudia stayed put. Later, Claudia hid when she heard a noise. Her father's hit man entered the cabin, determined to complete the job. Claudia tried to get the drop on him, but he overpowered her. As the hit man was about to shoot Claudia, Jason entered the cabin and aimed his gun at Claudia's assailant, who threatened to drop Claudia if Jason did not drop his gun.

Down on the docks, Spinelli faked an illness to keep Devlin from leaving town. While Maxie and Mac called for an ambulance, Jerry told Devlin to wave "bye" to his boat out of town and to stay in Port Charles where he could be found. Upon arrival at the hospital, Devlin tried to leave Spinelli to the care of others, but Maxie and Spinelli managed to subdue the deadly doctor with a sedative meant for Spinelli. They wheeled Devlin down to the morgue to use a computer to check Devlin in to a padded cell until Jason could interrogate him. They were foiled by Epiphany who sent them scurrying away, while Devlin remained undetected in the morgue. When they arrived back at the morgue, a coroner was holding a spinning autopsy saw. Both Maxie and Spinelli feared for Devlin and yelled, "Stop!"

Lulu raced to Sonny's side after Johnny shot him, but Sonny was unharmed. His sidearm absorbed the bullet. Johnny was unmoved in his determination to find Claudia, who he feared Sonny was holding. When Sonny repeated the words, "For all I know the bitch could be dead." Johnny pointed his gun at Sonny and prepared to fire. Lulu stopped him. Sonny noted that if Johnny killed Sonny he would also have to kill Lulu. Johnny left, but not before telling Sonny that he would come back and finish the job if Claudia got hurt by Sonny. Sonny got tough with Lulu when she asked why he pushed Johnny so hard and practically dared him to shoot. He told her that he wanted to find out how far Johnny would go and had learned what he needed to know. Sonny was glad that Lulu had come over for Kate's PDA, because she saved his life. She said that Johnny was wrong, but Sonny was wrong also because he pushed Johnny and made him think that Sonny had kidnapped Claudia. Sonny shared his feelings of guilt and told Lulu to be careful not to get caught in the crossfire because he could no longer guarantee the safety of the innocent.

Lulu forgot Kate's PDA when she left Sonny's home. As Sonny looked at his damaged gun, Kate came in to get her PDA. When she made a crack about Lulu, Sonny told her to cut Lulu some slack because she had just witnessed something intense. He did not share the details with Kate, but he did share his agony as he said, "My life, that I stole and killed for, I can't fix it. I can't fix it." As Sonny wept and held his head in his hands, Kate comforted him and gave him unconditional love as he tried to push her away by saying that he was unworthy. She told him to stop looking for blame and punishment and to just let himself rest. They shared a tender loving interlude. After making love, Sonny told Kate that Johnny had shot him point blank and that it was a freak accident or a miracle that he was alive.

Lulu met a hardened Johnny on the docks. She told him that Sonny was grieving and did not have Claudia. Johnny did not care. He told Lulu that he wanted Sonny dead and it was only a matter of time until he killed him.

When Jax got back from a business trip he found Morgan calling the hospital to talk to Michael. Jax spent time with Morgan who missed his mother and wanted Carly to tuck him in. While Mercedes prepared Morgan for bed, Jerry stopped by. Jax told him that Carly was accepting that Michael might have brain damage, but she was determined that he would wake up. Jax went upstairs to tuck Morgan in. Alexis dropped by with papers for Jax. She traded barbs with Jerry who left when Jax came back. Jax told Alexis that he wanted her to draw up papers, which Sonny could sign, that would terminate Sonny's parental rights to Michael and Morgan and allow Jax to adopt both boys.

Diane and Max met for drinks. He wanted to meet on the sly so Sonny, who had forbidden then from having a relationship, would not find out and fire them, but Diane said they were adults who could lead their own lives without interference from Sonny. As Diane massaged Max's calf with her shoe, Max seemed to be persuaded to her way of thinking.

Lulu was appalled at Johnny's actions after witnessing him shooting Sonny. She asked him if he would have still shot Sonny if someone innocent had been there. Johnny didn't make any excuses for his behavior and tried to get Lulu to understand the work he was involved in. He apologized for ever picking her up that first night they had met. Lulu walked away from him and went to find Spinelli. Meanwhile, Johnny went to the Haunted Star to see how business was booming. Tracy did not want Johnny there, but he was there only long enough to tell Luke how to launder his money. Ric and Logan sat at the bar where Ric was trying to get Logan's help in taking care of Johnny. Logan was ready to get even with Johnny, so he had no problems teaming up with Ric. Also at the Haunted Star were Nikolas, Nadine, Lucky, and Sam. Sam was having luck at the tables, but Nikolas and Nadine left empty-handed. Everyone ended up going home when Alexis and Mac shut down the casino. They were shutting down the casino to protect the customers from becoming victims of violence. Diane tried to defend Luke by telling Alexis she had no grounds to shut down the casino due to a potential risk. Mac explained the official reason for the shutdown was to examine Luke's books to ensure no money laundering was being done. Luke tried to protest, but Alexis was there to work and told Diane so when she tried to convince Alexis to have a drink. Ric came over to talk to Alexis, who warned him the violence would get even worse if Anthony Zacchara was released.

Nadine and Nikolas left the casino and waited on the docks for the boat to Wyndemere. Nadine asked if Spencer would still be awake, but Nikolas explained his bedtime was already past and the child would be asleep. Nadine was looking forward to bonding with Spencer and finishing off some of the ice cream Alfred always kept. Nikolas said he had beaten her to it and the ice cream was gone. He was trying to make memories with Spencer, just in case he died in the upcoming surgery. He would also be meeting with Alexis to go over the Cassadine estate for that same reason. Nadine asked if Nikolas had seen Emily lately, and he explained she had been with him when he made the decision to have the surgery. Emily had wanted him to have the surgery all along. He wished he could see her one more time before she was gone for good, though. Nadine suggested Emily might show up that night if Nikolas didn't have any guests. She took that as her cue and left.

Johnny had Logan brought to him and started beating him up. Johnny wanted to know where Claudia was, and he thought Logan would have information. They also argued about Lulu while throwing punches.

Spinelli and Maxie rushed from the hospital to Jason's penthouse to try to determine Dr. Devlin's whereabouts. Maxie was upset he had gotten away. Spinelli went straight to work, but the pair talked about and complimented each other on the unique skills they each possessed. They worked very well together, and Spinelli suggested they might also work well together outside of work. Maxie didn't take the suggestion, though, and thought he was just referring to some of their other escapades. They were interrupted when Lulu knocked on the door. She wanted to hang out with Spinelli, but Maxie told her they were busy. Maxie and Lulu went out to the hall, where they argued. Maxie went back inside where Spinelli had found Dr. Devlin's location.

Claudia managed to get away from the gunman, and Jason took the opportunity to attack the man. Jason tried to question him, but Claudia shot him before anything could be answered. Jason was upset and thought Claudia might have shot the gunman to keep him from discovering who had hired the man. Claudia was upset and thought the man deserved to die, and the two discussed what to do with the dead man's body. Finally, they were ready to leave, and Claudia started to get on Jason's bike. He stopped her to look for any possible bombs before they took off. Claudia wanted Jason to go faster. She knew if something happened to him, though, Sonny would come after her. They decided if they were going to die, they would die together. They both got on the bike and took off.

Kate wanted Sonny to call the police when he showed her where he had been shot. Sonny tried to explain his business to Kate, while she did her best to convince Sonny that his life didn't have to be filled with all the violence and evil that he had lived with in the past. She tried to remind him of what they had wanted for their futures while growing up in Bensonhurst. Sonny told her he had to leave, but she could wait for him if she wanted. Sonny left to go see Luke at the casino. Sonny warned him about Lulu witnessing Johnny's shots. Luke said he had already discussed mob danger with his daughter, and he would not interfere anymore. Sonny explained the hell he was going through with a child being involved in his business, and knowing that child would never wake up from his coma. He didn't want Luke to know what that felt like. Meanwhile, Dr. Devlin showed up at Sonny's house. He had been to Kate's, and figured she would be at Sonny's when he didn't find her. Dr. Devlin confessed he had shot Michael, and he bribed Kate to keep him from killing Sonny next. She agreed and asked where he wanted the money wired.

Tracy caught Luke on the Haunted Star sending back Johnny's cash-and it appeared that he kept a box full for himself. Tracy tried to get Luke to give up the Haunted Star, but while she was there, Lucky dropped by. He was worried about a mob war and advised Luke to leave town. After Lucky was gone Sam came aboard to ask for a job as a house shill. Tracy wanted Sam gone, but Luke wanted to know what Sam wanted in return for being a house shill. She told him she wanted the standard percentage. Tracy made snide comments in the background. Sam trudged away, leaving Tracy and Luke alone to continue their on-going argument. Tracy wanted Luke to take himself out of the line of fire and Luke wanted to live life on his terms. Luke told Tracy that he thought her only interest was to keep him financially dependent on her. She was insulted. He told her that he thought she thought that the only reason that he came around was to take advantage of her and her family's money. If he was not after her money, Tracy wanted to know, what he was after. Luke looked at Tracy tenderly and told her that he loved her. He said it again and again as he moved closer to her.

Claudia met Johnny on the docks. She told him about her harrowing experience of the day before when she was almost killed by Anthony's hit man. They talked about the trial. Claudia told Johnny that she would testify about how Anthony had killed Johnny's mother and tried to kill her. They left the docks together.

Anthony was in his hospital room preparing for court with Ric and Logan when Trevor horned in. Anthony told Ric that he wanted to use Trevor's experience. Ric saw immediately that Anthony was pitting him against Trevor for his own amusement and commented to Anthony, who agreed. Ric declined to play second fiddle to Trevor, but Anthony goaded him and offered Ric lead counsel and the chance to show his father up. Ric relented and decided to continue. He told Anthony that after the trial he-Ric-was the one Anthony would owe. After Ric left, Trevor turned to Anthony who shrugged, "Kids," and smirked.

In the courtroom, Diane offered to be second chair for Alexis while she prepared to argue against Anthony's release. Alexis told Diane that she would accept her help when Diane admitted that she was there on Sonny's orders. Diane scoffed and pointed out that Alexis had connections to both Ric and Sonny. Diane said that she would just wait. Spinelli came in and said he was there as the eyes and ears of Jason and Sonny. Diane wanted to know if Sonny and Jason knew. Before he could answer, Claudia and Johnny walked in, followed by Trevor, Ric, and, Anthony who was wheeled in by Logan. The court was called to order. Alexis surprised everyone by announcing Diane as her co-counsel. Ric did the same with Trevor. Before the trial could begin, Spinelli tried to make an impassioned plea, but because it was in Spinelli-speak, the judge did not understand him and had him tossed out of the courtroom. Alexis opened the hearing by arguing that Anthony was responsible for his crimes. Ric argued that he was not responsible at the time but was sane in the present, so deserved to be set free. Alexis called Claudia to the stand. When asked, Claudia told Alexis that when she left the country at 16, her father was starting to get sick. She told Alexis that her father seemed normal since she had returned from Italy. Alexis then asked Claudia if Anthony had ever threatened her life.

Nadine went to Wyndemere to ride with Nikolas. He told her that he did not see Emily so often and he was prepared to let go of her as he readied for surgery the following day. They had a good time together. Nadine invited Nikolas to dinner and offered to cook for him. He declined, but hoped that she would invite him for another time. After Nadine left, Nikolas dressed in a tux and Emily appeared to him in a ball gown.

Maxie was surprised to find Lulu already working at the Crimson offices when she arrived. Lulu's work ethic got kudos from Kate, who gave Maxie a set down for her messy desk. When Lulu got preferential treatment and a plum assignment with Kate, Maxie deleted a critical email from Lulu's computer, hoping to get Lulu in trouble. Kate was upset, but Maxie's plan backfired when Kate told them if one of them screwed up, she would consider that they were both at fault. When Maxie said Spinelli could fix it, Kate was temporarily mollified. Maxie called Spinelli and told him to get over to her office or she would never speak to him again. Lulu immediately told Maxie that her own words proved that she was just using Spinelli. When Spinelli arrived, Lulu tried to tell Spinelli that Maxie was using him, but Maxie distracted Spinelli with a passionate kiss as an incredulous Lulu looked on.

At Crimson, Maxie kissed Spinelli to show him that she genuinely cared for him. Meanwhile, Lulu tried to avoid watching them by covering her eyes. She insisted that Maxie was only using Spinelli and continued to berate Maxie. Eventually, Spinelli felt compelled to stop Lulu's tirade. He insisted that Lulu was wrong about Maxie's feelings for him and accused her of speaking from a place of ignorance. He went on to remind Lulu of her own, less than perfect, past, but Lulu was undeterred. She insisted that Spinelli was setting himself up for heartache by believing that Maxie cared for him. Spinelli defended Maxie but Lulu refused to listen. Eventually, Maxie was forced to interrupt them. She felt that Lulu wasn't trying to protect Spinelli from heartache but, rather, she was just using another opportunity to trash-talk Maxie. Lulu didn't deny it but let the argument drop. With the argument temporarily shelved, Spinelli went to work trying to retrieve the missing file on Lulu's computer. After the task was successfully completed, Maxie walked him out. Lulu returned to her desk just in time to answer an incoming call from Ian Devlin.

Kate was visibly shaken when she learned that Ian was on the phone for her. Reluctantly, she took the call. Ian told her that he had arrived safely at his destination and then he surprised her by hinting that he intended to blackmail her for more money. In exchange for keeping quiet about Kate's role in Ian's disappearance, Ian expected Kate to send him money whenever he needed it. Before Kate could respond, there was a knock at her office door. It was Sonny. She carefully ended the call without Sonny becoming suspicious. Sonny updated Kate on Michael's condition and then made the painful admission that he didn't think Michael would ever recover. He also told her that he didn't know how he could have made it through everything he'd been through lately without Kate in his life. Kate wrapped her arms around Sonny and assured him that she was committed to their relationship.

At the Haunted Star, Tracy tried to convince Luke to cut off all ties to the mob before he ended up dead. Luke was resistant to the idea. He felt that he had control of things and wasn't in imminent danger. As they argued, Sonny walked into the casino to have a private word with Luke. After Tracy stormed off, Luke told Sonny why she was upset. Sonny admitted that Tracy's concerns were valid. Sonny also felt that Luke was in over his head. He told Luke about Anthony's hearing and warned him that there was strong likelihood that Anthony could be freed. If Anthony were released, then the mob violence would escalate between the Corinthos and Zacchara families. Luke was confident that he could handle what came his way but Sonny wasn't as certain. He said that if Luke needed help, all he had to do was ask Sonny. Sonny promised that he would not turn his old friend away.

Alexis questioned Claudia on the stand about Anthony and his threats to murder his daughter. Claudia denied that there had been any attempts on her life or threats made by her father. She insisted that Anthony loved her. When Alexis questioned Claudia about the last time she had visited her father, Claudia continued to lie. She went on to insinuate her short disappearance was because she had met someone for a date. She didn't mention Jason's name but she made a point of looking and smiling at Jason while she spoke. Jason sat in the back row of the gallery, stone-faced as he listened to her testimony. When Alexis failed to get Claudia to cooperate, Diane took over. Unfortunately, Claudia remained steadfast in her insistence that her father had never attempted to kill her. After Claudia stepped down from the stand, the judge rendered his decision. He released Anthony from protective custody effective immediately. After the hearing was over, Trevor tried to dismiss Ric. Ric refused to leave. Anthony watched father and son bicker and admitted that he looked forward to the private dogfight between his attorneys. He was curious to see which one would be left standing. He then had Logan wheel him away. Before leaving the courtroom, Anthony stopped for a minute to talk to Claudia and Johnny. They tried to pretend they were happy for Anthony but it was clear that they were anything but. Anthony seemed to take delight in their discomfort and left the courtroom with a smile on his lips. Once Trevor and Ric were alone, Trevor tried to convince Ric to get out the Zacchara mess while he still could, but Ric stubbornly refused to listen. He told Trevor that he wasn't interested in Trevor's false fatherly concern and warned him that he intended to destroy Trevor.

Anthony had Logan take him to the Haunted Star. Luke stopped short when he walked out of his office and found Anthony waiting for him. Tensions were high as Anthony made it clear that he intended to take an active role in the casino business. As they were speaking, Lulu walked in. Anthony's reaction to Lulu's arrival only made Luke more uncomfortable.

Nikolas and Emily had a touching farewell. They waltzed in the ballroom and shared words of love. Emily told Nik that she didn't regret one moment of their time together, or loving him. She helped him come to terms with her death and then gave him hope for a future. She told him to raise Spencer and implored Nik to allow himself to love again. Nik promised that he would fight to live for Emily and that he would keep her in his heart forever. As they kissed for the last time, they reminisced about their past: when Emily asked Nik to pretend to love her so that she could hide her breast cancer from Zander, when Nik held Emily after her cancer treatments, the first time they made love, snowball fights at Wyndemere, their wedding, the rooftop evacuation from the Port Charles Hotel fire, falling in love again, and finally Nik's proposal the night that Emily died. As a tearful Nik let go of Emily's hand she turned and faded away, leaving Nik alone in the ballroom.

At his home, Sonny was furious when he learned from Jason that Anthony had been released. Diane had the misfortune of walking in moments later. Sonny blamed her for what had happened in court and decided to ship Max off to Puerto Rico. He was convinced that it was her distraction with Max that had cost them the case. Max refused to be exiled to another country. He reminded Sonny of his years of service and insisted on remaining in Port Charles. Diane applauded Max for standing up to Sonny. She then turned to Sonny and suggested that instead of being worried about her dating Max, he should be concerned about Jason dating Claudia Zacchara.

Johnny and Claudia arrived back at their home. Johnny was livid. He asked Claudia why she had lied on the stand. She explained that it had been a judgment call. She felt that they would be in a better position to deal with their father if he believed that they were on his side. She had a plan to bring down Anthony.

Kate was taken off guard when Maxie entered her office in a panic because it appeared that $1,000,000.00 had gone missing from Crimson's account.

While Carly waited for Michael's test results to come back, Liz came into Michael's room to check his vitals. Before Liz left, Carly said she needed to talk to her. Carly apologized for judging her when Liz and Jason decided to keep Jake's paternity a secret. She had come to understand why Liz had made that decision. Carly had been involved in Jason and Sonny's lives for a long time, and she always believed they would keep her children safe. Carly knew it was hard for Liz to take care of Michael, all the while knowing it could have been Jake who was shot. Liz left and Carly had a few minutes alone with Michael. She told him she knew he might not be perfect when he "came back," but it would be ok. Sonny entered the room to await Michael's test results, and Patrick came in shortly after. He told Michael's parents that Michael had a one in ten thousand chance of Michael waking up because he did still have brain waves. The news gave Carly hope, but Sonny understood the chance of Michael waking up was very slim. He tried to get Carly to understand, but she said she could not accept the news her son would never wake up. He said she would need to accept that, just like he needed to accept that he was responsible for Michael's injury. They talked about their hopes that Michael was dreaming while in his coma. Carly said their son would have to be ok. He had to be the one in ten thousand. Carly and Sonny walked into the hallway and held each other.

Lulu assured Anthony and her father that she and Johnny were no longer an item. After Anthony left, Lulu further explained that she saw Johnny shoot Sonny, and she didn't want to become a victim, also. Tracy came in to try to get Lulu to help convince Luke to stay away from the Zacchara family.

Anthony met with Trevor and Ric to thank them for their help in getting him released. Later, after Ric and Trevor left, Anthony met with Johnny and Claudia and apologized to them for his prior misdeeds. The past was over, though, and he was sorry for the time they lost. The family would be back together, and they would become unstoppable. Anthony upset his daughter, though, when he told her women were not part of their family business and she would have to leave. Johnny agreed with him, and Claudia angrily left.

Anna assured her daughter that Robin was still hot. Robin understood that her mother was having a hard time adjusting to the "grandmother" word. Anna said she needed to get some air, and left to go to the Haunted Star. She walked into the casino to find Luke and Tracy arguing over Luke's safety. Tracy tried to tell Anna they were closed, but Luke offered her a high stakes game. Tracy asked Anna if she was retired, but Anna declared she was very much on top of her game. When Luke walked over to ask Anna why she was out gambling, she confided she was going to be a grandmother. Anna and Luke prepared to play Naked Roulette while Luke gave Anna advice in dealing with her daughter.

Meanwhile, Patrick came back to Robin's place where he told her about his conversation with Sonny and Carly. It affected him deeply having to tell Michael's parents what they were facing with the living death of their child. He had always thought of parenthood as dirty diapers, chicken pox, and whiny brats. He was now thinking about parenthood differently, though. Robin tried to tell Patrick not to allow fear to scare him off. For every child that was injured, there were others that were fine. They were interrupted by a knock at the door. It was Tracy, telling them Anna was at the Haunted Star.

Maxie went through Jason's desk drawers and found a set of keys. Spinelli told her they were for the SUV that Jason used when the motorcycle wasn't practical. Jason came into the penthouse and asked what Maxie was doing there. Maxie was upset at Jason for ignoring her, but he didn't seem to care. Maxie and Spinelli tried to explain they were searching for Kate's missing million dollars, but Jason was not interested in the information until Spinelli revealed that the money was wired to the Cayman Islands. Jason was annoyed when he turned around and saw Maxie had not left yet. She threatened to tell Mac what they were doing if they didn't help her return Kate's money. Maxie left, but stood outside the door to eavesdrop. Spinelli told Jason he had planted a tracking device down Dr. Devlin's pants, and Jason decided not to question how Spinelli accomplished that feat. Jason realized the million dollars Kate was missing was the same million dollars Dr. Devlin had now withdrawn in Canada. Jason and Spinelli left in the SUV, with Maxie hiding in the back. Spinelli tried to keep Jason calm while they drove, and Jason assured Spinelli that Dr. Devlin would be kept alive long enough to find out who paid him.