Laura was born on December 21, 1961 to single mother, Lesley Williams. Lesley had had an affair with her married professor, Gordon Gray, but she had decided to raise her unborn child alone. Unfortunately, Lesley had been told that her baby had died at birth. In truth, Lesley's father had paid a nurse to switch his granddaughter with Jason and Barbara Vining's stillborn infant. Laura grew up with the Vinings, and her younger sister, Amy, but life wasn't easy. Jason was a teacher and didn't make a lot of money.

In 1975, Lesley was married to Cameron Faulkner and focused on her career at the hospital. One day, the nurse who had switched Lesley's daughter for the Vining's child, made a deathbed confession to Lesley. Stunned, Lesley tracked her daughter down, and saw Laura for the first time in a candy store. Desperate to be a part of her daughter's life, Lesley filed for custody and was granted temporary custody until the judge could decide what would be in Laura's best interest. A couple of months into living with Lesley, Laura became ill and called out for Barbara. Fearing that she was harming her child, Lesley made the heartbreaking decision to let Laura return home to the Vinings.

In the summer of 1976, Cameron Faulkner, who was not happy to share his wife with Laura, paid the Vinings to take Laura far away from town. Lesley got wind of what Cameron had done, and she vowed to reclaim her daughter. Cameron kidnapped Lesley, but Lesley was able to force the car off the road. Cameron was killed in the accident. Shortly afterwards, Lesley suffered a miscarriage. Rick Webber, Lesley's work colleague and friend, helped her pick up the pieces, and with Rick's help, Lesley was able to rescue Laura from a commune where the Vinings had hidden Laura.

The reunion did not go as Lesley had hoped because Laura had felt abandoned by her mother, but Rick helped Laura understand that Lesley had acted out of love for her only child. In time, Laura and her mother began to build a relationship, with Rick often acting as peacemaker. When Laura turned sixteen, she found love with young law student, Scott Baldwin.

In 1977, a college friend of Rick's had checked into the hospital. David Hamilton had been left temporarily paralyzed after losing both his wife and child in a tragic accident, so Rick had invited David to move in, while David recuperated. Laura had basked in the attention of an older man, which David had exploited to his advantage. Shortly before Christmas, Lesley had caught Laura in David's room. David had brushed it off as harmless, but Lesley had been uncomfortable. When Lesley found birth control pills in Laura's room, she initially worried that Laura might be sexually active with Scott, but she also worried about David.

Rick assured his wife that David saw Laura as a daughter because Laura had been close in age to the daughter that David had lost. However, Lesley's concerns were well-founded. After Lesley rebuffed David's advances, he moved into an apartment and began a secret relationship with Laura. A brokenhearted Scott turned to Bobbie Spencer for comfort. However, David's dirty deeds at the hospital had caught up to him, and he made plans to leave town. Laura arrived at his apartment, and she saw his packed bags. At first, Laura assumed that David would take her with him, but he cruelly revealed that he had used Laura; he had been in love with her mother.

Devastated, Laura lashed out in anger and pushed David. David stumbled backwards, fell, and hit his head on the fireplace. The blow killed him instantly, and a frantic Laura called her mother. Lesley found her daughter in a near-catatonic state and no memory of what had happened. Fearing that her daughter would be accused of murder, Lesley took responsibility for David's death then proceeded with plans for Rick to adopt Laura. Laura started counselling, and the night before the start of Lesley's trial, Rick, Laura, and Lesley celebrated Rick becoming Laura's legal father.

Eventually, Laura recalled the events of the night that David had died, but she panicked and ran away to New York City. Danger stalked Laura almost immediately when a pimp singled her out then abducted her. Luckily for Laura, Scott had followed Laura, and with the help of a friend, Scott had rescued Laura before the pimp had carried out his ominous threats. With Scott's support, Laura returned to Port Charles and confessed to killing David. The judge took Laura's age and the circumstances into consideration, and he agreed to drop the charges against Laura once she had successfully completed her probation.

In 1978, Scott and Laura had moved on with their lives. Laura was focused on finishing high school and staying out of trouble, but Bobbie Spencer was not happy. Bobbie had fallen in love with Scott, and she had had dreams of being a lawyer's wife. Determined to get Laura sent to reform school, Bobbie set out to get Laura into trouble. Bobbie enlisted her rebel brother, Luke Spencer to help her. Several of Bobbie's schemes had nearly succeeded, but Laura had a strong support system and Scott had remained deeply in love with Laura.

By 1979, Laura and Scott had secured her parents' permission to get married, and they were starting out life as newlyweds. Amy Vining showed up looking to reconnect with the sister that she'd grown up with. Laura and her new family embraced Amy, and Amy ultimately moved in with Rick and Lesley. Amy and Laura would remain close until Amy's passing. Amy's death was acknowledged at during the 2013 Nurses Ball.

As a surprise for her new husband, Laura decided to buy Scott a set of new law books, but it had drained their savings. Laura took a job at the local the local campus disco, which was run by Bobbie's brother, Luke. Luke was instantly drawn to his beautiful young employee, but that infatuation turned violent one October night after closing when Luke had been given a suicide mission; kill Assistant District Attorney Mitch Williams. Drinking, and feeling as if he had nothing left to lose, Luke turned on the music then asked Laura to dance.

Laura agreed because she sensed that Luke was upset, but she immediately became uncomfortable as his grip tightened. Laura tried to break away, but Luke refused to let go. After Luke raped Laura, she tearfully pulled her torn clothes together then raced out of the nightclub. Bruised and shaken, Laura was forced to seek medical attention, but she refused to name her rapist, and she returned to the nightclub to keep anyone from finding out that Luke had been responsible for the assault. The rape had put a strain on Scott and Laura's marriage, while Laura inadvertently became deeper embroiled in Luke's criminal activities for mob boss Frank Smith.

Eventually, Laura had to flee with Luke to avoid Frank Smith's men. As they lived on the run, Laura had started to see Luke in a different light, and the two shared a magical night dancing in Wyndham's Department Store, made friends in Beechers Corners, and gathered the evidence they needed to take down Frank's criminal organization. After returning to town victorious, Laura was confronted by reporters. Laura panicked because she was reminded of the harassment that she had suffered in the days after confessing to killing David Hamilton. When a reporter asked her about the state of her marriage, she assured him that she was still very much married. Luke was crushed.

Laura realized that she needed to show Luke that she loved him, so she decided to divorce Scott, but Scott had taken off for Mexico. Laura knew that she needed to show Luke that she was a changed person, so she got an apartment -- in the same building as Luke's -- then went to work for ELQ. Luke also worked for ELQ, and the two spent months driving each other crazy until they each realized that they couldn't live without each other.

In 1980, while working at ELQ, Luke and Laura learned that Edward Quartermaine and Edward's niece, Alexandria, were in search of the world's largest uncut diamond known as the Ice Princess. The search for the Ice Princess quickly turned into a race to stop the notorious Cassadine family from attempting to take over the world by putting it into a deep freeze. Along with their friend Robert Scorpio, Luke and Laura managed to land on Cassadine Island where Mikkos Cassadine's weather machine was kept. When they arrived in the lab, Mikkos commanded that they surrender -- or he'd freeze the entire world starting with Port Charles! Luke killed Mikkos then managed to crack the password "Ice Princess," and save Port Charles just as the clock ran out of time.

When Laura returned from Cassadine Island, she filed for divorce from Scott so that she and Luke could plan their own wedding. Her divorce from Scott was finalized two days before her November 16, 1981 wedding to Luke. The entire town of Port Charles along with friends from neighboring Beechers Corners threw a grand wedding in honor of the two people who had saved their towns. Unfortunately, Helena Cassadine had followed the happy couple to Port Charles, and on their wedding day, she cursed the newlyweds.

Soon after the wedding, Tiffany Hill encouraged Laura to take on the Ms. Star Eyes modeling job. The job frequently took Laura away from Port Charles. On January 15, 1982, Laura returned home from one of her trips, but she vanished off the piers into the fog after an encounter with David Grey. Later, she was presumed dead. David feared that Laura had known about his nefarious plans to steal a valuable treasure from the museum, so he hypnotized Laura then put her on a small boat that he had pushed out to sea. However, Stavros Cassadine had become obsessed with Laura, so the Cassadines had plucked Laura out of the water then spirited her to Cassadine Island where she was held captive.

During this time, Laura had been forced to marry Stavros, and she bore him a son. But she had also found a kindred spirit in younger his brother, Stefan. Helena adored her elder son, but she had despised her younger son with equal passion. In time, Laura was able to flee the island and return to Port Charles, but she had been forced to leave her young son Nikolas behind. She knew that Stavros and Helena would stop at nothing to find Nikolas, and she had feared that Luke would never accept her son. Laura took comfort in knowing that Stefan would love Nikolas as his own, and he would protect her son with his life.

In November 1983, after Luke was sworn in as Mayor of Port Charles, he stood on the balcony of the mayor's mansion overlooking the sweeping lawn when he spotted a familiar figure. Stunned, Luke raced to the lawn then ran to Laura as she ran into his arms. Luke and Laura happily reunited, but he realized that he and Laura could not remain in Port Charles. He resigned as mayor then left town with Laura, so the two could go into hiding.

In the winter of 1984, tragedy struck when Laura's mother had had a heated argument with D.L. Brock. D.L. had been in cahoots with Ginny Blake, the biological mother of Rick and Lesley's adopted son Mike, to take down Rick. After working a long shift at the hospital followed by a war of words with D.L., Lesley had driven home in an ice storm. Her car skidded off the road and she was killed instantly. Luke and Laura had been in the Himalayas at the time, and they could not be reached, so the funeral had gone on without them. Laura had carried deep regret that she hadn't been able to say goodbye to her mother.

During Luke and Laura's years on the run, they had a son named Lucky who was born in Texas on Felicia Jones' grandmother's ranch. They young family continued to travel until they turned up in British Columbia in October 1993. They had been running a small diner called the, Triple L. However, the couple decided to return to Port Charles when a bomb was planted in their car. Luke and Laura sent Lucky ahead to meet his father's aunt Ruby. Luke and Laura stole a plane, but they quickly found themselves facing imminent death as they lost control of the plane. Luke and Laura jumped out and landed in a river. They were rescued by a helicopter just before their emergency raft went over a waterfall.

Luke and Laura shared a happy reunion with friends and family. But their entanglement with the Smith family wasn't quite over. Laura was arrested for murdering Frank's son Damian, a crime she was innocent of. She was acquitted and the real killer turned out to be her lawyer Justus Ward.

On August 8, 1994, Laura gave birth to daughter Lesley Lu. Laura's family was complete, but everything changed in 1996 when Lulu became very ill. Lulu was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, and her parents were advised that Lulu needed a bone marrow transplant to save her life. Everyone was tested, but no one was a match. Realizing there might be one person who could save Lulu, Laura reached out to Stefan Cassadine who had become her firstborn son's legal guardian after the deaths of Stavros Cassadine. As Laura had hoped, Nikolas had been a perfect match, and he donated his bone marrow to Lulu.

Lulu made a full recovery, but her family was in shambles. Luke was furious that Laura had lied about her time as a captive on Cassadine Island, and that she'd kept her son a secret from him. Lucky was equally angry and greatly resented Nikolas. But, Laura's relationship with Nikolas proved to be the most challenging for Laura to work through because he felt that his mother had abandoned him for the family that she had really wanted. Stefan was also a thorn in Laura's side because Laura had broken his heart and he feared losing the child that he had raised as his son to the mother that Nikolas had always longed for.

By late December 1996, Stefan had proposed to Laura's sister-in-law, Bobbie Spencer. Tensions were high because Luke was certain that Stefan hoped to use Bobbie as a pawn in the Spencer-Cassadine war. Meanwhile, Laura's son, Lucky had become interested in an online computer quest called Timoria, Luke was also intrigued, and he showed the game to Laura. The mission of the game was to rescue the lady "mangard." Laura suspected that the word was an anagram from "grandma." Other clues about the game made Luke and Laura realize that the game was significant to them, and that it was linked to Helena.

Determined to crack the code, Laura, Luke, and Lucky worked together. Laura became concerned when she recognized the headstone in the cemetery where the game had started. Her fears are confirmed when Stefan called requesting a meeting with her about Timoria. Laura raced off to meet Stefan, but Luke and Lucky were close on her heels because they had figured out that the house in the game was actually in a real location in Rochester, NY.

As Stefan and Laura drove to an undisclosed location, Stefan revealed that Helena had been trying torture Laura with the suggestion that Lesley was alive, but Laura didn't believe him and demanded the truth. Stefan explained that Helena had wanted to avenge Stavros' death, so she had ordered him to kill Lesley. Stunned, Laura stared at her mother's killer, but Stefan admitted that he hadn't been able to go through with it.

According to Stefan, Helena hadn't trusted Stefan to carry out the order, so Helena had taken steps to make certain that Lesley's car would crash. Stefan revealed that Lesley had survived, but he had injected her with a serum that would make it appear that she had died instantly, and the hospital would pronounce Lesley dead. Later that night, Stefan had revived Lesley then switched her body with that of dead woman who had resembled Lesley. Stefan assured Laura that he had paid for Lesley's medical needs and care, since that fateful night.

Touched, Laura thanked Stefan as they arrived at the house. Laura entered the house, then a massive explosion filled the night sky. A second explosion knocked Stefan to his feet as he started to race inside. After the fire department put the fire out, Laura was presumed dead. On December 13, friends and family gathered to say goodbye to Laura. After the funeral, Luke packed up his children then left town -- to join Laura and Lesley. The explosions had been a cover to fake Laura and Lesley's deaths.

On January 31, 1997, Mac followed Tom Hardy who had arranged to meet the Spencers before they headed to Switzerland. Tom felt uncomfortable helping the Spencers pull off the deception, but he agreed to sedate Lesley -- who was in a fragile state -- for the long trip. Mac, assuming that Tom was cheating on Felicia, barged into the house to confront Tom. Mac was stunned when he saw Laura step out of hiding. Mac decided to arrest Luke because he believed that Luke had been trying to escape because Luke had shot Katherine Bell, but Luke insisted that Lesley was proof that Lucky and Lulu would always be in danger from Stefan Cassadine.

The issue became moot when Marcus Taggert showed up, having followed Tom as Mac had ordered. Laura realized that she needed to find Nikolas before he learned the truth about her fate from someone else. After Luke was taken to the police station, Laura went to Spoon Island. Nikolas was shocked when he saw his mother, and they shared a tight emotional embrace. Laura's heart filled with joy when Nikolas called her "Mother" for the first time. He apologized for how he had treated her then confessed that he loved her. Nikolas promised that he understood that she felt that she hadn't had a choice about leaving him as a baby, which had cut Laura deep because Laura knew that her next words would devastate Nikolas.

Laura explained that Lesley was alive, and that Laura had gone freely with Luke. Laura admitted that she also knew that Stefan hadn't been responsible for the explosion. Nikolas realized that Laura had played a part in faking her own death. He felt betrayed that his mother had trusted Luke and Lucky with the truth, but not Nikolas. Laura admitted that she and Luke had intended to return for Nikolas once they had Lesley settled in a clinic in Switzerland, but Nikolas didn't believe her.

Later, Stefan also felt betrayed by Laura because he realized that she had only pretended to care for him. He vowed that he would do everything possible to keep Nikolas away from Laura. Laura was stunned when Stefan reminded her that there was a possibility that he could be Nikolas' father, and he threatened to tell Luke. Laura knew that Luke would never understand her complicated relationship with Stefan during her time on Cassadine Island. Rather than challenge Stefan, Laura decided to move ahead with her plans to seek treatment for Lesley in Switzerland.

On March 7, 1997, Laura said goodbye to her family, including Nikolas. He remained cold toward his mother. Luke had decided to remain in town with Lucky to keep an eye on Stefan. Two months later, Nikolas visited his mother in Switzerland because he claimed that he had wanted to check up on Lesley and Lulu.

On March 16, 1998, Lucky confronted Luke about Nikolas' claim that Luke had raped Laura. Luke was taken aback, but he told his son the truth about that awful night. Disgusted, Lucky wanted nothing to do with his father, and he couldn't understand how Laura could have married the man that had raped her.

On May 20, 1998, Nikolas visited his sister in North Carolina. Laura had moved Lesley to a facility for continued treatment, and she had wanted to be closer to Port Charles because she worried that Stefan might try to claim Nikolas as his son. Laura was delighted to see Nikolas, but she quickly realized that he hadn't shared his travel plans with Stefan. Laura sensed there had been another reason for Nikolas' visit, so he asked her about her relationship with his father, and if Stefan had been in love with her. Laura was evasive, but she suggested that Stefan had felt sympathy for her, not love.

On May 23, 1998, Laura attended Stefan and Katherine Bell's engagement party to plead with him not to tell Nikolas about their past. Tragedy struck later that evening when Katherine fell from Wyndemere's parapet -- months later she would be revealed to be alive. Laura also had to contend with Lucky's reaction to learning that Luke had raped her at the campus disco. As Laura had feared, Luke had felt betrayed when he learned about Laura and Stefan's affair. Shortly after Luke walked out, Laura and Stefan began to date.

On April 19, 1999, Laura experienced a mother's worst nightmare when a candle tipped over and set fire to Lucky's apartment. Lucky was believed to have died in the inferno when traces of human remains were found. However, Helena had ordered Cesar Faison to kidnap Lucky, stage the death, and hold Lucky captive on Cassadine Island. Stefan was unaware his mother's diabolical plot as he tried his best to help Laura through her grief, but Helena delighted in accusing Laura of being the cause of Lucky's death. Laura was pushed over the edge. One night, Laura stood on a set of train tracks as a train approached, but Stefan saved her.

Laura confessed that she had no memory of stepping onto the train tracks, which greatly concerned Stefan. A few days later, Laura had another tortuous encounter with Helena that had left Laura in hysterics. In June, Laura spent a few days in the hospital then recuperated at Stefan's home in Port Charles' countryside.

In February 2000, Laura's romance with Stefan took an ugly turn when Luke informed her that he'd seen Stefan and his goons with a very much alive Lucky. Believing that Stefan had lied to her, she broke off her relationship with him and teamed up with estranged husband Luke to find him. Luke had enlisted his girlfriend Felicia's help, which didn't sit well with Laura. After Luke and Laura were reunited with Lucky, they discovered that Lucky had been programmed by Helena. Luke promised Laura that they would find a way to deprogram their son, but it was Liz Webber who would prove to be the key to Lucky's salvation.

Just as Luke and Laura were beginning to heal as a couple, Luke stood trial for murdering Stefan. Laura heard Felicia's testimony that she'd slept with Luke the night that Stefan had vanished. Stefan would surface alive months later after tangling with his evil mother.

By the end of 2000, Laura was ready to move on, and she bought Deception Cosmetics from Scott. Sonny Corinthos gave Laura financial backing, but the caveat that his wife, Carly, would help Laura run the company. Carly was anything but easy to deal with, and she gave Laura many headaches. Luckily, Laura had the help of Elton Herbert -- ex-wedding extraordinaire -- and the two got along famously. Laura's first choice for "The Face of Deception" was Liz Webber. Carly despised Liz, so Carly selected Gia Campbell. Determined to get her way, Carly had Gia lock Laura on the roof the night that Laura had intended to announce the company's new spokesmodel. Eventually, Laura managed to take full control of her company, and Carly moved on to other endeavors.

In June 2001, Luke and Laura tearfully reminisced about their past as their final set of divorce papers arrive. They sadly realized that they must put the past away and sign the final divorce decree. Laura remained on good terms with Luke, which would serve her well in the coming months when it would be revealed that Helena had found a way to "revive" Stavros, who had been kept in a cryogenic chamber, since his "death" nearly two decades earlier. Stavros was determined to regain his family, including Laura. He stalked Laura throughout the summer, even letting her see him through the reflection of a mirror as he stood outside her front window.

On September 25, Stefan tried to warn Laura that Stavros was alive, but Laura insisted that it was impossible. Stefan reminded Laura that they had both seen Katherine fall from the parapet to her death, but against all odds Helena had managed to save Katherine. Laura feared for Lucky because she realized that Helena's plans with Stavros had somehow involved him. The epic showdown began November 5, when Helena's captives trapped in her labyrinth beneath the hospital began to work together, while others in the hospital dealt with Stavros. When the dust settled on November 9, friend and foe took satisfaction in knowing that they had worked together to save the town, capture Helena, and vanquish Stavros.

As 2001 drew to a close, Laura was delighted to help Lucky and Liz plan their wedding. Luke seized the opportunity to try to rekindle things with Laura even though Laura had been casually dating Scott. Laura was reluctant to discuss marrying Luke again, but that changed when they ended up spending a night in Beechers Corners. It was reminiscent to their first trip to the quaint town when they had spent the night together in a hotel and had pretended to be a married couple. Like the first time, they had strung up a blanket between their beds. Laura became caught up in the nostalgia and poured her heart out to Luke about her feelings, including that she still loved him and didn't want to spend the rest of her life without him.

Laura waited for Luke to reply, but she was met with silence. She pulled the blanket aside and was stunned to discover that Luke was not there. Furious, Laura returned to Port Charles looking for Luke, but no one had seen him. Laura enlisted Luke's old friend, Roy Deluca's help to track Luke down, but it was Laura who figured out that Luke had been kidnapped by Jennifer Smith. With a little assistance from Roy and Felicia, Luke and Laura were able to turn the tables on Jennifer before she forced Luke into marriage. Luke and Laura fled, while Jennifer and her men were arrested. The newly reunited couple were briefly caught in a collapsed cave, but they made it out safely, once again with some help from Roy and Felicia, and they returned to Port Charles.

On March 13, 2002, Laura shared with family and friends that she and Luke were getting married again. Scott was crushed, and he warned Laura that it was a mistake. Not long after, Helena escaped from jail. In hot pursuit of his favorite nemesis, Luke discovered that Helena had been hiding out at Wyndemere, and that Nikolas had helped. After Helena was captured, she lied to protect Nikolas. Laura was relieved, and she assured Nikolas that she still loved him.

Laura had also grown close to her sister-in-law Bobbie over the years, and she was there for Bobbie when Bobbie's daughter, Carly, was presumed killed in a car accident. Carly had survived, she and made a shocking entrance at her own funeral. In June, strange events began to occur. Laura's engagement ring and wedding dress had vanished. Around the same time, Luke had figured out that Helena had placed a double in her place in prison, while the real Helena had been hiding out in a convent. To Luke's surprise, Laura had also gone to the convent to retrieve her missing engagement ring from Helena. Disgusted with Helena's antics, Luke had his nemesis shipped to Antarctica.

Believing her troubles were in the past, Laura returned to town and focused on planning her wedding. She enlisted Felicia's help tracking down the wedding dress that Laura had worn during her first wedding to Luke, and Rick Webber returned to town to walk Laura down the aisle. Rick had married Ginny Blake years earlier, and together they raised Mike and their son, Rick Jr. Lesley had enjoyed a complete recovery by this time, and she and Rick had a friendly and happy reunion. Laura was delighted to have her family together. Despite the joy of her upcoming wedding and having her family together, Laura was troubled by events, including the lack of recognition when Lesley showed Laura pictures taken during Laura's teen years.

Laura suspected that her wedding dress might be in the attic of the old Webber home. Felicia and Mac, who had bought the house, invited Laura to look around. Luke accompanied Laura to the attic, and they found her dress, which had aged considerably, but Laura couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that she had being in the attic. Luke suspected that Laura might have suppressed a memory, so he encouraged her to unravel the mystery. Rick and Scott were opposed to Laura digging into the past, and they had good reason to be concerned. Rick and Scott knew Laura's secret, and they had buried it in the backyard decades earlier.

On August 9, 2002, the night before Luke and Laura's wedding, Laura went to the attic one more time to look around. She saw a vision of her younger self, who had promised Laura that she would finally remember. Memories assailed Laura of seeing Rick and his mistress, Theresa Carter, in the attic. Theresa had been on top of Rick and choking him. Laura recalled Rick reaching for a camera then bashing Theresa over the head with it to protect Laura. Rick suddenly appeared in the attic. Shaken, Laura accused him of murdering Theresa, but he denied it. Laura noticed a syringe in his hand, and she frantically reached for a candlestick then struck Rick. Later, Luke found Laura, and he quickly determined that Rick had been killed by the fatal blow.

The following morning, Lucky and Nikolas went looking for Luke and Laura even though several had speculated that the couple had eloped. Lucky decided to check out the attic at the Scorpio house, and he and Nikolas were shocked when they found Rick's body. They hid the body when they heard someone approaching. Lucky and Nikolas had remained out of sight, while Scott had looked around the attic then left. Afterwards, the brothers decided to take their grandfather's body with them then dispose of it because they were afraid that either Luke or Laura had killed him.

Meanwhile, Luke had taken Laura to a secret place to figure out his next move. Luke was forced to tie Laura up and keep her captive because he was afraid that she would leave and be picked up by the police. Laura drifted between lucid moments and periods of disorientation. Despite that, when Luke let his guard down, Laura managed to escape then call Nikolas for help. Luke got Laura back, and on August 29, he tried to help Laura recall the events when she was a teenager. An already fragile Laura was horrified when she suddenly realized that she had been the one who had struck Theresa Carter with the fatal blow, not Rick.

On August 30, 2002, Laura slipped away from Luke then made her way back to the attic. She donned her shredded old wedding dress as she hallucinated that she was getting ready for her wedding, and that both Rick and Theresa were attending. When Luke caught up with Laura, he was heartbroken when he saw the state that she was in. Moments later, Mac and Scott arrived. Luke didn't defend himself when Mac arrested him for Rick's murder, but Luke became upset when Scott went to help Laura. Luke demanded that Scott leave Laura alone as Luke was hauled away. Scott immediately realized that Laura had suffered a breakdown, so he took her to the hospital.

On September 3, 2002, Luke confessed to killing Rick, and Luke accused Rick of killing Theresa Carter and attempting to drug Laura with a syringe. Alexis tried to help Luke, whom she was certain was trying to protect Laura who had killed Rick in self-defense, but Laura's mind was fractured. When Lucky and Nikolas visited their mother, Laura claimed to be tired and assured her sons that all she needed was some rest. Lucky and Nikolas were worried when their mother seemingly talked to herself. They didn't see the teenage version of Laura that their mother did.

On September 5, Scott visited Laura. Laura had regressed further back into her past, and she didn't initially recognize him. Luke pleaded with Scott to give him a chance to break through to Laura, but Laura remained trapped in the past when she was a teenager. The doctor advised the family to send Laura to a specialized clinic in London, England. Shortly afterward, Laura had slipped into a catatonic state diagnosed as Psychomotor Disassociation. Laura was treated in England for several years then Nikolas and Lucky made arrangements to have their mother transferred to nearby Shadybrook.

In October of 2006, Robin Scorpio told Luke about an experimental drug: LS-49. The drug had been shown to temporarily reverse catatonia. Luke authorized Robin to give Laura the drug, but they didn't tell Nikolas, Lucky or Lulu about it. Luke didn't want the children feeling disappointed if LS-49 didn't work. To Luke's joy, Laura slowly emerged from her catatonia. It was quite a shock for her to realize that years had passed, and that her children were grown. Unaware that Luke had married Tracy Quartermaine, Laura resumed to plan a wedding for her and Luke. Everyone agreed to play along because Laura had a short time to enjoy her life before the effects of the drug wore off. She and Luke exchanged vows on, what would have been their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, November 16.

Sadly, Laura's condition began to deteriorate rather quickly. It started out with short blackouts, which gradually increased in length and frequency. Luke was forced to tell Laura that she was slipping back into a catatonic state. Laura decided to be honest with her family, so she could say goodbye to her loved ones, especially her children. Instead of dwelling on what would happen, Laura focused on creating memories for her family. They celebrated Christmas early, and everyone made certain to make it one that they would all remember. The celebration was bittersweet. As the special day drew to a close, Laura began to slip away. Just as the catatonia claimed her, Laura confided to Lulu that she didn't think she had killed her father, Rick Webber.

Laura was taken back to Shadybrook, while Lulu started to dig into Rick's death. Lulu uncovered that the night that Theresa had been killed, Scott had helped Rick to dispose of Theresa's body. In 2002, Scott had followed Rick to the attic, and Scott had hit Rick with a candlestick when Rick had attempted to inject Laura. Lulu hoped the news that Laura hadn't killed her father would bring Laura back, but Laura's condition remained unchanged.

In August of 2008, Lulu joined her mother in Shadybrook. Lulu had killed Scott's son Logan in self-defense, but she and her boyfriend had covered it up and Johnny Zacchara had taken the fall. Lulu's mental state had declined from a combination of the trauma of Logan's attack and the guilt that she had carried around. Lulu confided her fears over losing her sanity to her mother. The fear and pain reached Laura, and she slowly emerged from the catatonia. Lulu was thrilled to have her mother back, and she was eager to share the news with her father and brothers until Laura asked her to keep the secret between them.

Laura was unsure how long she would remain "awake," but she recognized how much her daughter had needed her. Laura promised to take care of Lulu, and she continued to grow stronger each day. Laura's doctor examined her and explained that the change in her condition was linked to the experimental dose of the drug LS-49 that she'd been given, but there was no way to know if the recovery was temporary or permanent.

On October 24, Scott confronted Lulu about killing Logan. He wanted Lulu to pay for his son's death. Scott intended to have Lulu prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, so she would be given a lethal injection. "Not my daughter, you son of a bitch!" Laura growled as she glared at Scott from her wheelchair. Scott was stunned, but Laura was infuriated. She demanded to know why Lulu had to pay for Logan's death when Scott hadn't paid for killing Rick. Scott agreed not to charge Lulu with Logan's murder if Laura agreed to leave with Scott. To Lulu's shock, Laura willingly left with Scott.

Scott was certain that Laura would fall in love with him if they spent time together away from Luke. He took her on a trip down memory lane. Scott promised that he hadn't realized that Laura had thought that she'd been responsible for Rick's death. Laura explained that her heart belonged to Luke, but Scott informed her that her marriage to Luke in 2006 had been a sham, and that Luke had been married to Tracy. Laura didn't want to believe it, but a phone call with Edward Quartermaine confirmed that Scott had told the truth.

On November 3, Luke caught up to Laura and Scott in Los Angeles. Luke was overjoyed to see Laura, but she slapped him for lying to her about Tracy. Initially Laura refused to listen to anything that Luke had to say about his marriage to Tracy until Luke mentioned his recent heart troubles. Laura softened and agreed to hear him out. She was saddened when she realized that Luke had moved on and fallen in love with Tracy.

Laura briefly returned to Port Charles and was reunited with her loved ones. She also visited with Luke's wife, and Tracy made it clear that she did not plan on handing Luke over to Laura without a fight. Tracy arranged for the doctor that had created the drug LS-49 to take Laura to France. Initially, Laura turned down the offer, but she changed her mind when she realized how concerned her loved ones remained for her. On November 12, Luke and Laura shared a heartfelt goodbye in which they admitted their love but acknowledged they were not what the other needed. Nikolas made Laura's travel arrangements and Scott sneaked on board the plane.

In early 2013, Laura returned to Port Charles when she learned that Lulu was expecting a child through surrogacy. Scott, who had moved to Paris years earlier, returned with Laura because they had news. Scott and Laura were engaged. Lulu questioned Laura regarding her feelings for Luke, and Scott feared that Laura would return to Luke as well. Laura insisted that she wanted to marry Scott but secretly questioned her feelings for her former husband. Despite her unresolved feelings for Luke, Laura married Scott on May 20, 2013, but trouble with the Cassadines put a strain on the marriage almost from the start. First, Stavros had returned from the dead then kidnapped Lulu to make her his new bride.

After Lulu was rescued and recovered from a temporary bout of amnesia, Luke learned that his ill health was due to a radioactive toxin that would kill him unless he found the cure. Laura decided to track down her ex-husband and help him despite Scott's objections. A few months later, Lulu's daughter via surrogate Maxie was born. Laura was delighted to have a new grandchild because she had missed out on precious time with Aiden. It would later be revealed that Maxie had lied, and the baby girl was Maxie's biological daughter.

On August 28, Scott asked Laura for a divorce. Startled, Laura wondered why Scott was upset. He admitted that he had finally accepted that he would never be first, and that Laura would never love him as much as he loved Laura. Laura assured Scott that she would never marry Luke because they no longer fit together. "Neither do we," Scott reluctantly admitted. Laura realized that Scott was right. Later that day, Laura decided to return to Paris for her yearly checkup and to continue her treatment.

Laura returned to Port Charles on June 5, 2015 just as Luke was celebrating his engagement to ex-wife Tracy Quartermaine. Luke had suffered a mental breakdown as a result of long suppressed memories of the tragic day that he had accidently killed his mother then murdered his abusive alcoholic father. A "dark" personality had emerged, and Dark Luke had worked with Helena to terrorize the citizens of Port Charles. It was Tracy's unwavering support and love that helped guide Luke through the nightmare, and they had decided to remarry. As Luke raised his glass to the woman that he loved, Laura entered the Haunted Star.

"I'm here for Luke," Laura had announced. Laura demanded to speak with Luke in private. After their chat, Luke sent everyone home then broke off his engagement to Tracy. Lulu and Tracy's son demanded answers, so Laura claimed that hearing about Luke's engagement had made Laura realize that she still loved her ex-husband. Luke added that hearing Laura declare her love for him had forced him to admit that he still loved Laura. In truth, Lucky had been abducted. Laura couldn't lie to her daughter, so she decided to trust Lulu and Dillon Quartermaine with the secret.

Laura explained that she had had plans to visit with her son, but Lucky had failed to pick her up from the airport. Laura had rented a car and driven to Lucky's, and she had found his place ransacked. The kidnappers had contacted her and had ordered her to follow their instructions or Lucky would be killed. According to Laura, the kidnappers had told her to get back with Luke, but only Luke could know the truth. Luke and Laura continued to follow the kidnapper's instructions, which eventually led them to Jennifer Smith. Jennifer wanted a night of passion with Luke in exchange for Lucky's freedom, but neither Luke nor Jennifer could go through with it. In the end, Jennifer confessed that she didn't have Lucky.

When Luke's son with Holly Sutton, Ethan Lovett, vanished, Holly, Lulu, and Dillon joined the search. The kidnapper was revealed to be Jennifer's father, Frank Smith. Luke was shocked that his old boss was alive. On July 3, Luke and Frank had a final showdown. Luke killed Frank, but there was a bigger mystery to unravel because Lucky revealed that Jake, the grandson that Luke believed that he had killed while driving drunk, was alive. Luke, Laura, and Lucky headed to Cassadine Island, where Helena had been keeping Jake since his apparent death five years earlier.

Laura enjoyed a happy reunion with her grandson, and then with his mother when Laura returned to Port Charles. After Luke bid farewell to Port Charles, Laura settled in and focused on her family. She was troubled about her eldest son because Nikolas had struggled after losing the love of his life, Emily Quartermaine. Despite raising a young son, Spencer, Nikolas had gone down a dark path, and he'd been responsible for the shooting of a woman that he'd ended up engaged to. Laura was also close to her ex-daughter-in-law and to Liz's three boys. Even though the two older boys were not her biological grandsons, Laura loved them as if they were, and she had always played a role in their lives.

Laura was on hand when Liz's life fell apart on her wedding day to Jake Doe, a man with amnesia who had been revealed to be Jason Morgan. Liz had known the truth for months, as had Nikolas, but they had each remained silent for their own selfish reasons. Laura had known about their secrets, but she had kept quiet despite urging both Nikolas and Liz to do the right thing.

On November 23, 2015, Helena Cassadine passed away, but she was not quite done with those that she had spent decades torturing. She had left a will. On March 14, several gathered for the reading of Helena's will. Helena bequeathed various items to each of the assembled. Some items were meant to insult, and other items were meant to inflict emotional pain. Helena claimed that Laura had had the greatest impact on Helena's life because Luke and Laura had taken Mikkos away from Helena. Helena left Laura a key to something Laura had "loved and lost."

Scott, Helena's attorney, handed Laura a small box that contained a black key. Laura felt compelled to figure out the message. The key opened a steam trunk in Wyndemere's attic that had been filled with mementos of Laura's life with Scott, including an old law text book from the set that she had bought for Scott that had led to her taking a job at the campus disco. Confused by the message, Laura looked through the text book then noticed that certain letters had been circled on various pages.

On April 14, Laura met with a cryptologist to help her figure out the encrypted message in the text book. She was surprised when she realized that her expert was Dr. Kevin Collins. Kevin admitted that it was a hobby of his, but she realized pretty quickly that Kevin was an expert when he was able to figure out the clue in the book was "Heartbreak Hotel." Laura speculated that it was a reference to the campus disco, so Kevin and Laura searched the old building for a clue. Laura was unsettled to be back at the place of her rape, but Kevin was a calming influence.

Laura was surprised when she learned that the building was owned by Lloyd and Lucy Johnson because it had been Luke and Laura's aliases in Beechers Corners during their first adventure. Kevin and Laura's search was cut short on May 27, when Nikolas was believed to have been murdered. A grief-stricken Laura leaned on Kevin, but she also had to be strong for her young grandson, Spencer. Jason was accused of murdering Nikolas, but Nikolas was revealed to be alive a couple of days later when Ava Jerome boarded a flight to London and ended up seated next to Nikolas.

Around the same time, Kevin found a couple connected to the disco named Lloyd and Lucy Johnson living in Port Charles, but Laura had been too overwhelmed by her son's death to deal with Helena's games. Laura was also suspicious when she noticed that her grandson seemed a little too accepting of his father's death, and that Spencer's grief hadn't affected any part of his life. Spencer remained the same open and precocious young boy that he'd always been. The truth was revealed when Laura caught Spencer with two phones, and she noticed that he'd been receiving a call from only one number on the burner phone. Spencer confessed that his father was alive and that he'd been in daily contact with Nikolas because Nikolas had planned to fetch him when the coast was clear.

Laura was overjoyed that her son was alive, but she was also furious at the position that he'd put his young son in, and for the pain that Nikolas had caused her. Laura shared the news with Kevin, Lulu, and Dante. The group set out for Cassadine Island, certain that Nikolas would seek refuge there. On July 15, Laura reunited with her son, but Jason and Sam had beat her to the island, and they were determined to take him back to Port Charles. Additionally, Ava had accompanied Nikolas to the island. Laura's reunion with Nikolas was further complicated when a deadly mercenary named Theo Hart took everyone hostage.

Theo would be revealed to the infamous illegitimate son of Mikkos Cassadine -- Valentin Cassadine. Valentin insisted that he had a legal claim on the Cassadine empire, not Nikolas. Valentin forced Nikolas to sign a document relinquishing his claim on the family empire then Valentin shot Nikolas. Ava watched in horror as Nikolas fell from the balcony with a gunshot wound to the chest. Valentin wasn't done. He also tried to shoot Laura, but Kevin jumped into the path and took a bullet to the shoulder.

A timely storm aided in the hostages banding together and escaping. Laura's heart broke when she learned of her son's fate, and after the ordeal she anxiously waited for confirmation that her son had died. Nikolas' body was never found. The authorities were certain that his body had washed out to sea. Adding to Laura's pain was the revelation that the corrupt police had deemed the shooting "self-defense" despite Ava's eye-witness statement. Laura was furious when Valentin took up residence at Wyndemere then claimed his place as the head of the Cassadine family.

Laura's rage was tempered by her concern for Spencer who had taken his father's death quite hard. Spencer vowed to avenge Nikolas' death, and he tried to challenge Valentin on several occasions. Kevin recovered from his injury, and he proved to be a tower of strength for Laura. Laura fell in love with Kevin.

On August 25, 2016, Laura woke up in Kevin's bed after they had made love for the first time. They talked about Helena's "scavenger hunt," which had clearly been intended for Laura to relive all the painful moments in Laura's life. However, Helena's plans had backfired because Laura had found unexpected happiness with Kevin. Laura's bliss was shattered just minutes later when she discovered that Kevin had a publishing deal for a book about a woman with a mental illness searching for her ex-husband by following clues left by a head woman. Laura confronted Kevin, and he conceded that it looked bad, but he insisted that the deal had been signed in February, and he'd intended to write a non-fiction book about a collection of his patients and their treatments, but he hadn't been inspired.

Laura was deeply hurt because she felt used, but Kevin promised that he had intended to show her the manuscript before he had submitted it. Kevin offered to burn it, but the damage had been done. Kevin refused to give up on Laura. After Laura took Spencer to a boarding school in Geneva, Kevin arranged to sit next to Laura on the return flight home. He gave her a copy of the manuscript that he'd been contracted to write, which was about the impact that social media had on adolescents. He promised that he had never intended to violate her trust then gave her the only copy of the manuscript that he'd written about her.

Laura read the touching dedication to her, describing her as the bravest and most fascinating woman that Kevin had ever met. Moved, Laura read the manuscript then conceded that it had been unexpected, but she needed time to process everything. Laura forgave Kevin, and they reconnected as lovers. Life was always eventful in Port Charles, and Laura became embroiled in Olivia Jerome's plot to shut down the hospital. Laura had been in the group of board members fighting to keep the hospital open.

As 2017 started, Laura was hopeful that she would get some retribution for Valentin's role in her son's death when Spencer filed a wrongful death suit against Valentin. Ava's testimony was critical, but Valentin managed to get to Ava by offering her an opportunity to have her deformed face transformed to its former beauty in exchange for not testifying against him in court. Laura was furious that Ava had chosen vanity over doing the right thing for Nikolas, whom Ava had claimed to care about. The dismissed lawsuit had also sent Spencer into a tailspin.

In June 2017, Laura and Spencer moved in with Kevin. Laura and Kevin hoped the stability of their new home would help give Spencer the stability the grieving child needed. On October 11, Kevin proposed marriage, but he had bungled it by proposing at Kelly's. He vowed to do things right, and on Halloween he gave Laura the proposal of her dreams. Laura happily agreed to marry Kevin. On Christmas Eve, surrounded by family and friends, and officiated by Lesley's Italian boyfriend, Kevin and Laura were married.

Kevin and Laura settled into married life, and Laura focused on her mayoral race against Ned Ashton. Unfortunately, life took an unexpected turn when Laura received a call from Spencer's new boarding school in Europe, informing her that Spencer had broken both of his legs in a skiing accident. Laura was forced to pull out of the mayoral race and fly to Paris to be with her grandson. Kevin assured his bride that he would clear his calendar and visit her often. On January 19, 2018, Laura flew to Paris to take care of Spencer.

Kevin would visit Laura several times over the months, but she didn't return home until October 2, and she immediately sensed a change in Kevin. Kevin claimed that everything was fine, but he avoided intimacy with his wife, and always found an excuse to be away. Laura hadn't sensed any distance between her and her husband during their visit a few months earlier in Paris, so she worried that Kevin might be troubled by the 25th anniversary of his brother's death. What Laura didn't know was that "Kevin" was actually Ryan; he had switched places with his twin two months earlier, and Kevin was locked in Ferncliff.

Shortly after Laura returned to town, "Kevin" persuaded her to run for mayor because he had hoped that it would keep her busy. Laura hosted a charity event tied to her campaign on Halloween, but the event turned into a horror show when the head of a nurse from Ferncliff was found floating in a barrel of apples. Soon, two more bodies would be found, including Kiki Jerome's. Days after the grisly event, Laura was blindsided when "Kevin" told her that he wanted a divorce because he no longer loved her.

Laura begged "Kevin" to give them a chance by going to counseling, but "Kevin" told her that he had feelings for Ava Jerome. Laura was more certain than ever that something was wrong with her husband because she could not imagine him being drawn to a woman like Ava. After Laura was elected mayor, she decided to follow "Kevin" when he mentioned their prenuptial agreement because they had never signed one.

On February 19, Laura was stunned when she found Kevin locked in one of the rooms at Ferncliff, but before she could act, Ryan injected Laura with a sedative then locked her and Kevin in a basement room. Laura was overjoyed to be reunited with Kevin, but it quickly turned to concern because he was blind, and Ryan's sadistic treatment had taken its toll on Kevin. After Ryan forced Laura to sign divorce papers then left, Kevin and Laura worked together to find a secret passage out of the asylum. Laura went for help then sent an ambulance for Kevin.

On March 8, 2019, Laura and Jason Morgan joined forces then raced to Canada to stop Ryan who had kidnapped Carly Corinthos. Posing as Kevin, Ryan had also hoped to elope with Ava, the mother of one of his murder victims. Jason saved both Ava then Carly, but it was Laura who had to break the news to Ava that the man that Ava believed was Kevin Collins had in fact been Kevin's twin brother, Ryan Chamberlain

After Ryan was believed to have drowned, Laura returned to Kevin's side. Kevin had had surgery to restore his eyesight, and he'd been cleared to go home. Laura asked how Ryan had ended up impersonating Kevin, so Kevin admitted that the DVX had contacted him in May 2018 to reveal that they had an agent in need of Kevin's professional help. Kevin had been shocked to learn that his brother had been alive and had been working for the DVX for decades. Laura had been deeply hurt that Kevin hadn't trusted her with the truth, and that his actions had led to the deaths of several and an attack on her own daughter.

A few days later, Kevin was arrested and charged with aiding and abetting Ryan, and obstruction of justice. Laura visited Kevin in jail, and she admitted that she still loved him, and she didn't want a divorce. When Kevin was arraigned, Laura arranged to post his bail. On April 4, Laura told Kevin that she hadn't been able to sign the papers to end their marriage, but their talk was cut short when a frantic Lulu stopped by to talk to her mother. Lulu had been struggling since the attack, and her husband had gone into treatment after month way working undercover.

Laura advised her daughter to get away with Rocco and spent time regrouping in Paris. Lulu agreed that it might be best. On April 9, Laura met with Felicia and Ava to discuss the news that Ryan's right-hand had been found. The ladies agreed that it wasn't proof that Ryan was dead because Ryan was left-handed, and he would sacrifice his hand to stage his death. Laura, Felicia, and Ava put a plan in motion to lure Ryan out of hiding. They agreed that Ryan hated to lose, so Ava needed to find someone to date to show that she had moved on.