Luke takes Laura to a fancy dinner to celebrate Lesley Lu's perfect health and also to forget the frightening situation and just be with each other.
Luke looks up and sees Stefan who of course shows up, Laura sees Luke's face...
Stefan looks at Laura.
Laura is pissed, knowing Stefan is just attempting to drive her insane. He tells her she looks beautiful.
She asks him if it's even a coincidence he "happened" to show up here. He assures her it was, Alan Quartermaine comes in, seeing Laura's fear and immediately tries to smooth things over. All he knows is her history as a prisoner by the Cassadines, and Stefan is one of them. And Alan saw Stefan's portrait of Laura when he went to visit. "Why do you have a portrait of Laura Spencer over your fireplace?" "Oh you don't like it there," Stefan coolly answers. "I'm not so sure about it there either." "Oh you're very good at this." Alan is a master at not being fooled. The Quartermaines in a way aren't that different from the Cassadines, particularly in the 80s! Alan tries to tell Laura that it IS business. If Stefan and Alan are doing business...dear Lord save us all...
Stefan pushes Laura a little more...
Laura turns away from Stefan, who is still standing behind her. You could see her embarrassment and discomfort. "I had great sex with this man and now he's the biggest pig on earth!" She was thinking something along those lines...she is probably more polite than me though.
Luke and Laura discuss Stefan saving General Hospital.
Stefan comes over to the table minutes later, tells Laura they need to discuss Nikolas. She says this is obviously not the time and he of course accuses her of not caring for her son. Luke makes it easy on them and leaves, Stefan sits down...setting her up for the first time!
These are going to be several photos of Stefan saying terrible, painful things to her, some are true, some are completely eggagerated just so he can cause her guilt to make her do what he has planned.
She's strong at first...
Stefan was right, she did look gorgeous.
She's not buying his crap.
Stefan then hits her where it hurts!
Laura can't believe the man she had loved so long ago would say this to her...
He tells her Nikolas is the greatest shame of her life, something she wanted to keep a secret. He tells her Nikolas STILL is her shame and she STILL wants him a secret.
She tells him he's wrong.
She will prove it...unaware this is what he had planned to make her do...
She will not let Stefan think Nikolas is her shame.
Laura goes directly to Monica, in Stefan's presence, where she is having dinner with Alan. Reminds me of how Monica was the only one Laura would tell her secrets to when she was a teenager.
Laura is ashamed of herself as she tells them. Monica and Alan listen and finally begin to understand a little bit better why Laura is so frightened of *this* Cassadine. He has her son.
Laura explains it all, except her relationship with Stefan of course, she tells no one until 1998.
Laura looks back and forth at them, begging them to love her. (It was so precious, her need to still be loved by them) Laura honey, would you like to know how many secret children the both of them have had? You picked the right people!
Please forgive me...
Laura is too ashamed and stands up, Monica looks at her with love, and fear for the woman she'd always loved like a daughter.
Monica hugs Laura, holds her and tells her how much she loves her.
Laura is very ashamed at herself. Stefan behind her is impressed at her words to Alan and Monica, and is also pleased because now he can go home and tell Nikolas to upset him and make Laura more the bad guy. Smooth Stefan...
When Laura leaves, Monica defends Laura to Alan who also thinks how strong she is. Monica and Alan talk about how awful it must've been for her to not be able to get her child back! Monica sides with Laura completely and doesn't trust Stefan. Alan is desperate to save the hospital but is also of course on Laura's side.
