General Hospital RECAP: Friday January 8, 2016

At Kelly's, Dillon and Maxie discussed Crimson business as Dante marched up and demanded to talk to Dillon. Dillon ignored Dante's hostility and told Dante to wait, but Dante reached for Dillon to force Dillon to stand up and face Dante. Maxie objected to Dante's rude behavior, but Dante wanted to know what had transpired between Dillon and Lulu on New Year's Eve. Maxie tried to intervene, but Dante ordered her to stay out of it and told Dillon to meet him outside.

Dillon followed Dante to the courtyard despite Maxie's objections. Outside, Dante ranted at Dillon about being romantically involved with Lulu then warned Dillon not to hurt Lulu -- or Dillon would have to answer to Dante. Dante stormed off as Maxie walked out. She resented Dante making groundless accusations about Dillon and Lulu until she realized that she might be wrong. Dillon assured her that he was not romantically involved with Lulu then returned to the diner.

Maxie followed Dillon to the table as she talked about Dante and Lulu's marriage and how the couple continued to run in circles rather than trying to figure things out. Dillon wondered if Maxie had talked to Lulu about it, but Maxie admitted that it had fallen on deaf ears because Lulu was in "full Spencer mode" and lashing out. Moments later, Maxie's phone rang. Dillon quickly seized the opportunity to sneak away while Maxie was distracted. Maxie noticed his disappearance, ended the call, and left to find him because she was certain that he knew what had been going on with Lulu.

On the Haunted Star, Johnny strolled into the salon. Lulu was concerned that he continued to take chances by going out in public when he was a fugitive from the law. Johnny smiled and presented her with a beautiful bouquet of flowers, which he had picked up for her. Lulu thanked him for the gift, but he was disappointed by her lack of enthusiasm. Lulu admitted that she couldn't stop thinking about the way Dante had looked at her on New Year's Eve, but Johnny accused Dante of being a hypocrite who had cheated on Lulu with Valerie while expecting Lulu to remain faithful.

Johnny admitted that he had been tempted to confront Dante, but Lulu was glad that Johnny hadn't. Johnny reminded Lulu that Dante had trashed Dante and Lulu's marriage, and he urged her not to let Dante make her feel guilty because she hadn't done anything wrong. Lulu thanked Johnny for his support and the flowers, but she changed the subject by asking about Johnny's plans for Valerie. Johnny explained that he had a picture of Valerie appearing to take a payoff from him, which he intended to use to destroy her career. However, he needed to arrange a few more encounters with Valerie to ensure that it appeared that Valerie was on the take.

Lulu worried that Johnny might be caught, but Johnny wasn't concerned because he was grateful for everything Lulu had done for him. Lulu conceded that she wanted Valerie out of the way, but not at the expense of Johnny's freedom. Johnny promised that he had things well in hand, prompting Lulu to wonder if he had another agenda. Johnny admitted that he did; he wanted to win Lulu's heart. Lulu wasn't fooled because she knew that Johnny turned on the charm when he was trying to hide something.

The conversation was cut short when Dillon called out to Lulu. Johnny quickly ducked behind the bar as Dillon entered the salon to tell her about his encounter with Dante and to ask if she was still hiding Johnny. Lulu insisted that Dante had jumped to the wrong conclusion on New Year's Eve and assured Dillon that Johnny had only spent one night on the ship. Dillon appeared skeptical, but he received a text message and had to leave.

After the coast was clear, Johnny stood up. He admitted that Lulu was a convincing liar. Lulu felt terrible for lying to Dillon and for asking Johnny to do her dirty work. "Oh, my God," Maxie said in disbelief as she entered the salon and saw Johnny talking to Lulu.

At the police station, Valerie bumped into a fellow cadet in the locker room who warned her that the exam results were in, and no one had done well. A short time later, Dante walked in as Valerie was about to leave. He immediately sensed that she was upset, but she didn't want to talk about it. Concerned, Dante pushed for her to talk to him because he wanted to help. Valerie admitted that she was in big trouble because she had failed her exam, which meant that she would be booted out of the police academy if she failed the next test.

Dante offered to help Valerie study, but she declined because she was determined to keep her distance from him. Valerie explained that she had accepted that their relationship was over, but her heart was an emotional mess. Valerie insisted that she needed more distance from him because she missed their friendship. Dante felt the same way and confessed that all the progress he and Lulu had made over Christmas had vanished on New Year's Eve. Valerie didn't think it was a good idea for Dante to talk to her about it because it felt like she was going back and forth with him. Dante apologized and changed the subject by assuring Valerie that she would graduate and make a fine police officer.

At Metro Court Restaurant, Hayden insisted that her name was Hayden Barnes, but Tracy knew it was a lie. Hayden tried to call Tracy's bluff by suggesting that they part ways and pursue their own agendas, since Hayden refused to work with someone who didn't trust her. Tracy merely smiled and showed Hayden the article Tracy had found online, which proved who Hayden really was. Stunned, Hayden tried to snatch Tracy's phone out of Tracy's hand, but Tracy chuckled because deleting the scandalous article from Tracy's phone wouldn't help any more than Hayden changing her looks and severing all ties with Hayden's cohorts.

Shocked, Hayden asked how Tracy had put the pieces together. Tracy admitted that she had known from the start that Hayden had been more than an average con artist, so Tracy had decided to dig around and had stumbled across Hayden's true identity. Tracy made it clear that Hayden had 30 days to secure the shares necessary for Tracy to seize control of ELQ, or Tracy would expose Hayden's secret. Tracy explained that exposing the truth about Hayden would call into question Nikolas' judgment and provide Tracy with the leverage needed to get an injunction and oust Nikolas from power.

Hayden insisted that 30 days wasn't enough time. Tracy shrugged then threatened to make some calls, starting with "J. Dover." Hayden panicked and quickly agreed to Tracy's terms. Satisfied, Tracy revealed that she would be on vacation in Mexico for the next 30 days, which would give Hayden plenty of time to get the job done. Tracy warned Hayden not to try to slip out of town because Tracy had vast resources and wouldn't hesitate to hunt Hayden down like a dog. Tracy was confident that Hayden would meet the terms of their agreement to protect Hayden's secret.

Shortly after Hayden left, Dillon approached his mother at the bar. Tracy was delighted that Dillon had taken the time see her before she left town. Dillon was surprised by his mother's last-minute plans, but he agreed that it would be good for her because of what had happened with Paul. Tracy laughed and made it clear that Paul had nothing to do with her vacation plans. Tracy explained that she wanted to relax, reevaluate her priorities, and clear her head because she intended to return with a whole new outlook on things.

In Nikolas' hospital room, Nikolas admitted that he had no desire to send Jason to prison. Nikolas agreed to drop the charges against Jason if Jason signed over Jason's voting stocks to Nikolas. Nikolas added that it would save the Quartermaines a fortune for a long court battle that was destined to end in Nikolas' favor. Jason refused to betray his family, but Nikolas laughed because Jason had never cared about the Quartermaines in the past. Nikolas reminded Jason that Jason's sons would grow up without their father, but Jason refused to sign over the stocks to Nikolas.

Nikolas tensed when Jason mentioned Emily. Jason admitted that he didn't remember Emily, but Monica had told Jason stories about his sister and how close Emily and Jason had been. Jason doubted that Emily would approve of Nikolas trying to blackmail Jason into betraying the Quartermaines. Jason was certain Emily would want Jason to be better than that, but Nikolas suggested that Jason remember that when Jason was in jail.

Shortly after Jason left, Hayden entered Nikolas' hospital room as he gave a statement to the police, accusing Jason of intentionally pushing Nikolas over the terrace. The police officer promised to return with an official statement for Nikolas to sign, and he left. Hayden realized that Nikolas' plan hadn't worked out. Nikolas admitted that Jason had been willing to go to jail rather than work with Nikolas. Hayden thought Jason had been selfish not to put Sam and Jason's sons first.

Nikolas agreed, but Nikolas was determined to secure a future for Spencer. Hayden wondered what the next move was. Nikolas explained that he had never wanted to go to war with the Quartermaines or for Jason to go to jail, but it was the only option open to Nikolas. Hayden revealed there might be another way to keep ELQ from the Quartermaines. "Marry me," Hayden said.

At the Webber residence, Elizabeth was startled when she heard a loud boom in the house. Alarmed, she demanded to know who was in the house. Seconds later, Laura and Jake emerged from the kitchen. Laura immediately apologized for frightening Elizabeth, but Elizabeth was relieved that it had been Laura and Jake. Jake ran to hug his mother as Laura explained that Audrey had called to ask Laura to pick up Jake because Jake hadn't been feeling well. Jake assured his mother that he felt better when he was with Elizabeth -- and Jason.

Elizabeth gently told Jake to go to his room to play because Elizabeth wanted a private word with Laura. After Jake scampered away, Elizabeth told Laura that Jake had been having a particularly difficult time adjusting to Elizabeth and Jason's breakup. Elizabeth admitted that she wished she had done things differently because she realized that it was only a matter of time before Jason and Sam were back together. Elizabeth suddenly spotted Jake on the staircase and scolded him for eavesdropping.

After Jake apologized and went to his room, Laura suggested that Jake might benefit from therapy because he had been through a lot during the past four years. Elizabeth agreed and told Laura about the terrifying experience Jake had had on New Year's Eve. Laura doubted that anyone was in immediate danger, but she urged Elizabeth to take precautions because there was always a possibility that it might have been a Cassadine.

Elizabeth became anxious and began to lament about all the mistakes she had made with Jason. Laura felt bad for Elizabeth and hugged her, but Elizabeth didn't think she deserved Laura's support after the way Elizabeth had treated Laura. Laura made it clear that she would always be there for Elizabeth. Laura knew Elizabeth was hurting, but she promised that Elizabeth would get through it.

A short time later, Jason entered the house and called out to Elizabeth. She was surprised when she entered the living room and saw Jason, but he was curious why she had left the door open. Elizabeth assured him that she had locked it when Laura had left. Jason appeared troubled but suggested that perhaps the lock hadn't properly latched. Elizabeth gasped as he shut the door.

Jason glanced to where Elizabeth had pointed and saw a broken picture on the floor. Jason took off his jacket and used it to pick up the broken frame. Jason and Elizabeth's concern mounted when they saw that it was a picture of Jason, Elizabeth, and the boys.

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(From Soap Central)

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