Despite Emily's protests, Nikolas admits to Mac and Lucky that he killed Helena, and that Connor was holding it over him in order to escape the country. Emily is devastated when Mac takes Nikolas to the station, and she unleashes her anger on Connor. Connor could care less, though, and he knocks out Lucky and holds Emily hostage with Lucky's weapon, demanding she help him escape before the authorities decide to take him into custody as well. Emily is disgusted at Connor's ability to manipulate them to avenge Mary's death, and she refuses to help him. Connor holds the gun on Lucky, so Emily must finally call the helicopter pilot to fly to Spoon Island. Lucky manages to wake long enough to try to knock the gun away from Connor, but he's unsuccessful, and Connor prepares to walk out the door. As Emily tends to Lucky's head injury, Connor opens the front doors and finds two military police officers with guns aimed at him.

Jason accuses John of giving Ric the evidence on Sonny, but John laughs at him and denies it. Jason warns John that he'll expose his misdeeds to Carly when he gets the proof, but John isn't worried. John tells Jason he promised Carly he'd help her, and he did it to the best of his ability, and she trusts him. Jason continues to press him, but is interrupted by a call and leaves.

Alexis joyfully celebrates a happy birthday with Kristina, and decides to show her daughter the new falling snow. She goes to the roof of the hospital to get some, and finds a collapsed Sam unconscious on the cold ground. Alexis manages to get Sam back in the hospital, and saves her from hypothermia and death. Jason arrives and immediately accuses Alexis of harming Sam, but Sam and Dr. Meadows assure him that Alexis in fact saved Sam's life. Jason asks Sam why she'd do what she did, and she apologizes and says she wanted to be sure her daughter got into Heaven. She tells him that she can't handle the pain, and that it won't go away, and Jason reminds her that it will take her time and that it won't be easy.

Carly breaks into Ric's file cabinet and locates his evidence on Sonny. She immediately begins to set paperwork on fire, and watches as the flames spread and burn any proof of her husband's misdeeds. She moves to leave the apartment when the flames grow stronger, but the front door is jammed and she finds herself trapped. Carly begins to shout for help, and Steven happens to choose that time to arrive and try to rescue her. He manages to break the door down, but Carly has meanwhile knocked herself unconscious on the living room floor. Steven carries her out of the burning apartment, and Carly comes to, gasping for breath. Once he sees she's fine, Steven tells her to run and he rushes back into the blaze despite Carly's protests. He attempts to erase any evidence that she set the fire, but he, too, is knocked out by the smoke. The firemen arrive, and Carly hides as she watches them rescue Steven.

Ric warns Sonny that regardless of who gave him the evidence, he has it and it will put Sonny away for a long time. Ric expresses remorse at having been handed the proof of Sonny's misdeeds, and having to do it right after his daughter died. Sonny doesn't buy Ric's sympathy, and tells him that he'll get out of it. Justus interrupts the meeting, demanding time with Sonny. Sonny agrees to allow Justus to represent him, and Justus tells him if he can find evidence that the file on Sonny was obtained illegally, he can have it thrown out. Ric suddenly rushes back into the room, demanding that Sonny admit to having Ric's apartment set on fire. Sonny is oblivious to what happened, but Ric tells him it's too convenient, and then he goes off to find the file. Justus and Sonny think they got lucky and likely the file was burned. Both assume Jason set the blaze, but later Jason tells them that he had nothing to do with it and Sonny wonders who he now owes.

Meanwhile, Steven is rushed to GH, where an upset Liz worries for her brother's well-being. Ric arrives at the hospital after hearing someone was found in his apartment, but he's distracted by Liz's emotional state. Carly shows up next, and rushes into Steven's room. She's relieved to see that he's alright, and she asks him why he saved her life. He admonishes her for not running like he told her to do, but he then admits that she's the most interesting person he's met in Port Charles, and he had to help her out. Carly is thankful for Steven's help, but he tells her she needs to leave before someone sees them together and ties her to the fire. Just as she gets up to go, however, Ric shows up and wants to know what the two have to do with his apartment fire. Steven says nothing about being found in the blaze, but Ric immediately turns to Carly and assumes she's the real culprit.

Skye, Luke, Edward, and Tracy continue their plot against Heather during the Haunted Star's reopening. Skye keeps a close eye on Luke, and worries for everyone's safety, but the rest relish in their roles and love the fact that they will soon trap Heather. Luke continues to defend her and keep her close to him when Edward and Tracy cut her down, and he succeeds in earning Heather's trust. She blurts out to him that Edward would be better off dead, and then panics that she's said too much. Luke assures her that she did nothing wrong, and tells her that he can see why she'd feel that way. This causes Heather to admit to Luke that she has been waiting to off Edward-and now Luke can help her do it!

Courtney worries about Diego's safety, and is unable to enjoy her night out with Jax. Jax tries to help by suggesting he hire a private investigator, but Courtney won't let him. Meanwhile, Diego, Brook, Dillon, and Georgie come upon Diego's sister's new home in Mexico, and they are stunned to find her standing inside in a wedding gown. Maria rushes to Diego and hugs him, but tells him that he must leave. Dillon spies a necklace that reminds him of something he can't remember, so he snatches it and pockets it before anyone notices. Diego wants to know what is going on with her, but Maria continues to try to rush the teens out of her house. Suddenly, her fiancé enters the room and demands to know who the people are. Maria pretends to have no idea, so Eduardo has the four of them arrested and thrown in a Mexican jail. As Dillon and Georgie blast Diego for getting them into the situation, Maria shows up at the jailhouse and tries to explain to Diego. She tells him she's marrying an honorable man, but she can't tell him about her past and her brother until after they are wed. She promises Diego to help him once her marriage is finalized, but she warns him to not return to Port Charles. Diego wants to know why, but Maria refuses to tell him and simply insists he stay away from Port Charles. Later, after having Diego and his friends released from jail, Maria searches her room for her necklace, but is unable to find it.

Ric confronts Carly in Steven's hospital room, and says he's certain she is behind the fire at his apartment. Carly admits to nothing, but Ric points out that despite her looming divorce from Sonny, Carly still loves her husband and would protect him at all costs. Steven demands that Ric stop harassing Carly and leave his room. Later, he asks Carly if she is still in love with Sonny, but she tells him that love is not enough for her relationship, and that it has run its course and is now over. Carly then wonders why Steven rescued her and covered for her, and it's clear that he has feelings for her.

After the fire is put out at Ric's apartment, Alexis secretly enters the living room and finds Sonny's charred file. She steals it and goes to make copies of the evidence against him. On her way, she runs into Sonny's attorney, Jordan, who assures Alexis that Sonny can get custody of Kristina. Alexis counters that she has no doubt that Kristina will remain where she belongs-with her. Back at the station, Sonny wonders to Jason about who might be the person to set the fire. Neither can come up with an answer, but later at the penthouse, Sonny confronts Carly who is there to pick up something of Michael's. Carly doesn't admit or deny having set the fire, she just tells Sonny that maybe he just has someone who wants what's best for him. Sonny knows his wife is the one who helped him, but he doesn't press the issue. Carly is called away by her father, and she meets him at the docks where he warns her that Ric wants to prosecute her for arson. John comes up with an alibi for Carly, and she wants to know why he thinks she's the one who caused the fire. Jason interrupts their talk, and John leaves so that Carly can have time with him. Jason wonders what was going on with John, and Carly tells him nothing-but she wishes that Jason wouldn't hate her father so much.

Alexis shows up at Sonny's penthouse after Carly leaves, and she pulls out the charred file of evidence against him. She hands him the file, but warns him to not set fire to it because she has several copies planted all over town. Sonny asks her what she wants from him, and she demands that he get on the stand at the custody hearing, and do for her what he did for Carly. Sonny is confused, but Alexis presses him to stand up in front of the court and tell them that Kristina belongs with her mother. She warns Sonny that if he doesn't do what she's asking, she will hand his file over to Ric and have him sent to prison.

After Emily convinces Justus to represent Nikolas, Emily is stunned when Nikolas refuses any kind of help from Justus, insisting that Nikolas WANTS to pay the penalty for killing his own grandmother. After Justus leaves the Port Charles Police Department, Emily blasts Nikolas for deliberately throwing away all chances for any future happiness that they might have. When Nikolas argues that he is just protecting them from any future attempts at blackmail, Emily refuses to listen, accuses Nikolas of being selfish, and storms out of the interrogation room.

As Liz wheels Samantha out of the Hospital, Liz offers Sam her sympathy at the loss of her child and tries to reassure Sam that, one day, the pain of her loss will not be so severe. Sam is surprised when Jason suddenly arrives and declares that he WANTS Sam to go home with him. When Jason and Sam arrive at Jason's Penthouse later, Jason explains that he decided to wait until Sam returned home to decide what they should do with all of the baby's things they had bought. Later, Jason announces that he needs to be away for a while on some business for Sonny. Before leaving, Jason urges Sam NOT to push herself to deal with her baby's death before she is ready. After Jason leaves, Emily arrives. Sam at first supposes that Jason arranged for Emily to keep Sam company, but Emily soon reveals that she had come to see Jason about a different, but urgent, matter. Although Emily is reluctant to discuss her problem with Sam, Emily finally confides that Nikolas has confessed to Helena's murder and Emily had hoped that Jason would be able to provide a solution to their dilemma. Meanwhile, Nikolas meets with Liz at the PCPD and asks Liz to take care of canceling everything connected with the weddings so that Emily doesn't have to deal with it all. Liz accuses Nikolas of being a pig-headed jerk and urges Nikolas to have some hope for the possibility of a happy future with Emily. Meanwhile, Sam tries to convince Emily NOT to give up hope of a happy future with Nikolas. Emily returns later to the Port Charles Police Department and apologizes to Nikolas. Nikolas then suggests that they marry BEFORE Nikolas goes to trial for his grandmother's death. Emily agrees and they seal their new understanding with a kiss.

Durant meets with Carly to assure that they have their stories straight BEFORE Ric begins questioning Carly. Meanwhile, Sonny shows up in Steven's Hospital room and reveals that Sonny left $500,000 in Steven's apartment in gratitude for Steven's actions in saving Carly's life. However, Steven coldly declares that he does NOT want Sonny's money and did what he did for CARLY, not for Sonny. At that moment, Alexis arrives and, overhearing Sonny's statements about the money, Alexis accuses Sonny of attempting to bribe Steven. Sonny brushes aside Alexis's accusations and storms away from Steven's room. However, Alexis follows Sonny and quietly reminds Sonny that Alexis has copies of the file which incriminates Sonny in many, many criminal activities -- and Alexis is prepared to hand that file over to Ric unless Sonny guarantees that Alexis will have sole custody of Kristina. Sonny reluctantly agrees to go along with the plan that Alexis proposes for Kristina. However, before Sonny can leave, Ric spots Alexis and Sonny together and accuses Sonny of harassing Alexis. Sonny brags that he will eventually be successful in gaining custody of Kristina, no matter what else Ric and Alexis have planned to keep Sonny from his daughter. Sonny warns Alexis about Ric's obsession with getting even with Sonny. After Sonny smugly saunters away, Ric asks Alexis what her plans are for their marriage, once Alexis has obtained sole custody of her daughter. Alexis assures Ric that, although she appreciates Ric's efforts to protect her, there are just some things that Alexis needs to deal with on her own. Alexis also assures Ric that she has come to trust and depend on Ric for his support and is actually ENJOYING being married to Ric, because Alexis knows that Ric genuinely cares about Alexis -- AND about Kristina. Later, Ric visits Steven and accuses Steven of being the arsonist on Sonny's payroll who started a fire in Ric's apartment to get rid of the incriminating file that could send Sonny to prison for many years to come. Steven directs Ric to Steven's scorched jacket in the closet and shows Ric a screen for toxins from the Weston case. Steven insists that Steven had gone by Ric's apartment to drop off the report, saw the smoke, and kicked in the door of Ric's apartment in an effort to save Ric's life. Ric refuses to believe Steven's story and points out that if Steven is NOT the one who set the fire, then Steven is covering for the REAL arsonist -- Carly. Meanwhile, Carly spots Alexis when Carly arrives at the Hospital and Carly urges Alexis to compromise with Sonny. However, Alexis refuses to listen to Carly's sudden moralizing. Alexis coldly reminds Carly that it was not so long ago that Carly blackmailed Alexis to represent Carly as Carly fought for custody of Carly's own two sons. Meanwhile, Sonny meets with Jason and explains that Alexis has copies of the incriminating file and is demanding that Sonny suddenly have a change of heart while testifying and grant sole custody of Kristina to Alexis. Jason agrees that IF Alexis ever DOES give that file to Ric, Jason and Sonny can kiss their criminal empire in Port Charles good-bye forever. At the same time, Liz visits Steven at the Hospital and is surprised when her brother informs her that there is someone special in his life. In the meantime, Sonny and Jason plot to prove that Ric obtained the incriminating file illegally so that Sonny can take the stand in the custody hearing and surprise Alexis with proof that the incriminating file is inadmissible because the file was obtained illegally. Later, Jason tracks Carly down at the Hospital and quizzes Carly about the day that Meyer dropped the file off at the Penthouse. When Jason learns that Durant arrived AFTER Michael packed his comic books, and that John was later alone with the packed boxes once they all arrived at the cottage, Jason begs Carly to realize that her father is STILL using Carly to bring Sonny to trial. Carly insists that Jason is mistaken and that Durant had NOTHING to do with that file, but Jason continues to suggest to Carly that it was Carly's father who slipped the incriminating file to Ric. Later, Sonny meets with his new attorney but orders Jordan NOT to go into court, intending to grill Alexis about the confrontation that took place in the Hospital chapel between Alexis and Sam just before Sam was rushed to the Emergency ROOM.

Luke and Skye lurk outside the Quartermaine Mansion, disguised as gardeners. Meanwhile, Heather pleads with Edward for time to talk alone, but Tracy smugly announces that the papers have been filed to end Heather's ridiculous marriage to Edward and Edward confirms his daughter's declaration. After Edward and Tracy leave, Heather puts through a desperate call to Luke and insists that she needs to see Luke right away. When Luke meets with Heather, Heather insists that they need to get rid of Edward that very evening, before Edward can end the marriage. Luke explains that Luke plans to get a lethal dose of a potent drug from the Hospital, but that Heather needs to personally administer the drug because Luke would never be able to get that close to Edward. Meanwhile, Edward spots Skye lurking in the garden and demands answers. Skye explains that Heather is determined to plot Edward's demise and Luke is getting cozy with Heather to gain Heather's confidence and then trap Heather. Later, Skye and Luke slip into the Hospital to steal the lethal drug and Luke explains that they need to catch Heather in the act of actually attempting to do away with Edward. Luke assures Skye that, although Luke has been getting cozy with Heather, Luke's ONLY interest now is in Skye. Luke explains that, once Luke has caught Heather in the act of doing away with Edward, Luke intends to strike a deal with Heather, offering the veteran schemer her freedom in exchange for Laura's return. Later, at the Mansion, Heather slips a drug into a wine bottle and calls for help. Edward immediately arrives and Heather tries to con Edward into believing that they still 'belong' together. When Edward coldly spurns all of Heather's efforts, Heather suddenly announces that she will agree to an annulment and suggests that they toast to their new understanding. After Edward drinks the toast, he keels over. When Tracy suddenly calls for Edward, Heather makes a hasty exit into the garden. Tracy finds Edward reclining on the couch and, believing that Edward has fallen asleep, Tracy covers Edward up. Then Tracy locks the patio doors. Later, Heather returns to the living room and presses a pillow down on the face of the man, covered with a blanket, who lies stretched out on the couch.

After learning of Jason's suspicions about her father's involvement with the incriminating file that made its way into the District Attorney's hands, Carly visits Steven in his Hospital room and confides that she believes that it was John who stole the incriminating file to give to Ric. Meanwhile, Jason slips into Durant's apartment to plant an illegal bug. Soon afterward, John returns home and quickly receives a visit from Ric. Ric tells John that IF John WAS the source of the incriminating file, then John needs to give Ric any copies that John may have kept for insurance, so they can prevent Sonny from getting off the hook once again. Meanwhile, at the Hospital, Alexis assures Kristina that no one will be able to interfere with their life together ever again. At the same time, as Samantha dozes in her baby's nursery, Sam dreams that she hears her baby crying in the crib. However, when Sam gets up to pick the baby up, the baby has disappeared. As Sam cries out in terror, Sonny hears Sam's screams and rushes into the nursery to comfort Sam. Sam gratefully accepts the comfort that Sonny has to offer.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, General Hospital did not air today. Regular programming will resume on Monday, November 29th. This holiday preemption was planned for and there will be no lost episodes.

The entire Soap Central "family" wishes you and your loved ones the safest and happiest of holidays. We are thankful for the continued support and patronage that you have given us over the past year and we look forward to dishing out many more servings of soap opera news and information in the years ahead.

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, General Hospital did not air today. Regular programming will resume on Monday, November 29th. This holiday preemption was planned for and there will be no lost episodes.

The entire Soap Central "family" wishes you and your loved ones the safest and happiest of holidays. We are thankful for the continued support and patronage that you have given us over the past year and we look forward to dishing out many more servings of soap opera news and information in the years ahead.