Laura Spencer
Encyclopedia
Laura Spencer is a fictional character
on the ABC
soap opera
, General Hospital
. Laura was portrayed by Stacy Baldwin from 1974 to 1976, and since then has been played by Genie Francis
, first from 1976–1982, and then from 1992–2002 (with brief appearances in 1983, 1984, 2006, and 2008). Laura is one half of "Luke and Laura
," one of the best-known couples in soap opera
history. Although other "supercouples" preceded them, Luke and Laura are the best-known outside of the soap opera realm, and are credited with defining the term "supercouple", which inspired other soap operas to copy the successful formula.
Originally, critics of the soap opera genre panned the unlikely pairing. Laura was actually rape
d by Luke; as very few (if any) rape victims fall in love with their rapists, this relationship was actually offensive to some of the public. However, the duo became wildly popular in spite of the origins of their relationship. They wed on November 17, 1981, with 30 million viewers tuning in. The episode was the highest-rated hour in soap opera history. They were married for two decades and had two children. Even today, their union still has a presence in Port Charles
. On internet message boards, the couple is often referred to as "L&L".
by Stavros Cassadine, Lucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer Jr.
and Lesley Lu "Lulu" Spencer
both by Lucas Lorenzo "Luke" Spencer Sr.
. Laura has been absent from much of her children's lives.
The two then ran off on the adventure of the Left-Handed Boy. During this time on the run, Luke and Laura danced in a locked department store, made friends with Whit and Agnes Whitaker and fell in love. After being confronted by reporters upon her return, Laura still claimed to be Scotty's wife, and broke Luke's heart. The two parted ways, but not for long. They both went to work for ELQ. As Laura searched for Scotty, who'd run off, and her independence as a woman, she continually ran into Luke. The two drove each other crazy, finally realizing that they couldn't live without each other.
It was at ELQ that the adventure of the Ice Princess began. Luke's search for the Ice Princess quickly turned into a race to stop the Cassadine family from freezing the world. Along with their friend Robert Scorpio, Luke and Laura managed to land on the island where Mikkos Cassadine's weather machine was held. When they arrived in the lab, he commanded that they surrender or he'd freeze the entire world starting with Port Charles! In the last few seconds of the deep freeze countdown, Luke was able to crack the machine with the password "Ice Princess" and the city of Port Charles was saved. When they returned from Ice Princess Island, Laura filed for divorce from Scotty so that she and Luke could plan their own wedding. Her divorce was declared final just 2 days before the wedding; Laura was finally free to get married. The entire town of Port Charles along with friends from the town of Beechers Corners threw a grand wedding in honor of the two people who saved their town from being frozen.
Soon after Luke and Laura's wedding, Tiffany Hill encouraged Laura to take on the modeling job of Ms. Star Eyes, a job that took her away from Port Charles to New York City quite often. While on one of her trips home, Laura was kidnapped by David Grey and presumed dead. But in actuality, she was held captive by the Cassadines. Laura was told Luke was dead and was forced to marry Mikkos' son Stavros. She also had an affair with Stavros' brother Stefan and conceived a child, Nikolas. Stavros' evil mother Helena hated Laura. She left a Port Charles newspaper with Luke's picture on the front page where she knew that Laura would see it. Laura saw the newspaper and realizing that Luke was not dead, fled to Port Charles, escaping from Stavros, and making the choice of leaving Nikolas behind knowing that Stefan would take care of him. Afraid that Luke had moved on without her, she only wanted to see him once more. But as she walked onto the lawn of the mayor's mansion, Luke spotted her from the balcony. He screamed her name and they happily reunited. Deciding that they rather liked their privacy, Luke resigned as mayor and the pair left Port Charles for parts unknown. They wound up at Felicia's grandmother's ranch in Texas, where their son Lucky was born.
The trio wasn't heard from for 9 years, when they turned up in British Columbia on the run from mob boss Frank Smith. After deciding that a bomb that had exploded in their truck was meant for them, Luke and Laura made the decision to return to Port Charles. Sending Lucky ahead to meet his aunt Ruby, Luke and Laura stole a plane. When they realized that the plane was crashing, Luke and Laura jumped out and landed in a river. They were rescued by a helicopter just before their whole raft went over a waterfall. Back in Port Charles, Luke and Laura tearfully reunited 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.
Laura gave birth to daughter Lesley Lu in 1994. In 1996, Lulu grew sick with a strange bone marrow disease. After Lucky, Luke and Laura were proven incompatible for a bone marrow transplant, Laura was forced to seek out her long lost son Nikolas. Stefan and Nikolas came to Port Charles where Nikolas was proven a match for Lulu. With Nikolas' bone marrow transplant a success and Lulu's health returning to normal, Laura tried to have a relationship with her long lost son and even the man he called father.
Laura's relationship with Stefan was an up and down one at best. She discovered that he had been keeping her mother in a catatonic state ever since her supposed death in a car accident in 1984. Laura fled to her mother's side and brought her home to Port Charles. In 1997, Stefan threatened to reveal Nikolas' paternity to Luke, so Laura fled to Switzerland with Leslie and Lulu in tow. Laura and her daughter returned a year later when Laura began to sense that Nikolas had doubts about the true nature of her relationship with Stefan. It was not a happy homecoming, however, because Laura was quite upset when she learned that Nikolas had been shot in front of Luke's club and that Lucky had moved out after learning of the disco rape. Just as she had finally begun to move forward with Luke, she had to testify at Stefan's trial for the murder of his fiancée Katherine. Laura stated that she'd been on the parapet right before Katherine fell. This statement only added to Luke's heartache over learning Nikolas's paternity and that Laura and Stefan had been lovers when she was missing all those years ago. Luke left town and Laura stayed behind to face the demons of her past.
When Lucky was presumed dead in a fire, Laura went to see the remains of her dead son in the morgue. She broke down and Luke literally caught her in his arms as she fell to the floor. Laura blamed Sonny Corinthos and his right hand man Jason for Lucky's death. What was supposed to bring Luke and Laura together only tore them even further apart. Laura was in hysterics over the death of her son. Helena didn't help much either when she told Laura that it was her fault that Lucky was dead, and Laura suffered a nervous breakdown. She was in the hospital for a few days, before heading to recuperate at Stefan's country house.
When Katherine Bell came back from the dead, she started dating Nikolas. Laura tried to convince Nikolas that Katherine wasn't right for him but he wouldn't listen. Laura was even more furious when Katherine got pregnant and Nikolas planned to marry her. Helena left hints that Katherine wasn't really pregnant and Laura confronted Katherine. As an enraged Laura left Wyndemere, someone pushed Katherine from a parapet. Both Nikolas and Stefan believed that Laura was the culprit, and Stefan confessed to the crime to protect her. However, Stefan and Laura became suspicious that Helena had actually killed Katherine and grew quite close to each other, to the point of making love, as they gathered evidence to prove their theory. But Laura's budding 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 fully brought her attentions to bringing Lucky home to Port Charles. She teamed up with estranged hubby Luke to find him, but also had to deal with the consequences of bringing Luke's girlfriend Felicia along. Luke and Laura traveled to many places in their past as they followed the clues Helena dropped along the way. When they finally found Lucky and brought him home, Lucky was not the same boy that they had raised, and was still very angry with his parents.
They soon discovered that he'd been programmed by Helena. Luke promised Laura that they would get past Lucky's programming, and that they would have to wait until Lucky would come to them. Helena had made Lucky believe that his parents were behind the whole kidnapping, shocking both Luke and Laura. Luke promised Laura that he would undo whatever Helena did to Lucky. But just as Luke and Laura were beginning to heal as a couple, Luke was put on trial for murdering Stefan. Laura heard Felicia's testimony that she'd slept with Luke the night that Stefan had vanished. As her mascara ran down her face, she found herself with a drink in her hand, and Scotty coming up to her to take her home.
Laura moved on by obtaining Deception Cosmetics from Scotty with the funds of Sonny Corinthos. Sonny agreed to financially back Laura if his wife Carly could be co-partner. Wanting her independence once again, Laura agreed to the partnership. Carly was anything but easy to deal with, and gave Laura many headaches. Luckily, she enlisted the help of Elton Herbert, ex wedding extraordinaire as her assistant and the two got along famously. Her first choice for the company's signature model was Elizabeth Webber. But Carly wanted Gia Campbell. Determined to get her way, Carly had Gia lock Laura on the roof the night Laura was going to announce the new model.
In June 2001, Luke and Laura tearfully reminisced their past as their final set of divorce papers came in. With tears streaming down their faces, they sadly realized that they must put the past away and sign the final divorce decree. Although no longer married, Luke and Laura were never out of each other's mind. And the past was about to come back to haunt them. Stavros Cassadine came back from the dead that summer after being frozen for several years. He awoke determined to regain his family, including Laura. He constantly stalked Laura throughout the summer, even letting her see him in a mirror reflection from her front window. Laura then left Port Charles for North Carolina with Lesley and Lulu for the summer. When she returned, she learned that Luke had mysteriously disappeared. He eventually turned up suffering from an illness that caused him to cycle through time, between the year 1979 one minute and 2001 the next. Laura helped him remember the memories that they shared, while at the same time putting Scotty on hold in their relationship, and helping Stefan (who had been arrested for Chloe Morgan's death) escape lockup by faking a heart attack. When Luke collapsed, Laura pleaded with his unconscious body not to leave her because she loved him.
Just as Luke was starting to recover, Laura and Nikolas went to confront Helena in her underground lab. They ran into Stavros instead. He took Laura to a secret bedroom to reclaim her as his wife. While Stavros was explaining his good intentions to Laura, Luke appeared and declared that Stavros would never have Laura. The two fought, and Stavros knocked Luke to the ground. He grew angry at Laura's pleas to leave Luke alone. When he left Luke and Laura alone in the room, they declared their love for one another. Half of Port Charles turned up to escort Helena to jail, but Stavros escaped. Luke went after him and watched him fall into a bottomless pit. Laura was taken out of Helena's lab by Scotty and anxiously waited for Luke to make it out as well. Right before the lab shut down, Luke slid under the door, and was embraced by Laura stating that everyone could use a happy ending. Soon afterward, Scotty asked Laura to marry him all over again, fearing that she would leave him for Luke. She pondered the question for awhile and was unhappy that Luke found out about it when Lulu blurted it out at Thanksgiving dinner. Although hurt by the idea, Luke told her to marry Scotty; but Laura ended up turning Scotty down.
Luke and Laura once again lit the spark that they always knew that they had in a dance outside Nik and Gia's engagement party. Luke was determined to win the mother of his children back, and Laura suspected that he always had something up his sleeve. At his plea, she asked her mother to take care of Lulu, and ran off with Luke once again on a love boat mission. Once she realized it was all a ploy, Laura asked her ex hubby why he did it, and he responded with "Because I want you back."
Luke asked Laura to marry him again. Laura was reluctant at first, but finally agreed to marry him when they were re-enacting the Wall of Jericho in Beechers Corners. But when she pulled the blanket down, she discovered that he had run off! Annoyed, Laura returned to Port Charles. But she didn't realize that Luke had actually been taken by Jennifer Smith, who was intent on marrying Luke. When Laura realized what had happened, she flew like a bat out of hell to Texas to rescue Luke from the shotgun wedding. Trapped in a cave, Luke and Laura examined their feelings and Laura agreed to marry Luke, should they ever get out. A beam fell on Luke, and Laura cried as she thought that he was going to die. Luckily, Roy and Felicia saved Luke and Laura in the nick of time.
Not long after they returned home and began to spread the news of their upcoming wedding, Helena escaped from jail. In hot pursuit of his favorite nemesis, Luke discovered that Helena had hid out at Wyndemere and that Nikolas gave Helena money and let her go in order to protect Gia. Laura was horrified and heart-broken when she talked to Nikolas directly about his involvement and he lied to her. When Helena was finally captured, she lied to protect Nikolas' involvement in helping her. Knowing the truth, Laura told Nik that he broke her heart. Later, she told Nik that she still loved him despite recent events and advised him to give his relationship with Lucky time to heal.
When Carly's car drove off a cliff, Luke and Laura rallied around Bobbie to comfort her. Memories of Lucky's "death" surfaced as everyone searched for Carly, causing the bond between Luke and Laura to become stronger. When it came time to plan Carly's funeral, Laura used her memories of nearly losing Lucky and her experiences in motherhood to help Bobbie prepare for burying her daughter. But to everyone's relief, Carly turned up alive. Soon after, Luke discovered that Helena had placed a double in her place in prison and he tracked her to a convent. To his amazement, Laura had also tracked her to the convent in the search for her missing engagement ring and wound up there before him in disguise. Together, they found Helena and shipped her off to a convent in the Arctic Circle.
As Laura began to plan her wedding, she asked Felicia to help her find her old wedding dress. She couldn't believe it when she discovered that it was missing. When Luke and Laura finally found it, they discovered that time had not been kind to it. Laura also began to notice that she was missing some of her memories, including the existence of the garage attic at the Jones' house where she lived with Rick and Lesley when she was younger. Rick returned to town early for the wedding, and she shared her recent revelations with him. Soon after, a fire was set in the attic. When Laura realized her recent dreams were actually memories, Luke agreed to help Laura unravel her past. As Laura began to remember more about what happened in the garage attic, she also realized that Scotty knew what had happened but wouldn't tell her. Laura eventually remembered the face of the woman involved and had Elizabeth sketch it for her. Rick seemed uncomfortable when she showed it to him and begged Laura to leave the past alone.
Lesley confirmed that the picture was of a nurse who used to work at GH. With the identity of the nurse revealed, Luke tried tracking the nurse down but she seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth. Meanwhile, with the wedding fast approaching, Laura's grasp on reality began slipping as more and more flashbacks appeared to indicate that Rick might have killed Theresa. Things reached a climax when Laura returned to the attic on the eve of her wedding. Rick soon joined her there. As they talked Laura became more and more convinced that Rick had killed his lover in the attic. Rick denied it but he refused to tell her what happened and instead slowly approached her with a syringe. Believing Rick murdered Theresa, Laura became frantic when he tried to inject her with an unknown substance. Fearing for her life, she grabbed the first object she could find, a heavy candlestick, and hit him over the head, killing Rick. Luke arrived but it was too late to save Rick. Realizing that Laura was in deep trouble, Luke tried to get her out of the attic but Laura was not cooperative. She was covered in blood and suffering a complete psychotic breakdown. Scotty soon joined them and realizing he had no choice, he told Luke what had happened all those years ago. A teenaged Laura had surprised Rick and his lover, Theresa who were in the attic. Theresa, who was obsessed with Rick, wanted Rick to leave Lesley but he refused. Laura walked in on the heated moment and the shock of seeing her beloved stepfather in a compromising position with a volatile woman made Laura act on instinct. She grabbed a camera and hit Theresa over the head, killing her. Rick, fearing what would happen to Laura and seeing how traumatized she was by what she had done, quickly sedated her with a drug that also helped cloud recent memories. He then called Scotty to help him with the body. Rick and Scotty buried Theresa in the backyard to protect Laura from being charged and convicted of murder.
When Luke and Laura didn't show up for their wedding the next day, Lesley guessed that they had eloped. But when Lucky and Nikolas found Rick dead in the attic, they feared that Luke had killed him for some unknown reason. Even though Nikolas and Lucky tried to make it look like Rick had died in a drunk-driving accident, Scott didn't buy it and believed Luke was responsible. When Luke finally called Lucky, he didn't mention Laura, which worried the boys even more. Luke also didn't mention that Luke had taken Laura to a remote barn where he had bound and gagged Laura. He explained to her that she was tied up because she kept trying to run from him even though he was protecting her. Laura had flashbacks of Rick's death and believed Luke was actually going to hurt her. She got away and managed to call Nikolas to rescue her from Luke before Luke got her back again. He had to repeatedly remind her that Rick was dead. Finally, Laura remembered killing Theresa and that she had killed Rick because she thought he was going to hurt her. Although devastated, she expressed a wish for a small wedding when they returned to Port Charles. Luke agreed and went to call Nikolas. Laura took the opportunity to leave and return to the attic. Her memories of killing Theresa and Rick mingled with her images of marrying Luke again and she put on her wedding dress. Laura's reflection in the mirror looked beautiful, but when Luke arrived, she turned and revealed her true disheveled appearance. Luke realized that Laura was losing her grip on reality, but played along with her wedding fantasy and shared touching vows with her. Laura grew hysterical again and as Luke was calming her, Scott and Mac showed up. Luke was arrested for Rick's murder and Laura was taken for psychiatric evaluation.
At the hospital, Scott questioned Laura and he secretly taped her confessing to killing Rick. Luke proclaimed his innocence at first, but when Scott played him the tape of Laura's confession, Luke changed to proclaiming his guilt in Rick's murder. When Alexis wanted to mount a strong defense for Laura, Luke informed her that Laura wasn't going to spend the rest of her life in a rubber room and fired Alexis. Laura's mental state continued to deteriorate as she had visions of herself when she was younger. The younger Laura warned her not to trust anyone. Luke managed to bargain a last visit with Laura. He tried to convince her that he would help get her out, but she called him a bad man who had hurt her and freaked out. The doctor suggested treatment for her in London, so Lucky and Nikolas said a tearful good-bye to their mother, who did not even recognize them. Although the doctor didn't want Luke to see Laura again, he insisted on saying good-bye to her. On September 6, 2002, an orderly wheeled Laura out of her room as Luke tearfully told her, "good-bye, my angel, good-bye." Luke tried to visit her a few times since she was committed under the belief that only he could save her. But his visits seemed to only worsen her condition. Nikolas gained control of Laura's medical care from Lucky and hid Laura from Luke to protect her. Eventually, Nik and Luke made peace regarding Laura. Nik had Laura moved to Shadybrook and gave Luke full access to Laura.
In October 2006, Robin Scorpio told Luke about an experimental drug: LS-49. The drug had been shown to reverse catatonia for a short period of time. Luke authorized Robin to give Laura the drug but didn't tell Nik, Lucky or Lulu about it. Luke didn't want the children feeling disappointed if LS-49 didn't work. Luckily, the drug did work and Laura slowly emerged from her catatonia. It was quite a shock for her to realize that several years had passed and that all of her children were grown. Unaware that Luke had married Tracy Quartermaine, Laura began planning 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 25 wedding anniversary, November 16.
Sadly, Laura's condition began deteriorating rather quickly. She started having blackouts which increased in length and frequency. Luke was forced to tell Laura that she was slipping back into her catatonic state. Laura decided to tell the children so that they could all say goodbye. Instead of dwelling on what would happen, Laura focused her energy on creating memories. She wanted to celebrate Christmas early with her family. They all worked to give Laura her last wish. The celebration was bittersweet. As the special day drew to a close, Laura's condition worsened and Laura had to return to Shadybrook. Before Laura slipped back into her catatonic state, she told Lulu that she didn't believe that she had killed Rick Webber.
Laura was right. Lulu started digging around and discovered that Scott Baldwin had actually killed Rick Webber.
on August 25, 2008, at a time when Lulu needed her most. When Lulu is admitted into Shadybrook to treat her failing mental health, she goes to Laura's room to talk to her. While Lulu is talking, Laura appears to wake up and tells Lulu that a few months after her relapse
, the doctors were present as she began "waking up". Laura went through cycles of reawakening, infrequently but with greater periods of lucidity
as time progressed, as a side-effect of the experimental LS-49 drug Luke gave her in 2006. While coherent
, Laura voluntarily checked herself back into Shadybrook the year prior to her most recent relapse and signed paperwork originating from the French clinic the drug hailed from, which for legal reasons expressly forbade her doctors at Shadybrook from alerting Laura's family to any LS-49-related changes in her condition. Laura signed these papers, in an attempt to prevent her family from gaining what could be false hopes, should she reawaken. The French clinic had had a string of publicly-suppressed cases, wherein patients on the drug were coming back from their coma
tose states after an initial relapse...but this occurred on a case-by-case basis and the doctors were unable to predict whether the progress was going to be temporary or permanent. Consequently, the French clinic and Shadybrook, according to Laura and later her doctor, had a sensible, closed-ranks position regarding the drug, pending further, longer-term study of the affected patients and LS-49. Laura warns her daughter that she still slips away from time to time, but she asserts she is "feeling stronger" now.
Lulu tells Laura about Logan's death and Laura helps Lulu stop the hallucination
s that she was having. On September 19, 2008, Laura asks Lulu to tell Nikolas and Lucky that she had woken up. However, when Lulu does so and Nikolas and Lucky come to visit, Laura remains catatonic. Nikolas and Lucky discuss this with Dr. Winters, who advises that Laura's condition has not changed; that Lulu has imagined Laura's awakening as a coping mechanism and Laura's doctor from the French clinic was a hallucination. The aforementioned closed-ranks policy story however, provides credible room for speculation
about the validity of Dr. Winters' assessment.
On September 23, 2008 Lulu came to her mother and told her that Laura won't end in a catatonic state and Lulu will be fighting for her own health. Lulu kissed Laura on the forehead and left; in response, Laura moved her head and smiled.
In October 2008, overhearing a lethal injection
threat issued by Scott Baldwin
to her daughter, Lulu Spencer
, who killed Scott's son in self-defense, Laura reawakens to protect Lulu. Scott kidnaps Laura, taking her to California to relive their honeymoon
in hopes of rekindling their relationship. While in California, Laura continues to tell Scott that she has come along with him only so he will not prosecute Lulu. She lets Scott know that although she cares about him, she will always love Luke Spencer
and reminds him that she is married to Luke. Scott eventually tells Laura that Luke has been married to Tracy Quartermaine
for the last three years and that Luke had staged Laura's wedding to him, two years before.
Luke, after finding out at Shadybrook that Scott has kidnapped Laura, catches up with Scott and Laura in California. Seeing Scott and Laura in a car, Luke steals a taxi
and pursues the couple in a high speed chase. On November 3, Scott and Laura's car crashes along the edge of a cliff. During a rescue attempt, Luke drags Scott from the car, but in his attempt to save Laura, the car goes over the cliff
with him and Laura in it. Although bruised, Luke and Laura live through the crash, but find that they are in the wilderness
. They eventually find a cabin, where they discuss Luke's marriage to Tracy and the outlook of their own relationship. On November 10, the Spencer children find their parents safe at the cabin. They all reunite with Scott and Tracy at a hotel in California and decide to return to Port Charles
.
In Port Charles, after catching up with her children's lives and dealing with the fact that Luke has married Tracy and moved on with his life, Laura decides she also needs to move on with her life. She announces to her family on November 12 her intention to go to France, where the clinic for her LS-49 treatment is located. Her decision to continue treatment in hopes of having a permanent recovery and live her life is based on a discussion she has with Tracy Quartermaine, during which Tracy indicates that Luke has changed since being married to her and is happy with his new life; he can be himself and does not have to play the "hero
".
At the airport, Laura tells Luke she wants him to be happy and if Tracy Quartermaine can bring peace to his life, she is happy for him. Luke replies that they still have a close bond, as she had indicated to him earlier that day, and he will go with her to France if she wants him to. He tells her he feels he owes her for all that he has put her through during their life together. She turns down his offer, saying she is going to try to learn to do things for herself without him. She tells him she loves him, kisses him, and walks away to enter the plane. However, Luke asks her before she boards if she will return to Port Charles if the treatment works. She replies with a smile and shrug and climbs aboard the plane. Unbeknownst to Laura, Scott Baldwin is on the plane; as it lifts off, he is seen behind a curtain looking at her.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
, General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
. Laura was portrayed by Stacy Baldwin from 1974 to 1976, and since then has been played by Genie Francis
Genie Francis
Eugenie "Genie" Francis Frakes is an American actress known for her portrayal of Laura Spencer on the ABC daytime drama General Hospital. She is currently playing Genevieve Atkinson on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless...
, first from 1976–1982, and then from 1992–2002 (with brief appearances in 1983, 1984, 2006, and 2008). Laura is one half of "Luke and Laura
Luke and Laura Spencer
Luke Spencer and Laura Webber are fictional characters and the signature supercouple from the American daytime drama General Hospital. Luke is portrayed by Anthony Geary, and Laura was portrayed by Genie Francis...
," one of the best-known couples in soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
history. Although other "supercouples" preceded them, Luke and Laura are the best-known outside of the soap opera realm, and are credited with defining the term "supercouple", which inspired other soap operas to copy the successful formula.
Originally, critics of the soap opera genre panned the unlikely pairing. Laura was actually rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d by Luke; as very few (if any) rape victims fall in love with their rapists, this relationship was actually offensive to some of the public. However, the duo became wildly popular in spite of the origins of their relationship. They wed on November 17, 1981, with 30 million viewers tuning in. The episode was the highest-rated hour in soap opera history. They were married for two decades and had two children. Even today, their union still has a presence in Port Charles
Port Charles, New York (Fictional City)
Port Charles, New York is the fictional setting of the ABC Daytime soap operas General Hospital and its spin-offs Port Charles and General Hospital: Night Shift. It was later retroactively revealed as the setting of The Young Marrieds, a short-lived series which ran between 1964 and 1966...
. On internet message boards, the couple is often referred to as "L&L".
Children
Laura is the mother of three children: Nikolas CassadineNikolas Cassadine
Prince Nikolas Mikhail Stavrosovich Cassadine is a fictional character on the long-running American soap opera General Hospital. The role was originated by Tyler Christopher, who played the character from 1996–1999, and then after a four-year hiatus resumed the role in 2003 and left the show in 2011...
by Stavros Cassadine, Lucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer Jr.
Lucky Spencer
Lucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer, Jr. is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He is the son of legendary super couple Luke Spencer and Laura Webber.-Casting:...
and Lesley Lu "Lulu" Spencer
Lulu Spencer
Lesley Lu "Lulu" Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She is the daughter of supercouple Luke and Laura Spencer. She has notably been portrayed by Julie Marie Berman, who debuted in the role in November 2005...
both by Lucas Lorenzo "Luke" Spencer Sr.
Luke Spencer
Lucas "Luke" Lorenzo Spencer, Sr. is a fictional character in the American television soap opera General Hospital, and has been played by Anthony Geary since 1978.-Early years :...
. Laura has been absent from much of her children's lives.
- Nikolas CassadineNikolas CassadinePrince Nikolas Mikhail Stavrosovich Cassadine is a fictional character on the long-running American soap opera General Hospital. The role was originated by Tyler Christopher, who played the character from 1996–1999, and then after a four-year hiatus resumed the role in 2003 and left the show in 2011...
was born while Laura being held captive by the Cassadine family. After Laura read an article that stated Luke had been killed in an avalanche, Laura was coerced into marrying the oldest Cassadine son, Stavros Cassadine. She agreed to function as his wife. She produces an heir, Nikolas. When Laura escaped, she was forced to leave Nikolas behind and Nikolas was raised by his uncle Stefan Cassadine. Laura tried to go back to Greece to get her son, but Helena saw to it that Laura's mother, Lesley, was killed in a car accident. Laura learned of her mother's death while at an airport in route to get her son. Nikolas grew up believing that his mother did not want him and had chosen Luke and half-brother Lucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer Jr.Lucky SpencerLucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer, Jr. is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He is the son of legendary super couple Luke Spencer and Laura Webber.-Casting:...
over him. LuLu acquired aplastic anemia and needed a bone marrow transplant. Nikolas was a match, and he donated his marrow at staying at a hospital in Switzerland. Following the transplant, Nikolas came to Port Charles. Nikolas and Lucky disliked each other at the beginning but ultimately became loving brothers. Nikolas and Lucky had a close friendship with Elizabeth WebberElizabeth WebberElizabeth Spencer may refer to:*Lady Elizabeth Spencer , wife of Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke*Elizabeth Spencer, Baroness Hunsdon*Elizabeth Spencer , American novelist...
and Emily Quartermaine as teenagers. Nikolas's love life has never been easy, although he has been married three times. The first was an arranged marriage to Lydia Karenin, the second was an invalid marriage to Mary Bishop, who thought Nikolas he was her husband Connor Bishop, and the last marriage was to Nikolas' now-deceased true love, Emily Quartermaine. Nikolas has a son, Spencer Cassadine, with deceased ex-fiancee Courtney MatthewsCourtney MatthewsCourtney Matthews was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She was the daughter of Mike Corbin and Janine Matthews, and the half sister of mobster, Sonny Corinthos. Courtney was portrayed by Alicia Leigh Willis from December 20, 2001 until February 21, 2006...
. He was briefly growing closer to nurse friend Nadine Crowell, who was there for him after Emily's death, but the relationship ended. Most recently, Nikolas has been pursuing a relationship with Emily's twin sister, Rebecca Shaw. Nikolas is now thought to be the father of Aiden Cassadine, a result of an affair he had with his brother's fiancée Elizabeth WebberElizabeth WebberElizabeth Spencer may refer to:*Lady Elizabeth Spencer , wife of Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke*Elizabeth Spencer, Baroness Hunsdon*Elizabeth Spencer , American novelist...
, but Lucky is actually the biological father of Aiden. When this comes out, Nikolas denies it, but later gives Aiden back and leaves town with Spencer.
- Lucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer Jr.Lucky SpencerLucas Lorenzo "Lucky" Spencer, Jr. is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He is the son of legendary super couple Luke Spencer and Laura Webber.-Casting:...
is the oldest of Luke and Laura's two children. Lucky was born in Texas while the couple was on the run from the mob and living in Texas. Lucky spent the first ten years of his life on the run with his parents. After Luke's truck blew up in the parking lot of their diner - 3L diner - in British Columbia, the Spencers returned to Port Charles. In 1997, Lesley Lu Spencer ("Lulu") was born. Lucky has always been very protective of her. When Lucky learned of his half-brother Nikolas CassadineNikolas CassadinePrince Nikolas Mikhail Stavrosovich Cassadine is a fictional character on the long-running American soap opera General Hospital. The role was originated by Tyler Christopher, who played the character from 1996–1999, and then after a four-year hiatus resumed the role in 2003 and left the show in 2011...
, he disliked him from the start, but the two ended up becoming very close. Lucky and Nikolas formed a close friendship with Elizabeth WebberElizabeth WebberElizabeth Spencer may refer to:*Lady Elizabeth Spencer , wife of Henry Herbert, 10th Earl of Pembroke*Elizabeth Spencer, Baroness Hunsdon*Elizabeth Spencer , American novelist...
and Emily Quartermaine. Lucky dated Elizabeth on and off for years and they married twice. They first divorced because of Lucky's drug addiction and affair with Maxie JonesMaxie JonesMariah Maximilliana "Maxie" Jones is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital currently portrayed by Kirsten Storms. She is the oldest daughter of supercouple Frisco and Felicia Jones. In 2009, Storms was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role of Maxie Jones...
. They reconciled, but divorced a second time because Lucky learned Elizabeth had had a one-night-stand with Jason Morgan during their first marriage and that their son Jacob "Jake" Spencer was really Jason's child. Lucky begun having an affair with Jason's ex-fiancee Samantha "Sam" McCall to get back at Elizabeth and Jason, but Lucky and Sam fell in love. Lucky is a father to Elizabeth's three sons Cameron Webber, Jacob "Jake" Spencer and Aiden Spencer even though only Aiden is his biological child. Jake died in March 2011 after being hit by a car driven by Luke. Lucky was devastated, but he later married Siobhan McKennaSiobhán McKennaSiobhán McKenna was an Irish stage and screen actress.-Background:Born Siobhán Giollamhuire Nic Cionnaith in Belfast, Northern Ireland into a Catholic and nationalist family, she grew up in Galway City and in County Monaghan, Ireland speaking fluent Irish...
and also found out Aiden was his son, originally thought to be Nikolas's son. Siobhan was killed in August 2011.
- Lesley Lu "Lulu" SpencerLulu SpencerLesley Lu "Lulu" Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She is the daughter of supercouple Luke and Laura Spencer. She has notably been portrayed by Julie Marie Berman, who debuted in the role in November 2005...
is the youngest of Luke and Laura's two children. Lulu is the only child of Laura's who was born and raised in Port CharlesPort Charles, New York (Fictional City)Port Charles, New York is the fictional setting of the ABC Daytime soap operas General Hospital and its spin-offs Port Charles and General Hospital: Night Shift. It was later retroactively revealed as the setting of The Young Marrieds, a short-lived series which ran between 1964 and 1966...
. Lulu was raised mostly by Laura until Laura entered a catatonic state in 2002. From 2002-2005, Lulu was raised by her grandmother, Lesley Williams WebberLesley WebberLesley Webber, M.D. was a fictional character on the ABC soap opera, General Hospital. She was played by Denise Alexander from 1972-1984 on contract and from 1996-2009 recurring.-Arrival:...
, until Lesley sent her to live with her father and stepmother, Tracy Quartermaine SpencerTracy QuartermaineTracy Angelica Quartermaine Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...
. The Quartermaines became a second family for Lulu, often caring for her during Luke's absence. Lulu soon fell in love with her stepbrother, Dillon QuartermaineDillon QuartermaineDillon Albert Quartermaine is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera, General Hospital. He first appeared in 1992, and is the son of Paul Hornsby and Tracy Quartermaine. He also appeared briefly on ABC's now-defunct The City . Dillon was portrayed by actor Scott Clifton from 2003...
, became pregnant by him, and had an abortion, a decision she knew was right but still troubles her. Lulu found out that her "nephew" Jacob "Jake" Spencer is really Jason Morgan's son. At first she wanted to tell Lucky, but seeing the way he has been acting, she thinks he will resume his addiction to pills. She also understands that Jason and Elizabeth wanted to protect Jake from the mob. Lulu became a close friend to Elizabeth and even thinks of her as a sister; Lulu also became a close friend to Jason. Lulu was heartbroken when she found out her father raped her mother and was angry at first, but forgave her father. Lulu began dating the son of her mother's ex-husband, Scott BaldwinScott BaldwinScott Baldwin is a fictional character from the ABC soap operas, General Hospital and its now-defunct spinoff Port Charles. He is often remembered as the "odd man out" in GH's well-known love story of Luke and Laura Spencer. The character debuted on GH as a child in the 1960s...
- Logan Hayes - but broke up with him. Scott had become obsessed with Lulu, but she preferred and was dating Johnny ZaccharaJohnny ZaccharaJohn "Johnny" Anthony Zacchara is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital and the contract role has been portrayed Brandon Barash since 18 September 2007. Within the series, he is known as the son of mobster Anthony Zacchara.-Arrival:...
. Lulu murdered Logan in self defense, but Johnny took the blame for it. Lulu had a nervous breakdownNervous breakdownMental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
and was committed to Shadybrook. Meanwhile, Johnny was tried and found not guilty, and Lulu was released from Shadybrook soon afterwards. She and Johnny moved into an apartment with Lulu's long-time rival, Maxie JonesMaxie JonesMariah Maximilliana "Maxie" Jones is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital currently portrayed by Kirsten Storms. She is the oldest daughter of supercouple Frisco and Felicia Jones. In 2009, Storms was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her role of Maxie Jones...
, who had become a friend. Johnny broke up with Lulu, thinking he was protecting her. Lulu, Maxie, and Damian SpinelliDamian SpinelliDamien Millhouse "Spinelli" Spinelli, a.k.a. "The Jackal", is a fictional character on the ABC daytime drama, General Hospital, played by actor Bradford Anderson since November 13, 2006...
have recently teamed up to discover why Lulu and Maxie's boss, Kate HowardKate HowardKatherine "Kate" Hardwicke Howard is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. The character was introduced to the show in May 2007, and was portrayed by Megan Ward since the character's introduction. Ward last appeared on-screen on October 20, 2010...
, has been giving away designs from their magazine, Crimson.
Character Background and Arrival in Port Charles
On December 24, 1961, Laura was born to Professor Gordon Gray and his former student, Dr. Lesley Williams, who believed that her baby had died at birth. In reality, Laura was raised in Canada by Jason and Barbara Vining until she was 12 years old when Lesley discovered that she was alive and living with the Vinings. Soon after Lesley found her long lost daughter, she demanded that Laura move in and live with her. As she lived with Lesley, Laura was torn between her two mothers, even calling out Barbara's name during a time of illness. She desperately missed her friends and her little sister Amy. Lesley had no choice but to return Laura to the Vinings. However, Lesley remained obsessed with her little girl. The large amount of attention that Lesley gave to Laura made Lesley's husband Cameron jealous. He even paid the Vinings a large sum of money to take Laura far away from where Lesley could ever see her. Lesley continued the search for her young daughter, helped by Rick Webber. When they found Laura, she was being dragged from a commune by her adoptive mother Barbara. Laura was not ready to go home, and was definitely not the Laura that Lesley remembered. Both Lesley and Rick dragged Laura home to Port Charles. Once home, Rick took on the task of explaining to a very confused and emotional Laura that both her adoptive mother and Lesley loved her.Luke Spencer
Laura moved in with her biological mother and her stepfather Rick. She graduated Port Charles High School in January 1979 and soon began studying at the local college. On July 9, 1979, a young and slightly extravagant Laura married, with her parents' permission the young law student Scotty Baldwin. Laura's extravagance led her spend a large sum of money on law books for Scotty. To repay this debt, Laura asked newcomer Luke Spencer for a job at the Campus Disco. Luke quickly fell in love with Laura. One night, he asked Laura to dance in the empty disco. His emotions running high over the belief that he was going to be killed trying to assassinate Mitch Williams, he poured out his feelings of love for her. He fast lost control of what he was doing and ended up raping Laura on the floor of the disco. Laura was found later in the park and taken to the hospital, but refused to identify her rapist. Luke knew what he had done, and was completely horrified by his actions. But Laura somehow forgave him in a letter she wrote to him, which Scotty found. Infuriated at Luke, he punched him out right before Luke was to marry Frank Smith's daughter Jennifer. Luke tumbled off the yacht into the water and Laura had to pull him out.The two then ran off on the adventure of the Left-Handed Boy. During this time on the run, Luke and Laura danced in a locked department store, made friends with Whit and Agnes Whitaker and fell in love. After being confronted by reporters upon her return, Laura still claimed to be Scotty's wife, and broke Luke's heart. The two parted ways, but not for long. They both went to work for ELQ. As Laura searched for Scotty, who'd run off, and her independence as a woman, she continually ran into Luke. The two drove each other crazy, finally realizing that they couldn't live without each other.
It was at ELQ that the adventure of the Ice Princess began. Luke's search for the Ice Princess quickly turned into a race to stop the Cassadine family from freezing the world. Along with their friend Robert Scorpio, Luke and Laura managed to land on the island where Mikkos Cassadine's weather machine was held. When they arrived in the lab, he commanded that they surrender or he'd freeze the entire world starting with Port Charles! In the last few seconds of the deep freeze countdown, Luke was able to crack the machine with the password "Ice Princess" and the city of Port Charles was saved. When they returned from Ice Princess Island, Laura filed for divorce from Scotty so that she and Luke could plan their own wedding. Her divorce was declared final just 2 days before the wedding; Laura was finally free to get married. The entire town of Port Charles along with friends from the town of Beechers Corners threw a grand wedding in honor of the two people who saved their town from being frozen.
Soon after Luke and Laura's wedding, Tiffany Hill encouraged Laura to take on the modeling job of Ms. Star Eyes, a job that took her away from Port Charles to New York City quite often. While on one of her trips home, Laura was kidnapped by David Grey and presumed dead. But in actuality, she was held captive by the Cassadines. Laura was told Luke was dead and was forced to marry Mikkos' son Stavros. She also had an affair with Stavros' brother Stefan and conceived a child, Nikolas. Stavros' evil mother Helena hated Laura. She left a Port Charles newspaper with Luke's picture on the front page where she knew that Laura would see it. Laura saw the newspaper and realizing that Luke was not dead, fled to Port Charles, escaping from Stavros, and making the choice of leaving Nikolas behind knowing that Stefan would take care of him. Afraid that Luke had moved on without her, she only wanted to see him once more. But as she walked onto the lawn of the mayor's mansion, Luke spotted her from the balcony. He screamed her name and they happily reunited. Deciding that they rather liked their privacy, Luke resigned as mayor and the pair left Port Charles for parts unknown. They wound up at Felicia's grandmother's ranch in Texas, where their son Lucky was born.
The trio wasn't heard from for 9 years, when they turned up in British Columbia on the run from mob boss Frank Smith. After deciding that a bomb that had exploded in their truck was meant for them, Luke and Laura made the decision to return to Port Charles. Sending Lucky ahead to meet his aunt Ruby, Luke and Laura stole a plane. When they realized that the plane was crashing, Luke and Laura jumped out and landed in a river. They were rescued by a helicopter just before their whole raft went over a waterfall. Back in Port Charles, Luke and Laura tearfully reunited 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.
Laura gave birth to daughter Lesley Lu in 1994. In 1996, Lulu grew sick with a strange bone marrow disease. After Lucky, Luke and Laura were proven incompatible for a bone marrow transplant, Laura was forced to seek out her long lost son Nikolas. Stefan and Nikolas came to Port Charles where Nikolas was proven a match for Lulu. With Nikolas' bone marrow transplant a success and Lulu's health returning to normal, Laura tried to have a relationship with her long lost son and even the man he called father.
Laura's relationship with Stefan was an up and down one at best. She discovered that he had been keeping her mother in a catatonic state ever since her supposed death in a car accident in 1984. Laura fled to her mother's side and brought her home to Port Charles. In 1997, Stefan threatened to reveal Nikolas' paternity to Luke, so Laura fled to Switzerland with Leslie and Lulu in tow. Laura and her daughter returned a year later when Laura began to sense that Nikolas had doubts about the true nature of her relationship with Stefan. It was not a happy homecoming, however, because Laura was quite upset when she learned that Nikolas had been shot in front of Luke's club and that Lucky had moved out after learning of the disco rape. Just as she had finally begun to move forward with Luke, she had to testify at Stefan's trial for the murder of his fiancée Katherine. Laura stated that she'd been on the parapet right before Katherine fell. This statement only added to Luke's heartache over learning Nikolas's paternity and that Laura and Stefan had been lovers when she was missing all those years ago. Luke left town and Laura stayed behind to face the demons of her past.
When Lucky was presumed dead in a fire, Laura went to see the remains of her dead son in the morgue. She broke down and Luke literally caught her in his arms as she fell to the floor. Laura blamed Sonny Corinthos and his right hand man Jason for Lucky's death. What was supposed to bring Luke and Laura together only tore them even further apart. Laura was in hysterics over the death of her son. Helena didn't help much either when she told Laura that it was her fault that Lucky was dead, and Laura suffered a nervous breakdown. She was in the hospital for a few days, before heading to recuperate at Stefan's country house.
When Katherine Bell came back from the dead, she started dating Nikolas. Laura tried to convince Nikolas that Katherine wasn't right for him but he wouldn't listen. Laura was even more furious when Katherine got pregnant and Nikolas planned to marry her. Helena left hints that Katherine wasn't really pregnant and Laura confronted Katherine. As an enraged Laura left Wyndemere, someone pushed Katherine from a parapet. Both Nikolas and Stefan believed that Laura was the culprit, and Stefan confessed to the crime to protect her. However, Stefan and Laura became suspicious that Helena had actually killed Katherine and grew quite close to each other, to the point of making love, as they gathered evidence to prove their theory. But Laura's budding 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 fully brought her attentions to bringing Lucky home to Port Charles. She teamed up with estranged hubby Luke to find him, but also had to deal with the consequences of bringing Luke's girlfriend Felicia along. Luke and Laura traveled to many places in their past as they followed the clues Helena dropped along the way. When they finally found Lucky and brought him home, Lucky was not the same boy that they had raised, and was still very angry with his parents.
They soon discovered that he'd been programmed by Helena. Luke promised Laura that they would get past Lucky's programming, and that they would have to wait until Lucky would come to them. Helena had made Lucky believe that his parents were behind the whole kidnapping, shocking both Luke and Laura. Luke promised Laura that he would undo whatever Helena did to Lucky. But just as Luke and Laura were beginning to heal as a couple, Luke was put on trial for murdering Stefan. Laura heard Felicia's testimony that she'd slept with Luke the night that Stefan had vanished. As her mascara ran down her face, she found herself with a drink in her hand, and Scotty coming up to her to take her home.
Laura moved on by obtaining Deception Cosmetics from Scotty with the funds of Sonny Corinthos. Sonny agreed to financially back Laura if his wife Carly could be co-partner. Wanting her independence once again, Laura agreed to the partnership. Carly was anything but easy to deal with, and gave Laura many headaches. Luckily, she enlisted the help of Elton Herbert, ex wedding extraordinaire as her assistant and the two got along famously. Her first choice for the company's signature model was Elizabeth Webber. But Carly wanted Gia Campbell. Determined to get her way, Carly had Gia lock Laura on the roof the night Laura was going to announce the new model.
In June 2001, Luke and Laura tearfully reminisced their past as their final set of divorce papers came in. With tears streaming down their faces, they sadly realized that they must put the past away and sign the final divorce decree. Although no longer married, Luke and Laura were never out of each other's mind. And the past was about to come back to haunt them. Stavros Cassadine came back from the dead that summer after being frozen for several years. He awoke determined to regain his family, including Laura. He constantly stalked Laura throughout the summer, even letting her see him in a mirror reflection from her front window. Laura then left Port Charles for North Carolina with Lesley and Lulu for the summer. When she returned, she learned that Luke had mysteriously disappeared. He eventually turned up suffering from an illness that caused him to cycle through time, between the year 1979 one minute and 2001 the next. Laura helped him remember the memories that they shared, while at the same time putting Scotty on hold in their relationship, and helping Stefan (who had been arrested for Chloe Morgan's death) escape lockup by faking a heart attack. When Luke collapsed, Laura pleaded with his unconscious body not to leave her because she loved him.
Just as Luke was starting to recover, Laura and Nikolas went to confront Helena in her underground lab. They ran into Stavros instead. He took Laura to a secret bedroom to reclaim her as his wife. While Stavros was explaining his good intentions to Laura, Luke appeared and declared that Stavros would never have Laura. The two fought, and Stavros knocked Luke to the ground. He grew angry at Laura's pleas to leave Luke alone. When he left Luke and Laura alone in the room, they declared their love for one another. Half of Port Charles turned up to escort Helena to jail, but Stavros escaped. Luke went after him and watched him fall into a bottomless pit. Laura was taken out of Helena's lab by Scotty and anxiously waited for Luke to make it out as well. Right before the lab shut down, Luke slid under the door, and was embraced by Laura stating that everyone could use a happy ending. Soon afterward, Scotty asked Laura to marry him all over again, fearing that she would leave him for Luke. She pondered the question for awhile and was unhappy that Luke found out about it when Lulu blurted it out at Thanksgiving dinner. Although hurt by the idea, Luke told her to marry Scotty; but Laura ended up turning Scotty down.
Luke and Laura once again lit the spark that they always knew that they had in a dance outside Nik and Gia's engagement party. Luke was determined to win the mother of his children back, and Laura suspected that he always had something up his sleeve. At his plea, she asked her mother to take care of Lulu, and ran off with Luke once again on a love boat mission. Once she realized it was all a ploy, Laura asked her ex hubby why he did it, and he responded with "Because I want you back."
Luke asked Laura to marry him again. Laura was reluctant at first, but finally agreed to marry him when they were re-enacting the Wall of Jericho in Beechers Corners. But when she pulled the blanket down, she discovered that he had run off! Annoyed, Laura returned to Port Charles. But she didn't realize that Luke had actually been taken by Jennifer Smith, who was intent on marrying Luke. When Laura realized what had happened, she flew like a bat out of hell to Texas to rescue Luke from the shotgun wedding. Trapped in a cave, Luke and Laura examined their feelings and Laura agreed to marry Luke, should they ever get out. A beam fell on Luke, and Laura cried as she thought that he was going to die. Luckily, Roy and Felicia saved Luke and Laura in the nick of time.
Not long after they returned home and began to spread the news of their upcoming wedding, Helena escaped from jail. In hot pursuit of his favorite nemesis, Luke discovered that Helena had hid out at Wyndemere and that Nikolas gave Helena money and let her go in order to protect Gia. Laura was horrified and heart-broken when she talked to Nikolas directly about his involvement and he lied to her. When Helena was finally captured, she lied to protect Nikolas' involvement in helping her. Knowing the truth, Laura told Nik that he broke her heart. Later, she told Nik that she still loved him despite recent events and advised him to give his relationship with Lucky time to heal.
When Carly's car drove off a cliff, Luke and Laura rallied around Bobbie to comfort her. Memories of Lucky's "death" surfaced as everyone searched for Carly, causing the bond between Luke and Laura to become stronger. When it came time to plan Carly's funeral, Laura used her memories of nearly losing Lucky and her experiences in motherhood to help Bobbie prepare for burying her daughter. But to everyone's relief, Carly turned up alive. Soon after, Luke discovered that Helena had placed a double in her place in prison and he tracked her to a convent. To his amazement, Laura had also tracked her to the convent in the search for her missing engagement ring and wound up there before him in disguise. Together, they found Helena and shipped her off to a convent in the Arctic Circle.
As Laura began to plan her wedding, she asked Felicia to help her find her old wedding dress. She couldn't believe it when she discovered that it was missing. When Luke and Laura finally found it, they discovered that time had not been kind to it. Laura also began to notice that she was missing some of her memories, including the existence of the garage attic at the Jones' house where she lived with Rick and Lesley when she was younger. Rick returned to town early for the wedding, and she shared her recent revelations with him. Soon after, a fire was set in the attic. When Laura realized her recent dreams were actually memories, Luke agreed to help Laura unravel her past. As Laura began to remember more about what happened in the garage attic, she also realized that Scotty knew what had happened but wouldn't tell her. Laura eventually remembered the face of the woman involved and had Elizabeth sketch it for her. Rick seemed uncomfortable when she showed it to him and begged Laura to leave the past alone.
Lesley confirmed that the picture was of a nurse who used to work at GH. With the identity of the nurse revealed, Luke tried tracking the nurse down but she seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth. Meanwhile, with the wedding fast approaching, Laura's grasp on reality began slipping as more and more flashbacks appeared to indicate that Rick might have killed Theresa. Things reached a climax when Laura returned to the attic on the eve of her wedding. Rick soon joined her there. As they talked Laura became more and more convinced that Rick had killed his lover in the attic. Rick denied it but he refused to tell her what happened and instead slowly approached her with a syringe. Believing Rick murdered Theresa, Laura became frantic when he tried to inject her with an unknown substance. Fearing for her life, she grabbed the first object she could find, a heavy candlestick, and hit him over the head, killing Rick. Luke arrived but it was too late to save Rick. Realizing that Laura was in deep trouble, Luke tried to get her out of the attic but Laura was not cooperative. She was covered in blood and suffering a complete psychotic breakdown. Scotty soon joined them and realizing he had no choice, he told Luke what had happened all those years ago. A teenaged Laura had surprised Rick and his lover, Theresa who were in the attic. Theresa, who was obsessed with Rick, wanted Rick to leave Lesley but he refused. Laura walked in on the heated moment and the shock of seeing her beloved stepfather in a compromising position with a volatile woman made Laura act on instinct. She grabbed a camera and hit Theresa over the head, killing her. Rick, fearing what would happen to Laura and seeing how traumatized she was by what she had done, quickly sedated her with a drug that also helped cloud recent memories. He then called Scotty to help him with the body. Rick and Scotty buried Theresa in the backyard to protect Laura from being charged and convicted of murder.
When Luke and Laura didn't show up for their wedding the next day, Lesley guessed that they had eloped. But when Lucky and Nikolas found Rick dead in the attic, they feared that Luke had killed him for some unknown reason. Even though Nikolas and Lucky tried to make it look like Rick had died in a drunk-driving accident, Scott didn't buy it and believed Luke was responsible. When Luke finally called Lucky, he didn't mention Laura, which worried the boys even more. Luke also didn't mention that Luke had taken Laura to a remote barn where he had bound and gagged Laura. He explained to her that she was tied up because she kept trying to run from him even though he was protecting her. Laura had flashbacks of Rick's death and believed Luke was actually going to hurt her. She got away and managed to call Nikolas to rescue her from Luke before Luke got her back again. He had to repeatedly remind her that Rick was dead. Finally, Laura remembered killing Theresa and that she had killed Rick because she thought he was going to hurt her. Although devastated, she expressed a wish for a small wedding when they returned to Port Charles. Luke agreed and went to call Nikolas. Laura took the opportunity to leave and return to the attic. Her memories of killing Theresa and Rick mingled with her images of marrying Luke again and she put on her wedding dress. Laura's reflection in the mirror looked beautiful, but when Luke arrived, she turned and revealed her true disheveled appearance. Luke realized that Laura was losing her grip on reality, but played along with her wedding fantasy and shared touching vows with her. Laura grew hysterical again and as Luke was calming her, Scott and Mac showed up. Luke was arrested for Rick's murder and Laura was taken for psychiatric evaluation.
At the hospital, Scott questioned Laura and he secretly taped her confessing to killing Rick. Luke proclaimed his innocence at first, but when Scott played him the tape of Laura's confession, Luke changed to proclaiming his guilt in Rick's murder. When Alexis wanted to mount a strong defense for Laura, Luke informed her that Laura wasn't going to spend the rest of her life in a rubber room and fired Alexis. Laura's mental state continued to deteriorate as she had visions of herself when she was younger. The younger Laura warned her not to trust anyone. Luke managed to bargain a last visit with Laura. He tried to convince her that he would help get her out, but she called him a bad man who had hurt her and freaked out. The doctor suggested treatment for her in London, so Lucky and Nikolas said a tearful good-bye to their mother, who did not even recognize them. Although the doctor didn't want Luke to see Laura again, he insisted on saying good-bye to her. On September 6, 2002, an orderly wheeled Laura out of her room as Luke tearfully told her, "good-bye, my angel, good-bye." Luke tried to visit her a few times since she was committed under the belief that only he could save her. But his visits seemed to only worsen her condition. Nikolas gained control of Laura's medical care from Lucky and hid Laura from Luke to protect her. Eventually, Nik and Luke made peace regarding Laura. Nik had Laura moved to Shadybrook and gave Luke full access to Laura.
In October 2006, Robin Scorpio told Luke about an experimental drug: LS-49. The drug had been shown to reverse catatonia for a short period of time. Luke authorized Robin to give Laura the drug but didn't tell Nik, Lucky or Lulu about it. Luke didn't want the children feeling disappointed if LS-49 didn't work. Luckily, the drug did work and Laura slowly emerged from her catatonia. It was quite a shock for her to realize that several years had passed and that all of her children were grown. Unaware that Luke had married Tracy Quartermaine, Laura began planning 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 25 wedding anniversary, November 16.
Sadly, Laura's condition began deteriorating rather quickly. She started having blackouts which increased in length and frequency. Luke was forced to tell Laura that she was slipping back into her catatonic state. Laura decided to tell the children so that they could all say goodbye. Instead of dwelling on what would happen, Laura focused her energy on creating memories. She wanted to celebrate Christmas early with her family. They all worked to give Laura her last wish. The celebration was bittersweet. As the special day drew to a close, Laura's condition worsened and Laura had to return to Shadybrook. Before Laura slipped back into her catatonic state, she told Lulu that she didn't believe that she had killed Rick Webber.
Laura was right. Lulu started digging around and discovered that Scott Baldwin had actually killed Rick Webber.
Laura's 2008 Return: Second Awakening
Laura returned to General HospitalGeneral Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
on August 25, 2008, at a time when Lulu needed her most. When Lulu is admitted into Shadybrook to treat her failing mental health, she goes to Laura's room to talk to her. While Lulu is talking, Laura appears to wake up and tells Lulu that a few months after her relapse
Relapse
Relapse, in relation to drug misuse, is resuming the use of a drug or a dependent substance after one or more periods of abstinence. The term is a landmark feature of both substance dependence and substance abuse, which are learned behaviors, and is maintained by neuronal adaptations that mediate...
, the doctors were present as she began "waking up". Laura went through cycles of reawakening, infrequently but with greater periods of lucidity
Lucidity
Lucidity may refer to:*In common usage, intelligibility, brightness or sanity*Awareness of the dream stage; see Lucid dreaming*Lucidity , a 2006 album by Delain...
as time progressed, as a side-effect of the experimental LS-49 drug Luke gave her in 2006. While coherent
Lucidity
Lucidity may refer to:*In common usage, intelligibility, brightness or sanity*Awareness of the dream stage; see Lucid dreaming*Lucidity , a 2006 album by Delain...
, Laura voluntarily checked herself back into Shadybrook the year prior to her most recent relapse and signed paperwork originating from the French clinic the drug hailed from, which for legal reasons expressly forbade her doctors at Shadybrook from alerting Laura's family to any LS-49-related changes in her condition. Laura signed these papers, in an attempt to prevent her family from gaining what could be false hopes, should she reawaken. The French clinic had had a string of publicly-suppressed cases, wherein patients on the drug were coming back from their coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
tose states after an initial relapse...but this occurred on a case-by-case basis and the doctors were unable to predict whether the progress was going to be temporary or permanent. Consequently, the French clinic and Shadybrook, according to Laura and later her doctor, had a sensible, closed-ranks position regarding the drug, pending further, longer-term study of the affected patients and LS-49. Laura warns her daughter that she still slips away from time to time, but she asserts she is "feeling stronger" now.
Lulu tells Laura about Logan's death and Laura helps Lulu stop the hallucination
Hallucination
A hallucination, in the broadest sense of the word, is a perception in the absence of a stimulus. In a stricter sense, hallucinations are defined as perceptions in a conscious and awake state in the absence of external stimuli which have qualities of real perception, in that they are vivid,...
s that she was having. On September 19, 2008, Laura asks Lulu to tell Nikolas and Lucky that she had woken up. However, when Lulu does so and Nikolas and Lucky come to visit, Laura remains catatonic. Nikolas and Lucky discuss this with Dr. Winters, who advises that Laura's condition has not changed; that Lulu has imagined Laura's awakening as a coping mechanism and Laura's doctor from the French clinic was a hallucination. The aforementioned closed-ranks policy story however, provides credible room for speculation
Conjecture
A conjecture is a proposition that is unproven but is thought to be true and has not been disproven. Karl Popper pioneered the use of the term "conjecture" in scientific philosophy. Conjecture is contrasted by hypothesis , which is a testable statement based on accepted grounds...
about the validity of Dr. Winters' assessment.
On September 23, 2008 Lulu came to her mother and told her that Laura won't end in a catatonic state and Lulu will be fighting for her own health. Lulu kissed Laura on the forehead and left; in response, Laura moved her head and smiled.
In October 2008, overhearing a lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
threat issued by Scott Baldwin
Scott Baldwin
Scott Baldwin is a fictional character from the ABC soap operas, General Hospital and its now-defunct spinoff Port Charles. He is often remembered as the "odd man out" in GH's well-known love story of Luke and Laura Spencer. The character debuted on GH as a child in the 1960s...
to her daughter, Lulu Spencer
Lulu Spencer
Lesley Lu "Lulu" Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She is the daughter of supercouple Luke and Laura Spencer. She has notably been portrayed by Julie Marie Berman, who debuted in the role in November 2005...
, who killed Scott's son in self-defense, Laura reawakens to protect Lulu. Scott kidnaps Laura, taking her to California to relive their honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
in hopes of rekindling their relationship. While in California, Laura continues to tell Scott that she has come along with him only so he will not prosecute Lulu. She lets Scott know that although she cares about him, she will always love Luke Spencer
Luke Spencer
Lucas "Luke" Lorenzo Spencer, Sr. is a fictional character in the American television soap opera General Hospital, and has been played by Anthony Geary since 1978.-Early years :...
and reminds him that she is married to Luke. Scott eventually tells Laura that Luke has been married to Tracy Quartermaine
Tracy Quartermaine
Tracy Angelica Quartermaine Spencer is a fictional character on the ABC soap opera General Hospital...
for the last three years and that Luke had staged Laura's wedding to him, two years before.
Luke, after finding out at Shadybrook that Scott has kidnapped Laura, catches up with Scott and Laura in California. Seeing Scott and Laura in a car, Luke steals a taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
and pursues the couple in a high speed chase. On November 3, Scott and Laura's car crashes along the edge of a cliff. During a rescue attempt, Luke drags Scott from the car, but in his attempt to save Laura, the car goes over the cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
with him and Laura in it. Although bruised, Luke and Laura live through the crash, but find that they are in the wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
. They eventually find a cabin, where they discuss Luke's marriage to Tracy and the outlook of their own relationship. On November 10, the Spencer children find their parents safe at the cabin. They all reunite with Scott and Tracy at a hotel in California and decide to return to Port Charles
Port Charles, New York (Fictional City)
Port Charles, New York is the fictional setting of the ABC Daytime soap operas General Hospital and its spin-offs Port Charles and General Hospital: Night Shift. It was later retroactively revealed as the setting of The Young Marrieds, a short-lived series which ran between 1964 and 1966...
.
In Port Charles, after catching up with her children's lives and dealing with the fact that Luke has married Tracy and moved on with his life, Laura decides she also needs to move on with her life. She announces to her family on November 12 her intention to go to France, where the clinic for her LS-49 treatment is located. Her decision to continue treatment in hopes of having a permanent recovery and live her life is based on a discussion she has with Tracy Quartermaine, during which Tracy indicates that Luke has changed since being married to her and is happy with his new life; he can be himself and does not have to play the "hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
".
At the airport, Laura tells Luke she wants him to be happy and if Tracy Quartermaine can bring peace to his life, she is happy for him. Luke replies that they still have a close bond, as she had indicated to him earlier that day, and he will go with her to France if she wants him to. He tells her he feels he owes her for all that he has put her through during their life together. She turns down his offer, saying she is going to try to learn to do things for herself without him. She tells him she loves him, kisses him, and walks away to enter the plane. However, Luke asks her before she boards if she will return to Port Charles if the treatment works. She replies with a smile and shrug and climbs aboard the plane. Unbeknownst to Laura, Scott Baldwin is on the plane; as it lifts off, he is seen behind a curtain looking at her.
See also
- Hardy/Webber familyHardy/Webber familyThe Hardy/Webber family is a fictional middle class family on the soap opera, General Hospital.-First Generation:* Dr. Steven "Steve" Hardy was one of the original characters on General Hospital. He had an affair with Helene Webber before he arrived in Port Charles & he later married Audrey...
- Spencer family
- "RiseRise (Herb Alpert song)"Rise" is a song written by Andy Armer and Randy "Badazz" Alpert, and first recorded by trumpeter Herb Alpert. The instrumental track was included on Alpert's solo album Rise and released as a single in 1979. It reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in October of that year and remained...
" (1979 song by Herb AlpertHerb AlpertHerbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
) - Luke and Laura
- supercoupleSupercoupleA supercouple or super couple is a popular or financially wealthy pairing that intrigues and fascinates the public in an intense or even obsessive fashion...