Put A Ring On It

Drew was ecstatic when Willow moved her things back into his house. She confided that it was strange being there for the first time since he’d been shot. Willow felt their beautiful family home was now tainted by the horrible incident and wondered how Drew could stay there. To that, he replied that thoughts of Willow gave him all the strength he needed to get through any challenge. She wondered if he was worried that whoever shot him would come back to finish the job, but Drew insisted he wasn’t afraid — only prepared to reclaim his life — and offered to purchase a new house for them and their kids. Then, when he asked if she was having second thoughts about living together again, Willow revealed that she wanted a future with him but feared she would be found guilty of trying to kill him because Michael and his father are so powerful. Promising that he had faith she’d be exonerated and that he wanted their life back, Drew got down on one knee and proposed!

Taken aback, Willow asked if he was sure, and Drew mused that this time they should have a small, intimate wedding because being married would present better optics for her trial and put them in a good place to get the kids back. Then, when Willow explained how all her other marriages had been for reasons of convenience, and she wanted to wed for the right reasons next time, Drew declared his love — and put her on the spot by questioning if she loved him, too.

Tell Me No Lies

Alexis, Jason, and Danny went to Lulu’s so that Danny and Charlotte could rehearse their stories before making their official statements to the cops. Answering the door at her daughter’s house, Laura explained that Charlotte had to take a test at school that morning, so Lulu had gone to pick her up. Laura looked uncomfortable when Alexis noted that if all went well with Danny and Charlotte, Dalton would be finished for good. Just as Lulu and Charlotte got home, Nathan arrived to speak with Lulu. As Charlotte went inside the house, Nathan told Lulu that Rocco was in trouble.

Inside, Danny and Charlotte practiced the statements they’d give to the police with Laura, Jason, and Alexis — and Danny revealed for the first time that while they were hiding, they saw Dalton punch Rocco in the stomach. Laura, Jason, and Alexis seemed skeptical of the new information, but Charlotte and Danny doubled down that it had happened, claiming that Rocco had probably been embarrassed about it, and they were afraid Dalton would lie even more if they’d said anything. Laura asked if they were sure that was the story they wanted to go with, and Jason warned that it wasn’t going to be good for any of them if the cops caught them in a lie. When Alexis pointed out that once they said it, it would be on the record forever, Charlotte and Danny shared a look before Danny vowed that they were sure about proceeding.

Leaving the kids in the living room, Alexis brought Laura and Jason outside, and all three agreed that Danny and Charlotte were lying. Alexis didn’t feel comfortable letting the kids go on record with a false statement that wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny, and Laura asked if they could wait until Lulu returned, sure that Charlotte’s mom would have something to say about the girl’s latest attempt to lie. Back inside, Danny began to freak out that his dad knew he was lying, but Charlotte maintained they just had to convince Turner. Storming back into the house, Alexis called out Danny and Charlotte for fabricating a story that doesn’t make sense and declared that they could both face serious charges for making a false statement. She told Danny to think about what that would do to Scout, and he claimed that he wouldn’t be a good role model for Scout if he didn’t defend their brother.

Meanwhile, Laura told Jason that she understood what Danny and Charlotte were trying to do, and she was relieved that they wouldn’t have to go to court with it — stopping just short of saying because Dalton was dead. “Dalton is nowhere,” Jason reassured her with a pointed look and a nod of his head.

Snap Decision

At the juvenile detention center, Rocco was surprised to get a visit from Britt, who was shocked to see the teen’s bloodied face. Yelling at the guard for letting Rocco walk around with injuries, Britt demanded a first aid kit and threatened to file a lawsuit if any of the cuts were infected. After the guard left, Rocco apologized to Britt for breaking her trust by stealing her key fob, but she was more concerned that Rocco had been beaten. He revealed that it was another kid who hit him, and based on the lack of response from the guards, he suspected it was a common occurrence. Sonny was aware, Rocco added, and would take care of it. As she cleaned Rocco’s wounds, Britt shared that she thought Sonny might make things worse and that she was determined to get Rocco out of the facility. Before leaving, Britt warned the guard that she’d make him regret it if Rocco was hurt again. Then, when the guard asked Rocco if the woman was his mom, he said yeah… but then clarified that she was just someone he was close with.

Later, Nathan brought Lulu to see her son, and Rocco vowed to his mother that he was okay. Believing that Rocco was targeted because of his family connections to Sonny and Dante, Nathan commented that the sooner they got him out of the facility, the better. As Lulu began to spiral over her son’s safety, Nathan informed the guard that he was taking Rocco into his custody to return the boy to the PCPD, and they could speak with Acting District Attorney Turner if they had an issue.

Tipping The Scales

At the PCPD, Sonny demanded to speak with Justine. She reprimanded him for not considering the optics of a known criminal demanding to speak with the Acting District Attorney in private, but Sonny declared that he only cared about Rocco being released immediately. As they argued over the pursuit of justice, Justine snapped that she wasn’t giving Sonny’s grandson preferential treatment and reminded him that the judge had decided Rocco would remain in custody until his bail hearing the next day. Then, Sonny informed Justine that Rocco had been assaulted and warned that if she didn’t get Rocco out of the detention center, he’d do so himself. Reminding Sonny that she didn’t take orders from him, Justine argued that she was handling the case by the book. In response, Sonny said that he’d given her the benefit of the doubt when Dalton showed up with photos of the destroyed lab, since they both knew he’d trashed it himself to frame Rocco, and demanded to know what the holdup was. When Justine divulged that Dalton had been a no-show when she was scheduled to interview him, and now the professor was missing, Sonny flashed back to Laura showing him the dead man in her trunk.

Justine then divulged that forensics didn’t turn up any evidence to support Dalton’s accusation that Rocco had trashed the lab — and she suspected that’s why the professor hadn’t shown up for their meeting. Sonny wanted to know what the next step was, and Justine explained that Dalton’s MIA status, combined with Rocco’s life being at risk in the juvenile detention center, gave them reason to push for an immediate bail hearing. “Now, does that feel like the pursuit of justice to you?” she tossed off before leaving Sonny alone in the room.

Later, Sonny made his way into the bullpen just as Lulu and Nathan arrived at the station with Rocco. It was just a temporary relocation until the bail hearing, Nathan explained, and allowed Sonny to sit with Rocco in the interrogation room until they got word from Justine. Lulu then thanked Nathan for getting her son out and saving her from being next on the bail docket and wondered if he’d risked his job to do so. Nathan confided that he’d deal with the fallout, especially since he’d felt like he failed on his promise to look out for Rocco while he was in the center. After Lulu insisted that he’d done everything but sleep in the cell with Rocco, Justine entered, barking at Detective West for pulling Rocco out of the center. The way he saw it, Nathan replied, he was doing Justine a favor by making sure everyone knew even the kids that she accused of misconduct deserve protection from violence. Agreeing to back Nathan this time, she informed him not to do it again before stalking off into the interrogation room, where Sonny and Rocco were waiting. Justine then alerted them that the hearing would be later that afternoon, and she didn’t expect bail to be denied.

Stay In Your Lane

Ava dropped by Wyndemere to let Sidwell know the gallery had some new pieces he might be interested in, but he said he wasn’t in the mood to discuss art after losing the Measure C vote. Offering a silver lining, Ava mused that if Sidwell and Sonny were no longer fighting over the piers, perhaps they could make peace, but Jenz replied that it was doubtful that Sonny had ever known peace or ever would. Agreeing that Sonny rarely had peace, Ava pointed to Rocco’s arrest as an example. Sidwell replied that he’d been kept apprised by PCU officials since some of his donations were funding Dalton’s research, and, feigning concern, hoped that the boy wasn’t too traumatized. Apologizing for his surly mood, Sidwell promised to make things up to Ava, and she invited him to check out some pieces she had at the gallery once he was ready.

Sidwell was about to walk Ava out when Britt arrived, requesting to speak with him. Jenz chastised her for barging in on his meeting, but Britt offered to let Ava sit in on what she had to say. After apologizing for the interruption, Sidwell walked Ava to the front door, then returned to the living room and ripped into Britt for overstepping. When she shouted back that she didn’t care because what she had to say was important, Sidwell warned that she should care… unless she wanted to suffer the same fate as Prof. Dalton. Volleying back a warning of her own, Britt reminded him that all of her father’s research died with her if she didn’t finish it — but acknowledged that she needed Sidwell, too, and not just for her medicine. She asked him to follow through on helping her get Rocco out of the center, and Sidwell mockingly asked if something had happened “to dear Rocco.” Cocking her head to the side, Britt explained that Rocco had been assaulted, and with Dalton dead, there was no longer a reason for the teen to be locked up. Disagreeing, Sidwell countered that Rocco’s troubles might nudge Sonny and Mayor Collins along. “Let’s call it unforeseen repercussions for their failure to cooperate.” Shocked, Britt accused Sidwell of being responsible for Rocco’s attack, and he informed her that he had eyes and ears everywhere and it was in her best interest to remember that.

Regrets, I Have A Few

While waiting for Nina to meet her at the Grill, a sad Liesl read the Port Charles Press article about the charges against Rocco. Once Nina arrived, she asked her niece to run a story about the miscarriage of justice against Rocco. Nina told her that running a piece in Crimson wouldn’t do Rocco any good, but Lulu, as a respected journalist, was in a better position to run such a story, especially since she had access to the subject. Then, Liesl shared that Rocco was in a juvenile detention center and worried he was being targeted by his grandmother’s political opponents. When Nina said she appreciated her aunt’s desire to protect those she loved, Liesl replied that Nina was doing the same for Willow, but Nina said the difference was that Rocco had a village of support, and Willow only had Drew.

Next, Nina updated her aunt that Willow had moved back in with Drew. Liesl urged Nina to realize the role she’d played in Willow’s mounting troubles. Nina confided that she had done one thing for Willow that she very much regretted, and Liesl assumed Nina had been the one to shoot Drew. Proclaiming that she hadn’t gone that far, even though she’d thought of it, Nina explained that she’d thrown Portia under the bus as a potential suspect to take attention off Willow. She valued Portia’s friendship, Nina added, and betraying her trust may have been for nothing since Michael’s alibi isn’t as ironclad as it first seemed.

Following her trip out to Spoon Island, Ava headed to the Grill, where she ran into Nina and Liesl. Joining them at their table, Ava moaned about how Britt had interrupted her meeting with a client, Jenz Sidwell, and Liesl wondered if Britt had sought out the powerful businessman for help with Rocco. Then, Drew interrupted their gathering. Pulling up a chair, he invited Nina over for Thanksgiving dinner. “I promise, you don’t want to miss it, Nina. Dessert is going to be spectacular,” he taunted.

Steaming Mad

At the hospital for a burn treatment appointment, Michael checked in with Elizabeth. His eyes scanned around the waiting area, and she informed him that if he was looking for Willow, she’d been placed on administrative leave until the trial was over. Michael told Liz that all she’d done for Willow spoke volumes about her compassion for her friends, especially taking her in as a roommate, and was surprised to learn that Willow had moved back in with Drew. After complaining again about Willow’s track record of making bad decisions, Michael wondered if Drew had pitched Willow moving back in as a legal strategy to strengthen her case.

Liz opined that Willow really loved Drew and felt that being with him gave her the best chance at getting her children back. Then Liz suggested that giving Willow access to the kids might convince her that Drew wasn’t necessarily the best option. Although he respected Elizabeth’s good intentions for her friend, Michael then explained how, during each one of his treatments, he not only relived the agony of his injury, but also how Willow had made no effort to keep him connected to their kids while he was all alone in Germany. Liz pointed out that Willow had visited him, but Michael shut her down, noting that Drew made sure the visit didn’t happen. Over and over again, Willow returned to Drew, he noted, and his harsh choices weren’t about keeping the kids from Willow, but to protect them from her and Drew. “The truth of the matter is, Willow is where she is right now because of her choices,” Michael reasoned. “And I think my kids deserve better than a mother who attempted murder.”

Later, Willow tracked Liz down at the hub and asked about her Thanksgiving plans. As Michael lurked in the background, Willow invited Liz over to Drew’s to be her maid of honor, then held out her hand to show off her engagement ring. Covering her surprise, Liz agreed to stand by Willow and pulled her friend in for a hug as Michael fumed from around the corridor.

Do you think that Willow did the right thing by accepting Drew’s proposal? Will Michael do something rash to stop the wedding? Were you surprised that Sidwell was behind Rocco’s attack?