Port Charles Update Tuesday 8/27/02
By Beth
Alison sits alone at the Recovery Room, seemingly in shock as she thinks about her
experience at Lucy's the night before. She can't get the memory of the bright white light
and the note from heaven out of her mind. She can't let Rafe's soul be lost; she needs to
save him. Jack joins her, excited about the prospect of leaving for Bermuda in a few
hours. She apologizes and tells him that she can't go after all. Jack can't believe this.
Thinking she might still believe he expects their relationship to turn sexual, he reminds
her that he won't be putting any pressure on her. Alison assures him that's not it. He
guesses that it's about Rafe. Unbelievable. What did he do this time? Walk by? Say
"Hello?" It doesn't take much. Alison stresses that it's really hard to explain.
She knows Jack is angry but this really is a matter of life and death. Jack accuses her of
always feeling that way, so this is no different. She should stop torturing herself and
stop bringing him down with her. The Bermuda trip isn't supposed to be just for pleasure;
it's a business trip, and now he'll have to inform them that his model won't be there due
to boyfriend problems. Alison swears she has no choice, but Jack doesn't believe that. He
wants a better reason for her change of plans. If she doesn't have one, she's
disrespecting him and their friendship. In fact, she can kiss their friendship goodbye.
Alison begs him not to make her choose between their friendship and Rafe, but Jack's had
enough. As he leaves, he tells her to stop chasing a fantasy and look at what's right in
front of her face: someone who could make her happy. He hopes Rafe realizes how much she's
giving up for him. Alone again, Alison knows that Rafe is the one who made the sacrifice,
and he's the one who'll pay. He already is.
Ian takes Karen home, trying to get information out of her about the host. He knows
there's a connection between them. Karen's tired of being harassed, but Ian explains that
he's just trying to understand. Karen doesn't agree with what he and Rafe are doing to
Lancelot; he doesn't deserve to be treated this way. Ian tells her that she's the only
person who can reach him. Their connection is very strong, and he thinks she knows who the
host really is. She seems to be protecting someone very close to her: Frank. Karen looks
uneasy. She scoffs at Ian's allegation. First he accused Chris, now Frank. Who's next?
Victor? Kevin? Ian wants her to explain why he's so drawn to her. He heard her
talking to Eve at her gravesite. This angers Karen, who doesn't appreciate when people
eavesdrop on her. Ian says he just wants to do everything he can to protect his family and
friends. Karen insists that Lancelot's a good man; she doesn't want to hear Ian's
ramblings about an evil spirit. Ian thinks she's the reason Lancelot's staying in town.
Karen claims it can't be Frank unless he can be in two places at once. In answer to Ian's
question, no, she can't prove that, but Ian has no right to go around accusing people.
It's just wrong. Lancelot is probably some loner they don't even know. Ian admits it's
possible, but whoever he is, his humanity will soon be completely gone. He and Rafe are
going to get the Avatar, with or without her help.
After Ian's departure, Karen sleeps on the couch, dreaming about waking up and seeing
Lancelot in front of her. In her dream, Lancelot tells her that she already knows who he
is, and she realizes it's true. No one knows her the way he does. She calls him by name,
then lifts the hood and sees Frank's face. He proclaims his love for her, and they kiss.
Karen awakens from her dream. She realizes that her hero really is Frank.
After leaving Karen's, Ian goes to the Recovery Room to look for Frank, but he hasn't been
around lately. Seeing Alison, he informs her that they have the Avatar trapped at the
grain silo, and Rafe's standing guard. Alison wants to talk to Rafe, but Ian insists this
isn't the time for that. She agrees to wait for a better time, and Ian leaves the
pub. Alison really doesn't think she can stay away.
Outside the pub, Jack is on the phone, apologizing for Alison's sudden change of plans and
assuring the magazine that he'll still be there. Chris passes by very distractedly, and
Jack tells him he seems kind of out of it. Chris is just worried; he hasn't heard from
Lancelot in a while and his publicity machine has practically grinded to a halt. When Jack
says maybe Lancelot went on vacation, Chris points out that heroes don't do that. This
gives Jack an idea. He invites his brother to go to Bermuda with him.
Rafe stands outside the cell door, talking to the Avatar's host. He doesn't know what the
host's life was like before the spirit of the Avatar entered, but if the legend holds
true, he must have been a decent, honorable, hardworking man who wanted to make things
safe for people. That's why the Avatar is so tempting; it brings so much power. But that
power is deceptive, and the man inside will soon lose every bit of his own identity. He
can't let that happen. He's trapped now, underneath the shroud. He has to take off the
hood, stop hiding, and free himself before it's too late. The Avatar tells Rafe it was a
nice speech, but the host's identity will never be revealed. There's
nothing the slayer can do. Rafe believes there's still a man in there, and he won't give
up. He knows the man's intentions are good and that he wants to keep people safe. Rafe
knows all about how it feels to worry about protecting people, but the Avatar isn't
helping. Instead, the evil spirit is twisting the host's intentions and destroying them,
and will eventually destroy the host and everyone he wants to protect. He asks the host
once again to reveal himself. He's talking not as a slayer, but as a man with a wife and a
child on the way. He's feeling more protective than ever. When Rafe mentions his child,
the Avatar says, "There's something you should know." Suddenly, Rafe jerks and
falls to the floor, having been struck down with a shovel by his own wife. Livvie stares
down "Frank," who asks what took her so long.
Livvie's furious. Frank tells her how pathetic it was to hear Rafe talking about
"his" child. He thought he'd enlighten the man. He reminds Livvie that she was
supposed to keep him informed about what Rafe was up to, but she insists she couldn't get
away in time. Frank orders her to open the door. Her response is to threaten him; if he
tells anyone that he's her baby's father, she'll reveal his secret. Frank again orders her
to get him out, and she gives him a condition, which infuriates him. If she lets him out,
he has to leave Port Charles forever. Frank tells her she can't control him. She bangs on
the door with her hands, yelling at him that his freedom depends on her. Frank, who's
shackled to the floor, points out that she still has no idea what he's capable of. If she
doesn't open the door now, when he does get out--and he will--it will be the worst day of
her evil, twisted life. Livvie laughs at this; she thought that's what he'd say. The
Avatar can't be killed, but Frank can. The spirit will just have to find another host,
somewhere else. Frank's the only one who knows her secret, and if he's gone, so are all
her lies. He warns her not to be a fool, but it's too late. She sets fire to a rolled-up
newspaper and demonstrates that she's quite capable of killing him. She tosses the paper
inside the cell. The fire spreads fast through the cell, and the Avatar rages. Livvie
tries to drag Rafe to safety but feels a pain in her abdomen and screams at Frank. An
explosion blows the cell door off its hinges, and bags of grain fall around Livvie. As the
Avatar roars, unable to loosen Frank's shackled leg, Livvie tries her best but can't get
Rafe to wake up. Just then Alison arrives and Livvie begs her friend to help her and
Rafe.