Mobster Sonny Corinthos was in love with beautiful model Brenda Barrett, but Sonny couldn't forgive Brenda when she wore a hidden microphone to try and learn the secrets he was keeping from her. Sonny felt totally betrayed by Brenda and their relationship came to an end. Sonny then turned to mob princess Lily Rivera for comfort. Sonny and Lily became engaged, even though Lily knew that Sonny still had deep feelings for Brenda. Sonny did care for Lily, but their engagement and subsequent marriage was more of a business deal than an affair of the heart. Sonny had made a deal with Lily's powerful mobster father, Rivera, and taking care of Lily was part of the deal. Lily truly loved Sonny and she hoped that in time, he would come to love her too.

Brenda was devastated when Sonny married Lily but her pain abated somewhat when she met handsome corporate raider Jax Jacks. Brenda was intrigued by the wealthy Jax, and he felt the same way about her. Brenda began dating Jax, partly because she liked him and partly because she wanted to use Jax to make Sonny jealous.

For months and months, Sonny and Brenda continued to toy with each other. No matter how they tried, Sonny and Brenda just couldn't distance themselves from one another. This didn't please Rivera, who would do anything to ensure Lily's happiness. Unable to get Brenda out of his heart, Sonny made the decision to leave Lily for Brenda. Before Sonny could tell Lily of his decision, however, Lily announced that she was pregnant and Sonny's outlook changed. Sonny vowed to love Lily and their unborn child and to stay with her.

Brenda now knew that she had lost Sonny forever as she could never compete with Lily's baby. On the rebound, Brenda accepted Jax's marriage proposal and married him on board his private yacht in the Mediterranean. For the first time in a long time, these star-crossed lovers had seemed to resolve their romantic predicament. Sonny was in love with Lily and eagerly awaited the arrival of their baby and Brenda had found happiness with Jax. This, however, was merely the calm before the storm.

Rivera was growing increasingly annoyed with Sonny and he wanted him out of the picture -- permanently. Rivera, however, was unaware of Lily's pregnancy and Sonny's newfound devotion to her. One night tragedy struck. Lily and Sonny had been celebrating her pregnancy at Luke's club and Sonny had a little too much to drink. Lily insisted on driving them home and went out to the parking lot to retrieve their car. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the air. Lily and her unborn baby were killed by a car bomb -- a bomb that had been meant for Sonny and had been planted (at Rivera's orders) by Harry, Sonny's supposedly loyal partner.

Sonny was completely devastated. After avenging Lily by banishing Harry and assisting in an ailing Rivera's death, Sonny shut down emotionally. When Brenda returned to Port Charles after her honeymoon with Jax, she was shocked to learn of Lily's demise. Eventually, Brenda was able to break through to Sonny and get him to be able to feel again. But Brenda was now married to Jax and she and Sonny were once again apart.

Sonny and Brenda remained close friends, as circumstances always brought them face to face. Jax was growing increasingly annoyed by Sonny's presence in his and Brenda's life, but he trusted Brenda. Sonny, however, did not trust Jax and he tried to make Brenda realize that Jax was bad news. Sonny loved Brenda, but he denied his feelings. Sonny convinced himself that he was acting out of a protective instinct for Brenda, and not out of love. In a short time, this "protective instinct" would rock Jax and Brenda's world.

Jax and Brenda wanted to get re-married in front of all their friends and planned a lavish wedding in Port Charles. Sonny, however, planned to bring Jax down. On the day of Brenda and Jax's wedding, Sonny shocked everyone when he arrived with Miranda Jameson -- Jax's supposedly dead first wife. Brenda was furious at Sonny for ruining her happiness and sabotaging her wedding. Jax was dumbfounded when he saw Miranda as he thought she had been killed in an explosion several years earlier. Miranda had been seriously injured in the blast but she had survived and had been kept hidden away by Jax's father. When Miranda decided to remain in Port Charles, Brenda wondered if she was staying in order to get Jax back. Jax and Brenda remained together, but would their love last?

Evil Damian Smith
wanted revenge against Katherine Bell! To exact his revenge, Damian concocted a diabolical plot wherein he faked his own death and framed Katherine for his murder. Things looked very bad for Katherine, until Lucy Coe began to tune into her "psychic" abilities. Lucy began to have visions of a very much alive Damian. Using her self-titled "gift," Lucy tracked Damian to a spa in San Antonio, determined to prove that he was alive. Luke Spencer, Mac Scorpio and Lucy's boyfriend, Kevin Collins, feared for Lucy's safety and quickly followed after her. In the end, Lucy, Luke, Mac and Kevin thwarted Damian's evil scheme and brought him back to Port Charles.

Damian's return from the dead did not last long. Damian had big development plans for Charles Street, the same street where Ward House was located. Ward House was a haven for orphans and abandoned babies that had been founded by the late Mary Mae Ward. Damian wanted Ward House gone and one night he broke in and set the house on fire. Luckily, Justus Ward saw Damian enter the house and he followed him. Justus knocked Damian unconscious and he died. Ward House was destroyed, but so was Damian!

It soon became clear that Damian had been murdered and most everyone in Port Charles was a suspect. Laura Spencer, however, was the one who was arrested and charged for the murder. Justus knew that he was responsible for Damian's death, but he also thought that he could successfully defend Laura in court. Acting as her attorney, Justus was successful in getting Laura acquitted. Justus felt guilty over what he had put Laura and her family through, but he believed that the ends justified the means. Luke did not share this belief. Luke learned that Justus was responsible for Damian's murder and he was livid that Justus had let Laura stand trial. Luke kept Justus' secret, but their friendship was destroyed.

Jason had no memory of the accident, or of anything else. Prior to the accident, Jason had been the golden boy of the family. He was going to follow in his parents footsteps and pursue a medical career. Everyone thought that Jason was perfect, but that soon changed. Jason became a different person after the crash and he developed a dark, sometimes violent, side and began to distance himself from his family. Much to the horror of the Quartermaine family, Jason went to work for Sonny Corinthos. Alan and Monica had lost their son as the Jason they knew no longer existed and they feared for Jason's safety when he became involved in Sonny's world.