Francis quit the series in 2002, and Laura was written out after suffering a psychotic breakdown, after believing to have killed her adoptive father Rick Webber (Chris Robinson).

Lesley then marries the wealthy Cameron Faulkner (Don Matheson), only to learn from dying patient Doris Roach (Meg Wyllie), a former nurse at General Hospital, that her daughter is actually alive.

Lesley launches a custody suit and the judge postpones the final decision to allow Laura to get to know her biological mother first.

Laura becomes ill and Lesley's psychiatrist colleague, Dr. Peter Taylor (Craig Huebing), deems that it is due to emotional stress.

The commune leader threatens them, however, forcing Lesley's friend and love interest, Dr. Rick Webber (Michael Gregory), to rescue them.

[8] Laura falls for law student, Scott Baldwin, and is so distraught when he rejects her that she starts an affair with Rick's friend, David Hamilton (Jerry Ayres).

Now realizing how much they love each other, Laura divorces Scott in 1981 and marries Luke shortly after, while Mikkos's widow, Helena (Elizabeth Taylor) puts a curse on the couple for her husband's death.

Luke, Laura and Felicia Jones (Kristina Wagner) team up to find Lucky (Jacob Young) who has been brainwashed by Helena to hate his parents.

In October 2006, Laura wakes up thanks to the efforts of Patrick Drake and Robin Scorpio (Jason Thompson and Kimberly McCullough) and shares a tearful reunion with Luke, Nikolas, Lucky (Greg Vaughan) and Lulu.

In 2008, an institutionalized Lulu hallucinates Laura's recovery when she must cope with her accidental murder of Logan Hayes (Josh Duhon), Scott's son.

In February 2013, Laura reappears in Port Charles, and witnesses a close moment between Luke and Anna Devane (Finola Hughes).

[12][31] The new show runner's first order of business was to attract younger viewers by putting the teenage Francis' Laura front and center.

"She told my parents, ‘My idea is to use your daughter to capture this young audience.’ I was absolutely champing at the bit to prove myself as an actress, so I welcomed the opportunity with a lot of gusto.

"[12][17] Some of the character's earliest storylines include running away to a commune at age 15, Laura's affair with David Hamilton (Jerry Ayres), who was in love with her mother Lesley.

[39] Though Laura did love Scotty, their marriage also helps to "improve her social standing" and allows her to rise above her tragic past as a murderer.

[42] In 1979 when Pat Falken Smith – known for her work on Days of Our Lives – took over as head writer of General Hospital, Laura had just married Scotty and everyone was happy.

"[44] In a 1983 interview with Soap Opera Digest, after Luke and Laura had been written to fall in love, Francis described the incident as a "seduction rape."

[45] To maintain excitement within the plot Gloria Monty borrowed ideas from old movies sending Luke and Laura on a cross-country summer adventure when they are on the run from the mob in 1980.

The summer of 1981 featured the iconic Ice Princess diamond storyline in which Luke and Laura save the world from being frozen by the evil Mikkos Cassadine (John Colicos).

[46] As Luke and Laura marry on November 16, 1981, Taylor made a five episode guest appearance as Mikkos's widow, Helena Cassadine cursing the couple for her husband's demise.

Francis praised Gloria Monty's vision for Laura's return and said the show runner had "really surpassed herself with this story, so it will be easy for me to have a wonderful time doing it.

The network spared no expense in flying several cast members, including Francis and Geary, to Cuernavaca, Mexico to film on location for six weeks.

The chemistry between Tony and Genie is still magical, and the audience will still respond to the unconditional love between the characters because that kind of emotional bond is a rarity—in soaps and in life."

"[65] In August 1993, committed to making sure the couple's return went off without a hitch, ABC fired the entire writing team and installed Emmy winning writer/producer who co-created Ryan's Hope Claire Labine as head writer.

[66] ABC spared no expense in setting up the couple's usual grand entrance as the family appeared on October 29 in the midst of "explosions, car chases, helicopters, parachutes, mobsters, catacombds, and a very deadly waterfall" with several upstate New York location shoots.

If the couple's desire to get out from under Smith's constant threats weren't evident before, they are obvious and crucial when Laura learns she is pregnant.

"[30] When the evil mob prince Damian Smith (Leigh McCloskey) is murdered in March 1996, suspicion immediately falls on the unusually innocent Luke.

Luke hires a new attorney in Edward's grandson Justus Ward (Joseph C. Phillips) and private investigator Mac Scorpio (John J. York) to help identify the real culprit.

According to Francis, "in Laura's fantasy world, she would stay married to Luke, he would accept [Nikolas]," the brothers would get along and "Stefan would drop by the house for dinner."

In the article, editor Michael Maloney wrote: "We saw Laura make the decision to follow Tracy into the hallway at General Hospital after she visited a comatose Lulu.