Stefan and Laura

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Stefan Cassadine and Laura Spencer (played by daytime favorites Stephen Nichols and Genie Francis) were a fictional couple on the popular American soap opera, General Hospital.

Their story is rooted in the early '80s tale of Laura's disappearance from Port Charles, while she was secretly being held captive in Greece by the villainous Cassadine family. During her stay, Laura found an exception in Stefan, who treated her with kindness and eventually became her secret friend and lover.

Years later, long after Laura's return to America, Stefan and Laura's history was revealed during the mid to late '90s, and they eventually reunited during a time in which Laura and Luke grew apart.

Stefan and Laura became one of the most controversial pairings of their time, disliked by many Luke-and-Laura fans, while gaining an immense and devoted popularity among other viewers who were smitten by their storybook-like history and renewed romance. Along with a large following in fanfiction, they'd also won a poll for most popular couple on the show. Writers of soap magazines met the pair with open minds and growing fondness. Even GH acknowledged, despite the lingering shadow of Luke and Laura, that it'd stumbled onto something with Stefan and Laura's relationship, playing Patty Larkin's "Good Thing" during the scene in which the couple made love for the first time in years.

Some saw their eventual break-up as contrived and a sign that producers were wary that they were becoming too much of a threat to the show's iconic franchise (Luke and Laura). There is also the matter of it essentially stemming from a real-life happening. When actor Jonathan Jackson vacated the role of Laura's son, Lucky, the character was kidnapped and presumed dead. When Lucky returned, evidence led Laura to suspect Stefan of being involved in the abduction, when he in fact was not, which led to a downward spiral in their relationship. This left fans of the couple to ponder how long they might have lasted had it not been for a reality-based coincidence being written into the story line.

At one time it was believed that Stefan was the father of Laura's son Nikolas, but it was later revealed that Stefan's evil brother Stavros Cassadine is. Following their split, they eventually regained a friendly relationship.