In early 2005, Michael Corinthos and his siblings are kidnapped, and Michael's death is faked by his biological father A. J. Quartermaine. The story culminates in what appears to be Michael murdering his father, until Dr. Asher Thomas is revealed to be the apparent killer. Also in 2005, Nikolas Cassadine's doppelgänger Connor Bishop rapes Nikolas' wife Emily, eventually contributing to their divorce. Nikolas gets involved with Courtney Matthews, who is in the midst of a shaky marriage with Jasper Jacks, and they conceive a child. In October 2005, Lucas Jones, played by Ben Hogestyn, began to announce his homosexuality to his friends and family, but the storyline was ultimately dropped when Hogestyn left the series and the character was written off.