Scott is able to be talked out of contesting his divorce. In 1982, Laura mysteriously disappears off of a pier in Port Charles and is presumed dead. Jackie Templeton (Demi Moore) reveals her sister Laura Templeton (Janine Turner) disappeared under similar circumstances. The two friends discover a thief named David Gray was behind the disappearances. While Laura Templeton was not harmed, Gray revealed he had killed Laura Spencer, leading Luke to kill him during a fight. Luke, though still uncertain about his wife's ultimate fate, begins an affair with scam artist Holly Sutton (Emma Samms). Their affair is cut short when Luke is presumed dead in an avalanche. Holly falls in love with Robert, despite Luke revealing he is alive. Increasingly lonely, Luke decides to run for mayor of Port Charles, and wins the election. While celebrating his victory, Laura Spencer reveals she is alive and had been kidnapped by the Cassadine family. Mikkos' cousin (later retconned as eldest son) Stavros Cassadine (then John Martinuzzi) had spared her life since he had fallen in love with her. He forced her to marry him, though the marriage was invalid because she was already married to Luke. Stavros came to town to claim his wife but was killed after falling down a flight of stairs after a struggle with Luke. The couple attempted to settle into their roles in politics but found the roles stifling. In 1984, Luke and Laura decide to leave Port Charles and their enemies behind and travel the world, but not before Laura reveals she is pregnant. Later that year, Laura's mother Lesley appears to die in a car accident arranged by the Cassadine family.