Franco Baldwin and Ava Jerome are fictional characters and former lovers on the ABC daytime soap opera, General Hospital.
Storylines
In 2013, Ava answers the door and Luke Spencer introduces himself. Ava reveals that she is the mother of Lauren Frank and tells Luke the story of she and Franco met and he had a charming side. After they knew that she was pregnant, she realized that Franco had a darker side and wanted to keep Lauren away from it. Luke lets Ava know that Franco is biologically a Quartermaine, and Lauren is entitled to shares of the family company, ELQ.
Ava tells Kiki that her father is the serial killer Franco and that he is the twin brother of Jason Morgan and also the grandson of late Edward Quartermaine, which entitles Kiki to a piece of the shares of the company ELQ.
Franco is revealed to be alive, and Ava tries to keep him away from Kiki. However, Kiki eventually comes to the Quartermaine house, where Franco is, and ends up moving in, along with Morgan. Ava tries to blackmail Franco into leaving Kiki alone by revealing that she knows Franco was the one who poisoned the ELQ relish. It's revealed that Ava was the one who shot Olivia Falconeri in a botched attempt to kill Franco. Ava agrees to let Franco have a relationship with Kiki, while Franco agrees to help Ava take over ELQ using his shares. The two move into the Quartermaine mansion, pretending to be a couple.
Franco is beaten up and admitted to the hospital, where the doctors later diagnose him with a potentially fatal brain tumor. Franco agrees to undergo surgery for it, but before he does, he signs over his shares of ELQ to Ava, giving her voting rights. Ava stages a coup with Tracy, planning to take the company once Tracy has control of it, by voting Franco's shares in favor of Tracy.
Ava goes looking for her daughter at General Hospital, when Kiki goes to tell Franco that they're not father and daughter. The two of them are angry at Ava, who tries to explain herself. However, Kiki tells Ava she's now married to Morgan. Ava's shocked, and realizes Morgan married Kiki so she couldn't leave him. Franco lets Ava know she's not off the hook with him, and Kiki also tells her to stay away from her and Morgan, even though Ava wishes them well. Ava later comes by and blackmails Morgan, saying that she could expose his lies and reconcile with her daughter. Morgan, though, is desperate to hold onto Kiki, and tells Ava he is willing to do anything to make sure Kiki never finds out. Ava agrees to hold onto the favor, and leaves. Ava is thrown out of the Quartermaine house, as is Franco, who admits to Tracy that he poisoned the relish. They both end up staying at the Metro Court.
Ava hosts a gallery for Franco that ends in disaster.
In 2014, Ava, Sonny, Franco, and Julian all get into a van and break out of Pentonville together. They end up getting into a car accident caused by Johnny and Carlos.
In 2015, Ava comes back to town in disguise as Denise DeMuccio, since she is assumed to be dead after breaking out of prison and falling off a bridge. During this time she pretends to be in Franco's lover.
In 2018, Ava finds out that her boyfriend, Griffin, and Kiki slept together after Franco accidentally texted the info to Ava during Kiki's trial.
In 2019, Ava calls Franco and Scott, asking them both separately, if they will pose as her boyfriend to lure Ryan out of hiding, because she does not believe that he is dead. They both turn her down right away.
In 2020, Ava and her husband Nikolas Cassadine make a deal that whichever one of them cheats first, that person doesn't get any of the Cassadine fortune. Nikolas tries to push Franco and Ava together and Ava tries to push Nik and Elizabeth (Franco's wife) together.
