<P> If Ava's connection to the notorious Jerome crime family panned out, not only would West's arrival cause trouble for Port Charles's local kingpin, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard), but there was also great storyline potential for Ian Buchanan and Finola Hughes's Duke Lavery and Anna Devane who shared a quite volatile history with the Jerome family . Critics began speculating that the character would be the long lost daughter of Tonja Walker's Olivia St. John (born Jerome) despite the relatively small age difference between the actresses; however Matt Webb Motivich of TV Line also suggested that Ava could be a previously unknown child of Olivia's crime lord father, Victor Jerome (Jack Axelrod). The character is immediately thrown into a major storyline as it is revealed that she is helping hide Morgan and that she Lauren's mother . According to series head writer, Ron Carlivati, "This is (a) woman who conceived a child with Franco, so you have to worry about that right there ." Though Ava initially comes off as a "devoted mother," there is much more behind to her . At the Winter 2014 Television Critics Association press tour, West opened up about portraying Ava and how it compared to portraying Carly on World Turns . She described, "I have to be honest, I work very hard...I wanted to create a character that was different . I loved Carly, but I can't play her again . Then when this part came up, I thought, how am I going to play this role? She's different . She has similarities as women do .' How does she carry herself?' Ava never touches her hair . Ava never moves . Ava's a snake . She only moves when she is going to strike . And these are things I think about . This is how I wanted to create this person ." When asked how she keeps Ava sympathetic and vulnerable, West described, "You never judge your own self . You do what you do--we all do this every day . Ava doesn't judge herself, she does what she does because she thinks she is right . (...) She is not retrospectively looking at her actions . She is just living in it . As an actor, you can't judge your character ever . Let others judge it ." </P> <P> At the Winter 2014 TCA's, West opened up about Ava's relationship with Morgan and where it was headed . She said, "She was worried about the thought that there are other elements that interfere with love . (...) Family interfering with love is as old as love itself . I do think she loves him and her heart is broken ." During May 2014 sweeps, Ava cheated on Morgan and had an affair with his father, Sonny . The pair slept together in a crypt . In an interview, West spoke about the events of the affair and its locale . She stated, "A lot of people seemed shocked by it and I was very surprised by that reaction . I was never even thinking about the locale! I was thinking about Ava's pain ." West also spoke about her alter - ego's revelation that she was carrying the next Corinthos family baby., stating: That it's a classic soap story that has worked since television began . (...) Nothing bothers me . I'm here to play ." </P> <P> Following the revelation that Ava had in fact murdered Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan), head writer Ron Carlivati opened up to Michael Logan of TV Guide about the revelation, and whether or not he felt he had turned Ava into a cold - blooded killer . Carlivati stated, "Of course, we were nervous! Especially the more we and the audience got invested in Ava . It was always my plan to have her be the killer but there was still the chance that we would change our minds and not write it that way . As the character started growing in popularity, (executive producer) Frank Valentini said, "You know, Connie's killer doesn't have to be Ava . Maybe something else happened . Maybe someone else came in and killed Connie ." There was certainly that temptation to protect Ava but, in the end, we decided it was a stronger move to stick with our original idea and see where that could take us down the line: What will happen between Ava and Sonny if and when he finds out she killed Connie? What will he do? She will have nowhere to run!" </P> <P> In early 2015, Ava (after escaping from prison) is shot by Carlos Rivera (Jeffrey Vincent Parise), as revenge for causing him to be falsely imprisoned, and falls from a bridge . She is presumed dead and a wake in her honor takes place, although in reality she survives . Silas Clay (Michael Easton), who has stashed Ava in a secret hospital room in New York, informs her that she has cancer and is dying, with her condition quickly worsening . After a bone marrow donor cannot be found to save her, Silas agrees to euthanize Ava (per her wishes), on April 16 . Soap Opera Digest speculated as to whether or not this was in fact the character's final appearance . Despite General Hospital refusing to comment on West's contract status, Carlivati claimed that this was possibly Ava's "final farewell", explaining that "Basically, we kept writing ourselves into a corner with Ava and then figuring out a way out . We were like,' Wait a minute, what if she's pregnant,' you know? And then we painted her in this cancer corner and we kind of couldn't figure a way out ." Discussing Ava's wishes for Silas to help her die, he said: "Ava wants to die on her own terms, even if it's only a few weeks ahead of what might happen", and clarified that the soap opera was not trying to "come down on either side of (the euthanasia debate)". </P>

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