General Hospital Classic Character Recap: Brook Lynn Ashton

As the only child of General Hospital lovebirds Ned Ashton Quartermaine and Lois Cerullo, life should have been a bed of roses for Brook Lynn. But a perusal through soap opera history will show life is never easy.

The romance between her parents was doomed to failure and Brook Lynn was destined to choose scoundrels over truly good men — a fact that only further complicated the life of a young woman who toggled between heroine and vixen.

Who Is Brook Lynn Ashton?

Named for the New York borough that served as a sanctuary for Ned and Lois during the happy, early days of their courtship — and later played host to their lavish wedding ceremony — Brook Lynn entered the world with a cloud hanging over her head.

Lois was gravely concerned about the effect that living with Ned’s raucous family was having on her and, by extension, what it would mean for their baby. The stress of dealing with the Quartermaines had already put the mama to be in the hospital once and she was desperate to put distance between herself, her baby, and the in-laws.

Ned refused to indulge his bride, insisting that there was nothing wrong with the life they were currently leading. And when a fed-up Lois, tired of the backbiting and infighting, finally issued an ultimatum — choose them or the Q’s – Ned aligned with his family.

Accepting the situation, Lois packed herself and Brook Lynn up and returned to her native Bensonhurst. After months in self-imposed exile, she made her way back to Port Charles, with baby in tow, and tried to reconcile with Ned.

However, after catching him indulging in blackmail — with cousin Justus as his victim — Lois left for good and she took the baby with her.

Returning Home

In the intervening years, Ned tried to be a good parent to his daughter but his frequent absences and infrequent appearances didn’t exactly endear him to Brook Lynn — although she found great joy in building relationships with Ned’s subsequent wives, Chloe Morgan and Alexis Davis.

But, just as Brook Lynn’s relationship with her father was strained, so too was the one she shared with Lois. Since leaving Port Charles, Lois had joined the big leagues in the rock and roll business and she now counted many of the biggest star attractions among her roster of talent.

Inevitably, with all the time Lois spent stoking egos and fixing problems, her attentions were turned elsewhere and Brook Lynn felt her mother had little time for her. In fact, to Brook Lynn, it seemed that the only time Lois really appeared to notice her was when she began to exhibit some prodigious vocal talent.

Convinced that her mother only wanted to capitalize on her talent, Brook Lynn secretly made her way back to the city where her father and estranged kin dwelled.

Initially using her middle name as a cover, Brook Lynn realized that no one recognized her as a Quartermaine sire and she managed to spend many months incognito, even after making the acquaintance of her uncle Dillon and his girlfriend Georgie.

Songbird

At first, Brook Lynn tried to hide her singing talents but eventually, her new friends and Ned encouraged her enough that she agreed to compete for a recording contract.

Her main rival was obnoxious Sage Alcazar, ironically the cousin of Brook Lynn’s first real boyfriend, Diego. When Sage was later murdered by a crazed Mary Bishop — who confused her for Emily Quartermaine, the true object of her ire — Brook Lynn was amongst those blamed by the girl’s uncle, Lorenzo. However, Brook Lynn’s rendition of a song penned by Sage soothed his murderous revenge fantasies.

A Violation and an Exit

The following year, Brook Lynn fell victim to the Port Charles Stalker — a sexual deviant who drugged women and then snapped lascivious pictures of their unconscious and stripped person.

When it was revealed that Diego was the pervert in question — indulging in the sick actions as a means to avenge Sage’s murder — a distraught Brook Lynn left town.

Indecent Proposal

Years later, a cash-strapped Brook Lynn returned to General Hospital in search of easy money. Since Lois had cut her off for indulging in a little credit card fraud, Brook Lynn first turned to Edward and Tracy but refused to cow to their terms — enroll in college in a business course.

Instead, she took Carly up on her proposal to try and seduce old pal Dante away from his current wife, Lulu Spencer. When that scheme failed and Carly threw her under the bus, Brook Lynn briefly took up with Nikolas Cassadine.

While he taught her etiquette during the day, she accompanied him to society functions at night as his escort. Although the two became quite close, the relationship never really blossomed into something more and Brook Lynn eventually left town. General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes.