When Nathan (Ryan Paevey) returned from the dead back in September on General Hospital, he was able to reunite with his family — Britt (Kelly Thiebaud), Obrecht (Kathleen Gati), and Nina (Cynthia Watros) — but not his wife, Maxie (Kirsten Storms), who was sadly languishing in a coma at a long-term care facility in Massachusetts. In the meantime, he’s been spending an awful lot of time with Maxie’s BFF, Lulu (Alexa Havins), and the two characters are growing closer by the day. Since this is a soap, it seems safe to speculate that the writers are laying the foundation for a potential love connection. But how would viewers feel about Maxie’s “late” husband hooking up with her best friend, who just so happens also to be the ex-wife of Nathan’s one-time PCPD partner and closest male friend? That’s the question Soap Opera Digest posed in an online poll of fans.

Mess Code

Over the past many weeks, Nathan and Lulu have bonded over their shared experience of having spent years away from their family and loved ones, her in a four-year coma and him… well, his exact whereabouts over the past seven years have yet to be revealed. When Maxie wakes up from her own lengthy slumber, she will have to endure a same situation — and her homecoming would be even more dramatic if her happiness at discovering that her beloved husband was really alive was shattered by learning that he now had feelings for her best friend. Despite all those potential storyline fireworks, only 12% of readers cast their vote for wanting Nathan and Lulu to get together because of all the drama it would create among the trio.

A Fine Match

When the results were tabulated, 23% said they were in favor of Nathan and Lulu being paired up because they think that the heroic cop and the spunky reporter would actually make a very good couple. Those fans have noticed the sparks that the duo have been setting off every time Nathan comes to Lulu’s rescue, and in the comments section, some even pointed out that Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) would probably be behind the idea since it would keep his Maximista from dumping him like a hot potato to reunite with Nathan. Others also suggested that putting Lulu with Nathan would ensure that Dante (Dominic Zamprogna) would be free to pursue something with Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton), because apparently they’re already predicting that her marriage to Chase (Josh Swickard) won’t last. Talk about messy!

A Matter of Trust

Of course, even some of those who would support a Nathan and Lulu pairing can’t quite get fully on board with it because they still aren’t sure that this guy is actually the real Nathan West. In the end, 28% of voters vetoed the idea of the two characters becoming a couple since they still believe that Nathan is an impostor. (In fact, GH fans had quite a few different theories about who he could possibly be in another poll we ran when he first returned to the soap after seven years.) Some suspect that the only reason Nathan is cozying up to Lulu instead of constantly visiting Maxie in Boston (where she’s hospitalized) is because he is not really who he claims to be!

True Love

The top vote-getter, though only a slim majority of 37%, was another option that likewise was against things between Lulu and Nathan crossing the line past platonic friendship — but for an altogether different reason. Namely, that sizable section of the audience feels that Lulu’s true love is Dante and she belongs with him. Although it’s been years since the couple split up and their second marriage fell apart, the loyal “Lante” fans are still hoping for a reunion and don’t want anyone or anything to stand in the way. Plus, some fans also argued, it would be completely against the girl code for Lulu to get involved with her BFF’s husband, and the fact that their attraction kicked off while Maxie was stuck in a coma only makes the level of betrayal worse.

There’s only one thing that we can know for certain at this point, and that’s that this storyline is only just beginning. The seeds are being planted, and viewers will have to wait and see what comes of Nathan and Lulu’s growing closeness.