Antonio Vega grew up in Angel Square - a working class neighborhood in East Llanview. His parents, Carlotta and Diego Vega, brought Antonio and his younger brother, Cristian, up in the traditions of Puerto Rico and the Catholic faith.
The Vegas operated a diner in Angel Square.
When the Arrows began to strong arm the residents of Angel Square the trouble began for the Vega family. Diego became a victim of the Arrows and this caused Antonio to join a rival gang, the Prides, for revenge, and soon became its leader.
Antonio got into a fight in a pool hall, killing a man by hitting him over the head with a cue stick. When the police went looking for him at the Vega house, his father had a heart attack which led to his death. On the run, Antonio could not attend the funeral. Carlotta blamed her son for her husband's death.
Antonio was convicted of second degree murder and sent to Statesville Prison at the age of 18. (He claims that the murder was in self defense). He remained in Statesville until Bo offered him a deal to flush out the bad cop that was selling guns in Angel Square. His contact would be Andy Harrison.
Antonio then met Andy Harrison, a Llanview police officer.
Their first scene together is below.
Antonio waits to meet his LPD contact on a side street in Angel Square. ANDY: "Hey! You! Antonio Vega. Get in." ANTONIO: "Sounds nice, but I got other plans. Why don't you go peddle it someplace else." ANDY: "No, you peddle this." (showing her badge) "Get in, I'm Andy Harrison, we gotta talk." ANTONIO: "Oh great. You're Officer Harrison?" ANDY: "You got a problem with that?" ANTONIO: "Yeah, and you're it! It's bad enough I got to do business with cops, but a girl cop?" ANDY: "Look, I got news for you. You're going to be needing me on the outside." ANTONIO: "Listen, I'm putting my life on the line to do this little job for the 5-0 and you're my protection? You're who they sent me?" ANDY: "You got it." ANTONIO: "No, what I got is screwed. Who's going to protect you, huh? Who they send in to take care of you." ANDY: "I'm going to take care of myself and your sorry butt too. That's my job. Now why don't you just do yours. For the last time I said get in!" (Scene taken from ABC's One Life to Live - August 1995)
They started working together to get the guns out of Angel Square. Andy found out that her partner Nick Manzo was selling the guns. He asked her to give him a chance to turn himself in. She did. Nick didn't turn himself in. Later, Andy was forced to shoot a member of the Arrows as he aimed a gun at Cristian on the docks. Nick threw the member's gun in the water. Nick then told Bo that Andy had been selling the guns. Andy was brought up on charges of selling stolen guns and of murder. Antonio stood behind her and they finally kissed in the stables. Antonio said they should run away, but Andy would not. Andy was convicted on both charges, and she and Antonio were thrown in jail.
Bo finally believed Andy that Manzo was the one who sold guns and he got Linda to help him trick Nick into turning himself in. Nick almost killed himself before Bo got him to confess. Nora released Antonio and Andy. They were free.
On Valentines' Day, they made love for the first time at the Palace Hotel. Andy told Antonio that she loved him. ANDY: "I don't want you to say anything back. It's a gift, not a demand." One of my favorite lines. Later, Antonio told Andy that he loved her.
The diner that Carlotta owned before came up for sale and Antonio wanted to buy it for her. However, he could not get a loan because of his criminal record. So, he went to RJ for a loan. His first big mistake. Carlo came back from the dead. Cristian got into trouble for trying to break into a car, and his art scholarship was revoked. Antonio wanted to help, and Carlo made him an offer. He'd pay off Antonio's loan to RJ and get Cris a scholarship....IF Antonio agreed to "work" for him. Antonio agreed and shook hands with the devil himself. His second big mistake.
He went to work for Carlo, which Andy eventually found out about, causing them to break up. He eventually found out how creul Carlo was when he found out that Carlo trapped Max and Maggie in a cave in North Carolina. He went to help Andy and Dylan get them out. They did. Antonio promised Andy that he would get out of Carlo's evil clutches some way. Then Andy was confused when Antonio was still working for Carlo when they got back to Llanview.
However, Antonio just appeared to be working for Carlo. He went to Bo and agreed to work undercover as "RedDog" to bring Carlo down. Carlo found out from RJ, who saw a secret meeting between Antonio and Bo, that Antonio had "betrayed" him. He then planned to fake his own death and set Antonio up for murder.
Carlo was murdered by Alex. But, everyone thought that Antonio killed him. Antonio went into a long trial, but Andy was by his side all along. She found out after Carlo died that Antonio had been working undercover, which led to "the reunion" in December. When Carlo's twin brother, Mortimer showed up, and admitted that he saw Alex kill Carlo, and Asa backed up his story, the charges against Antonio were dropped.
Javier, the former leader of the Arrows, was released from prison after a year of being in prison for stabbing Kevin Buchanan and setting Antonio up for it. He agreed to help clear Antonio's name of his pool hall murder conviction from years before which was in self defense and Javier saw it. Antonio had always dreamt of being a lawyer, and now that his name was cleared by the judge, he might have a shot of going after that dream.
Andy told him about a place that will help him become a lawyer for free, because Antonio doesn't have enough money to go to law school. And as Andy put it, "One of my dreams can come true, too." Antonio: "What's that?" Andy: "I've always wanted to marry a lawyer." And Antonio gave her that sexy smile. Do we have a marriage in our midst? :-)
Antonio got mad at Asa for kicking Linda's uncle, Ernesto, out of his building and confronted him about it. Asa acted like his hard-headed self. Ernesto held up the diner and held Carlotta hostage.
Ernesto was finally convinced to stop this charade.
Andy came to Antonio's apartment. The next day, Antonio was supposed to go to an interview to get the law school grant. She made him practice what he was going to say. Then he said that he wanted to take care of her and stand by her in everything she did forever. She asked him what he was talking about and he said, "I want to be your husband. I want to have children with you. I want this to be forever." Then he pulled out a ring and said, "Will you marry me, Andrea Harrison?" She didn't say anything at first, so he asked her to please say something, and she said, "Yes. What did you think I was going to say?" And then she said, "I just want to go to the window and tell everybody that I'm going to marry you." And he said, "You mean like this?" He walked over to the window and yelled, "Hey, everybody! She said yes!" Then everybody started cheering.
He went to the interview and said some very good things about why he thought he would make a good lawyer.
He got the grant.
He then had to consider which law school he would go to. He got accepted to Berkeley in California.
Andy was on an undercover assignment in Atlantic City. Javier tipped off Jackie McNaughton, the man she was after, to the fact that she was a cop in Llanview. He told Javier to take care of it. Javier stuck a gun in Andy's back in the parking deck. She kicked him and knocked the gun away. She then tried to get in her car, but he jumped on her. He then started strangling her. RJ had a business partner of his tip off Antonio to the fact that Andy was going to get herself in trouble. Antonio showed up and picked up Javier's gun. He then shot Javier and waited with an unconscious Andy for the ambulances to show up. When Andy gained consciousness she told the police what had happened to her. Antonio asked if he was under arrest. Luckily, he wasn't. He was just taken in for questioning.
The next day, it was on the front page of every newspaper in the country. The law grant committee saw it. They called Antonio and told him that they had revoked his grant. Will he ever fulfill his dream?
He told Carlotta and Hank at the diner. Hank said, "I'm getting in this." He went and rounded up Bo, Nora, and Andy and they all went to a meeting with the grant committee chairman. They tried hard to convince her to give the grant back to Antonio. She said she would call a meeting with the committee and that they would get back to Antonio later that day. A little bit later, he got a call at the diner. He hung up, turned to Bo, Nora, and Andy, and said, "Thank you." Then he smiled and hugged them. He'd gotten back the grant.
Antonio decided to ask Cris to be his best man. He went up to Cris in the diner and Cris said, "Do you want me to be your best man or what?" And Antonio said, "Like I would ask anybody else." Then he smiled and hugged him.
Bo threw a bachelor party for Antonio. Antonio, Bo, Hank, Patrick, Max, Ian, Cris, Mickey, & Eddie were all there. After Eddie spiked the juice with 100% grain alcohol, things got a little wild. Hank threw a pig's head into someone's window, and Andy had to leave her own party and lock them all up for the night.
On Antonio & Andy's wedding day, Antonio went up on the rooftop to say goodbye to Angel Square. Mickey, Eddie, & Cris came up and gave him a necklace. They then left, Antonio said goodbye to Angel Square, then he tried to open the door. It was stuck. Cris then came up, but Antonio couldn't tell him in time to not let the door close. So now the groom and his best man were stuck up there. Antonio repeled down the roof to safety, but Cris wouldn't do it. So, Antonio came up on the fire truck's ladder and said, "Do you want a ride?" So they finally got to the church. Antonio & Andy had a beautiful ceremony and tears filled their eyes as Antonio said a beautiful speech about how thankful he was to have her. They then had a reception with all of Llanview dancing in the street in front of the diner. Antonio went and played the congas with the band (portrayed by Kamar's real father, Walfredo, Sr., his brother, Walfredo, Jr., and his other brother, Daniel). Antonio and Andy then got dressed and had a long, long, sexy kiss. (During the kiss, OLTL played a montage of Antonio & Andy scenes.) They then said tearful goodbyes to all their friends in Llanview. Antonio and Cris cried a lot as they hugged. (I think that the tears there were not completely acting. I think Kamar's own feelings showed while saying goodbye to everyone, especially Yorlin. I think that everyone's tears were their own, not just acting. And when Antonio was saying goodbye to Cris, Kamar & Yorlin both looked extremely upset, and I could tell that their own feelings were showing.) Antonio & Andy then walked off together.
Antonio returned to Llanview. Without Andy. It would become known that while Antonio spent hours studying, Andy spent hours in her patrol car with her partner. She then fell in love with her partner. Antonio flunked out of law school because of this. So he came back to Llanview and began training to become a police officer. While trying to convince Roseanne to give Cristian an annulment and helping Sophia with her studies in the police academy, they both began to have feelings for him.
Antonio and Roseanne eventually couldn't restrain their lustful feelings for each other any longer and they slept together. Their relationship continued. Sophia admitted to Antonio that she loved him, but he told her he did not feel the same way.
After Colin was killed, it eventually became known that Roseanne was present when he was killed, but had kept quiet about what she saw. When she finally told Antonio what she knew, he made her go to the trial to admit it. He was then disgusted with her for not admitting what she knew beforehand, which was that she had seen Nora push Colin down the stairs. Ashamed of herself, Roseanne packed up and left town.
While talking to Cris in a coffee shop, Antonio noticed a beautiful woman. But she disappeared before he had the chance to talk to her. Later, at the university, he ran into the beautiful woman again, Keri, and asked her out for coffee. Later, they both realized that Keri was his Sociology of Crime professor. He then realized he'd have several problems obtaining the rest of his college credits, as Keri gave him a hard time. So, he gave up trying to trick her into giving him credits, and tried once again to romance her instead.
Later, Keri ran into Hank, and told him she was his daughter. He admitted to knowing her, but said he was not her father.
Keri was staying with Nora, who had remembered her when she came back to town as Rachel's childhood friend, and Nora set Keri and Antonio up on a blind date, unaware that they already knew each other. They pretended not to know each other for Nora's benefit. Tensions were high between the two as they tried to make their date at Rodi's work. After Antonio convinced Keri to slow dance, they became more comfortable with each other, and their feelings for each other began to grow even stronger.
Later, Keri finds out that Hank was telling the truth when he said he was not her father... he's her uncle. RJ is her father. Keri agreed to give RJ a chance so they could get to know one another. This, of course, put an even bigger problem between Antonio and Keri. So, Keri and Antonio split up. They keep running into each other, of course, and keep coming close to getting back together. But, of course, RJ is always in the way, trying to keep Keri away from Antonio. They finally reunite on Valentine's Day when Keri brings Antonio a card, and they return to his place to make love. Of course RJ still tries to get in the way, but Keri defends Antonio and admits her love for him. Carlotta also dislikes Keri, causing further problems. Antonio continues to defend Keri to his mother as well.
Antonio and Keri take a romantic trip to Hawaii, and Antonio plans to propose. However, his intentions are put aside when Keri asks for his help investigating Rae's past. Later, back in Llanview, he finally pops the question. Keri accepts, of course.
More trouble appears for Antonio and Keri when Antonio starts investigating RJ's role in Lindsay's and Allison's prison break. Keri gives RJ an alibi, and Antonio pretends to believe her, but continues to investigate RJ. When Keri finds out, she tells him she can't marry a man who can't trust her. She gives him back the engagement ring. RJ feels guilty when Keri comes to him crying, but later goads Antonio into a fistfight, and tells Keri that Antonio attacked him.
After Allison takes Lindsay and Viki captive at Viki's cabin, Antonio, Bo and Ben all come to the cabin to rescue them. Antonio fires his gun, and accidentally shoots Ben. Antonio then blames himself when Ben slips into an irreversible coma. Bo then suspends Antonio from the force. Antonio then leaves town, while Keri desperately searches for him. He then runs into a woman in a diner... twice. They open up to each other, he tells her about the shooting, she tells him that she had just been scattering her late husband's ashes in Africa. They end up kissing, and then making love. They each find renewed inner strength, and Antonio decides to return to Llanview and to try to reunite with Keri. When he arrives home, Cristian tells him that Keri still loves him. Antonio then goes searching for her, while she is planning a trip to Chicago. When Keri arrives in Chicago to visit her mother, we realize that her mother, Liz, is the mystery woman that Antonio slept with. After talking to Keri on the phone, Antonio decides to go to Chicago to reunite with Keri. Liz leaves before Antonio arrives. He tells Keri about how he slept with a mystery woman. Antonio and Liz narrowly miss running into each other right as Antonio is called back to Llanview. Liz tells Keri she is pregnant. Due to a heart condition, Liz cannot carry the baby. Keri offers to be a surrogate mother, and Liz accepts the offer. Meanwhile, Antonio is reinstated on the police force. Liz and Antonio finally run into each other back in Llanview, but still don't realize who they each are. Antonio supports Keri's decision to act as a surrogate. Later, Liz is horrified when she sees Keri in Antonio's arms, and feigns illness when Keri wants to introduce the two. Once again, Liz is horrified when Keri tells her that the procedure was a success and she is pregnant. Liz and Antonio finally meet at Keri and Antonio's engagement party. Antonio is shocked, Liz tries to convince him its just a horrible coincidence, and he asks her if the baby Keri is carrying is his. Liz convinces him that it is not his baby, and they then argue over whether or not to tell Keri about their night of passion. Antonio later tries to tell Keri the truth, but she stops him by telling him that the past is the past. Liz later convinces Antonio not to tell Keri the truth. Antonio and Liz continue to have heated arguments, Antonio constantly questions whether the baby is his, Liz constantly tells him its not. Liz later opens up to Hank and tells him the truth... the baby is Antonio's. Eventually, Antonio finally decides to have a paternity test done. The results are conclusive... the baby is his. He confronts Liz with the fact that he knows the truth, and informs her that he WILL be telling Keri the whole truth. Even more trouble appears when RJ finds out about Liz and Antonio. He informs Antonio that he is going to tell Keri the truth. Antonio stops him by handcuffing him to a booth in the diner and lets him know there's no way that's gonna happen... he has to be the one to tell her, not RJ. Antonio goes to Keri's house and finally tells her the truth. She flips out and says she is going to leave. Upon opening the door, Liz is standing there. Keri tells them both she wants nothing to do with them. Keri then goes into premature labor. They rush her to the hospital, and she gives birth to a baby girl. She won't let anyone into the room with her. Finally, after she gives birth, she agrees to see RJ. She tells RJ that she never wants to see Liz or Antonio again.