Chapter 16

Sonny and Carly stepped off the elevator on the top floor of Harborview Towers. Sonny turned toward their apartment but Carly headed for Jason’s door, already fishing the key out of her purse. While Sonny was asking the guard, Frank, if he saw Jason come home, he heard the door open behind him.

"Carly! Get away from there!" Carly ignored him and let herself in yelling for Jason. Frank followed Sonny across the hall.

"No one’s in there unless they scaled the building, boss." Sonny went inside Jason’s apartment. The guys had done their best to clean up the mess although they had to throw out most of the furniture. The penthouse was almost bare.

"Carly! He’s not here. Come on!" he shouted upstairs. Carly returned to the living room.

"I think we should try Jake’s. Maybe he went there."

"Johnny’s already checking there."

"What about the Quartermaines? Maybe he went to see Emily. Or Lila." Carly suggested.

"I don’t think so. Not in his current mood."

"What about Mac and Felicia’s? If he really believes he saw Robin – "

"If he went to Mac’s I’m sure we’ll hear about it," Sonny said with a sigh. He ran a hand over his face in frustration.

"Then where the hell is he, Sonny?" Carly shouted. Sonny thought for a moment before it hit him.

"Stay here with Michael," he said as he walked to the elevator.

"Sonny! You’re not going without me!" Sonny got on the elevator, holding out his hand to prevent her from following him.

"I know where he went. But you can’t be there. Trust me on this one." He saw her hesitation and added, "Please." Carly put her hands on her hips, glaring at him.

"Carly, I have to go!"

"Fine! Go! Just…just be careful. And take care of him." Sonny nodded and let the doors close. He hoped he could get to Jason before he did something foolish.

*****

Robert slipped the photograph in his coat pocket as he reached the bedroom. He took a deep breath before entering. Inside, he found Anna pacing the length of the room, still furious. Sean and Frisco were leaning against the wall, trying to stay out of her way. Robert noted the pile of clothes on the bed and the smaller pile on the floor, before a flash of red caught his eye. At first, he thought it was blood, before he realized it was an orchid. So that’s what set her off, he thought, feeling his blood pressure rise at the thought of Faison or some hired goon in her room. One look at Sean and Frisco told him they had seen the flower, too.

"Anna? We need to talk." She spun on her heel, marched right up to him and jabbed a finger in his face.

"Don’t you ever do that to me again!" she threatened, shaking from the onslaught of emotions rushing through her.

"Do what? Save your ass? Stop you from doing something suicidal?" he returned.

"Gang up on me like that! I can take care of myself!" Robert was sick of her attitude.

"I think we all know from experience that’s not true," he said smugly. No sooner had the words left his mouth than her palm connected with his cheek with a loud crack. They were all stunned, including Anna. Robert paused until he reigned in his own temper.

"Truth hurts, luv." He saw the anger return immediately to her eyes and was glad. Let her take it out on him rather than bottle it up inside.

"I can handle him," she replied, her voice hoarse.

"No you can’t," Sean said not unkindly.

"You stay out of this!" Anna replied. Sean’s face flushed as he, too, became fed up with the situation.

"I’m already in it up to my eyeballs! We all are! We agreed – "

"You don’t know anything about it!"

"You’re right, he doesn’t," Frisco interrupted. "He wasn’t there. He didn’t see what you were like when we found you. He didn’t have to listen to you talk about your "husband" and how much you loved him and hated us. He didn’t end up with bruises and broken bones from fighting – "

"That’s not going to happen again," Anna said abruptly, resuming her pacing.

"No, it isn’t. Because we’re not going to give him the chance, remember?" Robert asked. She stalked over to the window. "Anna?"

"I heard you!" she snapped.

"So we’re going to get your things together, go to the house and drop this, right?" She stared out the window, arms crossed defensively, fuming. Frisco rolled his eyes as Sean shook his head in disgust. Robert simply waited her out.

"Fine," she finally answered. The three men sighed in relief. Sean nudged Frisco, then cleared his throat.

"Well, we’ll, uh, leave you two alone," he said as he walked silently to the bed and removed the orchid, crushing it in his hand. "Frisco?"

"Yeah, sure. We’ll wait downstairs," he replied, picking up the small trash can at his feet and holding out so Sean could toss the flower in. They left, taking the garbage can with them.

Robert waiting patiently for Anna to turn around but she continued to stare out the window at the activity below. Several ambulances and two hearses had arrived. The paramedics were loading the bodies to take to the morgue. Robert studied his wife’s profile; she was pale and drawn from stress and lack of sleep but he thought she was the most beautiful thing in the world. His heart was still pounding, thinking if they had only been a few seconds later, they might not have stopped her. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around hers. He felt her lean back into him.

"I can handle this, you know," she said quietly.

"I know. Just as long as you realize you don’t have to do it alone."

"I don’t want any of you to end up like that," she whispered. He could tell her tears were threatening again.

"Then I guess we’d better be more careful, huh?" he said lightly. They both fell silent for a little while.

"The doctors said – "

"The doctors said they weren’t sure, luv," he said, cutting off her argument. He rested his chin on her shoulder to whisper in her ear. "I can’t lose you again."

Anna closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest. Robert could feel her beginning to relax in his arms. He let her stay like that for several minutes, enjoying the feel of her slight body against his before kissing her cheek and stepping back. He silently thanked Sean again; if he hadn’t spotted Anna leaving, Robert might never have seen her again.

"Let’s get you packed and get the hell out of here." She hesitated, needing to ask him but not wanting to appear weak.

"Could you –" Anna stopped talking as she turned and realized the orchid was already gone. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Never mind."

They began picking up the clothes she dumped earlier, silently folding and stacking them neatly. Robert picked up a lacy, black bra. He held it up, waggling his eyebrows at her and grinning suggestively.

"Can’t forget this one." She backhanded him in the stomach receiving a mostly phony "oof" in response and snatched the bra out of his hand. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close.

"And what might you give me if I give you a….private viewing later on?" She tried but failed to keep a straight face in response to his big, goofy grin and raised eyebrows.

"Anything. Name it," he said earnestly. She laughed as he bent to kiss her. Faison was forgotten for the moment.

*****

Faison, however, had not forgotten the Scorpios. He had been watching with great interest as they argued but his smirk was replaced with a look of pure hatred the moment Robert touched her. Be very careful with my wife, Scorpio, he thought as he watched them make up. She belongs to me. And it’s only a matter of time before Anna realizes that, too.

Faison angrily walked to the bar to pour himself a drink. He took only one drink before looking at the monitor just in time to see them kiss. The rest of his brandy went flying across the room. As the glass shattered against the wall, the telephone began to ring. He snatched up the receiver.

"What?" he shouted. As he listened, his eyes narrowed. Faison was determined to take his anger and frustration out on someone and the call presented him the opportunity.

"Make sure he doesn’t return." Faison apparently did not like the response and redirected his anger toward the caller.

"What do you think I mean? Kill him. And, Raoul? Don’t mess this up," he said, menacingly. He slammed the receiver back in the cradle before sweeping the telephone and everything near it onto the floor in a fit of jealous rage. Avery’s picture landed face up, the glass now a spider web of cracks. He stared at it thoughtfully before he retrieving the phone and quickly dialing a number.

As he waited impatiently, he fumbled for a cigar. When someone finally answered, he got straight to the point.

"Tell Mrs. Adams to pack Avery’s things. I want them both here day after tomorrow." He hung up without waiting for a reply and tossed the telephone back on the floor.

He turned to glare at the monitor again. Anna and Robert had resumed folding clothes but were deliberately bumping into each other, touching and flirting. Faison lit his cigar with hands shaking from rage. He took a deep draw as he studied Anna’s image on the screen.

"Soon, darling. Very soon."

*****

Parker sat alone at the Scorpios’ kitchen table. A half-eaten apple sat forgotten in front of him as his mind wandered over the events of the day. An hour earlier, Alan Quartermaine called to tell them that Jason punched out his guard, stole the man’s clothes and left the hospital for parts unknown. Robin had been silently worried until Parker admitted he called the second agent back to the house. Then she was furious with him. After yet another argument about who knew best how to protect her, Robin gave in, took one of her pills and went upstairs to lie down. That definitely had not helped Parker’s guilt trip. First, he left her to fend off Faison with only a practically comatose junior mobster for help. Then he let said mobster run off alone in his current altered mental state causing her to dope herself to the eyeballs and go pass out. He threw the apple at the garbage can. In his anger, he threw it too hard. It bounced off the wall and landed on the floor. Great. Just great. What else could possibly go wrong? he thought as he got up to put the apple in the garbage. He inwardly groaned, sorry he asked as Felicia ushered Maxie and Georgie into the kitchen.

"Girls, why don’t you go upstairs and start on your homework, okay?" Felicia said brightly. Both girls looked worried but did as their mother asked. As soon as they were out of earshot, Felicia turned back to Parker.

"What happened?" she demanded. Although the activity at the house had decreased dramatically, there were still several squad cars outside and Felicia feared the worst. Parker explained what had taken place at the lodge. By the time he was finished, Felicia looked ill. Before she could ask him any more, the baby monitor on the table came to life as one of the twins began crying. Felicia volunteered to check on them. Parker followed her upstairs, not sure how much Robin had told her and wanting to head her off if Felicia tried to visit her.

Parker went to check on Robin while Felicia went to the nursery. He had just discovered that Robin was not in her room when Felicia started screaming for someone to call an ambulance. Parker swore as he rushed down the hall, pushing a frightened Maxie and Georgie out of his way. Felicia was kneeling in front of the rocking chair where Robin sat sleeping. Felicia was holding Olivia while she tried to shake Robin awake. Parker tried to calm her down as Felicia told him she found Olivia screaming and squirming in her mother’s arms while Robin slept on. Robin slowly began to come around but was groggy and disoriented.

"Felicia?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "What’s wrong?"

Parker quickly explained to Felicia – and to Maxie and Georgie who were listening in the doorway – that Robin ocassionally got headaches that required a special medication and that the medicine made her sleepy. Felicia didn’t appear satisfied by his answer but allowed him to carry Robin back to her room while she and Maxie took care of the twins.

In Robin’s room, Parker carefully laid her on the bed. He tucked a blanket around her as she curled up on her side. When he turned to leave he heard her mumble "thanks". She was already drifting off again before he could reply. Parker quietly closed the door behind him and leaned against it, listening to Felicia and her girls comforting the twins down the hall. He wondered what else the day had in store for them all.

*****

The sun was setting when Sonny reached the bridge. He offered up a silent prayer of thanks when he saw Jason. Sonny stopped to watch him for moment. Jason was obviously wearing the clothes he stole from the man at the hospital: the white dress shirt was a poor fit and the navy blue pants were just a little too short. He was leaning over the railing, staring at the water below. Sonny was almost to Jason’s side before the younger man realized he was no longer alone. They simply looked at each other for several moments, sizing each other up.

"I’m not going back to the hospital, Sonny."

"Did I say that?" Jason turned to lean on the railing again. Sonny did the same.

"I saw her," Jason said. "For real this time." Sonny’s heart sank.

"Jason – "

"She visited me at the hospital. She said no one was supposed to know she was here but she didn’t want me to worry. Someone else was there, too." Jason’s forehead creased in concentration. "I can’t remember who though."

"Jason, I know how badly you wish she was here – "

"She was here, Sonny," Jason insisted. At his friend’s skeptical look, he continued. "This morning I was drunk. I know she wasn’t there. But she was at the hospital. I swear."

"Then what are you doing here? Why not go to Mac’s? Or go look for her?"

"Someone might notice if I start trying to find her. She said no one can know she’s in Port Charles. And if I go running to Mac, it’ll just look suspicious.

"Look at me," Sonny demanded. Jason looked him straight in the eye. While his eyes were still bloodshot, they were clear, lucent.

"You scared the hell outta me," Sonny finally said, breaking the silence. "Gave me a nice bruise, too," he added as he gingerly touched the lump on his jaw.

"I did that?" Jason asked, incredulous.

"That’s one mean right hook."

"Sorry man, I didn’t – "

"Forget it. Come here." Sonny pulled Jason into an embrace just as a shot rang out. They both fell behind the wall of the bridge as a shootout began between Sonny’s guards and the unknown attackers. On the bridge all was quiet. Neither Sonny nor Jason reappeared.

Emily woke slowly, trying to remember where she was. After a moment, she realized she had fallen asleep on her bed while trying to finish her homework. She glanced at the clock; it was already after five. She groaned and put her hands over her eyes. What a crazy morning, she thought, then winced at her choice of words. She was still shocked by Jason’s behavior. AJ was the brother she expected to get roaring drunk and have hallucinations. Jason was the one she counted on to be strong and steady. She hoped it was only the vast amount of alcohol he consumed throughout the night that caused this morning’s bout of lunacy. She didn’t know what she would do if he woke up and was acting just as crazy as before they took him to the hospital. Maybe he can have Carly’s old room at Ferncliff, she thought with a hysterical giggle. She was so exhausted, both mentally and physically, she had almost been relieved when Alan suggested she go home and rest. Knowing Jason would probably sleep for several more hours, she hadn’t even really argued.

She told herself again that there hadn’t really been a reason for her to stay at the hospital. It wasn’t as if Jason knew she was there. After Alan and AJ left, it had been too strange sitting around waiting with Sonny, Carly and Johnny. Alan went to see another doctor’s patients and AJ want to "get some coffee". Which probably meant he went to have a drink since he never came back, she thought bitterly. Monica had been in surgery all morning and had no idea what was going on. Emily knew her father was waiting to see whether Jason really was having a breakdown before telling the rest of the family. Either way, it isn’t going to be a laugh a minute around the old Quartermaine homestead tonight, Emily thought as she lay in bed.

Emily was working up the energy to go shower, when she heard her mother talking to the baby. Emily smiled; talking to the baby was something her parents started doing as soon as they found out they were expecting. She was so tired that just rolling off the bed seemed like an effort but she dragged herself to her feet. As she tried to stretch the kinks out of her back, she heard Monica enter her parents’ bedroom down the hall. Emily stumbled over to the door meaning to go ask about Jason but froze as she heard the front door slam. Alan charged up the steps, bellowing for Monica. Emily froze, suddenly terrified that something awful had happened to Jason. She waited, unable to move, just inside her room as Alan pounded down the hallway.

"I’m in here, Alan, quit shouting! You’re going to upset Lila," she heard her mother say.

"What are you doing here? Didn’t you get my message about Jason?" Emily crept down the hall to listen.

"Oh no! What happened? Is he hurt?" Alan quickly explained what had happened that morning as Emily waited impatiently, hoping to hear something new.

"Well, where is Emily now?" Monica asked.

"Didn’t she come home?"

"I haven’t seen her. Emily!" Emily winced. She felt guilty for eavesdropping, but something told her to keep quiet and listen.

"Maybe she went to see Liz. I’ll call and – "

"Wait, Monica. I have some news." Emily closed her eyes thinking, Here it comes. Oh God, please let him be okay. Her heart skipped a beat, one hand rising to press against her chest as if to ease the pain there.

*****

Anna silently entered Robin’s bedroom. Robert and the others were still downstairs discussing strategies and sleeping arrangements but she couldn’t wait another second to see her daughter. When Felicia told them Robin was "taking a nap", Anna knew Robin had gotten another headache. Her guilt intensified as she carefully sat on the bed, causing Robin to shift and whimper in her sleep. Robin slowly opened her eyes and blinked several times.

"Mom?"

"Yes, darling. I’m right here. I was just checking on you."

"Stay with me," Robin whispered. Anna smiled then stretched out next to her and took Robin in her arms like she used to when Robin was a little girl. "Are you okay?"

"I’m just fine now that I’m here with you. I’ve missed you," she said as she kissed Robin’s temple. Robin’s smiled sleepily.

"It’s only been two days."

"Well, that’s practically an eternity without you." Robin’s smile widened. She had missed her mother so much in the years they were separated. Times like these, just lying in the dark talking, were one of the things she missed the most. She felt completely and totally safe in her mother’s arms.

"How’s your head?" Anna asked.

"Better. How are you? Daddy said it was real bad out there." Robin frowned as she felt Anna tense next to her. Please let go of this guilt, she silently pleaded. She couldn’t stand to see her mother so full of self-doubt and self-loathing. As far back as she could remember, her mother was her rock, the one person she counted on to be strong and confident and nearly invincible. She learned eight years ago that neither of her parents was indestructible but she still wasn’t used to them having normal human weaknesses. She still held on to the childish impression of them as some sort of superheroes.

"Yes it was," Anna finally answered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Anna laughed quietly. Sometimes she forgot Robin was an adult. She still remembered the impish little girl with curls in her hair and scabs on her knees that peaked out from underneath the frilly dresses Filomena had always dressed her in. She remembered first teeth and first words and first steps then later first arguments over boys and first dates. Sometimes, it was hard to reconcile those images with the young woman she had become. Sometimes, she found it impossible to believe Robin had children of her own.

"What’s so funny?" Robin asked, amusement causing her eyes to sparkle in the darkness. In that moment, the resemblance between mother and daughter was uncanny.

"Never you mind. I don’t want to talk about it and you need your rest," said Anna, trying to sound parental. Her grin ruined the effect.

"Yes, Mother," Robin replied in mock exasperation. She snuggled against her mother and closed her eyes. Anna stroked her daughter’s brow as she spoke quietly to her, lulling her back to sleep. She had waited years to do just this; hold her daughter and talk in the darkness until she fell asleep. They often did this while Robin was growing up and Anna was indescribably grateful that Robin hadn’t outgrown it. Now, they sometimes included Olivia and Isabella, laying the babies between them on the bed, each stroking a tiny back as they talked.

They had talked endlessly those first few weeks after their reunion. She and Robin would huddle up on the couch or on the bed and Robin would tell her all of the things she’d missed: how she felt when she met Stone, and later Jason; how it felt to fall in love; how she wished her mother was there to answer her questions; how practically all of Port Charles had found out the first time she and Stone had made love. Mother and daughter had laughed and cried together. Robin also talked about what it was like to lose both young men. She said she knew now how Anna had felt when she and Robert divorced and when Duke died and how it felt to be a single mother raising her daughters alone. She said she hoped she had made her parents proud. Anna had cried then, unable to believe Robin would ever believe otherwise, telling her daughter that no parents were ever prouder of their child.

She studied Robin’s face as she slept, heartsick at seeing her child in pain. She made a silent promise to Robin to make Faison pay for everything he had done to their family. With Andrew gone, Robin was her only remaining child, and she would do anything to keep her safe.

*****

"Well, that sounds ominous." Monica said trying to joke unsuccessfully. Her voice sounded as worried as Emily felt.

"No, no, no. It’s good news. The best." In the bedroom, Monica gave him a confused look as he led her to the bed. He sat next to her, anxiously wondering where to start. Monica waited expectantly, until her impatience finally won out.

"Well? Spit it out, Alan! What’s this about?" He knew he was breaking a confidence, but couldn’t keep the news to himself. He told himself it wouldn’t be right to keep the news from his wife. After all, it concerned her, too. He took a deep breath.

"Our granddaughters," he blurted out. Monica gave him an extremely skeptical look.

"Our what? Alan, we don’t have any granddaughters. Have you been drinking?

"Robin," Alan said simply. He waited for her reaction. Monica stared at him in disbelief. In the hall, Emily’s mouth fell open.

"What do you mean ‘Robin’?" Monica asked cautiously, when she finally found her voice.

"Robin was one of my patients today," he said happily. Monica was stuttering, trying to ask all of the questions she suddenly had.

"Wanna see a picture?" Alan asked, pulling the photograph out of his breast pocket. Monica snatched it from his hand. She put one trembling hand over her mouth. Emily was dying to see the picture, but couldn’t without giving herself away.

"You’re assuming a lot, aren’t you? I mean…Robin’s always attracted people so easily. She could have met someone in Paris…" Monica said, still trying not to get her hopes up that the two beautiful little girls in the picture were their grandchildren.

"They’re Jason’s. She told me," Alan assured her. "This one," he said pointing to the baby on the right, "is Olivia. And this one is Isabella. Isabella Clare," he stressed. Tears sprang immediately to Monica’s eyes. Alan smiled as he put his arm around her. "Yep. Named after her old grandma." In the hallway, Emily let her own tears fall freely down her face.

"But…surely Jason would have told someone. Emily. Or Lila," Monica stammered. An awful thought occurred to her and she gasped. "He didn’t reject them, did he? I know he was angry with Robin, but – "

"He doesn’t know yet."

"I can’t see Robin keeping something like that from him. Not after that mess with AJ and Michael."

"I don’t think she did it deliberately. She wouldn’t give me any details but she mentioned that Faison had something to with it."

"Oh my God. That poor girl."

"I think there’s more to it than that. She didn’t come out and say it but I think she may have tried to tell Jason and, for whatever reason, wasn’t able to." Alan shook his head sadly. "I don’t know, I just know she wouldn’t look me in the eye and changed the subject when I asked."

"Surely if he’d known she was pregnant though…" Alan sighed heavily.

"Maybe he never gave her the chance to tell him. Who knows? Maybe she called and he hung up or…Carly answered and told her a bunch of lies. Maybe he threw her letters away or returned them or… erased her messages without listening to them… Whatever happened, Robin doesn’t want to talk about it. I also got the impression she was afraid of his reaction." Emily had heard enough. She tiptoed to the stairs, determined to break the news to Jason before he found out from someone else. She was confident, Robin had nothing to fear; Jason would be thrilled.

*****

The ambulance screeched to a halt in front of General Hospital’s emergency room entrance. Jason jumped out as the paramedics quickly pulled the gurney out and began wheeling it inside. Jason ran alongside, his mind racing. After the shooting stopped, he had waited helplessly on the bridge, trying to stop the flow of blood gushing from Sonny’s shoulder. The guards Sonny brought were both killed in the shootout. Neither he nor Sonny had a gun. His mind was painfully alert listening to every tiny sound, expecting someone to come finish the job. Instead, after what seemed like an eternity, he heard sirens approaching. The police were so involved in roping off the scene and collecting evidence, he was able to get into the ambulance with Sonny.

Tony Jones met them at the door, pushing Jason aside to get a better look at Sonny as one of the paramedics quickly explained the situation. Tony started barking orders at the various medical staff around him. As the EMT’s pushed the gurney into one of the trauma rooms, Tony caught Jason’s arm to prevent him from following. Jason angrily pulled away.

"In twenty-five words or less, what happened?"

"We were on the bridge. Someone started shooting." Jason answered, still hostile.

"Who’s ‘someone’? Sorel? Faison? Who?" Jason suddenly remembered who was in his room with Robin earlier. Terror slammed through him. He couldn’t remember if Robin had left with Faison or if she’d left alone. He suddenly felt ill; the thought of that evil man anywhere near Robin made his physically sick.

"Jason what is it?" Tony asked, noticing Jason’s face turn white. "Were you hit?" He began feeling Jason’s head and neck, searching for an injury. Jason knocked his hands away.

"He was here," he said cryptically. Tony didn’t understand and started to ask what he was talking about.

"Johnny will be here in a few minutes. Let him stay with Sonny. Tell him not to leave him alone. got to find Robin." Jason turned to go he bumped into someone. He saw it was Emily. Her face was pale, her eyes red from crying. She threw her arms around his neck as soon as she recognized him.

"Em, what? What is it?" he asked, prying her arms off and holding her back to look into her eyes.

"Thank God you’re okay. You are okay, aren’t you?"

"I’m fine. Sonny’s the one who got shot."

"What?" Jason was confused.

"I thought you knew. I – what are you doing here?"

"Is Sonny okay?"

"Yeah, he will be. Em – "

"I have something to tell you. Where can we go that’s private?"

"Emily I can’t talk right now. I’ve got to find Robin, I think she’s in danger."

"It’s about Robin." Jason hesitated, then pulled her out the ER. He hustled her down a short hallway before finding an empty visitor’s lounge.

"Tell me," Jason demanded. Emily fidgeted, uncertain now that he was standing in front of her looking so stern. "Emily! What about Robin?" he asked slowly.

"I overheard Mom and Dad talking. Robin had an appointment with Dad today." All of the blood drained from Jason’s face as he assumed the worst. Emily quickly continued, "I think it was just a regular check up, nothing serious. But…she told Dad…she…" Emily stopped again, trying to think of an easy way to tell him.

"Emily? What? Is she sick?" Emily still hesitated, worrying Jason even more. "Tell me, damn it! Did he hurt her?"

"No! Jason…she has two daughters." She watched as the shock of her news hit him like a physical force. She added gently, "You have two daughters."

Jason spun on his heel and stalked over to the window. He ran his hand through his hair causing it to stand up in crazy spikes. He refused to believe it. No. Robin wouldn’t do that to me, he thought. She wouldn’t keep something like that from me. Not after everything we went through with Michael. All the things she said about honesty and parent’s rights and… But she told Alan they were ours. She wouldn’t lie to Alan. She wouldn’t tell him he was a grandfather if it wasn’t true. She wouldn’t hurt him like that. Then it hit him: that day in the park. The day he saw her in Paris. The two babies in the stroller. He suddenly understood why she had been afraid of him that day. She didn’t want him to know.

Emily waited fearfully, hoping she hadn’t made a mistake in telling him. He had had such an awful day, she just hoped this news didn’t push him over the edge. She wanted to tell him about the rest of the conversation she overheard but she would wait until she saw his reaction.

"Where is she?" he asked without turning around. Emily was shocked by the anger she heard in his voice.

"What?" He turned to stare at her, his blue eyes like shards of ice. His jaw was set in anger.

"Where is she?" he repeated, his voice hard. Emily mentally kicked herself. Why had she thought he would take the news easily. She didn’t want him to be angry with Robin; she had to make him understand.

"Jason, please," she whispered. "You don’t understand. There’s more – "

"Morgan. Emily turned to see Detective Taggart and two uniformed policeman striding into the small room. "Who said you could leave the scene? You need to come downtown to answer some questions about your little problem earlier tonight. Let’s go." Jason glared daggers at the men but made no move toward the door. "That wasn’t a request. Are you going to cooperate or do we have to cuff you?"

Emily watched helplessly as Jason stalked out of the room, followed by the two officers.

"Taggart? Can I come with him?"

"No. I suspect he’ll be there all night. You go on home. You don’t need to be in the middle of this." He left her alone.

Emily sank down into a chair and put her head in her hands. Way to go, Emily, she thought. After seeing the cold fury in Jason’s eyes, she understood Robin’s reluctance to tell him about their girls. She suddenly remembered how possessive Jason had been of Michael, how ruthless he was about raising the boy himself. Robin was already in danger and now Emily had just made a bad situation worse. She finally let herself cry as the full impact of the day hit her.

*****

Later that evening, Robert went to check on his wife and daughter. He found them curled up on Robin’s bed sound asleep. He smiled and tenderly covered them both with a blanket before kissing each on the cheek. He quietly left the room. He considered turning in himself, even though it was barely seven- thirty. The house was finally quiet and practically empty. Felicia had taken Maxie and Georgie ice skating before they arrived, deciding today was not the best time for a reunion with Frisco. Mac had been called away on police business a little while ago. Sean left for the Port Charles Hotel and Frisco for Tony’s cabin, each opting not to stay at the already-crowded Scorpio residence.

Robert wandered into the guestroom. He was exhausted. He knew he should go on to bed so he would be rested for tomorrow but a little voice in the back of his mind kept nagging him. He sat on the bed with a sound he and Mac used to call "the old man noise" in their younger days. He tried to shut that little voice up but it refused to be silent. Finally, he gave in and pulled the photograph out of his pocket. He studied the little girl, thinking again that she looked very familiar. After another moment’s debate, he tiredly got to his feet – to his disgust he made the old man noise again – and headed for the attic, hoping Mac and Felicia hadn’t moved things too much.

The attic was dusty and dim just as he remembered it. The homemade swing still hung from the rafters in the middle of the room. Judging from the lack of dust under it, he suspected that Georgie – and maybe even Maxie – still made use of it. He remembered Robin sitting on that swing, daydreaming for hours or talking on the phone and he smiled. He turned and went to the nearest corner, hoping the trunk was still there. He was relieved to find it in the same place. He lifted the lid and was stunned by the force of the memories. He and Anna’s lives were in that trunk: mementos and photo albums mixed in with old ballet shoes and rugby jerseys, school papers and awards mixed in with Anna’s childhood diaries and his father’s arrowhead collection. He saw that someone had added Anna’s jade figurines to the trunk and wondered who had done it: Mac, Robin, Felicia? Had Robin not wanted to look at them and be reminded that her mother wouldn’t be coming back to get them?

Robert told himself to quit dwelling on the past and dug around for the box he came for. He finally found it near the bottom. The large heavy box contained pictures from Anna’s childhood: her parents, her sister, her aunt and uncle, ballet recitals, and Anna herself. There was one picture in particular that stood out in his mind. He sifted through the box, grinning at some photos, sadly laying others aside quickly. Finally, he came to the one photograph the persistent memory of which had driven him up to the attic in the first place. He was so intent on the picture, he didn’t hear Mac climb the steps behind him.

"Robert?" He jumped, immediately on guard, as Mac laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Robert snapped. Mac grinned, but his smile quickly faded as he noticed Robert’s grim look.

"What are you doing up here, Robbie?" Robert hesitated, then handed the photograph to his brother without comment. He watched Mac’s face closely, wanting to catch his reaction. Mac looked stunned. He stared at the picture, not knowing what to say. His eyes met Robert’s, his question unspoken. Robert’s nod was almost imperceptible. Mac turned the picture over, knowing what he would find but dreading it all the same. The inscription on the back read Anna, age 6.

Robert lay sprawled across the bed in the guestroom after a long, sleepless night. He and Mac had sat up talking about the similarities between the photograph of the little girl named Avery found at the lodge and the photograph of Anna at almost the same age. The resemblance was striking; it wasn’t just the long brown hair and dark eyes, it was the shape of their faces, eyes, noses and mouths. If someone didn’t know better, they would say the two little girls were at least sisters, if not the same child.

Robert and Mac had not come to any conclusions but both were left with the uneasy feeling that they would be seeing Avery again. Robert had shared with his brother that Faison had often talked of having children with Anna. Faison had even gone so far as to look for surrogate mothers since Anna herself was not supposed to be able to carry a baby because of a previous miscarriage. Robert left out the fact that Anna had indeed been able to carry a child to term though Andrew died soon after. He wasn’t ready to share that information with anyone just yet; it had been hard enough telling Robin that, at least briefly, she had the little brother she always wanted.

Around 2 a.m., he and Mac had given up and gone to bed. Robert had lain awake for another two hours, hoping and praying that he was wrong. Avery could not possibly be Anna’s daughter. How would he ever be able to stop her from going after Faison if he had her child? And the very thought that his wife had a child with that monster made him sick.

The thought had occurred to Robert, that Alexandra could easily be the little girl’s mother. The timing would fit. Even though he knew it was wrong to wish the problem on someone else, he fervently hoped that was the case. But he also believed, as did Anna, that Faison had never really been fooled by Alexandra. He had used her for some reason. Robert was starting to believe he knew exactly why Faison had needed Anna’s sister. Who better to carry Anna’s baby than her own sister? Faison could even have pictures of Alexandra with the baby to show the little girl; she would never realize that one was her mother and the other her aunt.

Robert finally fell into an exhausted, dreamless sleep. Dimly, he felt something cool and smooth gently pushing his leg back onto his side of the bed. Then he felt something sliding across his chest. He opened one eye slightly to see Anna lying next to him, propped up on one elbow. He recognized that look and came fully awake, eyeing her with interest. He raised his eyebrows when he noticed that her shoulders were bare.

"Forget your jammies, luv?" he asked as he lifted the covers to peek at her naked body.

"No. I just didn’t feel like unpacking them," she said with a shrug. She said it so casually, he thought he might have misread her intentions.

"Oh," he said, sounding disappointed. "Is it morning already?" he asked, craning his neck to look at the bedside clock behind her, getting a good view of her bare back in the process.

"Yes, but it’s very early. You look exhausted. Why don’t you go back to sleep?" she answered with a poker face. Robert was beginning to doubt her sincerity.

"Well, I would but I seem to recall someone promising me a private viewing of some lacy black underthings and, frankly luv, you’re not wearing any," he challenged, trying to effect his own straight face.

Anna coolly reached under the covers and slowly drew out the black lace bra she had teased him about the day before. She held it by one strap and dangled it between them.

"Happy now?" Robert stared at the bra, tongue in cheek, realizing he’d been had. Then he stared into Anna’s eyes.

"Extremely." After a brief staring contest they both burst into laughter at the same time. Anna tossed the bra over her shoulder as Robert rolled over and pinned her to the bed, pulling the covers up over their heads.

*****

Down the hall, Mac heard their laughter and smiled slightly. He stood in front of the window, staring out at the street below. He had been able to fall asleep, but wasn’t able to stay asleep. He’d finally given up an hour ago and was impatiently waiting for the sunrise. He kept thinking about his conversation with Robert last night. He didn’t envy Robert having to tell Anna what they’d found. He was quickly coming to understand why they stayed away for so long.

"Mac?" He turned and saw Felicia sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes. "What are doing?"

"I couldn’t sleep. Did I wake you?" he asked as he went to sit next to her.

"No. What’s the matter?" Mac leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I just have a bad feeling about all of this." Felicia got to her knees and put her hands on his shoulders for support. She began kneading the knots out of his muscles.

"Tell me what’s wrong." Mac quietly told her about the photographs and his conversation with Robert. Felicia listened, horrified. She wrapped her arms around his chest.

"He’s going to use that little girl and there’s nothing we can do about it," he finished.

"Does Anna know?" Mac shook his head. "This is going to kill her, Mac." His only answer was to put his hands over hers.

"The way I acted the other night – "

"She understood. You were upset, you were afraid for Robert and Robin – "

"That’s not an excuse."

"Mac – "

"I broke her ribs Felicia!" Felicia looked confused. She started to speak, then stopped and started again.

"Who told you that?" she asked.

"Luke. When he called for Robert yesterday." Felicia was trying to smother her grin but was failing miserably. One snort sneaked out, then another. Mac twisted around to stare at her, amazed that she was laughing at the situation. Felicia began giggling helplessly.

"I’m sorry. I’m sorry! It’s just…." She tried to get her laughter under control. "I’m sorry. I called Bobbie last night. Anna has a nice big bruise but nothing’s broken." Mac looked furious which only caused her to laugh harder. "I guess Luke thought you needed to be taught a lesson."

"I’m gonna kill him," Mac growled as he tried to stand. Felicia pulled him back on the bed.

"Hold your horses there, bucko. You did sort of deserve it, you know?" Mac looked away.

"Well, I am sorry. I mean, I didn’t mean to – "

"Don’t tell me, tell her."

"I’m still gonna kick his ass," Mac muttered.

"I can think of a better way to burn off all that excess energy. Felicia slid around to sit on his lap.

"Oh really? And what might that be?" She replied with a long deep kiss. Finally she sat back with a grin. Mac pretended to be completely unaffected. He kept a stone face as he set her aside and got up. He began walking toward the bathroom as Felicia’s face fell.

"Mac! Where are you going?" He looked at her innocently.

"I was going to take a shower. Everybody will be up soon. I thought we could have breakfast together before Maxie and Georgie go to school. And you saw how disappointed the girls were when you got home last night and found out Anna had already gone to bed; they’re going to drive her crazy with questions so you know they’ll be running late. And Sean. I bet Sean’s here by at least eight, so I thought we’d get an early – "

"You’re going to take a shower?" Felicia repeated, still disbelieving.

"Yeah," Mac said on his way into the bathroom. "Of course, with all of these people in the house we’ll probably have to limit showers. Not enough hot water," he called out. Felicia was angry at his rejection. She climbed back into bed, yanking the covers up. I’m doing everything including throwing myself at him and he’s talking about breakfast and shower schedules? Anal retentive little…If this is how he’s going to act the whole time Frisco’s in town or every time I mention Luke Spencer, he may need those divorce papers after all, she thought petulantly. She glared in his general direction and saw his pajama bottoms sailing through the door.

"Hey Felicia? You know what’s a great way to conserve hot water?" he asked.

"Take cold showers?" she shot back.

"I was thinking more along the lines of sharing showers but if that’s the way you want to go…" She could hear the amusement in his voice and finally realized he was teasing. She smiled in spite of herself, not knowing whether to smack him or kiss him. Her smile grew wider as a third option occurred to her. She threw back the covers and raced into the bathroom.

All day long I can hear people talking out loud
But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd
Old Mr. Webster could never define
What's being said between your heart and mine

*****

Sonny carefully opened his eyes and squinted at the light streaming through the blinds. He looked around the hospital room and saw Carly stretched out on two chairs sleeping. He grinned at the tangle of blond hair hanging in her face.

"Psst!" Carly didn’t move. "Psst! Carly!" he whispered loudly. Man, she sleeps like the dead, Sonny thought in amusement. "Hey, Carly!" She finally began to stir.

"What?" she said sullenly. She never was much of a morning person. She blinked and looked around, confused for a moment, then shot up in her chair. "Sonny!"

"Hey." She hurried over to the bed, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Hey yourself. How do you feel?" She sat down beside him and felt his forehead accidentally bumping the new bruise there.

"Ow!"

"Sorry!"

"How do I feel? I feel like I’ve been shot. Where’s Jason?"

"At the police station." Before he could get all worked up, she quickly added, "Answering questions. Sonny, what the hell happened? Who did this?"

"That’s what I’d like to know. I didn’t see anybody. Jason and I were standing on the bridge, somebody started shooting, I got hit, Jason pushed me down, I hit my head and we stayed down until the shooting stopped. Both my guys were hit." Carly nodded.

"Are they dead?" Carly nodded again. "Damn it! I need you to call Benny. Tell him I want to see him right away. Let’s get out of here," he started to sit up but grabbed his shoulder, his face contorting in pain.

"You’re not going anywhere pal. Lay down," Carly ordered as she pushed him back down.

"What are you? My nurse?" Carly stepped back with her hands on her hips.

"Hey, I went to nursing school. Most of it anyway. You stay put. I’m gonna go call Benny but you’ll have to meet with him here. I’m also going to find Tony."

"Why Tony?"

"’Cause he’s your doctor?" Carly sympathized with the look of horror on his face. He fell back on the bed.

"This just gets better and better."

"Tell me about it." Carly paused at the door and turned back to him, suddenly serious. "Sonny? You scared the hell outta me last night. Don’t do it again." She left him alone and walked down the hall to the nurses’ station.

*****

Laura eased open the door to Lucky’s bedroom and smiled at the site that met her eyes. Lucky was asleep on the floor in a sleeping bag while Elizabeth slept in the bed. Apparently, though, someone else had gotten a little jealous of their "slumber party" and decided to join them during the night. Lulu was snuggled in bed with Liz, her dark head peaking out from the covers. Laura quietly closed the door and went downstairs to the kitchen.

Luke was sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and reading the paper. She stopped to watch him for a moment. In all of their years together, she couldn’t remember a time she’d beaten him up in the morning, no matter what he might have been doing the night before. He sensed her there and stared back over the top of the paper.

"Morning Angel. Did you see the little slumber party upstairs?" Laura smiled as he used the same phrase that had occurred to her.

"Yeah. She loves them both so much. I think she’s just happy to see them."

"Yeah, but I bet I’ll bet that’s not what they had in mind last night," Luke said as he took a sip of coffee.

"Luke!" Luke shrugged as he poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her. "You don’t think they’re… No, surely not."

"They’re not kids anymore, Laura."

"Of course they are! They’re only nineteen!"

"What were you doing at nineteen?" Luke asked with raised eyebrows. Laura’s eyes got huge. She started to say something but Luke held up his hand to stop her.

"Now, don’t freak out. Just be glad Lesley Lu’s up there."

"Yes. Well…how about some breakfast? I’ll bet Lucky would like some pancakes. How about you?" Laura asked as she began dragging out ingredients.

"Sounds good. I’ll help," Luke replied as he searched for the skillet. Laura stared at him in horror. "What?" he asked when he noticed her looking.

"I thought we discussed you never cooking. Ever. It’s better for everyone. And we won’t need to repaint the kitchen again."

"I can at least mix stuff or…something." They both grinned and set about fixing breakfast, working in a comfortable silence. Suddenly, Laura stopped what she was doing.

"What are going to do, Luke?"

"About Faison?" She nodded. "I don’t know darlin’."

"What if he takes Lucky again? How do we stop him? What if…what if he still has some kind of control over him?"

"Why don’t we call Robert after breakfast and talk about it? I’m sure he’s got a plan," he said confidently, then added under his breath, "I hope he’s got a plan." Laura heard him. Her head snapped up and she glared at him.

"This isn’t funny! This is our son’s life we’re talking about!" she said fiercely.

"I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant that Robert and Anna and the rest of ‘em have been dealing with this creep for years. I’m sure they have some idea what to do to put an end to all of this crap," Luke explained. Laura looked more closely at him. He looked so tired that she felt sorry for snapping at him; he held so much in, she sometimes forgot he was hurting or scared, too.

"Look Angel, I’m sorry. I don’t have a better idea – "

"No, I’m sorry. This isn’t your fault." She looked away so he wouldn’t see the tears in her eyes. "I just can’t lose him again." He went to her then. They put their arms around each other and Laura rested her head against Luke’s chest, trying not to cry.

"We won’t baby. We won’t," he said into her hair as he swayed back and forth.

*****

Jason slammed the door to his penthouse. He went straight to the desk, picked up the phone and dialed.

"Yeah it’s me. Get over here right now. I need your help with something." He hung up without waiting for a reply and dialed a second number, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for someone to answer.

"Sonny Corinthos’ room." He waited again. "Carly? How’s he doing?" He listened, nodding. "Good…I’m fine. Tell Sonny I’ve got something I need to take care of and I’ll be out for awhile." He shook his head. "No! Carly, I don’t have time! Just tell – hey Sonny." As Jason listened he rolled his eyes. "I told her to tell you I’d be out for awhile." He pulled his pistol out of the top desk drawer. " No, I don’t know who did it. I just have something I have to do. He stuck the pistol in the back waistband of his jeans. He wasn’t going to be caught out without a gun again. "Sonny I said I don’t know." He walked to the windows. "Taggart was the same as always." He hung his head in irritation. "The cops don’t have any idea either. Look, Sonny, I need to go." He ran a hand through his hair as he listened. "Yeah. Okay. I heard you. I’ll see you later." He hung up, angry with Sonny for his lack of trust.

He pulled his pistol out of the top desk drawer and stuck it in the back waistband of his jeans. He wasn’t going to be caught out without a gun again. He went to stare out the windows while he waited. He looked out at the balcony, embarrassed again about his behavior the day before. Guess I’d better leave the drinking to AJ. Where had he heard that before? He could hear himself saying it, but when and to whom? The knock on the door jerked him out of his reverie. He opened the door expecting to see Pete, and instead found Gina Cates.

"Going to see Robin?" Her question threw Jason. Before he could recover, she brushed past him. She looked around, noticing the emptiness of the apartment. "Moving? Oh no wait, that’s right! You got ripped and trashed the place again." She crossed her arms and waited for an answer.

Great, just what I needed, Jason thought angrily. He and Gina had resumed their friendship when he returned to Port Charles. To him, it seemed she felt the need to look after him since Robin wasn’t around to do it. Between her psychology classes and the amount of time they spent together, Gina had learned to see through the blank stares and seemingly empty expressions and rarely let him get away with anything if she could help it.

"What are you doing here? And how did you know all that?" Jason asked as he slammed the door.

"I saw Emily at the hospital last night and she spilled her guts. So, I’ll ask again. Are you going to see Robin?"

"Don’t worry about it," he replied, walking into the kitchen.

"Yes, Gina, I am going to see Robin and I’m going to make a giant ass out of myself," she called after him.

"You don’t know what you’re talking about," Jason shot back as he came back to the living room with a beer. Gina shook her head.

"I’d think the last thing you’d want to be doing is drinking. And it’s only nine-thirty in the morning."

"What’re you my mother now?" Jason asked as he stalked back to the window.

"I don’t want to be your mother. You’re not very nice to her. You don’t know the whole story so don’t go storming over there and act like a jerk. And you of all people have no right to judge after keeping Michael away from AJ." Jason gritted his teeth; they often had this same argument.

"AJ’s a drunk," he said loudly as he turned to face her. Gina stared pointedly at the beer bottle in his hand. His eyes narrowed in anger. He stomped over and dumped the bottle in the trash can by the desk. Apparently, it had survived his earlier spree of destruction.

"Happy?"

"No. But it’s an improvement. Now sit down…somewhere…and let me explain so you understand why she didn’t tell you." There was another knock on the door. Jason ignored Gina and jerked the door open. This time it was Pete.

"Gina, thanks for stopping by. Lock the door on your way out," he said with a sarcastic little wave as he closed the door behind him. Gina stood, open-mouthed, in shock for a moment before running after him. The elevator doors were closing when she reached them. She hit the doors and cursed. Johnny looked at her in surprise. She caught him staring.

"Oh, don’t act like you’ve never heard it before," she snapped. She went back into Jason’s apartment and slammed the door, determined to wait for Jason to return so she could say "I told you so".

Lyrics from "When You Say Nothing At All" by Alison Krauss.