Robin stared out the window of the waiting area at General Hospital. A light snow had begun to fall, blanketing everything in pure white. The peaceful stillness of the park below was such a welcome contrast to the torrent of emotions within her, Robin wanted to lose herself in the scene. She glanced at the clock on the wall again. Almost an hour had passed since Alexandra and Dimitri had been taken to surgery.

Robin decided that she despised waiting. Robin wished her parents were there. Her father was being settled into a room for overnight observation and her mother was still down in the emergency room. When the excitement finally died down, they noticed Anna had been peppered with flying glass. Alan was cleaning her cuts and giving her a check up. That left Robin with only Luke, Parker and a small contingent of Port Charles’ finest.

Robin looked at the men. The officers were in two small groups, no doubt swapping war stories. Luke seemed to be enjoying tormenting Parker and while watching was entertaining for a while, Robin quickly became bored. She had already called home to check on Olivia and Isabella twice. Felicia assured her the twins were fine and seemed to have already forgotten the shooting. Robin hoped that was true; her daughters had been through enough in their short lives.

Robin looked around expectantly when she heard approaching footsteps. Instead of her mother, Frisco and Amy Vining appeared in the doorway. The corners of Robin’s mouth turned up ever so slightly when she noticed Frisco was trying valiantly not to limp. She noticed he had exchanged his bloody blue jeans for a pair of blue scrub pants. She also noticed he didn’t look at all happy with Amy.

"Whaddya mean ‘every day’?" he asked, planting his hands on his hips.

"You need to come by the clinic every day for the next ten days to have your dressing changed," Amy smiled. She handed him a slip of paper. "You also need to get this prescription for antibiotics filled. The pharmacy is on the first floor, right next – "

"I know where the pharmacy is!" Frisco snapped as he snatched the prescription out of her hand. "I am not coming to the clinic!"

"Now Frisco, we’ve been over this. You might get an infection."

"Isn’t that what this is for?" he countered waving the paper under her nose.

"Yes, but you still need to change the dressing – "

"Fine, I’ll do it myself," he said turning away.

"Okay, but that might be difficult considering the location," Amy replied as she leaned around him to look at the area in question. Frisco quickly stepped away from her, prompting a round of snickers from everyone watching.

"I’m not doing it!" Frisco hissed.

"Is he giving you a hard time, Amy?" Amy smirked; Frisco suddenly looked like a little boy who had gotten in trouble. Amy gave him a smug look before turning to smile at Anna. She almost burst out laughing; Anna’s arms were crossed and her eagle-eyed stare was focused on Frisco like a stern mother with a wayward child. Amy cheerfully explained the problem.

"He’ll be there," Anna assured her. "Just set up the appointments and tell him when to show up."

"Now wait a minute, I – " Frisco’s protest quickly died with one look from Anna. Amy flounced off while he pouted. Robin hid her smile as she walked over to her mother and godfather. She was relieved to see that Anna seemed to be much calmer.

"Aren’t you two a pair," Robin said with a grin. Anna had discarded her ruined shirt for a scrub top that matched Frisco’s pants. "How are you?"

"I’m fine, just a few scratches," Anna replied as she pulled her daughter into a hug. "Did you call home?"

"Twice," Robin admitted. "Felicia said the girls were playing with Maxie and Georgie like nothing happened."

"Good. Where’s your father?"

"Getting settled in his room." Anna’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

"He’s staying?"

"Reluctantly. Very reluctantly." Robin, Anna and Frisco grinned. "Sean went with him. He claimed he was keeping Dad in line but I think they had something to talk about and didn’t want me around."

"Such a suspicious mind," Anna said with a smile.

"Hey, I learned from the best. So do I get to know what’s going on?"

"As soon as I find out. Why don’t you go home? You need your rest and the girls need you." Anna brushed Robin’s hair back off of her shoulder then nodded toward Parker and Luke. Parker was squirming under Luke’s unblinking stare. "I think Agent Parker would be eternally grateful if you got him away from Luke, too." Robin smirked.

"You can’t get rid of me that easily," she joked. Then her face became serious. "I want to stay."

"Are you sure you’re up to it?" Anna asked quietly. Robin nodded.

"Alex! Thank God!" Anna and Robin turned to see Edmund Grey hurrying toward them. With her hair pulled back and wearing a doctor’s scrub top, Edmund had mistaken Anna for her sister. Anna held up a hand to stop him when he reached for her.

"Mr. Grey? I’m Anna Scorpio." Edmund’s face fell in disappointment and worry. "I’m sorry, Alexandra is still in surgery. So is Dimitri." Edmund stared at her coldly.

"I want to talk to someone who knows what’s going on," he demanded.

"One of the nurses should be able to answer your questions," Anna replied, indicating the nurses’ station behind him. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"My brother and Alex may die because of you. What do you think?" With that parting shot, he turned and stalked over to the desk.

"Keep an eye on him," Anna told Frisco. "I’m going to see Robert." She looked at Robin. "You’ll be all right?" Robin nodded and told her which room Robert had been sent to. Frisco slung his arm around Robin’s shoulders as they watched Anna walk back to the elevators.

*****

Sonny, Jason and Gina sat at a small table in the corner of the cafeteria. After giving Gina an abbreviated version of the story of Robin and Gerard, all three had fallen silent. Sonny broke the silence by slamming his hand down on the table. Jason and Gina jumped.

"I don’t get it," he exclaimed. "It doesn’t make sense."

"What?" Gina asked.

"Something just doesn’t add up."

"What, Sonny?" Jason asked irritably.

"How is it possible that no one knew? Shouldn’t the hospital have called Mac and Felicia? Or the police? Or the university? I mean, aren’t they supposed to contact relatives when somebody ends up in a coma? Why didn’t Robin tell them for God’s sake? You’d think she’d want Mac to help find the people who did this!" Gina tried to say something, but Sonny continued his rant. "And what the hell’s wrong with Mac? Where did he think she was for an entire month?

"Maybe – " Gina began.

"A month, Gina! Four whole weeks! Didn’t he bother to check on her? And, what about her friends? Didn’t they notice she wasn’t around? It must have been in the papers. Surely someone would have noticed and thought to contact her family!"

"That’s one of the things Benny’s supposed to be checking on," Jason said quietly

Gina kept her thoughts to herself. She was remembering the emails she had been able to guilt Robin into sending. Robin’s responses were always polite but lacking in personal details. School was fine, her health was fine, Paris was fine. She was getting good grades and studying hard. Her job kept her busy. Never anything about friends or boyfriends or parties. Certainly nothing about a fiancé or children. Gina had always assumed Robin’s reserve was due to Gina’s relationship with Sonny and Jason. But now she wasn’t so sure. Gina agreed with Sonny; something about the story didn’t seem right.

She was about to say something when both men’s attention was drawn to the door behind her. Gina twisted around in her seat to see Robin entering the cafeteria with Frisco. Robin was focused on her godfather, but Frisco looked right at their table, then defiantly ushered Robin to the counter glaring the whole way. Sonny and Jason barely noticed Frisco; they were too busy studying Robin. They watched as Frisco and Robin got coffee and picked a table near the door. Robin was talking a mile a minute. She’s nervous, Jason realized. Every now and then, her hand would creep up to massage her temple before she stopped herself. Jason noticed Frisco’s jaw clench each time she did touched her head but he appeared to be deliberately ignoring the gesture. Frisco seemed to be keeping up his end of the conversation, but every time Robin wasn’t looking he glared daggers at the table in the corner. Sonny cleared his throat as he and Jason dropped their eyes.

"She looks fine."

"Yeah," Jason agreed. He stole another glance at Robin out of the corner of her eye. In reality, he thought she looked too pale and thin. She was squinting just the slightest bit as if the fluorescent lights hurt her eyes. He could tell by her body language that she was worried. She kept fidgeting: using her hands a lot as she spoke, digging her nails into the Styrofoam cup, tapping her foot. Frisco said something that caused a small smile to appear on her face. Jason wondered if they were talking about the twins. He imagined that only her daughters could get her to smile after the day she’d had. He was so intent on watching Robin that he didn’t see Benny enter the room. Robin, however, was facing the door. Her smile faded the moment she saw him. Her eyes went immediately to the folder he carried. As Benny passed, Jason noticed her sit up ramrod straight in her chair. Her fidgeting stopped but she dug her nails into the paper cup so hard Jason was afraid she would punch a hole in it and spill hot coffee on herself. She seemed to take a sudden interest in the tabletop. Frisco glare turned even more ugly as he noticed the change in his goddaughter. He watched Benny closely as though he expected him to pull out a gun and start shooting at any moment.

Sonny stood as Benny reached their table.

"Let’s go over here so we can have some privacy," he said quietly. Jason began to rise, but Sonny stopped him.

"Not you," he said harshly.

"Sonny – "

"I want you to stay out of it." He turned on his heel and led Benny to a table across the room. Jason sank back in his chair in disbelief. They finally had more information about Robin, and Sonny was planning on shutting him out. He slouched down and looked back at Robin. She was still sitting stock-still as Frisco tried to joke with her. Suddenly, she stood and left the cafeteria, tossing her mostly full coffee cup in the trash. Frisco was caught off guard; it took him a moment to follow her. He left with one last glare at Jason and Sonny. Jason thought it might be wise to steer clear of him for a while.

Jason sat tapping his foot for a few minutes as Gina tried to distract him. Finally, he made up his mind; he stalked out of the cafeteria leaving Gina, Sonny and Benny staring after him. If Sonny was going to shut him out, he would have to find another way to learn the truth.

*****

Across the room, Sonny watched Jason leave. He could tell by the purposeful look on Jason’s face that he was up to no good. He only hoped Jason had the sense to stay away from Robin. He turned his attention back to Benny.

"What were you saying?"

"I said that after Robin left the hospital there aren’t any further records available."

"How is that possible? Surely she would have needed to keep seeing a doctor. She was in the hospital for over a month."

"I didn’t say there weren’t any records, I said there weren’t any records available. Not even for a blood test. Somebody’s already gotten to them. Maybe her parents found out we were snooping around and didn’t like it."

"So you didn’t find anything? Benny, I need to know what was going on with her."

"I sent guys to the university and the places she was working but they didn’t turn up much. They couldn’t find anyone on campus that knew Robin very well. A few people said they recognized her from classes or from her job at the library but none of them could be considered friends. The people she worked with weren’t much help either. Most of them said she was quiet, a hard worker but that she pretty much kept to herself. Couple people mentioned they knew she’d been attacked but our guys got the impression they got most of their information from the newspapers." Sonny frowned and put his hand over his eyes. Something was definitely not right.

"Robin’s always surrounded by people. She attracts them like flies. What about her friends? I want you to send someone back to the school. They didn’t look hard enough."

"Sonny…they looked. But – "

"But what? She didn’t have any?" Sonny asked with an angry glare. "No, I don’t believe that. She had friends. She kept in touch with a bunch of people from college while she was living here. Look again."

"Okay. I’ll send someone back to the school," Benny said with a sigh. He knew the news would be hard for Sonny to accept. Hell, it’s hard for me to accept. He had always liked Robin and didn’t like the idea of her being alone. It was hard to imagine her cutting herself off from everyone but then again, she hadn’t seemed much like herself when she left Port Charles.

"What about this guy Gerard?"

"A couple people at the Sorbonne recognized him. They said they saw him around campus with Robin occasionally before she left. He would pick her up in a limo. That’s probably the only reason anyone noticed."

"What else?" Benny shrugged.

"Nothing else. He checks out. Came from a wealthy family. Parents are both deceased. No brothers, no sisters. Played the field a lot until he met Robin. Ruthless when it came to business but everyone we talked to said he treated her like a queen, Sonny. They said he was nuts about her and the kids. Couldn’t wait to get married and adopt the babies. Supposedly he was quite the catch and Robin caught him." Sonny sighed in frustration.

"This guy’s too perfect. The whole thing is too perfect." Benny wasn’t sure how to take that comment. He didn’t know if it meant Sonny was upset that Robin found someone else after Jason or that he simply didn’t like the guy she’d found.

"What about Faison?"

"I got nothing on him. Not one damn thing, but then he’s not exactly an amateur, is he? I can’t prove he was even in the country, let alone anywhere near Robin." Sonny began shaking his head.

"Keep looking. The connection’s there somewhere."

"Sonny…" Benny hesitated. He didn’t want to upset his boss, but he felt he had to say something. "I’m not comfortable with this."

"What?"

"Investigating Robin. You know…she had her own life after leaving here and…I don’t think it’s any of your business." Sonny’s face tightened in anger. Benny quickly added, "And it’s certainly none of mine."

"Is that what you think I’m doing?" Sonny demanded. "You think I’m enjoying this? She almost died! Now she told Alan Quartermaine that she never told Jason she was pregnant and went into hiding because of Faison. And this story about her and this guy sounds too…I don’t know, easy. Something stinks about this whole thing and I can’t exactly go ask Robin, can I?" Benny looked away. "Just find out."

*****

Anna started to open the door to Robert’s room, but stopped when she heard him arguing with Sean. She cracked the door so she could listen.

"– can’t afford not to check it out!" Sean snapped.

"It’s a waste of time!" Robert returned. "We know who did this. I need you here, not – "

"You’re being unreasonable!"

"I’m being unreasonable? You’re the one who wants to go off half-cocked on some wild goose chase!"

"You’re blind to any other possibilities because you hate Faison. You just automatically assume it was him without – "

"I know it was him!"

"She almost got shot, Robert," Sean said lowering his voice. "I know you were a little busy bleeding all over the kitchen table so you didn’t see it, but that bullet nearly hit Anna in the head! Faison wouldn’t have been that sloppy."

Anna decided that she had heard enough and pushed through the door. Both men immediately tried to cover their anger and frustrations. Anna studied their too-innocent faces, then forced a smile onto her face.

"Hey, Luv. Everything all right?"

"Fine. How are you?"

"I’ll be great as soon as they let me the hell out of here," Robert replied as he took her hand. Anna sat on the edge of the bed then bent to kiss him.

"What were you arguing about?" she asked. Robert avoided her eyes.

"Oh, um, whether or not the Rams would make the Super Bowl again." Anna continued to stare at him.

"Really?" He nodded. "Sean?"

"Yes Anna."

"What were you talking about?" Sean looked at Robert who gave him a dirty look. Sean looked away.

"Football," he said irritably.

"Football," Anna repeated suspiciously. "So you can’t afford not to check out the Super Bowl?" Both men’s heads jerked up then quickly looked away again. They finally realized she had been listening outside the door. "And the wild goose chase you were talking about? Is that a new event at the Super Bowl? And, just in case you’re interested, I’m fairly certain that Faison isn’t a big football fan – "

"Charlotte." Anna looked at Sean in surprise.

"Damn it, Sean!" Robert swore.

"I’m sorry? What?"

"We were talking about Charlotte," Sean explained. "I think there’s a good possibility that she may have been behind the shooting. I want to go to England to talk to her." He studied Anna’s face carefully trying to gauge her reaction.

"Anna – " Robert began.

"I think it’s a good idea," she said slowly. "The same thought occurred to me."

"Anna, it’s a waste of time." She shook her head.

"I don’t think so." Robert dropped her hand in frustration.

"Listen to me. Faison – "

"I understand that he would be unhappy about Alexandra coming here. He’s afraid of what she remembers. And, I’m sure he doesn’t want Avery to see her. But…today just didn’t seem like him. It was messy and careless. And, Charlotte wouldn’t care if she killed me, too. Or Robin."

"Damn it – "

"She was standing there, too, Robert. I think Sean should go talk to Charlotte. We need to know what we’re up against. If we focus only on Faison and you’re wrong…we could all end up dead." Sean decided to make his exit. Judging by the stubborn looks on their faces, he thought his friends needed some privacy.

"I’ll leave tonight," he said on his way to the door.

"Thank you," Anna said. Sean nodded as he left the room.

Chapter 32

Jason took one last look around before pushing through the door. Grateful the door had been left unlocked, he slipped into the room. He clicked on the desk lamp on his way to the filing cabinets. He found the "S’s" but when he tugged on the handle, he discovered the drawer was locked. He took a pocketknife from his jeans. After a moment of digging around by the lock, he heard a small click. He opened the drawer and skimmed through the folders until he found the one he was looking for: "Scorpio, Robin V." He took the folder to Alan’s desk to read. If Sonny wouldn’t tell him what was going on, he’d find out on his own.

*****

Back in the waiting area, Robin sat huddled up in a chair near the window, her knees drawn up to her chest. She was staring out at the snow and rubbing her temple. Frisco, Luke and Parker kept throwing anxious glances in her direction but she didn’t notice them. She was worried about the envelope she saw Benny carrying. He had looked at her as he passed their table but guiltily averted his eyes. She wondered why she was even surprised.

You knew this was coming. What did you expect him to do? Wait a few days to see if your aunt would die or not? He’s already got more than enough ammunition – no pun intended – with the shooting. If Alex dies it’s just more incentive. I can always say that’s not my fault, but if he finds out about Gerard… If he finds out about Gerard, he won’t wait for a judge, he’ll just come and take them.

Robin remembered how good it felt when she visited Jason in the hospital. He was so happy to see her. It had been so long since he looked at her that way, she’d almost forgotten what it was like. It was so nice to be with him like that. It made her remember why she fell in love with him. In those few short minutes, it was almost as if the last two years hadn’t happened. Then he showed up at the house so angry and bitter. So full of accusations. And that other look was back in his eyes. The cold, disgusted look that left no doubt what he thought of her as a person. If he found out about Gerard, that would be the only look he’d ever give her again.

Maybe I can explain. An awful little voice in her head laughed. Explain what? That you were a needy, selfish idiot and were living with a man who wanted to kill his daughters. Yeah right, Robin. That’ll go over well. He hates you anyway. If he finds out you almost got his children killed, he’ll make sure you never see them again. He’ll tell everyone and they’ll all know what a terrible mother you are. And now he has Sonny to help him, too. They seem to have patched up their differences pretty quickly now that you’re back safe and sound. They can stop hating each other and go back to hating you.

Robin shook her head to clear her thoughts. Now that she knew what was coming she could be prepared. She just needed to be cool. Act like it was nothing. She could do that, couldn’t she? If Jason wanted to take her children away, he was going to have a fight on his hands. The attack and the girls’ kidnapping couldn’t be blamed on her as long as no one knew the truth about Gerard. And, certainly no one could blame her for today. Jason’s parents were there; they saw her protecting the girls as best she could. They also saw you freak out. You forgot all about the girls at first.  Robin told that nasty little voice to shut up. The important thing was that she had protected the twins. Even if it had taken Parker to remind her to do it. Just be cool, Robin, she told herself.

*****

"Are you just going to stand there or can we get this over with?" Anna frowned as she turned away from the window.

"What?" Robert sighed.

"Can we get this argument out of the way?"

"Robert, I don’t want to argue with you…"

"That makes two of us, but we obviously don’t agree on this. So have a seat and let’s go." Robert noticed that Anna chose to sit in the chair that sat next to the bed rather than beside him on the bed. They both sat staring straight ahead. Neither one wanted to go first.

"I don’t think we can ignore Charlotte. She could still be giving orders from prison," Anna said quietly. She could tell her husband was about to interrupt so she held up a hand to stop him.

"Let me finish. She has just as much to lose as Faison if Alexandra starts remembering. I imagine Alex knows plenty of secrets that Charlotte wants to remain hidden." She held his angry gaze steadily. He was amazed at her composure after the past few days’ events.

"Your turn." Robert thought for a moment, then decided to get straight to the heart of his concern.

"Why can’t you accept that Faison did this?" he asked. He saw the wounded look in Anna’s eyes but refused to back down. Anna looked away.

"I can accept the possibility that Faison was behind the shooting. I just don’t think he did it. The more I think about it… It was too sloppy. If he wanted to eliminate Alexandra, he would have done it before she got to Port Charles. He wouldn’t have waited until she got to our house. He wouldn’t put me, Robin or out granddaughters at risk like that."

"Unless he wanted to make us think it was someone else."

"Why can’t you accept that it could have been someone else?" she challenged.

"Because I know the man." Robert said with a glare.

"Well, I know him better."

"That’s the problem, isn’t it," he shot back. "I don’t understand this sudden need to protect him."

"I’m not protecting him! I’m simply looking at all of the possibilities," Anna answered angrily. "And that was low!"

"I think you’re being foolish!" Robert snapped, his voice rising.

"I think you’re jealous!" Anna shot back.

"You’re damn right I am!" Robert shouted. "Do you have any idea how it makes me feel when – after everything he has done to you and our family – when you stand there and defend him?"

"I’m not defending him! I don’t want our daughter to end up dead because we didn’t do everything we could to protect her! I don’t want Sean or Mac or Felicia or Frisco or you to end up dead because you’re too preoccupied with Faison to see another threat that’s right under your nose!"

"Well I’m sorry if my ‘preoccupation’ with your old flame bothers you but that’s just too damn bad! I don’t want Robin or our granddaughters or anyone else to end up dead because you refuse to see Faison for the monster that he is!" Anna stared at him incredulously. She was pale and so furious she was shaking.

"Is that what you really think? You think that I – " Anna gave a short harsh laugh, then looked away. She sat shaking her head for a moment then stood and walked to the door. On her way out she added, "Go to hell, Robert."

Robert swore in disgust. The last thing he wanted to do was fight with her right now. He looked around for something to throw and settled for overturning the wheeled tray table next to the bed. The agent posted outside the door immediately stuck his head in the door when he heard the crash.

"Mr. Scorpio? Are you all right?" Robert began to laugh.

"Yeah I’m great," he said sarcastically. The agent quickly ducked back out of the room.

"Just great," Robert muttered to himself.

*****

Back in his study, Faison found himself unable to concentrate. Avery had always trusted him implicitly. Her sudden wariness bothered him. She wouldn’t even go to sleep until he left the room. It was as though she had forgotten all he had done for her. How much he loved her. He realized that she was only a child and what she had seen must have frightened her, but surely she must know that he would never do anything to harm her. He would have to find a way to make her see that.

He was reminded again of Anna. When they first met she didn’t trust him, she didn’t even like him. But with time, and a little carefully planned persuasion, she slowly came around. He became her friend, her confidant and, eventually, her lover. When her younger sister was diagnosed with leukemia, Anna turned to him for support despite her family’s objections. He became the one person she relied upon until her uncle placed the first doubts in her mind.

The man had known who Faison was all along and continually tried to come between him and his niece. Brendan Devane had also started drinking after the deaths of his brother and sister-in-law, so Faison easily discredited him whenever Anna overheard one of their "discussions". Faison still hated the man almost as much as he hated Robert Scorpio. The only reason Brendan was still alive was the fact that he had lost Anna as well. As far as Faison knew, Anna had not contacted her aunt and uncle since she left to join the WSB. Faison smiled cruelly. There was also the matter of the old man's health. Brendan Devane’s health had slowly deteriorated from a variety of illnesses and he was now virtually a prisoner in his own body. Killing him now would be merciful. Faison wanted him to suffer.

Faison was restless, too restless to sit still. He took his glass of wine and went to stoke the fire. Then he walked to the French doors to stare out at the snow. Soon he was lost in the memory of another snowy night 25 years earlier.

Lindsay was back in the hospital. The little girl was growing steadily weaker. The doctors spoke in terms of weeks instead of months now. The prospect of losing her little sister, the last remaining member of her immediate family, was devastating to Anna. With her aunt and uncle preoccupied with Lindsay’s care, Anna was often left in her nanny’s care or to her own devices.

That night Faison was making one of his frequent visits, so she told her aunt and uncle that she was going home with Nanny McTavish, and came to stay with him at the hotel. Faison knew his mother disapproved of his relationship with Anna, but she kept her silence. She only wanted him to be happy, she said. And, if Anna made him happy then she was more than willing to let him have the girl. He knew his mother hoped that his love for Anna would change him, help convince him to leave the DVX. Little did she know that, not only did he have no intention of leaving the organization, but that he planned for Anna to join him one day soon.

When Anna arrived, she was crying, upset by her sister’s deteriorating condition. He had spent the evening comforting her, distracting her, helping her forget her fear. In the early morning hours she fell asleep in his arms in the middle of the big bed. As he watched her sleep someone began pounding on the door. He was tempted to simply ignore it, but his anger got the better of him. He carefully untangled himself from Anna then paused to watch as she curled up like a contented kitten before angrily jerking on his robe. He stalked through the suite knowing exactly who he would find on the other side of the door.

Brendan pushed his way into the room before the door was half open. He quietly watched as Anna’s uncle stormed around the living room immediately looking for signs that she was there. Brendan spotted Anna’s coat draped over a chair. Her boots were lying by the couch. He spun around, obviously furious.

"Where is she?" Brendan demanded. Faison lazily put his hands in the pockets of his robe. He paused deliberately, forcing the older man to wait. He could tell by his red-rimmed eyes that Brendan had been either drinking or crying.

"Where is who?" he asked.

"You know damn well who! I know she’s here. The Potters were by the house to ask after Lindsay. Your mother came home alone."

"I fail to see your point," Faison replied calmly. At barely 30 years old, his arrogance was already a well-developed trait. His cockiness infuriated Brendan. He glared at Faison but knew from experience that the younger man wasn’t about to give up his prize so easily.

"Anna!" Brendan bellowed. Faison’s smug look was quickly replaced by one of pure hatred.

"Anna! Get out here this instant!" Brendan spotted a door he assumed led to the bedroom and started for it. Faison’s hand clamped around his arm like a vise.

"I think you’ve overstayed your welcome," he said in a deathly quiet voice. This was the Faison Brendan was desperate for his niece to see. The one that was always so carefully hidden from her.

"She’s a child!" Brendan hissed as he tried to jerk his arm free. Faison smirked.

"Anna has never been a child."

"She’s sixteen! She’s still a little girl, you sick bastard! You’re using her! Warping her! Turning her against her family!" Brendan spat.

"The only family Anna has is her sister. And I think we all realize that little Lindsay has precious little time left. Her cancer has no cure. In a matter of weeks, she’ll be gone. You will have nothing. But I’ll still have Anna. And she will have me. I am Anna’s family now. I’m all she needs," Faison answered quietly.

"You’re nothing! Less than nothing! You’re preying on a child to satisfy your twisted urges! You’re a monster! And eventually, Anna will see you for what you really are." Brendan paused to catch his breath and let his words sink in.

"When she does learn the truth, she’ll leave you," he taunted.

"Anna will never leave me. She loves me. She trusts me. She depends on me. No one will ever take her away from me. Least all of a worthless, old drunkard." Brendan saw the cold, impenetrable exterior was beginning to crack so he kept pushing.

"I won’t have to. You’ll drive her away yourself. Tell me, what does Anna believe happened to that boy? You know…Marc? She may believe it was an accident but what will you do the next time someone takes an interest in her? Don’t you think she’ll get suspicious if these…what? ‘Would-be suitors’ keep dying? This time it was a car accident. What’ll it be next time? Electrocution? Accidental drowning? Suicide? Whatever else Anna may be, she’s not stupid. You won’t be able to fool her forever." Faison simply stared at him for a moment, trying to reign in his anger before he did something rash and frightened Anna. Finally, he smiled coldly.

"Have you been drinking again, Brendan? You seem confused. Jumping to all of these…wild conclusions." Brendan’s anger flared up again at the mention of his drinking. Faison always used it to convince Anna not to trust him.

"I didn’t imagine overhearing you ask a man to dispose of Marc, did I? That is the word you used, isn’t it? Dispose of him?" Faison’s eyes glittered with fury. "That’s right, I heard you."

"I don’t seem to recall any such conversation."

"Let me refresh your memory. You said you wanted him as far away from Anna as possible because he was trying to take what was yours. You said you wanted to make an example of him." Faison continued to glare but didn’t answer. "You killed that boy just like you killed – " Brendan shouted.

"You give me far too much credit," Faison said hastily, speaking over the other man to cut him off. "I can’t control the weather. I can’t summon an ice storm on a whim. Or tell a young boy to slow down when the roads are bad. It was nothing more than a tragic accident. But accidents do happen," he added meaningfully. "You should be careful yourself, Brendan. With all of the drinking you do, you could just as easily have an accident. Maybe I should forbid Anna to ride with you. Just to be safe."

"Don’t you dare threaten me!" An evil smile crossed Faison’s face.

"Why don’t you go sleep it off? Anna doesn’t need to deal with you tonight. She needs her rest. She was quite exhausted," he said suggestively. With that he shoved Brendan out into the hall and shut the door in his face. Faison stood in front of the fire for a few moments to calm himself then returned to the bedroom.

He found Anna standing by the door. It was clear she had been listening to their conversation. He didn’t like the wary look in her eyes. He smiled reassuringly as he put his hands on her arms.

"Hello, darling," he said as he bent to kiss her. "Did we wake you?"

"Yes. Did he leave?" Faison nodded.

"Don’t worry. He won’t be back."

"What does that mean?" she asked quickly. He studied her more closely.

"I threw him out, Anna. What did you think I meant?" Her weak smile didn’t reach her eyes.

"Nothing. I just… Nothing." He took her by the hand and she let him lead her back to the bed. However, when he tried to slip her robe off of her shoulders she pulled away.

"I’m cold," she said in response to his curious look.

No matter what he tried to get her to relax, Anna remained tense the rest of the night. She eventually fell into an exhausted, fitful sleep near dawn only to be awakened almost immediately by a nightmare she refused to discuss with him. He finally decided to help her along and slipped a sedative into her tea. He studied her as she lay on the bed. Her eyes were closed, her face finally relaxed. She looked peaceful. Before she drifted off to sleep, he decided to ask her again about her nightmare.

"Anna?" he asked as he ran his fingers along her jaw. In her sleepy state, she turned her face toward his touch.

"Hmm?"

"What did you dream?" he asked quietly. When she didn’t answer, he began to wonder if she had already fallen asleep. "Anna? Tell me. Tell me about your dream." She frowned as she tried to turn away. He caught her chin to stop her. "Tell me, Anna. What did you dream about?" Anna opened her eyes with some effort and looked at him under lids that seemed enormously heavy.

"You killed them," she whispered.

"Who?"

"Everyone. You killed them all."

"Anna. It was just a dream. Why would I do something like that?"

"Because you love me," she murmured. Faison let her fall asleep, watching her thoughtfully. He hoped that between her exhaustion and the sedative, Anna would forget her dream – and his conversation with her uncle – by the time she awoke.

Faison finished his wine. He turned and sat back down at his desk to brood. After that night Anna seemed to be constantly on guard around him. The childlike openness with which she had shared every part of herself with him was gone. In its place was a wariness that no amount of doting could fix. There was no way he was going to let the same thing happen with Avery. He needed to show her that she could trust him. He needed to bring Anna home. Once they were together as a family, everything would be all right.