In the ten minutes he had been waiting for Robin, Jason was sure he had worn a path in the carpet. He was so nervous he couldn’t stop pacing around the Scorpio’s living room. He glanced at the mantle clock again and noticed less than a minute had passed since the last time he checked. He was starting to think that coming to see her was a bad idea but Gina insisted he needed to talk to Robin before he left town. He didn’t know how she would take his news. Would she be angry? Relieved? Thrilled to have him out of her life for good?

Jason forced himself to stop pacing. He sat on the couch facing the stairs, then stared at the clock again, watching the second hand crawl. It didn’t help that he was sitting in almost the exact spot where he’d been shot several years earlier. Ever since he walked through the door, that night kept replaying in his head. Robin had been so happy – and surprised – when he handed her the flowers. Sunflowers, he remembered. They had talked about their future together and when they danced, Robin jokingly stood on his feet like she had done with her father as a little girl. Then, as he spun her around, the window behind them was blown in, shattered from the bullets that came flying into the room. Robin had cried, almost hysterical, afraid to touch him because her hands and arms were bleeding. Tiny scratches from flying glass. His blood staining her light blue dress.

Jason shook himself back into the present. At the time, he had been sure that was it. They were finished. He refused to leave his job even after Robin begged him to. Even after she begged Sonny to fire him. Instead of realizing how terrified she was of losing him, he could only think of his own fears. He was too afraid he wouldn’t – or couldn’t – find something else to do. He traded her love for his job. So Robin left. For some reason she’d given him a second chance but he blew that, too, when he asked her to lie for him.

He tried to relax but found he simply couldn’t. The last time he’d been this nervous was when he went to see Robin in Paris. Yeah, that turned out well, didn’t it? You ended up making her cry, you idiot. You basically told her you didn’t love her and no one else would either. Stupid! He was still trying to block out the memory of that day but it wouldn’t go away.

She had told him that he didn’t love her, had never loved her. Her words echoed in his mind. You confused pity with love. They aren’t the same thing. Those two sentences had cut him to the bone. How could she possibly believe that he didn’t love her? Yes, things had ended badly, but for her to think that he had never in all those years loved her? He hadn’t known Robin to be an insecure person. So was it that she had never really loved him and it was easier to think the same was true for him? Was pity all she had felt for him? Or had the fiasco with Michael and Carly destroyed everything between them? Jason just didn’t know. He did know that he would give anything to be able to take back his own angry response. It was a cheap shot. A low blow. And she hadn’t deserved it. But she had been walking away with Parker, his arm draped around her shoulders. After finally working up the courage to go to Paris and try to work things out, it had hurt too much to think she had found someone else. Does he confuse pity with love, too?

Jason scrubbed his hand over his eyes trying to rub away the image of her face. All he could see was her stricken expression, the tears in her eyes. He had been wrong to go to Paris. Wrong to want her back. All he ever ended up doing was hurting her. Over the past two weeks he had come to the conclusion that he needed to put aside his own desires and walk away if he truly wanted Robin to be happy. He just wished it wasn’t so hard.

Some sixth sense made him look up. Robin was standing at the bottom of the stairs looking small and pale. Before he could stop himself, Jason’s eyes roamed over her body, taking in her red sweater, blue jeans and stocking feet. Her hair was pulled up in a big clip. He wished she had left it down. The blank, expressionless look she had tried to affect during their meeting in Paris was back. His heart sank. He recognized it for what it was: a defensive reaction to keep from showing how much he hurt her. He wanted her to show some emotion, feel something when she saw him, even if it was hate. Apparently, she didn’t care enough to hate him. He slowly stood and braced himself for one last goodbye.

________________________

"Good grief, Lila, were you going to hog her all day? Give someone else a chance!" Parker’s eyes narrowed as he shifted his stare to Edward. He couldn’t believe anyone would talk to Lila like that. For her part, Lila merely waved him off.

"Oh, do hush up, Edward. You’ll get your turn," Lila said as she continued playing with Isabella. She noticed the look of disgust on the young agent’s face. She leaned over to whisper conspiratorially.

"Don’t make it too easy on him, dear. He’s too used to getting his own way," she said with a wink. Parker couldn’t quite hide his grin. He liked Lila Quartermaine more with each passing minute. Lila decided she liked Parker, too. She noticed the protective way he hovered as the girls were passed around and fawned over. She suspected he was also protecting Robin. The story he’d given them about Robin being ill was surely a lie. Although she couldn’t blame Robin for wanting to avoid the whole family because of Edward’s behavior.

Lila wondered if she couldn’t learn the real reason behind Robin’s absence if she got Parker away from Edward. Unfortunately, Edward wasn’t finished with his tantrum and soon Alan, Monica, Ned and even Justus were bickering with him. Even after he finally got his hands on Isabella, Edward kept complaining. The bickering soon escalated to an all-out fight. Parker watched them argue growing angrier by the second. He considered pulling out his gun and firing a few rounds into the ceiling to get them all to shut up but decided it might scare the babies. Instead, he let out a loud piercing whistle that brought the argument to a screeching halt. The Quartermaines looked at him with a mixture of awe and irritation. Justus and Ned carefully hid their smirks.

"That’s it! Visit’s over! We’re outta here! Joe, grab Izzy!" Monica and Alan’s eyebrows rose when they heard his pet name for their granddaughter. As Alan watched Parker stuffing the scattered toys back into the diaper bag, he thought again that Jason better hurry and make his move, or he’d be shut out of his daughters’ lives permanently.

Parker was so determined to leave that he didn’t notice Agent Joe Shannon and Edward Quartermaine playing tug-of-war with Isabella. With the baby on the verge of tears, Joe growled, "<i>Let go</i>."

"<i>You</i> let go! I will not have my great-granddaughter manhandled by some overgrown – "

"Parker he won’t let go!" Parker spun around and pointed his finger at Edward.

"I have a gun," he said very quietly, "and I am not afraid to use it. Now let go of the kid." Isabella chose that moment to let loose a loud, terrified wail. Edward was so startled, Joe was able to yank the baby out of his hands.

"Now look what you’ve done," Alan hissed to his father from his place on the couch with Monica and Olivia.

"What <i>I’ve</i> done? Like the two of you have – "

"Look. Can we all just calm down," Ned began.

"Shut up, Ned!" Alan, Monica and Edward yelled in unison. Ned threw his hands in the air with a sigh and stepped back while Lila and Justus exchanged a look of exasperation.

"Agent Parker, if we promise to send Edward out of the room, can the girls stay just a little while longer?" Monica asked.

"No! No way! You’re all insane! Robin must be out of <i>her</i> mind to want the twins to spend any time with you people at all! We’re leaving and that’s final!" he shouted over Isabella’s crying. He turned to Joe.

"For God’s sake, give her to me!" he snapped. Joe gratefully handed the screaming baby over. The Quartermaines watched with alternating interest and dismay as Isabella’s sobs immediately tapered off into hitching sniffles. Olivia quickly became jealous of his sister. She strained for Parker as he walked with Isabella. He tossed the diaper bag to Joe then scooped up the little girl with his free arm.

"Finish loading up. Let’s get out of here."

"Mr. Parker?" Damn. Almost made it. Maybe I can just ignore her. Even as he thought it, Parker knew it wasn’t an option. Robin had threatened him with unspeakable bodily harm if he was rude to Lila Quartermaine. And now, after meeting the soft-spoken woman, upsetting her was the last thing he wanted to do. Silently counting to ten, he took a deep, shaky breath before turning to face her.

"Yes Mrs. Quartermaine?"

"I was wondering if you, Olivia and Isabella could spare a few moments to accompany me to the greenhouse. I think the girls might like it." Damn, damn, damn! Now what do I do? Remembering Robin’s deadly serious threats demanding that he be polite, Parker sighed in defeat. Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.

"Just you, right?"

"And Reginald, if that’s all right?" Parker glanced at the butler who had been standing by the door, visibly biting his tongue as the family argued. Robin had insisted that Reginald was okay, explaining that he was devoted to Lila. Parker fought the urge to roll his eyes. Oh, what the hell. Can’t be any worse than this.

____________________

Robert and Mac sat in silence in the police commissioner’s office. They had been discussing Avery when Robert finally told Mac about Andrew. Mac’s anger and sadness over the nephew he would never know were overwhelming. He held a picture of the little boy that Robert had given him. The baby looked so fragile. Tubes and wires stuck out of his tiny body. He looked unbelievably small in Robert’s arms. Robert told him that he and Anna had only a few pictures of their son; Andrew only lived a few days, his body too badly damaged from the car accident. Mac was trying to understand how anyone could kill an innocent baby.

Mac remembered a time before Robert and Anna’s wedding when he was teasing his brother about more little Robins running around when Robert suddenly became serious. He remembered his brother’s sadness when he said Anna couldn’t have more children. They must have been so happy when they found out. Then to have him taken away… And while they were separated from Robin… He looked at the pictures of Anna, Robin and Avery scattered on the table. The resemblance between the three was unmistakable. Faison had managed to steal Robert’s child and now hoped to replace Andrew with his own child.

"Robert is there any way – any way at all – she could be yours?" Robert sighed and rested his elbows on his knees.

"Mac…"

"I’m serious. Is there any way – "

"No," Robert said as he stood and walked to the window.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don’t know. I honestly don’t know."

Before Mac could press him any further, Anna burst into the office. She slammed the door and stood there fuming. Robert and Mac exchanged a worried look.

"Anna? What is it, luv?"

"I saw him. At the hospital." Robert looked alarmed.

"What did he do to you?" he demanded.

"Nothing. We…he told me she’s mine." Anna was trembling. Bright, angry tears shown in her eyes. "He said that Avery is my daughter."

"Of course he did. What else is he going to say? But we know damn well that’s not you in that picture. It’s Alexandra." Robert and Mac slowly paled as Anna told him Faison’s explanation.

"I’ll kill him," Robert growled. "I will kill him!"

"Robert we knew it was a possibility." Anna and Mac watched as Robert began pacing. Anna finally noticed the picture Mac still held. Mac saw her looking and started to explain but Anna held up her hand.

"It’s fine, Mac. I told him to tell you when he was ready."

"I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry. He was a beautiful little boy." Anna smiled sadly.

"Thank you." Robert stopped pacing in front of them. He put his hands on hips.

"How’s Alexandra?" A real smile spread across Anna’s face.

"She’s awake."

"When did that happen?"

"Today. Edmund and I were arguing and she just opened her eyes and told us to shut up."

"That’s wonderful, luv," Robert said as he wrapped his arms around her. "That’s one good thing then. We should celebrate."

The phone on the desk began to ring, putting a halt to further discussion. Mac answered then handed the phone to Anna.

"It’s Sean," he explained in response to her puzzled look. Anna rolled her eyes. She was becoming used to Sean calling at all hours of the day and night to vent about her mother. Charlotte was proving to be more than his patience could handle.

"What’s she done now?" Anna asked without saying hello.

"She’s willing to talk," Sean said tersely. Anna’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

"You’re kidding me. It can’t be that easy." Sean’s sarcastic laugh told her she was right.

"It’s not. She’ll only talk to you." Anna snorted derisively.

"When hell freezes over."

"That’s what I thought. I’m coming home. This is a waste of time."

"I agree."

"You do?" She heard the disbelief in his voice.

"Yes, I do. I know I’ve been pushing you to stay but I need you here. We have something more important to take care of."

"Care to elaborate?

"Not over the phone."

"Then I’ll be there tonight."

"Good. See you soon."

"You’re not talking about our celebration are you because I had something a little more private in mind and I don’t Sean would really fit in," Robert said lightly. Anna flashed him a small smile then became serious.

"I don’t care if he’s lying or not, Robert. We have to get her away from him."

"We will. I promise."

___________________

As they approached the greenhouse, Parker thought that calling the structure simply a greenhouse was a gross understatement. It could easily compete with any botanical garden in the country. The interior was every bit as breathtaking. The warm air, heavily scented with a myriad of flowers was like a slice of heaven in the midst of the cold, northeastern winter. Likewise, the rainbow of colors was dazzling after the stark white snow, bare trees and overcast sky. Everything from orchids to ferns, Birds of Paradise to tall, sturdy palm trees was flourishing in the enormous greenhouse. The roses, however, were obviously the stars of this show. Row after row in every size, shape and color filled the air with their sweet scent. These people have way too much money, he thought as he looked around in awe.

As he pushed the stroller down the center aisle, Isabella took advantage of his distraction and snatched the bloom off of a deep red rose. The little girl happily began shredding the flower.

"No! Isabella stop that!" Lila only laughed, delighted that her great-granddaughters were finally enjoying their visit. "Are you sure you want to turn them loose in here? They’re like a tiny two man wrecking crew. Maybe they should stay in the stroller."

"Nonsense. There’s nothing in here that can’t be replaced. Let them enjoy themselves." Parker hesitated a moment longer before taking the twins out of the stroller. The girls toddled off down the tiled pathway.

"Reginald, would you please keep an eye on them for a moment? Mr. Parker can help me gather some flowers for the house." Reginald smiled uneasily, then went off in search of the twins. Parker stood with his hands in his pockets watching Lila warily as she retrieved a basket.

"I do hope you don’t mind," she said as she handed it to him. "It’s much easier if someone carries the basket for me."

"Uh, sure. No problem." He had the sneaking suspicion that she was up to something. Don’t be ridiculous. She’s a sweet old lady. She’s probably lonely for sane company, that’s all.

Parker followed her around for several long minutes. The only sounds in the greenhouse were the twins’ giggles and squeals of delight, Reginald’s occasional mutterings of dismay and the motor on Lila’s wheelchair. Combined with the warm, perfumed air, it was almost enough to lull Parker into a false sense of security. He noticed Lila watching him carefully out of the corner of her eye, though, and thought his suspicions might be right after all.

"Mrs. Quartermaine, you didn’t ask me out here to help you cut flowers. Did you?"

"No, dear," she replied as she rolled down the aisle to examine a different rose bush. Parker’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion when he realized she wasn’t going to elaborate. He hurried to catch up to her.

"Well, um…why did you bring me out here?" Lila sighed and sat back in her chair.

"How is Robin really? Is she very angry with us?"

"Why would she be angry with you?" Parker answered evasively.

"Because my husband tried to take her children away."

"Yeah. Well…I think she’s a little…upset with Mr. Quartermaine. But I think if she was really angry she wouldn’t have wanted the girls to come for a visit." Lila nodded solemnly.

"If she isn’t angry, then why didn’t she come today?" Parker tried not to squirm under her steady gaze.

"I told you. She’s sick," he said as he quickly stood to avoid her eyes. He felt awful lying to her; it was like lying to a nun. He was sure he was going to hell.

"Mr. Parker, as I’m sure you know, my family is full of excellent liars. You, on the other hand, are not a very good liar." Parker stalled, trying to come up with a good reply.

"I don’t know what you mean." He winced at his own reply. Ooh, good comeback. Jackass, he winced. He looked around for a distraction and spotted Olivia joyfully plucking one petal after another off of a shocking pink orchid.

"Olivia!" he gasped as he ran to her. "No! As he pulled he away from the plant she gave him a mutinous look somewhere between a scowl and a pout. Parker fought hard not to chuckle but couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on her tiny face. Now if she could only cross her little arms, she’d look exactly like her mother.

Lila watched with an appraising eye as he tossed the little girl into the air to make her giggle. She thought he and the girls seemed very comfortable around each other and was glad for Robin. It was exactly the reason she’d brought Parker to the greenhouse, so she could observe him with the girls away from the pressure of dealing with the entire Quartermaine clan. She only hoped it didn’t mean Jason couldn’t also be close to his daughters.

"We’d better go before – " He paused to snag the back of Isabella’s dress as she shot by and tucked her under his arm like a football. The little girl began to giggle and squirm. "Before they destroy every last flower. I think they’ve done enough damage for one day." Without waiting for a response, he buckled the wiggling babies into the stroller. He was surprised when Lila motioned to the basket of flowers.

"Please take them to Robin. Maybe they’ll cheer her up. And thank her for letting these two lovely little girls visit" Parker tried to resist, knowing that in her current state of guilt-ridden anxiety, the peace offering might only make Robin feel worse, but he couldn’t say no to Lila.

___________________

Inside the house in what used to be Carly’s room, AJ watched Parker hurry back up the path. AJ smirked as he tapped an envelope on the windowsill.

He remembered the day he found the letter. Carly was "at class" again which he had already learned was code for "went to see Jason". He took the opportunity to go through her room, hoping to find something he could use against her. The letter was wadded up in the bottom of a box shoved in the back of the closet. When he saw Jason’s name on the envelope he started to get angry. Then he noticed the handwriting; it was neat and precise, not at all like Carly’s childish scrawl. When he saw the Paris postmark he tore open the letter and read it. It was better than he ever could have hoped for. Robin was pregnant. And, Jason didn’t know yet. It was the perfect revenge: he would keep Jason from Robin and his brother’s child from him.

It had worked, too. Carly was so sure Robin wasn’t a threat anymore that she hadn’t even bothered to open the letter. She had apparently forgotten she even had it. If Robin sent any other letters after the one Carly took, Jason obviously hadn’t read them. He had repaid Robin and Jason for taking his son. Now that they were thrown back together, each hurting over the other’s apparent rejection, it was time to blame it on someone. And AJ had the perfect "someone" in mind.

"Payback’s a bitch, Carly," he said with a cruel laugh.

__________________

Robin stared back at Jason, trying to stay as calm and expressionless as she could. Maybe if he saw he didn’t scare her, he’d back off. After looking her over from head to toe with an equally blank expression, he finally stood.

"Is there something I can do for you?" she asked. Jason cleared his throat.

"I, uh, I came to, uh, tell you goodbye." Robin fought hard to keep her panic in check. Goodbye? What does that mean? Does he know about Gerard? Has he found some way to get rid of me?, she thought frantically. A nasty little voice in her head whispered, maybe he’s decided you need a nice long stay in Ferncliff. Robin told that little voice to shut up.

"Am I going somewhere?" Jason looked puzzled.

"No. I am." The island. He’s taking the girls and running back to the island. Probably with Carly. Or Elizabeth Webber. Or Gina. She didn’t say anything. She wasn’t sure what to say. Jason seemed to be waiting for her to say something.

"Robin, I’m leaving town?"

"Alone?" Robin bit her lip. She hadn’t meant to say that aloud.

"What?"

"Never mind. It’s none of my business. I shouldn’t have asked." Jason shook his head.

"About the twins…" Robin tensed. Here it comes.

"I wanted to tell you I was leaving. I’m not planning on coming back to Port Charles. I’m…I’m not going to try to take the girls from you." He paused staring at the floor. Robin’s heart was pounding in her chest. "I’m giving up my rights to them. I’ve asked Benny to draw up the papers."

Robin’s head was spinning. She studied the floor wondering how she should feel. Should she be glad that she wouldn’t have to fight him for their children? Should she be devastated for her daughters because their father didn’t want them?

"I’m sorry. I know you probably think I should be involved in their lives but with my job…"

"Yeah."

"Maybe if I would have known about them sooner, things would be different." Robin’s head snapped up, her eyes blazing

"What?"

"I said maybe if I’d know from the start that you were pregnant it would have been different?"

"Different how, Jason? How could you possibly be less involved?"

"What?" Jason watched in shock as she spun on her heel and stomped up the stairs.

"Robin? Where are you going? Don’t walk away from me." She ignored him so he started after her. "Robin!"

Jason followed her into her bedroom. He watched as she yanked open the drawer on the nightstand so hard that it almost fell out on the floor. She grabbed something from the drawer and hurled it at him. The object hit him square in the chest before falling to the floor. As he bent to retrieve it, he saw it was a stack of envelopes bound together by a rubber band. He realized it was all of the letters she sent him from Paris.

"Recognize those?" Robin shouted. "Is that what you meant about ‘knowing sooner’, Jason? Would they have helped? Maybe if you’d read them you would have known sooner! Why the hell did you think I was writing to you? Didn’t you think it might be just a little bit important?" Jason knew better than to answer. If he told her he thought she was writing to him to get him back in her current fit of anger, she might castrate him on the spot.

"Oh no, wait! That’s right! You were too busy with your little ‘family’ to read a stupid letter!"

"Why would you keep these?" Jason asked quietly.

"To remind me." Jason was dumbfounded.

"Remind you of what?"

"Not to bother you and your ‘family’ again," Robin sneered. "Obviously it didn’t sink in when you told me you never wanted to see me again so I thought I needed a physical reminder that you didn’t want anything to do with me! And, I thought the girls might want to see them someday so they would know that I at least tried to tell you!"

"Robin, if it hurts you to look at these – "

"Don’t! Don’t you dare act like you give a damn how I feel!"

"I do care how you feel!" Jason shouted back.

"Bull****!" Jason’s eyes widened. Robin didn’t talk that way. Ever.

"You cared so much you wouldn’t even read a letter I wrote you!" Robin continued. "And I sent seven, Jason! Seven! And pictures! From the ultrasounds! Don’t tell me you didn’t realize there were pictures in some of them! Even you aren’t that dense! What the hell did you think the pictures were of?"

"I don’t – "

"If you wanted to know sooner you should have read one of the damn letters and answered! With something other than a check and a nasty note telling me to leave you alone!"

"You could have called me," Jason said softly, almost to himself. Robin’s mouth literally fell open in shock. She looked at him like he was insane.

"You couldn’t be bothered to open one god****ed letter but I was supposed to call you?" Robin shrieked in fury. She began emptying the drawer, throwing things at him as she yelled. Jason tried to fend off the flying objects.

"You stupid, brain-damaged idiot! Why the hell would I call you, Jason? To listen to you tell me that you hated me? To hear how I ruined your life? So you could tell me again how perfect your little fantasy world with Carly and Michael was going?"

Robin ran out of things to throw but she was still furious. For the first time since the mess with Michael began she was allowing herself to be angry with Jason. All of the pain and anger and frustration had finally found its release. And, she decided it felt too good to stop just yet.

"I would have done anything for you! I did do anything for you! I lied about Michael for you! Not just to AJ but to Mac and Felicia and Emily and Brenda and Alan and…and everyone! I lived in fear for my life and yours! I even stayed after you insisted that the woman you had an affair with move in with us and I put up with all of the abuse she threw at me! And what did I get in return? Nothing! Nothing! You wouldn’t do one damn thing for me! Instead you told me to hit the road the second I stopped obeying your every command. And I even did that for you!"

"Like an idiot I went sneaking out of town in the middle of the night because I was so ashamed of what I’d become I didn’t want to look at me! But you know what? I was wrong! Running didn’t solve a thing. It only made things worse!"

"How? Because I – "

"God, Jason! Does everything have to be about you? I left my family, my friends, my home, my life just because you asked me to! So I’m glad you’re leaving! You should leave! You should have been the one to leave the last time! The last two times! This is my home and I was here first! Before you, before Sonny and before Carly! You three could care less where you live as long as you have whatever sick thing it is you have going!"

Jason was utterly confused by this turn of events. He had expected her to be relieved. Maybe even sad that he was leaving. He hadn’t expected to be screamed at. He remembered having arguments with Robin in the past but she had never screamed and cursed at him before. He had no idea how to react.

"How did we get on this subject?" From the way Robin’s eyes narrowed dangerously, he realized that he should have kept his mouth shut.

"Because you’re trying to blame me for you not reading my damn letters so you would have known sooner about our daughters! You know I didn’t have to tell you at all! After the way you treated me I shouldn’t have told you! It would have served you right after keeping Michael from AJ!

"And you know what else? I don’t feel sorry for you! Not one bit! You had your chance to be a father and you blew it! As usual! Now you’re here with this ridiculous sob story trying to make me feel guilty. Well I don’t!"

"Robin, just calm down and – "

"Oh, **** you, Jason!" Jason was absolutely stunned. He had never heard her use that particularly vulgar phrase and had never expected to hear that particular four-letter word come out of mouth. He gaped at her convinced she had finally snapped under the pressure. Then, he noticed the angry glint in her eye and realized that she was just plain pissed off. Robin marched across the room to stand just inches from him. She folded her arms stubbornly across her chest.

"You’re free to leave anytime, Jason," she continued in a much quieter tone, although the glint in her eye told him she was still furious. "As far as the girls and I are concerned you left a long time ago. But let me just tell you – before you get any ideas – that we’re staying. All three of us. They need my parents, and Mac and Felicia, and Frisco and Maxie and Georgie, and Sean and Tiffany, and the Quartermaines. And I don’t care whether you or Sonny or Carly or Faison or anyone else likes it."

Robin started to leave, then added, "And if you ever try to take my children away from me…I’ll kill you with my bare hands." She glared at him as if daring him to argue with her. When he didn’t, she said, "I think you know the way out." With that, she left the room.

Jason stared after her, then looked around. Everything she had thrown at him was scattered around him on the floor. Well, you wanted her to show some emotion, he thought with a chuckle as he bent to pick up the mess.

Lyrics from "I’m Gonna Be Strong" by Cyndi Lauper.

Chapter 38

Jason was still grinning as he picked up all of the things Robin had thrown at him. While he worked he was carrying on an internal argument with himself.

She yelled at you, one part of his brain said in amazement.

Yeah, another part smiled.

She cursed at you. Jason’s grin grew wider.

Yeah.

So why are you smiling?

Because I think I just found the woman I fell in love with. The outraged part of his brain had no answer for that.

Jason chuckled as he picked up a small photo album. Curiosity got the better of him. He opened the album to a random page and saw a photograph of a very pregnant Robin. The picture left him awestruck. He traced the outline of her body, her round belly, her big silly smile. He looked around like a kid getting ready to steal a cookie from the cookie jar, then slipped the photo out of its plastic sleeve and stuffed it in his back pocket. If Robin needed the letters to remind her of what a jackass he’d been, then he needed the picture to remind himself of what he’d given up.

Given up hell. I’ve missed a lot but I think my trip just got canceled, he thought. If Robin’s outburst hadn’t convinced him to stay and fight for his family, the picture of her carrying their children did.

He continued gathering up the scattered items on the floor: a small notebook; a diary he was aching to read; a hairbrush; something he could only assume Robin used to hold back her hair; a pen; a dangerous looking metal nail file he was grateful wasn’t heavy enough to hit him very hard. He dumped it all in a pile on the bed before bending to collect the rest. As he picked up what appeared to be another diary, he saw something that made his blood run cold. A phrase in the open book seemed to leap out at him freezing him in place. Virus still detectable. Everything else was forced out of his mind by his fear. Oh God. Oh no. No no no no no! Oh God….please…

A door slammed downstairs causing him to practically jump out of his skin. He heard voices and recognized Mac and someone he guessed was Robin’s father judging from the man’s accent. Jason panicked. He leapt to his feet quickly tossing the rest of the thrown items on the bed. Then he looked at the diary in his hand. He knew it was wrong but he had to read it. He had to. Desperately he stuffed it inside his sweater then, after a brief hesitation, dug Robin’s letters out of the pile and stuffed them in as well. He zipped up his jacket hoping no one would notice the two lumps in his clothing.

Jason decided he couldn’t handle a confrontation with Mac or Robin’s parents so he decided to make his exit through Robin’s window. Unfortunately for him security had been beefed up since his last uninvited visit; the alarm blared through the house the moment he began to raise the window. He quickly slammed it back down.

"Oh ****!"

*****

Robert, Anna and Mac found Robin sitting at the desk tapping her foot impatiently. Robin shot to her feet with a guilty look only Anna noticed.

"What’s with the guards?" Robert asked. Robin looked alarmed.

"Why? What happened?"

"You tell me. They’re grinning like fools." Anna watched shrewdly as Robin’s cheeks turned pink. It hadn’t occurred to her that the agents guarding the house had probably heard every word she said. Screamed, she corrected herself. Anna knew her daughter was hiding something but before she could question her, the security alarm went off. Robert, Mac and Anna immediately drew their guns. Robin was simply annoyed.

"Damn it!" she cursed, stomping her foot for added emphasis. She yelled at the top of her lungs, "Can’t you use the door like a normal person?"

Her parents and uncle watched in confusion as Robin stormed over to the stairs. Robert recovered first.

"Robin Victoria Scorpio get back here this instant!"

"It’s just Jason," Robin explained irritably.

"Morgan?" Anna, Robert and Mac exclaimed in unison. If she wasn’t so mad, Robin would have found their outraged looks funny.

"He was just leaving."

"Damn right!" Mac said as he and Robert charged up the stairs. Anna and Robin looked at each other and sighed before following them upstairs. They heard the sickening sound of bone hitting bone and arrived just in time to see Jason hit the floor. Robert stood over the younger man menacingly, his hand still curled in a fist. Mac stood nearby with his arms crossed, content to let his brother deal with Jason for a change.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jason gingerly rubbed his jaw as he slowly sat up. He was beginning to understand where Robin got her temper.

"I came to say goodbye. I’m leaving town."

"Alone?" Robert asked suspiciously.

"Yes alone! Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"I’d say tonight you’re going to jail for trespassing, Jason," Mac said with a smirk.

"I invited him in," Robin said. She was both irritated and thrilled that her father had leapt to her defense. Not that I need it, she reminded herself. But it felt good.

"What were you thinking?" Robert thundered.

"Just let him go. The sooner he leaves, the better."

"Robin – " Robert’s protest was squelched by a glare from his wife. He gritted his teeth. "Fine."

Robert turned to Jason and growled, "Get up!"

Jason slowly stood and started for the door. He opened his mouth to speak to Robin only to have his collar seized by Robert who all but dragged him down the steps. Jason was too busy keeping the diary and letters from falling out to put up much of a fight.

Parker opened the front door – a twin in each arm – just in time to see Robert hustling Jason out of the house. Parker smiled at Jason’s shocked expression then graciously stepped aside to allow Robert to shove Jason through the door.

"And stay out!" Robert shouted as he slammed the door. He rounded on Robin ready to launch into a tirade but Anna intervened.

"Robert may I speak to you in the other room?" He started to protest. "Now!"

Robert had plenty more to say on the subject of Jason Morgan but he recognized the determined gleam in his wife’s eyes. He knew she wasn’t going to let him get by with anything just then. He pouted like a sullen little boy and stomped into the office much to Anna’s amusement. She began to follow him but stopped just as Mac was about to begin his own lecture.

"You, too, Mac," she called back.

"But – " One sharp look from her dark eyes was all it took to shut him up. He muttered something about "eyes in the back of her head" as he followed Anna into the office.

Robin watched them go with a bemused half smile on her face. When her mother spoke, people listened. Or else. Robin turned her attention to Parker; her grin quickly turned into a frown when she saw the huge, satisfied smile on his face.

"What’s the matter with you?" she asked suspiciously as he handed Isabella to her.

"Hmm?" Parker helped Olivia out of her coat, hat and mittens then set the little girl on the floor.

"You’re way too happy. What did you do to the Quartermaines?" Parker reached over to take off Isabella’s hat and mittens.

"Can’t a guy be a happy every now and then?" Robin glared at him waiting for an answer. "I haven’t done a thing to your precious Quartermaines. I think I gave myself a cavity I was so nice. Were you going to take her coat off or just leave her bundled up like an Eskimo?"

Robin absently stood the squirming baby on the desk long enough to pull off her jacket, then set the girl down to chase her sister. Then she turned back to Parker and crossed her arms.

"I don’t believe you." Parker leaned down right in her face.

"Tough," he said with a smile.

Parker strolled into the kitchen relishing the infuriated look on Robin’s face. He was thrilled by the change in her attitude. The agents outside had already filled him in on Robin’s tantrum. For a week she had moped around the house, withdrawn and afraid of her own shadow. But today she had cussed out Morgan and was back to her argumentative self.

Yep, Parker thought. This might even have been worth putting up with Edward Quartermaine. He smiled again. Welcome back, Robin.

*****

Sean sat in the interrogation room with a devious smirk on his face. After a whole week of dealing with Charlotte’s arrogance and obstinacy, he couldn’t wait to see her reaction to his news. He casually leaned back in his chair when the door opened. He saw the calculating gleam in Charlotte’s eyes when she saw his grin but otherwise, she showed no emotion.

"Why Mr. Donely – "

"What a surprise!" he finished her standard greeting for her. "C’mon Charlotte, you can do better than that!" Sean saw a hint of uneasiness on her face and gave a low laugh. This was going to be more fun than he thought.

"What brings you here at this time of night?" Charlotte asked smoothly.

"I wanted to let you know that I ran your ‘request’ by Anna." He didn’t offer any further information. He enjoyed watching her squirm. He wanted to make her ask. His patience finally won out.

"And? When can I expect her?"

"When hell freezes over," Sean said with a smile. "Those are her words, by the way, not mine." His smiled broadened when he saw her composure falter. He knew she must be furious but she was fighting hard not to show it.

"Is that so?"

"Um hmm," he said tipping his chair back as he laced his fingers on his stomach. "Oh, and I called the hospital. Alex is awake. She and Anna even had a little chat today. Isn’t that great news?" Then hardening of the line of her mouth was the only reaction he received but he knew by now she was completely enraged.

"I gotta tell you, Charlotte, I’m really going to miss our little talks. But duty calls. Like Anna said, we have much more…important things to deal with right now." Sean stood with a triumphant smile.

"I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in this fine institution. Ciao," he added with a wink. Sean sauntered out of the room.

Charlotte sat rigidly in her chair watching him go. Her hands were clenched on her lap.

"Why you ungrateful little wretches. You’ll find it’s not so easy to ignore your dear old mum. Just you wait and see," she said hatefully.

*****

Alexandra wearily opened her eyes. She was surprised to see her brother-in-law sitting beside her bed. Edmund beamed at her.

"Hey sleeping beauty. How do you feel?"

"Like I’ve been shot in the chest," she joked.

"Well, I’d say that’s about right since you were shot in the chest." Alex smiled wanly.

"How’s Dimitri?" she asked quietly.

"The same as he was a couple of hours ago. Crabby and demanding to see you." Alexandra’s smile was replaced by a look of longing.

"Can he? Come see me, I mean?"

"Um…not right now."

"Why? What’s wrong?" Edmund sighed and took her hand.

"Alex, honey, I told you. He was shot."

"But if he’s all right why can’t he visit me?"

"His doctor doesn’t want him up and around just yet." He debated how much he should tell her but realized she wasn’t going to be satisfied until she knew the truth.

"Dimitri was shot in the back." Alexandra gasped. She couldn’t remember anything about the shooting. Edmund quickly tried to reassure her. "Dr. Jones says he’s going to be fine but the bullet was very close to his spine. There’s some swelling around his spinal cord. It’s difficult for him to get around right now." Alex was on the verge of tears.

"Is he paralyzed?" she whispered fearfully.

"No! No. He’s…he’s going to need some time and a little therapy but Dr. Jones thinks he’ll make a full recovery."

I want to talk to him," Alex demanded.

"Alex, I told you he can’t – "

"The doctor. I want to see him."

"Alexandra, you just woke up a couple of hours ago. I don’t think – "

"I want to see him," she repeated stubbornly.

"Fine. I’ll ask him," Edmund said with a sigh. He knew how insistent his sister-in-law could be Alexandra sighed in relief. She suddenly felt very tired and weak. It was an effort to keep her eyes open.

"Is Anna coming back?" She frowned at his reaction to her sister’s name; Edmund stiffened and his easy grin faded.

"I don’t know. She said she was going home." Alexandra heard the irritation in his voice.

"Can you find out? I want to talk to her."

"I’m sure there will be plenty of time for that later. You shouldn’t overdue it. You need your rest."

"Edmund…"

"She’ll probably be here tomorrow," Edmund said irritably. "Don’t worry about it." Her eyes pleaded with him but he tried to resist.

"She almost got you killed!"

"She did not! Edmund please?"

"I’ll make you a deal. I’ll call your sister if you promise to get some sleep." He told himself that he would call Anna as promised. He just hadn’t promised to tell her anything specific. Alex could get a good night’s sleep before being bombarded by questions from her sister.

"Edmund, I’ve been sleeping for a whole week." He continued to stare at her, waiting for answer. Alex was too tired to argue.

"All right. Fine. You win." Edmund stood and kissed her forehead. He could tell by her drooping eyelids that she would be asleep before he reached the payphone.

"Edmund?"

"Yeah?"

"Don’t forget to tell Dimitri that I love him. Please?" Edmund’s smile was bittersweet. There was a time when he fought his brother for Alexandra’s affection. He had resigned himself to the fact that he’d lost but sometimes it was hard.

"Sure thing, Alex," he said softly as her eyes closed.

*****

The yelling had stopped almost an hour ago. Emily felt it was safe to venture out of her room. She had watched from her window as Parker & the twins drove away followed shortly by her parents, Ned and Justus. She assumed that Edward, Lila and the staff were the only people left in the house so she was startled when she heard a crash down the hall.

She tiptoed warily in the direction the noise had come from. She heard someone whistling and recognized the song "Whistle While You Work" as she drew closer. The tune was punctuated by occasional crashed and thuds. She finally realized the noise was coming from the room Carly had used.

Emily tentatively pushed the door open and stuck her head in. Boxes were scattered around the room. AJ was dumping Carly’s things into them. None too gently either Emily noticed as a picture frame landed on a stack of books and shattered.

"AJ? What are doing?"

"Hey Em!" her brother said cheerfully as he tossed a crystal vase into a box. It landed on something hard and broke. "How was the visit with the newest illegitimate Quartermaines? Or should I say Morgans? Was it as sickening as I imagine?" Emily dropped her eyes.

"I didn’t go," she said quietly. AJ continued boxing up Carly’s things.

"Why not? I thought you’d be dying to get your hands on your favorite brother’s kids."

"After what I did I don’t think Robin would have appreciated it." AJ stopped to look at her curiously.

"What’d you do?"

"I told Jason about the babies. I thought he’d be happy but instead he got really mad and yelled at Robin." AJ began to laugh causing Emily to look up in shock.

"I’m sorry, Em. I’m just trying to decide who’s the bigger hypocrite."

"She couldn’t tell him, AJ! Dad said that man Faison was bothering her. That’s why she was hiding. But Jason didn’t know that because Taggart arrested him before I could tell him!"

"Yeah, well, none of that is your fault."

"AJ – "

"Drop it, Em. I don’t want to argue about it."

Emily bit her lip as she watched her brother packing up his ex-wife’s belongings. It hadn’t occurred to her that the news about Jason’s children might hurt him. After all, Jason could still see Michael any time he wanted and now he had somehow ended up with two beautiful daughters of his own. AJ ended up alone and he never got to see his son. Emily wondered if Michael even knew who his father was. It’s not fair. In the end, Jason always wins and AJ always loses.

AJ ignored his sister’s presence. He assumed she was angry at him for insulting Jason. No matter what he did, Jason would always be Emily’s favorite. He continued packing, tossing stuff into boxes haphazardly, not caring if it broke.

"You want some help?" AJ was surprised by her quiet, almost apologetic tone.

"Do you really want to help?"

"Toss Carly’s stuff? Are you kidding me? I’ve wanted to do that since she moved in," Emily said with a grin. AJ couldn’t help but smile back.

"OK. Sure. Dig in." He watched as Emily began gathering the various bottles and jars on the dressing table. AJ thought she was being entirely too careful. "And don’t forget. You get extra points if you break something."

Emily smiled mischievously, set everything back down with exaggerated care, retrieved an empty box and swept it all into the box with a loud crash. Brother and sister smiled at each other then got down to work.

Two hours later, the drawers and closets were empty and the boxes were overflowing. Emily and AJ were tired but happy. They had enjoyed each other’s company. They had even made a game out of seeing who could cause the most destruction. Emily surveyed the boxes stacked up by the door.

"God. Can you say ‘pack rat’? How did she fit all that in here?"

"Carly is the queen of clutter. Doesn’t matter what it is, she wants it," AJ said with a sigh as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Think we should call in an exorcist now? Just to get rid of any lingering bad vibes?" Emily asked. AJ burst out laughing.

"That’s not a bad idea. Know any good exorcists?"

"Hmmm…let me think," Emily said, putting a finger to her lips. "Nope, sorry. Fresh out."

"Oh well. It was worth a try." To AJ’s surprise, Emily flopped down next to him on the bed. She fell back on the bed and let out a loud sigh.

"I’m beat."

"Me, too." Emily’s only response was to pat the bed next to her. AJ laid back next to her. They lay in companionable silence staring at the ceiling.

"I still think we should give her clothes to Goodwill," Emily said. AJ made a face.

"Who’d want the trashy stuff Carly picks out?"

"Hookers," Emily said dryly. AJ laughed again. He was beginning to realize just how much he had missed his little sister. How the Quartermaines had gotten along before Emily arrived, he didn’t know.

"Well, I think we’ve done enough damage for one day. How about I take you out to dinner for helping me?"

"Sure," Emily agreed. She was surprised that he wanted to spend more time with her. As she stood, her foot slipped on something. She saw a piece of paper sticking out from under the bed.

"Oops. Missed something." She bent to pick it up before AJ could stop her.

"Hey, what’s…" Emily’s voice trailed off as she recognized first Jason’s address then the Paris postmark. Her mouth fell open in shock and anger.

"That bitch!" Seeing her fury, AJ decided he had no choice but to play dumb. Maybe this new development could even work to his advantage. He watched as Emily read the letter.

"What is it, Em?"

"A letter from Robin to Jason! She was trying to tell him she was pregnant. And it says she tried two other times. I wonder how many more of these Carly took!"

"Emily, calm down…"

"I have to show him this." In AJ mind, a small victorious little voice whispered Yes. He’ll never suspect me if Emily tells him.

"Now wait a minute. You can’t go over there all charged up screaming accusations about Carly. You need to be calm so he’ll listen to you."

"How can I be calm, AJ? Don’t you see what she did? She kept him from finding out! Robin probably thought he was just throwing them away!" Yeah, I’ll bet she did. And Jason thinks she never tried to tell him.

"I realize that. But if you go over there yelling and screaming, he’s not going to listen."

"But – "

"Forget about it tonight. We’ll go see him – together – in the morning. I’m sure it’ll be a shock for him." God, I hope so. And poor, poor Carly. Her little dream world is about to down crashing down around her. AJ almost couldn’t contain his glee. This is going to be so good.

*****

"There you are." Robin looked up from her spot on the attic swing. She had been daydreaming.

"I’ve been looking everywhere for you," Anna added with a smile. She brushed the dust off of a box near Robin and sat down. "What are you doing up here?"

"Just thinking," Robin said evasively.

"Hmm. Must have been something good. I’ve been calling you for ten minutes."

"Oh. Sorry." They sat in silence for a while. Robin could feel her mother’s eyes watching her.

"Was that the hospital on the phone?" she asked trying to change the subject.

"No, it was Edmund. Alexandra is doing fine. Do you want to go with me tomorrow when I 

visit?"

"Yeah, that would be great." They lapsed back into silence. Robin knew Anna was still studying her, watching closely for any little sign that would clue her in to what went on with Jason.

"Do you want to tell me what happened today?" Robin sighed. She knew this was coming; it was why she was hiding out in the attic. Her father couldn’t wait to lay into her about letting Jason anywhere near her and her mother was full of questions Robin wasn’t sure she was ready to answer.

"Jason came to say goodbye," she said simply.

"Is that all?" Robin stifled a grin. She would hate to be a suspect that Anna questioned.

"Yeah. What else would there be?" Anna shrugged.

"I don’t know. You just seem…different than you did earlier today. Different than you’ve been the last few weeks actually." Robin tried to wait her out, but Anna wasn’t budging.

"I yelled at him," she said reluctantly. Anna’s eyebrows rose the slightest little bit.

"Really?"

"Yep," Robin said with a sigh. "I let him have it. Big time."

"And how did that feel?" Although her mother was putting on her best poker face, Robin could hear the pride in her voice. She knew without looking that Anna’s eyes were laughing.

"Bad," Robin admitted. "And really good, too. I’ve been waiting so long to say those things that it felt good to let it all out."

"And the world didn’t end, did it?" Robin chuckled. That was exactly what she had been thinking.

"No, it didn’t," she said with a smile. "Robin Scorpio got mad and yelled and cussed and the world didn’t end."

"Imagine that." Robin glanced at her mother and saw that she was grinning.

"Must be a miracle."

"Smart aleck. Maybe I should go tell you’re father where you’re hiding."

"No! Please, anything but that!" Robin joked, holding up her hands as if to ward him off.

"Oh all right. Spoil all of my fun." Anna stood. "I’ll let you get back to your ‘thinking’."

"You don’t have to go."

"Then who will protect you from Robert?"

"Good point. Bye!" Anna kissed her daughter’s forehead then went back downstairs still smiling. Robin began to slowly swing back and forth. She felt lighter than she had in years as if her guilt and anger had literally been a heavy burden. She swung higher. Nope. The world definitely did not end, she thought with a grin.

*****

Avery tiptoed down the staircase. With her long white nightgown floating around her she looked like a tiny ghost. She stopped at the bottom staring at the closed door of her father’s office. Ever since she accidentally saw him pointing a gun at another man, she didn’t like to go in there. She reluctantly crossed the foyer and tapped very softly on the door.

"Yes?" Avery hesitated. She really didn’t like that room.

"Come in!" Faison commanded. Avery opened the door and peeked inside. Her father’s face immediately softened when he saw her. Another man was standing in front of the big desk. Avery thought the man looked mean.

"Avery! Come in, darling." Faison nodded to the other man to dismiss him then crossed the room. Avery backed away from the man as he left. Faison picked his daughter up and carried her back to the couch. He noticed how quiet she was. "What’s the matter?"

"Nothing," she lied. Faison brushed her long, dark hair back off of her shoulders then cupped her chin in his hand to get her to look at him.

"Avery. Don’t lie to me. Tell what’s bothering you." Avery burst into tears.

"I want Mommy to come live with us!" she wailed. "And I want to go home!" She flung her little arms around her father’s neck and sobbed. Faison patted her on the back as he rocked her.

"I told you that Mommy is coming to live with us very soon, darling."

"But when?"

"Soon," he repeated.

"I want her here now!" Avery cried.

"Shh. Avery it’s all right. Darling, it isn’t good for you to get so upset. Do you know I spoke to Mommy today?" Avery’s sobs stopped almost instantly.

"You did?"

"Yes, I did."

"So she’s coming home?" Avery asked hopefully.

"She said she can’t wait to see you," Faison said.

"But when is she coming home?" Avery repeated. Her chin began to tremble. Faison sighed.

"I’m doing everything I can to get her home as soon as possible. In fact, I was just talking with someone who I think can help us. Just try and be patient, darling. Can you do that? Just for a little while longer?"

"I suppose so," Avery sniffled.

"That’s my brave girl." Faison stood with her in his arms. Avery let her head rest against his shoulder as he carried her to the stairs. "Now, I think it’s someone’s bedtime. Shall I tell you a story?"

"Yes, please."

"And which story would you like to hear?" he asked on the way up the steps.

"Tell me about Robin and her babies," Avery requested.