Pier 55, Port Charles Harbor

He found her standing at the pier looking out into the harbor. The sound of the bells were tolling in the distance and the breeze coming off the water lifted her dark hair, wafting it about her shoulders. She was still dressed in the same outfit she had worn to the Nurse's Ball. Her arms wrapped around herself, rubbing her upper arms as if to keep herself warm. As he walked closer, Finn noticed her teeth were chattering and she seemed to be shivering uncontrollably. He recognized the signs. In WWI it was called shellshock, then it was called post-traumatic stress and now in civilian terms, it was called an Acute Stress Reaction. But it all meant the same thing, her body was reacting to a traumatic incident. He couldn't think of too many incidents that could top being held at gunpoint and threatened by the child you gave up for adoption. But then again this was Anna, she had endured more pain than anyone should ever have to bear. He moved to stand next to her, his hands in his pockets, simply waiting to see what toll the last 24 hours had taken on her body and soul.

"He was right you know, Valentin. I was ambitious. Impressing Sean, that's all I could think about. How could I get WSB Chief Donely to notice an orphan from nowhere in particular? And I thought I was so clever that I'd take down Cesar Faison. What stupid stupid fool I was. And now we all pay the price, Peter, Robin, Nathan, Robert. I should have killed him a long time ago. But I never could and for the life of me, I don't know why. Why did I turn out to be such a coward? Sean would be so disappointed in me. And Valentin...I should kill him for what he did to Peter. I could do it you know, but I'd have to think it out carefully."

Finn recognized what was happening. He had seen it in areas ravaged by disease when the loss was too great, trauma had a way of unlocking memories and emotions long buried. Anna was in a full memory cascade. He turned to her slowly like he was approaching a skittish colt that might bolt at any moment. As he moved her he saw her tense up. He raised his hands in a non-threatening manner.

"When was the last time you ate?"

She looked at him confused. "What?"

"When is the last time you ate? It's a simple question. How about slept? My guess is that you have been up for at least 24 hours. Listen, even superheroes need sleep."

She returned to looking at the water and he sidled close enough to reach for her hand. She didn't pull away. As nonchalantly as he could manage, he placed his fingers on her wrist and tried to look at his watch without being obvious. She turned to look at him and he felt like she was just becoming truly aware of his presence for the first time.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm taking your pulse."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a doctor. And I was right, your heart is racing. Your body is in a tug of war between fight and flight. You need to take care of yourself."

"I'm fine." She took a step away a resumed looking out at the dark choppy water.

And there she was, Agent Devane. But Finn knew Anna was in there somewhere buried deep down in her psyche. He wanted to find her and retrieve her before she was too deep to reach.

"I disagree with that assessment. I'm going to take you home."

At first, he was sure she was going whirl on him and tell him to go to hell. But instead, she exhaled in a deep weary sigh and nodded and then she leaned on his shoulder. He held her close and stared out at the harbor amazed that just 5 hours ago she had been in a standoff and could have ended up with a bullet hole. What would he have done if she had been wheeled into General Hospital, bleeding out on the very night he had worked up the courage to tell her the truth about how he felt. She had begun to fill this void in his life and the prospect of losing her terrified him.

It's not easy to stand by and watch people eviscerate themselves with the best intentions.

That's what makes this a tragedy.

Their words from earlier filled his mind as he helped her into his car. Throughout the car ride, she rambled about the times she could have eliminated Faison punctuated now and then with how she would rid the world of Valentin. Finn was impressed by her creativity. And her knowledge of international maritime laws and countries with bribable judiciary systems was exhaustive. He took note that she seemed to be owed several favors from individuals with questionable backgrounds. Good to know.

As time passed she grew silent in the car. He tried to keep her talking but soon she ignored even yes or no questions. She was shutting down and locking herself up in her own mind. All Finn could concentrate on was his desire to care for her. There was no one stronger than Anna Devane but everyone had their limits and he knew she had reached hers. As a doctor, the drive to heal and restore the body was what got him out of bed and into the hospital every morning. But it's the emotional wounds you can't diagnose with a blood test or see on a scan that frustrated him. How could he even begin to devise a course of treatment? He would have to do what he did best and focus on easing the physical symptoms first. Everything inside him was urging him to take care of her and he would.

Finn unlocked the front door to their house- Anna's house he corrected himself.

It hadn't been his for months. He helped remove her coat and led her up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom. She followed docilely.

He walked into the master bathroom and began to run her a bath, filling the white clawfoot with hot water. He had expected Anna to follow but she still stood where he had left her so he took her hand and brought her in. The room was already becoming warm with steam. His hand moved to the satin sash at her waist and he untied it. Her choice of attire for the Nurses Ball made sense now. It would be hard to conceal a gun in an evening gown although Finn had no doubt that Anna had plenty of experience with guns and gowns.

Next, he removed her satin jacket leaving her upper body covered only by her black bra. He had her sit on the vanity chair as he bent to remove her shoes then pulled her up to stand and he worked to peel her black slacks from her. At no time did she pull away or make motions to help him. She was still locked away in her own thoughts. Soon she stood, underwear-clad, in the middle of the bathroom. The tub was filled and white oleander-scented bubbles covered the surface. He waited for her to make motions to finish undressing or move towards the bath but she still stood motionless.

Finn's jaw set as he made a decision and closed the distance between them. He picked her up and she felt like nothing in his arms. Somehow this woman managed to be tough as steel and light as air at the same time. He gently set her into the tub and she gasped as she sank into the warm water. She leaned forward drew her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Finn reached forward and lightly touched her shoulder. She looked at him and nodded knowing what he wanted to do. He reached forward and unhooked her black lace bra and she shrugged it off. She then shimmied in the water until her black lace panties were removed as well. Then Anna leaned back and closed her eyes.

Finn left her to soak and walked downstairs to the kitchen and set about making tea. He pulled down the electric kettle from a shelf and filled it with water. He had gotten it for her for Christmas. He pulled down the largest mug he could find and the tin of chamomile tea that was also a gift from him when he had thought she could use less caffeine. He remembered the exasperated look she had given him as she had pushed his gift aside reached for her favorite Earl Grey. This room was filled with memories. The whole house was filled with the ghosts of laughter and conversation. He thought over his time here and one thing struck him. He had been happy. Home, that was what this house was to him if he allowed himself to admit it. Here with her and her things. He got back to the task at hand. He wondered if he could convince her to eat something. Maybe toast to go with the tea. He set two slices of bread into the toaster and got out the marmalade and peanut butter. He didn't know where she developed a taste for such an unholy combination but then nothing about Anna Devane had a simple explanation.

With all of his items collected Finn mounted the stairs again. He set the tray holding the cup and saucer and toast on her nightstand. He looked around the room until he found a dog eared copy of Pride and Prejudice. Despite her tech savviness Anna preferred to read real physical books, and she had a particular fondness for hardbacks. He set the book next to the tray in case she wanted it. He then turned down the covers to make the bed ready for her.

He crept up and put his ear to the bathroom door and he could hear the sound of wracking sobs. He resisted the urge to go to her. This was the catharsis she needed and his presence might keep her from giving in to her emotions. She was the strongest person he had ever met but she had a lifetime worth of tears that needed to be shed and he would give her the space to do that. He would be there to help build her up again after.

Finn crossed the room and pulled open the top drawer of the dresser looking for something to put her into after her bath. He stopped short when he found a dark blue men's dress shirt neatly folded and sitting on top of her pajama sets. He lifted it up. He recognized the dark blue material printed with tiny black polka dots. This was his, he must have left it behind the night of their ill-fated second attempt at New Year's Eve. He inspected it closer. The shirt had been brand new and he had only worn it once before he left the house. But looking closely at the shirt in his hand he could see that fabric was faded and the collar was no longer crisp. It showed signs of wear and looked as if it had been laundered often. The scent of Anna's perfume lingered on it. He stood stunned for a moment processing what this meant. She really had missed him all this time.

He set the shirt on the bed and returned to listen at the door. The sound of her cries had ceased and when he entered the room she lay back with her eyes closed. Finn took a moment to unbutton and roll up the cuffs of his shirt. Bottles filled a caddy that was next to the tub. He selected one and poured its contents into the palm of his hand. He then knelt down behind her and massaged the lavender scented gel into her wet hair, raking his fingers across her scalp causing her to sigh in appreciation. He then scrubbed her back and arms till her skin was pink. Finn finished by rinsing the suds from her hair. He felt like he was helping her wash away all of the guilt and sorrow she had harbored for so long.

Once he had finished bathing her he held out a warm terry cloth towel as she stood up and exited the bath. He tried to be gentlemanly and avert his eyes but it was hard to ignore the sight of her, shining and sleek from the tub, in front of him. She was beautiful. He wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and carry her to the bed and finish what they had started before he so foolishly left all those months ago. But now was not the time he reminded himself, so instead, he dried her off and smiling he held out the blue shirt for her to slip her arms into.

She stiffened when she saw it as if she had been caught red-handed but Finn's smile was soon mirrored by her own as she covered face with her hand in embarrassment. He helped her into the shirt and carefully fastened each of the small jet black buttons leaving the top one open. Try as he might he couldn't ignore that she bit her lip when his fingers grazed her skin as he worked at each buttonhole. Once done, he folded and smoothed the shirt collar and took a step back to look at her.

The sight of her standing in front of him barefoot, her damp hair tousled, skin glowing and wearing his clothes caused something to snap inside him. Finn's heart began to pound so hard he was certain she could hear it. The urge to wrap his arms around her waist and place his mouth on hers was so strong he didn't know how he found the strength to resist it. He took a deep breath to compose himself and reached for her hand instead.

Anna took his hand in her own but then walked right into his arms. Surprised, Finn pulled her to him enveloping her. Anna seemed to melt into him and then he felt her knees buckle. Exhaustion had finally overcome her. He picked her up and carried her to her bed, laid her down and tucked her in. He even cajoled her into taking three bites of toast and a gulp of tea. He then sat beside her and rubbed her back until he heard the even sound of her breathing which signaled that her battle with sleep was over and she was finally at rest. He leaned down and kissed her cheek softly before gathering his things and leaving her home. But this time he knew he would be back.