August 1979

The door opened slowly, allowing the figure dressed in rumpled and torn clothing to sneak in and shut it quietly behind them. Voices speaking in Italian drifted into the 3rd floor apartment from the open living room window, the sounds of the day barely winding down in the busy and friendly neighborhood. A louder voice singing along to an Italian song on the radio came from the kitchen just to the left. A quick calculation was done to see how they could get to the bedrooms just beyond it before being caught.

The figure had only taken one step before a screech let them know the jig was up. Turning, dark eyes met similar dark eyes. One pair, however, was set in the face of a grinning and drooling infant peering over the side of a playpen in the corner by the couch.

"Betrayed by my own daughter," Anna muttered, slowly relaxing and standing to a full upright position. She couldn't help but grin as the child in question began to bounce on her feet, gripping the playpen side for dear life. A demanding grunt followed by more bouncing proved in no uncertain tones that Robin wanted to be held immediately. Quickly walking over to her, Anna obliged by scooping the baby into her arms and kissing her softly.

Robin squealed with delight, patting Anna's cheeks with tiny pudgy hands and babbling. Anna's right cheek gave a twinge of momentary soreness, the healing skin sensitive from the last plastic surgery. There would only be maybe two more before she was completely healed…on the outside anyway. She hated the fake scar that she plastered on every day but even now, as she recalled the appreciative look in the one plastic surgeon's eye, she felt nauseous. She knew she couldn't handle seeing that look in anyone's eyes, not after Robert. Shaking off those thoughts, Anna took in her daughter's own appearance.

Dressed in a light pink romper, but with no shirt and bare feet, Robin was a poster child for a happy, healthy baby girl. Robin babbled more, a matching pink bow clutched in the baby's hand. Anna chuckled, shaking her head at Philomena's determination. The moment Robin's hair had gotten long enough, there was always a bow fixed in it to match her outfit even though it never stayed there long.

"Fascinating," Anna said, nodded seriously along to whatever the baby was trying to say. Robin stopped babbling abruptly and searched Anna's face intently. Anna stared back then quickly pulled a funny face. Robin let out a belly laugh causing Anna to laugh as well.

"Anna?" Philomena's voice came and Anna turned to see her standing in the kitchen doorway, holding a sauce spoon. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the previously sleeping Robin, who was now holding conversation with herself in Anna's arms. "You wake the bambina?"

"No, honestly, I was actually…" Anna trailed off as Philomena glanced towards the door and spotted the large briefcase that Anna had set down moments before and the dirty clothes on her body.

"Anna..." Philomena said sternly and Anna sighed. While Philomena didn't know exactly what Anna did, she knew that she didn't always approve of the late hours and her appearance after some of the fences she arranged.

With a quick kiss to the top of Robin's head, she placed the baby on the floor at her feet. The baby grabbed the nearest toy, which ironically happened to be a stuffed kangaroo, and began to pound it into the floor. Satisfied that she was occupied, Anna moved to where Philomena stood.

"It looks worse than it is. My heel broke and I fell, Philomena. I promise." Anna said, trying to placate her surrogate mother. "I came to get a quick shower, change of clothes and then I'm going to head over to my place. But…uh…maybe I can have some dinner while I'm here too?"

At Anna's hopeful tone Philomena shook her head again and placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Anna, why you no stay here with us? We are safe here. Happy too."

Anna shook her head sadly, wishing for nothing more than to do as she asked. But before she could say a word, Philomena gasped and her grip tightened. Anna followed her gaze and gasped as well.

Robin had gotten bored beating the stuffing out the kangaroo and had crawled over to pull herself up to stand by the coffee table. Then, realizing she still wanted the kangaroo she had turned to where it lay and let go of the table.

Robin took one wobbly step, then another, and then another until finally she reached her destination. She dropped to the floor on her diapered bottom and grabbed the kangaroo, laughing before proceeding to once again beat some sense into the toy.

"She walked!" Anna exclaimed and rushed over to swing the startled baby into her arms. "Philomena, did you see that? She walked!"

Anna placed Robin by the coffee table again and took a few steps back before couching down. "Come on, Robin. Come to Mum…come to me. Come to Luv."

Robin stared at her for a moment before letting go of the table and reaching out to her. Sure enough, a few wobbly and drunken like steps later, Robin was in Anna's embrace and being twirled around happily.

Anna sat down on the couch near the playpen and rocked the baby in her arms, tears of happiness and motherly pride streaming down her face. Robin didn't understand anything that had just happened, but she still had her kangaroo and now she was in Anna's lap. To the baby, all was right in her world so she really didn't care why the adults were crying like goofballs. Robin leaned back against Anna's chest and babbled to the toy in her hands.

"I could have missed it. I could have been away or even at my apartment when this happened." Anna said, closing her eyes and feeling the guilt and consequences of her past wash over her again. The name she almost called herself when speaking to Robin tumbled around in her brain and her heart.

"Cara mia…" Philomena said softly, somehow knowing what Anna was thinking about. Anna shook her head, her anguished face pleading for her to stay quiet.

"No Philomena. It's better this way. You remember our agreement?"

"Yes, I remember. You are friend, not mama. But…" Philomena's miffed voice trailed off and something about her tone made Anna look up. Philomena nodded towards the baby girl, where she was now contentedly playing with Anna's hair. "The bambina…her heart…it knows you as her mama. That is not so easy to…uh, how do you say…deceive."

Anna bit her lip to stop the tears at her words. Despite not knowing English completely yet, sometimes Philomena had a way of saying things that hit Anna's heart perfectly. After an intense gaze Philomena sighed and dropped a kiss on Anna's hair.

"Put the bambina in the…that thing…and shower. I feed you before you go home." Philomena said and walked back into the kitchen, already humming another song from the radio.

Anna watched her silently and then looked down into the face of the person she loved most in this world. Her daughter's dark eyes twinkled back at her, set in a face that was so much like her father it was devastating.

Anna kissed the baby's forehead and closed her eyes, resting her cheek on the soft crown of her child's head. "My heart knows you too, Robin. And I swear to you, no matter what happens, it will always know you as my daughter."

Robin babbled her approval and Anna smiled, lifting her higher into her arms. After placing the baby back in the playpen, or "that thing" as Philomena liked to call it, Anna headed back over to the briefcase on the floor.

Already thinking about the hot water that awaited her, she placed the priceless Monet that she had helped "procure" for a client from an unnamed seller by the front door. That way she would be sure to grab it before she left for own apartment.