Robin watched over FaceTime as her mother's figure blew by the screen, stacking slacks and tops in her overnight bag. "Mom, I just don't know if this is a good idea. You're just getting adjusted to your treatments. Are you sure you're ready for this?"

Anna paused only momentarily and looked directly at the iPad that was propped on her bedside table. "It's fine, Robin," Anna assured her. "It's only for a few days."

"I know. But what if something were to happen?"

"It's Switzerland, Robin, not the Congo. They have very good doctors and very good hospitals."

"Yes, they do."

"But what?" Anna asked, knowing there was one.

"Mom…" Robin waited for her mother to stop and look at her again, but Anna only hurried about her packing. "Mom, you just got out of the hospital. And you want to run off on a mission already. I thought we talked about this."

"We did talk about it," Anna nodded, still avoiding the screen. "We did."

This time it was Robin's turn to wait for the "But…"

"It's a just a fact-finding mission, sweetheart. I'm not going into combat."

"Then why do you need that?" Robin asked as Anna pulled her badge and gun from the drawer, checked the safety, and laid it on top of her clothes in the bag.

"Never leave home without it," Anna said, this time smiling directly at Robin. She picked up the iPad. "Look, your father is going to be with me the entire time. He's not going to let anything happen to me, all right?"

"Why doesn't Dad just go on his own?"

"Because…" Anna paused, wishing she could tell Robin exactly what this mission was about, but knowing it had to be kept under wraps until they had some kind of proof. "This mission… it's important. To your father and to me. It's something we need to do together, okay? Can you just trust me about that?"

"I do trust you, Mom. That doesn't mean I don't worry about you."

"I know you do," Anna said. "And I love you for it. But I promise, you do not need to worry about this."

"Okay," Robin said reluctantly.

"I love you so much, you know that?" Anna said. "And I promise I will keep you posted and let you know as soon as we get home. Now, I have to go or we're gonna miss our flight. I'm sure Daddy is already waiting downstairs and you know how impatient he is."

"I do," Robin laughed.

"Okay. Bye Sweetheart," Anna said.

"Bye, Mom. Be careful."

"We will," Anna said. She blew a kiss at her daughter and hit end. She covered the iPad and stowed it in the bag, then threw the bag over her shoulder and rushed out of the room.

An hour later Robert and Anna were climbing aboard the WSB-issued jet bound for Switzerland. Robert tried to busy himself with work during the flight, but his mind was as restless as he knew Anna's must be. He glanced over at her. Her eyes were closed, but he knew she wasn't asleep. He watched her as she exhaled slowly and rolled her shoulders. Her grip on the armrests told him everything he needed to know about the anxiety she was feeling. He hoped they would find some answers at the clinic, but he wasn't confident. They were following an ice-cold trail that had been long-hidden, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

"Are you ready for this?" Robert asked Anna as they paused at the front door of the clinic.

"As ready as I'm gonna get," Anna said.

"Then let's do this," he said, opening the door and allowing her to pass.

They approached the reception desk.

"Robert Scorpio to see Dr. Von Valtier," Robert said with a flash of his badge.

"Just a moment," the woman answered in a thick French accent. She picked up the phone and dialed a number.

A few minutes later, a middle-aged man in a white coat emerged through a door at the back of the waiting area. "Director Scorpio," he said, his hand outstretched.

"Thank you for meeting with us, doctor," Robert said, returning the gesture.

"Of course," Dr. Von Valtier said. He escorted Robert and Anna to his office and invited them to sit, then took his place behind the desk. "Now, what is it that you think I can help you with?"

Robert cleared his throat and shifted in his seat before answering. "I don't know how much you'll remember about this, doctor. But my…" he caught himself and stopped, his lips still curled in a "w" formation. He could feel Anna looking at him. "My… ah… partner was a patient of yours many years ago."

"Yes. She was brought in after an explosion," the doctor said. "She was with us for many months. A very memorable case," he added, smiling at Anna with kind eyes. "I'm very pleased to see what a wonderful recovery you appear to have made."

"Thank you," Anna said softly.

"You have some questions for me about your time here?"

"That we do," Robert said. "What can you tell us about—"

"There are still things about my treatment that I can't remember," Anna interrupted, her hand on Robert's forearm.

"That is only natural," the doctor said, "considering the severity of the trauma."

"Yes, well… I was hoping that you would help us fill in some of the missing pieces."

"If I can."

"Good," Anna said with a smile. "From what I understand, when I was brought in, I was pregnant."

"That is correct."

"What can you tell us about the pregnancy or the birth?"

"Not much, I'm afraid," he said as he reached for the folder on the corner of his desk. He paged through the file. Except that you were able to carry to term despite all that your body had been through. Your obstetrician Dr. Freiberg said to me once that it was the miracle of a mother's love. We were— all of us—saddened to learn that your babies did not survive."

"Babies," Anna whispered. "Twins?"

"Yes, two boys," the doctor said.

She'd read it in the WSB files herself, but having confirmation was somehow more than she was prepared for. Anna put a hand to her mouth and gulped back a sob.

Forcing himself to stay strong, Robert stepped in and took control of the conversation again. "Was there any indication of a problem before the birth?"

Dr. Von Valtier glanced down at the file again and shook his head. Dr. Freiberg performed a complete examination just the day before. Both babies appeared to be healthy and growing as expected. There was no medical explanation. Dr. Freiberg was very distressed by this."

Anna pressed her lips together, still struggling to suppress her emotions. She wiped a tear from her cheek.

"I'm sorry," the doctor offered.

"We'd like to speak to Dr. Freiberg," Robert said.

"I'm sorry," Von Valtier said again. "I'm afraid that won't be possible."

"Why not?" Anna said, regaining most of her composure.

"Dr. Freiberg is gone."

"Surely you must have a forwarding address, a phone number… something." Robert said.

"You don't understand, Mr. Scorpio. Dr. Freiberg is dead."

"How long?" Anna asked, though she didn't know why is mattered.

"He was found just a few days after the delivery. Suicide."

Anna exhaled and shook her head.

"That's unfortunate," Robert said. "What about another doctor or a nurse who might have been there?"

"There must have been a nurse," Dr. Von Valtier said, "But for some reason I do not have that name here."

"Is there some way that we could get a list of the nurses who might have been there?" Robert asked.

Von Valtier looked hesitant. "Forgive me, Mr. Scorpio, but is this a personal matter, or a professional one?"

Robert contemplated the question. Something about the whole conversation didn't sit well with him. He had a sneaking suspicion there was more to the story than previously believed. He made eye contact with Anna again. She said nothing, but her gut was telling her the same thing. He could read it in her eyes. "Let's just say it's a professional investigation of a very personal nature."

That evening Robert and Anna sat at the small table in their hotel room, laptops open, chopsticks in hand, pouring over the list of names that Dr. Von Valtier had shared.

"Where are those egg rolls?" Robert asked.

Anna handed him a small brown paper bag with one hand and picked up a mouth full of lo mein with the other without ever taking her eyes off her screen. A few minutes later she shoved the chopsticks into the open takeout container and ran her fingers through her hair and gave an aggravate sigh.

"Anything?" Robert said.

"Not yet," Anna said. She took her glasses off and stood. "It would help if we had some idea what we were looking for!" she said as she crossed the room.

"That is the challenge," Robert admitted.

"I've cross-checked every name on the list. Not one of them has a record. They all appear to be upstanding medical professionals."

Robert nodded, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "Maybe so. Doesn't mean they don't know something. We may need to talk to them. See what they know."

"Good luck with that."

"What do you mean?"

"They're all dead."

"Bloody hell. Foul play?"

"No. I don't think so. Freiberg, yes. It's too coincidental. But these women… One died from old age, three had cancer, two heart attacks and one went MIA during a tour in Afghanistan. The only one left is Elise ten Brink."

"What's her story?"

"She had a stroke last year and is now in a convalescent home in Amsterdam."

"Does that mean we're headed to Amsterdam?"

"I don't know, Robert!" Anna said, pacing. "She may not even be able to speak to us."

"So, what do you want to do?"

Anna flopped down on the bed and lay staring up at the ceiling with her feet still hanging over the edge. "I don't know," she said again. I don't know anything. I don't even know how much of this is real? Do we have two sons out there somewhere? And if Griffin really is one of them… Who the hell Margaret Munro and how did she end up with him? She's wasn't one of the nurses. Unless it's a false ID. And what happened to the doctor? We traveled half way around the world and we've still got nothing. My God, Robert…"

Robert got up from the table and approached the bed. He took Anna's hands and pulled her up again. "Listen," he said, "I know it's frustrating right now. But we've been in worse spots than this. We're gonna find something." He pulled her into an embrace, which she readily returned.

"I hope you're right," she said over his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm always right, remember?" he teased.

"Shut up, Scorpio," she laughed.

"What? You don't believe me?"

"Ha! That you're always right? No, I don't."

"Come on!"

"I love you, but—"

"So, I've got that goin' for me," he said, sneaking a quick kiss.

"Yes. You do." She gave up the fight sooner than usual and kissed him back, but the kiss was interrupted by an incoming message.

Robert reluctantly pulled away and returned to his computer. He perused the information, then said, "Devane... you owe me an apology."

"What for?" she said.

"Because I was right again. Look at this!"

Anna grabbed her glasses and looked over his shoulder. "Maggie Hughes?"

"Otherwise known as Margaret or Maggie Fitzhugh and Margaret Munro."

"I ran a check on her before, but this is new," Anna said.

"Well, I had McNevin do a little more digging," Robert said. "Just in case. As it turns out, Maggie Hughes—"

"Was a patient at the clinic?"

"Mmm hmm. The same time as you."

"What do suppose this means, Robert?"

"I'm not sure, but I intend to find out."

"But Margaret's dead too."

"So, we start with her next of kin. Other than Griffin, that is." He picked up his phone and dialed. "Louise… Yeah… Agent Devane and I are going to need the jet again tomorrow morning. No, we're not going home just yet. We're going to Greenville."

Robert sat hunched on the edge off the sofa, his hands clasped between his knees.

Anna ambled around the living room without saying a word. She stopped in front of the fireplace to examine the framed photos that lined the mantle. She picked one up for a closer look.

"Here we are," Isobel Fitzhugh said as she entered with the tea tray.

"Thank you," Robert said. "This is very kind of you." He poured himself a cup.

"My pleasure," Isobel said. "Now, what is it you think I can help you with?"

"Agent Devane and I were hoping you could help answer some questions about your daughter."

"Maggie? Why?"

"Well…" Robert stalled, not certain he'd come up with a plausible reason for their visit. He'd considered the truth, but "Your daughter may have raised our son" didn't seem like the easiest inroad.

He was rather thankful when Anna stepped in. "Is this your grandson?" she asked, approaching the framed photo in her hand. It was a picture of a woman she knew to be Margaret and what must have been a very young Griffin.

Isobel's face took on a concerned expression.

Anna continued. "His name is Griffin, isn't it? Griffin Munro?"

"Yes."

"He's the reason we're here." Anna said. She crossed the room and caught Robert's eye for just a moment as she handed him the frame. Her eyes were soft with emotion, but her face was all business. She gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

"Is Griffin in some kind of trouble?" Isobel asked.

Robert studied the child in the photo and exhaled. "We hope not," he said. He passed the photo to Isobel, then sat back on the sofa and nodded to Anna, knowing she had the situation under control.

Anna took a seat in the chair nearest Isobel. "Griffin is a friend of mine. We met in Port Charles, New York."

"Oh, yes," Isobel said. "He wrote to me a few months ago and told me he'd taken a position at a hospital there. Please tell me why you're here." Her voice shook slightly. "Is my grandson all right?"

Anna reached for the woman's hand. "Yes, he's fine. He's absolutely fine." she assured her. "But there are some questions about his past… questions that we'd like answers to in order to protect him from any future harm."

"I don't understand."

"Ah," Robert joined in, "what she means is… we have reason to believe there could be some dangerous people in his past and we'd like to be able to protect him from those people. That is… should it ever be necessary."

"Why would it be necessary?" Isobel said.

Anna took a breath. "Because the man Griffin believes to be his father had known connections to the mob."

"Brilliant," Robert said under his breath.

"Oh, my Lord!"

"Listen to me, Isobel. It's okay," Anna said. "It is, all right? Griffin is not in any immediate danger, I promise. But if Duke is his father—"

"Who?"

"Duke Lavery," Anna said. She pulled an envelope from her small over-the-shoulder bag. "Griffin received this letter after Margaret died." She handed it to Isobel, then sat quietly while the woman read it.

When Isobel was finished, she carefully put the letter back in the envelope and returned it to Anna.

Anna gave her a quizzical, but expectant smile.

Isobel picked up her tea cup but didn't drink it. She stared into the cup for a few moments, before meeting Anna's gaze.

"What are you thinking?" Anna asked, her tone soft and friendly.

Isobel shook her head. "I don't know. I'm just trying to make sense of it all."

"Of what?" Robert said.

The Isobel looked at him and then turned back to Anna. "Maggie and her father never saw eye to eye. He was strait-laced and respectable with political aspirations. Uptight, as Maggie called him. She was a free spirit. He thought she was rebellious. He wanted her to go to college and study political science. She wanted to be a writer. She left home after high school graduation. She changed her name. We didn't see her for almost six years after that." Isobel stopped talking and reached for the tissue box on the table near her chair.

Anna put a comforting hand on her knee.

Isobel patted Anna's hand and forced a smile. "She wrote to me sometimes. Told me about her travels mostly. She said she'd met a writer. That he took her on his yacht and showed her the world. I never shared the letters with her father."

"Mrs. Fitzhugh..." Robert started to interrupt, but Anna gave him a gentle wave of her hand and a silent "shush" with her lips.

"Go on," she whispered to Isobel.

"When she finally came home, she had the baby—Griffin—with her."

"Did she tell you anything about the pregnancy? When it happened or…"

Isobel shook her head again. "Not much. She and her father fought about it. He wanted her to give him up, but she refused. She moved into her own place and started using my maiden name. Probably just to spite her father. Though he didn't seem to care. He seemed more relieved."

"What about you? Did you want her to give him up?"

"He was my grandson. My daughter's only child. I would have done anything for either one of them. But her father… didn't make things easy for any one. My relationship with both of them became… strained."

"I'm sorry," Anna said with a sympathetic turn of her lips.

Isobel sniffed. "Do you have children, Agent Devane?" she asked.

It was meant to be a simple question, but it brought a lump to Anna's throat. She swallowed the lump and nodded. "I also have a beautiful granddaughter," she said.

"Oh...no!" Isobel said.

"What?"

"You're too young to be a grandmother."

"Ha! No. I'm not. Her name is Emma. And she has a brother or sister on the way."

"Then you can imagine how much I wanted to be close to them. To be a part of their lives."

"Yes. We can," Anna said, glancing at Robert as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

Isobel considered the two of them carefully, the way their eyes spoke to one another, and finally made the connection. "Grandpa?" she said.

"Yeah," Robert admitted with a proud grin.

"That I believe," Isobel said. She patted her own gray hair as if in solidarity and chuckled as she said it.

Anna and Robert both laughed before picking up their line of questioning again.

"Mrs. Fitzhugh," Robert said, "did your daughter ever talk about Griffin's father? About Duke?"

"I never heard the name before today. Or of any affair in Scotland. It's possible, I suppose. But, I always assumed the writer was his father."

"This writer… what was his name?" Anna asked.

"Maggie never said."

"Really?" Anna said.

"I did ask once. But she said he was very private and would rather not be identified. He visited a few times when Griffin was very young. But I only met him briefly."

"Can you tell us what he was like?"

"He kissed my hand and said he was delighted to meet me, but he avoided any real conversation. He was an odd man. Charming, but odd."

"In what way?" Robert asked.

"I don't know. He was polite, but… aloof. He seemed almost irritated. Like we were all beneath him."

"Anything else?" Anna said.

"He dressed well and drove a fancy car. He smoked funny, European cigarettes."

Robert suddenly felt his stomach tighten. He watched Anna's body stiffen.

"He spoke with an accent, Isobel said. "But I didn't recognize it. It wasn't Scottish. I'd have known. My father spoke with a thick Scottish brogue—"

"Is this him?" Robert said, pulling up an image on his phone. He passed the device to Anna, who gave Isobel a closer look.

Isobel examined the picture. "He looks older, but… Yes. That's him."

Anna and Robert engaged in another silent exchange.

"What is it?" Isobel asked. "He's not another mobster, is he?"

Not wanting to worry the poor woman any more than they already had, Robert shook his head and said as calmly as possible, "No, he's not." He stood, buttoned his jacket, and walked over to her chair. He took her hands and helped her up.

Anna rose too.

"Mrs. Fitzhugh, I want to thank you," Robert said.

"Of course. But…"

"Thank you for your hospitality and for all of your help."

"Yes," Anna said. "Thank you so much. You've been more help than you know."

"Should I be worried?" Isobel asked.

"No," Anna said. "I don't want you to worry, all right. Because we now know that Griffin is in no danger as far as Duke Lavery's enemies are concerned. We know exactly who we're dealing with. And I swear to you that we will never let anything happen to Griffin. Okay? No harm will come to him. Not on our watch."

"But we do need to get going," Robert said.

"Okay," Isobel said as she escorted them to the front door. "Just do me one favor, will you? When you see my grandson, will you give him a hug from me?"

"I will," Anna promised. She smiled until Isobel had closed the door behind them. She kept herself together as she and Robert rounded the corner to their parked car. But once they were safely inside the vehicle, she let her face fall. "How can this be happening?" she groaned.

"I don't know."

"I should have known!"

"You couldn't have known, Anna."

"Please! That man is responsible for everything that has ever happened to our family. He has torn us apart time and time again, Robert!" She dropped her face into her hands and let out an frustrated cry.

Robert leaned over the console that separated them and did his best to take Anna into his arms. He tried to think of the right words to comfort her, but he found none. She was right. The man had done his best to destroy them at every turn and he hated him for it. Damn you, he thought. Damn you to Hell, Cesar Faison!