Chapter XIII

Wildwind Estate, Pine Valley, PA

Robin sat in the rear seat of Alex's white Mercedes, watching the rain fall outside, while waiting for her aunt to join her.

Her eyelids were heavy and tired. Even though Alex had dragged her home to Wildwind yesterday, to rest instead of work, she hadn't been able to sleep for a single minute since then.

All she could think of was her mother. How would her mother react when she saw her? Would she remember anything? Would she be nothing but a stranger to her now? Would she push her away?

Robin tried to think of her mother's amnesia as a physician. 'She didn't want to forget you,' she told her herself over and over. 'It's a physical condition over which she had no control. You can't blame her for this.'

I needed you so much, Mom. How could you not have felt that?

"Stop it," she chided herself. She opened the window, to let in whiff of fresh, moist air. She ran her index finger along the window's edge, trying to think of something, anything, else.

A sudden gush of heavy rain swooped over the hood of the car, a thousand needles of water, trying in vain to pierce the engine cover. Looking at the white, wet hood made Robin remember how Alex ended up with the car in the first place, and the thought brought a welcome smile to her face.

In the summer months, when Alex had been looking for vehicle to buy, Dimitri had accidentally seen some of the options she was considering and told Robin about them.

"There's no way I'm letting her drive something that belongs on a Formula One racetrack!" Dimitri had announced to Robin when they had breakfast together one morning. "No way. As if she isn't reckless enough as it is."

"There are lots of Porsches on the streets these days, Dimitri," Robin had countered. In a stark contrast to her aunt, Dimitri was the slowest, most meticulous driver she had ever met. "Besides, how are you going to stop her? You know how she is when she sets her heart on something..."

Dimitri had given her a sly smile in return. "You'll see."

Only days later he'd given Alex the white Mercedes as a gift. Robin had laughed when she first saw it. The sturdy four-door vehicle came with a reinforced frame and various customized safety features. In short, it could do several rolls down a ravine without so much as scratching the passenger inside. Even the colour made Robin grin; Alex would never have chosen white, but it was exactly what she'd have expected Dimitri to pick.

While the car wasn't what Alex would have chosen, Robin knew she'd end up loving it. Not only because it was still a sleek, fast car but simply because Dimitri had given it to her. Exactly as Dimitri knew she would. 'Clever man,' Robin admitted, marveling at how often he made it appear as though Alex was getting her way, when it reality it was the opposite. 'Is that the key to a happy marriage?' she wondered. 'Clever compromise?'

Robin saw Alex step outside now, underneath the canopy of Wildwind's front doors. Shawn O'Malley stood next to her.

Robin rolled down the window further, in an attempt to hear their conversation, but the pounding rain made it hard. Robin liked O'Malley. Sometimes, he reminded her of a younger, more athletic version Sean Donely. O'Malley had a pair of warm, wide-set eyes and easy congeniality that made it easy to trust him. It was easy to see why, next to Edmund and Brooke, he was the only person Dimitri and Alex entrusted to protect Max in their absence. Yet, his easy-going nature was decpetive. Alex had once told her that he was ex-Secret Service, a man who wouldn't think twice about shooting an intruder point-blank in order to keep them from harm. Apparently he'd also been instrumental in helping Alex and Dimitri break into Charlotte Devane's compound in Wales last year. A high-risk operation that had resulted in Charlotte's death.

Now, Robin saw O'Malley eyes narrow as he gave Alex a concerned look. The rain was letting up and she could finally catch snippets of their conversation.

"We're not going to Port Charles?" O'Malley asked.

"No." Alex shook her head. "We're going to Canada. I packed some winter gear for you last night as well."

"Canada?"

"I can't tell you why just yet, it's a surprise for Dimitri. I'll give you more details as we get closer to our destination but I need you to keep this from my husband for the time being."

Robin could tell that O'Malley didn't like the sudden change in plans. He told Alex as much. "I don't keep secrets from Mr. Marick. "

"It's not so much a secret as it is...a surprise. I don't want it to be spoiled, that's all."

"Alright...for now," O'Malley conceded. "But if we come across anything that poses a threat to yourself or Dr. Scorpio, I won't hesitate to contact your husband. He'd have every right to fire me if I didn't."

Robin smirked. As loyal as O'Malley was to Dimitri, she knew that he adored Alex. That maybe if he didn't, he wouldn't have given in as easily.

Robin chatted with him sometimes at Wildwind. Although he wasn't a man of many words, Robin liked what he had to say. She remembered grinning when she'd pestered him about what he thought about Dimitri and all he said was that you could tell a lot about a man by the woman he chose as his wife. That it meant Dimitri Marick was definitely a good guy.

Robin remembered smiling when he said it. "Who knew you were a closet romantic?"

She'd bugged him about the state of his romantic life then too, but that's when he become a man of even fewer words and clammed up. Alex had told her he'd been married once, but that was as much as she knew. That she'd never seen or heard him mention a woman.

Robin saw Alex agreeing with O'Malley, bringing her back to the present.

"Fair enough. But please trust me on this."

"As long as you trust me to do whatever it takes to keep the two of you safe."

"You know I do," Alex answered him. She opened her umbrella for the sprint to the car and offered to cover O'Malley with it as well, but he declined with a grin.

Robin watched him make his way towards the car, opening the door of the back seat to join her. He gave her a smirk as soon as he got in, "Nice weather, huh, Robin?"

She nodded, returning his smile, remembering how long it took to finally get him to call her by her first name rather than Doctor Scorpio. She was glad to have both him and Alex in the car, hoping their presence would stop her mind from thinking of her mother, if only for a few minutes at a time.

She saw Alex eyeing her from the rear-view mirror, her lips mouthing, "Ready?"

Robin met her glance, and nodded nervously. "Yeah. I think so."

Her aunt gave her a thumbs-up signal, before turning on the windshield wipers and speeding out of the Wildwind driveway.

Pine Cone Motel, Pine Valley, PA

Bart glanced at his watch once more as he stared out the window of his motel room, watching the rain fall onto the pavement of the parking lot outside.

"Where the hell are they?" he wondered. It was already half an hour later than their planned meeting time and he was anxious to make his way back to Anna. He'd phoned Joseph earlier and immediately sensed that something wasn't right. There was something the Native man didn't want to tell him in his monosyllabic answers. He'd asked to speak to Anna but Joseph had told him she was sleeping. That he didn't want to wake her.

"At four in the afternoon?"

"She was tired, so I told her to rest. That's what you wanted isn't it? For her to take it easy." Bart thought he'd detected a trace of poorly masked hostility in Joseph's voice.

"Are you sure everything's alright?"

"Where are you?" Joseph asked him. "Anna's bugging me. You know how she hates to be kept in the dark."

"It doesn't matter now. I'm on my way back. Are you sure everything's okay?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I have to go now. Cecilia wants to use the phone."

"Joseph…" It was too late. He'd hung up. "Damn."

Bart glanced at his watch again. He hated unpunctuality and the phone call with Joseph had put him in a restless mood. He stepped outside to light a cigarette, when he suddenly saw a white Mercedes pull into the parking lot.

He recognized Alex in the drivers seat and then did a double take when he noticed a third person next to Robin in the back seat. "What the…?" He felt a red, hot anger rise from the base of his throat. How could she have blatantly disregarded his orders to keep this from anyone but Robin?

Alex stopped the car, opened the door and caught his angry expression.

"Wait here. I won't be long," Bart heard her say to the man and Robin. "I think I need to explain a couple of things to him."

In spite of what she said, the man followed her outside. "I need to meet this guy and see what I'm in for."

Bart glared at Alex. "Who the hell is he?"

"Do you mind if we go inside?" she asked. "It's pouring out here."

Bart didn't budge, blocking the entrance of his motel room. "I asked you who he is?"

"Listen," the stranger stepped up next to him. "There's no reason to have this conversation in the rain."

The stranger's cockiness only served to heighten Bart's anger. "Who are you to give me orders?"

"Buddy, if you don't let us inside right now, we're all going to leave. Before Doctor Marick has a chance to offer you any sort of explanation."

Bart switched his hostile glare from Alex to the stranger. He'd spent enough time in the WSB to recognize a trained professional. The man was obviously Alex's bodyguard. "Fine." He opened the door of the motel room and the three of them entered.

"Now if you'll tell me what kind of games you're playing," Bart demanded turning his attention back to Alex.

Alex shook the water off her jacket. "No games. Bart, this is Shawn O'Malley. He's the Head of Security at Wildwind and I trust him implicitly. My husband wanted him to come along, for my safety; mine and Robin's. I didn't want to make him even more suspicious by refusing him."

"You're making me suspicious now," O'Malley cut in. "What kind of trip is this, Dr. Marick?"

"And what exactly did you tell Dimitri?" Bart added.

Bart's anger and O'Malley's suspicion made her defensive, "Look, I told him we were going to Port Charles to visit Mac, that's all."

Bart raised his eyebrows, thinking that surely someone with her credentials couldn't possibly be this stupid. "You did what? Mac Scorpio in Port Charles? All it will take is one phone call from your husband to discover that you're not there, and Commissioner Scorpio will put out an APB on you faster that you can snap your fingers!" He sat down on his bed, running his fingers through his hair. "Good Lord, tell me this isn't happening…"

Alex's cheeks reddened. "Listen...first of all, I had to come up with a plausible explanation. My husband is not an idiot. I couldn't exactly tell him that Robin and I were going for an extended drive through the countryside. As for him calling Mac, I can assure you Dimitri only calls me on my cell."

"You didn't answer my question, Dr. Marick," O'Malley persisted.

Alex sighed, "It's hard to explain...this man, Bart Milton. He knows where my sister is. She's ill and she needs my help."

"Your sister?" O'Malley looked at her in disbelief. "As in Robin's mom? Anna Devane? But she's..."

"Not dead," Bart finished for him. God, what a mess. Would this guy possibly keep this a secret from his employer?

"If...if she's not dead, then she's wanted by the WSB, isn't she? A Black Box order, if I'm not mistaken?"

"It's why he couldn't bring her here for me to treat her," Alex explained softly. "It's why we need to go to her."

"Do you understand the need for discretion here?" Bart pointed out.

"I understand that this could be dangerous."

"Are you armed?" Bart asked him, changing the subject.

"Yes."

"What kind of weapon?" Bart asked him.

"None of your business."

"It's a standard, .45 caliber Colt, semi-automatic," Alex answered for him, ignoring the tension between the two men. "Now can we get going?"

Bart nodded. "Fine. But you'll have to get rid of the gun before we cross the border, in case we do get stopped."

"I thought you said we won't get stopped?" Alex asked him

"We probably won't, but you never know for sure."

"If we do, I'll turn it in," O'Malley told him. "I have nothing to hide. The weapon is registered and licensed. If we don't I'd just as soon hang on to it."

Bart lifted his duffel bag off the bed, ready to put it in the trunk of his rental car. "It's going to be a long drive and since we have a fourth body we might as well split into two and two."

Alex eyed O'Malley. "I want Robin to stay with me."

"As long as we stay within view of each other's cars," O'Malley agreed. "That's fine by me." He turned to Bart, "Besides, I have a whole boatload of questions for you."

Bart snickered, "You want to grill me is what you mean." He handed Alex a map, "Try to stay close to me. We're going to head west first through Ohio and then directly north, along Interstate 75, to Sault Ste. Marie, where we cross into Canada. I want to reach the border tonight before we take a break, because the next stretch after that is even longer."

Alex raised her eyebrows. "Tell me again why we're not flying?"

"I explained this to you already," he told her, still irritated.

He paused, long enough to take a good look at her, blown away once again by her staggering resemblance to Anna, even more so now when she wore a casual black, cashmere sweater and dark, denim jeans. 'How in the world is Anna going to react when she sees you?' he thought. Seeing her daughter would be difficult enough without throwing an unknown twin into the equation. "Your husband seems very protective of you," he pointed out instead.

"Unfortunately I've given him reason to be. Especially since our son was kidnapped last year."

Bart threw the motel room key on the bed and ushered them outside, chuckling. "Let's just hope he hasn't put a tracking device on your car."

Alex gave him a sarcastic smile. "Funny."

Two blocks away

"They're leaving," Jan told Faison, as he observed the moving black dot on his hand held tracking device.

"Good," Faison replied putting the engine of their black Lincoln Towne car into drive. "I was starting to think we were going to have to spend the night here." He took his time taking the local street to the Interstate. The idea was to remain at least twenty miles behind Bart's Taurus for the entire journey to avoid being spotted, especially once they left the busier highways and headed north. The tracking device would become truly imperative only after they'd crossed the border.

"I assume they're going to cross at Sault Ste. Marie," Faison mumbled.

"It certainly looks closer on the map," Jan agreed. The distances in North America never ceased to impress him. In twelve hours, he could have easily crossed Germany from north to south, especially on the autobahns that imposed no speed limit. Here they would barely cover three states in the same time. "Then again, they might go through Illinois and cross in Minnesota, who knows?"

"Do you think they're taking two cars?" Faison asked.

Jan shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know."

"I hope not. That means that Bart could get rid of his rental car for the final stretch and the three of them could end up in Alex's car, which we haven't tracked."

"Don't worry, by then we should be close enough to find her ourselves," Jan tried to reassure him.

Faison didn't look worried; merely perturbed at the possibility of added roadblocks on the way to the woman he loved. "Nothing is keeping me from Anna this time, Jan. Nothing. If I have to climb over dead bodies to get to her, then so be it. This time I will get to her."

Bear Lake First Nation, Northern Ontario, Canada

"Bart phoned," Joseph told Anna.

She sat at the table in his kitchen holding a cup of tea in her hands. "Did he say where he was?" she asked. She tried to sound calm, vaguely disinterested even, but she doubted that Joseph bought it.

"I asked him but he wouldn't tell me." Joseph sat down next to her, looking at her. "You look better, Anna. Not so tired anymore."

Anna smirked. "It's not like you've let me do a whole lot since we did the Internet search."

"Bart said he'll be back in two days."

Anna got up to wash her cup and leaned against the sink when she was done. "I won't be here when he gets back," she told him.

Joseph frowned. "I thought we decided you were going to wait for him to get back. Give him a chance to explain."

"You decided that. Not me. I'm going to go back to the cabin tomorrow morning, get my things and find a way into the States. To Port Charles. I need to find Robin."

"Just like that, with no money, no papers?"

"Bart has some money stashed away at the cabin. That will get me started. I'll get a car from Sioux Lookout and cross at night, on foot, near the Lake of the Woods. Once I'm in the States I'll make my way to Port Charles by train or bus or hitchhike if I have to...it doesn't matter."

"You don't even have a credit card or a driver's licence, how are you going to rent a car?"

"I don't know but I'll find a way."

"Hot wiring and renting are not the same, eh?"

Anna's eyes locked with his. "I have to find my daughter! Can't you see that?"

"Two days ago you could barely stand up on your own, now you want to run across to the US? Wait until Bart gets back. He deserves a chance to tell you his side of the story."

Anna threw down the towel she was holding, frustrated. "I don't want to hear any more lies, Joseph! I trusted Bart…" she felt her eyes start to water and she bitterly fought back the tears. 'No. Not this time...,' she told herself. 'No more tears.'

"Did you ever think that maybe…" Joseph looked tentative.

"Did I ever think…what?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me, Joseph."

He reached for a cigarette. "Did you ever think that maybe he didn't tell you because Robin's…" He stopped, unable to look at her.

"That Robin's what?"

"That she's not alive anymore? That maybe Bart didn't want to hurt you by telling you that, since you had no memory of her anyway?"

Anna shook her head in disbelief at what he was suggesting. "No…I don't believe that. Not for one moment. I just…it's just not possible." Joseph's words made it harder to hold back her tears. Robin couldn't be dead, not now that she finally remembered her. She couldn't.

"Anna, I don't want to hurt you either. I'm just saying give Bart a chance to explain before you run off on your own."

Joseph was right. She did owe Bart a chance to explain. But the thought of more lies, or a truth that she wasn't ready to accept, made her realize it didn't matter, whether or not he did. "I'm leaving tomorrow," she repeated firmly. "You can either help me or I'll do it on my own. It's up to you."

Authors note- This story was first written before 9/11 when crossing the border between the US and Canada was a simpler affair than it is now.