Sure enough, a month turned into two and then to three with no word from Robert. Anna's contacts with the WSB assured her they'd had word and promised her he was fine but insisted there was no way for her to contact him in the Outback.

So, while she waited, Anna continued to work with Andre to chip away at the block in her memory. As difficult as it was, she was determined to uncover the secrets of the past, to piece together the full story. As far as she could see, it was the only way she would be able to explain what happened, not only to Griffin and Nathan, but to Robert.

It was a slow, stressful process, but, by August she had finally made progress. On the day of Griffin's party, she finally had the breakthrough she'd been hoping for. There were still many questions to be answered, and she was beginning to think she might never get all the answers, but she left Andre's office feeling hopeful nevertheless. She dialed her contact at the WSB, eager to share her findings with Robert.

The hope quickly turned to dread when the voice on the other end of the phone informed her they no longer had a location on Agent Scorpio. Dismayed, she demanded to speak to Frisco, who was acting director while Robert was on assignment. And he too confirmed that Robert was no longer at his post and had been incommunicado for over forty-eight hours. He assured her they were doing everything they could to locate him and swore to call her as soon they had any information.

"Thank you, Frisco," she said. "When you find him, I want you to tell him one thing for me, okay?" She delivered the single-sentence message and hung up. Shaken, but determined not to assume the worst, she headed home to dress for the party.

When Anna arrived at the Metro Court in her strapless, split-leg, black jumpsuit, Maxie was in full-on party-planner mode, overseeing the decorating and ordering servers around. She greeted Maxie with hugs and kisses. Maxie responded in kind, then quickly shooed her out of the way.

Leaving the expert to do her job, Anna found her way to the bar and took a seat. As she waited for the bartender to notice her, her mind drifted. How she wished Robert were there with her. He should be there with her. It was their sons' birthday after all. Even if it wasn't public knowledge. In fact, all the more reason he should be there, she thought. But where the hell was he? She waffled between worry and irritation. Worry quickly won out. Out of nostalgia, she ordered a Kir Royale. With the first sip she was transported back in time. Lost in thoughts of him and their history, a smile filled with longing spread across her lips.

When her phone dinged with a message on the bar in front of her, she grabbed it immediately, willing it to be Robert. It wasn't. It was Robin.

Mom, we're here. Where are you?

Anna's face lit up. She sent a message back.

In the bar.

Moments later she heard the voice of her sweet little angel call out, "Grandma!"

Anna hopped off the stool and braced her body for collision with the ball of energy racing toward her. "Emma!" she cried as she scooped the girl into her arms. "I've missed you so much! Gosh, look how you've grown!"

"I've missed you too, Grandma! Is Grandpa Robert here?"

"No, darling. I'm sorry. But he sends his love and a kiss for you," Anna said. She kissed Emma on the cheek.

By that time Robin and Patrick had caught up with baby Noah.

Anna bent to kiss the baby on the forehead. "Hello, sweet boy," she said with a smile.

Noah let out a happy squawk.

Patrick greeted and hugged Anna and took Noah from Robin, so she too could manage a proper hug. "Emma, will you come with me and help me change your brother?" he asked, taking the diaper bag from Robin.

"Sure, Daddy. Don't worry, Mommy. I'll make sure he puts on the cute outfit we picked.

Anna and Robin both laughed as they watched the trio walk out. "Don't be long," Anna called after them. "I need to hold my grandson!"

Robin cut to the chase as soon as she had her mother's ear. "Where's Dad?"

Anna forced herself to maintain a slight smile, but her stomach tightened anyway. "He's not here."

"Is he coming?"

"No."

"Where is he?"

Anna shook her head. "I don't know." She shrugged and picked up her things. "Shall we go see if Maxie needs any help?"

"Maxie doesn't want help, Mom. What do you mean, you don't know?"

Not wanting to worry Robin, Anna beat around the bush. "Oh, you know your father. He's off on assignment somewhere. I'd hoped he'd be back by now, but… he must have gotten held up."

Robin tilted her head and regarded her mother curiously. Spy or no spy, she couldn't fool her as easily as she thought she could. "Mom, what's going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"The last time I was in Port Charles you and Dad could barely keep your hands off each other and now you're telling me you don't even know where he is?"

"We've been out of touch for a while. That's all. While he's been… working. You know how it is."

"How long has he been gone?"

Anna sighed. She was close to breaking down. "About three months. But, he's been on assignment in the Outback, you know, so—"

"Robin!"

"Uncle Mac!" Robin rushed toward Mac and flung her arms around her and Anna breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for the interruption.

"It's great to see you! Where are the kids? And Patrick?"

"He's changing Noah. They'll be out in a minute."

"Felicia is in the ballroom with Maxie. She can't wait to see the baby. It's all she's been talkin' about all day." He leaned toward Anna and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Anna, you look lovely as always."

"Oh, thank you, Mac. Good to see you," Anna smiled with a gentle hand on his bicep.

"How's the treatment going?"

"Fine, Mac. Thank you for asking."

"Mom and I were just discussing the fact that Dad is nowhere to be found," Robin chimed in.

"Now that you mention it... Where is the old man?" Mac asked.

"Still off saving the world," Anna joked. "He hasn't called you, has he?"

"No. Should he have?"

"No. It's fine," Anna lied. She glanced at her phone. Still no messages. "It's getting late. We should all move into the other room. The guest of honor will be here soon."

"Mom, did you know that Nathan's birthday is today too?" Robin said as Anna ushered her out of the bar.

"Ah… I heard. Yes," Anna said.

"Kind of a funny coincidence, considering their history," Mac laughed. "I'm surprised Maxie was able to convince Nathan to come tonight.

Anna forced a chuckle, but she felt slightly sick at the thought. Even if she and Robert were able to explain what had happened in the past, there was no telling what might happen in the future. At the moment, it didn't look like the two men were interested in ever becoming friends, let alone family.

For most of the night Anna chatted with Emma and played with Noah. She watched happily as Robin and Patrick moved about the room catching up with all their friends. And she kept an eye on her boys from a far. They seemed contented, both cheerful and smiling, surround by friends and family. She was pleased. Maybe not so much by the fact that two of her three children seemed to have an over-developed soft spot for Sonny Corinthos, but in general. Once again, she found herself wondering what it would do to them to find out that she and Robert were their parents. That they were brothers. It would turn their worlds upside down. And how do you even begin to break that news, she wondered.

After the cake and been cut and Happy Birthday had been sung, Anna downed the last swallow of the tall scotch she'd been nursing and took two small, wrapped packages from her bag. She made her way through the crowd toward Griffin and presented him with the first one.

"Anna, thank you so much," Griffin said politely. "For everything. The gift and the party. I know you and Robin must have put a lot of time into planning."

"Oh, not really," Anna smiled. "Maxie really did most of the work."

"Still, I appreciate it more that you know. It's nice to know that I have friends like you, especially now that my mother and father are both gone."

Griffin stared at her, smiling as if he were waiting for her to say something, Anna could get no words past lump of emotion in her throat. She could only smile back, her lips pressed together to keep from letting too much out.

"Should I open it?" Griffin asked, motioning with the box.

"Please," Anna squeaked out.

Griffin carefully removed the paper and opened the box to reveal a stunning pair of sapphire cuff links. "These are exquisite," he said. "Did they…they probably didn't."

"What?"

"Did they belong to my father?"

"Ah… no," Anna said. "Actually, they're from Queensland, Australia. Your father visited there once, and he claimed their sapphires there were the most beautiful gems he'd ever seen."

Griffin's face lit up then. "That's wonderful. Thank you!" he said, pulling Anna into a hug.

Griffin had no idea who she really was, or what truth she'd just revealed about his father. But she did. And standing there in his arms, the emotion became too much for her. There was nothing she could do to conceal it any longer.

"Are you okay?" Griffin asked when he saw the tears in her eyes.

"I'm fine," Anna answered quickly. "I just… I wish your father were here too." She managed another smile and a happy birthday and excused herself.

She made her way back to the bar, careful to avoid Robin on her way. After a few more swallows of liquid courage, she went back to the party and found Nathan and Maxie in one corner of the room. They appeared to be involved in a rather serious conversation. But decided she couldn't let the night end without having wished both boys well.

She stepped up cautiously and put a hand on Maxie's shoulder. "Hi, Maxie. Sorry to interrupt. I was just about to go but I didn't want to leave without saying goodnight to you and thanking you for putting together such a lovely party."

"Thank you, Anna. It did turn out well, didn't it?"

"And Nathan," Anna said, "Thank you so much for joining us. I know it probably wasn't your idea of a fun way to spend your birthday."

"Hey, anything that involves Maxie is my idea of fun," he said. "And the food and drinks aren't bad either."

"Do you see why I love this man?" Maxie said, throwing her arms around him.

"I do. Absolutely," Anna said. "Oh, I also have a little... something for you, Nathan."

"You shouldn't have," Nathan said, surprised as he took the box. His eyes grew even wider when he saw what was inside. "Wow! You really shouldn't have," he said.

"Yes, you should have!" Maxie said, grabbing the box from his hands. "Aunt Anna, these are gorgeous! Are these Australian sapphires?"

"They are!" Anna laughed. "You really know your stuff."

"Uncle Robert has a pair just like this." Maxie said.

"He does," Anna nodded.

"Wow!" Nathan said again. "I can't thank you enough. This is an incredible gift." He leaned in and hugged her.

"You're very welcome," she said over his shoulder. "You're part of the family now, so…" She stopped, unsure of how to finish the sentence. Instead, she wished him a happy birthday and bid him and Maxie good night, proud of herself for surviving the encounter without breaking down again. She was about to walk away when she heard an unexpected, yet unfortunately familiar voice behind her.

"Herzlichen Glückwünsch zum Gerburtstag, mein Kind!"

Anna whipped around to face her. "Liesl, what are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too, Anna," Obrecht said. "I only came to wish my son well on his birthday."

It may not have been evident to others present, but Anna saw the masked venom dripping from her lips. She glared at Obrecht as she proceeded to gush over Nathan. Her stomach churned as she listened to her go on and on about how proud she was of him and how much she loved him and wished she could have raised him, if only she hadn't feared for his safety. As much as she wanted to drag Liesl Obrecht from the room by her hair, the last thing she wanted to do was ruin party. So, she waited for a break in the conversation, then stepped up and took her arm.

"Liesl, I wonder if I might have a word with you?"

"For Heaven's sake, what is it?"

"Outside," Anna said sternly as she propelled the other woman toward the door.

Once out on the balcony, Obrecht shook free of Anna's hold.

"All right. We are outside. Now, what do you want?"

"I want to talk to you."

"About what?"

"I want to know what you know about my pregnancy."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Cut the crap, Liesl. You were there."

"Where?"

"You were there on the ship."

"How much have you had to drink, Anna?"

"You were there. Faison brought you on board his boat to examine me after I told him."

Obrecht had no response.

"That's right, isn't it? Huh? You see, I remember now!" Anna said, tapping her index finger on her temple.

Obrecht shook her head. "I don't care what you think you remember."

"Enough, Liesl."

"Yes. It is enough. I'm leaving." Obrecht turned to leave, but Anna grabbed her by the arm again.

"You're not going anywhere until I get some answers. You owe me that."

"I owe you nothing. I only came here tonight to see my son on his birthday."

At the sound of the word, Anna snapped. Without another thought, she slapped Obrecht across the face.

"How dare you!" Obrecht grumbled.

Anna didn't stop to apologize. Instead, she grabbed her by the lapels of Obrecht's suit jacket, spun her around, and shoved her up against the rail of the balcony. "He's my son and you know it, you bitch!"

"You've gone mad!" Liesl said. She tried to sound tough, but Anna knew she had held her at a disadvantage.

Anna shifted her weight and leaned overt Obrecht so her top half was hanging over the rail. "Like hell! My babies were born while I was in a coma in that clinic and if I were a betting woman, I'd bet you were the unidentified nurse in that delivery room."

"Get off me, Scarecrow!"

"I'm done playing games, Liesl," Anna said, shaking her. "Tell me the truth, damn it! Were you there when I gave birth?"

Realizing that the maternal strength and adrenaline pumping through Anna's veins would be enough to push her over the edge, Obrecht finally gave in. "Yes!" she spat.

"I knew it!" Anna stepped back and pulled Obrecht upright. She let go and rolled her shoulders and neck to shake off some of her anger, but she maintained her position of power with Obrecht's back to the city several stories below. "Why did you do it? Hmm?" Anna asked. "Why did you take our sons?"

Obrecht, still stuck between a rock and a hard place, found no point in lying any longer. "Because Cesar begged me too."

"He begged you to kidnap them?"

"Not exactly. When the tanker exploded, we were able to escape, thanks to Cesar's resourcefulness. We made it to safety. But he knew he would have to go underground to survive. He knew he would never be able to raise the baby. So, I made him a promise. To keep his child safe, no matter what it took. I did it for him."

"You want me to believe that you gave my son to your sister for safe keeping?"

"I had to. It would have been too easy for them to connect the child to Cesar if I had kept him."

"And what about the other one? How did Margaret Munro fit into all of this?"

"That was just a happy coincidence."

"How so?"

"She was Cesar's assistant. She was in love with him, but he didn't even know she existed. No one existed for him except you."

"Shut up!"

"She agreed to raise the second child in hopes that she could win his love."

"How did she end up in the clinic the same time I was?"

"Just some careful orchestration on my part. To make it look like the woman left the hospital with her own child instead of yours."

Anna shook her head in disbelief or disgust. "There one problem with this story. You knew that Faison wasn't the father. You knew when you examined me that I was farther along. Didn't you?"

"And you were terrified that I would tell him the truth. I could see it in your eyes," Obrecht admitted with a smug grin.

"So why follow through with your promise to him? Why keep them from me all this time?"

"Don't be angry, Anna. You should really thank me. Neither you nor their father would have been of any help to them those first fifteen years. I did you a favor."

"Shut up!" Anna said again. "Why? What did you stand to gain?"

Liesl leaned in closer and looked into Anna's eyes. "Justice," she laughed. "I finally had the opportunity to take someone you loved the same way you took Cesar from me."

"You are sick!" Anna said, tears of anger in her eyes.

"Yes, she is, I'm sorry to say."

Anna turned around to see Nathan stepping out of the crowd that had gathered behind them. "How much of that did you hear?" she asked.

"Enough," he said.

"I'm so sorry, Liebchen," Obrecht cooed.

"Save it, Mother. Or should I say Doctor Obrecht? Did I understand correctly? Is Anna… my mother?" He looked from Obrecht to Anna.

Obrecht nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry, Nathan. I do love you, you know."

"Stop. No more lies." He pulled a pair of handcuffs from his jacket pocket and approached her.

"Nathan, what are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm arresting you for kidnapping and probably a few other charges to be named later." He read her rights and was about to escort her out when Griffin stopped them.

"Wait. What about the letter from mother? The one she left for me about my father? Duke?"

"Margaret Munro never knew Duke Lavery," Obrecht said. "I wrote the letter. To throw the Scarecrow off the scent. And she fell for it. As you say… hook, line, and sinker." She snickered at Anna over her shoulder.

Anna charged at her then, forcing Nathan to hold her back as Dante appeared to escort Obrecht away.

Slowly, the crowd began to dissipate, leaving Anna surrounded by her children and the rest of the extended Scorpio family. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to cause a scene at the party…" She stopped and took a gasp-like breath. "I didn't mean for any of you to find out like this. I was trying to find the right way… the right time. I'm so sorry."

For a moment, the entire group just stood looking at her. It was Robin who finally broke the silence. "Mom, is it all true? Did we hear correctly? Are Griffin and Nathan really… brothers?"

"Fraternal twins," Anna said softly.

"Are you really their mommy, Grandma?" Emma said.

Anna swallowed and smiled at her. "Yes, sweetie. I am."

Griffin looked confused. "But if Dr. Obrecht wrote that letter and Duke Lavery isn't my… or our father, then who is?"

Before Anna could answer, another voice did it for her.

"I am."