Anna & Finn's Manor, Port Charles

Despite the change of seasons drawing near, dusk still came earlier than she had anticipated. The sky outside the bedroom window was changing from a warm cerise hue to the somber blue-grays of twilight. Anna took a moment to turn a few more lights in the room before putting the finishing touches on her makeup. She was almost ready to don her dress.

She looked over towards her closet where it hung ready for her. The gown she had chosen was a rich plumb, she had opted for color rather than choosing more subdued hues. She felt certain that Finn would like it.

Anna did up the straps on her heels and was ready for the next step. She slipped into the dress and admired the way it shimmered playfully around her figure. She had kept her hair loose, the softly curled locks brushing her exposed shoulders. She reached back and eased the zipper up as far as she could manage and then gave herself a final appraisal in the mirror before adding the finishing touch of lipstick. Anna smiled at herself, pleased with her transformation. She was eager to see his reaction. She had insisted on getting ready in separate rooms. For some reason, she had wanted her dress to be a surprise. Maybe that was silly of her but they so rarely had the occasion or inclination to get dressed up it seemed like it was worth the time to make the moment special.

She sat down one more time at the vanity and dipped into her jar of Beauté La Crème and began to work it into the skin of her hands. As she rubbed her hands together the fingers of her right hand moved over the knuckles of her left and she stopped a moment to look at her bare ring finger. It suddenly occurred to her how long it had been since it had been occupied.

Anna thought of the all rings that had once adorned her second finger. Her eyes fell on a polished mahogany box. She took a deep breath as she let her fingers trace the intricate scrollwork on the top and then flicked open the brass clasp to retrieve a blue velvet bag from inside. She turned the contents into her hand. Two items fell into her palm, one was a solid gold coin which she hastily set aside and the other was a large marquise cut diamond ring flanked by smaller emerald cut diamonds. It was Duke's ring. Robin had been its caretaker until Anna's life had become her own again and then it had been returned to her. She regarded it cooly as it sparkled in her hand, she wasn't sure what she had expected to feel when she looked at it but her heart didn't betray her and it continued to pump smoothly. She didn't feel the need to try it on or see if it still fit.

There had been two others. Four marriages but only three rings, since she had not worn a ring for David. This was the only one left in her possession. She had given the thin gold band from her first wedding to Robin years ago. And the second? That ring was lost to time, probably somewhere fathoms deep in the Pacific ocean or taken from her after her rescue when she had lost herself to amnesia and couldn't remember that she and Robert had married.

Robert Scorpio.

She let out a great weary sigh at the thought of her ex-husband, a man that had been protecting and vexing her for over three decades, holding a ring box in his hand. She didn't know what game he was playing or why. Well, that wasn't true, she did have an idea. Robert's favorite game was "Who knows Anna best" even if no one else was interested in playing. Somehow he must have got it in his mind that Finn wasn't a fit for her. This perplexed Anna since she had thought that Finn had his seal of approval. Not that she cared a jot for what Robert thought, but it had been comforting to know that the whole family was supportive of her and Finn. The man she was in love with.

Love. Something she had never thought she would feel again. In spite of her resistance, she had fallen in love with a kind, caring, brilliant man who had devoted his life to helping others. Sometimes she felt he was more than she deserved considering the sins of her past. Their lives together and their relationship was all she could hope for it is. It couldn't be better...could it?

A maudlin feeling descended like a veil over her and she couldn't place its source. She was certain that Finn wouldn't be interested in marrying her. And it was probably for the best. The superstitious side of her knew they were already tempting fate just by being in this relationship, it wouldn't do to flaunt their happiness. But then why did she feel so crestfallen? Why did the thought of him not proposing, something she had never entertained as a possibility, suddenly sting.

Marriage and its disappointments were something she and Finn could share. They had both been widowed, well she had thought herself one for decades until Duke resurfaced. They had both been left heartbroken, him on his wedding day to Hayden and her in a Paris hospital room when Robert had walked out of her life. They also shared the pain of losing an unborn child, a child that had been wanted but would never be held.

Anna felt the familiar prick of tears behind her eyelids and she blinked until they had dissipated and she had regained her composure. What is she doing? She placed the ring back in the bag, placed it into her jewelry box and snapped the lid shut. The past was the past and had no place here tonight. She stood up and smoothed her hands down the front of her gown and walked out the bedroom door and made her way to the stairs. She knew he was waiting for her to make her grand entrance and she didn't want to disappoint.